Branden Hopper
Staff Writer

“Rollin’ down the street smokin’ indo, sippin’ on gin and juice.” There might not be a better Southern California anthem than Snoop and Dre’s Gin and Juice. The song embodies a culture unique to a very specific swath of California and would epitomize not only a genre of music but a cultural landscape. From Afroman’s Palmdale to Blink 182’s San Diego, Southern California has and continues to influence mainstream culture — it should, too, it’s earned it.

Southern California is to the west coast what New York City is to the East, its central hub of trend, it’s think tank of cool. Having grown up in Los Angeles I can feel the difference separating myself from peers who haven’t experienced what it is a very important part of California, its palpable. We say different words, we listen to different music, we skate differently. Ever see Guttermouth play for two hours, running on whiskey and corn dogs? Not if you’ve never hung out in Huntington Beach you haven’t.

World famous landmarks? Yeah, we’ve got those. Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Capitol Records building and the Hollywood sign are all classic examples of things that people all over the world recognize. Punk rock, tacos, skate and surf culture, American cinema — these are all things either born or perfected in the nooks and cranny’s of Southern California and with 300 days of sunshine a year it’s pretty tough not to grab your friends, hit the freeway and go find something you dig.