Tucson rap trio expands lineup with two women rappers

Tucson hip-hop trio Unrehearsed Music Group is now a quintet after adding two women to the lineup.

Phoenix area rappers Tiffany Padilla and Daniela Iniguez-Dejadez joined Daniel Grijalva, Eduardo Zuniga and Luis Vasquez late last summer in what started out as a one-time collaboration and evolved into a full-fledged partnership.

“They bring a whole different vibe, a whole different sound that we can get into,” Grijalva said, adding that with Iniguez-Dejadez aka De Jadez, who sings in addition to rapping, Unrehearsed Music Group can now feature vocals on their tracks — something the seven-year-old ensemble has not been able to do on their earlier recordings.

“With those two additions, it’s making our whole image change to the kind of music we can make now,” he said.

“We bring … a different sound and perspective to just flow us all together to make it perfect,” said Padilla, who has been rapping in Phoenix clubs and open mics for 20 years under the stage name Devilz Playground. “It’s incredible, all of us together. I think it’s just all of our different styles, all of our different flows, all of our different lifestyles and everything we’ve been through, it all comes together in the music.”

Padilla and Iniguez-Dejadez met the Tucson trio last summer in Phoenix when Unrehearsed Music Group appeared on Padilla’s hip-hop podcast Da CookHouze. When Padilla told the three that she loved their music, they invited her and Iniguez-Dejadez to be part of their collaboration album “Unrehearsed Music Group Presents CLB Collaborations Vol. 1,” which features guest appearances by eight other Arizona rappers including Tucson’s King Kosmic and Hurrikane Dizzy Dizz.

Grijalva said they recorded 20 songs with the guest artists and decided to release the music initially as three EPs, the first of which, “Creative,” will be available Friday, Nov. 19, on all major streaming outlets. “Lyrical” and “Banger” will follow before they release the full album, Grijalva said.

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In addition to the collaborations, the EPs include new music by Unrehearsed Music Group. But the album will only be the collaborations.

Unrehearsed Music Group, which was nominated for a 2021 Arizona Mix Tapes Best Emerging Song Award in September, has lined up a few opening act gigs for bigger named artists in early 2022, Grijalva said.

“I think this is really going to blow up and end up well for us all,” said Padilla. “I can’t believe how smart these guys are. They are just incredible dudes.”