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"title": "How LGBTQ+ Hip-Hop Artists Found Their Voices and Changed Culture",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n 1990, three years before she asked the world “Who you callin’ a bitch?” on her breakout hit “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/f8cHxydDb7o?si=SSNs9T3NAUHv8B2B\">U.N.I.T.Y.\u003c/a>,” Queen Latifah was an up-and-coming artist signed to Tommy Boy Records. Her labelmates, Oakland’s Digital Underground, had a smash hit with “The Humpty Dance,” and Latifah joined them on a national tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That year, Latifah had the chance to play her first major headlining show — finally, a gig that would pay her more than $10,000. It was a New Year’s Eve celebration at “this cool gay club in San Francisco,” she recalled in a \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/ao26pluo36I?si=Y_45Kj6iQP-MKvmn\">2022 interview with \u003ci>Hot Ones\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. She called up her friend, Digital Underground roadie-turned-rapper Tupac, and told him to meet her there. “They went crazy in there!,” she remembers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was like, ‘They’re gonna tear you out your clothes,’” she remembered telling Tupac. “He took his shirt off anyway. We had so. Much. Fun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That party? The Box, the boundary-breaking club spearheaded by San Francisco DJ and promoter Page Hodel. Though Queen Latifah \u003ca href=\"https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/06/queen-latifah-officially-sends-love-partner-son-bet-awards-ceremony/\">didn’t publicly speak of having same-sex partners\u003c/a> until 2021, The Box clearly had a big enough draw that the rewards of performing in a queer space outweighed the potential risks of being outed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938996\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938996\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An artist on stage speaking into a microphone.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2101\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-800x657.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-1020x837.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-160x131.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-768x630.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-1536x1261.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-2048x1681.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-1920x1576.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juba Kalamka (left) of Oakland queer hip-hop group Deep Dickollective with poet Exodus Williams in the early 2000s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Juba Kalamka)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The late ’80s and early ’90s were a fraught time for LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists. In the male-dominated genre, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914311/rono-tse-disposable-heroes-hiphoprisy-michael-franti\">homophobic lyrics were common\u003c/a>, even as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13858167/queer-nation-lgbtq-activism-90s\">AIDS crisis raged on\u003c/a>. Although many influential golden-era female rappers such as Latifah, \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/music/features/da-brat-coming-out-dish-nation-1234623270/\">Da Brat\u003c/a> and Special One of Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925177/the-conscious-daughters-raps-sucka-free-thelma-and-louise-rewrote-the-rules\">the Conscious Daughters\u003c/a> eventually came out as lesbian or bisexual, the LGBTQ+ artists of rap largely had to keep their sexuality private to appeal to straight fans and have a chance at major-label success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making matters more complicated was that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914457/rightnowish-searching-for-a-kiki-sfs-first-black-owned-gay-bar\">gay scene in San Francisco wasn’t as inclusive\u003c/a> as one would expect from the nation’s LGBTQ+ mecca. Gay clubs regularly discriminated against Black and Brown patrons. LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists in the ’80s and ’90s found themselves squeezed between racism, sexism and homophobia — rendered close to invisible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, across the Bay Area, a multicultural groundswell of DJs, rappers and promoters refused to be sidelined, and worked hard to create inclusive spaces that pushed the music and culture forward. Not everyone agreed on the same definition of inclusivity; even this small community had its tensions. But — as we can see now with the success of LGBTQ+ artists like Lil Nas X, Cardi B, Big Freedia, Saucy Santana and Young M.A., as well as hip-hop’s central role in Pride celebrations around the country — these ongoing, collective efforts created profound ripple effects through the music industry and culture as a whole.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In the ’80s, hip-hop enters gay clubs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When she started The Box at the Kennel Club in 1988 — before it became popular enough to attract the likes of Queen Latifah and Tupac — Page Hodel took a risk. Most of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ nightlife catered to gay men. But in the late ’80s, Hodel launched two events: her women’s party, Club Q, and the Box, a rare space where all LGBTQ+ identities could mingle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938993\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1596px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938993\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1.jpeg\" alt=\"A black-and-white flyer features diverse female dancers.\" width=\"1596\" height=\"2064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1.jpeg 1596w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-800x1035.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-1020x1319.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-160x207.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-768x993.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-1188x1536.jpeg 1188w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-1584x2048.jpeg 1584w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1596px) 100vw, 1596px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Club Q flyer from 1989. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Page Hodel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hodel had been a hip-hop fan since the genre’s inception. She came of age in the ’70s during the early days of the LGBTQ+ and second-wave feminist movements, at the height of the folk-driven \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926121/barbara-higbie-teresa-trull-olivia-records\">women’s music scene\u003c/a>. But Hodel, who is white and from Marin County, went in a different direction and joined a multiracial funk band in the East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before “Rapper’s Delight” hit the airwaves in 1979, Hodel had sold her guitar for turntables and began playing funk and soul records. (Eventually, she became one of the first women in the country to do a mix show on a major radio station, spinning at KSOL, KMEL and Live 105.) A birthday party of hers in San Francisco attracted so many women that venues began hiring her to DJ. Getting paid to play records and watch cute girls dance? For Hodel, it was a win-win. [aside postid='arts_13914457']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first Club Q was held at a space called the Warehouse, on 11th Street, in the industrial South of Market district. “It was this totally cool, very industrial, open space with catwalks around,” she says. “It was just fabulous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the ’90s, Club Q was so popular that it attracted 1,500 women to destinations like Club Townsend and other venues each month. Hodel ran it until 2003, and the Box until 1999. She recruited go-go dancers of every body type, and flyers from both parties show young, diverse attendees dancing, hugging and beaming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted everybody to feel perfect and beautiful,” Hodel says. “And so I made sure to put the messaging out into the world on the flyers. The flyers had people of all sizes and all shapes and colors and abilities, and it was like, ‘This is who we really are. This is the community.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At that time, things were very divided in terms of where you would find who,” said Richelle Donigan, a Club Q regular and choreographer, in the 2003 documentary \u003ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/329925529\">\u003cem>Club Q, The Legendary Dance Party for Women\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. “Everything was like white, straight, gay — the Black girls hang out over here, the Hispanic and Latino women [here]. … What was really cool about Page was that there was no divide for her.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938955\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938955\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of a diverse group of women posing together. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Club Q partygoers with Page Hodel (fourth from right) in the early ’90s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Page Hodel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The music selection at Club Q was just as diverse as the people on the dance floor. Hodel — who had spent a few years in the ’80s living in a renovated school bus named Roxanne, after Roxanne Shanté, one of the first prominent female MCs — played a mix of Top 40 and underground music to appeal to the different kinds of dancers. And she kept hip-hop in rotation, which earned her fans outside the LGBTQ+ scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the ’80s, if you wanted to hear good hip-hop, you went to where Page and the lesbians were,” said radio host and San Francisco State University Professor David “Davey D” Cook \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/pioneer-female-dj-page-hodel-has-marched-to-her-5341381.php\">in a 2014 interview\u003c/a>. “Straight people and hip-hop people went to her clubs, because she had respect; she played hardcore things like 2 Live Crew.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Caught between -isms, Black queer people create their own spaces\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As rap climbed the charts, it also experienced a national backlash. During the ’90s tough-on-crime era, politicians spoke of artists like \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/09/20/music-to-kill-cops-by-rap-song-blamed-in-texas-troopers-death/20b49755-7835-4cb0-a53a-d78ccf65f9a7/\">Tupac\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/paye7y/talking-cop-killer-with-body-counts-ice-t\">Ice T\u003c/a> as bogeymen, and used them as foils to conservative, white American values. And while sexism and homophobia were social problems that crossed racial lines, critics tended to single out hip-hop as if it were uniquely problematic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Black, an Oakland DJ, sensed condescension towards the genre even within the LGBTQ+ nightlife circuit. “[People] thought it was going to be a phase. It was going to go away. It would never exist beyond the urban scene,” she recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after high school in Houston, Black moved to San Francisco. While spending time with family in Oakland’s Acorn Projects, she became immersed in the music of local rappers like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too Short\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13923766/rbl-posse-a-lesson-to-be-learned-album-cover\">RBL Posse\u003c/a>, along with East Coast artists like De La Soul, the Fugees and Wu-Tang Clan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was misogyny in some of the lyrics, to be sure. But Black was gripped by songs that addressed real issues in her community: civic neglect, addiction and mass incarceration. “The music was moving a generation of folks who were dissatisfied with the way things were going,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899476\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13899476\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Black plays music from a bus during the People’s March and Rally on Polk Street heading toward City Hall in San Francisco on June 27, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Eventually, Black would become a mentor to countless Bay Area DJs and open for major acts like Erykah Badu and The Roots. When she started out in hip-hop, she at one point harbored ambitions of becoming an MC herself, but decided to lean into DJing after watching Dominique DiPrima interview the Coup’s Pam the Funkstress at a live taping of her hip-hop cultural affairs show, \u003ci>Home Turf\u003c/i>, on KRON.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Black yearned for a women’s party that didn’t just include hip-hop, but \u003ci>centered\u003c/i> it — a party for and by queer women of color. “In the early ’90s, I felt like, ‘How can you have this many people of color come to a club and not support a genre of music?’” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Black took matters into her own hands. With the help of her DJ friends, Nadeeah, Saun Toy, Tei, Lauren, RaheNi and Ananda, she started the Bay Area’s first hip-hop party for women. On a stoned evening, they named it A.B.L.U.N.T.: Asians, Blacks and Latins Uniting New Tribes. [aside postid='arts_13915614']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long before social media, Black had to be strategic when it came to promotion. “We had to hit the clubs that we knew that people of color would go to, and hand out flyers — not to white folks,” she says, noting that her methods sometimes drew accusations of discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’d shoot back: “How am I being racist? Y’all have a whole entire white club right here that you would go into.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>For some rappers, coming out is complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Around the time A.B.L.U.N.T. was taking shape, one of the nation’s few prominent LGBTQ+ rappers of the ’90s made her debut: the late Karryl “Special One” Smith of the Conscious Daughters, an Oakland duo whose groundbreaking debut \u003ci>Ear to the Street\u003c/i> arrived in 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backed by their mentor Paris, the militantly political rapper who’d been \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-29-ca-2551-story.html\">dropped by Time Warner\u003c/a> because of his song “Bush Killa,” the Daughters traveled in hardcore rap circles where they went toe-to-toe with straight men in cyphers. Though Special One wasn’t yet out within the music scene, she didn’t hide her love of women in her private life. In fact, she and Black became friends because both of their girlfriends lived in the same apartment complex. “There’s no words to describe how incredible of a human being she was, and how solid — she was there for you,” Black remembers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with Queen Latifah in New York, the Conscious Daughters became part of a national wave of female rappers lyrically challenging sexism, and addressing topics like domestic violence with a gangster twist. “It was such a great combination of us being street and somewhat knowledgeable and conscious, and uplifting women, Black women — all underprivileged people,” says Carla “CMG” Green, the surviving member of the Conscious Daughters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925185\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 599px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925185\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/ConsciousDaughters.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white promotional photo of the Conscious Daughters, two young women who look up at the camera with serious expressions. \" width=\"599\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/ConsciousDaughters.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/ConsciousDaughters-160x200.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karryl “Special One” Smith (left) and Carla “CMG” Green (right) of the Conscious Daughters in the 1990s. \u003ccite>(Priority Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With the hit singles “Somethin’ To Ride To (Fonky Expedition)” and “We Roll Deep,” \u003ci>Ear to the Street\u003c/i> hit No. 25 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, and the Daughters were on their way to stardom: they toured with A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast, and Jay-Z opened for them long before he was a household name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many female rappers in the early ’90s had a tough, “just-one-of-the-guys” image, but it was less acceptable for them to like women. By the mid-’90s, record labels began to shift resources toward female MCs with feminine, sexy images, and the Daughters hit a ceiling. It was during this time that Special One started being more public about her sexuality, despite an expectation in the music industry to fly under the radar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/PyA9hn-YOZg?si=UQw65HX4zMkkPJAU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When she came out of the closet, one of our friends was like, ‘Tell Karryl to stay out of the gay club,’ because it wasn’t cool to be gay then,” CMG recalls. “So she was like, ‘Oh, fuck it, I’m gay. And Darlene’s my girlfriend.’ She pointed to this girl.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though supportive of her friend, even CMG, who is straight, experienced a momentary panic: As an underground female duo, the Conscious Daughters already faced slim chances of mainstream success. Now, they could be marginalized even further. “We all started crying,” she shares with regret. “I was like, ‘People are going to think I’m gay.’ It was this whole scenario.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But CMG quickly realized that, above all, she needed to have her best friend’s back. The two remained close and continued to collaborate until Special One’s death in 2011.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Turns out all the women now look just like her,” CMG says with pride. “She was so ahead of her time, her dressing — she dressed like Ellen back then, with the fly shoes and the vests. She was really a trendsetter. But we had no idea that she was going to be the future, you know?” [aside postid='arts_13925177']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, only a couple years later, in 1997, Brooklyn’s Queen Pen — who shot up the Billboard charts as a featured artist on Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” in 1996 — made history with her song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7Yb39SmAWMk?si=5cUD81kG732-Zf3R\">Girlfriend\u003c/a>,” featuring Meshell Ndegeocello, where Pen raps to a man, threatening to steal his girl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though she dodged reporters’ questions about how she identified, she \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/18/arts/pop-jazz-a-feisty-female-rapper-breaks-a-hip-hop-taboo.html\">told \u003ci>The New York Times\u003c/i>\u003c/a> in 1998 that “two or three years from now, people will say Queen Pen was the first female to bring the lesbian life to light on wax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Super-producer Teddy Riley, who worked on the song, heralded it as a sign of progress. “She is teaching women to be what they want to be,” he said at the time. “It’s another level for the rap game.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Riley correctly speculated that it would take many years for a gay or bisexual male rapper to break through to the mainstream. It was easy for rap’s straight, male audience to fantasize about two women together. But when it came to desire between two men, “I can only tell you the street mentality,” he said. “It’s all right for a woman. But a man?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/7Yb39SmAWMk?si=_rp8P99dXj_llvi6\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The queer hip-hop party circuit expands\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>By the mid-’90s, more queer hip-hop parties began to spring up, including San Francisco’s Club Red, created by Jamaican American \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&id=240470\">promoter Chantal Salkey\u003c/a>. Salkey, who died in 2010, was passionate about giving a platform to queer women of color DJs including Black and Olga T, who identified as a lesbian at the time, but now identifies as trans masculine and uses he/him pronouns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Suddenly lesbians are loving hip-hop,” says Olga, who had learned to DJ during the ’90s Club Q era as Page Hodel’s apprentice. Though originally a house music head, Olga made a name for himself while spinning hip-hop at Club Red. The same event producers went on to create \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mangosf/?hl=en\">Mango\u003c/a>, the ongoing, popular hip-hop and Latin music party for women and their friends that Olga has headlined for the past 27 years at El Rio in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1072px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March.jpg\" alt=\"A DJ beat-matches two records on turntables. \" width=\"1072\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March.jpg 1072w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-800x537.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-1020x685.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-768x516.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1072px) 100vw, 1072px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olga T spins at the Dyke March in San Francisco in 1996. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Olga T)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the early 2000s, on the other side of the bridge in Oakland, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&sc=pride&id=248574\">promoter Christiana Remington\u003c/a> began throwing a monthly women’s hip-hop party called Butta, where Special One was a regular, and would sometimes even get on the mic. Though it attracted hundreds of mostly Black and Brown women each month, Remington ran into some of the same discriminatory attitudes that Black did when she started A.B.L.U.N.T. in the early ’90s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People called it a “ghetto party,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&sc=pride&id=248574\">Remington told LGBTQ+ newspaper \u003ci>Bay Area Reporter\u003c/i>\u003c/a> in 2011. “It just hurt me so much because it was just a beautiful party,” she said. “Just because it’s predominantly more of one color there doesn’t mean that it’s that. … It’s unfortunate that we have that in our own community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these harsh judgments, Butta became a major support for queer women in hip-hop. “I got my break from Christiana Remington,” says \u003ca href=\"https://femmedeadlyvenoms.bandcamp.com/album/femmenomenon\">Femme Deadly Venoms\u003c/a> rapper Aima the Dreamer, who currently produces another long-running party for queer people of color, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wearesoulovely/?hl=en\">Soulovely\u003c/a>, with house music DJ Emancipation and Lady Ryan, another star of the local hip-hop scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/ts-af254sxY?si=p8ZTIiziX1Gp1l6B\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After moving to the Bay Area from Hawai’i as a young adult in 2001, Aima came up in the straight-leaning spoken word and conscious hip-hop scenes. In LGBTQ+ nightlife, Aima struggled to be taken seriously as a rapper because of their femme appearance. Their glitter, flowers in their hair and seven-inch platforms didn’t match the masculine presentation of most lesbian rappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You saw these masc MCs who came in and and they were emulating the toxic masculinity of hip-hop, and talking about all the women that they had and the alcohol that they drink and all this stuff,” Aima says. “And here I came in talking about social justice and what it would be like if we healed our trauma.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a rapper, Aima later found success touring internationally with groups like Jazz Mafia and J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science. “I also got to have the experience of being a very out, loud and proud queer MC in these very straight spaces,” says Aima, who now identifies as nonbinary. “Pretty much like nine times out of ten after I got off stage, there would be other queer people in the space who would be like, ‘Wow, thank you. I’m queer too, and I exist in this space and I often feel alone, or unseen, or a token.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915644\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 414px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915644\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/herstory.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"414\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/herstory.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/herstory-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The HERstory crew circa 2002. Top row, left to right: Shanta, Aza, Hobbs, Samantha (Sister Squid), Black, Dovanna, Boyuyaka, Amalia. Bottom row: Jessica, Loushana Rosa, Sandra, Leema, Tiffany, Aima the Dreamer. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Black)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Homo-hop’ finds its voice in the underground\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While a small number of queer rappers found footholds in straight rap spaces, the price of admission for many was downplaying or altogether hiding their sexuality. Meanwhile, a contingent of artists rebelled against the status quo and created a queer movement in the underground: homo-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experimental hip-hop group Rainbow Flava emerged from San Francisco in 1997, and one of the members, Dutchboy, launched \u003ca href=\"http://www.phat-family.org/family.html\">Phat Family\u003c/a>, an online community and email listserv that allowed queer hip-hop artists and fans from all over the world to connect for the first time. In 1998, Phat Family became a record label, and featured national and international LGBTQ+ rappers like LA hardcore rapper \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/1RadNGFRk3c?si=f5NIuO3Cj_k-0joh\">Deadlee\u003c/a>, Chicago battle rapper El Don and Maasen from Stockholm, Sweden. Other email listservs and message boards, like the now-defunct, London-based GayHipHop.com, soon followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1556px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938962\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000.jpg\" alt=\"A four-person rap group stares into the camera. \" width=\"1556\" height=\"962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000.jpg 1556w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-1020x631.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-1536x950.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1556px) 100vw, 1556px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rainbow Flava in 2000. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Joey Magazine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There were people communicating; there were people communing. Even if the opportunities to perform in a club were few and far between,” says former Rainbow Flava member Juba Kalamka, noting that LGBTQ+ parties that played mainstream rap records didn’t typically book local live performers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After moving to the Bay Area from Chicago in 1999, Kalamka — then known as Pointfivefag — joined Rainbow Flava with Dutchboy, DJ Monkey, Reh-Shawn, Tori Fixx and N.I.Double-K.I. Concurrently, he started the hip-hop group Deep Dickollective with 25Percenter (Tim’m T. West) and LSP the Lightskindid Phil/osopher (Phillip Atiba Goff).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep Dickollective (D/DC) emerged from spoken word and academic circles; West and Goff had met as Stanford PhD students, and the group’s name took inspiration from another radical performance group called the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XXeR5HoFeI\">Punany Poets\u003c/a>. On their 2001 debut album, \u003cem>BourgieBohoPostPomoAfroHomo\u003c/em>, D/DC’s style is cerebral and jarring, with rapid-fire, tongue-twisting rhymes and lyrics that reclaim homophobic slurs. They sounded nothing like the trunk-rattling, funky mobb music the Bay Area was known for — and they didn’t need to. D/DC were creating their own lane, and giving new meaning to the phrase “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/E0iFnysP7Bs?si=pytadppX7ASzQbP1\">We Out\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understood at that time we were out, post-grad, Black — a couple of us HIV positive and out about it — and fat and weirdos. We were not grist for the mainstream mill, if you will,” Kalamka says. “And I didn’t have any delusions about that, so I just felt like the whole point of us doing what we were doing was to say what we wanted to say and just be straight up about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=195042532/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>D/DC ran their own label, Sugartruck Recordings. And in 2001, Kalamka launched another important platform: the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival, which took place during East Bay Pride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the Phat Family listserv was where people got to know each other existed, PeaceOUT was where people got to meet each other,” Kalamka says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first PeaceOUT was at Oakland’s Preservation Park. The audience was small, but hungry to hear rap that spoke to their life experience instead of using it as a punchline. “There were maybe 50 people who showed up for that. But you thought there were 500 people in the room,” Kalamka recalls. “It was just — it was wild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2020px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938963\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside.jpg\" alt=\"A yellow and black text flyer advertises three days of shows from Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2002, with acts such as Deadlee, Deep Dickollective, the Conscious Daughters and Rainbow Flava. \" width=\"2020\" height=\"1444\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside.jpg 2020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-1536x1098.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-1920x1373.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2020px) 100vw, 2020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival flyer from 2002. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Juba Kalamka)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The festival eventually expanded into a three-day affair, and continued annually until 2007 at underground venues like the Oakland Metro Operahouse and 21 Grand. It featured notable acts like the Conscious Daughters, God-des and JenRo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several PeaceOUT artists were the focus of a 2006 homo-hop documentary called \u003ca href=\"http://pickupthemic.com/Pick_Up_The_Mic/Artists.html\">\u003cem>Pick Up the Mic\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which screened at festivals around the country. Many of them had stories of being shut out of rap battles or denied bookings because straight, male artists didn’t want to share the stage with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hip-hop fights against oppression, but at the same time it takes on the role of the oppressor by mirroring society at large: male-centered, patriarchal and classist,” Kalamka told the \u003ci>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/i> in 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JenRo, who was 20 years old when she first performed at PeaceOUT, struggled with that dynamic. Though she earned respect from straight, male peers for winning rap battles, independent labels that saw her talent had doubts that she would succeed as an out lesbian. Some went as far as asking her to change her lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I even had some labels like try to switch me up,” she says. “You know, maybe if I femme things up a bit or girly things up a bit, you can expand your audience. I think at the end of the day, I wanted to be comfortable; I wanted to be me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938964\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1054px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938964\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-scaled.jpg\" alt='A pink flyer with black text advertises \"A homo hop/spoken weird xtravaganza!\"' width=\"1054\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-scaled.jpg 1054w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-800x1943.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-1020x2478.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-160x389.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-768x1865.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-632x1536.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-843x2048.jpg 843w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1054px) 100vw, 1054px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A flyer for Deep Dickollective’s first show in 2000. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Juba Kalamka)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Where my gay bitches at?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Today, JenRo is still going for her musical dreams, and unabashedly making music for women who love women: Last year, her seductive song “Drip Wet” was featured in an episode of the hit series \u003ci>P Valley\u003c/i>. Though she took many professional risks by being out from the beginning, she now takes pride in having helped to open up space for more people to be themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I see other LGBT artists out, doing their thing, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ It’s a movement,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938958\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2322px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938958\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro.png\" alt=\"A masculine female rapper in baggy pants raps next to a male dancer wearing a shirt airbrushed with her name.\" width=\"2322\" height=\"1562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro.png 2322w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-800x538.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-1020x686.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-160x108.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-768x517.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-1536x1033.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-2048x1378.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-1920x1292.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2322px) 100vw, 2322px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">JenRo performs in San Francisco circa 2012. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of JenRo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until a few years ago, LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists had the choice of either hiding or performing for mostly gay audiences at small clubs and the occasional Pride parade. But recently, that’s begun to change — both because of some big-name artists coming out, and because queer and trans artists can now attract large audiences on social media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big Freedia transcended the New Orleans bounce music scene through early success on YouTube, and is now a household name who’s collaborated with Beyoncé. With numerous viral hits on TikTok, Saucy Santana — who entered hip-hop as City Girls’ makeup artist — has worked with some the biggest it girls of rap, including Latto and Flo Milli. “I came in gay, and I came in swinging,” Saucy Santana \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/lgbtq-hip-hop-artists-spotlight-express-queer-joy/story?id=101716136\">told ABC News\u003c/a> earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kalamka warns that these barrier-breaking artists’ success isn’t necessarily a sign that straight, cisgender male music industry gatekeepers have become more inclusive. (Indeed, some have only \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1171021029/the-new-conservative-bent-of-rap-media-plus-the-sweetness-of-somebody-somewhere\">gotten more conservative\u003c/a>.) “The tools exist now for people to clap back and to sustain the clap in a way that they could not previously,” Kalamka says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have a paradigm that exists now where people are inclined and have the ability to make their own communities, to make their own economies around their music, around their art,” he adds, noting that it’s significant that record-breaking queer rapper Lil Nas X came out \u003ci>after\u003c/i> “Old Town Road” had already reached No. 1 on Billboard in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, some popular artists like Oakland-raised R&B star Kehlani have never hidden their queer identities — which the singer discussed publicly as early as 2015, when they got their first\u003ca href=\"https://www.thefader.com/2015/08/04/kehlani-cover-story-interview\"> \u003ci>FADER\u003c/i> cover story\u003c/a>. Collaborations with superstars like Justin Bieber and Cardi B followed. And in 2021, Kehlani prompted tens of thousands of fans to cheer when they asked the crowd, “Where my gay bitches at?” before performing their 2017 queer love song, “Honey,” at San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/KbHCNlblcnY?si=RHNcWUijOtgHkR3t\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Kamaiyah — who has collaborated with major stars like Drake and YG — now raps about same-sex love interests: “Is she gay? / Or is she straight? / I’m a hoe,” she declares on her latest single, “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/KbHCNlblcnY?si=1rXFmGB63sA6IVAn\">Groupies\u003c/a>.” And San Jose-raised, bilingual artist Snow tha Product flaunts her love of women, which hasn’t stopped her international rise as a face of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv5m8R_OlfJ/?hl=en\">Spotify’s 2023 hip-hop campaign in Mexico\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, we’re a long way from mainstream America embracing a full spectrum of queerness — or an expansion of gender roles in general. But with Gen Z rising up as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/gen-z-millennials-queerest-generation-gallup-poll\">queerest generation in the nation’s history\u003c/a>, it’s only a matter of time before rap — and the music industry as a whole — shifts further, along with the rest of culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the more that we are authentic and tell our stories and tell our truths through our music,” as Aima the Dreamer says, “the more room you make for people to do the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-400x30.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-768x58.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "How LGBTQ+ Hip-Hop Artists Found Their Voices and Changed Culture | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n 1990, three years before she asked the world “Who you callin’ a bitch?” on her breakout hit “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/f8cHxydDb7o?si=SSNs9T3NAUHv8B2B\">U.N.I.T.Y.\u003c/a>,” Queen Latifah was an up-and-coming artist signed to Tommy Boy Records. Her labelmates, Oakland’s Digital Underground, had a smash hit with “The Humpty Dance,” and Latifah joined them on a national tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That year, Latifah had the chance to play her first major headlining show — finally, a gig that would pay her more than $10,000. It was a New Year’s Eve celebration at “this cool gay club in San Francisco,” she recalled in a \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/ao26pluo36I?si=Y_45Kj6iQP-MKvmn\">2022 interview with \u003ci>Hot Ones\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. She called up her friend, Digital Underground roadie-turned-rapper Tupac, and told him to meet her there. “They went crazy in there!,” she remembers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was like, ‘They’re gonna tear you out your clothes,’” she remembered telling Tupac. “He took his shirt off anyway. We had so. Much. Fun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That party? The Box, the boundary-breaking club spearheaded by San Francisco DJ and promoter Page Hodel. Though Queen Latifah \u003ca href=\"https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/06/queen-latifah-officially-sends-love-partner-son-bet-awards-ceremony/\">didn’t publicly speak of having same-sex partners\u003c/a> until 2021, The Box clearly had a big enough draw that the rewards of performing in a queer space outweighed the potential risks of being outed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938996\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938996\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An artist on stage speaking into a microphone.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2101\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-800x657.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-1020x837.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-160x131.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-768x630.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-1536x1261.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-2048x1681.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/juba-with-exodus-williams-1920x1576.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juba Kalamka (left) of Oakland queer hip-hop group Deep Dickollective with poet Exodus Williams in the early 2000s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Juba Kalamka)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The late ’80s and early ’90s were a fraught time for LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists. In the male-dominated genre, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914311/rono-tse-disposable-heroes-hiphoprisy-michael-franti\">homophobic lyrics were common\u003c/a>, even as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13858167/queer-nation-lgbtq-activism-90s\">AIDS crisis raged on\u003c/a>. Although many influential golden-era female rappers such as Latifah, \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/music/features/da-brat-coming-out-dish-nation-1234623270/\">Da Brat\u003c/a> and Special One of Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925177/the-conscious-daughters-raps-sucka-free-thelma-and-louise-rewrote-the-rules\">the Conscious Daughters\u003c/a> eventually came out as lesbian or bisexual, the LGBTQ+ artists of rap largely had to keep their sexuality private to appeal to straight fans and have a chance at major-label success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making matters more complicated was that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914457/rightnowish-searching-for-a-kiki-sfs-first-black-owned-gay-bar\">gay scene in San Francisco wasn’t as inclusive\u003c/a> as one would expect from the nation’s LGBTQ+ mecca. Gay clubs regularly discriminated against Black and Brown patrons. LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists in the ’80s and ’90s found themselves squeezed between racism, sexism and homophobia — rendered close to invisible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, across the Bay Area, a multicultural groundswell of DJs, rappers and promoters refused to be sidelined, and worked hard to create inclusive spaces that pushed the music and culture forward. Not everyone agreed on the same definition of inclusivity; even this small community had its tensions. But — as we can see now with the success of LGBTQ+ artists like Lil Nas X, Cardi B, Big Freedia, Saucy Santana and Young M.A., as well as hip-hop’s central role in Pride celebrations around the country — these ongoing, collective efforts created profound ripple effects through the music industry and culture as a whole.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In the ’80s, hip-hop enters gay clubs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When she started The Box at the Kennel Club in 1988 — before it became popular enough to attract the likes of Queen Latifah and Tupac — Page Hodel took a risk. Most of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ nightlife catered to gay men. But in the late ’80s, Hodel launched two events: her women’s party, Club Q, and the Box, a rare space where all LGBTQ+ identities could mingle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938993\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1596px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938993\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1.jpeg\" alt=\"A black-and-white flyer features diverse female dancers.\" width=\"1596\" height=\"2064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1.jpeg 1596w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-800x1035.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-1020x1319.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-160x207.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-768x993.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-1188x1536.jpeg 1188w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_0418-1-1584x2048.jpeg 1584w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1596px) 100vw, 1596px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Club Q flyer from 1989. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Page Hodel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hodel had been a hip-hop fan since the genre’s inception. She came of age in the ’70s during the early days of the LGBTQ+ and second-wave feminist movements, at the height of the folk-driven \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926121/barbara-higbie-teresa-trull-olivia-records\">women’s music scene\u003c/a>. But Hodel, who is white and from Marin County, went in a different direction and joined a multiracial funk band in the East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before “Rapper’s Delight” hit the airwaves in 1979, Hodel had sold her guitar for turntables and began playing funk and soul records. (Eventually, she became one of the first women in the country to do a mix show on a major radio station, spinning at KSOL, KMEL and Live 105.) A birthday party of hers in San Francisco attracted so many women that venues began hiring her to DJ. Getting paid to play records and watch cute girls dance? For Hodel, it was a win-win. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first Club Q was held at a space called the Warehouse, on 11th Street, in the industrial South of Market district. “It was this totally cool, very industrial, open space with catwalks around,” she says. “It was just fabulous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the ’90s, Club Q was so popular that it attracted 1,500 women to destinations like Club Townsend and other venues each month. Hodel ran it until 2003, and the Box until 1999. She recruited go-go dancers of every body type, and flyers from both parties show young, diverse attendees dancing, hugging and beaming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted everybody to feel perfect and beautiful,” Hodel says. “And so I made sure to put the messaging out into the world on the flyers. The flyers had people of all sizes and all shapes and colors and abilities, and it was like, ‘This is who we really are. This is the community.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At that time, things were very divided in terms of where you would find who,” said Richelle Donigan, a Club Q regular and choreographer, in the 2003 documentary \u003ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/329925529\">\u003cem>Club Q, The Legendary Dance Party for Women\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. “Everything was like white, straight, gay — the Black girls hang out over here, the Hispanic and Latino women [here]. … What was really cool about Page was that there was no divide for her.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938955\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938955\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo of a diverse group of women posing together. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/IMG_3688-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Club Q partygoers with Page Hodel (fourth from right) in the early ’90s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Page Hodel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The music selection at Club Q was just as diverse as the people on the dance floor. Hodel — who had spent a few years in the ’80s living in a renovated school bus named Roxanne, after Roxanne Shanté, one of the first prominent female MCs — played a mix of Top 40 and underground music to appeal to the different kinds of dancers. And she kept hip-hop in rotation, which earned her fans outside the LGBTQ+ scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the ’80s, if you wanted to hear good hip-hop, you went to where Page and the lesbians were,” said radio host and San Francisco State University Professor David “Davey D” Cook \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/pioneer-female-dj-page-hodel-has-marched-to-her-5341381.php\">in a 2014 interview\u003c/a>. “Straight people and hip-hop people went to her clubs, because she had respect; she played hardcore things like 2 Live Crew.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Caught between -isms, Black queer people create their own spaces\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As rap climbed the charts, it also experienced a national backlash. During the ’90s tough-on-crime era, politicians spoke of artists like \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/09/20/music-to-kill-cops-by-rap-song-blamed-in-texas-troopers-death/20b49755-7835-4cb0-a53a-d78ccf65f9a7/\">Tupac\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/paye7y/talking-cop-killer-with-body-counts-ice-t\">Ice T\u003c/a> as bogeymen, and used them as foils to conservative, white American values. And while sexism and homophobia were social problems that crossed racial lines, critics tended to single out hip-hop as if it were uniquely problematic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Black, an Oakland DJ, sensed condescension towards the genre even within the LGBTQ+ nightlife circuit. “[People] thought it was going to be a phase. It was going to go away. It would never exist beyond the urban scene,” she recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after high school in Houston, Black moved to San Francisco. While spending time with family in Oakland’s Acorn Projects, she became immersed in the music of local rappers like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too Short\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13923766/rbl-posse-a-lesson-to-be-learned-album-cover\">RBL Posse\u003c/a>, along with East Coast artists like De La Soul, the Fugees and Wu-Tang Clan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was misogyny in some of the lyrics, to be sure. But Black was gripped by songs that addressed real issues in her community: civic neglect, addiction and mass incarceration. “The music was moving a generation of folks who were dissatisfied with the way things were going,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899476\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13899476\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/012_SanFrancisco_PeoplesMarch_06272021-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Black plays music from a bus during the People’s March and Rally on Polk Street heading toward City Hall in San Francisco on June 27, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Eventually, Black would become a mentor to countless Bay Area DJs and open for major acts like Erykah Badu and The Roots. When she started out in hip-hop, she at one point harbored ambitions of becoming an MC herself, but decided to lean into DJing after watching Dominique DiPrima interview the Coup’s Pam the Funkstress at a live taping of her hip-hop cultural affairs show, \u003ci>Home Turf\u003c/i>, on KRON.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Black yearned for a women’s party that didn’t just include hip-hop, but \u003ci>centered\u003c/i> it — a party for and by queer women of color. “In the early ’90s, I felt like, ‘How can you have this many people of color come to a club and not support a genre of music?’” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Black took matters into her own hands. With the help of her DJ friends, Nadeeah, Saun Toy, Tei, Lauren, RaheNi and Ananda, she started the Bay Area’s first hip-hop party for women. On a stoned evening, they named it A.B.L.U.N.T.: Asians, Blacks and Latins Uniting New Tribes. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long before social media, Black had to be strategic when it came to promotion. “We had to hit the clubs that we knew that people of color would go to, and hand out flyers — not to white folks,” she says, noting that her methods sometimes drew accusations of discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’d shoot back: “How am I being racist? Y’all have a whole entire white club right here that you would go into.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>For some rappers, coming out is complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Around the time A.B.L.U.N.T. was taking shape, one of the nation’s few prominent LGBTQ+ rappers of the ’90s made her debut: the late Karryl “Special One” Smith of the Conscious Daughters, an Oakland duo whose groundbreaking debut \u003ci>Ear to the Street\u003c/i> arrived in 1993.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backed by their mentor Paris, the militantly political rapper who’d been \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-29-ca-2551-story.html\">dropped by Time Warner\u003c/a> because of his song “Bush Killa,” the Daughters traveled in hardcore rap circles where they went toe-to-toe with straight men in cyphers. Though Special One wasn’t yet out within the music scene, she didn’t hide her love of women in her private life. In fact, she and Black became friends because both of their girlfriends lived in the same apartment complex. “There’s no words to describe how incredible of a human being she was, and how solid — she was there for you,” Black remembers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with Queen Latifah in New York, the Conscious Daughters became part of a national wave of female rappers lyrically challenging sexism, and addressing topics like domestic violence with a gangster twist. “It was such a great combination of us being street and somewhat knowledgeable and conscious, and uplifting women, Black women — all underprivileged people,” says Carla “CMG” Green, the surviving member of the Conscious Daughters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925185\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 599px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925185\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/ConsciousDaughters.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white promotional photo of the Conscious Daughters, two young women who look up at the camera with serious expressions. \" width=\"599\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/ConsciousDaughters.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/ConsciousDaughters-160x200.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karryl “Special One” Smith (left) and Carla “CMG” Green (right) of the Conscious Daughters in the 1990s. \u003ccite>(Priority Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With the hit singles “Somethin’ To Ride To (Fonky Expedition)” and “We Roll Deep,” \u003ci>Ear to the Street\u003c/i> hit No. 25 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, and the Daughters were on their way to stardom: they toured with A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast, and Jay-Z opened for them long before he was a household name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many female rappers in the early ’90s had a tough, “just-one-of-the-guys” image, but it was less acceptable for them to like women. By the mid-’90s, record labels began to shift resources toward female MCs with feminine, sexy images, and the Daughters hit a ceiling. It was during this time that Special One started being more public about her sexuality, despite an expectation in the music industry to fly under the radar.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/PyA9hn-YOZg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/PyA9hn-YOZg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“When she came out of the closet, one of our friends was like, ‘Tell Karryl to stay out of the gay club,’ because it wasn’t cool to be gay then,” CMG recalls. “So she was like, ‘Oh, fuck it, I’m gay. And Darlene’s my girlfriend.’ She pointed to this girl.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though supportive of her friend, even CMG, who is straight, experienced a momentary panic: As an underground female duo, the Conscious Daughters already faced slim chances of mainstream success. Now, they could be marginalized even further. “We all started crying,” she shares with regret. “I was like, ‘People are going to think I’m gay.’ It was this whole scenario.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But CMG quickly realized that, above all, she needed to have her best friend’s back. The two remained close and continued to collaborate until Special One’s death in 2011.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Turns out all the women now look just like her,” CMG says with pride. “She was so ahead of her time, her dressing — she dressed like Ellen back then, with the fly shoes and the vests. She was really a trendsetter. But we had no idea that she was going to be the future, you know?” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, only a couple years later, in 1997, Brooklyn’s Queen Pen — who shot up the Billboard charts as a featured artist on Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” in 1996 — made history with her song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7Yb39SmAWMk?si=5cUD81kG732-Zf3R\">Girlfriend\u003c/a>,” featuring Meshell Ndegeocello, where Pen raps to a man, threatening to steal his girl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though she dodged reporters’ questions about how she identified, she \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/18/arts/pop-jazz-a-feisty-female-rapper-breaks-a-hip-hop-taboo.html\">told \u003ci>The New York Times\u003c/i>\u003c/a> in 1998 that “two or three years from now, people will say Queen Pen was the first female to bring the lesbian life to light on wax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Super-producer Teddy Riley, who worked on the song, heralded it as a sign of progress. “She is teaching women to be what they want to be,” he said at the time. “It’s another level for the rap game.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Riley correctly speculated that it would take many years for a gay or bisexual male rapper to break through to the mainstream. It was easy for rap’s straight, male audience to fantasize about two women together. But when it came to desire between two men, “I can only tell you the street mentality,” he said. “It’s all right for a woman. But a man?”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/7Yb39SmAWMk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/7Yb39SmAWMk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>The queer hip-hop party circuit expands\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>By the mid-’90s, more queer hip-hop parties began to spring up, including San Francisco’s Club Red, created by Jamaican American \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&id=240470\">promoter Chantal Salkey\u003c/a>. Salkey, who died in 2010, was passionate about giving a platform to queer women of color DJs including Black and Olga T, who identified as a lesbian at the time, but now identifies as trans masculine and uses he/him pronouns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Suddenly lesbians are loving hip-hop,” says Olga, who had learned to DJ during the ’90s Club Q era as Page Hodel’s apprentice. Though originally a house music head, Olga made a name for himself while spinning hip-hop at Club Red. The same event producers went on to create \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mangosf/?hl=en\">Mango\u003c/a>, the ongoing, popular hip-hop and Latin music party for women and their friends that Olga has headlined for the past 27 years at El Rio in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1072px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March.jpg\" alt=\"A DJ beat-matches two records on turntables. \" width=\"1072\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March.jpg 1072w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-800x537.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-1020x685.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Olga-T-Dyke-March-768x516.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1072px) 100vw, 1072px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Olga T spins at the Dyke March in San Francisco in 1996. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Olga T)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the early 2000s, on the other side of the bridge in Oakland, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&sc=pride&id=248574\">promoter Christiana Remington\u003c/a> began throwing a monthly women’s hip-hop party called Butta, where Special One was a regular, and would sometimes even get on the mic. Though it attracted hundreds of mostly Black and Brown women each month, Remington ran into some of the same discriminatory attitudes that Black did when she started A.B.L.U.N.T. in the early ’90s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People called it a “ghetto party,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&sc=pride&id=248574\">Remington told LGBTQ+ newspaper \u003ci>Bay Area Reporter\u003c/i>\u003c/a> in 2011. “It just hurt me so much because it was just a beautiful party,” she said. “Just because it’s predominantly more of one color there doesn’t mean that it’s that. … It’s unfortunate that we have that in our own community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite these harsh judgments, Butta became a major support for queer women in hip-hop. “I got my break from Christiana Remington,” says \u003ca href=\"https://femmedeadlyvenoms.bandcamp.com/album/femmenomenon\">Femme Deadly Venoms\u003c/a> rapper Aima the Dreamer, who currently produces another long-running party for queer people of color, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wearesoulovely/?hl=en\">Soulovely\u003c/a>, with house music DJ Emancipation and Lady Ryan, another star of the local hip-hop scene.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/ts-af254sxY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ts-af254sxY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>After moving to the Bay Area from Hawai’i as a young adult in 2001, Aima came up in the straight-leaning spoken word and conscious hip-hop scenes. In LGBTQ+ nightlife, Aima struggled to be taken seriously as a rapper because of their femme appearance. Their glitter, flowers in their hair and seven-inch platforms didn’t match the masculine presentation of most lesbian rappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You saw these masc MCs who came in and and they were emulating the toxic masculinity of hip-hop, and talking about all the women that they had and the alcohol that they drink and all this stuff,” Aima says. “And here I came in talking about social justice and what it would be like if we healed our trauma.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a rapper, Aima later found success touring internationally with groups like Jazz Mafia and J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science. “I also got to have the experience of being a very out, loud and proud queer MC in these very straight spaces,” says Aima, who now identifies as nonbinary. “Pretty much like nine times out of ten after I got off stage, there would be other queer people in the space who would be like, ‘Wow, thank you. I’m queer too, and I exist in this space and I often feel alone, or unseen, or a token.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915644\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 414px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915644\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/herstory.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"414\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/herstory.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/herstory-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The HERstory crew circa 2002. Top row, left to right: Shanta, Aza, Hobbs, Samantha (Sister Squid), Black, Dovanna, Boyuyaka, Amalia. Bottom row: Jessica, Loushana Rosa, Sandra, Leema, Tiffany, Aima the Dreamer. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Black)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Homo-hop’ finds its voice in the underground\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While a small number of queer rappers found footholds in straight rap spaces, the price of admission for many was downplaying or altogether hiding their sexuality. Meanwhile, a contingent of artists rebelled against the status quo and created a queer movement in the underground: homo-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experimental hip-hop group Rainbow Flava emerged from San Francisco in 1997, and one of the members, Dutchboy, launched \u003ca href=\"http://www.phat-family.org/family.html\">Phat Family\u003c/a>, an online community and email listserv that allowed queer hip-hop artists and fans from all over the world to connect for the first time. In 1998, Phat Family became a record label, and featured national and international LGBTQ+ rappers like LA hardcore rapper \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/1RadNGFRk3c?si=f5NIuO3Cj_k-0joh\">Deadlee\u003c/a>, Chicago battle rapper El Don and Maasen from Stockholm, Sweden. Other email listservs and message boards, like the now-defunct, London-based GayHipHop.com, soon followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1556px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938962\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000.jpg\" alt=\"A four-person rap group stares into the camera. \" width=\"1556\" height=\"962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000.jpg 1556w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-1020x631.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/RainbowFlava2_Spring2000-1536x950.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1556px) 100vw, 1556px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rainbow Flava in 2000. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Joey Magazine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There were people communicating; there were people communing. Even if the opportunities to perform in a club were few and far between,” says former Rainbow Flava member Juba Kalamka, noting that LGBTQ+ parties that played mainstream rap records didn’t typically book local live performers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After moving to the Bay Area from Chicago in 1999, Kalamka — then known as Pointfivefag — joined Rainbow Flava with Dutchboy, DJ Monkey, Reh-Shawn, Tori Fixx and N.I.Double-K.I. Concurrently, he started the hip-hop group Deep Dickollective with 25Percenter (Tim’m T. West) and LSP the Lightskindid Phil/osopher (Phillip Atiba Goff).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep Dickollective (D/DC) emerged from spoken word and academic circles; West and Goff had met as Stanford PhD students, and the group’s name took inspiration from another radical performance group called the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XXeR5HoFeI\">Punany Poets\u003c/a>. On their 2001 debut album, \u003cem>BourgieBohoPostPomoAfroHomo\u003c/em>, D/DC’s style is cerebral and jarring, with rapid-fire, tongue-twisting rhymes and lyrics that reclaim homophobic slurs. They sounded nothing like the trunk-rattling, funky mobb music the Bay Area was known for — and they didn’t need to. D/DC were creating their own lane, and giving new meaning to the phrase “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/E0iFnysP7Bs?si=pytadppX7ASzQbP1\">We Out\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understood at that time we were out, post-grad, Black — a couple of us HIV positive and out about it — and fat and weirdos. We were not grist for the mainstream mill, if you will,” Kalamka says. “And I didn’t have any delusions about that, so I just felt like the whole point of us doing what we were doing was to say what we wanted to say and just be straight up about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=195042532/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>D/DC ran their own label, Sugartruck Recordings. And in 2001, Kalamka launched another important platform: the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival, which took place during East Bay Pride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the Phat Family listserv was where people got to know each other existed, PeaceOUT was where people got to meet each other,” Kalamka says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first PeaceOUT was at Oakland’s Preservation Park. The audience was small, but hungry to hear rap that spoke to their life experience instead of using it as a punchline. “There were maybe 50 people who showed up for that. But you thought there were 500 people in the room,” Kalamka recalls. “It was just — it was wild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2020px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938963\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside.jpg\" alt=\"A yellow and black text flyer advertises three days of shows from Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2002, with acts such as Deadlee, Deep Dickollective, the Conscious Daughters and Rainbow Flava. \" width=\"2020\" height=\"1444\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside.jpg 2020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-1536x1098.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PeaceOUT2002_Backside-1920x1373.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2020px) 100vw, 2020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival flyer from 2002. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Juba Kalamka)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The festival eventually expanded into a three-day affair, and continued annually until 2007 at underground venues like the Oakland Metro Operahouse and 21 Grand. It featured notable acts like the Conscious Daughters, God-des and JenRo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several PeaceOUT artists were the focus of a 2006 homo-hop documentary called \u003ca href=\"http://pickupthemic.com/Pick_Up_The_Mic/Artists.html\">\u003cem>Pick Up the Mic\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which screened at festivals around the country. Many of them had stories of being shut out of rap battles or denied bookings because straight, male artists didn’t want to share the stage with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hip-hop fights against oppression, but at the same time it takes on the role of the oppressor by mirroring society at large: male-centered, patriarchal and classist,” Kalamka told the \u003ci>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/i> in 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JenRo, who was 20 years old when she first performed at PeaceOUT, struggled with that dynamic. Though she earned respect from straight, male peers for winning rap battles, independent labels that saw her talent had doubts that she would succeed as an out lesbian. Some went as far as asking her to change her lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I even had some labels like try to switch me up,” she says. “You know, maybe if I femme things up a bit or girly things up a bit, you can expand your audience. I think at the end of the day, I wanted to be comfortable; I wanted to be me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938964\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1054px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938964\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-scaled.jpg\" alt='A pink flyer with black text advertises \"A homo hop/spoken weird xtravaganza!\"' width=\"1054\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-scaled.jpg 1054w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-800x1943.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-1020x2478.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-160x389.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-768x1865.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-632x1536.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/ddc-first-show-843x2048.jpg 843w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1054px) 100vw, 1054px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A flyer for Deep Dickollective’s first show in 2000. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Juba Kalamka)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Where my gay bitches at?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Today, JenRo is still going for her musical dreams, and unabashedly making music for women who love women: Last year, her seductive song “Drip Wet” was featured in an episode of the hit series \u003ci>P Valley\u003c/i>. Though she took many professional risks by being out from the beginning, she now takes pride in having helped to open up space for more people to be themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I see other LGBT artists out, doing their thing, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ It’s a movement,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938958\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2322px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938958\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro.png\" alt=\"A masculine female rapper in baggy pants raps next to a male dancer wearing a shirt airbrushed with her name.\" width=\"2322\" height=\"1562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro.png 2322w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-800x538.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-1020x686.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-160x108.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-768x517.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-1536x1033.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-2048x1378.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/jenro-1920x1292.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2322px) 100vw, 2322px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">JenRo performs in San Francisco circa 2012. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of JenRo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until a few years ago, LGBTQ+ hip-hop artists had the choice of either hiding or performing for mostly gay audiences at small clubs and the occasional Pride parade. But recently, that’s begun to change — both because of some big-name artists coming out, and because queer and trans artists can now attract large audiences on social media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big Freedia transcended the New Orleans bounce music scene through early success on YouTube, and is now a household name who’s collaborated with Beyoncé. With numerous viral hits on TikTok, Saucy Santana — who entered hip-hop as City Girls’ makeup artist — has worked with some the biggest it girls of rap, including Latto and Flo Milli. “I came in gay, and I came in swinging,” Saucy Santana \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/lgbtq-hip-hop-artists-spotlight-express-queer-joy/story?id=101716136\">told ABC News\u003c/a> earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kalamka warns that these barrier-breaking artists’ success isn’t necessarily a sign that straight, cisgender male music industry gatekeepers have become more inclusive. (Indeed, some have only \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1171021029/the-new-conservative-bent-of-rap-media-plus-the-sweetness-of-somebody-somewhere\">gotten more conservative\u003c/a>.) “The tools exist now for people to clap back and to sustain the clap in a way that they could not previously,” Kalamka says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have a paradigm that exists now where people are inclined and have the ability to make their own communities, to make their own economies around their music, around their art,” he adds, noting that it’s significant that record-breaking queer rapper Lil Nas X came out \u003ci>after\u003c/i> “Old Town Road” had already reached No. 1 on Billboard in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, some popular artists like Oakland-raised R&B star Kehlani have never hidden their queer identities — which the singer discussed publicly as early as 2015, when they got their first\u003ca href=\"https://www.thefader.com/2015/08/04/kehlani-cover-story-interview\"> \u003ci>FADER\u003c/i> cover story\u003c/a>. Collaborations with superstars like Justin Bieber and Cardi B followed. And in 2021, Kehlani prompted tens of thousands of fans to cheer when they asked the crowd, “Where my gay bitches at?” before performing their 2017 queer love song, “Honey,” at San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/KbHCNlblcnY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/KbHCNlblcnY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland’s Kamaiyah — who has collaborated with major stars like Drake and YG — now raps about same-sex love interests: “Is she gay? / Or is she straight? / I’m a hoe,” she declares on her latest single, “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/KbHCNlblcnY?si=1rXFmGB63sA6IVAn\">Groupies\u003c/a>.” And San Jose-raised, bilingual artist Snow tha Product flaunts her love of women, which hasn’t stopped her international rise as a face of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv5m8R_OlfJ/?hl=en\">Spotify’s 2023 hip-hop campaign in Mexico\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, we’re a long way from mainstream America embracing a full spectrum of queerness — or an expansion of gender roles in general. But with Gen Z rising up as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/gen-z-millennials-queerest-generation-gallup-poll\">queerest generation in the nation’s history\u003c/a>, it’s only a matter of time before rap — and the music industry as a whole — shifts further, along with the rest of culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the more that we are authentic and tell our stories and tell our truths through our music,” as Aima the Dreamer says, “the more room you make for people to do the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Ruby Ibarra’s New Record Label Comes Out Swinging",
"headTitle": "Ruby Ibarra’s New Record Label Comes Out Swinging | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When Bay Area rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.rubyibarra.com/\">Ruby Ibarra\u003c/a> takes the stage at the New Parish in Oakland on Friday, Dec. 8, she won’t just be performing as an artist, but as the head of a new record label for Filipino-American artists: \u003ca href=\"https://www.bolomusicgroup.com/\">Bolo Music Group\u003c/a>. Ibarra and her co-founder, producer \u003ca href=\"https://lasimusic.com/\">Angelo “LASI” Macaraeg\u003c/a>, formally announced the label in October, Filipino-American History Month. Now Ibarra and LASI are set to showcase the sound of their founding slate of artists: Ouida, Ian Santillano, Vince A and Ibarra herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13905208']“We’re in a very special moment right now,” Ibarra says. “We see a lot of AAPI talent in general thriving, but more specifically Filipino-American talent really showcasing to the world that we’ve been here, we’ve been making this art. And I think it’s now our time to be able to bring it to the global stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We always ask, ‘Why aren’t there more of us in the mainstream?’” LASI adds. “When we look at who’s big and who is Filipino, there’s only a handful. You think of H.E.R., you think of P-Lo, you think of Saweetie, Bruno Mars. We need more of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13938872\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-800x457.jpg\" alt=\"a diptych; at left, a young Filipina-American woman in a white shirt holds a sword up, at right, she and a young Filipino-American man smile with their arms around each other \" width=\"800\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-800x457.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-1020x583.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-160x91.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-768x439.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L) Rapper Ruby Ibarra holds a bolo sword. (R) Bolo Music Group co-founders Ruby Ibarra and Angelo ‘LASI’ Macaraeg. \u003ccite>(Gino Lucas/Bolo Music Group)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ibarra and LASI chose the name Bolo, a Tagalog word for a pre-colonial sword used in the Philippines, to emphasize the cultural mission that underlines the music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the imagery of a bolo sword up in the air captures the energy of what it means to be resilient, what it means to break barriers and what it means to be a Filipino-American artist during these times trying to break through that glass ceiling,” Ibarra says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She adds that it can also serve as an acronym: “Be On the Look Out” — for their artists and what they’ve got in the works. That includes albums from San Francisco soul singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sfduchess/\">Ouida\u003c/a>, who counts Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse as inspirations; Hayward singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ian_santillano/?hl=en\">Ian Santillano\u003c/a>, who’s blending jazz, funk and indie sounds; and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soundsbyvince/?hl=en\">Vince A\u003c/a>, formerly of Bay Area hip-hop group The Lychee Boys, who’s tapping into a nostalgia-driven R&B sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWNPvJZgGsQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\n“This is an independent label, homegrown here in the Bay,” LASI says. “When you think about music hubs, you think about L.A., you think about Nashville, New York. But we’re here to represent the Bay and the artists that are here.” Ibarra and LASI also put together a backing band of local Filipino-American talent for the Dec. 8 showcase – many of whom play with the Ibarra-led Balikbayans. Some of the players include keyboardist Christian Manzana, drummer Mykho Magalong and guitarist Anna Candari.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just going to be a very special and magical night…because I think it’ll give everybody a glimpse of what’s to come,” Ibarra says. “This is beyond just creating a business or even a record company, at the end of the day. What we’re trying to do here, really, is a movement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bolo Music Group presents Ruby Ibarra with Ian Santillano, Ouida and Vince A on Friday, Dec. 8 at The New Parish (1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://thenewparish.com/event-details/13787738/ruby-ibarra-with-ian-santillano-ouida-vince-a/\">Tickets and more info here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We’re in a very special moment right now,” Ibarra says. “We see a lot of AAPI talent in general thriving, but more specifically Filipino-American talent really showcasing to the world that we’ve been here, we’ve been making this art. And I think it’s now our time to be able to bring it to the global stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We always ask, ‘Why aren’t there more of us in the mainstream?’” LASI adds. “When we look at who’s big and who is Filipino, there’s only a handful. You think of H.E.R., you think of P-Lo, you think of Saweetie, Bruno Mars. We need more of that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13938872\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-800x457.jpg\" alt=\"a diptych; at left, a young Filipina-American woman in a white shirt holds a sword up, at right, she and a young Filipino-American man smile with their arms around each other \" width=\"800\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-800x457.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-1020x583.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-160x91.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2-768x439.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/image2.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L) Rapper Ruby Ibarra holds a bolo sword. (R) Bolo Music Group co-founders Ruby Ibarra and Angelo ‘LASI’ Macaraeg. \u003ccite>(Gino Lucas/Bolo Music Group)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ibarra and LASI chose the name Bolo, a Tagalog word for a pre-colonial sword used in the Philippines, to emphasize the cultural mission that underlines the music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the imagery of a bolo sword up in the air captures the energy of what it means to be resilient, what it means to break barriers and what it means to be a Filipino-American artist during these times trying to break through that glass ceiling,” Ibarra says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She adds that it can also serve as an acronym: “Be On the Look Out” — for their artists and what they’ve got in the works. That includes albums from San Francisco soul singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sfduchess/\">Ouida\u003c/a>, who counts Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse as inspirations; Hayward singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ian_santillano/?hl=en\">Ian Santillano\u003c/a>, who’s blending jazz, funk and indie sounds; and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soundsbyvince/?hl=en\">Vince A\u003c/a>, formerly of Bay Area hip-hop group The Lychee Boys, who’s tapping into a nostalgia-driven R&B sound.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/dWNPvJZgGsQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/dWNPvJZgGsQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\n“This is an independent label, homegrown here in the Bay,” LASI says. “When you think about music hubs, you think about L.A., you think about Nashville, New York. But we’re here to represent the Bay and the artists that are here.” Ibarra and LASI also put together a backing band of local Filipino-American talent for the Dec. 8 showcase – many of whom play with the Ibarra-led Balikbayans. Some of the players include keyboardist Christian Manzana, drummer Mykho Magalong and guitarist Anna Candari.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just going to be a very special and magical night…because I think it’ll give everybody a glimpse of what’s to come,” Ibarra says. “This is beyond just creating a business or even a record company, at the end of the day. What we’re trying to do here, really, is a movement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bolo Music Group presents Ruby Ibarra with Ian Santillano, Ouida and Vince A on Friday, Dec. 8 at The New Parish (1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://thenewparish.com/event-details/13787738/ruby-ibarra-with-ian-santillano-ouida-vince-a/\">Tickets and more info here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Best Bay Area Music of 2023",
"headTitle": "The Best Bay Area Music of 2023 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>With the blockbuster \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936189/taylor-swift-the-eras-tour-might-just-shake-up-the-movie-business-now-too\">\u003cem>Eras\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934154/beyonce-review-levis-stadium-2023-renaissance-world-tour\">\u003cem>Renaissance\u003c/em>\u003c/a> tours, you could argue that 2023 marked the return of the monoculture. But a close look at the Bay Area’s music scene also revealed creativity blossoming at the grassroots level. We heard newcomers reimagine and remix different genres, captivate us with thought-provoking statements, and indulge us in escapism. And veterans deepened their craft and showed us new sides to their self-expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a year of deep listening, the KQED Arts & Culture team and contributors rounded up our 20 favorite releases of 2023. You’ll find rap, indie pop, jazz, punk and more on this list, presented unranked and in alphabetical order. Hit play on each album or \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Ku5ErbQ1Yh5Zr06mnuoIv?si=0fa044d52b6244d0\">our playlist\u003c/a>, and soak in this region’s many styles of musical excellence. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya, editor\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1GETCs99FSZabm8MysGYYH?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1100 Himself, ‘Leven Durant’ (Thizzler on the Roof)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With \u003ci>Leven Durant\u003c/i>, 1100 Himself puts on a masterclass of circuitous storytelling over exquisitely lo-fi beats. The 11-track project highlights 11’s lazy-voiced narrative style: He tells a suspenseful tale of a robbery gone wrong in “Hopped Out the Bed” and muses about the inevitable shortcomings of loyalty on “Okay Sdot.” Hailing from East Oakland, the street lyricist veers away from the stale predictability of most drill rappers by creating his own language (“elevenese”) and building an imaginary world around whimsical characters (“1300 my cousin”). On the standout track “Pony Boy” — a reference to S.E. Hinton’s classic novel, \u003ci>The Outsiders\u003c/i> — 11 Hundo’s unrestrained coolness shines brightest as he slow talks about Dragon Ball Z and after-dark activities. He’s simply \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">unlike any other Bay Area rapper\u003c/a> right now. For best results, listen to \u003cem>Leven Durant\u003c/em> in your car with no destination on your GPS — embracing your aimlessness at full volume. \u003ci>— Alan Chazaro\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1822625599/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://its-aft.bandcamp.com/album/communal-healing-deluxe\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Afterthought, ‘Communal Healing’ (Family First)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Afterthought approached \u003ci>Communal Healing\u003c/i> like making a plate at a potluck where each of his friends brought a lovingly home-cooked dish. Over its 13 tracks, the young San Francisco rapper-producer generously passes the mic, and in his luxurious blends of hip-hop, jazz, funk and R&B, his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937068/rent-check-mike-evans-jr-family-not-group-san-francisco\">many collaborators\u003c/a> riff on generational trauma, definitions of love and healing through friendship. Their sincerity and optimism glow like warm embers in “Love Letters (To My Body),” with cashmere-soft vocals by Jada Imani and SundaY and jazz piano from Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman. In his verse, Afterthought vulnerably confesses to loving himself through weight gain and skin rashes, and gives a much-needed voice to the body anxieties men rarely have space to process out loud. \u003ci>Communal Healing\u003c/i> feels like a comforting hug, and has the power to make listeners feel less alone. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6vIfYqKIvseLIBU7e1E34c?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>AG Club, \u003ci>WE’RE ALL BRODIES*\u003c/i> (TheNamelessCollective/Epic/Sony)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>We spent 2023 waxing philosophical about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">hip-hop’s 50th anniversary\u003c/a>, so AG Club’s whimsical, chaotic-good rap feels like a needed push forward. The Gen Z collective from the East Bay suburbs of Oakley and Antioch had a huge year performing at Coachella and Camp Flog Gnaw, and their EP \u003ci>WE’RE ALL BRODIES*\u003c/i> stands out amid their string of short releases. Opening with the off-kilter, woozy “eva,” rappers Jody Fontaine and Baby Boy trade verses with the energy of two class clowns egging each other on. The swag-rap track “Barry” punctuates a carnivalesque piano loop with earth-rattling bass prime for a mosh pit. “CAJH DAY*” charms with its playfulness: “Monteezy Street with a kitty name Tucker / Slidin’ in a Ford Focus, dimple in the bumper,” raps Jody. The song includes a punchy homage to Keak Da Sneak, but in general, AG Club sound unconcerned with pigeonholing themselves into a regional sound, instead creating something omnivorous and expansive. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2012526831/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>B. Hamilton, ‘Other Lives of Magic and Wonder and Whatever’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s B. Hamilton has been a staple of the Bay Area’s garage rock scene for over a decade now, but 2023 found the band reintroducing itself as a duo — and a productive one at that. Singer-guitarist Ryan Christopher Parks and drummer Raj Ojha put out three tight, listenable EPs this year, careening between blues, psychedelia, indie-pop, post-punk, folk and twangy flavors. The constant is Parks’ lyrical specialty: cinematic storytelling that’s also light on its feet, deeply felt without taking itself too seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Other Lives of Magic and Wonder and Whatever\u003c/i>, in particular, does a lot in 17 minutes, kicking off with the sweetly propulsive, slide-guitar sigh of “Don’t Ever Hide Your Face.” But “I Bought a Lottery Ticket” is the track that hooked me back in July: “Tomorrow I’ll be a trillionaire, and none of this will matter much / I bought a lottery ticket on the way home from church, and man I feel lucky as fuck,” proclaims Parks, calling to mind Stephen Malkmus at his driest. It’s a summery blend of late-capitalist fantasy and nihilism, all swirled into one wry, rock ‘n’ roll soft-serve cone. \u003ci>— Emma Silvers\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3LeqZJi1kNsUz1FjTpPsQn?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ.Fresh, ‘The Tonite Show’ (Fresh in the Flesh/BMG)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Producer DJ.Fresh has perfected his recipe of soulful samples, ’80s-style synths and drums that kick like judo students. After nearly two decades of spotlighting rapper after rapper on his \u003ci>Tonite Show\u003c/i> album series, Fresh consulted his extensive network for \u003ci>The Tonite Show\u003c/i> album, which positions him as a super-producer with reach far beyond the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Tonite Show\u003c/i> features notable artists from different regions and hip-hop generations, but it’s clearly Bay Area first. The song “What’s That All About” showcases the lyrical gas and unmistakable laugh of North Vallejo’s LaRussell. On “Doin’ Too Much,” Richmond’s Jane Handcock slides over drums that sound like the finale of a firework show. And the album’s lead single, “Pop My Shit,” (featuring E-40, Larry June and Dreebo) should be considered when you’re compiling the region’s best hip-hop songs of the year.\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/07lg8u6Bm9BUN0775nSINz?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Frightwig, ‘We Need to Talk’ (Label 51 Recordings)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Back in 1983, Deanna Mitchell and Mia d’Bruzzi were just a couple of creative teens running amok in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935330/frightwig-40th-anniversary-album-san-francisco-punk-rock-riot-grrrl\">San Francisco’s vibrant, underground punk scene\u003c/a>. Realizing they had something — well, a lot — to say, they formed Frightwig, a pre-riot grrrl rallying cry to the furious and disaffected women of America. Long acknowledged as influential to bands like Hole, L7 and Babes in Toyland among many others, the band’s decision to reform this year was a nice surprise. That the album that heralded Frightwig’s return succeeded in being caustic, clever and catchy was a legitimate thrill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>We Need to Talk\u003c/i> consistently flings eye-rolls and middle fingers directly at bad men, misogynist policies, unchecked capitalism and even to aging itself. Delightfully, the 11-tracker is also imbued with smatterings of side winks and sharp humor. (And we’re not just talking about the fact that there’s a song here called “My Crotch Does Not Say Go.”) \u003ci>We Need to Talk\u003c/i> is the unhinged, unfiltered, all-ages punk rock party we didn’t know we needed in 2023. A cathartic treat indeed. \u003ci>— Rae Alexandra\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2xF9wlV17S9GuId8WTTxSp?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Goapele, ‘Colours’ (Sky Blaze Music)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At this point in her singing career, Goapele knows her lane. She’s still making \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932465/goapele-closer-to-hip-hop\">music for her day-one fans\u003c/a>, fully recognizing that they — and she — have matured. The eight songs that comprise \u003ci>Colours\u003c/i> maintain a grown-folks sensibility; the album’s romantic longings are grounded in actualization and healthy communication. Every song is about relationships, whether with a significant other or oneself. There’s a poignant sense of awareness throughout, as the singer-songwriter serendipitously slays her soulful, jazz-tinged pocket. The sparse accompaniments smoothly set mellow moods for bedroom intimacy or long-walk companionship. \u003ci>Colours\u003c/i>’ best song, “Time Heals,” revels in reflection without regret, and may trigger Anita Baker comparisons with its downtempo vibe. Elsewhere, there’s a love affair arc from the initial spark in “Ojai” to the questioning phase in “Complicated.” Yet Goapele never seems overwhelmed by the strong emotions she’s experiencing, offering hope for hopeless romantics. \u003ci>— Eric Arnold\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4027930908/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>La Doña, ‘Can’t Eat Clout’ (Text Me Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Instead of looping samples, La Doña did something rare for an up-and-coming musician in 2023: She assembled a 13-piece band for \u003ci>Can’t Eat Clout\u003c/i>, an ambitious EP that shows her reaching a new level as a bandleader and political messenger. “Paloma No Vuelve Amar” and “Can’t Eat Clout” expertly mingle cumbia, salsa and dembow rhythms. A big, anthemic brass section and La Doña’s pirouetting vocals invite listeners to lose themselves on the dance floor. “Can’t Eat Clout” ends with a titular chant that may well be a protest against today’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935406/fillmore-live-nation-on-road-again-touring-artists\">paid-in-exposure music industry\u003c/a>. That anti-capitalist commentary runs through “Show Me How You Livin’,” where a hyphy bass line and charismatic rap verse from Tia Nomore might make you catch the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930686/thizz-entertainment-dj-mix-mac-dre-vallejo-rap-hyphy\">Furly Ghost\u003c/a>. With \u003ci>Can’t Eat Clout\u003c/i>, La Doña skillfully weaves traditions that span the Americas into her own distinctly Bay Area sound, and fills our hearts with fire to fight for a better world. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1AJrpzYu5KAbDSvmyiIUhr?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Larry June & The Alchemist, ‘The Great Escape’ (The Freeminded Records/ALC/EMPIRE)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A link up with The Alchemist — one of hip-hop’s most respected producers — and features from A-listers like Whiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign make clear that Larry June has broken out of the Bay Area’s regional bubble and escaped to rap’s big leagues. The album whisks the listener away to other lands: Mexico City in the “Porsches in Spanish” music video, and a beachside resort on an alien planet courtesy of the slinking synths on “Palisades, CA.” So naturally, \u003ci>The Great Escape\u003c/i> has propelled June to sold-out shows not just nationwide, but all across the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the new international reach, June’s raps remain rooted in the Bay (“Bend a corner, I’m on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13933436/cotton-sheep-san-francisco-fashion-japanese-denim-kapital\">Hayes Street copping a windbreaker\u003c/a>,” he raps on “Turkish Cotton”) and true to himself. He’s still delivering the same unique blend of healthy living, entrepreneurial acumen and fly decadence that fans have grown to love, and showering listeners with bars about multimillion-dollar real estate investments in Tiburon and chlorophyll-filled health potions. Good job, Larry! \u003ci>— Dario McCarty\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7ibYBH48xmJbCendGqf67I?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lil Kayla, ‘Who Is Lil Kayla?’ (Asylum Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The latest bold, take-no-shit project from San Francisco’s Lil Kayla may as well be titled \u003cem>The Girls’ Guide to Hustling Men 101\u003c/em>. Raised in the Sunnydale projects, Kayla hands out seven tracks of free game: know your worth, get money, ignore time-wasters, don’t catch feelings. (Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” reads like \u003cem>The Cat in the Hat\u003c/em> compared to Kayla’s “Rules,” which in one ruthless minute condenses a lifetime of hard-won lessons.) The production by OMG JAYE and UglyMarco adds just enough bass slump to keep it Bay Area, but with a recent major-label deal from Asylum Records, it’s clear that, for the rest of the world, \u003cem>Who Is Lil Kayla?\u003c/em> won’t be a question for long. \u003ci>— Gabe Meline\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1167467004/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://madelinekenney.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-reality-mind\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Madeline Kenney, ‘A New Reality Mind’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most people might spend their time after a breakup on the phone with their friends, wrapped in a blanket on the couch — or, if we’re honest, stalking their ex’s Instagram. Oakland’s Madeline Kenney produced what’s undoubtedly her finest professional achievement to date: the drop-dead gorgeous \u003ci>A New Reality Mind\u003c/i>, a mournful but powerful whirlwind of a record. After a 38-second intro, you’re dropped into a dream world where unearthly chirps, whirs and flutters are fashioned into angular and complex tunes — mysterious and intriguing enough to make you start the album over again as soon as it ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contrary to previous guitar-based work, \u003ci>A New Reality Mind\u003c/i> is produced almost entirely on synths, and they carry this album in a way that feels transporting and sublime. It’s hard to believe, as she’s got almost a decade of critical acclaim under her belt, but \u003ci>A New Reality Mind\u003c/i> shows that somehow Madeline Kenney just keeps getting better and better. \u003ci>— Jody Amable\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2899036576/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Maria BC, ‘Spike Field’ (Sacred Bones)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Maria BC named \u003ci>Spike Field\u003c/i> after a proposed form of communication designed to be impossible to misinterpret: jagged spires erected at nuclear sites and other hazardous areas to warn away potential visitors from far-flung worlds or distant futures. This image suits the prickliness of the music on the Oakland singer-songwriter’s second album (and debut on the vaunted Sacred Bones label), whose delicate guitars and angelic vocal layers are under constant threat of being interrupted by bursts of harsh digital noise. It also speaks to the quality separating Maria BC from the legions of ambient folkies out there: a real sense of chops and rigor, a reliance on the strength of their voice and arrangements rather than studio trickery (even the echo on one song is just the artist overdubbing their voice twice). Music so ethereal rarely sounds so exact. \u003ci>— Daniel Bromfield\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3923298820/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://rogueart1.bandcamp.com/album/hear-the-light-singing\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Myra Melford’s Fire And Water Quintet, ‘Hear the Light Singing’ (RogueArt)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like one of her primary influences, Pulitzer Prize-winning alto saxophonist/composer Henry Threadgill, Berkeley pianist Myra Melford has a gift for assembling singular ensembles for which she devises arrestingly textured tunes. Her all-star Fire And Water Quintet is her latest band, and the all-women group features master improvisers who are also prolific bandleaders in their own right, including German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Lesley Mok and two MacArthur Fellows, cellist Tomeka Reid and guitarist Mary Halvorson. A companion piece to the group’s 2022 debut album, which was inspired by the enigmatic drawings of Cy Twombly, \u003ci>Hear the Light Singing\u003c/i> features a cohesive body of tunes that refract Melford’s slow-dancing melodies inspired by the Mediterranean sunlight in Italy where Twombly created his graphics. Shimmering, surging and often dazzling, the interplay keeps shifting perspective as different players intertwine and shift then recede from the foreground. \u003ci>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1367120972/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Nappy Nina, ‘Mourning Due’ (LucidHaus)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nappy Nina is known for her bars. Raised in Oakland and living in New York, she uses her clever cadences and smooth similes to make music for easy listening. But don’t write off \u003ci>Morning Due\u003c/i> as simply headphone music. On the project Nina whispers word puzzles and peddles poetic phrases over shifty drum patterns, and the production moves from dream-like melodies to in-your-face blap. The track “Whippin’,” featuring lojii, is a banging single made for a late-night drive with windows down and volume up. On “Prayer Posture,” featuring JusMoni, Nina floats over a heavyweight bassline as she takes us into her spiritual side. And on “Sorrel Sip,” Nina showcases her ability to break words down, rhyming syllables and simultaneously referencing culturally relevant symbols. There’s layers to this album, and that’s what keeps her music in rotation. \u003ci>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=391619492/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ryan Wong, ‘The New Country Sounds of Ryan Wong’ (Rocks In Your Head)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When it comes to country music from the Bay Area, there’s often a sense we’re cosplaying the cowboy lifestyle — what could we know about honky-tonk hoedowns and homes on the range out here in the land of $7 lattes? Ryan Wong, of San Francisco psych-rock outfit Cool Ghouls, struck out on his own again this year to create a country record that sounds damn close to the real thing. Trading the distant, breathy sounds of the Ghouls for some steel guitar, but never losing his mordant vocal delivery, \u003ci>The New Country Sounds of Ryan Wong\u003c/i> combines hallmarks of the genre with a laid-back coastal cool. Produced by the consistently folky San Francisco musician Sonny Smith (the perfect choice to usher this album into existence), it’s all at once a wink, a nod and a tribute to a genre we may not have mastered, but can still make our own. \u003ci>— Jody Amable\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1940426066/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://salamirosejoelouismusic.bandcamp.com/album/akousmatikous\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Salami Rose Joe Louis, ‘Akousmatikous’ (Brainfeeder)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The post-apocalyptic sci-fi concept album has rarely been executed in a way that resonates not just with the current ills of the world, but also with the prevalent, ever-shifting sounds of pop culture. On \u003cem>Akousmatikous\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/event/2387\">Salami Rose Joe Louis’ Lindsay Olsen\u003c/a> executes the feat in Deltron-like fashion, speaking to the barren wasteland that our fast-heating planet is destined to become at the hands of merciless politicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Dimensional Collapse” feels like riding in a spaceship at light speed before landing on the deserted planet of “Always On My Mind.” Breakneck drum beats speed through wormholes of electro jazz keys that see the light in Olsen’s downright celestial vocals. By the time we arrive at the tricky bounce of “Propaganda,” featuring Brijean, we’re engrossed into the world that the Oaklander has created so masterfully. It’s a mysterious place, a beautiful one that yearns for harmony amid growing chaos. Is this the future, or the here and now? \u003ci>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=726635430/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Scary Scare, ‘First Fright’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before launching their fearsome, theatrical and frequently costumed horror-punk band Scary Scare, frontman James O’Shaughnessy and drummer Aaron Apple played in a pretty standard Cali-reggae band called Grooview. Their new, outrageous songs about smoking live ants and breaking into the haunted Palace Hotel might seem like a left turn — but slow Apple’s drums down to half tempo, keep everything else the same and a lot of the music on their debut \u003ci>First Fright\u003c/i> turns out to be pretty close to reggae after all. Rather than obliterating every inch of the mix with guitar noise, Scary Scare let space and silence creep in between their emphatic guitar downstrokes. The result is one of the most intriguing full-lengths — if its fun-sized 17-minute runtime qualifies it to be described as such — from San Francisco’s post-vax generator-show punk scene. \u003ci>— Daniel Bromfield\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3781764216/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Seshen, ‘Nowhere’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When you press play on \u003cem>Nowhere\u003c/em>, the latest album from Oakland electronic soul-slash-alternative R&B band The Seshen, be ready to be taken somewhere. Somewhere moody, somewhere vulnerable. From the heart-throbbing bassline of the opening title track you immediately hear it: This album has \u003cem>feelings\u003c/em>. Even bouncier, danceable tracks like lead single “Hold Me” (where Swedish band Little Dragon’s influence is most clear) meditate on deep emotion: “Let me take you / Take you where we go when we feel alone / Nothing is set in stone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nowhere\u003c/em>, after all, reflects on the end of the long-term romantic relationship between The Seshen’s lead members Lalin St. Juste and Aki Ehara, who thankfully remain creative partners. Because if their romance is a broken vase, to invoke a metaphor, \u003cem>Nowhere\u003c/em> is a beautiful, thoughtfully crafted mosaic made from its pieces. \u003cem>– Ariana Proehl\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5sLDE06hTPUsBajUxNN8tM?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Sid Sriram, ‘Sidharth’ (Do What You Love Records/Def Jam)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Born in the South Indian cultural hub of Chennai and raised in Fremont, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893376/fremonts-sid-sriram-fuses-new-genres-with-family-legacy-of-traditional-indian-singing\">vocalist Sid Sriram\u003c/a> has become a major star in India as a prolific, award-winning playback singer, supplying vocals in a half-dozen languages for Indian films. While he draws on his Carnatic training on \u003ci>Sidharth\u003c/i>, he sounds fully in his element as an R&B crooner singing in English. Alternately imploring, confessional, beatific, dreamy and sullen, his voice is a remarkable instrument, pure and piping in his falsetto range (on the lullaby-like “Cliqueless”) and liquid silver in his sweet tenor. A succession of slinky beats, from the stuttering “Amelia” to the bip-boom anthemic “Stance,” makes Sriram’s sound a moving target. Impossible to pin down, he’s looking for home, and the music keeps shifting beneath his feet. It’s a pleasure to watch him navigate the grooves. \u003ci>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1218896112/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Strangers, ‘The Strangers’ (Wagram Music)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Strangers have certainly gained this writer’s attention with a self-titled debut founded on international friendship. Playful, uplifting and refreshingly unconcerned with trends, the vibrant trio — featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929861/latyrx-lateef-lyrics-born-solesides-quannum\">Oakland’s Lateef the Truthspeaker\u003c/a>, Paris’s Leeroy and Berlin’s Hervé Salters — joyously riffs as a freshly formed group. Though mostly known for their individual contributions to the boom-bap hip-hop scenes of the ’90s and early aughts, they flaunt their collective synergy in cheery, bilingual party music with a European electro-pop flair. The lead single, “Movin’,” lays the foundation for a bubbly, optimistic audio experience that beckons listeners to embrace each day with purpose and gratitude. From start to finish, songs like “Running Through the City” and “Chasin’ Sunshine” amplify a liberated feeling that can be heard — and felt — no matter what language you speak. \u003ci>— Alan Chazaro\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With the blockbuster \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936189/taylor-swift-the-eras-tour-might-just-shake-up-the-movie-business-now-too\">\u003cem>Eras\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934154/beyonce-review-levis-stadium-2023-renaissance-world-tour\">\u003cem>Renaissance\u003c/em>\u003c/a> tours, you could argue that 2023 marked the return of the monoculture. But a close look at the Bay Area’s music scene also revealed creativity blossoming at the grassroots level. We heard newcomers reimagine and remix different genres, captivate us with thought-provoking statements, and indulge us in escapism. And veterans deepened their craft and showed us new sides to their self-expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a year of deep listening, the KQED Arts & Culture team and contributors rounded up our 20 favorite releases of 2023. You’ll find rap, indie pop, jazz, punk and more on this list, presented unranked and in alphabetical order. Hit play on each album or \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Ku5ErbQ1Yh5Zr06mnuoIv?si=0fa044d52b6244d0\">our playlist\u003c/a>, and soak in this region’s many styles of musical excellence. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya, editor\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1GETCs99FSZabm8MysGYYH?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1100 Himself, ‘Leven Durant’ (Thizzler on the Roof)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With \u003ci>Leven Durant\u003c/i>, 1100 Himself puts on a masterclass of circuitous storytelling over exquisitely lo-fi beats. The 11-track project highlights 11’s lazy-voiced narrative style: He tells a suspenseful tale of a robbery gone wrong in “Hopped Out the Bed” and muses about the inevitable shortcomings of loyalty on “Okay Sdot.” Hailing from East Oakland, the street lyricist veers away from the stale predictability of most drill rappers by creating his own language (“elevenese”) and building an imaginary world around whimsical characters (“1300 my cousin”). On the standout track “Pony Boy” — a reference to S.E. Hinton’s classic novel, \u003ci>The Outsiders\u003c/i> — 11 Hundo’s unrestrained coolness shines brightest as he slow talks about Dragon Ball Z and after-dark activities. He’s simply \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">unlike any other Bay Area rapper\u003c/a> right now. For best results, listen to \u003cem>Leven Durant\u003c/em> in your car with no destination on your GPS — embracing your aimlessness at full volume. \u003ci>— Alan Chazaro\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1822625599/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://its-aft.bandcamp.com/album/communal-healing-deluxe\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Afterthought, ‘Communal Healing’ (Family First)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Afterthought approached \u003ci>Communal Healing\u003c/i> like making a plate at a potluck where each of his friends brought a lovingly home-cooked dish. Over its 13 tracks, the young San Francisco rapper-producer generously passes the mic, and in his luxurious blends of hip-hop, jazz, funk and R&B, his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937068/rent-check-mike-evans-jr-family-not-group-san-francisco\">many collaborators\u003c/a> riff on generational trauma, definitions of love and healing through friendship. Their sincerity and optimism glow like warm embers in “Love Letters (To My Body),” with cashmere-soft vocals by Jada Imani and SundaY and jazz piano from Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman. In his verse, Afterthought vulnerably confesses to loving himself through weight gain and skin rashes, and gives a much-needed voice to the body anxieties men rarely have space to process out loud. \u003ci>Communal Healing\u003c/i> feels like a comforting hug, and has the power to make listeners feel less alone. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6vIfYqKIvseLIBU7e1E34c?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>AG Club, \u003ci>WE’RE ALL BRODIES*\u003c/i> (TheNamelessCollective/Epic/Sony)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>We spent 2023 waxing philosophical about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">hip-hop’s 50th anniversary\u003c/a>, so AG Club’s whimsical, chaotic-good rap feels like a needed push forward. The Gen Z collective from the East Bay suburbs of Oakley and Antioch had a huge year performing at Coachella and Camp Flog Gnaw, and their EP \u003ci>WE’RE ALL BRODIES*\u003c/i> stands out amid their string of short releases. Opening with the off-kilter, woozy “eva,” rappers Jody Fontaine and Baby Boy trade verses with the energy of two class clowns egging each other on. The swag-rap track “Barry” punctuates a carnivalesque piano loop with earth-rattling bass prime for a mosh pit. “CAJH DAY*” charms with its playfulness: “Monteezy Street with a kitty name Tucker / Slidin’ in a Ford Focus, dimple in the bumper,” raps Jody. The song includes a punchy homage to Keak Da Sneak, but in general, AG Club sound unconcerned with pigeonholing themselves into a regional sound, instead creating something omnivorous and expansive. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2012526831/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>B. Hamilton, ‘Other Lives of Magic and Wonder and Whatever’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s B. Hamilton has been a staple of the Bay Area’s garage rock scene for over a decade now, but 2023 found the band reintroducing itself as a duo — and a productive one at that. Singer-guitarist Ryan Christopher Parks and drummer Raj Ojha put out three tight, listenable EPs this year, careening between blues, psychedelia, indie-pop, post-punk, folk and twangy flavors. The constant is Parks’ lyrical specialty: cinematic storytelling that’s also light on its feet, deeply felt without taking itself too seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Other Lives of Magic and Wonder and Whatever\u003c/i>, in particular, does a lot in 17 minutes, kicking off with the sweetly propulsive, slide-guitar sigh of “Don’t Ever Hide Your Face.” But “I Bought a Lottery Ticket” is the track that hooked me back in July: “Tomorrow I’ll be a trillionaire, and none of this will matter much / I bought a lottery ticket on the way home from church, and man I feel lucky as fuck,” proclaims Parks, calling to mind Stephen Malkmus at his driest. It’s a summery blend of late-capitalist fantasy and nihilism, all swirled into one wry, rock ‘n’ roll soft-serve cone. \u003ci>— Emma Silvers\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3LeqZJi1kNsUz1FjTpPsQn?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ.Fresh, ‘The Tonite Show’ (Fresh in the Flesh/BMG)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Producer DJ.Fresh has perfected his recipe of soulful samples, ’80s-style synths and drums that kick like judo students. After nearly two decades of spotlighting rapper after rapper on his \u003ci>Tonite Show\u003c/i> album series, Fresh consulted his extensive network for \u003ci>The Tonite Show\u003c/i> album, which positions him as a super-producer with reach far beyond the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Tonite Show\u003c/i> features notable artists from different regions and hip-hop generations, but it’s clearly Bay Area first. The song “What’s That All About” showcases the lyrical gas and unmistakable laugh of North Vallejo’s LaRussell. On “Doin’ Too Much,” Richmond’s Jane Handcock slides over drums that sound like the finale of a firework show. And the album’s lead single, “Pop My Shit,” (featuring E-40, Larry June and Dreebo) should be considered when you’re compiling the region’s best hip-hop songs of the year.\u003cbr>\n\u003ci>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/07lg8u6Bm9BUN0775nSINz?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Frightwig, ‘We Need to Talk’ (Label 51 Recordings)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Back in 1983, Deanna Mitchell and Mia d’Bruzzi were just a couple of creative teens running amok in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935330/frightwig-40th-anniversary-album-san-francisco-punk-rock-riot-grrrl\">San Francisco’s vibrant, underground punk scene\u003c/a>. Realizing they had something — well, a lot — to say, they formed Frightwig, a pre-riot grrrl rallying cry to the furious and disaffected women of America. Long acknowledged as influential to bands like Hole, L7 and Babes in Toyland among many others, the band’s decision to reform this year was a nice surprise. That the album that heralded Frightwig’s return succeeded in being caustic, clever and catchy was a legitimate thrill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>We Need to Talk\u003c/i> consistently flings eye-rolls and middle fingers directly at bad men, misogynist policies, unchecked capitalism and even to aging itself. Delightfully, the 11-tracker is also imbued with smatterings of side winks and sharp humor. (And we’re not just talking about the fact that there’s a song here called “My Crotch Does Not Say Go.”) \u003ci>We Need to Talk\u003c/i> is the unhinged, unfiltered, all-ages punk rock party we didn’t know we needed in 2023. A cathartic treat indeed. \u003ci>— Rae Alexandra\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2xF9wlV17S9GuId8WTTxSp?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Goapele, ‘Colours’ (Sky Blaze Music)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At this point in her singing career, Goapele knows her lane. She’s still making \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932465/goapele-closer-to-hip-hop\">music for her day-one fans\u003c/a>, fully recognizing that they — and she — have matured. The eight songs that comprise \u003ci>Colours\u003c/i> maintain a grown-folks sensibility; the album’s romantic longings are grounded in actualization and healthy communication. Every song is about relationships, whether with a significant other or oneself. There’s a poignant sense of awareness throughout, as the singer-songwriter serendipitously slays her soulful, jazz-tinged pocket. The sparse accompaniments smoothly set mellow moods for bedroom intimacy or long-walk companionship. \u003ci>Colours\u003c/i>’ best song, “Time Heals,” revels in reflection without regret, and may trigger Anita Baker comparisons with its downtempo vibe. Elsewhere, there’s a love affair arc from the initial spark in “Ojai” to the questioning phase in “Complicated.” Yet Goapele never seems overwhelmed by the strong emotions she’s experiencing, offering hope for hopeless romantics. \u003ci>— Eric Arnold\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4027930908/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>La Doña, ‘Can’t Eat Clout’ (Text Me Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Instead of looping samples, La Doña did something rare for an up-and-coming musician in 2023: She assembled a 13-piece band for \u003ci>Can’t Eat Clout\u003c/i>, an ambitious EP that shows her reaching a new level as a bandleader and political messenger. “Paloma No Vuelve Amar” and “Can’t Eat Clout” expertly mingle cumbia, salsa and dembow rhythms. A big, anthemic brass section and La Doña’s pirouetting vocals invite listeners to lose themselves on the dance floor. “Can’t Eat Clout” ends with a titular chant that may well be a protest against today’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935406/fillmore-live-nation-on-road-again-touring-artists\">paid-in-exposure music industry\u003c/a>. That anti-capitalist commentary runs through “Show Me How You Livin’,” where a hyphy bass line and charismatic rap verse from Tia Nomore might make you catch the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930686/thizz-entertainment-dj-mix-mac-dre-vallejo-rap-hyphy\">Furly Ghost\u003c/a>. With \u003ci>Can’t Eat Clout\u003c/i>, La Doña skillfully weaves traditions that span the Americas into her own distinctly Bay Area sound, and fills our hearts with fire to fight for a better world. \u003ci>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1AJrpzYu5KAbDSvmyiIUhr?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Larry June & The Alchemist, ‘The Great Escape’ (The Freeminded Records/ALC/EMPIRE)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A link up with The Alchemist — one of hip-hop’s most respected producers — and features from A-listers like Whiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign make clear that Larry June has broken out of the Bay Area’s regional bubble and escaped to rap’s big leagues. The album whisks the listener away to other lands: Mexico City in the “Porsches in Spanish” music video, and a beachside resort on an alien planet courtesy of the slinking synths on “Palisades, CA.” So naturally, \u003ci>The Great Escape\u003c/i> has propelled June to sold-out shows not just nationwide, but all across the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the new international reach, June’s raps remain rooted in the Bay (“Bend a corner, I’m on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13933436/cotton-sheep-san-francisco-fashion-japanese-denim-kapital\">Hayes Street copping a windbreaker\u003c/a>,” he raps on “Turkish Cotton”) and true to himself. He’s still delivering the same unique blend of healthy living, entrepreneurial acumen and fly decadence that fans have grown to love, and showering listeners with bars about multimillion-dollar real estate investments in Tiburon and chlorophyll-filled health potions. Good job, Larry! \u003ci>— Dario McCarty\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7ibYBH48xmJbCendGqf67I?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lil Kayla, ‘Who Is Lil Kayla?’ (Asylum Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The latest bold, take-no-shit project from San Francisco’s Lil Kayla may as well be titled \u003cem>The Girls’ Guide to Hustling Men 101\u003c/em>. Raised in the Sunnydale projects, Kayla hands out seven tracks of free game: know your worth, get money, ignore time-wasters, don’t catch feelings. (Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” reads like \u003cem>The Cat in the Hat\u003c/em> compared to Kayla’s “Rules,” which in one ruthless minute condenses a lifetime of hard-won lessons.) The production by OMG JAYE and UglyMarco adds just enough bass slump to keep it Bay Area, but with a recent major-label deal from Asylum Records, it’s clear that, for the rest of the world, \u003cem>Who Is Lil Kayla?\u003c/em> won’t be a question for long. \u003ci>— Gabe Meline\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1167467004/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://madelinekenney.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-reality-mind\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Madeline Kenney, ‘A New Reality Mind’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most people might spend their time after a breakup on the phone with their friends, wrapped in a blanket on the couch — or, if we’re honest, stalking their ex’s Instagram. Oakland’s Madeline Kenney produced what’s undoubtedly her finest professional achievement to date: the drop-dead gorgeous \u003ci>A New Reality Mind\u003c/i>, a mournful but powerful whirlwind of a record. After a 38-second intro, you’re dropped into a dream world where unearthly chirps, whirs and flutters are fashioned into angular and complex tunes — mysterious and intriguing enough to make you start the album over again as soon as it ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contrary to previous guitar-based work, \u003ci>A New Reality Mind\u003c/i> is produced almost entirely on synths, and they carry this album in a way that feels transporting and sublime. It’s hard to believe, as she’s got almost a decade of critical acclaim under her belt, but \u003ci>A New Reality Mind\u003c/i> shows that somehow Madeline Kenney just keeps getting better and better. \u003ci>— Jody Amable\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2899036576/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Maria BC, ‘Spike Field’ (Sacred Bones)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Maria BC named \u003ci>Spike Field\u003c/i> after a proposed form of communication designed to be impossible to misinterpret: jagged spires erected at nuclear sites and other hazardous areas to warn away potential visitors from far-flung worlds or distant futures. This image suits the prickliness of the music on the Oakland singer-songwriter’s second album (and debut on the vaunted Sacred Bones label), whose delicate guitars and angelic vocal layers are under constant threat of being interrupted by bursts of harsh digital noise. It also speaks to the quality separating Maria BC from the legions of ambient folkies out there: a real sense of chops and rigor, a reliance on the strength of their voice and arrangements rather than studio trickery (even the echo on one song is just the artist overdubbing their voice twice). Music so ethereal rarely sounds so exact. \u003ci>— Daniel Bromfield\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3923298820/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://rogueart1.bandcamp.com/album/hear-the-light-singing\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Myra Melford’s Fire And Water Quintet, ‘Hear the Light Singing’ (RogueArt)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like one of her primary influences, Pulitzer Prize-winning alto saxophonist/composer Henry Threadgill, Berkeley pianist Myra Melford has a gift for assembling singular ensembles for which she devises arrestingly textured tunes. Her all-star Fire And Water Quintet is her latest band, and the all-women group features master improvisers who are also prolific bandleaders in their own right, including German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Lesley Mok and two MacArthur Fellows, cellist Tomeka Reid and guitarist Mary Halvorson. A companion piece to the group’s 2022 debut album, which was inspired by the enigmatic drawings of Cy Twombly, \u003ci>Hear the Light Singing\u003c/i> features a cohesive body of tunes that refract Melford’s slow-dancing melodies inspired by the Mediterranean sunlight in Italy where Twombly created his graphics. Shimmering, surging and often dazzling, the interplay keeps shifting perspective as different players intertwine and shift then recede from the foreground. \u003ci>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1367120972/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Nappy Nina, ‘Mourning Due’ (LucidHaus)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nappy Nina is known for her bars. Raised in Oakland and living in New York, she uses her clever cadences and smooth similes to make music for easy listening. But don’t write off \u003ci>Morning Due\u003c/i> as simply headphone music. On the project Nina whispers word puzzles and peddles poetic phrases over shifty drum patterns, and the production moves from dream-like melodies to in-your-face blap. The track “Whippin’,” featuring lojii, is a banging single made for a late-night drive with windows down and volume up. On “Prayer Posture,” featuring JusMoni, Nina floats over a heavyweight bassline as she takes us into her spiritual side. And on “Sorrel Sip,” Nina showcases her ability to break words down, rhyming syllables and simultaneously referencing culturally relevant symbols. There’s layers to this album, and that’s what keeps her music in rotation. \u003ci>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=391619492/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ryan Wong, ‘The New Country Sounds of Ryan Wong’ (Rocks In Your Head)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When it comes to country music from the Bay Area, there’s often a sense we’re cosplaying the cowboy lifestyle — what could we know about honky-tonk hoedowns and homes on the range out here in the land of $7 lattes? Ryan Wong, of San Francisco psych-rock outfit Cool Ghouls, struck out on his own again this year to create a country record that sounds damn close to the real thing. Trading the distant, breathy sounds of the Ghouls for some steel guitar, but never losing his mordant vocal delivery, \u003ci>The New Country Sounds of Ryan Wong\u003c/i> combines hallmarks of the genre with a laid-back coastal cool. Produced by the consistently folky San Francisco musician Sonny Smith (the perfect choice to usher this album into existence), it’s all at once a wink, a nod and a tribute to a genre we may not have mastered, but can still make our own. \u003ci>— Jody Amable\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1940426066/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" href=\"https://salamirosejoelouismusic.bandcamp.com/album/akousmatikous\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Salami Rose Joe Louis, ‘Akousmatikous’ (Brainfeeder)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The post-apocalyptic sci-fi concept album has rarely been executed in a way that resonates not just with the current ills of the world, but also with the prevalent, ever-shifting sounds of pop culture. On \u003cem>Akousmatikous\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/event/2387\">Salami Rose Joe Louis’ Lindsay Olsen\u003c/a> executes the feat in Deltron-like fashion, speaking to the barren wasteland that our fast-heating planet is destined to become at the hands of merciless politicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Dimensional Collapse” feels like riding in a spaceship at light speed before landing on the deserted planet of “Always On My Mind.” Breakneck drum beats speed through wormholes of electro jazz keys that see the light in Olsen’s downright celestial vocals. By the time we arrive at the tricky bounce of “Propaganda,” featuring Brijean, we’re engrossed into the world that the Oaklander has created so masterfully. It’s a mysterious place, a beautiful one that yearns for harmony amid growing chaos. Is this the future, or the here and now? \u003ci>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=726635430/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Scary Scare, ‘First Fright’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Before launching their fearsome, theatrical and frequently costumed horror-punk band Scary Scare, frontman James O’Shaughnessy and drummer Aaron Apple played in a pretty standard Cali-reggae band called Grooview. Their new, outrageous songs about smoking live ants and breaking into the haunted Palace Hotel might seem like a left turn — but slow Apple’s drums down to half tempo, keep everything else the same and a lot of the music on their debut \u003ci>First Fright\u003c/i> turns out to be pretty close to reggae after all. Rather than obliterating every inch of the mix with guitar noise, Scary Scare let space and silence creep in between their emphatic guitar downstrokes. The result is one of the most intriguing full-lengths — if its fun-sized 17-minute runtime qualifies it to be described as such — from San Francisco’s post-vax generator-show punk scene. \u003ci>— Daniel Bromfield\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3781764216/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Seshen, ‘Nowhere’ (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When you press play on \u003cem>Nowhere\u003c/em>, the latest album from Oakland electronic soul-slash-alternative R&B band The Seshen, be ready to be taken somewhere. Somewhere moody, somewhere vulnerable. From the heart-throbbing bassline of the opening title track you immediately hear it: This album has \u003cem>feelings\u003c/em>. Even bouncier, danceable tracks like lead single “Hold Me” (where Swedish band Little Dragon’s influence is most clear) meditate on deep emotion: “Let me take you / Take you where we go when we feel alone / Nothing is set in stone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nowhere\u003c/em>, after all, reflects on the end of the long-term romantic relationship between The Seshen’s lead members Lalin St. Juste and Aki Ehara, who thankfully remain creative partners. Because if their romance is a broken vase, to invoke a metaphor, \u003cem>Nowhere\u003c/em> is a beautiful, thoughtfully crafted mosaic made from its pieces. \u003cem>– Ariana Proehl\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5sLDE06hTPUsBajUxNN8tM?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Sid Sriram, ‘Sidharth’ (Do What You Love Records/Def Jam)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Born in the South Indian cultural hub of Chennai and raised in Fremont, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893376/fremonts-sid-sriram-fuses-new-genres-with-family-legacy-of-traditional-indian-singing\">vocalist Sid Sriram\u003c/a> has become a major star in India as a prolific, award-winning playback singer, supplying vocals in a half-dozen languages for Indian films. While he draws on his Carnatic training on \u003ci>Sidharth\u003c/i>, he sounds fully in his element as an R&B crooner singing in English. Alternately imploring, confessional, beatific, dreamy and sullen, his voice is a remarkable instrument, pure and piping in his falsetto range (on the lullaby-like “Cliqueless”) and liquid silver in his sweet tenor. A succession of slinky beats, from the stuttering “Amelia” to the bip-boom anthemic “Stance,” makes Sriram’s sound a moving target. Impossible to pin down, he’s looking for home, and the music keeps shifting beneath his feet. It’s a pleasure to watch him navigate the grooves. \u003ci>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1218896112/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Strangers, ‘The Strangers’ (Wagram Music)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Strangers have certainly gained this writer’s attention with a self-titled debut founded on international friendship. Playful, uplifting and refreshingly unconcerned with trends, the vibrant trio — featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929861/latyrx-lateef-lyrics-born-solesides-quannum\">Oakland’s Lateef the Truthspeaker\u003c/a>, Paris’s Leeroy and Berlin’s Hervé Salters — joyously riffs as a freshly formed group. Though mostly known for their individual contributions to the boom-bap hip-hop scenes of the ’90s and early aughts, they flaunt their collective synergy in cheery, bilingual party music with a European electro-pop flair. The lead single, “Movin’,” lays the foundation for a bubbly, optimistic audio experience that beckons listeners to embrace each day with purpose and gratitude. From start to finish, songs like “Running Through the City” and “Chasin’ Sunshine” amplify a liberated feeling that can be heard — and felt — no matter what language you speak. \u003ci>— Alan Chazaro\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Latin music artists Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernández and Junior H will headline the inaugural Festival La Onda next June in Napa. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new Latin music festival, held one week after the BottleRock festival in Napa by the same promoters, will take place at the same venue, the Napa Valley Expo, on June 1 and 2. The festival was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13938631/festival-la-onda-new-latin-music-festival-bottlerock-napa\">announced last week\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13938631']The rest of the lineup is comprised of a variety of Latin music styles. Along with Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernández and Junior H, the lineup includes Farruko, Eslabon Armado, Café Tacvba, Los Ángeles Azules, Mon Laferte, Gabito Ballesteros, Danna Paola, Yahritzia y Su Esencia, Maldita Vecindad, La Arrolladora, Edén Muñoz, Gera MX, Ximena Sariñana, Siddhartha, Yng Lvcas, Silvana Estrada, Nivel, Allison, Mario Bautista, Alex Fernández, Joss Favela, Kaia Lana, Wonderfox, Agudelo888 and DJ RayBurger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Festival La Onda’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">website\u003c/a> also promises local and regional Latin cuisine, specialty beverages, a spa, a silent disco and other amenities similar to BottleRock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tickets for the festival, starting at $169, go on sale this Wednesday, Dec. 6.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The rest of the lineup is comprised of a variety of Latin music styles. Along with Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernández and Junior H, the lineup includes Farruko, Eslabon Armado, Café Tacvba, Los Ángeles Azules, Mon Laferte, Gabito Ballesteros, Danna Paola, Yahritzia y Su Esencia, Maldita Vecindad, La Arrolladora, Edén Muñoz, Gera MX, Ximena Sariñana, Siddhartha, Yng Lvcas, Silvana Estrada, Nivel, Allison, Mario Bautista, Alex Fernández, Joss Favela, Kaia Lana, Wonderfox, Agudelo888 and DJ RayBurger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Festival La Onda’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">website\u003c/a> also promises local and regional Latin cuisine, specialty beverages, a spa, a silent disco and other amenities similar to BottleRock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tickets for the festival, starting at $169, go on sale this Wednesday, Dec. 6.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It started as an improbable idea: What if KQED hosted a game show about Bay Area hip-hop? What if we pulled contestants out of the crowd to test their knowledge on Mac Dre, Andre Nickatina and Too Short? Like \u003cem>Jeopardy\u003c/em> meets \u003cem>Name That Tune\u003c/em>, but make it player? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13923938']The result was \u003cem>That’s My Word: A Bay Area Hip-Hop Game Night\u003c/em>, starting \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/yEWJftAAhwI?si=XmnxQ_WcguRZv36W&t=1413\">at about 23:30\u003c/a> in the video above. The competition included heated trivia questions, rapping on the mic, thizz dancing and airhorns (and also, one of the only times “fresh ass bitch” has been part of an event from the same station that brought you \u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By night’s end, first-place winner Marcus took home a $100 gift certificate to Amoeba Music; runners up Kevin, Antoine and DJ Madre each received $50 gift certificates. Shout out to host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/trackademicks/?hl=en\">Trackademicks\u003c/a>, special guest \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dregs_one/?hl=en\">Dregs One\u003c/a>, and the Bay’s own \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ceo_nump_beastmobile/\">Nump\u003c/a>, who closed the night out in style with a high-energy set. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Want more Bay Area hip-hop? Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>, KQED’s year-long series on \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareahiphop.com\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, a Laureate of Booze and Beauty, Dies at Age 65",
"headTitle": "Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, a Laureate of Booze and Beauty, Dies at Age 65 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938692\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894.jpg\" alt=\"A thin white man with a beard, wearing sunglasses clutches a microphone on a stand, as he sings into it. He is backlit by stage lights.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1262\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938692\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-800x526.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-1020x670.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-1536x1010.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shane MacGowan performs with The Pogues in Belgium, November 1989. The celebrated Irish songwriter and singer died Thursday at the age of 65. \u003ccite>(Gie Knaeps /Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, died Thursday, his family said. He was 65.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan’s songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become classics — most notably the bittersweet Christmas ballad “Fairytale of New York,” which Irish President Michael D. Higgins said “will be listened to every Christmas for the next century or more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved Shane MacGowan,” his wife Victoria Clarke, his sister Siobhan and father Maurice said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The singer died peacefully with his family by his side, the statement added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The musician had been hospitalized in Dublin for several months after being diagnosed with viral encephalitis in late 2022. He was discharged last week, ahead of his upcoming birthday on Christmas Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pogues melded Irish folk and rock ’n’ roll into a unique, intoxicating blend, though MacGowan became as famous for his sozzled, slurred performances as for his powerful songwriting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His songs blended the scabrous and the sentimental, ranging from carousing anthems to snapshots of life in the gutter to unexpectedly tender love songs. The Pogues’ most famous song, “Fairytale of New York” is a tale of down-on-their-luck immigrant lovers that opens with the decidedly unfestive words: “It was Christmas Eve, babe, in the drunk tank.” The duet between the raspy-voiced MacGowan and the velvet tones of the late Kirsty MacColl is by far the most beloved Pogues song in both Ireland and the U.K.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singer-songwriter Nick Cave called Shane MacGowan “a true friend and the greatest songwriter of his generation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higgins, the Irish president, said “his songs capture within them, as Shane would put it, the measure of our dreams.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His words have connected Irish people all over the globe to their culture and history, encompassing so many human emotions in the most poetic of ways,” Higgins said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said MacGowan’s songs “beautifully captured the Irish experience, especially the experience of being Irish abroad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald said: “Nobody told the Irish story like Shane — stories of emigration, heartache, dislocation, redemption, love and joy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-kARXzpgtQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born on Christmas Day 1957 in England to Irish parents, MacGowan spent his early years in rural Ireland before the family moved back to London. Ireland remained the lifelong center of his imagination and his yearning. He grew up steeped in Irish music absorbed from family and neighbors, along with the sounds of rock, Motown, reggae and jazz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He attended the elite Westminster School in London, from which he was expelled, and spent time in a psychiatric hospital after a breakdown in his teens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan embraced the punk scene that exploded in Britain in the mid-1970s. He joined a band called the Nipple Erectors, performing under the name Shane O’Hooligan, before forming The Pogues alongside musicians including Jem Finer and Spider Stacey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pogues — shortened from the original name Pogue Mahone, a rude Irish phrase — fused punk’s furious energy with traditional Irish melodies and instruments including banjo, tin whistle and accordion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It never occurred to me that you could play Irish music to a rock audience,” MacGowan recalled in \u003cem>A Drink with Shane MacGowan\u003c/em>, a 2001 memoir co-authored with Clarke. “Then it finally clicked. Start a London Irish band playing Irish music with a rock and roll beat. The original idea was just to rock up old ones but then I started writing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The band’s first album, \u003cem>Red Roses for Me\u003c/em>, was released in 1984 and featured raucous versions of Irish folk songs alongside originals including “Boys from the County Hell,” “Dark Streets of London” and “Streams of Whisky.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPpGp_J3z2A\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playing pubs and clubs in London and beyond, the band earned a loyal following and praise from music critics and fellow musicians from Bono to Bob Dylan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan wrote many of the songs on the next two albums, \u003cem>Rum, Sodomy and the Lash\u003c/em> (1985) and \u003cem>If I Should Fall from Grace with God\u003c/em> (1988), ranging from rollicking rousers like the latter album’s title track to ballads like “A Pair of Brown Eyes” and “The Broad Majestic Shannon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The band also released a 1986 EP, \u003cem>Poguetry in Motion\u003c/em>, which contained two of MacGowan’s finest songs, “A Rainy Night in Soho” and “The Body of an American.” The latter featured prominently in early-2000s TV series \u003cem>The Wire\u003c/em>, sung at the wakes of Baltimore police officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to make pure music that could be from any time, to make time irrelevant, to make generations and decades irrelevant,” he recalled in his memoir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pogues were briefly on top of the world, with sold-out tours and appearances on U.S. television, but the band’s output and appearances grew more erratic, due in part to MacGowan’s struggles with alcohol and drugs. He was fired by the other band members in 1991 after they became fed up with a string of no-shows, including when The Pogues were opening for Dylan. The band briefly replaced MacGowan with Clash frontman Joe Strummer before breaking up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan performed with a new band, Shane MacGowan and the Popes, with whom he put out two albums: \u003cem>The Snake\u003c/em> in 1995 and \u003cem>The Crock Of Gold\u003c/em> in 1997. He reunited with The Pogues in 2001 for a series of concerts and tours, despite his well-documented problems with drinking and performances that regularly included slurred lyrics and at least one fall on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan had years of health problems and used a wheelchair after breaking his pelvis a decade ago. He was long famous for his broken, rotten teeth until receiving a full set of implants in 2015 from a dental surgeon who described the procedure as “the Everest of dentistry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish president on his 60th birthday. The occasion was marked with a celebratory concert at the National Concert Hall in Dublin with performers including Bono, Nick Cave, Sinead O’Connor and Johnny Depp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgYml2eokLA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clarke wrote on Instagram that “there’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938692\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894.jpg\" alt=\"A thin white man with a beard, wearing sunglasses clutches a microphone on a stand, as he sings into it. He is backlit by stage lights.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1262\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938692\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-800x526.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-1020x670.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-1389888090-scaled-e1701361416894-1536x1010.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shane MacGowan performs with The Pogues in Belgium, November 1989. The celebrated Irish songwriter and singer died Thursday at the age of 65. \u003ccite>(Gie Knaeps /Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, died Thursday, his family said. He was 65.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan’s songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become classics — most notably the bittersweet Christmas ballad “Fairytale of New York,” which Irish President Michael D. Higgins said “will be listened to every Christmas for the next century or more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved Shane MacGowan,” his wife Victoria Clarke, his sister Siobhan and father Maurice said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The singer died peacefully with his family by his side, the statement added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The musician had been hospitalized in Dublin for several months after being diagnosed with viral encephalitis in late 2022. He was discharged last week, ahead of his upcoming birthday on Christmas Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pogues melded Irish folk and rock ’n’ roll into a unique, intoxicating blend, though MacGowan became as famous for his sozzled, slurred performances as for his powerful songwriting.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/j9jbdgZidu8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/j9jbdgZidu8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>His songs blended the scabrous and the sentimental, ranging from carousing anthems to snapshots of life in the gutter to unexpectedly tender love songs. The Pogues’ most famous song, “Fairytale of New York” is a tale of down-on-their-luck immigrant lovers that opens with the decidedly unfestive words: “It was Christmas Eve, babe, in the drunk tank.” The duet between the raspy-voiced MacGowan and the velvet tones of the late Kirsty MacColl is by far the most beloved Pogues song in both Ireland and the U.K.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singer-songwriter Nick Cave called Shane MacGowan “a true friend and the greatest songwriter of his generation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Higgins, the Irish president, said “his songs capture within them, as Shane would put it, the measure of our dreams.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His words have connected Irish people all over the globe to their culture and history, encompassing so many human emotions in the most poetic of ways,” Higgins said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said MacGowan’s songs “beautifully captured the Irish experience, especially the experience of being Irish abroad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald said: “Nobody told the Irish story like Shane — stories of emigration, heartache, dislocation, redemption, love and joy.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/T-kARXzpgtQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/T-kARXzpgtQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Born on Christmas Day 1957 in England to Irish parents, MacGowan spent his early years in rural Ireland before the family moved back to London. Ireland remained the lifelong center of his imagination and his yearning. He grew up steeped in Irish music absorbed from family and neighbors, along with the sounds of rock, Motown, reggae and jazz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He attended the elite Westminster School in London, from which he was expelled, and spent time in a psychiatric hospital after a breakdown in his teens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan embraced the punk scene that exploded in Britain in the mid-1970s. He joined a band called the Nipple Erectors, performing under the name Shane O’Hooligan, before forming The Pogues alongside musicians including Jem Finer and Spider Stacey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pogues — shortened from the original name Pogue Mahone, a rude Irish phrase — fused punk’s furious energy with traditional Irish melodies and instruments including banjo, tin whistle and accordion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It never occurred to me that you could play Irish music to a rock audience,” MacGowan recalled in \u003cem>A Drink with Shane MacGowan\u003c/em>, a 2001 memoir co-authored with Clarke. “Then it finally clicked. Start a London Irish band playing Irish music with a rock and roll beat. The original idea was just to rock up old ones but then I started writing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The band’s first album, \u003cem>Red Roses for Me\u003c/em>, was released in 1984 and featured raucous versions of Irish folk songs alongside originals including “Boys from the County Hell,” “Dark Streets of London” and “Streams of Whisky.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/mPpGp_J3z2A'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/mPpGp_J3z2A'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Playing pubs and clubs in London and beyond, the band earned a loyal following and praise from music critics and fellow musicians from Bono to Bob Dylan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan wrote many of the songs on the next two albums, \u003cem>Rum, Sodomy and the Lash\u003c/em> (1985) and \u003cem>If I Should Fall from Grace with God\u003c/em> (1988), ranging from rollicking rousers like the latter album’s title track to ballads like “A Pair of Brown Eyes” and “The Broad Majestic Shannon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The band also released a 1986 EP, \u003cem>Poguetry in Motion\u003c/em>, which contained two of MacGowan’s finest songs, “A Rainy Night in Soho” and “The Body of an American.” The latter featured prominently in early-2000s TV series \u003cem>The Wire\u003c/em>, sung at the wakes of Baltimore police officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to make pure music that could be from any time, to make time irrelevant, to make generations and decades irrelevant,” he recalled in his memoir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pogues were briefly on top of the world, with sold-out tours and appearances on U.S. television, but the band’s output and appearances grew more erratic, due in part to MacGowan’s struggles with alcohol and drugs. He was fired by the other band members in 1991 after they became fed up with a string of no-shows, including when The Pogues were opening for Dylan. The band briefly replaced MacGowan with Clash frontman Joe Strummer before breaking up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan performed with a new band, Shane MacGowan and the Popes, with whom he put out two albums: \u003cem>The Snake\u003c/em> in 1995 and \u003cem>The Crock Of Gold\u003c/em> in 1997. He reunited with The Pogues in 2001 for a series of concerts and tours, despite his well-documented problems with drinking and performances that regularly included slurred lyrics and at least one fall on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan had years of health problems and used a wheelchair after breaking his pelvis a decade ago. He was long famous for his broken, rotten teeth until receiving a full set of implants in 2015 from a dental surgeon who described the procedure as “the Everest of dentistry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MacGowan received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish president on his 60th birthday. The occasion was marked with a celebratory concert at the National Concert Hall in Dublin with performers including Bono, Nick Cave, Sinead O’Connor and Johnny Depp.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/BgYml2eokLA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/BgYml2eokLA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Clarke wrote on Instagram that “there’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Festival La Onda, a New Latin Music Festival in Napa, Will Follow BottleRock in 2024",
"headTitle": "Festival La Onda, a New Latin Music Festival in Napa, Will Follow BottleRock in 2024 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The organizers of BottleRock, the annual Napa music festival, have announced a new Latin music festival. \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">Festival La Onda\u003c/a> will run June 1 and 2 — the weekend following BottleRock — at the same site, the Napa Valley Expo. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the lineup of performers won’t be announced until Monday, Dec. 4, Festival La Onda promises two days of “major Latin touring artists,” including “regional Mexican, Latin pop, Spanish rock, reggaetón, banda, mariachi, rap, norteño, cumbia, bolero and more.” Judging by the size of the festival grounds and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com/past-lineups/\">previous BottleRock headliners\u003c/a>, it’s safe to expect big names among the La Onda lineup. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13936406']On Tuesday, \u003ca href=\"https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/festival-la-onda-latin-music-bottlerock-napa-valley-latitude-38/article_1bdbbb8e-8e6d-11ee-aa2e-c340db734484.html\">the \u003cem>Napa Valley Register\u003c/em> reported\u003c/a> that in a community forum that evening, BottleRock organizers Latitude 38 met with Napa residents to announce Festival La Onda, explaining that it follows requests from the sizable local Latino population for a specialized music festival. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">festival’s website\u003c/a> also promises local and regional Latin cuisine, specialty beverages, a spa, a silent disco and other amenities similar to BottleRock. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement follows several trends, foremost among them the massively growing popularity of Latin music — especially in California, where nearly 40% of the state’s population is Latino. It also capitalizes on BottleRock’s on-site infrastructure for a second weekend of music, which has become routine at festivals like Coachella. And, in Napa, it follows this year’s inaugural Sabor Y Ritmo festival, with a lineup of Latin music acts, held at Silverado Resort in September. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether Festival La Onda will attract the large crowds of BottleRock, which organizers estimate at 120,000 people across three days, will be dependent largely on the performers. Going by some already announced tour dates, it may be safer to predict who \u003cem>won’t\u003c/em> be part of the lineup than who will. Gloria Trevi performs at the SAP Center in San Jose on Feb. 3, making it unlikely she’d return for Festival La Onda. Likewise, Pepe Aguilar will be at the SAP Center on July 19, and Hombres G on June 29. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for reckless speculation: Currently, Bad Bunny’s last announced tour date in 2024, in Florida, is just five days before the festival. Peso Pluma has no conflicting plans on June 1 or 2, nor does Karol G, Fuerza Regida, Maluma or Rosalía. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The official La Onda Festival lineup will be announced at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 4 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">the festival site\u003c/a>; tickets will go on sale starting Friday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The organizers of BottleRock, the annual Napa music festival, have announced a new Latin music festival. \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">Festival La Onda\u003c/a> will run June 1 and 2 — the weekend following BottleRock — at the same site, the Napa Valley Expo. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the lineup of performers won’t be announced until Monday, Dec. 4, Festival La Onda promises two days of “major Latin touring artists,” including “regional Mexican, Latin pop, Spanish rock, reggaetón, banda, mariachi, rap, norteño, cumbia, bolero and more.” Judging by the size of the festival grounds and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com/past-lineups/\">previous BottleRock headliners\u003c/a>, it’s safe to expect big names among the La Onda lineup. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On Tuesday, \u003ca href=\"https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/festival-la-onda-latin-music-bottlerock-napa-valley-latitude-38/article_1bdbbb8e-8e6d-11ee-aa2e-c340db734484.html\">the \u003cem>Napa Valley Register\u003c/em> reported\u003c/a> that in a community forum that evening, BottleRock organizers Latitude 38 met with Napa residents to announce Festival La Onda, explaining that it follows requests from the sizable local Latino population for a specialized music festival. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">festival’s website\u003c/a> also promises local and regional Latin cuisine, specialty beverages, a spa, a silent disco and other amenities similar to BottleRock. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement follows several trends, foremost among them the massively growing popularity of Latin music — especially in California, where nearly 40% of the state’s population is Latino. It also capitalizes on BottleRock’s on-site infrastructure for a second weekend of music, which has become routine at festivals like Coachella. And, in Napa, it follows this year’s inaugural Sabor Y Ritmo festival, with a lineup of Latin music acts, held at Silverado Resort in September. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether Festival La Onda will attract the large crowds of BottleRock, which organizers estimate at 120,000 people across three days, will be dependent largely on the performers. Going by some already announced tour dates, it may be safer to predict who \u003cem>won’t\u003c/em> be part of the lineup than who will. Gloria Trevi performs at the SAP Center in San Jose on Feb. 3, making it unlikely she’d return for Festival La Onda. Likewise, Pepe Aguilar will be at the SAP Center on July 19, and Hombres G on June 29. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for reckless speculation: Currently, Bad Bunny’s last announced tour date in 2024, in Florida, is just five days before the festival. Peso Pluma has no conflicting plans on June 1 or 2, nor does Karol G, Fuerza Regida, Maluma or Rosalía. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The official La Onda Festival lineup will be announced at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 4 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com/\">the festival site\u003c/a>; tickets will go on sale starting Friday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Thriller 40’ Revels in the Magic of Early Michael Jackson — and Sidesteps His Controversies",
"headTitle": "‘Thriller 40’ Revels in the Magic of Early Michael Jackson — and Sidesteps His Controversies | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938565\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13938565\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-800x664.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-800x664.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-1020x847.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-160x133.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-768x637.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-1536x1275.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-2048x1700.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-1920x1594.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Jackson about to win 12 Grammys for ‘Thriller’ at the 1984 awards. At his side is his date Brooke Shields. At the time, says Mary J. Blige in a new documentary, Jackson was considered ‘super-duper-duper sexy.’ \u003ccite>(Ron Galella/ Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2023, thinking about Michael Jackson in any kind of meaningful way is thoroughly depressing. There are the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108623/why-the-new-michael-jackson-documentary-wont-have-the-impact-surviving-r-kelly-did\">sexual abuse allegations against him\u003c/a>, the strange and isolated life he led, the way he died, the grief of the children he left behind, his extraordinary \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/was-michael-jackson-debt-he-died-look-king-pops-finances-1349255#:~:text=The%20musician's%20extreme%20debt%20started,of%20his%20famous%20Neverland%20Ranch.\">amassing of debts\u003c/a> despite a lifetime of success. All of it is sad. So sad, in fact, that sometimes it’s tough to remember the sheer amount of joy that Jackson brought audiences during his early solo career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a choice that’s sure to anger some viewers and delight others, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sho.com/titles/3524363/thriller-40\">\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a new documentary from Showtime and Paramount+, willfully sidesteps all of the most discomfiting elements about Jackson. Instead, the film takes us back to that time — roughly 1979 to 1984 — when he was still in the middle of transforming himself into the King of Pop. The biggest challenges Jackson faced back then were escaping the shadow of The Jackson 5, winning as many Grammys as he thought he deserved and dealing with MTV at a time when the channel refused to play videos by Black artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13910810']That final hurdle is particularly astonishing when one considers the lasting cultural jolt provided by the videos that eventually emerged from 1982’s \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> album — and just how much they boosted MTV’s audience. (If you ask anyone who was alive in the ’80s where they were when they first saw Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, they can usually tell you. That degree of impact — usually reserved for national tragedies — had never happened before \u003cem>Thriller,\u003c/em> and it hasn’t happened on that scale since.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> explains the infuriating lengths to which Jackson and his team had to go to get his videos played. At one point, Walter Yetnikoff — then group president of CBS Records — threatened to pull all of the label’s artists from the channel if MTV didn’t start playing Jackson. Yetnikoff is heard in the film explaining in voiceover: “I screamed bloody murder when MTV refused to air his videos. They argued that their format, white rock, excluded Michael’s music. I argued that they were racist assholes. I’ve never been more forceful or obnoxious.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlPxt33aC_4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between this and other telling anecdotes, \u003cem>Thriller 40 \u003c/em>illustrates what it took for Jackson to be considered a true “crossover artist” — a mainstream pop star rather than an R&B one — at a time when racial divisions in the industry were uncompromising, to put it mildly. His duet with Paul McCartney, “The Girl Is Mine,” wasn’t just the first single released from \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> because of McCartney’s musical cache; it was about what the Beatle represented and the demographics of his audience. When Jackson asked Jane Fonda to introduce him at a press conference in 1983, she was chosen for similar reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> is first and foremost, however, a documentary about the \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> album. That means a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, the chance to hear a few original demos (the one for “Billie Jean” is a particular treat) and present-day interviews with the session musicians involved in making it. There are also reflections on how influential the album was from artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Maxwell, Mark Ronson and Tony! Toni! Toné!’s Raphael Saddiq.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For younger generations, \u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> is a modern history lesson in how pop music once worked: how it was controlled by a small group of gatekeepers, but also had the power to seep into every aspect of the culture. For those who lived through that period, \u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> offers an immersive nostalgia and a reminder of one of the last points in pop culture before it felt like we’d seen everything. For me — a childhood Jackson fan who hasn’t willingly listened to his music since the sexual assault allegations first started — there was something soothing about revisiting this very specific, more innocent moment in time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='pop_97337']Regardless of how you feel about what Jackson became later in his life, there is no escaping the fact that \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> was and remains the best-selling album of all time — a record unlikely to ever be beaten. According to the film, 100 million copies have been sold around the world, and the album is now streamed over 2.6 billion times annually. There’s also no denying what Jackson’s extraordinary talent, tenacity and (borderline maniacal) ambition yielded for other Black artists and the wider culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Producer Nelson George — who also directed the documentary — sums up \u003cem>Thriller’\u003c/em>s impact perfectly just before the movie comes to an end. “That idea,” George says, “that I can take dance, music and visuals and turn the world on its ear? That idea that [Jackson] crystalized with \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> has not gone away. I don’t think it’s ever going to go away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> is a gentle reminder of where it came from in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Thriller 40’ begins streaming on Showtime and Paramount+ on Dec. 2, 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938565\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13938565\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-800x664.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-800x664.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-1020x847.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-160x133.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-768x637.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-1536x1275.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-2048x1700.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/GettyImages-88696481-1920x1594.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Jackson about to win 12 Grammys for ‘Thriller’ at the 1984 awards. At his side is his date Brooke Shields. At the time, says Mary J. Blige in a new documentary, Jackson was considered ‘super-duper-duper sexy.’ \u003ccite>(Ron Galella/ Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 2023, thinking about Michael Jackson in any kind of meaningful way is thoroughly depressing. There are the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108623/why-the-new-michael-jackson-documentary-wont-have-the-impact-surviving-r-kelly-did\">sexual abuse allegations against him\u003c/a>, the strange and isolated life he led, the way he died, the grief of the children he left behind, his extraordinary \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/was-michael-jackson-debt-he-died-look-king-pops-finances-1349255#:~:text=The%20musician's%20extreme%20debt%20started,of%20his%20famous%20Neverland%20Ranch.\">amassing of debts\u003c/a> despite a lifetime of success. All of it is sad. So sad, in fact, that sometimes it’s tough to remember the sheer amount of joy that Jackson brought audiences during his early solo career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a choice that’s sure to anger some viewers and delight others, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sho.com/titles/3524363/thriller-40\">\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a new documentary from Showtime and Paramount+, willfully sidesteps all of the most discomfiting elements about Jackson. Instead, the film takes us back to that time — roughly 1979 to 1984 — when he was still in the middle of transforming himself into the King of Pop. The biggest challenges Jackson faced back then were escaping the shadow of The Jackson 5, winning as many Grammys as he thought he deserved and dealing with MTV at a time when the channel refused to play videos by Black artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That final hurdle is particularly astonishing when one considers the lasting cultural jolt provided by the videos that eventually emerged from 1982’s \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> album — and just how much they boosted MTV’s audience. (If you ask anyone who was alive in the ’80s where they were when they first saw Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, they can usually tell you. That degree of impact — usually reserved for national tragedies — had never happened before \u003cem>Thriller,\u003c/em> and it hasn’t happened on that scale since.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> explains the infuriating lengths to which Jackson and his team had to go to get his videos played. At one point, Walter Yetnikoff — then group president of CBS Records — threatened to pull all of the label’s artists from the channel if MTV didn’t start playing Jackson. Yetnikoff is heard in the film explaining in voiceover: “I screamed bloody murder when MTV refused to air his videos. They argued that their format, white rock, excluded Michael’s music. I argued that they were racist assholes. I’ve never been more forceful or obnoxious.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/YlPxt33aC_4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YlPxt33aC_4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between this and other telling anecdotes, \u003cem>Thriller 40 \u003c/em>illustrates what it took for Jackson to be considered a true “crossover artist” — a mainstream pop star rather than an R&B one — at a time when racial divisions in the industry were uncompromising, to put it mildly. His duet with Paul McCartney, “The Girl Is Mine,” wasn’t just the first single released from \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> because of McCartney’s musical cache; it was about what the Beatle represented and the demographics of his audience. When Jackson asked Jane Fonda to introduce him at a press conference in 1983, she was chosen for similar reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> is first and foremost, however, a documentary about the \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> album. That means a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, the chance to hear a few original demos (the one for “Billie Jean” is a particular treat) and present-day interviews with the session musicians involved in making it. There are also reflections on how influential the album was from artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Maxwell, Mark Ronson and Tony! Toni! Toné!’s Raphael Saddiq.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For younger generations, \u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> is a modern history lesson in how pop music once worked: how it was controlled by a small group of gatekeepers, but also had the power to seep into every aspect of the culture. For those who lived through that period, \u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> offers an immersive nostalgia and a reminder of one of the last points in pop culture before it felt like we’d seen everything. For me — a childhood Jackson fan who hasn’t willingly listened to his music since the sexual assault allegations first started — there was something soothing about revisiting this very specific, more innocent moment in time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Regardless of how you feel about what Jackson became later in his life, there is no escaping the fact that \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> was and remains the best-selling album of all time — a record unlikely to ever be beaten. According to the film, 100 million copies have been sold around the world, and the album is now streamed over 2.6 billion times annually. There’s also no denying what Jackson’s extraordinary talent, tenacity and (borderline maniacal) ambition yielded for other Black artists and the wider culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Producer Nelson George — who also directed the documentary — sums up \u003cem>Thriller’\u003c/em>s impact perfectly just before the movie comes to an end. “That idea,” George says, “that I can take dance, music and visuals and turn the world on its ear? That idea that [Jackson] crystalized with \u003cem>Thriller\u003c/em> has not gone away. I don’t think it’s ever going to go away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thriller 40\u003c/em> is a gentle reminder of where it came from in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Thriller 40’ begins streaming on Showtime and Paramount+ on Dec. 2, 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Fill Your Holiday With New Albums by Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Brandy and More",
"headTitle": "Fill Your Holiday With New Albums by Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Brandy and More | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>What is a holiday season without festive music? The classics are great, but the classics performed by some of the best performers across pop, R&B, rock, opera, soul and beyond? That’s a real reason to celebrate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In honor of the most wonderful time of the year, The Associated Press’ Music Writer Maria Sherman has compiled some of the best new holiday releases for your listening pleasure. Because sometimes the best thing that can happen to an old classic is revitalizing it with a new performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ella Fitzgerald, \u003cem>Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938431\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938431\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM.png 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-800x798.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-1020x1017.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-768x766.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ella Fitzgerald, ‘Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(UMG via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Don’t bore us, get to the chorus — or in the case of this collectible vinyl release of \u003cem>Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas\u003c/em>, give us the hits! Ella Fitzgerald ‘s 1960 holiday record is largely considered by critics to be one of the greatest of all time — so why not celebrate the best of the best on a new piece of wax? It’s not a bad gift idea, either.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cher, \u003cem>Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1274px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938432\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1274\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM.png 1274w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-800x801.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-1020x1022.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-768x769.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1274px) 100vw, 1274px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cher, ‘Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(Warner via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Somehow, \u003cem>Christmas\u003c/em> is Cher’s first holiday album — not that she hasn’t been asked to do one in the past. “I just didn’t want to do one,” she told the AP. “I didn’t know how I was going to make it a ‘Cher Christmas album.’” The secret, it turns out, was to get a bunch of A-list collaborators on her album, something she’s never done before. There’s Cyndi Lauper on “Put a Little Holiday In Your Heart,” Stevie Wonder on “What Christmas Means to Me,” Darlene Love on “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” Michael Bublé on “Home,” and even the rapper Tyga on “Drop Top Sleigh Ride.” There’s something for everyone, and then some.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Brandy, \u003cem>Christmas With Brandy\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938433\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1278px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938433\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM.png 1278w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brandy, ‘Christmas with Brandy.’ \u003ccite>(Motown via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For those looking for a seductive holiday album: the search is over. R&B great Brandy has released \u003cem>Christmas with Brandy\u003c/em>, a collection of sultry — and in other moments, soulful — imaginations of Christmas classics and originals. Like on “Christmas Gift,” which features her daughter Sy’Rai, and “Feels Different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13938263']Elsewhere, Brandy offers a PG-13 holiday special. “Help me undress, oh, yes / I’ll be your present / Just give me your presence / That’s all that I’m askin’ of you,” she sings on chorus of the lead single, “Christmas Party for Two.” “Take my body / Boy, you know you got it / Just look what you started / It’s a Christmas party for two.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Chicago, \u003cem>Chicago Greatest Christmas Hits\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13938434\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM.png 956w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM-800x802.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM-768x770.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lifelong fans of the rock band with horns are familiar with Chicago’s extensive holiday discography: starting with 1998’s \u003cem>Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album\u003c/em>, (reissued in 2003 as \u003cem>Chicago Christmas: What’s It Gonna Be Santa\u003c/em> with six additional tracks), 2011’s \u003cem>Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three\u003c/em>, and 2019’s \u003cem>Chicago XXXVII: Chicago Christmas\u003c/em>. But the only way to complete the collection — or begin your own, and with just the singles — is to check out \u003cem>Chicago Greatest Christmas Hits\u003c/em>, which pulls from all those releases and is sold in festive red and green vinyl.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, \u003cem>A Family Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938435\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1278px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938435\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1266\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM.png 1278w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-800x792.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-1020x1010.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-160x158.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-768x761.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, ‘A Family Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(Decca/ Capitol/ UMG via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli got the whole family together for a new, deluxe edition of their first album together, \u003cem>A Family Christmas\u003c/em>. Andrea, his 26-year-old son Matteo and his 11-year-old daughter Virginia teamed up for the release, adding four new recordings to the collection: “Let It Snow,” “Silver Bells,” “E’ Natale!” and “Winter Wonderland.” If you can listen to the famed tenor harmonize with his children and not shed a tear, you’re a stronger person than most.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wheatus, \u003cem>Just a Dirtbag Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938436\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1276px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938436\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1276\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM.png 1276w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1276px) 100vw, 1276px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wheatus, ‘Just A Dirtbag Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(Sony via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Far too often, holiday albums carry an air of seriousness. But the most wonderful time of the year requires moments of levity — as well as deep existential thought about the nature of love and family and what really matters on this Earth. Enter Wheatus, the ‘90s radio rock band best known for their ubiquitous hit, “Teenage Dirtbag.” \u003cem>Just a Dirtbag Christmas\u003c/em> plays into the single’s popularity, featuring a string quartet version of “Teenage Dirtbag,” as well as a rewritten, holiday-appropriate version of the song. Humor abounds, like in the pop-rocking comedic additions of “You Made Me Believe in Christmas,” “Feels Like Christmas,” “Mean Christmas.” Break out the bucket hat and the Yule log for this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>David Foster and Katharine McPhee, \u003cem>Christmas Songs\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938437\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1278px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938437\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM.png 1278w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Foster and Katharine McPhee, ‘Christmas Songs.’ \u003ccite>(Loma Vista/ Concord via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No strangers to holiday albums, the dynamic duo of David Foster and Katharine McPhee released their completed \u003cem>Christmas Songs\u003c/em> collection earlier this year. This is one for the traditionalists among us: jazz-y, theatrical interpretations of Christmas classics that deliver a nostalgic satisfaction, amplified by their combined, immense talent. Well, theirs, and the skills of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, whose reimagined “Amazing Grace,” arranged by Foster, is a song to behold.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Luther Vandross, \u003cem>Luther Vandross Classic Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938439\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1116px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938439\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1116\" height=\"1112\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM.png 1116w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-800x797.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-1020x1016.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-160x159.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-768x765.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1116px) 100vw, 1116px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luther Vandross, ‘Classic Christmas.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Released nearly two decades after the R&B and soul giant’s death, \u003cem>Classic Christmas\u003c/em> is a short but memorable modern day Christmas classic: a three-track EP built off the never before released “At Christmas Time,” “May Christmas Bring You Happiness,” and a special bonus a cappella mix of “At Christmas Time.” There’s no better time of the year to hear the velvet voice do what he does best.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ally Brooke, \u003cem>Under the Tree\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938438\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1276px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938438\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1276\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM.png 1276w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1276px) 100vw, 1276px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ally Brooke, ‘Under the Tree.’ \u003ccite>(Snafu Records via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All is fair in love and war and girl groups. Emmy Award winner Ally Brooke, formerly of Fifth Harmony, is back with a brand-spanking-new Christmas EP titled \u003cem>Under the Tree\u003c/em>. Anchored by the shimmery retro-pop title track, “Under the Tree” is a Brooke original that has her repeating “You can find me under the tree (Under the tree) / I’ll be waitin’ on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve) / Baby, unwrap me,” in its cheeky chorus. It is light-hearted, amorous fun. And it quickly does a 180, rounding out the tracklist with “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and of course, the classic, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>What is a holiday season without festive music? The classics are great, but the classics performed by some of the best performers across pop, R&B, rock, opera, soul and beyond? That’s a real reason to celebrate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In honor of the most wonderful time of the year, The Associated Press’ Music Writer Maria Sherman has compiled some of the best new holiday releases for your listening pleasure. Because sometimes the best thing that can happen to an old classic is revitalizing it with a new performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ella Fitzgerald, \u003cem>Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938431\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938431\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM.png 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-800x798.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-1020x1017.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.04.22-PM-768x766.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ella Fitzgerald, ‘Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(UMG via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Don’t bore us, get to the chorus — or in the case of this collectible vinyl release of \u003cem>Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas\u003c/em>, give us the hits! Ella Fitzgerald ‘s 1960 holiday record is largely considered by critics to be one of the greatest of all time — so why not celebrate the best of the best on a new piece of wax? It’s not a bad gift idea, either.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cher, \u003cem>Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1274px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938432\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1274\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM.png 1274w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-800x801.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-1020x1022.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.06.53-PM-768x769.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1274px) 100vw, 1274px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cher, ‘Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(Warner via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Somehow, \u003cem>Christmas\u003c/em> is Cher’s first holiday album — not that she hasn’t been asked to do one in the past. “I just didn’t want to do one,” she told the AP. “I didn’t know how I was going to make it a ‘Cher Christmas album.’” The secret, it turns out, was to get a bunch of A-list collaborators on her album, something she’s never done before. There’s Cyndi Lauper on “Put a Little Holiday In Your Heart,” Stevie Wonder on “What Christmas Means to Me,” Darlene Love on “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home),” Michael Bublé on “Home,” and even the rapper Tyga on “Drop Top Sleigh Ride.” There’s something for everyone, and then some.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Brandy, \u003cem>Christmas With Brandy\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938433\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1278px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938433\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM.png 1278w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.08.31-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brandy, ‘Christmas with Brandy.’ \u003ccite>(Motown via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For those looking for a seductive holiday album: the search is over. R&B great Brandy has released \u003cem>Christmas with Brandy\u003c/em>, a collection of sultry — and in other moments, soulful — imaginations of Christmas classics and originals. Like on “Christmas Gift,” which features her daughter Sy’Rai, and “Feels Different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Elsewhere, Brandy offers a PG-13 holiday special. “Help me undress, oh, yes / I’ll be your present / Just give me your presence / That’s all that I’m askin’ of you,” she sings on chorus of the lead single, “Christmas Party for Two.” “Take my body / Boy, you know you got it / Just look what you started / It’s a Christmas party for two.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Chicago, \u003cem>Chicago Greatest Christmas Hits\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13938434\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"956\" height=\"958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM.png 956w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM-800x802.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.11.44-PM-768x770.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lifelong fans of the rock band with horns are familiar with Chicago’s extensive holiday discography: starting with 1998’s \u003cem>Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album\u003c/em>, (reissued in 2003 as \u003cem>Chicago Christmas: What’s It Gonna Be Santa\u003c/em> with six additional tracks), 2011’s \u003cem>Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three\u003c/em>, and 2019’s \u003cem>Chicago XXXVII: Chicago Christmas\u003c/em>. But the only way to complete the collection — or begin your own, and with just the singles — is to check out \u003cem>Chicago Greatest Christmas Hits\u003c/em>, which pulls from all those releases and is sold in festive red and green vinyl.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, \u003cem>A Family Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938435\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1278px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938435\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1266\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM.png 1278w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-800x792.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-1020x1010.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-160x158.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.13.24-PM-768x761.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, ‘A Family Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(Decca/ Capitol/ UMG via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli got the whole family together for a new, deluxe edition of their first album together, \u003cem>A Family Christmas\u003c/em>. Andrea, his 26-year-old son Matteo and his 11-year-old daughter Virginia teamed up for the release, adding four new recordings to the collection: “Let It Snow,” “Silver Bells,” “E’ Natale!” and “Winter Wonderland.” If you can listen to the famed tenor harmonize with his children and not shed a tear, you’re a stronger person than most.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wheatus, \u003cem>Just a Dirtbag Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938436\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1276px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938436\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1276\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM.png 1276w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.15.37-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1276px) 100vw, 1276px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wheatus, ‘Just A Dirtbag Christmas.’ \u003ccite>(Sony via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Far too often, holiday albums carry an air of seriousness. But the most wonderful time of the year requires moments of levity — as well as deep existential thought about the nature of love and family and what really matters on this Earth. Enter Wheatus, the ‘90s radio rock band best known for their ubiquitous hit, “Teenage Dirtbag.” \u003cem>Just a Dirtbag Christmas\u003c/em> plays into the single’s popularity, featuring a string quartet version of “Teenage Dirtbag,” as well as a rewritten, holiday-appropriate version of the song. Humor abounds, like in the pop-rocking comedic additions of “You Made Me Believe in Christmas,” “Feels Like Christmas,” “Mean Christmas.” Break out the bucket hat and the Yule log for this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>David Foster and Katharine McPhee, \u003cem>Christmas Songs\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938437\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1278px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938437\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM.png 1278w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.17.20-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Foster and Katharine McPhee, ‘Christmas Songs.’ \u003ccite>(Loma Vista/ Concord via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No strangers to holiday albums, the dynamic duo of David Foster and Katharine McPhee released their completed \u003cem>Christmas Songs\u003c/em> collection earlier this year. This is one for the traditionalists among us: jazz-y, theatrical interpretations of Christmas classics that deliver a nostalgic satisfaction, amplified by their combined, immense talent. Well, theirs, and the skills of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, whose reimagined “Amazing Grace,” arranged by Foster, is a song to behold.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Luther Vandross, \u003cem>Luther Vandross Classic Christmas\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938439\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1116px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938439\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1116\" height=\"1112\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM.png 1116w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-800x797.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-1020x1016.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-160x159.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.21.46-PM-768x765.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1116px) 100vw, 1116px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luther Vandross, ‘Classic Christmas.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Released nearly two decades after the R&B and soul giant’s death, \u003cem>Classic Christmas\u003c/em> is a short but memorable modern day Christmas classic: a three-track EP built off the never before released “At Christmas Time,” “May Christmas Bring You Happiness,” and a special bonus a cappella mix of “At Christmas Time.” There’s no better time of the year to hear the velvet voice do what he does best.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ally Brooke, \u003cem>Under the Tree\u003c/em>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938438\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1276px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938438\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1276\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM.png 1276w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-22-at-1.19.26-PM-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1276px) 100vw, 1276px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ally Brooke, ‘Under the Tree.’ \u003ccite>(Snafu Records via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All is fair in love and war and girl groups. Emmy Award winner Ally Brooke, formerly of Fifth Harmony, is back with a brand-spanking-new Christmas EP titled \u003cem>Under the Tree\u003c/em>. Anchored by the shimmery retro-pop title track, “Under the Tree” is a Brooke original that has her repeating “You can find me under the tree (Under the tree) / I’ll be waitin’ on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve) / Baby, unwrap me,” in its cheeky chorus. It is light-hearted, amorous fun. And it quickly does a 180, rounding out the tracklist with “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and of course, the classic, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Video Game Music Finds a Home on Classical California",
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"headTitle": "Video Game Music Finds a Home on Classical California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Jennifer Miller Hammel’s musical tastes draw from classical maestros like Mozart to more recent ones, like Mario, the eponymous plumber of Nintendo’s flagship Super Mario franchise. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just thought about the games that have stuck with me since I was four or five years old that have affected me personally, since my earliest days playing Pac-Man on the Atari. So within an hour, I had put together 12 hours of music,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13826120']Hammel, an opera expert who studied piano in college, curated the massive playlist to show proof of concept for a new streaming channel focused on video game music for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kdfc.com/\">Classical California\u003c/a>, a classical music radio network that includes KDFC in San Francisco and KUSC in Los Angeles. Hammel is the host and producer of the KUSC Morning Show and The Opera Show. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hammel says she got the green light after her producers suggested that she add classical music to her video game-focused concept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s been so much classical music used in video games,” she says. Integrating those pieces into the program was a no-brainer, allowing her, as Hammel says, to show “how these incredibly important cornerstones of classical music have then served to heighten the experience for a gamer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort eventually led to \u003ca href=\"https://classicalcalifornia.org/kdfc/streams/arcade\">Arcade\u003c/a>, a free, 24-hour streaming channel, which launched around a month ago. Listeners tune in to Hammel hosting and curating a medley of video game music from the 1980s to the present — including marquee series like Final Fantasy and Fallout alongside lesser known indie darlings — interspersed with classical music featured in games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/ArcadeArt_1080.png\" alt=\"Magenta, navy and purple logo for Arcade, with graphic of sound bar and a neon-effect rainbow\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/ArcadeArt_1080.png 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/ArcadeArt_1080-160x160.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arcade streams 24/7 on Classical California, boasting ‘music that takes you from Mozart’s Vienna to The Mushroom Kingdom.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Classical California)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The creation of this kind of program is a natural result of how entertainment and popular culture have evolved in recent years: Known IP reigns supreme, driving some of the biggest film and television releases in recent years — just look at the commercial and critical success of \u003ci>Barbie\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a long track record of adapting video games into film and television. Earlier this year, HBO premiered the first season of \u003ci>The Last of Us\u003c/i>, which originated as a video game series created by Naughty Dog, about survival in a near-future post-apocalyptic Earth. Last year, \u003ci>Uncharted\u003c/i>, another video game franchise by the same producers, became a film starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We expect visual media to perform in this way. But classical music? There’s a lot of historical and classist baggage connected to the genre, some of it hundreds of years in the making. The difference now is that film and video game music has evolved beyond 8-bit soundtracks — and gotten the attention of the concert halls. So says Steve Horowitz, who’s composed for video games and teaches a class on game scoring at San Francisco State University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s happening with game music is just an extension of what happened with film music coming into the concert hall,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Events calendars for major concert halls, including the SF Symphony, Carnegie Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles now feature live performances by groups like Video Games Live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For years and years, the symphonies, and especially the established large groups, have been looking for ways to tap into younger audiences, to bring more diverse audiences into their concerts,” Horowitz says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hammel points to what she describes as a watershed moment from just this summer, when the Hollywood Bowl celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Game Awards. After over a 15-year hiatus, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-04-20/hogwarts-legacy-last-of-us-among-those-to-be-highlighted-by-the-game-awards-at-hollywood-bowl-concert\">video game music returned to the storied venue\u003c/a>, led by composer Lorne Balfe. The concert included a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poWhmUIwBmQ\">moving performance by Gustavo Santaolalla\u003c/a>, the acclaimed Argentine musician and composer who wrote the music for both the video game and television versions of The Last of Us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/poWhmUIwBmQ?feature=shared&t=87\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been really validating to see how this music is affecting people in the concert halls just as much as it’s affecting them when they’re sitting at home and they’re playing in front of their console,” Hammel says. She hopes Arcade reaches a variety of audiences: fans of classical music; fans of video games; and those who are new to both worlds. She said the response has been positive so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a major donor at KDFC in San Francisco who’s in her 70s. She has just fallen in love with Arcade,” Hammel says. “She listens to it nonstop and she’s never picked up a video game in her life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anthony Guarino, who runs the retro video game store \u003ca href=\"https://www.gameshopdownstairs.com/\">Gameshop Downstairs\u003c/a> in downtown San José, says he hasn’t heard of Arcade but he’s interested in checking out. At his store, he often puts on background music from older Donkey Kong and Bomberman titles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guarino, who describes himself a fan of Playstation One and other early console games from the ’90s and early 2000s, says he’d want to hear songs that capture that era. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s just sort of an inherent quality in it,” he explains. “I think we’ve gotten to a point where we can sort of look at them as not old or obsolete technology but just sort of like a different flavor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hammel said she has gotten music requests like these since Arcade launched. She has plenty of pieces that will make their way into future iterations of the streaming channel on a quarterly basis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t want to just pull music down from a certain generation of gamer,” she says. “This is all, in general, a test of getting people outside of their comfort zones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"43\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13826333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-160x9.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-768x41.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-240x13.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-375x20.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-520x28.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "On Arcade, a new streaming channel hosted by Jennifer Miller Hammel, Mozart plays alongside Super Mario.\r\n",
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"title": "Video Game Music Finds a Home on Classical California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Jennifer Miller Hammel’s musical tastes draw from classical maestros like Mozart to more recent ones, like Mario, the eponymous plumber of Nintendo’s flagship Super Mario franchise. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just thought about the games that have stuck with me since I was four or five years old that have affected me personally, since my earliest days playing Pac-Man on the Atari. So within an hour, I had put together 12 hours of music,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Hammel, an opera expert who studied piano in college, curated the massive playlist to show proof of concept for a new streaming channel focused on video game music for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kdfc.com/\">Classical California\u003c/a>, a classical music radio network that includes KDFC in San Francisco and KUSC in Los Angeles. Hammel is the host and producer of the KUSC Morning Show and The Opera Show. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hammel says she got the green light after her producers suggested that she add classical music to her video game-focused concept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s been so much classical music used in video games,” she says. Integrating those pieces into the program was a no-brainer, allowing her, as Hammel says, to show “how these incredibly important cornerstones of classical music have then served to heighten the experience for a gamer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort eventually led to \u003ca href=\"https://classicalcalifornia.org/kdfc/streams/arcade\">Arcade\u003c/a>, a free, 24-hour streaming channel, which launched around a month ago. Listeners tune in to Hammel hosting and curating a medley of video game music from the 1980s to the present — including marquee series like Final Fantasy and Fallout alongside lesser known indie darlings — interspersed with classical music featured in games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938414\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/ArcadeArt_1080.png\" alt=\"Magenta, navy and purple logo for Arcade, with graphic of sound bar and a neon-effect rainbow\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938414\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/ArcadeArt_1080.png 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/ArcadeArt_1080-160x160.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arcade streams 24/7 on Classical California, boasting ‘music that takes you from Mozart’s Vienna to The Mushroom Kingdom.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Classical California)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The creation of this kind of program is a natural result of how entertainment and popular culture have evolved in recent years: Known IP reigns supreme, driving some of the biggest film and television releases in recent years — just look at the commercial and critical success of \u003ci>Barbie\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a long track record of adapting video games into film and television. Earlier this year, HBO premiered the first season of \u003ci>The Last of Us\u003c/i>, which originated as a video game series created by Naughty Dog, about survival in a near-future post-apocalyptic Earth. Last year, \u003ci>Uncharted\u003c/i>, another video game franchise by the same producers, became a film starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We expect visual media to perform in this way. But classical music? There’s a lot of historical and classist baggage connected to the genre, some of it hundreds of years in the making. The difference now is that film and video game music has evolved beyond 8-bit soundtracks — and gotten the attention of the concert halls. So says Steve Horowitz, who’s composed for video games and teaches a class on game scoring at San Francisco State University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s happening with game music is just an extension of what happened with film music coming into the concert hall,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Events calendars for major concert halls, including the SF Symphony, Carnegie Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles now feature live performances by groups like Video Games Live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For years and years, the symphonies, and especially the established large groups, have been looking for ways to tap into younger audiences, to bring more diverse audiences into their concerts,” Horowitz says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hammel points to what she describes as a watershed moment from just this summer, when the Hollywood Bowl celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Game Awards. After over a 15-year hiatus, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-04-20/hogwarts-legacy-last-of-us-among-those-to-be-highlighted-by-the-game-awards-at-hollywood-bowl-concert\">video game music returned to the storied venue\u003c/a>, led by composer Lorne Balfe. The concert included a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poWhmUIwBmQ\">moving performance by Gustavo Santaolalla\u003c/a>, the acclaimed Argentine musician and composer who wrote the music for both the video game and television versions of The Last of Us.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/poWhmUIwBmQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/poWhmUIwBmQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been really validating to see how this music is affecting people in the concert halls just as much as it’s affecting them when they’re sitting at home and they’re playing in front of their console,” Hammel says. She hopes Arcade reaches a variety of audiences: fans of classical music; fans of video games; and those who are new to both worlds. She said the response has been positive so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a major donor at KDFC in San Francisco who’s in her 70s. She has just fallen in love with Arcade,” Hammel says. “She listens to it nonstop and she’s never picked up a video game in her life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anthony Guarino, who runs the retro video game store \u003ca href=\"https://www.gameshopdownstairs.com/\">Gameshop Downstairs\u003c/a> in downtown San José, says he hasn’t heard of Arcade but he’s interested in checking out. At his store, he often puts on background music from older Donkey Kong and Bomberman titles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guarino, who describes himself a fan of Playstation One and other early console games from the ’90s and early 2000s, says he’d want to hear songs that capture that era. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s just sort of an inherent quality in it,” he explains. “I think we’ve gotten to a point where we can sort of look at them as not old or obsolete technology but just sort of like a different flavor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hammel said she has gotten music requests like these since Arcade launched. She has plenty of pieces that will make their way into future iterations of the streaming channel on a quarterly basis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t want to just pull music down from a certain generation of gamer,” she says. “This is all, in general, a test of getting people outside of their comfort zones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"43\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13826333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-160x9.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-768x41.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-240x13.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-375x20.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/VideoGame.Break_-520x28.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "A Blues Show Inside a Legendary San Francisco Recording Studio",
"headTitle": "A Blues Show Inside a Legendary San Francisco Recording Studio | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>What do Tupac, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kesha, CSNY, George Clinton, Green Day, Willie Nelson, Santana, Dead Kennedys, the Pointer Sisters and Kanye West have in common?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve all recorded music behind the unassuming door at 245 Hyde Street, aka Hyde Street Studios. From 1969 to 1980, the Tenderloin building was home to Wally Heider Recording, a rule-breaking studio that was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/12279498/hyde-street-rock-how-wally-heider-and-the-tenderloin-shaped-the-san-francisco-sound\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instrumental in creating the now-famous San Francisco Sound\u003c/a>. In the ’80s and ’90s, Hyde Street — known for a setup that encourages live full-band recording — became a go-to spot for the Bay Area’s punk and hip-hop scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938272\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13938272\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-800x602.jpg\" alt=\"a mixing console\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-800x602.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The revered mixing console in Studio A. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Hyde Street Studios)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What the studio has rarely been, over the course of 54 years, is open to the public. Which makes the upcoming tour and concert on Nov. 30, the first of what’s being dubbed the Hyde Street Studio Sessions, all the more special. A subset of the Tenderloin Museum’s ongoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/sounds-of-the-tenderloin\">Sounds of the Tenderloin\u003c/a> program, the evening will feature two sets from Oakland’s Lady Bianca — a veteran, Grammy-nominated blues singer — at its kickoff event.[aside postid='arts_12279498']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hyde Street’s homey feel has always been a major draw for musicians, beginning back in ’69 — especially compared to the cold, corporate LA studios the major labels were using at the time. This series will, accordingly, be intimate, with room for just 20 audience members per performance inside Hyde Street’s flagship recording room, Studio A. (For gear heads, that’s the one with the vintage Neve 8038 console, made in London in the 1970s. It also has a B-3 Hammond organ and a white Yamaha grand piano rumored to have once belonged to Frank Sinatra.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12290538\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12290538\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo of a band performing in a recording studio\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dead Kennedys performing at Hyde Street Studios in 1986. \u003ccite>(John Cuniberti)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Regardless of your level of audio nerdery, this evening offers a chance to see (and hear) a piece of San Francisco music history — and to celebrate the Tenderloin’s many cultural contributions at a time when the neighborhood could use some championing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Tenderloin gets a bad rap,” acknowledges Hyde Street Studios manager Jack Kertzman. That’s why it was a no-brainer to host “an event like this, which gives everyone a little hope and optimism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get a ton of requests from people wanting to do events here — album release parties, corporate events. And we rarely do any of that,” says Kertzman. “But when the Tenderloin Museum came to us with this idea, it just sounded like a chance to do something really positive for the neighborhood, and a great way to highlight the history of the studio and the history of music in San Francisco.”[aside postid='arts_13936204']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kertzman, an audio engineer himself, says staff will lead a brief tour around the studio, then attendees can settle in for a performance by Lady Bianca, who has a long history of recording at Hyde Street over the course of her career. (Her discography includes several critically acclaimed solo records, as well as backing vocals for Sylvester, Merle Haggard, Sly and the Family Stone, Taj Mahal, Frank Zappa and John Lee Hooker.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLZ47wjpIBI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\nIf all goes well on Nov. 30, Kertzman says, fans can expect more of these sessions in the coming months. So go, walk the halls where Grace Slick once stumbled, learn some priceless Bay Area cultural history, take in a unique show — and please, nobody spill anything on the sound board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Hyde Street Studio Sessions featuring Lady Bianca takes place Nov. 30, with performances at 6 and 7:30 p.m., at Hyde Street Studios (245 Hyde St., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"http://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2023-2/2023/11/30/lady-bianca-hyde-st-studios\">Tickets ($25) and more info here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>What do Tupac, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kesha, CSNY, George Clinton, Green Day, Willie Nelson, Santana, Dead Kennedys, the Pointer Sisters and Kanye West have in common?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve all recorded music behind the unassuming door at 245 Hyde Street, aka Hyde Street Studios. From 1969 to 1980, the Tenderloin building was home to Wally Heider Recording, a rule-breaking studio that was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/12279498/hyde-street-rock-how-wally-heider-and-the-tenderloin-shaped-the-san-francisco-sound\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instrumental in creating the now-famous San Francisco Sound\u003c/a>. In the ’80s and ’90s, Hyde Street — known for a setup that encourages live full-band recording — became a go-to spot for the Bay Area’s punk and hip-hop scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938272\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13938272\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-800x602.jpg\" alt=\"a mixing console\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-800x602.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/489343_orig.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The revered mixing console in Studio A. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Hyde Street Studios)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What the studio has rarely been, over the course of 54 years, is open to the public. Which makes the upcoming tour and concert on Nov. 30, the first of what’s being dubbed the Hyde Street Studio Sessions, all the more special. A subset of the Tenderloin Museum’s ongoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/sounds-of-the-tenderloin\">Sounds of the Tenderloin\u003c/a> program, the evening will feature two sets from Oakland’s Lady Bianca — a veteran, Grammy-nominated blues singer — at its kickoff event.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hyde Street’s homey feel has always been a major draw for musicians, beginning back in ’69 — especially compared to the cold, corporate LA studios the major labels were using at the time. This series will, accordingly, be intimate, with room for just 20 audience members per performance inside Hyde Street’s flagship recording room, Studio A. (For gear heads, that’s the one with the vintage Neve 8038 console, made in London in the 1970s. It also has a B-3 Hammond organ and a white Yamaha grand piano rumored to have once belonged to Frank Sinatra.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12290538\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12290538\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo of a band performing in a recording studio\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/Dead_Kennedys-1-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dead Kennedys performing at Hyde Street Studios in 1986. \u003ccite>(John Cuniberti)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Regardless of your level of audio nerdery, this evening offers a chance to see (and hear) a piece of San Francisco music history — and to celebrate the Tenderloin’s many cultural contributions at a time when the neighborhood could use some championing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Tenderloin gets a bad rap,” acknowledges Hyde Street Studios manager Jack Kertzman. That’s why it was a no-brainer to host “an event like this, which gives everyone a little hope and optimism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I get a ton of requests from people wanting to do events here — album release parties, corporate events. And we rarely do any of that,” says Kertzman. “But when the Tenderloin Museum came to us with this idea, it just sounded like a chance to do something really positive for the neighborhood, and a great way to highlight the history of the studio and the history of music in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kertzman, an audio engineer himself, says staff will lead a brief tour around the studio, then attendees can settle in for a performance by Lady Bianca, who has a long history of recording at Hyde Street over the course of her career. (Her discography includes several critically acclaimed solo records, as well as backing vocals for Sylvester, Merle Haggard, Sly and the Family Stone, Taj Mahal, Frank Zappa and John Lee Hooker.)\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/RLZ47wjpIBI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/RLZ47wjpIBI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\nIf all goes well on Nov. 30, Kertzman says, fans can expect more of these sessions in the coming months. So go, walk the halls where Grace Slick once stumbled, learn some priceless Bay Area cultural history, take in a unique show — and please, nobody spill anything on the sound board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Hyde Street Studio Sessions featuring Lady Bianca takes place Nov. 30, with performances at 6 and 7:30 p.m., at Hyde Street Studios (245 Hyde St., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"http://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2023-2/2023/11/30/lady-bianca-hyde-st-studios\">Tickets ($25) and more info here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "E-40 Discusses New Album, His Cookbook With Snoop, and Being Underrated",
"headTitle": "E-40 Discusses New Album, His Cookbook With Snoop, and Being Underrated | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936776/e-40-gets-the-key-to-the-city-of-vallejo-and-a-street-named-in-his-honor\">E-40\u003c/a> built a three decade-plus career on the foundations of an unorthodox rap flow, schooling listeners with life lessons through his streetwise perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a heavy dose of Bay Area slang, E-40 created a lane for his unique hip-hop vernacular that has made him one of the genre’s most revered artists. As a savvy businessman, he’s leveraged his connections in the rap world to the wine, ice cream and food brand industries, including a Filipino food business inside Oracle Park in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13927874']Now at 56, there’s no slowing down for E-40, who released his 27th studio album \u003cem>Rule of Thumb: Rule 1\u003c/em> on Friday. His new project comes more than 30 years after his debut, \u003cem>Federal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new album — which features NBA YoungBoy, Too Short, Larry June, Gucci Mane, B.G. and E-40’s son Droop-E — is the first installment of the \u003cem>Rule of Thumb\u003c/em> album series. He plans to release the sequel album early next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent interview, E-40 spoke with The Associated Press about being an underrated legend, his unorthodox rap style and the new cookbook called \u003cem>Snoop Dogg Presents: Goon With the Spoon\u003c/em>, which released earlier this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonathan Landrum, Jr:\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>What’s the meaning behind your album title?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>E-40:\u003c/strong> I feel like \u003cem>Rule of Thumb\u003c/em> is just common sense. It’s certain rules and regulations that you must just know off top. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist. You don’t have to have a quarter of a brain to comprehend that. I’m teaching life lessons. Giving it to them straight, not fake and not fabricating things. It’s a lot of lightweight storytelling and a lot of life lessons, consequences and repercussions. I mix it up like a gumbo pot. I’m multi-dimensional. I don’t do just one style of rap. My beats aren’t always the same. I’m everywhere like air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938195\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1050px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938195\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"An album cover depicting rapper E-40 in miniature. He is sitting on a scroll next to handcuffs, a key and a quill. A courthouse and scales are visible behind him.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb.jpg 1050w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover of ‘Rule of Thumb: Rule 1.’ \u003ccite>(Heavy on the Grind)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where does your unorthodox rap style and wisdom come from?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being chipped from a different cliff, being carved from a different clay, and made from a different fabric. I’m wired different than most. I’m from an era of morals and respect, and we follow guidelines. That’s always been me… I always told stories. I talked about the repercussions and the consequences. If you go do this, you do know that little 30-second decision that you made could cost you 30 years in prison or you might be buried 6 feet deep. I always talked about the consequences if you go do something. I speak the real.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re highly respected within hip-hop, but how does the feeling of being underrated bother you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My life is beautiful. I’m very successful. I’m financially set. I’m financially good. I’m still accumulating bread. I’m still breaking boundaries. But anything that’s different is always going to be questionable. There will never be a rapper like E-40, whether you like me or not. You just got to give it to me. I got my own thing. I’ve been successful for 36 years with music since 1988. Let that soak in. I’ve got to be doing something right. Can’t just be no damn luck. I come from the ground up. All your favorite independent CEOs, they respect me because I was first. I laid the foundation for independent music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do I still feel underrated? Yes, I do. But I know what comes with the package. They like people that’s in the pocket and never go outside the box. That’s not me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have a new cookbook. When did your passion for cooking start?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m the oldest of four. Moms would work two or three jobs. My mom and dad divorced when I was 8 years old. I had a lot of responsibilities being the oldest, so I cooked. We all knew how to cook. We taught ourselves how to cook. I worked at a restaurant when I was a teenager. There was a Caucasian man that I love dearly to this day. His name is Lewis. He taught me how to cook escargot, orange roughy with almonds with lemon butter sauce with white wine. He taught me how to do London Broil and chicken cordon bleu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938194\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1294px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938194\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_.jpg\" alt=\"A book cover featuring two Black men. One is wearing an apron and chef's hat and holding up a large meat sandwich. The other is wearing a bucket hat, Death Row Records shirt and white spectacles.\" width=\"1294\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_.jpg 1294w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-800x927.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-1020x1182.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-160x185.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-768x890.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1294px) 100vw, 1294px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Snoop Dogg Presents: Goon With the Spoon’ by Snoop Dogg and Earl ‘E-40’ Stevens. \u003ccite>(Chronicle Books)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How did you and Snoop connect on this cookbook?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Snoop, that’s my guy. He cooks as well. He was like, “Earl, my book was very successful. I sold over a million copies. It’s a bestseller. Let me present it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was like “Snoop, I rock with you. You’re legendary. You’re a good friend of mine. I’ve been knowing you for over 30-plus years. We’re family. Thank you. Let’s do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you put your pride to the side, bigger things happen. He’s got some recipes in there. I got some recipes in there. He’s got adult beverages. I have adult beverages. It only makes sense. We both co-pack. We do the whole thing. Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s enough money out there for all of us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’ve met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House, received an honorary doctorate from Grambling State University and had a street named after you in your hometown of Vallejo, California. How has hip-hop impacted your life?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shout out to DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC. Those dudes really paved the way for people like myself to diversify our portfolios and find other ways to make financial gain on a legitimate note. This beats the streets. You can make more money here than you could ever in the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Will you ever release a book with your slang terms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I do the book of slang, it’s going to hurt people’s feelings. Because they think that their favorite rapper made the words up, and it came from me. Or if it didn’t come from me, I got it from the soil — the trenches where most rappers that are from the urban community get their (expletive) from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve been around for more than a half a century. I know all this. I’ve got receipts to back it up. One day, I want to sit down and go word-for-word of all the words I’ve coined. I want to go to the year, the song, everything. I want to ask “Who said it before me?” If they try to lie about it, I’ve got receipts. I was the first rapper screaming “Tycoon.” That’s one of many. “Slappin.” “Choppers.” I’ve got so many of them. Just for that, I’m going to do a book of slang. The real way in 2024 style.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Rule of Thumb: Rule 1’ is out on Nov. 17, 2023. ‘Snoop Dogg Presents: Goon With the Spoon’ by Snoop Dogg and Earl ‘E-40’ Stevens (with Photos by Antonis Achilleos) is out now.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jonathan Landrum, Jr:\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>What’s the meaning behind your album title?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>E-40:\u003c/strong> I feel like \u003cem>Rule of Thumb\u003c/em> is just common sense. It’s certain rules and regulations that you must just know off top. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist. You don’t have to have a quarter of a brain to comprehend that. I’m teaching life lessons. Giving it to them straight, not fake and not fabricating things. It’s a lot of lightweight storytelling and a lot of life lessons, consequences and repercussions. I mix it up like a gumbo pot. I’m multi-dimensional. I don’t do just one style of rap. My beats aren’t always the same. I’m everywhere like air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938195\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1050px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938195\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"An album cover depicting rapper E-40 in miniature. He is sitting on a scroll next to handcuffs, a key and a quill. A courthouse and scales are visible behind him.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb.jpg 1050w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/rule-of-thumb-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover of ‘Rule of Thumb: Rule 1.’ \u003ccite>(Heavy on the Grind)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where does your unorthodox rap style and wisdom come from?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being chipped from a different cliff, being carved from a different clay, and made from a different fabric. I’m wired different than most. I’m from an era of morals and respect, and we follow guidelines. That’s always been me… I always told stories. I talked about the repercussions and the consequences. If you go do this, you do know that little 30-second decision that you made could cost you 30 years in prison or you might be buried 6 feet deep. I always talked about the consequences if you go do something. I speak the real.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re highly respected within hip-hop, but how does the feeling of being underrated bother you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My life is beautiful. I’m very successful. I’m financially set. I’m financially good. I’m still accumulating bread. I’m still breaking boundaries. But anything that’s different is always going to be questionable. There will never be a rapper like E-40, whether you like me or not. You just got to give it to me. I got my own thing. I’ve been successful for 36 years with music since 1988. Let that soak in. I’ve got to be doing something right. Can’t just be no damn luck. I come from the ground up. All your favorite independent CEOs, they respect me because I was first. I laid the foundation for independent music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do I still feel underrated? Yes, I do. But I know what comes with the package. They like people that’s in the pocket and never go outside the box. That’s not me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have a new cookbook. When did your passion for cooking start?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m the oldest of four. Moms would work two or three jobs. My mom and dad divorced when I was 8 years old. I had a lot of responsibilities being the oldest, so I cooked. We all knew how to cook. We taught ourselves how to cook. I worked at a restaurant when I was a teenager. There was a Caucasian man that I love dearly to this day. His name is Lewis. He taught me how to cook escargot, orange roughy with almonds with lemon butter sauce with white wine. He taught me how to do London Broil and chicken cordon bleu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938194\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1294px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938194\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_.jpg\" alt=\"A book cover featuring two Black men. One is wearing an apron and chef's hat and holding up a large meat sandwich. The other is wearing a bucket hat, Death Row Records shirt and white spectacles.\" width=\"1294\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_.jpg 1294w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-800x927.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-1020x1182.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-160x185.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/71ip4o90vZL._SL1500_-768x890.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1294px) 100vw, 1294px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Snoop Dogg Presents: Goon With the Spoon’ by Snoop Dogg and Earl ‘E-40’ Stevens. \u003ccite>(Chronicle Books)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How did you and Snoop connect on this cookbook?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Snoop, that’s my guy. He cooks as well. He was like, “Earl, my book was very successful. I sold over a million copies. It’s a bestseller. Let me present it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was like “Snoop, I rock with you. You’re legendary. You’re a good friend of mine. I’ve been knowing you for over 30-plus years. We’re family. Thank you. Let’s do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you put your pride to the side, bigger things happen. He’s got some recipes in there. I got some recipes in there. He’s got adult beverages. I have adult beverages. It only makes sense. We both co-pack. We do the whole thing. Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s enough money out there for all of us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’ve met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House, received an honorary doctorate from Grambling State University and had a street named after you in your hometown of Vallejo, California. How has hip-hop impacted your life?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shout out to DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC. Those dudes really paved the way for people like myself to diversify our portfolios and find other ways to make financial gain on a legitimate note. This beats the streets. You can make more money here than you could ever in the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Will you ever release a book with your slang terms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I do the book of slang, it’s going to hurt people’s feelings. Because they think that their favorite rapper made the words up, and it came from me. Or if it didn’t come from me, I got it from the soil — the trenches where most rappers that are from the urban community get their (expletive) from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve been around for more than a half a century. I know all this. I’ve got receipts to back it up. One day, I want to sit down and go word-for-word of all the words I’ve coined. I want to go to the year, the song, everything. I want to ask “Who said it before me?” If they try to lie about it, I’ve got receipts. I was the first rapper screaming “Tycoon.” That’s one of many. “Slappin.” “Choppers.” I’ve got so many of them. Just for that, I’m going to do a book of slang. The real way in 2024 style.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Rule of Thumb: Rule 1’ is out on Nov. 17, 2023. ‘Snoop Dogg Presents: Goon With the Spoon’ by Snoop Dogg and Earl ‘E-40’ Stevens (with Photos by Antonis Achilleos) is out now.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"perspectives": {
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
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"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
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