Where exactly ‘Magic’s Rap’ sits in the pantheon of west coast classics is a matter of debate. The MC and DJ alter-ego of strapping US marine Benjamin Fraga, he made his name at California’s Noa Noa nightclub in the early 80s before cutting and self-pressing his only single. A-side ‘Devil Dog Rap’ is very little to write home about – a decently played, albeit sub-Sugarhill affair, that cringingly recounts “tales of the fighting force that never fail” and patriotically taking out ‘commies’, somewhat over-celebrating its creator’s job. ‘Magic’s Rap’ is the prime cut for several reasons, mostly to do with its chorus. Although sung with no great soul power, it’s “We’re doing magic, we want to party” hook and litany of local cities is practically identical to Ronnie Hudson & the Street People’s ‘West Coast Poplock’, a huge KDAY radio and club hit issued in 1982. Fraga claims Hudson ripped him off. And if his dates are true (the single’s label is undated), then Fraga missed out on not one but two highly lucrative paydays after Dr. Dre interpolated the chorus into 2Pac’s 1995 mega hit ‘California Love’ (crediting Hudson along the way). Recently reissued on seven-inch 45 with the deluxe vinyl edition of Soul Jazz’s excellent Yo! Boombox compilation, Fraga’s insistence that he sold over 350,000 copies of this private press single – a record only ever sold at US military bases – is similarly hard to authenticate.