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"content": "\u003cp>The Recording Academy announced the \u003ca href=\"https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list\">nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards\u003c/a> last week, kindling the usual deluge of conversations around which artists were snubbed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sifting through 91 categories revealed two big reasons for music fans to celebrate: the domination of women across many major categories that historically championed male artists. The sheer number of Bay Area and Northern California musicians also stood out, highlighting local talent who continue to break barriers and accumulate accolades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rising R&B superstar Victoria Monét commanded seven nominations for her indelible debut album \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jaguar II\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Monét grew up in Sacramento before relocating to Los Angeles to launch her songwriting career. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monét performed a homecoming show last month in Sacramento following two sold-out nights at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The star quality in her performance was palpable. Monét previously received three Grammy nominations for her work on Ariana Grande’s album \u003cem>thank u, next\u003c/em> and Chloe x Halle’s hit single “Do It,” but this year’s seven nominations mark a first for her as a performer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monét’s 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, achieved a milestone as well. 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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Recording Academy announced the \u003ca href=\"https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list\">nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards\u003c/a> last week, kindling the usual deluge of conversations around which artists were snubbed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sifting through 91 categories revealed two big reasons for music fans to celebrate: the domination of women across many major categories that historically championed male artists. The sheer number of Bay Area and Northern California musicians also stood out, highlighting local talent who continue to break barriers and accumulate accolades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rising R&B superstar Victoria Monét commanded seven nominations for her indelible debut album \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jaguar II\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Monét grew up in Sacramento before relocating to Los Angeles to launch her songwriting career. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monét performed a homecoming show last month in Sacramento following two sold-out nights at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The star quality in her performance was palpable. Monét previously received three Grammy nominations for her work on Ariana Grande’s album \u003cem>thank u, next\u003c/em> and Chloe x Halle’s hit single “Do It,” but this year’s seven nominations mark a first for her as a performer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monét’s 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, achieved a milestone as well. She’s the youngest nominee in the history of the awards for her featured voice in the song “Hollywood” alongside the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Monét is also nominated in these categories: Best R&B Song for “On My Mama”, Best R&B Performance for “How Does It Make You Feel”, Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album categories. What’s more, she’ll compete in two of the four general field categories as she receives a coveted Best New Artist nomination while her hit song, “On My Mama,” lands in the Record of the Year tier. Colin Leonard, nominated as the mastering engineer of “On My Mama,” studied classical guitar at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most nominated artist this year, SZA, had some Bay Area magic on her album, too. Rob Bisel, who received three nominations as the songwriter, producer and engineer on SZA’s multiplatinum hit “Kill Bill,” was raised in Moraga and interned at Studio 880 in Oakland as a teen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raised 115 miles north of San Francisco in the rural town of Ukiah, Phoebe Bridgers netted seven nominations, including one for her own collaboration with SZA, “Ghost in the Machine.” Six additional nominations for her group Boygenius, including Album of the Year for \u003cem>The Record\u003c/em> and Record of the Year for “Not Strong Enough,” brought Bridgers into a tie with Monét’s seven nominations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With nine Grammy Awards earned over their decades-long career, iconic San Francisco-based band Metallica received three nominations in the rock and metal categories. The group released their eleventh studio album \u003cem>72 Seasons\u003c/em> earlier this year to positive critical reception. If they win in 2024, it will end the band’s unlucky streak, giving Metallica its first set of golden gramophones since 2009.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Symphony conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen notched two nominations for the Best Orchestral Performance and Best Choral Performance categories for his recording of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” with the Symphony and the SF Symphony Chorus’ recording of Hungarian composer György Ligeti’s “Lux Aeterna,” respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Molly Tuttle, who was born in Santa Clara and raised in Palo Alto, received a nod in the Best Bluegrass Album category with \u003cem>City of Gold\u003c/em>, a project featuring her band Golden Highway. The album is partly an ode to Tuttle’s roots in California, with titles like “San Joaquin” and “Yosemite” on the tracklist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeremy Cohen-led Quartet San Francisco’s “Cutey and the Dragon” got recognition in the Best Instrumental Composition category. While Cohen is a Bay Area musician, he is not credited as a composer, making him ineligible for a nomination in this field.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More nominees with Bay Area ties include:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ray Keys, a songwriter on Coco Jones’ sultry hit “ICU,” was born in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rogét Chahayed, a songwriter on Doja Cat’s comeback single “Attention.” Chahayed attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and studied under professor Yoshikazu Nagai. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Zakir Hussain, who lives in San Anselmo, received two nominations in the Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album categories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Julian Lage, a Santa Rosa-bred jazz musician, was nominated for his album \u003cem>The Layers\u003c/em> in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Skrillex, the popular DJ, spent part of his childhood in San Francisco and scored two nominations in the Dance/Electronic genre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.grammy.com/\">\u003cem>66th Annual Grammy Awards\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Viewers at home can tune into CBS or Paramount+ to catch the show.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "HBK Gang Defined Bay Area Rap During the Social Media Boom",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938031\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 962px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938031\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9.jpg\" alt=\"A large crew of rappers and producers poses in an alleyway.\" width=\"962\" height=\"541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9.jpg 962w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 962px) 100vw, 962px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">HBK Gang reigned the Bay Area rap scene in the 2010s, and took their party anthems to the mainstream. \u003ccite>(Arturo Torres)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\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>In the early 2010s, we watched viral videos on Vine, not TikTok, and Instagram and Twitter were brand new. DatPiff hosted the latest rap mixtapes, and Spotify was just a European start-up. Most people still had CD players in their cars, and “aux cord” wasn’t yet part of mainstream vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Locally, the hyphy movement had fizzled, leaving a disjointed and uninspired vacuum in its wake. But soon, that would all change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the dawn of this social media boom, a group of high school and college friends came together as a collective that defined the next decade of Bay Area rap culture. That crew? \u003ca href=\"https://www.hbkgangmusic.com/\">HBK\u003c/a>, or Heartbreak Gang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to create our own identity,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.hbkiamsu.com/\">IAMSU!\u003c/a>, one of HBK’s co-founders. “We felt like it was a new time in the Bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The eclectic crew included rappers, producers and singers: P-Lo, Sage the Gemini, Kehlani, Jay Ant, Kool John, Skipper, CJ, Azure, Dave Steezy, Kuya, Chief and an ever-expanding spectrum of collaborators — over 20 artists at HBK’s peak. The squad built on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934874/hyphy-kids-got-trauma\">hyphy movement’s momentum\u003c/a>, and turned its chaotic energy into glossy, sleek party music that appealed to suburban internet addicts and city-dwelling hustlers alike. They sold out major venues like the Warfield; collaborated with streetwear brands; toured with Wiz Khalifa; and made hits — like Sage the Gemini’s “Gas Pedal” — that continue to slap on today’s dance floors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really associate HBK in my memory with early internet culture, around the time the Warriors were starting to win more and housing prices were really starting to skyrocket,” says HBK’s former touring manager, Tim House, who’s worked with Bay Area rap veterans like Hieroglyphics and Zion I. “Even though it was only a decade ago, the scene feels wildly different today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a surging \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/ourturbulentdecade\">digital decade\u003c/a>, HBK flooded stages and phone screens, all while propelling the Bay Area forward. Their imprint on the culture has remained ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/X8LUd51IuiA?si=ukxJ4ej0YxiUQuDl\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>HBK’s East Bay origins\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>HBK initially came together in the mid-2000s, when most of the members were high school students in Richmond and Pinole. IAMSU! was doing numbers on MySpace as a member of \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2010/06/29/meet-the-bay-areas-top-10-young-rappers/\">the Go-Gettaz\u003c/a>, and Jay Anthony (then known as Jay Ant) was part of \u003ca href=\"https://diligentz.bandcamp.com/album/fresh-impression-2-uh-we-made-some-more-music\">Diligentz\u003c/a>, a group active in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzAlkff2PSM\">the teenage, alternative “punk-rock” rap scene\u003c/a> that included Berkeley’s The Pack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t long before the friends — IAMSU!, P-Lo, Kuya Beats, Jay Ant and Chief — started meeting up after class to make music at Chief’s house as The Invasion. Eventually, a friend’s older brother hooked them up with access to a professional studio, and their producer group became the core of HBK, which officially formed in 2007.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938033\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1242px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938033\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2.jpg\" alt=\"A photo from 10 years ago of a young crew of rappers and producers.\" width=\"1242\" height=\"824\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2.jpg 1242w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-1020x677.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1242px) 100vw, 1242px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rossi, Sage the Gemini, IAMSU!, Skipper, P-Lo, Kool John (left to right) formed the early core of HBK Gang. \u003ccite>(Daghe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My first beats were industry-sounding. Scott Storch, Dr. Dre. That kind of stuff,” IAMSU! admits. “I had to get educated on what the Bay sound truly was. It was all organic ’cause it’s our home, so I soaked the game up and took it on one from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For HBK, The Pack was a foundational influence. “I started with Young L type beats,” IAMSU! says. “Then we made our own sound from that.” (Jay Anthony doubled down by saying the crew followed “a \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/communing-with-the-based-god-2-1/\">Based God lineage\u003c/a>.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK members eventually went on to collaborate with Wiz Khalifa, Yo Gotti, B.o.B and Ty Dolla $ign. But the crew’s first taste of mainstream success was LoveRance’s 2011 hit “Up!,” which includes a featured verse and production by IAMSU! Its hypnotic, minimalist beat and lyrics about late-night mischief defined HBK’s trademark style: quick, two-chord progressions, repetitive loops, heavy bass and rich synth — all at around 100 beats per minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the help of nascent social media platforms, the song exploded from a regional hit into a national radio single, and wrangled an official, Interscope-released remix featuring 50 Cent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/q93F03BhbXg?si=nPoIh1hALLHPBMNn\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the pre-streaming era, a weird time — I didn’t know how it would all change, but I knew the consumption of music was changing,” says Chioke “Stretch” McCoy, who managed HBK in their early days along with Will Bronson and David Ali.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While illegal downloads posed a problem for record labels, IAMSU! says HBK parlayed them to gain more fans. “LimeLinx and MediaFire was going crazy at the time,” IAMSU! says. “We had over a million downloads on there. That’s how LoveRance got his record deal [with Interscope]. That connected us with 50, Chris Brown, Jeezy, T.I. It was all up from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crew also embraced Vine and early Twitter in a time when it wasn’t the norm. “HBK was ahead of the digital age,” says Stretch, who previously worked with other influential Northern California artists, including Mac Dre, Mistah F.A.B. and Erk tha Jerk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' citation='IAMSU!']‘We wanted to create our own identity. We felt like it was a new time in the Bay.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another key to HBK’s success was how they softened the Bay Area’s signature hyphy sound into positive music with mainstream appeal. Underneath its joyful expressions, hyphy reflected the trauma and chaos of gun violence and street activities in the mid-2000s. And as it became more commercialized, drug-induced partying became its biggest selling point. HBK capitalized on that upbeat energy with their money-chasing, swirling tie-dye attitude. [aside postid='forum_2010101895012']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one really dies or gets robbed in an HBK record,” says House. “They make feel-good music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jay Anthony considers HBK’s early work a “reset” for the Bay Area. “At the tail end of ’06, people were getting mugged at parties,” he says. “There was no smiling. Baggy Girbaud [jeans]. The Jacka is on. You will get punched in here. But we were about fun — popular shit. We’re from Richmond so it could go different ways, but just know we’re just trying to have a good time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘My click finna blow up’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After “Up!,” HBK only gained speed. IAMSU! was incredibly prolific, releasing a godly amount of free mixtapes from 2011 to 2013: \u003cem>Young California\u003c/em>, \u003cem>KILT\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Stoopid\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Million Dollar Afro\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Suzy 6 Speed\u003c/em> — the list kept growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK earned crucial support from Bay Area veterans like E-40, Too $hort and J. Stalin. In 2012, IAMSU! scored another hit feature on E-40’s “Function” alongside Compton’s YG and Problem. The track was a show of California unity, and Su gassed on his verse in a moment when the Bay seemed to lack any established young talent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/DsDyZNIkO6Q?si=3mweJ6FWth6s2jx7\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, in 2013, HBK struck gold again with Sage the Gemini’s napalm-hot singles “Red Nose” and “Gas Pedal” (featuring IAMSU!), both of which dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for over 20 weeks. P-Lo, who emerged as a solo artist with his \u003cem>MBMGC\u003c/em> mixtapes, further proved himself as one of the crew’s most sought-after producers with Yo Gotti’s hit “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/8HYXw1vADFQ?si=Kp0yJDN3hdrANxT9\">Act Right\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, HBK’s standout vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kehlani\">Kehlani\u003c/a> single-handedly broke the internet with their debut mixtape \u003cem>Cloud 19\u003c/em> in 2014, the same year IAMSU! released his Warner Brothers-backed debut studio album, \u003cem>Sincerely Yours\u003c/em> — which included a few of the Bay’s most anthemic releases during that era, and was one of the last CDs I ever purchased at a Best Buy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though he wasn’t an official member, HBK collaborator G-Eazy benefited from the cresting tide on his way to major-label stardom. But arguably no one better represented HBK’s internet apotheosis more than IAMSU!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were just some kids from the Rich putting music out. I spammed my mixtapes all over the internet and people just started playing it until it reached other cities,” he says. “People in Louisiana and Boston were hitting me up. I was like, ‘Huh?’ The music spread hella quick.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/RSsw5yv2Ry4?si=bbfIvjGeH_53BQAV\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the internet wasn’t the only way HBK took their music beyond the Bay. “Importantly, they hit the road too, and didn’t just sit at the home,” says Stretch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, IAMSU! and Sage the Gemini went on tour with Wiz Khalifa, whose Under the Influence of Music Tour featured rappers representing almost every major market — Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan from Atlanta, Tyga from LA, Mack Wilds from New York and \u003cem>Gangsta Grillz\u003c/em> mixtape impresario DJ Drama.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK’s palpable hype attracted young fans from everywhere to experience it in person. “It was a wave,” IAMSU! recalls, reminiscing about his performances at The FADER Fort during South by Southwest in Austin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As sneakerhead and hypebeast culture grew in the 2010s, HBK worked hard to align their party music with streetwear brands to increase their radius. HBK Day, a massively popular free concert in 2015, featured exclusive merch drops from popular Bay Area brands like True SF, and was sponsored by Pink Dolphin. Taking a cue from veteran Oakland rap crew \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hieroglyphics\">Hieroglyphics\u003c/a> and their iconic three-eyed logo, HBK looked to the previous generation for how to create a community offline. [aside postid='arts_10489213']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have an iconic logo. They have longevity. Their merch game is on lock,” IAMSU! says of Hiero. “They wasn’t all ice and chains. They were more about the craft. I respect that a whole lot. And more so than just their music, it was about their process and business strategy in branding. They’re a tribe. That’s how we wanted to mob.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK’s pixelated, broken heart design and Kool John’s $HMOPLIFE smiley face became emblems for a generation of internet-age, hip-hop-loving hippies and skaters. Along with brands like HUF and Diamond Supply Co., their merch could be seen at house parties, on BART trains and in bike mobs all over the Bay throughout the 2010s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938034\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938034\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK5.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK5-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">IAMSU! at a meet and greet. \u003ccite>(Daghe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“People at my high school who were big fans like me would deadass ditch class and go to HBK’s pop-ups,” says \u003ca href=\"https://shotsbysydney.com/\">Sydney Welch\u003c/a>, a music photographer from Fremont. “Seeing that impact on the whole culture here, their interactions with fans. Their style and sense of family really made a big difference in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“HBK changed my perspective on life and made me feel I could be myself fully,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13908844/rightnowish-big-love-seriespage\">Oopz All Berriez\u003c/a>, a local entrepreneur in the cannabis industry who considers himself a mascot for $HMOPLIFE. “They influenced me to think outside the box and be different. They are the modern-day Wu-Tang of the West.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>HBK’s lasting influence\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like many large crews from the era — A$AP Mob and Odd Future included — HBK members eventually went on to focus on their solo careers, and collective efforts tapered off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, if you scan the culture in the Bay Area and beyond, HBK’s impact remains, and most of the members are currently active. Kehlani has nearly 16 million followers on Instagram, a Grey Goose sponsorship and two Grammy nominations. P-Lo keeps dropping \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZQ5F8myiW0\">singles\u003c/a> and his own Wingstop commercial, all while wrapping up an international food tour. Sage the Gemini is \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=sage+the+gemini+sacramento&oq=sage+the+gemini+sacrm&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgBECEYChigATIGCAAQRRg5MgkIARAhGAoYoAEyCQgCECEYChigATIJCAMQIRgKGKAB0gEINzQ4NmowajmoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ibp=htl;events&rciv=evn&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizwqX4y8SCAxUfNEQIHd8tA0QQ5bwDegQITRAB#fpstate=tldetail&htidocid=L2F1dGhvcml0eS9ob3Jpem9uL2NsdXN0ZXJlZF9ldmVudC8yMDIzLTEyLTA5fDE4MTczMzY3OTM2NjgxODEyNzk%3D&htivrt=events&mid=/g/11v4m1mklm\">performing in arenas\u003c/a>. Jay Anthony is steadily evolving his sound in LA. And IAMSU! — who is releasing his latest mixtape, \u003cem>1-833-HBK-GANG,\u003c/em> this week — gathered a handful of members for a reunion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932209/bay-area-hip-hop-beneath-the-rollercoasters\">IAMSUMMER\u003c/a> concert in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938035\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938035\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"597\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3-768x509.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">IAMSU! and Kendrick Lamar. \u003ccite>(Daghe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When HBK came together, during the early days of smartphones, social media’s potential felt limitless and democratic — before big tech became increasingly associated with gentrification and disinformation. Emerging artists could circumvent record labels, forge grassroots brands with direct access to consumers and relish in the limitless exchange of free files.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the same tools that propelled HBK’s rise have undercut artists’ ability to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893314/how-musicians-are-navigating-streaming-algorithms-ai-and-automation\">make a living off recorded music\u003c/a>, and, some argue, have made the culture more homogeneous. “Today when a trend goes viral online and everyone starts doing it, it feels like everyone is doing the same thing at the same time,” IAMSU! laments. “But we definitely wanted to keep the Bay Area vibe alive back then.” [aside postid='arts_13932887']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/regional-rap-classics-are-slowly-disappearing-from-the-internet/\">regional rap classics slowly fading from the internet\u003c/a>, I’ve been popping in my old HBK CDs to remember what the Bay sounded like a decade ago. Nowadays, listening to their throwback hits instantly transports me high above the Bay Bridge to a simpler time, when a few East Bay kids on the internet could show you how to float and glide through it all. For many of us, it represents a golden era unto itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of us moved away, some of us have kids now, girlfriends, all that. It’s life,” says IAMSU! “It was a completely different era. It feels like a different lifetime. It was a beautiful time though, I ain’t gon’ lie.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/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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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938031\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 962px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938031\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9.jpg\" alt=\"A large crew of rappers and producers poses in an alleyway.\" width=\"962\" height=\"541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9.jpg 962w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBKGang.16x9-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 962px) 100vw, 962px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">HBK Gang reigned the Bay Area rap scene in the 2010s, and took their party anthems to the mainstream. \u003ccite>(Arturo Torres)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\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>In the early 2010s, we watched viral videos on Vine, not TikTok, and Instagram and Twitter were brand new. DatPiff hosted the latest rap mixtapes, and Spotify was just a European start-up. Most people still had CD players in their cars, and “aux cord” wasn’t yet part of mainstream vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Locally, the hyphy movement had fizzled, leaving a disjointed and uninspired vacuum in its wake. But soon, that would all change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the dawn of this social media boom, a group of high school and college friends came together as a collective that defined the next decade of Bay Area rap culture. That crew? \u003ca href=\"https://www.hbkgangmusic.com/\">HBK\u003c/a>, or Heartbreak Gang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to create our own identity,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.hbkiamsu.com/\">IAMSU!\u003c/a>, one of HBK’s co-founders. “We felt like it was a new time in the Bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The eclectic crew included rappers, producers and singers: P-Lo, Sage the Gemini, Kehlani, Jay Ant, Kool John, Skipper, CJ, Azure, Dave Steezy, Kuya, Chief and an ever-expanding spectrum of collaborators — over 20 artists at HBK’s peak. The squad built on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934874/hyphy-kids-got-trauma\">hyphy movement’s momentum\u003c/a>, and turned its chaotic energy into glossy, sleek party music that appealed to suburban internet addicts and city-dwelling hustlers alike. They sold out major venues like the Warfield; collaborated with streetwear brands; toured with Wiz Khalifa; and made hits — like Sage the Gemini’s “Gas Pedal” — that continue to slap on today’s dance floors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really associate HBK in my memory with early internet culture, around the time the Warriors were starting to win more and housing prices were really starting to skyrocket,” says HBK’s former touring manager, Tim House, who’s worked with Bay Area rap veterans like Hieroglyphics and Zion I. “Even though it was only a decade ago, the scene feels wildly different today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a surging \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/ourturbulentdecade\">digital decade\u003c/a>, HBK flooded stages and phone screens, all while propelling the Bay Area forward. Their imprint on the culture has remained ever since.\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/X8LUd51IuiA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/X8LUd51IuiA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>HBK’s East Bay origins\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>HBK initially came together in the mid-2000s, when most of the members were high school students in Richmond and Pinole. IAMSU! was doing numbers on MySpace as a member of \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2010/06/29/meet-the-bay-areas-top-10-young-rappers/\">the Go-Gettaz\u003c/a>, and Jay Anthony (then known as Jay Ant) was part of \u003ca href=\"https://diligentz.bandcamp.com/album/fresh-impression-2-uh-we-made-some-more-music\">Diligentz\u003c/a>, a group active in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzAlkff2PSM\">the teenage, alternative “punk-rock” rap scene\u003c/a> that included Berkeley’s The Pack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t long before the friends — IAMSU!, P-Lo, Kuya Beats, Jay Ant and Chief — started meeting up after class to make music at Chief’s house as The Invasion. Eventually, a friend’s older brother hooked them up with access to a professional studio, and their producer group became the core of HBK, which officially formed in 2007.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938033\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1242px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938033\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2.jpg\" alt=\"A photo from 10 years ago of a young crew of rappers and producers.\" width=\"1242\" height=\"824\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2.jpg 1242w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-1020x677.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK2-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1242px) 100vw, 1242px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rossi, Sage the Gemini, IAMSU!, Skipper, P-Lo, Kool John (left to right) formed the early core of HBK Gang. \u003ccite>(Daghe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My first beats were industry-sounding. Scott Storch, Dr. Dre. That kind of stuff,” IAMSU! admits. “I had to get educated on what the Bay sound truly was. It was all organic ’cause it’s our home, so I soaked the game up and took it on one from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For HBK, The Pack was a foundational influence. “I started with Young L type beats,” IAMSU! says. “Then we made our own sound from that.” (Jay Anthony doubled down by saying the crew followed “a \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/communing-with-the-based-god-2-1/\">Based God lineage\u003c/a>.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK members eventually went on to collaborate with Wiz Khalifa, Yo Gotti, B.o.B and Ty Dolla $ign. But the crew’s first taste of mainstream success was LoveRance’s 2011 hit “Up!,” which includes a featured verse and production by IAMSU! Its hypnotic, minimalist beat and lyrics about late-night mischief defined HBK’s trademark style: quick, two-chord progressions, repetitive loops, heavy bass and rich synth — all at around 100 beats per minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the help of nascent social media platforms, the song exploded from a regional hit into a national radio single, and wrangled an official, Interscope-released remix featuring 50 Cent.\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/q93F03BhbXg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/q93F03BhbXg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the pre-streaming era, a weird time — I didn’t know how it would all change, but I knew the consumption of music was changing,” says Chioke “Stretch” McCoy, who managed HBK in their early days along with Will Bronson and David Ali.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While illegal downloads posed a problem for record labels, IAMSU! says HBK parlayed them to gain more fans. “LimeLinx and MediaFire was going crazy at the time,” IAMSU! says. “We had over a million downloads on there. That’s how LoveRance got his record deal [with Interscope]. That connected us with 50, Chris Brown, Jeezy, T.I. It was all up from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crew also embraced Vine and early Twitter in a time when it wasn’t the norm. “HBK was ahead of the digital age,” says Stretch, who previously worked with other influential Northern California artists, including Mac Dre, Mistah F.A.B. and Erk tha Jerk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another key to HBK’s success was how they softened the Bay Area’s signature hyphy sound into positive music with mainstream appeal. Underneath its joyful expressions, hyphy reflected the trauma and chaos of gun violence and street activities in the mid-2000s. And as it became more commercialized, drug-induced partying became its biggest selling point. HBK capitalized on that upbeat energy with their money-chasing, swirling tie-dye attitude. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one really dies or gets robbed in an HBK record,” says House. “They make feel-good music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jay Anthony considers HBK’s early work a “reset” for the Bay Area. “At the tail end of ’06, people were getting mugged at parties,” he says. “There was no smiling. Baggy Girbaud [jeans]. The Jacka is on. You will get punched in here. But we were about fun — popular shit. We’re from Richmond so it could go different ways, but just know we’re just trying to have a good time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘My click finna blow up’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After “Up!,” HBK only gained speed. IAMSU! was incredibly prolific, releasing a godly amount of free mixtapes from 2011 to 2013: \u003cem>Young California\u003c/em>, \u003cem>KILT\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Stoopid\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Million Dollar Afro\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Suzy 6 Speed\u003c/em> — the list kept growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK earned crucial support from Bay Area veterans like E-40, Too $hort and J. Stalin. In 2012, IAMSU! scored another hit feature on E-40’s “Function” alongside Compton’s YG and Problem. The track was a show of California unity, and Su gassed on his verse in a moment when the Bay seemed to lack any established young talent.\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/DsDyZNIkO6Q'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/DsDyZNIkO6Q'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, in 2013, HBK struck gold again with Sage the Gemini’s napalm-hot singles “Red Nose” and “Gas Pedal” (featuring IAMSU!), both of which dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for over 20 weeks. P-Lo, who emerged as a solo artist with his \u003cem>MBMGC\u003c/em> mixtapes, further proved himself as one of the crew’s most sought-after producers with Yo Gotti’s hit “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/8HYXw1vADFQ?si=Kp0yJDN3hdrANxT9\">Act Right\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, HBK’s standout vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kehlani\">Kehlani\u003c/a> single-handedly broke the internet with their debut mixtape \u003cem>Cloud 19\u003c/em> in 2014, the same year IAMSU! released his Warner Brothers-backed debut studio album, \u003cem>Sincerely Yours\u003c/em> — which included a few of the Bay’s most anthemic releases during that era, and was one of the last CDs I ever purchased at a Best Buy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though he wasn’t an official member, HBK collaborator G-Eazy benefited from the cresting tide on his way to major-label stardom. But arguably no one better represented HBK’s internet apotheosis more than IAMSU!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were just some kids from the Rich putting music out. I spammed my mixtapes all over the internet and people just started playing it until it reached other cities,” he says. “People in Louisiana and Boston were hitting me up. I was like, ‘Huh?’ The music spread hella quick.”\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/RSsw5yv2Ry4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/RSsw5yv2Ry4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the internet wasn’t the only way HBK took their music beyond the Bay. “Importantly, they hit the road too, and didn’t just sit at the home,” says Stretch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014, IAMSU! and Sage the Gemini went on tour with Wiz Khalifa, whose Under the Influence of Music Tour featured rappers representing almost every major market — Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan from Atlanta, Tyga from LA, Mack Wilds from New York and \u003cem>Gangsta Grillz\u003c/em> mixtape impresario DJ Drama.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK’s palpable hype attracted young fans from everywhere to experience it in person. “It was a wave,” IAMSU! recalls, reminiscing about his performances at The FADER Fort during South by Southwest in Austin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As sneakerhead and hypebeast culture grew in the 2010s, HBK worked hard to align their party music with streetwear brands to increase their radius. HBK Day, a massively popular free concert in 2015, featured exclusive merch drops from popular Bay Area brands like True SF, and was sponsored by Pink Dolphin. Taking a cue from veteran Oakland rap crew \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hieroglyphics\">Hieroglyphics\u003c/a> and their iconic three-eyed logo, HBK looked to the previous generation for how to create a community offline. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have an iconic logo. They have longevity. Their merch game is on lock,” IAMSU! says of Hiero. “They wasn’t all ice and chains. They were more about the craft. I respect that a whole lot. And more so than just their music, it was about their process and business strategy in branding. They’re a tribe. That’s how we wanted to mob.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBK’s pixelated, broken heart design and Kool John’s $HMOPLIFE smiley face became emblems for a generation of internet-age, hip-hop-loving hippies and skaters. Along with brands like HUF and Diamond Supply Co., their merch could be seen at house parties, on BART trains and in bike mobs all over the Bay throughout the 2010s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938034\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938034\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK5.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK5-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">IAMSU! at a meet and greet. \u003ccite>(Daghe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“People at my high school who were big fans like me would deadass ditch class and go to HBK’s pop-ups,” says \u003ca href=\"https://shotsbysydney.com/\">Sydney Welch\u003c/a>, a music photographer from Fremont. “Seeing that impact on the whole culture here, their interactions with fans. Their style and sense of family really made a big difference in our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“HBK changed my perspective on life and made me feel I could be myself fully,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13908844/rightnowish-big-love-seriespage\">Oopz All Berriez\u003c/a>, a local entrepreneur in the cannabis industry who considers himself a mascot for $HMOPLIFE. “They influenced me to think outside the box and be different. They are the modern-day Wu-Tang of the West.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>HBK’s lasting influence\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Like many large crews from the era — A$AP Mob and Odd Future included — HBK members eventually went on to focus on their solo careers, and collective efforts tapered off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, if you scan the culture in the Bay Area and beyond, HBK’s impact remains, and most of the members are currently active. Kehlani has nearly 16 million followers on Instagram, a Grey Goose sponsorship and two Grammy nominations. P-Lo keeps dropping \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZQ5F8myiW0\">singles\u003c/a> and his own Wingstop commercial, all while wrapping up an international food tour. Sage the Gemini is \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=sage+the+gemini+sacramento&oq=sage+the+gemini+sacrm&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgBECEYChigATIGCAAQRRg5MgkIARAhGAoYoAEyCQgCECEYChigATIJCAMQIRgKGKAB0gEINzQ4NmowajmoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ibp=htl;events&rciv=evn&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizwqX4y8SCAxUfNEQIHd8tA0QQ5bwDegQITRAB#fpstate=tldetail&htidocid=L2F1dGhvcml0eS9ob3Jpem9uL2NsdXN0ZXJlZF9ldmVudC8yMDIzLTEyLTA5fDE4MTczMzY3OTM2NjgxODEyNzk%3D&htivrt=events&mid=/g/11v4m1mklm\">performing in arenas\u003c/a>. Jay Anthony is steadily evolving his sound in LA. And IAMSU! — who is releasing his latest mixtape, \u003cem>1-833-HBK-GANG,\u003c/em> this week — gathered a handful of members for a reunion \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932209/bay-area-hip-hop-beneath-the-rollercoasters\">IAMSUMMER\u003c/a> concert in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13938035\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938035\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"597\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/HBK3-768x509.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">IAMSU! and Kendrick Lamar. \u003ccite>(Daghe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When HBK came together, during the early days of smartphones, social media’s potential felt limitless and democratic — before big tech became increasingly associated with gentrification and disinformation. Emerging artists could circumvent record labels, forge grassroots brands with direct access to consumers and relish in the limitless exchange of free files.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the same tools that propelled HBK’s rise have undercut artists’ ability to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893314/how-musicians-are-navigating-streaming-algorithms-ai-and-automation\">make a living off recorded music\u003c/a>, and, some argue, have made the culture more homogeneous. “Today when a trend goes viral online and everyone starts doing it, it feels like everyone is doing the same thing at the same time,” IAMSU! laments. “But we definitely wanted to keep the Bay Area vibe alive back then.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/regional-rap-classics-are-slowly-disappearing-from-the-internet/\">regional rap classics slowly fading from the internet\u003c/a>, I’ve been popping in my old HBK CDs to remember what the Bay sounded like a decade ago. Nowadays, listening to their throwback hits instantly transports me high above the Bay Bridge to a simpler time, when a few East Bay kids on the internet could show you how to float and glide through it all. For many of us, it represents a golden era unto itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of us moved away, some of us have kids now, girlfriends, all that. It’s life,” says IAMSU! “It was a completely different era. It feels like a different lifetime. It was a beautiful time though, I ain’t gon’ lie.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Talking With Tony! Toni! Toné! About Finally Coming Back to Oakland — Together",
"headTitle": "Talking With Tony! Toni! Toné! About Finally Coming Back to Oakland — Together | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Earlier this year, when a cryptic announcement hit social media that all three original members of Tony! Toni! Toné! were going on tour, I, like a lot of people, immediately searched for more details. I even texted the number they said to text, and I normally avoid celebrity text sign-up promos. But this was \u003cem>Tony! Toni! Toné!\u003c/em> — and an extra special hometown show in Oakland was sure to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When tickets for a show at the Paramount were eventually announced, they quickly sold out. So the group added a second Paramount show (at press time, also nearly sold out). Which just proves the love that Oakland shares for Raphael Saadiq, D’Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Christian Riley, and the music they’ve produced while always repping their hometown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, as Raphael Saadiq and D’Wayne Wiggins shared when I caught up with them over Zoom before their Just Me and You Tour arrives at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland this week, it’ll be a dream come true to give that love right back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13935962']\u003cem>Interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ariana Proehl: You’re in the final days of this tour. How excited are you for these hometown shows? And knowing that you sold out the Paramount?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: It’s like living out a dream. The Paramount Theatre. I’ve watched many artists there. I met Cab Calloway there when I was a kid. Seeing Frankie Beverly every November. Historical events have been there. For us to be there.… and on stage with family? Oh my God.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: I think my excitement will happen when we get to the venue, and then after we get dressed, and that moment we’re about to walk on. And that’s the craziest feeling we get in a place like the Paramount…. We did L.A. [last Saturday] and L.A. was something that we couldn’t even imagine. I don’t even want to think about what Oakland could be. I don’t know how to do that right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQd24h1ZDc4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I imagine there’s going to be a lot of family in the audience.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: It’s going to be a lot of friends. A lot of family. A lot of people happy to see us together. And we’ll be happy to see them, too. It’s been a long time coming. The energy between us three and also the energy between the audience has been something that we couldn’t put together. Money couldn’t put it together. It’s just special. It’s like the perfect storm right now for us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So was it easy to just drop back in and find the flow with each other on stage again?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: It never changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: We’re comfortable on stage together like that… We know each other’s moves. We know each other’s vibes, we know each other’s style. You know, the history we have together. Certain licks we’ll do, certain turnarounds. Ray’ll change the show right before your eyes and say something in Tim’s ear. That’s the beauty of it. You know, it’s like we levitate together. We rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13810633']\u003cstrong>Do you have any favorite memories of when you first started playing together? Like out in Oakland clubs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: We’ve had our share of clubs, one being the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/gmackeynurhyme/photos/a.474949895894297/499512880104665/\">Lucky Lion\u003c/a>. That was a place – I guess it would be like First Avenue in Minneapolis, for bands in Oakland. But playing outside in parks was the bigger thing in Oakland. We played a lot of parks. Arroyo Viejo Park, as well as Elmhurst Park on C Street and 98th — I think that was my first gig at a park. My best memories are of playing at parks, not at clubs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: That’s great memories, too, because DeFremery Park, Sobrante Park, Arroyo Viejo Park, San Antonio Park. Maaan, every park we must have jammed at, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1YYqeKUp-M\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I read, Raphael, that when you kind of stealthily announced the tour, you wanted it to be very organic — not be leading with the business aspect, but with family. Is that right?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: Yeah… for a long time I was quoted as saying, ‘I’ll probably never do [Tony! Toni! Toné!] again.’ And I did say that, but I kind of said it knowing I can’t control that, right? But I knew I wanted to put the announcement out very beautifully. I wanted to see us look how we look. Get the right photos out, and \u003ca href=\"https://spinningplatters.com/2023/03/29/breaking-raphael-saadiq-is-touring-with-tony-toni-tone/\">throw a billboard up in the middle of East Oakland\u003c/a>, where we started. And not tell D’Wayne and not tell Tim. Not tell any management people. We felt like Oakland should know first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937964\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2504px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937964\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone.jpg\" alt=\"Three Black men in semi-formal fashionable clothes stand in a row, looking into the camera\" width=\"2504\" height=\"1704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone.jpg 2504w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-1020x694.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-1536x1045.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-2048x1394.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-1920x1307.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2504px) 100vw, 2504px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The image that Raphael Saadiq put on a billboard in Oakland to announce Tony! Toni! Toné!’s reunion tour. \u003ccite>(David 'Odiwams' Wright)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You know, we’ve not just played music in that city, but we’ve lost family members in that city. We ate a lot of cheeseburgers in that city. We ate a lot of donuts. We’ve had a lot of fights with people. We dodged bullets… We watched karate movies at Eastmont Mall at the Lux. We got to watch buildings go up and go down. We watched the whole city change from Black to what it is now. You know, we’ve seen a lot. We walked those streets so much. We watched our parents get old and, you know, watched our father [pass away]. So many people we said ‘good morning’ to that’s not there no more. Older people who taught us, that died a natural death, who had a good life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we have a lot ingrained in us that’s not just music. We’re not just music anymore. We’re feeling like this ancestor thing coming out. Spirit just took over. We’re just riding the wave. I really feel like that. And that’s how I’ve been feeling on the tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: The music is the score to our lives, you know. It helped us stay focused. We learned a lot. We still learn a lot. We walked away from the industry. It wasn’t like we weren’t selling [records]. We just had other goals that we wanted to pursue and it took us a while to gather all of those thoughts and those passions. And when you see us on stage together, you can see we’ve been through a lot and it shines. And Oakland is our base, no matter what.\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>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tony! Toni! Toné! plays the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on Nov. 14 and 15, and The Masonic in San Francisco on Nov. 17. \u003ca href=\"https://www.ticketmaster.com/tony-toni-tone-tickets/artist/874672\">Details and ticket info here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Earlier this year, when a cryptic announcement hit social media that all three original members of Tony! Toni! Toné! were going on tour, I, like a lot of people, immediately searched for more details. I even texted the number they said to text, and I normally avoid celebrity text sign-up promos. But this was \u003cem>Tony! Toni! Toné!\u003c/em> — and an extra special hometown show in Oakland was sure to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When tickets for a show at the Paramount were eventually announced, they quickly sold out. So the group added a second Paramount show (at press time, also nearly sold out). Which just proves the love that Oakland shares for Raphael Saadiq, D’Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Christian Riley, and the music they’ve produced while always repping their hometown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, as Raphael Saadiq and D’Wayne Wiggins shared when I caught up with them over Zoom before their Just Me and You Tour arrives at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland this week, it’ll be a dream come true to give that love right back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: It’s like living out a dream. The Paramount Theatre. I’ve watched many artists there. I met Cab Calloway there when I was a kid. Seeing Frankie Beverly every November. Historical events have been there. For us to be there.… and on stage with family? Oh my God.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: I think my excitement will happen when we get to the venue, and then after we get dressed, and that moment we’re about to walk on. And that’s the craziest feeling we get in a place like the Paramount…. We did L.A. [last Saturday] and L.A. was something that we couldn’t even imagine. I don’t even want to think about what Oakland could be. I don’t know how to do that right now.\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/fQd24h1ZDc4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/fQd24h1ZDc4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I imagine there’s going to be a lot of family in the audience.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: It’s going to be a lot of friends. A lot of family. A lot of people happy to see us together. And we’ll be happy to see them, too. It’s been a long time coming. The energy between us three and also the energy between the audience has been something that we couldn’t put together. Money couldn’t put it together. It’s just special. It’s like the perfect storm right now for us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So was it easy to just drop back in and find the flow with each other on stage again?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: It never changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: We’re comfortable on stage together like that… We know each other’s moves. We know each other’s vibes, we know each other’s style. You know, the history we have together. Certain licks we’ll do, certain turnarounds. Ray’ll change the show right before your eyes and say something in Tim’s ear. That’s the beauty of it. You know, it’s like we levitate together. We rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you have any favorite memories of when you first started playing together? Like out in Oakland clubs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: We’ve had our share of clubs, one being the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/gmackeynurhyme/photos/a.474949895894297/499512880104665/\">Lucky Lion\u003c/a>. That was a place – I guess it would be like First Avenue in Minneapolis, for bands in Oakland. But playing outside in parks was the bigger thing in Oakland. We played a lot of parks. Arroyo Viejo Park, as well as Elmhurst Park on C Street and 98th — I think that was my first gig at a park. My best memories are of playing at parks, not at clubs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: That’s great memories, too, because DeFremery Park, Sobrante Park, Arroyo Viejo Park, San Antonio Park. Maaan, every park we must have jammed at, you know?\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/e1YYqeKUp-M'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/e1YYqeKUp-M'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I read, Raphael, that when you kind of stealthily announced the tour, you wanted it to be very organic — not be leading with the business aspect, but with family. Is that right?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Raphael Saadiq\u003c/strong>: Yeah… for a long time I was quoted as saying, ‘I’ll probably never do [Tony! Toni! Toné!] again.’ And I did say that, but I kind of said it knowing I can’t control that, right? But I knew I wanted to put the announcement out very beautifully. I wanted to see us look how we look. Get the right photos out, and \u003ca href=\"https://spinningplatters.com/2023/03/29/breaking-raphael-saadiq-is-touring-with-tony-toni-tone/\">throw a billboard up in the middle of East Oakland\u003c/a>, where we started. And not tell D’Wayne and not tell Tim. Not tell any management people. We felt like Oakland should know first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937964\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2504px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937964\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone.jpg\" alt=\"Three Black men in semi-formal fashionable clothes stand in a row, looking into the camera\" width=\"2504\" height=\"1704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone.jpg 2504w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-1020x694.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-1536x1045.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-2048x1394.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Tony-Toni-Tone-1920x1307.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2504px) 100vw, 2504px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The image that Raphael Saadiq put on a billboard in Oakland to announce Tony! Toni! Toné!’s reunion tour. \u003ccite>(David 'Odiwams' Wright)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You know, we’ve not just played music in that city, but we’ve lost family members in that city. We ate a lot of cheeseburgers in that city. We ate a lot of donuts. We’ve had a lot of fights with people. We dodged bullets… We watched karate movies at Eastmont Mall at the Lux. We got to watch buildings go up and go down. We watched the whole city change from Black to what it is now. You know, we’ve seen a lot. We walked those streets so much. We watched our parents get old and, you know, watched our father [pass away]. So many people we said ‘good morning’ to that’s not there no more. Older people who taught us, that died a natural death, who had a good life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we have a lot ingrained in us that’s not just music. We’re not just music anymore. We’re feeling like this ancestor thing coming out. Spirit just took over. We’re just riding the wave. I really feel like that. And that’s how I’ve been feeling on the tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D’Wayne Wiggins\u003c/strong>: The music is the score to our lives, you know. It helped us stay focused. We learned a lot. We still learn a lot. We walked away from the industry. It wasn’t like we weren’t selling [records]. We just had other goals that we wanted to pursue and it took us a while to gather all of those thoughts and those passions. And when you see us on stage together, you can see we’ve been through a lot and it shines. And Oakland is our base, no matter what.\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>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tony! Toni! Toné! plays the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on Nov. 14 and 15, and The Masonic in San Francisco on Nov. 17. \u003ca href=\"https://www.ticketmaster.com/tony-toni-tone-tickets/artist/874672\">Details and ticket info here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Tracy Chapman Becomes First Black Person to Win CMAs’ Song of the Year",
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"content": "\u003cp>Tracy Chapman was honored with Song of the Year for her 1988 folk anthem “Fast Car” at the Country Music Awards on Wednesday, becoming the first Black songwriter to ever win the award.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13937563']“Fast Car” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following its release more than 30 years ago. The song was nominated for three Grammys when it first came out, and Chapman won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it got a second wind in recent months after singer Luke Combs came out with a cover of the song in April. His version peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart and won Single of the Year at the CMAs in Nashville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr7oYjnt3bM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chapman did not attend the ceremony, but she sent a written statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m sorry I couldn’t join you all tonight,” she said. “It’s truly an honor for my song to be newly recognized after 35 years of its debut. Thank you to the CMAs and a special thanks to Luke and all of the fans of ‘Fast Car.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13937489']Combs called “Fast Car” his “first favorite song” in his acceptance speech for Single of the Year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“First and foremost, I want to thank Tracy Chapman for writing one of the best songs of all time,” he said. “Never intended for that — I just recorded it because I love this song so much. It’s meant so much to me throughout my entire life. It’s the first favorite song I ever had from the time I was four years old.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOAlaACuv4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chapman, originally from Cleveland, is additionally behind such hits as “Give Me One Reason,” “Baby Can I Hold You” and “Crossroads.” She has been nominated for 13 Grammys and won four.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Tracy+Chapman+becomes+the+first+Black+person+to+win+Song+of+the+Year+at+the+CMAs&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\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\u003cdiv>\u003cem>This year’s Country Music Awards ceremony will be available to watch on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. via \u003ca href=\"https://www.abcinstantaccess.com/\">ABC Instant Access\u003c/a>. It begins streaming on \u003ca href=\"https://www.hulu.com/hub/home\">Hulu\u003c/a> on Nov. 10.\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Fast Car” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following its release more than 30 years ago. The song was nominated for three Grammys when it first came out, and Chapman won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it got a second wind in recent months after singer Luke Combs came out with a cover of the song in April. His version peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart and won Single of the Year at the CMAs in Nashville.\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/Fr7oYjnt3bM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Fr7oYjnt3bM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Chapman did not attend the ceremony, but she sent a written statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m sorry I couldn’t join you all tonight,” she said. “It’s truly an honor for my song to be newly recognized after 35 years of its debut. Thank you to the CMAs and a special thanks to Luke and all of the fans of ‘Fast Car.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Combs called “Fast Car” his “first favorite song” in his acceptance speech for Single of the Year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“First and foremost, I want to thank Tracy Chapman for writing one of the best songs of all time,” he said. “Never intended for that — I just recorded it because I love this song so much. It’s meant so much to me throughout my entire life. It’s the first favorite song I ever had from the time I was four years old.”\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/AIOAlaACuv4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/AIOAlaACuv4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chapman, originally from Cleveland, is additionally behind such hits as “Give Me One Reason,” “Baby Can I Hold You” and “Crossroads.” She has been nominated for 13 Grammys and won four.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Tracy+Chapman+becomes+the+first+Black+person+to+win+Song+of+the+Year+at+the+CMAs&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\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\u003cdiv>\u003cem>This year’s Country Music Awards ceremony will be available to watch on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. via \u003ca href=\"https://www.abcinstantaccess.com/\">ABC Instant Access\u003c/a>. It begins streaming on \u003ca href=\"https://www.hulu.com/hub/home\">Hulu\u003c/a> on Nov. 10.\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Music In The Key of Parenthood",
"headTitle": "Music In The Key of Parenthood | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cem>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most parents have a story about their kid and music. Maybe there’s footage of an embarrassing singing performance or video of an entertaining dance rendition. Either way, I’m sure it’s a worthwhile tale where lessons were learned. And that’s because music, one of the highest forms of art, is also one of the greatest teaching tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My daughter and I discuss music from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, that’s because I’m always playing music. I’m raising her that way, largely because that’s how I grew up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mother’s love for funk and R&B, as well as new jack swing and hip-hop, laid the foundation for my musical pallet. Now that I’m raising my own little one, I’ve built on the foundation I had as a kid and I’m passing all of that musical knowledge down, song by song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In return, my daughter is teaching me some things I need to know about tunes we listen to on a daily basis. This interaction is a reminder: not only is music a great teaching tool, but the lessons go both ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this week’s podcast, we discuss how my daughter and I bond over music, especially while taking trips in the car. It’s a joyride every time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC3368504494&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Growing up, music was always playing in my house. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had the big wicker covered speakers with the red, white and yellow RCA cables connected to an amplifier. The dual tape players and the multiple disc changer was where music lived. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prince and Teena Marie were constant. Earth, Wind, and Fire was always in rotation. The soundtracks for movies like \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bodyguard\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crooklyn\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> were staples. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Moms even got into New Jack Swing and eventually hip-hop. She loved the group \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Arrested Development\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and because of that, I did too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And now I’m raising my daughter the same way. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But uh, slightly remixed. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s Golden Era hip-hop in the morning. Fela in the afternoon. Sade after dinner. Miles Davis at midnight. Or maybe it’s Kaytranda in the morning. Sublime in the midday. Rihanna during the afterschool drive, and then a mix of Japanese Jazz Fusion artists as we read and get ready for bed in the evening. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Even though the genres have slightly expanded from how I was raised, my daughter is soaking it all up all the same.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hi, I’m Zuri and I’m seven years old. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: We talk about how music is subtle and ubiquitous, playing at the grocery store or in the background of a TV show. And, at the same time, music is a magical artform that takes listeners into a world of different emotional responses. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m waxing poetically, but I’m no musician. Far from it. I tried rapping when I was a teen, but I forgot my lyrics. Tried singing but my voice changed; now I couldn’t hold a note even if I had special note-holding-gloves. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I’m a student of music, and I attribute that to being raised in a house where music was always playing– and in that, I was always learning, because music is one hell of a teaching tool. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today on the show, I want to share with you some of things that I’ve learned along the way, right after this. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One weekend, I was driving around with my daughter Zuri, looking for something with a funky bassline for our sunny Saturday drive. My aim was to find some music with kid-friendly lyrics, but not too “kiddie,” because it was \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">my\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Saturday too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I landed on Zapp and Roger, their greatest hits. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A few seconds into the first track my daughter asked me:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are these the guys who make music with the tubes in their mouth?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Yes! She remembered. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The next step is remembering the artists’ actual names, and then maybe the instrument– a voice box, autotune or even more broadly, a synthesizer. But she remembered something, so I was juiced!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I played another track by Zapp and Roger, and then she followed up\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do all of their songs sound like this?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Well, no. They have this one song I really like…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Within the first few beats of the song, she blurts out:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Tupac!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: YES! That’s it! That’s the song Tupac sampled for “Keep Your Head Up”. Bruh, I was ecstatic!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Posted at the red light, I got a lil choked up– I looked out the window pretending something caught my attention, holding back a lil tear.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My approach to musicology was working… And then I got greedy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I tried to explain to her that in the song “Keep Your Head Up,” Tupac’s producer, DJ Daryl, sampled the melody of the Zapp’s “Be Alright,” but the lyrics of Tupac’s song were a reference to another classic track. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: He was inspired by a group called The Five Stairsteps, who had a song called, “O-H-H-Child.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We got about thirty seconds into the song, when she asked me to turn down the music and said:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Daddy, this sounds like the chipmunks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I didn’t see that coming. But that’s what happens when we talk about music in the car: There’s always something new. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The conversations touch on history and spirituality, sexism and racism. There’s almost always a tie in to Oakland. And just about every time she asks me about an artist, she asks if they’re still alive– which made me realize just how often I listen to recordings of people who are in the realm of the ancestors. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And of course, as when talking to just about \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">any\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> kid, there’s jokes. Like that one time she put in a request from the backseat… \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Daddy, can you play \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that one\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Michael Jackson song, “BLT”??? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: She’s not just learning from me, she’s getting it while she’s at school, by attending extracurricular programs, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when she’s at her mom’s house.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One week, I thought I was cool by showing her the version of the story of Cinderella starring Brandy. As soon the film started she was like… \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daddy, is that Moesha? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Her mom introduced her to both Moesha and Brandy, got her a Whitney Houston t-shirt, and helped her with her school project about Aretha Franklin. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They also often watch “The Masked Singer”. Now, she knows Motown hits, but has a hard time believing Smokey Robinson wrote ‘em, instead of a person wearing an owl costume. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The best part of this journey through musical education: it works both ways! Now she’s teaching \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">me\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about music. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One spicy summer afternoon in Sacramento, my daughter and her friends gathered out front of our apartment singing their hearts out on a small Karaoke machine. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They ran through the classics: \u003cem>Moana\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Frozen\u003c/em>. Then they hit some of the newer joints, like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”– that’s the youngest kid’s favorite. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The boy across the way, he loves “Sunflower” off the Spiderman soundtrack. And Jack Black’s “Peaches” gets everybody going. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, a high schooler who lives in the apartment downstairs from me grabbed the mic and brought us into \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">her\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> world as she \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tjpe_vttac\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cued up this video\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of a rap battle between two animated characters:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It features Natsuki, from the\u003c/span>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ddlc.moe/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Doki Doki Literature Club\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Raven_(New_Earth)\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DC Comics’ heroine, Raven\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. As the video played, the teenager stood on the apartment walkway spitting flames! Reciting the lyrics bar for bar! \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I can only hope my daughter is that passionate about her own musical interests when she’s a teen. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for now, she’s in first grade. And even with this exposure to classic music and cultural icons, we still get pummeled with high-pitched voices singing overly joyous jingles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And through those kiddie jams, again, I find important musical lessons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My daughter loves this one PBS Kids show called “Hero Elementary.” It’s about a group of children who have special superpowers, but they’re still learning how to properly use them– hence the schooling. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The show’s theme song is a catchy tune, one of the many children’s songs that unfortunately gets stuck in my head and plays on repeat at the worst times– like during important meetings.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: A few weeks ago I was up late, writing and listening to some miscellaneous jazz tunes, when I heard Michel Camilo’s 1989 song “On Fire.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I jumped up like my daughter did when she heard the Zapp song that Tupac sampled, “Hero Elementary!” I said to myself in the living room. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In listening to children’s song after children’s song, I’m reminded that the catchy music and melodic storytelling that works for the babies also works in grown folks’ music. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listen closely to songs like Tupac’s “Hail Mary” Or “Ambitionz Az A Ridah,” aside from the menacing delivery and the vulgarity, he’s reciting his lyrics like they’re a Mother Goose tale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My daughter and I listen to some select Tupac songs, and have discussed his impact– as well as the legacies of Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Aaliyah and other artists who’ve become ancestors too soon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it’s the Tupac songs that have brought about the best conversations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Through them we’ve discussed oppression and liberation, Pac’s connection to Oakland and the Black Panther Party. And we’ve talked about the real meanings of the B-word and the N-word.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I’m mindful of the cuss words, as well as the sentiment in the songs I play when she’s around. I try to stay away from the R&B songs that have lyrics like “I can’t live without you,” because language about healthy relationships is just as important as learning not to cuss.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we haven’t even gotten to the rap songs with violent lyrics, references to drugs or deep-seated misogyny. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Besides “Getting It” I haven’t played any Short for her, nor any E-40. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But she knows who Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube are. And at the age of seven, she can identify the voices of Erykah Badu and Stevie Wonder. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The educational exploration of music hasn’t stopped her from learning “Baby Shark” or memorizing songs from \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Little Mermaid\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> soundtrack, she’s still very much so a kid. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And I’m enjoying seeing her grow. I’m fortunate to have this experience. Some people don’t have the luxury of playing music constantly, or riding around discussing art with their children. Some folks aren’t even able to be with their children at all. So I don’t take this time for granted. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Nipsey Hussle memorial clip]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Four years ago at the funeral for the late hip-hop legend and entrepreneur, Nipsey Hussle, his longtime girlfriend, the talented actress\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNEpJGVWYfY\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Lauren London, said something\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that I think about a lot. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She stood behind a podium, wearing a bright white gown and dark black sunglasses, as her hair draped over her shoulders.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Speaking to the audience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, she shared a prepared statement reflecting on what Nipsey brought to the world– and specifically their family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: She said that Nipsey would wake up in the morning and play music for the kids, simultaneously lighting sage and burning it around the house. It was his effort to get everyone’s energy right before walking out the door. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think about that – as I’m lighting an incense or a candle as the sun rises, and i’m looking through my playlists trying to figure out the first song of the day. Knowing that I’m not just a dad posing as a DJ, but a human using one of the highest forms of art to lend some guidance to another human who is on their spiritual journey. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What do you like about music?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I like that it sounds fun and funny sometimes and it’s cool.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> How does music make you feel?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Happy because you get to dance!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: This episode was written by me, Pendarvis Harshaw and my daughter, Zuri. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was produced by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"mailto:mmedina@kqed.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\" data-rich-links='{\"per_n\":\"Marisol Medina-Cadena\",\"per_e\":\"mmedina@kqed.org\",\"type\":\"person\"}'>Marisol Medina-Cadena\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and Maya Cueva\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our editor is Chris Hambrick and our engineer is Christopher Beale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Rightnowish team is supported by \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sheree Bishop,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Jen Chien , Holly Kernan, Xorje Olivares, Cesar Saldaña , and Katie Sprenger. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thank you all for listening!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until next time, peace. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rightnowish is a KQED production.\u003c/span>\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>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Rightnowish is an arts and culture podcast produced at KQED. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or click the play button at the top of this page and subscribe to the show on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish\">NPR One\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I\">Spotify\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/Rightnowish-p1258245/\">TuneIn\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish\">Stitcher\u003c/a> or wherever you get your podcasts. \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]=\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Pendarvis Harshaw talks about how the music he grew up listening to, plays into how he and his daughter bond over music now.",
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"subhead": "Here's a few things I've learned while teaching my daughter about music",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cem>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most parents have a story about their kid and music. Maybe there’s footage of an embarrassing singing performance or video of an entertaining dance rendition. Either way, I’m sure it’s a worthwhile tale where lessons were learned. And that’s because music, one of the highest forms of art, is also one of the greatest teaching tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My daughter and I discuss music from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, that’s because I’m always playing music. I’m raising her that way, largely because that’s how I grew up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mother’s love for funk and R&B, as well as new jack swing and hip-hop, laid the foundation for my musical pallet. Now that I’m raising my own little one, I’ve built on the foundation I had as a kid and I’m passing all of that musical knowledge down, song by song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In return, my daughter is teaching me some things I need to know about tunes we listen to on a daily basis. This interaction is a reminder: not only is music a great teaching tool, but the lessons go both ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this week’s podcast, we discuss how my daughter and I bond over music, especially while taking trips in the car. It’s a joyride every time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC3368504494&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Growing up, music was always playing in my house. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had the big wicker covered speakers with the red, white and yellow RCA cables connected to an amplifier. The dual tape players and the multiple disc changer was where music lived. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prince and Teena Marie were constant. Earth, Wind, and Fire was always in rotation. The soundtracks for movies like \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bodyguard\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crooklyn\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> were staples. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Moms even got into New Jack Swing and eventually hip-hop. She loved the group \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Arrested Development\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and because of that, I did too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And now I’m raising my daughter the same way. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But uh, slightly remixed. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s Golden Era hip-hop in the morning. Fela in the afternoon. Sade after dinner. Miles Davis at midnight. Or maybe it’s Kaytranda in the morning. Sublime in the midday. Rihanna during the afterschool drive, and then a mix of Japanese Jazz Fusion artists as we read and get ready for bed in the evening. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Even though the genres have slightly expanded from how I was raised, my daughter is soaking it all up all the same.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hi, I’m Zuri and I’m seven years old. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: We talk about how music is subtle and ubiquitous, playing at the grocery store or in the background of a TV show. And, at the same time, music is a magical artform that takes listeners into a world of different emotional responses. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m waxing poetically, but I’m no musician. Far from it. I tried rapping when I was a teen, but I forgot my lyrics. Tried singing but my voice changed; now I couldn’t hold a note even if I had special note-holding-gloves. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I’m a student of music, and I attribute that to being raised in a house where music was always playing– and in that, I was always learning, because music is one hell of a teaching tool. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today on the show, I want to share with you some of things that I’ve learned along the way, right after this. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One weekend, I was driving around with my daughter Zuri, looking for something with a funky bassline for our sunny Saturday drive. My aim was to find some music with kid-friendly lyrics, but not too “kiddie,” because it was \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">my\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Saturday too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I landed on Zapp and Roger, their greatest hits. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A few seconds into the first track my daughter asked me:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are these the guys who make music with the tubes in their mouth?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Yes! She remembered. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The next step is remembering the artists’ actual names, and then maybe the instrument– a voice box, autotune or even more broadly, a synthesizer. But she remembered something, so I was juiced!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I played another track by Zapp and Roger, and then she followed up\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Do all of their songs sound like this?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Well, no. They have this one song I really like…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Within the first few beats of the song, she blurts out:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Tupac!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: YES! That’s it! That’s the song Tupac sampled for “Keep Your Head Up”. Bruh, I was ecstatic!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Posted at the red light, I got a lil choked up– I looked out the window pretending something caught my attention, holding back a lil tear.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My approach to musicology was working… And then I got greedy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I tried to explain to her that in the song “Keep Your Head Up,” Tupac’s producer, DJ Daryl, sampled the melody of the Zapp’s “Be Alright,” but the lyrics of Tupac’s song were a reference to another classic track. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: He was inspired by a group called The Five Stairsteps, who had a song called, “O-H-H-Child.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We got about thirty seconds into the song, when she asked me to turn down the music and said:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Daddy, this sounds like the chipmunks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I didn’t see that coming. But that’s what happens when we talk about music in the car: There’s always something new. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The conversations touch on history and spirituality, sexism and racism. There’s almost always a tie in to Oakland. And just about every time she asks me about an artist, she asks if they’re still alive– which made me realize just how often I listen to recordings of people who are in the realm of the ancestors. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And of course, as when talking to just about \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">any\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> kid, there’s jokes. Like that one time she put in a request from the backseat… \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Daddy, can you play \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that one\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Michael Jackson song, “BLT”??? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: She’s not just learning from me, she’s getting it while she’s at school, by attending extracurricular programs, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when she’s at her mom’s house.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One week, I thought I was cool by showing her the version of the story of Cinderella starring Brandy. As soon the film started she was like… \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daddy, is that Moesha? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Her mom introduced her to both Moesha and Brandy, got her a Whitney Houston t-shirt, and helped her with her school project about Aretha Franklin. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They also often watch “The Masked Singer”. Now, she knows Motown hits, but has a hard time believing Smokey Robinson wrote ‘em, instead of a person wearing an owl costume. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The best part of this journey through musical education: it works both ways! Now she’s teaching \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">me\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about music. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One spicy summer afternoon in Sacramento, my daughter and her friends gathered out front of our apartment singing their hearts out on a small Karaoke machine. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They ran through the classics: \u003cem>Moana\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Frozen\u003c/em>. Then they hit some of the newer joints, like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”– that’s the youngest kid’s favorite. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The boy across the way, he loves “Sunflower” off the Spiderman soundtrack. And Jack Black’s “Peaches” gets everybody going. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, a high schooler who lives in the apartment downstairs from me grabbed the mic and brought us into \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">her\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> world as she \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tjpe_vttac\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cued up this video\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of a rap battle between two animated characters:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It features Natsuki, from the\u003c/span>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ddlc.moe/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Doki Doki Literature Club\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Raven_(New_Earth)\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DC Comics’ heroine, Raven\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. As the video played, the teenager stood on the apartment walkway spitting flames! Reciting the lyrics bar for bar! \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I can only hope my daughter is that passionate about her own musical interests when she’s a teen. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for now, she’s in first grade. And even with this exposure to classic music and cultural icons, we still get pummeled with high-pitched voices singing overly joyous jingles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And through those kiddie jams, again, I find important musical lessons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My daughter loves this one PBS Kids show called “Hero Elementary.” It’s about a group of children who have special superpowers, but they’re still learning how to properly use them– hence the schooling. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The show’s theme song is a catchy tune, one of the many children’s songs that unfortunately gets stuck in my head and plays on repeat at the worst times– like during important meetings.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: A few weeks ago I was up late, writing and listening to some miscellaneous jazz tunes, when I heard Michel Camilo’s 1989 song “On Fire.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I jumped up like my daughter did when she heard the Zapp song that Tupac sampled, “Hero Elementary!” I said to myself in the living room. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In listening to children’s song after children’s song, I’m reminded that the catchy music and melodic storytelling that works for the babies also works in grown folks’ music. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listen closely to songs like Tupac’s “Hail Mary” Or “Ambitionz Az A Ridah,” aside from the menacing delivery and the vulgarity, he’s reciting his lyrics like they’re a Mother Goose tale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My daughter and I listen to some select Tupac songs, and have discussed his impact– as well as the legacies of Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Aaliyah and other artists who’ve become ancestors too soon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it’s the Tupac songs that have brought about the best conversations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Through them we’ve discussed oppression and liberation, Pac’s connection to Oakland and the Black Panther Party. And we’ve talked about the real meanings of the B-word and the N-word.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: I’m mindful of the cuss words, as well as the sentiment in the songs I play when she’s around. I try to stay away from the R&B songs that have lyrics like “I can’t live without you,” because language about healthy relationships is just as important as learning not to cuss.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we haven’t even gotten to the rap songs with violent lyrics, references to drugs or deep-seated misogyny. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Besides “Getting It” I haven’t played any Short for her, nor any E-40. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But she knows who Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube are. And at the age of seven, she can identify the voices of Erykah Badu and Stevie Wonder. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The educational exploration of music hasn’t stopped her from learning “Baby Shark” or memorizing songs from \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Little Mermaid\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> soundtrack, she’s still very much so a kid. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And I’m enjoying seeing her grow. I’m fortunate to have this experience. Some people don’t have the luxury of playing music constantly, or riding around discussing art with their children. Some folks aren’t even able to be with their children at all. So I don’t take this time for granted. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Nipsey Hussle memorial clip]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Four years ago at the funeral for the late hip-hop legend and entrepreneur, Nipsey Hussle, his longtime girlfriend, the talented actress\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNEpJGVWYfY\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Lauren London, said something\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that I think about a lot. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She stood behind a podium, wearing a bright white gown and dark black sunglasses, as her hair draped over her shoulders.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Speaking to the audience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, she shared a prepared statement reflecting on what Nipsey brought to the world– and specifically their family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: She said that Nipsey would wake up in the morning and play music for the kids, simultaneously lighting sage and burning it around the house. It was his effort to get everyone’s energy right before walking out the door. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think about that – as I’m lighting an incense or a candle as the sun rises, and i’m looking through my playlists trying to figure out the first song of the day. Knowing that I’m not just a dad posing as a DJ, but a human using one of the highest forms of art to lend some guidance to another human who is on their spiritual journey. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What do you like about music?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I like that it sounds fun and funny sometimes and it’s cool.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> How does music make you feel?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Zuri:\u003c/b> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Happy because you get to dance!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Music playing]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: This episode was written by me, Pendarvis Harshaw and my daughter, Zuri. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was produced by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"mailto:mmedina@kqed.org\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\" data-rich-links='{\"per_n\":\"Marisol Medina-Cadena\",\"per_e\":\"mmedina@kqed.org\",\"type\":\"person\"}'>Marisol Medina-Cadena\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and Maya Cueva\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our editor is Chris Hambrick and our engineer is Christopher Beale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Rightnowish team is supported by \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sheree Bishop,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Jen Chien , Holly Kernan, Xorje Olivares, Cesar Saldaña , and Katie Sprenger. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thank you all for listening!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until next time, peace. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rightnowish is a KQED production.\u003c/span>\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>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Rightnowish is an arts and culture podcast produced at KQED. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or click the play button at the top of this page and subscribe to the show on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish\">NPR One\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I\">Spotify\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/Rightnowish-p1258245/\">TuneIn\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish\">Stitcher\u003c/a> or wherever you get your podcasts. \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>=\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "The Lab Secures New Lease, Plans to Expand Into a 109-Year-Old Ballroom",
"headTitle": "The Lab Secures New Lease, Plans to Expand Into a 109-Year-Old Ballroom | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>For the first time in decades, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelab.org/\">The Lab\u003c/a>, San Francisco’s 39-year-old experimental arts space, will have more than a year-long lease. On Tuesday, the nonprofit announced they’d secured a lease with renewal options of up to 12 years from Lakeside Investment Company, which purchased the Redstone Building, formerly known as the San Francisco Labor Temple, in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After years of uncertainty and precarity, The Lab is doubling down, literally — expanding its footprint by about 70%, from around 3,700 square feet to nearly 6,400 square feet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taking on this additional space, which includes the full extent of the 1914 building’s original ballroom, complete with ornate molding and a three-story-high ceiling, helped bring the lease negotiation to a close, says Andrew Smith, The Lab’s newly appointed executive director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"White man with glasses in layered shirt and jacket sits behind desk with rows of chairs set up in large room\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Smith, The Lab’s executive director, in the nonprofit’s existing space. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It turned out to be a pretty substantial negotiating point with the landlords,” he says. The new lease raises The Lab’s rent from under $1 a square foot to $1.92 a square foot over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been a dream of The Lab for the last decade to officially take over this square footage,” Smith says. “They were willing to cut us a deal on rent — it’s obviously still a very expensive increase for us, but a lot cheaper than it could have been.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new chapter\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Founded in 1984 as a site for interdisciplinary artistic production, The Lab moved into the Redstone Building in 1995. Its reputation for genre-defying and sometimes challenging (yet exciting) programming persists. Upcoming events include \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelab.org/projects/2023/11/9/mills-after-mills-three-days-of-crazy-love\">Mills After Mills\u003c/a>, a three-day festival featuring composers associated with the college’s now-defunct music department. On Nov. 17, the space will play host to a far quieter gathering: \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelab.org/projects/2023/11/17/about-ed-by-robert-glck-a-celebration\">a book release\u003c/a> from Small Press Traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taking on the added square footage and rent expenses represents a new chapter for the organization, which was in a very different financial state just a decade ago. (In 2014, The Lab owed $150,000 in back rent and taxes.) But over the past nine years, under the leadership of Smith’s predecessor, Dena Beard, The Lab became solvent without losing its punk ethos, launching a generous commissioning program that provides artists with $25,000–$100,000 and 10 weeks of time and space with “the option to revise every aspect of The Lab’s operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Plastered and cracking ornate molding as it meets the ceiling\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937820\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the crown molding running along the ceiling in the Labor Temple’s ballroom. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With the new space comes opportunities for larger-capacity shows and more ticket sales, but the existence of the lease itself may also open doors to additional funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I started at The Lab at the beginning of July,” Smith says, “I started reaching out to a number of past funders, and the question I received was ‘What’s up with the lease?’ Board members had the same question.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With full use of the combined spaces, Smith envisions returning to the Labor Temple’s original floor plan, reserving what was once the assembly hall for smaller gatherings and exhibitions, and using the ballroom as The Lab’s performance and event space. Smith wants to return the ballroom to its original (humble) splendor — once two layers of drop ceilings, defunct HVAC systems and flooring tiles are removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Linoleum floored and drop ceiling open space with semi-dismantled cubicles and a ladder in center\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937816\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Labor Temple’s ballroom, now leased by The Lab, was an office and storage room for decades. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Dark space with padded tubing and tops of windows visible\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937815\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view between the two drop ceilings in the ballroom. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Looking at the remnants of dingy cubicles, it’s hard to imagine the ballroom as it once was: filled, for example, with partygoers for the 1917 Union Printers’ Mutual Aid Society ball.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the San Francisco Labor Temple opened in 1915, it was home to union offices, medical services and entertainment spaces, and hosted about 30 meetings each week for various organizations. It was a key site during several important moments in Bay Area labor history, including the San Francisco general strike of 1934. Murals organized in 1997 by the \u003ca href=\"https://clarionalleymuralproject.org/off-site-projects/labor-temple-project/\">Clarion Alley Mural Project\u003c/a> adorn the building’s main entrance and lobby, commemorating its years of union activity. The \u003ca href=\"https://sfplanninggis.org/docs/landmarks_and_districts/LM238.pdf\">building was landmarked\u003c/a> for its association with historic events in 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Smith, the ballroom hasn’t been used for its original purpose since 1968, when the Labor Temple Hall Association, facing foreclosure, sold the building, eventually transforming it from a union hall into something more like a community center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937821\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Block of text explaining history of building use and mural subject matter outlined by fresh white paint\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937821\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As crews upgrade office spaces and paint walls, they have left the murals lining the entrance and lobby of the Redstone Building intact. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937822\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Mural of theater workers and performers lining a short staircase\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937822\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aaron Noble’s mural outside the former Theatre Rhinoceros. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Current and future tenants\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“There’s been a continuity of it being a hub for social and economic justice organizing continuing even after the San Francisco Labor Council,” points out Karl Kramer, whose\u003ca href=\"https://www.livingwage-sf.org/\"> San Francisco Living Wage Coalition\u003c/a> occupies an office on the third floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer is also a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.asej.net/\">Alliance for Social and Economic Justice\u003c/a>, which is \u003ca href=\"https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-save-the-redstone-labor-temple-as-a-community-center-peticion-para-salvar-el-templo-laboral-de-redstone-como-centro-comunitario\">actively trying to preserve the former Theatre Rhinoceros\u003c/a> on the building’s first floor. “Our hope is to have event space in the building for our member organizations to have cultural performances of music and poetry,” he says, “but also to have it accessible to other community organizations, to help new emerging organizations get started.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There used to be three theaters in the building, Kramer notes, but two have been stripped bare during ongoing renovations, and now only the Theatre Rhinoceros space remains. Currently, it sits dark, stage lights in a pile, construction materials and paint buckets lining its entrance hallway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Spotlight on stage and red theater seats in otherwise dark room, construction materials scattered around\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The former home of Theatre Rhinoceros, America’s longest-running queer theater. The theater moved out of the Redstone Building in 2009. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kramer says they haven’t been able to get an answer from the landlords about their plans for the theater, pointing out that if they intend to convert the building over to tech offices, retaining the theater as a community-focused event space could be a selling point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Particularly among a younger generation of people who are in startups, they’re more finely tuned to authenticity,” Kramer says. “They don’t want to be in a building that was cleared of organizations serving low income and immigrant workers. They would want to see themselves as being a part of strengthening the community, not displacing its members.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amidst disruptive building upgrades and unresponsive landlords, news of The Lab’s lease is heartening. “It’s a very good sign,” Kramer says. ”And we are just asking for the same thing that The Lab was able to accomplish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Lab can now begin to look forward from the vantage point of firm footing. “So many things have been on hold and now I can really charge forward on this stuff,” Smith says. “It’s such a relief.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The interdisciplinary arts nonprofit has secured up to a 12-year lease in the former San Francisco Labor Temple.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For the first time in decades, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelab.org/\">The Lab\u003c/a>, San Francisco’s 39-year-old experimental arts space, will have more than a year-long lease. On Tuesday, the nonprofit announced they’d secured a lease with renewal options of up to 12 years from Lakeside Investment Company, which purchased the Redstone Building, formerly known as the San Francisco Labor Temple, in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After years of uncertainty and precarity, The Lab is doubling down, literally — expanding its footprint by about 70%, from around 3,700 square feet to nearly 6,400 square feet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taking on this additional space, which includes the full extent of the 1914 building’s original ballroom, complete with ornate molding and a three-story-high ceiling, helped bring the lease negotiation to a close, says Andrew Smith, The Lab’s newly appointed executive director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"White man with glasses in layered shirt and jacket sits behind desk with rows of chairs set up in large room\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Smith, The Lab’s executive director, in the nonprofit’s existing space. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It turned out to be a pretty substantial negotiating point with the landlords,” he says. The new lease raises The Lab’s rent from under $1 a square foot to $1.92 a square foot over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been a dream of The Lab for the last decade to officially take over this square footage,” Smith says. “They were willing to cut us a deal on rent — it’s obviously still a very expensive increase for us, but a lot cheaper than it could have been.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new chapter\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Founded in 1984 as a site for interdisciplinary artistic production, The Lab moved into the Redstone Building in 1995. Its reputation for genre-defying and sometimes challenging (yet exciting) programming persists. Upcoming events include \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelab.org/projects/2023/11/9/mills-after-mills-three-days-of-crazy-love\">Mills After Mills\u003c/a>, a three-day festival featuring composers associated with the college’s now-defunct music department. On Nov. 17, the space will play host to a far quieter gathering: \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelab.org/projects/2023/11/17/about-ed-by-robert-glck-a-celebration\">a book release\u003c/a> from Small Press Traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taking on the added square footage and rent expenses represents a new chapter for the organization, which was in a very different financial state just a decade ago. (In 2014, The Lab owed $150,000 in back rent and taxes.) But over the past nine years, under the leadership of Smith’s predecessor, Dena Beard, The Lab became solvent without losing its punk ethos, launching a generous commissioning program that provides artists with $25,000–$100,000 and 10 weeks of time and space with “the option to revise every aspect of The Lab’s operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Plastered and cracking ornate molding as it meets the ceiling\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937820\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-13-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the crown molding running along the ceiling in the Labor Temple’s ballroom. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With the new space comes opportunities for larger-capacity shows and more ticket sales, but the existence of the lease itself may also open doors to additional funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I started at The Lab at the beginning of July,” Smith says, “I started reaching out to a number of past funders, and the question I received was ‘What’s up with the lease?’ Board members had the same question.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With full use of the combined spaces, Smith envisions returning to the Labor Temple’s original floor plan, reserving what was once the assembly hall for smaller gatherings and exhibitions, and using the ballroom as The Lab’s performance and event space. Smith wants to return the ballroom to its original (humble) splendor — once two layers of drop ceilings, defunct HVAC systems and flooring tiles are removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Linoleum floored and drop ceiling open space with semi-dismantled cubicles and a ladder in center\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937816\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-16-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Labor Temple’s ballroom, now leased by The Lab, was an office and storage room for decades. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Dark space with padded tubing and tops of windows visible\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937815\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-05-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view between the two drop ceilings in the ballroom. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Looking at the remnants of dingy cubicles, it’s hard to imagine the ballroom as it once was: filled, for example, with partygoers for the 1917 Union Printers’ Mutual Aid Society ball.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the San Francisco Labor Temple opened in 1915, it was home to union offices, medical services and entertainment spaces, and hosted about 30 meetings each week for various organizations. It was a key site during several important moments in Bay Area labor history, including the San Francisco general strike of 1934. Murals organized in 1997 by the \u003ca href=\"https://clarionalleymuralproject.org/off-site-projects/labor-temple-project/\">Clarion Alley Mural Project\u003c/a> adorn the building’s main entrance and lobby, commemorating its years of union activity. The \u003ca href=\"https://sfplanninggis.org/docs/landmarks_and_districts/LM238.pdf\">building was landmarked\u003c/a> for its association with historic events in 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Smith, the ballroom hasn’t been used for its original purpose since 1968, when the Labor Temple Hall Association, facing foreclosure, sold the building, eventually transforming it from a union hall into something more like a community center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937821\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Block of text explaining history of building use and mural subject matter outlined by fresh white paint\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937821\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-30-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As crews upgrade office spaces and paint walls, they have left the murals lining the entrance and lobby of the Redstone Building intact. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937822\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Mural of theater workers and performers lining a short staircase\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937822\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-34-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aaron Noble’s mural outside the former Theatre Rhinoceros. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Current and future tenants\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“There’s been a continuity of it being a hub for social and economic justice organizing continuing even after the San Francisco Labor Council,” points out Karl Kramer, whose\u003ca href=\"https://www.livingwage-sf.org/\"> San Francisco Living Wage Coalition\u003c/a> occupies an office on the third floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kramer is also a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.asej.net/\">Alliance for Social and Economic Justice\u003c/a>, which is \u003ca href=\"https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-save-the-redstone-labor-temple-as-a-community-center-peticion-para-salvar-el-templo-laboral-de-redstone-como-centro-comunitario\">actively trying to preserve the former Theatre Rhinoceros\u003c/a> on the building’s first floor. “Our hope is to have event space in the building for our member organizations to have cultural performances of music and poetry,” he says, “but also to have it accessible to other community organizations, to help new emerging organizations get started.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There used to be three theaters in the building, Kramer notes, but two have been stripped bare during ongoing renovations, and now only the Theatre Rhinoceros space remains. Currently, it sits dark, stage lights in a pile, construction materials and paint buckets lining its entrance hallway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"Spotlight on stage and red theater seats in otherwise dark room, construction materials scattered around\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-33-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The former home of Theatre Rhinoceros, America’s longest-running queer theater. The theater moved out of the Redstone Building in 2009. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kramer says they haven’t been able to get an answer from the landlords about their plans for the theater, pointing out that if they intend to convert the building over to tech offices, retaining the theater as a community-focused event space could be a selling point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Particularly among a younger generation of people who are in startups, they’re more finely tuned to authenticity,” Kramer says. “They don’t want to be in a building that was cleared of organizations serving low income and immigrant workers. They would want to see themselves as being a part of strengthening the community, not displacing its members.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amidst disruptive building upgrades and unresponsive landlords, news of The Lab’s lease is heartening. “It’s a very good sign,” Kramer says. ”And we are just asking for the same thing that The Lab was able to accomplish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Lab can now begin to look forward from the vantage point of firm footing. “So many things have been on hold and now I can really charge forward on this stuff,” Smith says. “It’s such a relief.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-bay-area-turntablism-scratch-dj-albums",
"title": "13 of the Bay Area's Best Turntablism Albums",
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"headTitle": "13 of the Bay Area’s Best Turntablism Albums | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s debatable who came up with the term “turntablism” — it could have been Daly City’s DJ Disk, or the more widely credited DJ Babu, from Los Angeles. But everyone can agree that the term proliferated in the late ’90s, when turntablism became shorthand for the much-buzzed-about art of playing a turntable as if it were an instrument.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13923938']In its heyday, practitioners of turntablism claimed Bronx hip-hop pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore as spiritual progenitors, and eschewed digital technology like CD-J players. The movement centered around global competitions like the DMC World DJ Championships and the now-defunct International Turntablist Federation (ITF) competitions. But its spiritual home was the Bay Area, where some of the era’s greatest events and innovations took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those few heady years in the late ’90s and early aughts, sales of Technics turntables soared as fans attempted to mimic DMC and ITF all-stars like local heroes Invisibl Skratch Piklz, New York’s X-Men a.k.a. X-ecutioners, Miami’s DJ Craze, New York’s DJ Eclipse and Toronto prodigy A-Trak. Like the Bay Area’s jam-band scene, turntablism was best experienced live, where fans could fully appreciate the difficulty of crafting complex routines out of unsteady turntable needles and vinyl prone to skipping out of place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13812554']Few turntablists managed to capture that sense of excitement in traditional audio recordings — where far too often, all that scratching could turn into a noisy blur. Yet for those who enjoy instrumental hip-hop, this sample of crucial turntablism recordings offer plenty of unusual delights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKI5UxYnEbU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ Qbert, ‘Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik’ (Dirt Style Records) (1994)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the early ’90s, DJ Qbert was a DMC champion and a party-rocker capable of toggling between funky breaks and rap 12-inches garlanded with orbitals, flares, and transformer cuts. Among turntablism advocates, \u003cem>Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik\u003c/em> is a classic example of his early style before he became the avatar of “skratch.” He threads the hour-long session with outtakes from the 1983 graffiti documentary Style Wars and includes routines from Rock Steady members DJ Disk and Shortkut. The original 1994 cassette tape of \u003cem>Demolition\u003c/em> is hard to find now, but you can find streams of it on YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC8Z8O3sZKE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Return of the DJ’ (Bomb Hip-Hop) (1995)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Compiled by San Francisco DJ, events promoter, and \u003cem>Bomb\u003c/em> magazine publisher Dave Paul, \u003cem>Return of the DJ\u003c/em> arguably kicked off the turntablism era. It’s an international survey of the scene with contributions from Rob Swift of New York crew the X-Men/X-ecutioners, DJ Babu from L.A. unit the Beat Junkies, Japan’s ASAP Productions, future Phoenix star DJ Z-Trip, and L.A.’s Cut Chemist; as well as Daly City’s Invisibl Skratch Piklz and Mixmaster Mike. But \u003cem>Return of the DJ\u003c/em>’s finest moment arguably belongs to San Francisco producer Peanut Butter Wolf: inspired by Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” his “The Chronicles (I Will Always Love H.E.R.)” resonates as a melancholy tribute to a culture then reeling from street violence and untimely deaths. Thanks to widespread acclaim — in 1999, Spin magazine named it one of the best albums of the decade — Paul issued four more volumes of \u003cem>Return of the DJ\u003c/em> as well as other compilations that catalogued the global turntablism movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORLJvUMs08\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ Shadow, ‘Endtroducing’ (MoWax/ffrr) (1996)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Let’s not relitigate the once-heated debate over whether DJ Shadow’s classic album is “trip-hop” and “electronica.” The Bay Area DJ and producer was very much a part of the local hip-hop scene, a member of Solesides a.k.a. Quannum who contributed guest mixes to KMEL-FM and self-released cassettes like \u003cem>Hip-Hop Reconstruction from the Ground Up\u003c/em>. After a handful of EPs for terminally cool British label Mo Wax, Shadow offered \u003cem>Endtroducing\u003c/em>, a mood piece that’s indebted to David Axelrod’s instrumental jazz-rock as well as DJ Steinski’s cut-and-paste mashups. But close listeners will notice that Shadow utilizes turntable scratches, too, and he loops drum breaks underneath his compositions as if he were beat juggling them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVtEUxQzOfU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mix Master Mike, ‘Anti-Theft Device’ (Asphodel) (1998)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Mix Master Mike’s formal debut after years of b-boy-focused mixtapes like \u003cem>Rescue 916\u003c/em> — the area code for Sacramento, where he lived for a few years — divided fans and critics upon its release. Few expected the Invisibl Skratch Pikl and newly named Beastie Boys DJ to issue a moody collaboration with electronic dub composer and Asphodel owner Mark “Naut Humon” Sprague. Heard today, it sounds like an ambitious attempt to thrust turntablism beyond the scratch-happy funk typical of the form. Mike excels as a rhythmic scratcher, and a close listen will find him subtly muddying Naut Humon’s quirky electro instrumentals. Still, \u003cem>Anti-Theft Device\u003c/em> was inevitably overshadowed by Mike’s star turn on Beastie Boys’ world-conquering album \u003cem>Hello Nasty\u003c/em>, which makes it ripe for rediscovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDFLo7_NTi8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Qbert, ‘Wave Twisters – Episode 7 Million: Sonic Wars Within the Protons’ (Galactic Butt Hair) (1998)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Dave Paul once said that turntablism ultimately didn’t work as a recording genre because after Qbert released the best turntablism album ever, no one could top it. Indeed, \u003cem>Wave Twisters\u003c/em> works as a brilliant conceptual piece filled with the kind of pop arcana that fueled the scene: early ’80s old-school hip-hop, cheesy science-fiction movies, juvenile sex jokes, and Japanese anime. Yet Qbert, who in 1996 had worked on the classic Dr. Octagon album with rapper Kool Keith and producer Dan “the Automator” Nakamura, is also the Jimi Hendrix of turntable scratching. He can construct fanciful music out of percussive noise in a way that, in others’ hands, often seemed unlistenable. In 2001, he turned \u003cem>Wave Twisters\u003c/em> into a surreal animated film directed by Doug “Dug One” Cunningham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWh4MzaioAw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The Shiggar Fraggar Show! Vols. 5-1’ (Hip Hop Slam) (1998-2000)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite burgeoning global fame as the best hip-hop DJ crew on the planet, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz never recorded a proper full-length album before splitting up in 2000. (However, they issued several showcases on DVD and VHS such as \u003cem>Turntable TV\u003c/em>.) Their only official EP, a routine from Shortkut, Qbert, and Mix Master Mike titled \u003cem>Invisibl Skratch Piklz vs. Da Klamz Uv Death\u003c/em>, drew a mixed fan reception upon release in 1996. All that makes these sessions recorded for Oakland radio DJ, journalist, and iconoclast Billy Jam’s “Pirate Fuckin’ Radio” broadcasts the best documents of their legendary prowess. Made between 1995 and 1996, \u003cem>The Shiggar Fraggar Show\u003c/em> found the above trio, DJ Disk, DJ Apollo, DJ 8-Ball, MC U.B., and the mysterious Shiggar Fraggar transitioning between cutting up rap 12-inches like LL Cool J’s “I’m Bad” and unfurling their pioneering all-skratching style. With characteristic cheekiness, Billy Jam issued the five sessions on his Hip-Hop Slam imprint in reverse order, with Vol. 5 appearing first in 1998.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7LTQa0MZ1c\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Vinroc, ‘Recon-struction’ (self-released) (1998)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Raised in Jersey City and an award-winning member of the New York crew 5th Platoon before relocating to the Bay Area, Vinroc became an advocate for the roots of hip-hop DJ’ing as a party-rocking artform and eschewed the global boom in scratch-centered turntablism. On his breakout mixtape, \u003cem>Recon-struction\u003c/em>, he elegantly blends crucial numbers by A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, Public Enemy, and several other golden-age rap heroes. The beat never flags as he displays techniques that seem deceptively simple but, well, are not. Vinroc later formed the DJ crew Triple Threat with Shortkut and DJ Apollo, and they released the 2003 album \u003cem>Many Styles\u003c/em> while earning fans for their blends of rap, soulful R&B, and dancehall reggae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4-iYnZtJcI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, ‘Brainfreeze’ (Sixty7 Recordings) (1999)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1999, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist headlined one of S.F. promoter Mark Herlihy’s Future Primitive events at the Justice League nightclub. They also sold copies of \u003cem>Brainfreeze\u003c/em>, a classic mix themed around 7-Eleven Slurpees. Utilizing four turntables, Shadow and Cut Chemist blended rare 7-inches by the Mohawks and Rufus Thomas with select raps like Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “Flash It to the Beat” and, of course, “Unified Rebelution” by Chemist’s group Jurassic 5. As \u003cem>Brainfreeze\u003c/em> became emblematic of a cultural shift towards deep funk and soul from the ’60s and ’70s (also see the Daptone Records label and Amy Winehouse’s \u003cem>Back to Black\u003c/em>), the duo reprised their partnership for subsequent tours and DJs mixes like 2001’s \u003cem>Product Placement\u003c/em> and 2007’s \u003cem>The Hard Sell\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q0MMravXk0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>D-Styles, ‘Phantazmagorea’ (Beat Junkie Sound) (2002)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Released at the tail end of the turntablism era, D-Styles’ \u003cem>Phantazmagorea\u003c/em> is impressively hard and Gothic. As a member of several crews, including Beat Junkies and Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the South Bay DJ earned a reputation for mixing turntable scratches with pungent vibes evocative of mobb music producers like Studio Ton and Black C. (His work with the rap group Third Sight, particularly 1998’s \u003cem>The Golden Shower Hour\u003c/em>, is worth seeking out.) Others like Mix Master Mike and DJ Disk flirted with that distinctly Bay Area bass sound, but D-Styles pushes it to an extreme on \u003cem>Phantazmagorea\u003c/em>, creating an ominous splatter-movie tone that’s hardly mirthful.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Honorable Mentions:\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937750\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/DeepConcentration-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/DeepConcentration-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/DeepConcentration.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>‘Deep Concentration’ (Om Records) (1998)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to then-new San Francisco electronic label Om Records, \u003cem>Deep Concentration\u003c/em> drew a lot of national attention for surveying trends in turntablism and downtempo music. The compilation includes locals such as Eddie Def, Peanut Butter Wolf, and rappers Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937754\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LiveHuman-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LiveHuman-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LiveHuman.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Live Human, ‘Elefish Jellyfant’ (Matador) (2000)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This collaboration between DJ Quest of Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters a.k.a. Space Travelers, drummer Albert Mathias, and bassist Andrew Kushin brought scratch techniques to the Bay’s long-running bohemian jazz scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937752\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/RicciRuckerMikeBoo-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/RicciRuckerMikeBoo-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/RicciRuckerMikeBoo.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Ricci Rucker & Mike Boo, ‘Scetchbook: An Introduction to Scratch Music’ (2002)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Scetchbook\u003c/em>, Ricci Rucker and Mike Boo split the difference between scratch routines and moody downtempo instrumentals a la DJ Shadow. Their loop of a Prince electric guitar solo is an album highlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937751\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders.jpg 1087w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Oakland Faders, ‘Scion CD Sampler Vol. 12’ (2005)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the winners of Toyota brand Scion’s 2004 “Free Up Your Mix” competition, the Oakland Faders crew — DJ Platurn, DJ Spair, DJ Mere, Joe Quixx and DJ Ammbush — as well as guest DJ Icewater created a noteworthy look at the brightly melodic sounds that defined Bay Area hip-hop in the aughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"60\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11687704\" 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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"excerpt": "The imagination and skill of Bay Area DJs using the turntable as an instrument is on full display in these essential recordings.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s debatable who came up with the term “turntablism” — it could have been Daly City’s DJ Disk, or the more widely credited DJ Babu, from Los Angeles. But everyone can agree that the term proliferated in the late ’90s, when turntablism became shorthand for the much-buzzed-about art of playing a turntable as if it were an instrument.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In its heyday, practitioners of turntablism claimed Bronx hip-hop pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore as spiritual progenitors, and eschewed digital technology like CD-J players. The movement centered around global competitions like the DMC World DJ Championships and the now-defunct International Turntablist Federation (ITF) competitions. But its spiritual home was the Bay Area, where some of the era’s greatest events and innovations took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those few heady years in the late ’90s and early aughts, sales of Technics turntables soared as fans attempted to mimic DMC and ITF all-stars like local heroes Invisibl Skratch Piklz, New York’s X-Men a.k.a. X-ecutioners, Miami’s DJ Craze, New York’s DJ Eclipse and Toronto prodigy A-Trak. Like the Bay Area’s jam-band scene, turntablism was best experienced live, where fans could fully appreciate the difficulty of crafting complex routines out of unsteady turntable needles and vinyl prone to skipping out of place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Few turntablists managed to capture that sense of excitement in traditional audio recordings — where far too often, all that scratching could turn into a noisy blur. Yet for those who enjoy instrumental hip-hop, this sample of crucial turntablism recordings offer plenty of unusual delights.\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/CKI5UxYnEbU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/CKI5UxYnEbU'\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> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ Qbert, ‘Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik’ (Dirt Style Records) (1994)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the early ’90s, DJ Qbert was a DMC champion and a party-rocker capable of toggling between funky breaks and rap 12-inches garlanded with orbitals, flares, and transformer cuts. Among turntablism advocates, \u003cem>Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik\u003c/em> is a classic example of his early style before he became the avatar of “skratch.” He threads the hour-long session with outtakes from the 1983 graffiti documentary Style Wars and includes routines from Rock Steady members DJ Disk and Shortkut. The original 1994 cassette tape of \u003cem>Demolition\u003c/em> is hard to find now, but you can find streams of it on YouTube.\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/uC8Z8O3sZKE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/uC8Z8O3sZKE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Return of the DJ’ (Bomb Hip-Hop) (1995)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Compiled by San Francisco DJ, events promoter, and \u003cem>Bomb\u003c/em> magazine publisher Dave Paul, \u003cem>Return of the DJ\u003c/em> arguably kicked off the turntablism era. It’s an international survey of the scene with contributions from Rob Swift of New York crew the X-Men/X-ecutioners, DJ Babu from L.A. unit the Beat Junkies, Japan’s ASAP Productions, future Phoenix star DJ Z-Trip, and L.A.’s Cut Chemist; as well as Daly City’s Invisibl Skratch Piklz and Mixmaster Mike. But \u003cem>Return of the DJ\u003c/em>’s finest moment arguably belongs to San Francisco producer Peanut Butter Wolf: inspired by Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” his “The Chronicles (I Will Always Love H.E.R.)” resonates as a melancholy tribute to a culture then reeling from street violence and untimely deaths. Thanks to widespread acclaim — in 1999, Spin magazine named it one of the best albums of the decade — Paul issued four more volumes of \u003cem>Return of the DJ\u003c/em> as well as other compilations that catalogued the global turntablism movement.\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/HORLJvUMs08'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/HORLJvUMs08'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ Shadow, ‘Endtroducing’ (MoWax/ffrr) (1996)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Let’s not relitigate the once-heated debate over whether DJ Shadow’s classic album is “trip-hop” and “electronica.” The Bay Area DJ and producer was very much a part of the local hip-hop scene, a member of Solesides a.k.a. Quannum who contributed guest mixes to KMEL-FM and self-released cassettes like \u003cem>Hip-Hop Reconstruction from the Ground Up\u003c/em>. After a handful of EPs for terminally cool British label Mo Wax, Shadow offered \u003cem>Endtroducing\u003c/em>, a mood piece that’s indebted to David Axelrod’s instrumental jazz-rock as well as DJ Steinski’s cut-and-paste mashups. But close listeners will notice that Shadow utilizes turntable scratches, too, and he loops drum breaks underneath his compositions as if he were beat juggling them.\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/dVtEUxQzOfU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/dVtEUxQzOfU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mix Master Mike, ‘Anti-Theft Device’ (Asphodel) (1998)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Mix Master Mike’s formal debut after years of b-boy-focused mixtapes like \u003cem>Rescue 916\u003c/em> — the area code for Sacramento, where he lived for a few years — divided fans and critics upon its release. Few expected the Invisibl Skratch Pikl and newly named Beastie Boys DJ to issue a moody collaboration with electronic dub composer and Asphodel owner Mark “Naut Humon” Sprague. Heard today, it sounds like an ambitious attempt to thrust turntablism beyond the scratch-happy funk typical of the form. Mike excels as a rhythmic scratcher, and a close listen will find him subtly muddying Naut Humon’s quirky electro instrumentals. Still, \u003cem>Anti-Theft Device\u003c/em> was inevitably overshadowed by Mike’s star turn on Beastie Boys’ world-conquering album \u003cem>Hello Nasty\u003c/em>, which makes it ripe for rediscovery.\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/JDFLo7_NTi8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/JDFLo7_NTi8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Qbert, ‘Wave Twisters – Episode 7 Million: Sonic Wars Within the Protons’ (Galactic Butt Hair) (1998)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Dave Paul once said that turntablism ultimately didn’t work as a recording genre because after Qbert released the best turntablism album ever, no one could top it. Indeed, \u003cem>Wave Twisters\u003c/em> works as a brilliant conceptual piece filled with the kind of pop arcana that fueled the scene: early ’80s old-school hip-hop, cheesy science-fiction movies, juvenile sex jokes, and Japanese anime. Yet Qbert, who in 1996 had worked on the classic Dr. Octagon album with rapper Kool Keith and producer Dan “the Automator” Nakamura, is also the Jimi Hendrix of turntable scratching. He can construct fanciful music out of percussive noise in a way that, in others’ hands, often seemed unlistenable. In 2001, he turned \u003cem>Wave Twisters\u003c/em> into a surreal animated film directed by Doug “Dug One” Cunningham.\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/WWh4MzaioAw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/WWh4MzaioAw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The Shiggar Fraggar Show! Vols. 5-1’ (Hip Hop Slam) (1998-2000)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Despite burgeoning global fame as the best hip-hop DJ crew on the planet, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz never recorded a proper full-length album before splitting up in 2000. (However, they issued several showcases on DVD and VHS such as \u003cem>Turntable TV\u003c/em>.) Their only official EP, a routine from Shortkut, Qbert, and Mix Master Mike titled \u003cem>Invisibl Skratch Piklz vs. Da Klamz Uv Death\u003c/em>, drew a mixed fan reception upon release in 1996. All that makes these sessions recorded for Oakland radio DJ, journalist, and iconoclast Billy Jam’s “Pirate Fuckin’ Radio” broadcasts the best documents of their legendary prowess. Made between 1995 and 1996, \u003cem>The Shiggar Fraggar Show\u003c/em> found the above trio, DJ Disk, DJ Apollo, DJ 8-Ball, MC U.B., and the mysterious Shiggar Fraggar transitioning between cutting up rap 12-inches like LL Cool J’s “I’m Bad” and unfurling their pioneering all-skratching style. With characteristic cheekiness, Billy Jam issued the five sessions on his Hip-Hop Slam imprint in reverse order, with Vol. 5 appearing first in 1998.\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/m7LTQa0MZ1c'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/m7LTQa0MZ1c'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Vinroc, ‘Recon-struction’ (self-released) (1998)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Raised in Jersey City and an award-winning member of the New York crew 5th Platoon before relocating to the Bay Area, Vinroc became an advocate for the roots of hip-hop DJ’ing as a party-rocking artform and eschewed the global boom in scratch-centered turntablism. On his breakout mixtape, \u003cem>Recon-struction\u003c/em>, he elegantly blends crucial numbers by A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, Public Enemy, and several other golden-age rap heroes. The beat never flags as he displays techniques that seem deceptively simple but, well, are not. Vinroc later formed the DJ crew Triple Threat with Shortkut and DJ Apollo, and they released the 2003 album \u003cem>Many Styles\u003c/em> while earning fans for their blends of rap, soulful R&B, and dancehall reggae.\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/m4-iYnZtJcI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/m4-iYnZtJcI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, ‘Brainfreeze’ (Sixty7 Recordings) (1999)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1999, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist headlined one of S.F. promoter Mark Herlihy’s Future Primitive events at the Justice League nightclub. They also sold copies of \u003cem>Brainfreeze\u003c/em>, a classic mix themed around 7-Eleven Slurpees. Utilizing four turntables, Shadow and Cut Chemist blended rare 7-inches by the Mohawks and Rufus Thomas with select raps like Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “Flash It to the Beat” and, of course, “Unified Rebelution” by Chemist’s group Jurassic 5. As \u003cem>Brainfreeze\u003c/em> became emblematic of a cultural shift towards deep funk and soul from the ’60s and ’70s (also see the Daptone Records label and Amy Winehouse’s \u003cem>Back to Black\u003c/em>), the duo reprised their partnership for subsequent tours and DJs mixes like 2001’s \u003cem>Product Placement\u003c/em> and 2007’s \u003cem>The Hard Sell\u003c/em>.\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/1q0MMravXk0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/1q0MMravXk0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>D-Styles, ‘Phantazmagorea’ (Beat Junkie Sound) (2002)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Released at the tail end of the turntablism era, D-Styles’ \u003cem>Phantazmagorea\u003c/em> is impressively hard and Gothic. As a member of several crews, including Beat Junkies and Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the South Bay DJ earned a reputation for mixing turntable scratches with pungent vibes evocative of mobb music producers like Studio Ton and Black C. (His work with the rap group Third Sight, particularly 1998’s \u003cem>The Golden Shower Hour\u003c/em>, is worth seeking out.) Others like Mix Master Mike and DJ Disk flirted with that distinctly Bay Area bass sound, but D-Styles pushes it to an extreme on \u003cem>Phantazmagorea\u003c/em>, creating an ominous splatter-movie tone that’s hardly mirthful.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Honorable Mentions:\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937750\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/DeepConcentration-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/DeepConcentration-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/DeepConcentration.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>‘Deep Concentration’ (Om Records) (1998)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to then-new San Francisco electronic label Om Records, \u003cem>Deep Concentration\u003c/em> drew a lot of national attention for surveying trends in turntablism and downtempo music. The compilation includes locals such as Eddie Def, Peanut Butter Wolf, and rappers Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937754\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LiveHuman-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LiveHuman-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LiveHuman.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Live Human, ‘Elefish Jellyfant’ (Matador) (2000)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This collaboration between DJ Quest of Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters a.k.a. Space Travelers, drummer Albert Mathias, and bassist Andrew Kushin brought scratch techniques to the Bay’s long-running bohemian jazz scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937752\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/RicciRuckerMikeBoo-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/RicciRuckerMikeBoo-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/RicciRuckerMikeBoo.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Ricci Rucker & Mike Boo, ‘Scetchbook: An Introduction to Scratch Music’ (2002)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Scetchbook\u003c/em>, Ricci Rucker and Mike Boo split the difference between scratch routines and moody downtempo instrumentals a la DJ Shadow. Their loop of a Prince electric guitar solo is an album highlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13937751\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-160x160.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/OaklandFaders.jpg 1087w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Oakland Faders, ‘Scion CD Sampler Vol. 12’ (2005)\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the winners of Toyota brand Scion’s 2004 “Free Up Your Mix” competition, the Oakland Faders crew — DJ Platurn, DJ Spair, DJ Mere, Joe Quixx and DJ Ammbush — as well as guest DJ Icewater created a noteworthy look at the brightly melodic sounds that defined Bay Area hip-hop in the aughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The season of the celebrity memoir is upon us. In just the past few months \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936729/britney-spears-book-autobiography-the-woman-in-me-gallery-books\">Britney Spears\u003c/a>, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kerry Washington, and more have showered us with bombshells and revelations about their origin stories and private lives. Despite those heavy hitters and the crowded field they occupy, the celebrity memoir I’ve coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand. Thanks to the opportunity to speak with her for this week’s edition of \u003cem>It’s Been A Minute\u003c/em>, I was able to get my hands on a copy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For me, the iconography of Streisand begins with her nails. More than the deeply parted bouffant of Streisand’s early stardom, or the sleek bob she adopted in the ’90s, or even the smoky chevrons of her signature cat eye, her elegant talons — all natural, by the way — are visual proof of Streisand’s trademark steadfastness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the old story goes, when Streisand was a fledgling actor, her mother suggested she take typing classes to become a secretary in the New York school system. Streisand grew out her nails in refusal, went all in on show business, and the rest is history — though Streisand now concedes that the ability to type might have made book writing a bit easier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937733 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/mynameisbarbra_custom-29d0cf4fa23d7c15d82e2915d82cb3dfe1267e51.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/mynameisbarbra_custom-29d0cf4fa23d7c15d82e2915d82cb3dfe1267e51.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/mynameisbarbra_custom-29d0cf4fa23d7c15d82e2915d82cb3dfe1267e51-160x242.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">Streisand’s memoir, \u003cem>My Name Is Barbra\u003c/em>, is nearly 1,000 pages of such gumption, her rhythmic Brooklyn cadence communicated via countless ellipses and more than a few pleasant divergences on her favorite kind of egg roll or a particularly good antique shopping trip. There was the time Streisand jumped in to offer a blocking cue to Robert Redford on the set of \u003cem>The Way We Were\u003c/em>. And of \u003cem>course\u003c/em> she informed the director of the best way to block herself for her Broadway debut at the tender age of 20.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, when everyone from her agent to dozens of producers suggested \u003cem>Yentl\u003c/em> was “too Jewish” to connect with mainstream audiences, she pressed on, eventually garnering five Academy Award nominations and one win for the film. The film took over 15 years to make, but ultimately Streisand’s resolve won out. “I became what I wanted to be … I don’t want somebody telling me what I can’t be,” she told me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13937207']Across the book’s 59 chapters and many decades, Streisand is careful to uplift the names of those who encouraged, impressed, or even challenged her. Her detractors tend to be aired out or paid dust. She recounts her life as a series of odysseys, and she the ever triumphant victor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frankly, she’s earned it. Her resumé is living legend: more than 50 albums, a box office titan, and a whole EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony for those unfamiliar). She was told to alter her features and change her name, and by not doing so, she redefined Hollywood notions of beauty and relatability. But even I’ve known the diva reputation that has followed her for decades and wanted to go there. “Divas, I don’t think, come from Brooklyn,” Streisand quipped to me, and yet the rumors persist. Sexism and misogyny are to blame, but there’s also a fundamental misread of Streisand’s artistry at play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937736\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1808px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937736\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM.png\" alt=\"A young woman, casually dressed, talks on a landline telephone in a dressing room, a table scattered with make-up in front of her.\" width=\"1808\" height=\"1210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM.png 1808w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-800x535.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-1020x683.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-768x514.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-1536x1028.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1808px) 100vw, 1808px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbra Streisand in her dressing room in October 1965. \u003ccite>(Harry Benson/ Daily Express/ Hulton Archive/ Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Our culture loves to see and persistently pause Streisand as Babs, the consummate prima donna, our forever leading lady. But in doing so, audiences, critics and biographers have failed to acknowledge the shrewd image-maker she has always been — the architect of her persona and performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13936614']In 1984, Streisand became the first woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Director for her work on \u003cem>Yentl\u003c/em>, and still remains one of only three female winners in history. In 1996, her direction on \u003cem>The Mirror Has Two Faces\u003c/em> led Lauren Bacall to the first Academy Award nomination in Bacall’s then five-decade career. By the time all American women had won the right to open a credit card without a husband, Streisand had already founded two production companies. When I asked Streisand about her legacy as a trailblazing businesswoman, she insisted that her goal wasn’t to become a mogul, but simply to serve her ultimate artistic vision. “I just never thought about, really, the business aspect. I just thought about it from the control aspect,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And still, even as a devoted fan, I don’t think I grasped the depth of Streisand’s mastery until I saw a video of her that recently made the rounds on social media. It’s a behind-the-scenes clip of an explosive scene from \u003cem>Yentl\u003c/em>. Streisand is in a pixie-length wig topped with a yarmulke, seamlessly shifting gears between directing a screaming Mandy Patinkin, instructing the camera operator, and playing a key emotional moment in character. We don’t see a diva, we see a genius.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0MngamiROs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Streisand’s legacy still scatters like a constellation across our cultural landscape; Jane Campion’s Oscar win, Lady Gaga’s screen goddess turn, Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment. But artistic powerhouses like them, like Barbra, don’t spring forth, fully formed. They’re sharpened over years, one overnight shoot, one “let’s take that again from the top,” and one lengthy fingernail at a time. And in a society that tends to value women’s passivity while lauding their accomplishments in hindsight, it’s a distinct pleasure to look back with \u003cem>My Name Is Barbra\u003c/em> and marvel at how the real she came to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Barbra+Streisand%27s+memoir+shows+she+wasn%27t+born+a+leading+lady+%E2%80%94+she+made+herself+one&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The season of the celebrity memoir is upon us. In just the past few months \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936729/britney-spears-book-autobiography-the-woman-in-me-gallery-books\">Britney Spears\u003c/a>, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kerry Washington, and more have showered us with bombshells and revelations about their origin stories and private lives. Despite those heavy hitters and the crowded field they occupy, the celebrity memoir I’ve coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand. Thanks to the opportunity to speak with her for this week’s edition of \u003cem>It’s Been A Minute\u003c/em>, I was able to get my hands on a copy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For me, the iconography of Streisand begins with her nails. More than the deeply parted bouffant of Streisand’s early stardom, or the sleek bob she adopted in the ’90s, or even the smoky chevrons of her signature cat eye, her elegant talons — all natural, by the way — are visual proof of Streisand’s trademark steadfastness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the old story goes, when Streisand was a fledgling actor, her mother suggested she take typing classes to become a secretary in the New York school system. Streisand grew out her nails in refusal, went all in on show business, and the rest is history — though Streisand now concedes that the ability to type might have made book writing a bit easier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937733 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/mynameisbarbra_custom-29d0cf4fa23d7c15d82e2915d82cb3dfe1267e51.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/mynameisbarbra_custom-29d0cf4fa23d7c15d82e2915d82cb3dfe1267e51.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/mynameisbarbra_custom-29d0cf4fa23d7c15d82e2915d82cb3dfe1267e51-160x242.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">Streisand’s memoir, \u003cem>My Name Is Barbra\u003c/em>, is nearly 1,000 pages of such gumption, her rhythmic Brooklyn cadence communicated via countless ellipses and more than a few pleasant divergences on her favorite kind of egg roll or a particularly good antique shopping trip. There was the time Streisand jumped in to offer a blocking cue to Robert Redford on the set of \u003cem>The Way We Were\u003c/em>. And of \u003cem>course\u003c/em> she informed the director of the best way to block herself for her Broadway debut at the tender age of 20.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, when everyone from her agent to dozens of producers suggested \u003cem>Yentl\u003c/em> was “too Jewish” to connect with mainstream audiences, she pressed on, eventually garnering five Academy Award nominations and one win for the film. The film took over 15 years to make, but ultimately Streisand’s resolve won out. “I became what I wanted to be … I don’t want somebody telling me what I can’t be,” she told me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Across the book’s 59 chapters and many decades, Streisand is careful to uplift the names of those who encouraged, impressed, or even challenged her. Her detractors tend to be aired out or paid dust. She recounts her life as a series of odysseys, and she the ever triumphant victor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frankly, she’s earned it. Her resumé is living legend: more than 50 albums, a box office titan, and a whole EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony for those unfamiliar). She was told to alter her features and change her name, and by not doing so, she redefined Hollywood notions of beauty and relatability. But even I’ve known the diva reputation that has followed her for decades and wanted to go there. “Divas, I don’t think, come from Brooklyn,” Streisand quipped to me, and yet the rumors persist. Sexism and misogyny are to blame, but there’s also a fundamental misread of Streisand’s artistry at play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937736\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1808px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937736\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM.png\" alt=\"A young woman, casually dressed, talks on a landline telephone in a dressing room, a table scattered with make-up in front of her.\" width=\"1808\" height=\"1210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM.png 1808w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-800x535.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-1020x683.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-768x514.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-07-at-12.20.32-PM-1536x1028.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1808px) 100vw, 1808px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbra Streisand in her dressing room in October 1965. \u003ccite>(Harry Benson/ Daily Express/ Hulton Archive/ Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Our culture loves to see and persistently pause Streisand as Babs, the consummate prima donna, our forever leading lady. But in doing so, audiences, critics and biographers have failed to acknowledge the shrewd image-maker she has always been — the architect of her persona and performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In 1984, Streisand became the first woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Director for her work on \u003cem>Yentl\u003c/em>, and still remains one of only three female winners in history. In 1996, her direction on \u003cem>The Mirror Has Two Faces\u003c/em> led Lauren Bacall to the first Academy Award nomination in Bacall’s then five-decade career. By the time all American women had won the right to open a credit card without a husband, Streisand had already founded two production companies. When I asked Streisand about her legacy as a trailblazing businesswoman, she insisted that her goal wasn’t to become a mogul, but simply to serve her ultimate artistic vision. “I just never thought about, really, the business aspect. I just thought about it from the control aspect,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And still, even as a devoted fan, I don’t think I grasped the depth of Streisand’s mastery until I saw a video of her that recently made the rounds on social media. It’s a behind-the-scenes clip of an explosive scene from \u003cem>Yentl\u003c/em>. Streisand is in a pixie-length wig topped with a yarmulke, seamlessly shifting gears between directing a screaming Mandy Patinkin, instructing the camera operator, and playing a key emotional moment in character. We don’t see a diva, we see a genius.\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/d0MngamiROs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/d0MngamiROs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Streisand’s legacy still scatters like a constellation across our cultural landscape; Jane Campion’s Oscar win, Lady Gaga’s screen goddess turn, Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment. But artistic powerhouses like them, like Barbra, don’t spring forth, fully formed. They’re sharpened over years, one overnight shoot, one “let’s take that again from the top,” and one lengthy fingernail at a time. And in a society that tends to value women’s passivity while lauding their accomplishments in hindsight, it’s a distinct pleasure to look back with \u003cem>My Name Is Barbra\u003c/em> and marvel at how the real she came to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Barbra+Streisand%27s+memoir+shows+she+wasn%27t+born+a+leading+lady+%E2%80%94+she+made+herself+one&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming",
"title": "'Tupac Shakur Way' Unveiled in Oakland as Rap Icon Gets His Own Street",
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"content": "\u003cp>The City of Oakland has officially honored \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/tupac-shakur\">Tupac Shakur\u003c/a>, one of the most paramount figures in hip-hop history, with his own street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a star-studded ceremony on Friday, Nov. 3, “Tupac Shakur Way” was unveiled near Lake Merritt along a portion of MacArthur Boulevard, where the superstar lived in the early 1990s, in front of enthusiastic family members, former collaborators and fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attendees of the event included Bay Area icons like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mc-hammer\">MC Hammer\u003c/a>, Spice 1, Money B, Richie Rich, B-Legit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/davey-d\">Davey D\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sway-calloway\">Sway Calloway\u003c/a>. Shakur’s siblings Mopreme and Sekyiwa, his earliest manager Atron Gregory, and various community representatives were also present, including members of the Black Panther Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937626\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937626\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sekyiwa Shakur, joined by Ray Luv, E-40, Money B, MC Hammer, Sway Calloway, Fred Hampton Jr. and others, speaks onstage during a ceremony honoring her brother Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Shakur’s music played from large speakers to a head-nodding audience, numerous icons who knew him closely spoke about his influence and time in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Money B, who recorded and performed alongside Shakur in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/digital-underground\">Digital Underground\u003c/a>, said that Shakur’s apartment on MacArthur was “the first set of keys Tupac ever had to anything. Him and Big D created most of the music for \u003cem>2Pacalypse Now\u003c/em> right there. It was like a [music] factory.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calloway, host of Sway’s Universe, told the crowd that “Tupac confirmed to me what my role would be in the culture. We started spreading what we do in the Bay Area to the rest of the world. He stood ten toes down for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13922616']Some spoke of Shakur’s fun-loving nature. E-40 recalled the origin of one of his many nicknames when Shakur “told me he was Makaveli. And I’m like, ‘Well, I’m Fonzarelli.” Richie Rich said that when Shakur called the house, his mom mistakenly thought his name was “tube socks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a recurring theme was Shakur’s importance not only to Oakland but to hip-hop culture at large. Oakland councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2023/press-release-the-renaming-of-tupac-shakur-way\">Carroll Fife\u003c/a> said, “This is to preserve what Tupac was trying to tell us. Pouring into solutions. What he stood for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937618\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(From left) Sekyiwa Shakur, Mopreme Shakur and Mutulu Shakur, members of Tupac Shakur’s family, attend a street renaming ceremony for ‘Tupac Shakur Way’ in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The street naming was largely spearheaded by Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa, councilmember Fife, hip-hop historian \u003ca href=\"https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/nyer-of-the-week/2023/08/05/new-yorker-of-the-week--leroy-mccarthy--hip-hop-historian\">Leroy McCarthy\u003c/a> and one of Shakur’s closest friends, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therealrayluv/\">Ray Luv\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are streets in this country named after slave owners. Those aren’t people you should be naming streets after,” said Ray Luv, a member of \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#tupac-moves-to-santa-rosa-attends-the-poetry-circle-and-forms-strictly-dope\">Shakur’s early group Strictly Dope\u003c/a>, in a phone interview before the event. “With this street naming, I just wanted to make sure my friend is represented properly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13927810']Friday’s renaming follows a succession of beloved hip-hop legends being honored in recent years — from \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 in Vallejo\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too $hort in East Oakland\u003c/a> to the Notorious B.I.G in Brooklyn and the Wu-Tang Clan in Staten Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his 25 years, Shakur lived in numerous cities, including New York City (where he was born), Baltimore, Marin City, Santa Rosa, Richmond and Los Angeles. But it’s in Oakland where, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPASfhfK8jM\">a candid interview\u003c/a>, the rapper said he learned “game.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw [the game] living in Oakland, I saw it thriving in Oakland,” Shakur said. “That was in no other city I lived in. So I give all my love to Oakland. If I’ma claim somewhere, I’ma claim Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937620\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937620\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MC Hammer speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur Way in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Oakland’s Influence on Tupac\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to Ray Luv, Oakland had a huge influence on Shakur’s artistic development and political mindset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The birth of hip-hop [for us] was based right here in Oakland, around Digital Underground,” he said. “Oakland was the perfect place. It was culturally diverse, but also musically rich. Trying to find a sound and build a brand, it was the best place we could’ve hoped to launch from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as teenagers living together in the North Bay, the two would often record at a studio on 45th Street in North Oakland, and spend nights with Ray Luv’s uncle, who lived on 66th Avenue in East Oakland. Soon after, Shakur would move into his own apartment on MacArthur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937617\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ray Luv (center left) and Money B sit on stage near a sign unveiling for ‘Tupac Shakur Way’ in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By that time, the city was an established hub for artistry and activism. Within Oakland rap circles, Ray Luv credits Too $hort, Richie Rich, MC Hammer, Shock G, Money B, Chopmaster J and DJ Fuze as those who identified potential in Strictly Dope, and provided the group with encouragement and support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13927349']Oakland is also where Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa would eventually donate her time and resources to Roses in Concrete, a school named after a Tupac poem. And it’s in Oakland where the lasting influence of the Black Panther Party — of which Shakur’s mother, Afeni, was a member — permeated the community and infused Shakur’s spirit and lyrics. (Fred Hampton Jr., son of assassinated Black Panther deputy chairman Fred Hampton, attended Friday’s ceremony.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shakur often sprinkled local references throughout his songs and videos, including “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927810/brendas-got-a-baby-tupac-shakur-ethel-love\">Brenda’s Got a Baby\u003c/a>,” which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927810/brendas-got-a-baby-tupac-shakur-ethel-love\">filmed in a downtown Oakland alley\u003c/a>. In the 1993 film \u003cem>Poetic Justice\u003c/em>, costarring Janet Jackson, Shakur plays a disillusioned postal worker who aspires to become a musician. In the semi-autobiographical narrative, he ditches a rote life elsewhere in order to pursue his creative dreams in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937619\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">E-40 speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur Way in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Evolution of Tupac’s Legacy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the past year, Shakur’s legacy has been repeatedly revisited. The Emmy-nominated Hulu series \u003cem>Dear Mama\u003c/em> chronicled Shakur’s relationship with his mother, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/23762/you-cant-kill-the-revolution-davey-d-on-tupacs-mother-afeni-shakur\">Afeni Shakur\u003c/a>, and multiple events commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, including \u003ca href=\"https://thegrio.com/2023/09/15/rep-kamlager-dove-celebrates-50-years-of-hip-hop-on-anniversary-of-tupac-shakurs-death/\">congressional recognition\u003c/a>, have elevated Shakur’s importance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_11696060']This year’s most seismic development, however, is the Sep. 29 arrest of Duane Keith Davis, the lead suspect accused in Shakur’s 1996 murder. On Nov. 2, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/us/tupac-murder-suspect-duane-davis-court-appearance/index.html\">Davis pleaded not guilty in a Las Vegas courtroom\u003c/a>, and at the time of this writing, the outcome is yet to be determined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shooting is one of modern music’s biggest unsolved cases, further adding to the complexity of Shakur’s life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tupac’s mother and family definitely want justice on his behalf. I want justice on his behalf,” Ray Luv said. “I hope they get the culprits and give us the story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937624\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fatima Adcock poses for a selfie in front of the ‘Tupac Shakur Way’ in Oakland, Calif., after an unveiling ceremony on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As was evident at Friday’s ceremony, despite his gangster image and oft-misinterpreted “T.H.U.G L.I.F.E” adage, Shakur regularly spoke about brotherly love, unity and peace — something for which Ray Luv and others hope he is equally remembered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want [Tupac Shakur Way] to be a safe space for women, children, human beings. We want to lead with that message of peace,” Ray Luv said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oakland is a great place to have a message like this from someone like Tupac.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The City of Oakland has officially honored \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/tupac-shakur\">Tupac Shakur\u003c/a>, one of the most paramount figures in hip-hop history, with his own street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a star-studded ceremony on Friday, Nov. 3, “Tupac Shakur Way” was unveiled near Lake Merritt along a portion of MacArthur Boulevard, where the superstar lived in the early 1990s, in front of enthusiastic family members, former collaborators and fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attendees of the event included Bay Area icons like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mc-hammer\">MC Hammer\u003c/a>, Spice 1, Money B, Richie Rich, B-Legit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/davey-d\">Davey D\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sway-calloway\">Sway Calloway\u003c/a>. Shakur’s siblings Mopreme and Sekyiwa, his earliest manager Atron Gregory, and various community representatives were also present, including members of the Black Panther Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937626\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937626\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-Tupac.Shakur.Way-Group-21-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sekyiwa Shakur, joined by Ray Luv, E-40, Money B, MC Hammer, Sway Calloway, Fred Hampton Jr. and others, speaks onstage during a ceremony honoring her brother Tupac Shakur in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Shakur’s music played from large speakers to a head-nodding audience, numerous icons who knew him closely spoke about his influence and time in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Money B, who recorded and performed alongside Shakur in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/digital-underground\">Digital Underground\u003c/a>, said that Shakur’s apartment on MacArthur was “the first set of keys Tupac ever had to anything. Him and Big D created most of the music for \u003cem>2Pacalypse Now\u003c/em> right there. It was like a [music] factory.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calloway, host of Sway’s Universe, told the crowd that “Tupac confirmed to me what my role would be in the culture. We started spreading what we do in the Bay Area to the rest of the world. He stood ten toes down for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Some spoke of Shakur’s fun-loving nature. E-40 recalled the origin of one of his many nicknames when Shakur “told me he was Makaveli. And I’m like, ‘Well, I’m Fonzarelli.” Richie Rich said that when Shakur called the house, his mom mistakenly thought his name was “tube socks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a recurring theme was Shakur’s importance not only to Oakland but to hip-hop culture at large. Oakland councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2023/press-release-the-renaming-of-tupac-shakur-way\">Carroll Fife\u003c/a> said, “This is to preserve what Tupac was trying to tell us. Pouring into solutions. What he stood for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937618\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-03-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(From left) Sekyiwa Shakur, Mopreme Shakur and Mutulu Shakur, members of Tupac Shakur’s family, attend a street renaming ceremony for ‘Tupac Shakur Way’ in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The street naming was largely spearheaded by Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa, councilmember Fife, hip-hop historian \u003ca href=\"https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/nyer-of-the-week/2023/08/05/new-yorker-of-the-week--leroy-mccarthy--hip-hop-historian\">Leroy McCarthy\u003c/a> and one of Shakur’s closest friends, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therealrayluv/\">Ray Luv\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are streets in this country named after slave owners. Those aren’t people you should be naming streets after,” said Ray Luv, a member of \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#tupac-moves-to-santa-rosa-attends-the-poetry-circle-and-forms-strictly-dope\">Shakur’s early group Strictly Dope\u003c/a>, in a phone interview before the event. “With this street naming, I just wanted to make sure my friend is represented properly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Friday’s renaming follows a succession of beloved hip-hop legends being honored in recent years — from \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 in Vallejo\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too $hort in East Oakland\u003c/a> to the Notorious B.I.G in Brooklyn and the Wu-Tang Clan in Staten Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his 25 years, Shakur lived in numerous cities, including New York City (where he was born), Baltimore, Marin City, Santa Rosa, Richmond and Los Angeles. But it’s in Oakland where, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPASfhfK8jM\">a candid interview\u003c/a>, the rapper said he learned “game.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw [the game] living in Oakland, I saw it thriving in Oakland,” Shakur said. “That was in no other city I lived in. So I give all my love to Oakland. If I’ma claim somewhere, I’ma claim Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937620\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937620\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-14-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MC Hammer speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur Way in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Oakland’s Influence on Tupac\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to Ray Luv, Oakland had a huge influence on Shakur’s artistic development and political mindset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The birth of hip-hop [for us] was based right here in Oakland, around Digital Underground,” he said. “Oakland was the perfect place. It was culturally diverse, but also musically rich. Trying to find a sound and build a brand, it was the best place we could’ve hoped to launch from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as teenagers living together in the North Bay, the two would often record at a studio on 45th Street in North Oakland, and spend nights with Ray Luv’s uncle, who lived on 66th Avenue in East Oakland. Soon after, Shakur would move into his own apartment on MacArthur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937617\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-02-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ray Luv (center left) and Money B sit on stage near a sign unveiling for ‘Tupac Shakur Way’ in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By that time, the city was an established hub for artistry and activism. Within Oakland rap circles, Ray Luv credits Too $hort, Richie Rich, MC Hammer, Shock G, Money B, Chopmaster J and DJ Fuze as those who identified potential in Strictly Dope, and provided the group with encouragement and support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Oakland is also where Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa would eventually donate her time and resources to Roses in Concrete, a school named after a Tupac poem. And it’s in Oakland where the lasting influence of the Black Panther Party — of which Shakur’s mother, Afeni, was a member — permeated the community and infused Shakur’s spirit and lyrics. (Fred Hampton Jr., son of assassinated Black Panther deputy chairman Fred Hampton, attended Friday’s ceremony.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shakur often sprinkled local references throughout his songs and videos, including “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927810/brendas-got-a-baby-tupac-shakur-ethel-love\">Brenda’s Got a Baby\u003c/a>,” which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927810/brendas-got-a-baby-tupac-shakur-ethel-love\">filmed in a downtown Oakland alley\u003c/a>. In the 1993 film \u003cem>Poetic Justice\u003c/em>, costarring Janet Jackson, Shakur plays a disillusioned postal worker who aspires to become a musician. In the semi-autobiographical narrative, he ditches a rote life elsewhere in order to pursue his creative dreams in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937619\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-11-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">E-40 speaks during a street renaming ceremony for Tupac Shakur Way in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Evolution of Tupac’s Legacy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the past year, Shakur’s legacy has been repeatedly revisited. The Emmy-nominated Hulu series \u003cem>Dear Mama\u003c/em> chronicled Shakur’s relationship with his mother, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/23762/you-cant-kill-the-revolution-davey-d-on-tupacs-mother-afeni-shakur\">Afeni Shakur\u003c/a>, and multiple events commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, including \u003ca href=\"https://thegrio.com/2023/09/15/rep-kamlager-dove-celebrates-50-years-of-hip-hop-on-anniversary-of-tupac-shakurs-death/\">congressional recognition\u003c/a>, have elevated Shakur’s importance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This year’s most seismic development, however, is the Sep. 29 arrest of Duane Keith Davis, the lead suspect accused in Shakur’s 1996 murder. On Nov. 2, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/us/tupac-murder-suspect-duane-davis-court-appearance/index.html\">Davis pleaded not guilty in a Las Vegas courtroom\u003c/a>, and at the time of this writing, the outcome is yet to be determined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shooting is one of modern music’s biggest unsolved cases, further adding to the complexity of Shakur’s life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tupac’s mother and family definitely want justice on his behalf. I want justice on his behalf,” Ray Luv said. “I hope they get the culprits and give us the story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937624\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231103-TupakShakurWay-25-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fatima Adcock poses for a selfie in front of the ‘Tupac Shakur Way’ in Oakland, Calif., after an unveiling ceremony on Nov. 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As was evident at Friday’s ceremony, despite his gangster image and oft-misinterpreted “T.H.U.G L.I.F.E” adage, Shakur regularly spoke about brotherly love, unity and peace — something for which Ray Luv and others hope he is equally remembered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want [Tupac Shakur Way] to be a safe space for women, children, human beings. We want to lead with that message of peace,” Ray Luv said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oakland is a great place to have a message like this from someone like Tupac.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "UC Berkeley's Taylor Swift Business Class Set for 2024",
"headTitle": "UC Berkeley’s Taylor Swift Business Class Set for 2024 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937049/this-is-getting-good-now-bay-areas-fans-brace-themselves-for-taylor-swifts-1989-album-re-release\">Taylor Swift\u003c/a>’s lyricism and autobiographical songwriting propelled her to cultural icon status. Yet another aspect of the Grammy Award-winning musician’s wide skill set will be the subject of a new course offering at UC Berkeley next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version, cleverly named after the singer’s ongoing effort to re-record her catalog, will explore “what has led to Taylor Swift’s prolific success as a songwriter, businesswoman and creative influence,” \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/view/taylorswiftdecal/about-the-course\">according to the course website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The class will consist of four distinct modules, analyzing Swift’s emergence, live performances, public personas and songwriting techniques through a business lens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll put her under scrutiny, but handle it beautifully,” the description reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The course is part of the \u003ca href=\"https://decal.berkeley.edu/about/decal-program\">DeCal Program\u003c/a>, which allows students to create and facilitate their own classes on subjects not addressed in the traditional curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sofia Lendahl, who is working on a degree in data science, will be the lead facilitator of the course for the spring 2024 term. Lendahl says her favorite album from the singer is \u003cem>evermore\u003c/em>, which Swift released as a surprise three years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/UofCalifornia/status/1719038483497713766\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Taylor Swift class was founded by Crystal Haryanto, who recently graduated from the university and works as an analyst at an economic consulting firm. Haryanto’s go-to album is \u003cem>Speak Now\u003c/em>, for which Swift released a “Taylor’s Version” in July — three weeks before a pair of sold-out Eras Tour concerts at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. [aside postID=arts_13937049 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/Taylor-Swift_3-1020x659.jpg'] The UC Berkeley course is the second offering at Bay Area college campuses. A sophomore Swifty at Stanford University is also slated to lead a class dedicated to the multi-platinum artist called The Last Great American Songwriter — a reference to Swift’s song “the last great american dynasty,” from her album \u003cem>folklore\u003c/em>. This class specifically examines the mega star’s storytelling abilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swift’s lyrical stories were captured on full display at her performances during The Eras Tour, which also became \u003cem>the\u003c/em> highest-grossing concert tour movie of all time. It earned more than $120 million during its opening weekend in October. (You can still catch a screening at Bay Area movie theaters.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The full syllabus and contact information for UC Berkeley’s Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version course is available \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/view/taylorswiftdecal/home\">\u003cem>here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. The spring semester begins Jan. 9, 2024. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Last Great American course at Stanford University is offered as a part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://sis.stanford.edu/italic-arts-minded-residence-based-academic-program-first-year-students\">\u003cem>ITALIC\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a residence-based arts immersion program for first-year students.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Taylor Swift didn't attend college, but her songwriting and entrepreneurial skills will be the subject of a new course at UC Berkeley next spring.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937049/this-is-getting-good-now-bay-areas-fans-brace-themselves-for-taylor-swifts-1989-album-re-release\">Taylor Swift\u003c/a>’s lyricism and autobiographical songwriting propelled her to cultural icon status. Yet another aspect of the Grammy Award-winning musician’s wide skill set will be the subject of a new course offering at UC Berkeley next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version, cleverly named after the singer’s ongoing effort to re-record her catalog, will explore “what has led to Taylor Swift’s prolific success as a songwriter, businesswoman and creative influence,” \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/view/taylorswiftdecal/about-the-course\">according to the course website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The class will consist of four distinct modules, analyzing Swift’s emergence, live performances, public personas and songwriting techniques through a business lens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll put her under scrutiny, but handle it beautifully,” the description reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The course is part of the \u003ca href=\"https://decal.berkeley.edu/about/decal-program\">DeCal Program\u003c/a>, which allows students to create and facilitate their own classes on subjects not addressed in the traditional curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sofia Lendahl, who is working on a degree in data science, will be the lead facilitator of the course for the spring 2024 term. Lendahl says her favorite album from the singer is \u003cem>evermore\u003c/em>, which Swift released as a surprise three years ago.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Taylor Swift class was founded by Crystal Haryanto, who recently graduated from the university and works as an analyst at an economic consulting firm. Haryanto’s go-to album is \u003cem>Speak Now\u003c/em>, for which Swift released a “Taylor’s Version” in July — three weeks before a pair of sold-out Eras Tour concerts at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> The UC Berkeley course is the second offering at Bay Area college campuses. A sophomore Swifty at Stanford University is also slated to lead a class dedicated to the multi-platinum artist called The Last Great American Songwriter — a reference to Swift’s song “the last great american dynasty,” from her album \u003cem>folklore\u003c/em>. This class specifically examines the mega star’s storytelling abilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swift’s lyrical stories were captured on full display at her performances during The Eras Tour, which also became \u003cem>the\u003c/em> highest-grossing concert tour movie of all time. It earned more than $120 million during its opening weekend in October. (You can still catch a screening at Bay Area movie theaters.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The full syllabus and contact information for UC Berkeley’s Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version course is available \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/view/taylorswiftdecal/home\">\u003cem>here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. The spring semester begins Jan. 9, 2024. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Last Great American course at Stanford University is offered as a part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://sis.stanford.edu/italic-arts-minded-residence-based-academic-program-first-year-students\">\u003cem>ITALIC\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a residence-based arts immersion program for first-year students.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "When Family Business Becomes Big Business",
"headTitle": "When Family Business Becomes Big Business | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It’s the first Sunday of October, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> jumps onto the stage, framed by the backyard pergola beneath the Vallejo sun. With a huge smile, he rips off his brown cape adorned with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/GoodCompenny/videos\">Good Compenny\u003c/a> logo and and points his finger toward the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Game Sevennnnn…,” he says, as the 200-person crowd roars, cameras click and smiles spread on the faces of fans, many holding merchandise bags and wearing Good Compenny T-shirts that read “This is a Family Business.” Indeed, the scene is infused with family: babies are bounced on their parents’ laps, children laugh, and a bouncy house in the front whirrs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13923938']For LaRussell, 29, this is the final sold-out “pergola” show of 2023. These one-of-a-kind concerts, held in his parents’ backyard, have brought over a thousand guests to Vallejo this summer alone to experience LaRussell’s lyricism — to say nothing of the delicious food, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13891732/from-vallejo-an-intimate-video-series-putting-on-for-the-bay\">other talented artists’ performances\u003c/a>, and the chance to watch LaRussell’s collective Good Compenny make history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tickets to LaRussell’s backyard concerts are offered on a “proud to pay” basis: rather than a conventional Ticketmaster checkout with additional fees, fans simply make an offer of what they’re willing to pay. Demand is high; each of his backyard shows in 2023 has sold out. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>LaRussell’s influence has grown significantly this past year. He’s sold out shows across the country, accumulated \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/\">nearly a million followers on Instagram\u003c/a>, performed at major events and festivals and championed Vallejo every step of the way — all independently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while LaRussell’s community support has never been greater, there are some new faces here in the backyard audience: music executives. LaRussell has often been transparent about his business practices, and partway through the show, he makes a sudden announcement. He’s considering signing with a major label.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>From the backyard to the boardroom\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The executives in the backyard, LaRussell later clarifies, work for Def Jam — the legendary hip-hop record label that’s owned by Universal Music Group, the largest music company in the world. And while signing a record deal with Def Jam would mean a sizable cash advance — \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LaRussellGC/status/1712903852838486180\">the hypothetical figure he’s cited is $1 million\u003c/a> — it would also mark a surprising break from LaRussell’s reputation as a staunchly independent artist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937335\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell’s been visited in Vallejo by luminaries like NBA star Stephen Jackson, rapper Xzibit and local hero Too Short, all drawn to his incessant drive and independent business model. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A few years ago, LaRussell began \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893314/how-musicians-are-navigating-streaming-algorithms-ai-and-automation\">reimagining how creatives are compensated\u003c/a>. His “proud to pay” model allows fans to determine their own price, subject to approval, for his tickets and merchandise. He’s also known for “splitting the pie” — sharing royalties not only with those involved in the creative process, but interested fans who want to invest across LaRussell’s income streams, including recordings, merchandise and shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jason Hayes, a photographer and creative director who frequently collaborates with LaRussell, says that without the early profit share in projects he contributed to, he periodically wouldn’t have had money in his pocket. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kept gas in the tank and allowed me to go out and continue making money,” says Hayes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/LaRussellGC/status/1712903852838486180\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LaRussell also utilizes a service that lets people buy his albums before they stream on major platforms; he characterizes it as a contemporary version of \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#too-short-and-freddy-b-start-making-handmade-tapes\">selling records out the trunk\u003c/a>. For his \u003cem>Family Business\u003c/em> album, released in October, LaRussell sold over a thousand albums this way, directly to fans, generating more than $25,000 in sales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of this audience involvement, signing with a major label would affect LaRussell’s fans, too. After the show in the backyard, some approached him about it. One expressed unwavering support, whether LaRussell stays independent or not. Another was deeply concerned, telling him that he simply \u003cem>can’t\u003c/em> sign, and that he means too much to the independent community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937336\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jayla Baxter (front left) and Tenaya Carter (black and white sweatshirt) with the crowd at LaRussell’s backyard concert on Oct. 1, 2023. Both Baxter and Carter are gold members with lifetime membership to Good Compenny events. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>LaRussell, who the day before posted that “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LaRussellGC/status/1708212575358619955\">I could just sign a deal, but that’s not where my heart lies\u003c/a>,” listened to every comment. “I really do feel like an artist of the people,” LaRussell told me later. “I do take into consideration how the people are affected, because I know they’re inspired by my journey too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for me, I kept thinking of what I’d seen just 24 hours earlier, 3,000 miles away. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Made it off them cotton fields’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The day prior to the show, I was in rural North Carolina with fire ants running across my toes along a path lined with red bricks inscribed with dedications like “Dennis, No Age Given, Enslaved,” “Rowena, No Age or Gender, Enslaved,” and “Mary, Female, Aged 4 or 6, Enslaved.” Further down the path stood a magnolia tree where it’s believed the whipping post once stood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13906706']This was the Franklinton Center at Bricks, a former “breaking” plantation where enslaved people were taken if they were considered disobedient. I was there with grassroots organizations from across the country to capture multimedia stories of those doing work in public schools: protecting queer students in class, tackling the school-to-prison pipeline, advocating for language equity, demanding proper funding and more. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I spoke with college students from Florida, high school students from Georgia, parents from North Carolina and teachers from Louisiana, I felt hope for what could come with so many amazing people working toward shared goals. At the same time, I was overcome with grief for every person who had once walked on this land, bound to its edges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937342\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Singers Jane Handcock, Shanté and Jazs, who work with LaRussell, pose at his backyard show on Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the conference, I took a six-hour flight and drove straight to LaRussell’s family home, where I’d watched him perform multiple backyard shows before. But this time, when he rapped “made it off them cotton fields, now we’re on them stages,” the sentiment resonated more than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’d talked with so many people in North Carolina about building a strong community and staying authentic while growing equity, autonomy and agency — a rare thing, which LaRussell has clearly achieved. And to some fans and supporters, signing with a global conglomerate would be in direct opposition to what he stands for. What happens to LaRussell now? What happens to Good Compenny? Is he selling out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937338\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937338\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell, when asked about interest from Def Jam, says he’ll only sign a deal if the conditions are right. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Building Disneyland at home in Vallejo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When we talk later, LaRussell’s reasoning is straightforward: he needs assistance to achieve his dreams of reaching as many people as he aspires to within his desired timeframe. And, as he’s continued to expand Good Compenny, he’s now at a crossroads. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m here at the compound—a residential and commercial unit in Vallejo where LaRussell moved this year with five of his team members. Having gotten his start in the family garage, LaRussell continuously talks about building his own “Disneyland,” and the compound is a part of it. LaRussell plans to turn it into an all-in-one creative hub, with a storefront, editing lab, photo studio, recording studio and even housing. To get it off the ground, it will cost him an estimated $250,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manny, the owner of Momo’s — LaRussell’s favorite restaurant in Vallejo — is here too, and he asks the same questions that have been on my mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So what happens to Good Compenny? Is everything going to change?” Manny says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937340\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937340\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell performs on his backyard stage on Oct. 1, 2023, with Sacramento neighborhood advocate Jordan McGowan at left. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>LaRussell explains that were he to sign a deal, it would be with him as an artist, and not a subsidiary label deal with Good Compenny, which is a 501(c)(3) organization. His cash advance would be a welcome relief after years of funding his career out of his own pocket, and could help him get projects off the ground. He also met directly with the president of Def Jam, with whom he had a candid conversation, and left feeling that his value was understood both inside and outside the recording booth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, LaRussell isn’t naive. He’s cognizant of the music industry’s hierarchy. Def Jam has a Black president and a largely Black roster, but Universal Music Group, its parent company, is run by a white CEO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s the thing that makes me a little nervous about going into the system too,” LaRussell says. “Because every time we build something substantial as Black people, we sell it to white people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937386\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shanté, who works with LaRussell, performs at the backyard show on Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tietta Mitchell, LaRussell’s partner and manager, has provided consistent support for LaRussell’s success as he navigates the complexities of fame and business. She’s cautious about any partnership LaRussell enters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m never super hasty on any of the deals that we do, regardless of if it’s a major label or not,” she explains. “Once you do a deal with somebody, you’re kind of in bed with them for whatever that deliverable time is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her primary concerns revolve around preserving LaRussell’s vision and creative control, and ensuring his peace. She also emphasizes that LaRussell’s success isn’t reliant on securing a deal; his accomplishments to date prove it. Any potential deal with a label, she says, will only be pursued if it aligns with the values and vision of Good Compenny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937339\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937339\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell in his backyard, Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Whatever happens in the next couple months — LaRussell should know whether or not he’s signing to Def Jam by the end of the year — the fans will remain a large part of that vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I woke up this morning and I was in a slump,” LaRussell tells me at his house. “I was kind of sad. And a lady last night sent me $50,000, a wire. And I got up off my ass because I was like, ‘People believe in you,’ right?” said LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We wrap up our conversation, LaRussell jumps off his couch and returns to the recording booth in the house, with his roommate and good friend Chow behind the computer, continuing to work on his next album — whatever label it might be on.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "LaRussell, the Bay Area's most resourceful independent artist, is in talks with Def Jam Records about signing a deal.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s the first Sunday of October, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> jumps onto the stage, framed by the backyard pergola beneath the Vallejo sun. With a huge smile, he rips off his brown cape adorned with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/GoodCompenny/videos\">Good Compenny\u003c/a> logo and and points his finger toward the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Game Sevennnnn…,” he says, as the 200-person crowd roars, cameras click and smiles spread on the faces of fans, many holding merchandise bags and wearing Good Compenny T-shirts that read “This is a Family Business.” Indeed, the scene is infused with family: babies are bounced on their parents’ laps, children laugh, and a bouncy house in the front whirrs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For LaRussell, 29, this is the final sold-out “pergola” show of 2023. These one-of-a-kind concerts, held in his parents’ backyard, have brought over a thousand guests to Vallejo this summer alone to experience LaRussell’s lyricism — to say nothing of the delicious food, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13891732/from-vallejo-an-intimate-video-series-putting-on-for-the-bay\">other talented artists’ performances\u003c/a>, and the chance to watch LaRussell’s collective Good Compenny make history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tickets to LaRussell’s backyard concerts are offered on a “proud to pay” basis: rather than a conventional Ticketmaster checkout with additional fees, fans simply make an offer of what they’re willing to pay. Demand is high; each of his backyard shows in 2023 has sold out. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>LaRussell’s influence has grown significantly this past year. He’s sold out shows across the country, accumulated \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/\">nearly a million followers on Instagram\u003c/a>, performed at major events and festivals and championed Vallejo every step of the way — all independently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while LaRussell’s community support has never been greater, there are some new faces here in the backyard audience: music executives. LaRussell has often been transparent about his business practices, and partway through the show, he makes a sudden announcement. He’s considering signing with a major label.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>From the backyard to the boardroom\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The executives in the backyard, LaRussell later clarifies, work for Def Jam — the legendary hip-hop record label that’s owned by Universal Music Group, the largest music company in the world. And while signing a record deal with Def Jam would mean a sizable cash advance — \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LaRussellGC/status/1712903852838486180\">the hypothetical figure he’s cited is $1 million\u003c/a> — it would also mark a surprising break from LaRussell’s reputation as a staunchly independent artist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937335\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell’s been visited in Vallejo by luminaries like NBA star Stephen Jackson, rapper Xzibit and local hero Too Short, all drawn to his incessant drive and independent business model. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A few years ago, LaRussell began \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893314/how-musicians-are-navigating-streaming-algorithms-ai-and-automation\">reimagining how creatives are compensated\u003c/a>. His “proud to pay” model allows fans to determine their own price, subject to approval, for his tickets and merchandise. He’s also known for “splitting the pie” — sharing royalties not only with those involved in the creative process, but interested fans who want to invest across LaRussell’s income streams, including recordings, merchandise and shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jason Hayes, a photographer and creative director who frequently collaborates with LaRussell, says that without the early profit share in projects he contributed to, he periodically wouldn’t have had money in his pocket. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kept gas in the tank and allowed me to go out and continue making money,” says Hayes.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>LaRussell also utilizes a service that lets people buy his albums before they stream on major platforms; he characterizes it as a contemporary version of \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#too-short-and-freddy-b-start-making-handmade-tapes\">selling records out the trunk\u003c/a>. For his \u003cem>Family Business\u003c/em> album, released in October, LaRussell sold over a thousand albums this way, directly to fans, generating more than $25,000 in sales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of this audience involvement, signing with a major label would affect LaRussell’s fans, too. After the show in the backyard, some approached him about it. One expressed unwavering support, whether LaRussell stays independent or not. Another was deeply concerned, telling him that he simply \u003cem>can’t\u003c/em> sign, and that he means too much to the independent community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937336\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jayla Baxter (front left) and Tenaya Carter (black and white sweatshirt) with the crowd at LaRussell’s backyard concert on Oct. 1, 2023. Both Baxter and Carter are gold members with lifetime membership to Good Compenny events. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>LaRussell, who the day before posted that “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LaRussellGC/status/1708212575358619955\">I could just sign a deal, but that’s not where my heart lies\u003c/a>,” listened to every comment. “I really do feel like an artist of the people,” LaRussell told me later. “I do take into consideration how the people are affected, because I know they’re inspired by my journey too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for me, I kept thinking of what I’d seen just 24 hours earlier, 3,000 miles away. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Made it off them cotton fields’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The day prior to the show, I was in rural North Carolina with fire ants running across my toes along a path lined with red bricks inscribed with dedications like “Dennis, No Age Given, Enslaved,” “Rowena, No Age or Gender, Enslaved,” and “Mary, Female, Aged 4 or 6, Enslaved.” Further down the path stood a magnolia tree where it’s believed the whipping post once stood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This was the Franklinton Center at Bricks, a former “breaking” plantation where enslaved people were taken if they were considered disobedient. I was there with grassroots organizations from across the country to capture multimedia stories of those doing work in public schools: protecting queer students in class, tackling the school-to-prison pipeline, advocating for language equity, demanding proper funding and more. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I spoke with college students from Florida, high school students from Georgia, parents from North Carolina and teachers from Louisiana, I felt hope for what could come with so many amazing people working toward shared goals. At the same time, I was overcome with grief for every person who had once walked on this land, bound to its edges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937342\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-39-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Singers Jane Handcock, Shanté and Jazs, who work with LaRussell, pose at his backyard show on Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After the conference, I took a six-hour flight and drove straight to LaRussell’s family home, where I’d watched him perform multiple backyard shows before. But this time, when he rapped “made it off them cotton fields, now we’re on them stages,” the sentiment resonated more than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’d talked with so many people in North Carolina about building a strong community and staying authentic while growing equity, autonomy and agency — a rare thing, which LaRussell has clearly achieved. And to some fans and supporters, signing with a global conglomerate would be in direct opposition to what he stands for. What happens to LaRussell now? What happens to Good Compenny? Is he selling out?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937338\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937338\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell, when asked about interest from Def Jam, says he’ll only sign a deal if the conditions are right. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Building Disneyland at home in Vallejo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When we talk later, LaRussell’s reasoning is straightforward: he needs assistance to achieve his dreams of reaching as many people as he aspires to within his desired timeframe. And, as he’s continued to expand Good Compenny, he’s now at a crossroads. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m here at the compound—a residential and commercial unit in Vallejo where LaRussell moved this year with five of his team members. Having gotten his start in the family garage, LaRussell continuously talks about building his own “Disneyland,” and the compound is a part of it. LaRussell plans to turn it into an all-in-one creative hub, with a storefront, editing lab, photo studio, recording studio and even housing. To get it off the ground, it will cost him an estimated $250,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manny, the owner of Momo’s — LaRussell’s favorite restaurant in Vallejo — is here too, and he asks the same questions that have been on my mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So what happens to Good Compenny? Is everything going to change?” Manny says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937340\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937340\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-33-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell performs on his backyard stage on Oct. 1, 2023, with Sacramento neighborhood advocate Jordan McGowan at left. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>LaRussell explains that were he to sign a deal, it would be with him as an artist, and not a subsidiary label deal with Good Compenny, which is a 501(c)(3) organization. His cash advance would be a welcome relief after years of funding his career out of his own pocket, and could help him get projects off the ground. He also met directly with the president of Def Jam, with whom he had a candid conversation, and left feeling that his value was understood both inside and outside the recording booth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, LaRussell isn’t naive. He’s cognizant of the music industry’s hierarchy. Def Jam has a Black president and a largely Black roster, but Universal Music Group, its parent company, is run by a white CEO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s the thing that makes me a little nervous about going into the system too,” LaRussell says. “Because every time we build something substantial as Black people, we sell it to white people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937386\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shanté, who works with LaRussell, performs at the backyard show on Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tietta Mitchell, LaRussell’s partner and manager, has provided consistent support for LaRussell’s success as he navigates the complexities of fame and business. She’s cautious about any partnership LaRussell enters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m never super hasty on any of the deals that we do, regardless of if it’s a major label or not,” she explains. “Once you do a deal with somebody, you’re kind of in bed with them for whatever that deliverable time is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her primary concerns revolve around preserving LaRussell’s vision and creative control, and ensuring his peace. She also emphasizes that LaRussell’s success isn’t reliant on securing a deal; his accomplishments to date prove it. Any potential deal with a label, she says, will only be pursued if it aligns with the values and vision of Good Compenny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937339\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937339\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-32-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell in his backyard, Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Whatever happens in the next couple months — LaRussell should know whether or not he’s signing to Def Jam by the end of the year — the fans will remain a large part of that vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I woke up this morning and I was in a slump,” LaRussell tells me at his house. “I was kind of sad. And a lady last night sent me $50,000, a wire. And I got up off my ass because I was like, ‘People believe in you,’ right?” said LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We wrap up our conversation, LaRussell jumps off his couch and returns to the recording booth in the house, with his roommate and good friend Chow behind the computer, continuing to work on his next album — whatever label it might be on.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In the Bay Area, November Belongs to Rhiannon Giddens",
"headTitle": "In the Bay Area, November Belongs to Rhiannon Giddens | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with light brown skin and dark brown hair poses in a blue and orange dress against a blue backdrop\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The musician Rhiannon Giddens has two major works that explore the contributions of immigrants, ‘Omar’ and ‘American Railroad,’ headed to the Bay Area this November. \u003ccite>(Ebru Yildiz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rhiannon Giddens has long focused on stories neglected, ignored and devalued in American culture. But the past year has made the musician’s gift for those narratives abundantly clear, and to a powerful effect: What began as a campaign to rewrite the narrative of American roots music in her longtime band, the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, has expanded by leaps and bounds, encompassing just about every influx of people that have shaped the so-called “manifest destiny” of the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been an extraordinary journey for the acclaimed singer, fiddler, banjo player and composer. And many of its paths converge this month in the Bay Area, starting at the San Francisco Opera, which presents Giddens’ 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\">Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em>\u003c/a> over six performances Nov. 5–22. Originally co-produced by Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina and Spoleto Festival USA, where the opera premiered last year, \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> was inspired by the singular 1831 autobiography \u003cem>A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raised in a West African Islamic state in what is now Senegal, kidnapped and sold into servitude in South Carolina, Ibn Said wrote about his experience in Arabic, a work that languished in obscurity until the University of Wisconsin Press published Ala Alryyes’ English translation in 2011. San Francisco Opera and six other companies commissioned the two-act opera, which Giddens co-composed with Michael Abels (she also wrote the libretto). Unfamiliar with Ibn Said’s saga before she received the commission, Giddens plunged into an assignment that took her far from her comfort zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGuXnIsiA1w\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\n“I was immediately taken with his story and furious that I’d never heard it before,” says Giddens, 46, on a recent video call. “Michael Ables was the perfect collaborator to tell Omar’s story. I know what I can do and what I can’t do, and there were a lot of leaps of imagination. The biography is very short. Omar is telling a lot, but you have to be open to different ways of storytelling. He finds himself in a completely alien world, and is desperately trying to maintain ties to African Muslim identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> is directed by Kaneza Schaal and stars New Orleans tenor Jamez McCorkle, who was hailed as the discovery of 2022 Spoleto Festival USA for creating the titular role (“a miraculous voice with abundant body but no apparent weight,” wrote \u003cem>Opera News\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of people on stage in blue light during an opera\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamez McCorkle stars as the titular character in Rhiannon Giddens’ ‘Omar,’ which opens at San Francisco Opera Nov. 5 \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/LA Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the opera is just one of Giddens’ spectacular projects that’s manifesting around the region. She’s also leading the Silkroad Ensemble’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.silkroad.org/american-railroad\">American Railroad\u003c/a> \u003c/em>production, a multimedia musical excavation revealing the peoples who built the transcontinental railroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Performing Nov. 15 at \u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\">Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall\u003c/a>, Nov. 16 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">UC Davis’s Mondavi Center\u003c/a>, Nov. 17 at \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall\u003c/a>, and Nov. 18 at \u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">Sonoma State’s Green Music Center\u003c/a>, \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> builds on the concept and cast first assembled a quarter-century ago by cellist Yo-Yo Ma to explore the East-meets-West cultural confluence conveyed over the course of a millennium by the Silk Road trading route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Giddens’ artistic direction, the project trained its focus on the music of the laborers left out of Andrew J. Russell’s iconic 1869 photo “East and West Shaking Hands at Laying of Last Rail” at Promontory Summit, Utah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was one inspiration, who’s \u003cem>not\u003c/em> in the photo,” Giddens says. “How do we refocus that story? Many people know about the Chinese contributions, but if you’re talking about the Eastern part, you’re talking about Irish people, and you’re talking about the transition from slavery into convict labor. The other missing piece is Indigenous people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQwOdmsJvqM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\nWith nine Silkroad Ensemble musicians and an array of special guests, the program encompasses Native American and African American music and reimagined traditional songs drawing from Irish, Chinese, Japanese and other immigrant cultures. Running through \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is Giddens’ arrangement of the bluegrass standard “Swannanoa Tunnel” (also known as “Asheville Junction” and “Swannanoa Town”), a song with largely forgotten origins as a 19th century African-American work song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The production doesn’t unfold as a linear narrative so much as gradually resolve into a fine-grained soundscape of a protean nation, one very much in the initial phase of coalescing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13866441']“We’re going to start here and end up there, so there’s a narrative,” Giddens said. “But everybody took the assignment in different ways, some more from direct cultural inspiration, and some from the locomotive engine and the movement of the train, or the sound of the workers. So there are vocal pieces, instrumental pieces, improvised pieces, and this thread coming back to ‘Swannanoa Tunnel’ in different guises. The audience is on a ride with us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a ride that boasts an extravagant collection of talent. The cast includes Sandeep Das on tabla, Karen Ouzounian on cello and vocals, Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion, East Bay percussionist Haruka Fujii and Mazz Swift on violin and vocals. (Swift is then back in town Dec. 8–9 to curate \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SoundBox-MAZZ-SWIFT\">San Francisco Symphony’s latest Soundbox production.\u003c/a>) There are also a number of featured guests, such as Francesco Turrisi on frame drums and accordion and Pura Fé Crescioni on lap-steel guitar and voice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png\" alt=\"an ensemble of musicians performs on stage in front of a purple curtain\" width=\"800\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1020x707.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-768x532.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1536x1064.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cal Performances will present Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens on Nov. 17 at Zellerbach Hall. \u003ccite>(Adam Gurczak)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Giddens presides over the disparate ensemble on banjo and vocals, though she credits Wu Man, a master of the lute-like traditional Chinese pipa, with providing much of the glue that holds all the elements together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble well known to Bay Area audiences via her deep connection to Kronos Quartet, Wu says that Giddens came on board in 2020, “just at the right time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s an amazing artist and very easy to work with, and when she joined we had many different ideas about how to bring the group forward,” Wu says. “It’s a different time than when we started 25 years ago. \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is more based in American roots and traditions, reaching out to these different countries, but still rooted in the Silk Road history and instruments from Central Asia. But now we moved to America, the American Silk Road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13859970']Given Giddens’ last 18 months, the work reads as an expansion on a theme. Rooted in the verdant soil of her native North Carolina, Giddens launched her first mission with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, revealing the pervasive Black contributions to American old-time and string band music. The group, which first formed in 2005, certainly wasn’t the first to make the case — Taj Mahal was connecting the old-time and folk music dots to Piedmont blues, spirituals and work songs more than five decades ago. But with Giddens’ quietly charismatic presence out front, the Chocolate Drops helped widen conversations about the origins of American roots music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em>, Giddens opens a portal big enough to drive a train through — in part because the concerts are one component of a much larger undertaking. As the project continues to roll, plans include an album and a documentary series, site-specific visual installations and curricular materials for use by educators and the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a heaping plate for any one artist. But Giddens is also capping off her 2023 by publishing her second children’s book, following up on last year’s \u003cem>Build a House\u003c/em>. Available on Nov. 7, \u003cem>We Could Fly\u003c/em> is a collaboration with acclaimed graphic artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, based on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KhzRgqcBBc\">song of the same title\u003c/a> that Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell. It’s yet another creative alliance for a musician who has mastered the art of collaboration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You send them your words, and they come up with what they see needs to happen,” Giddens says. “It really is a partnership. She’s an artist, I’m an artist, and the two art forms come together to make something new.”\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>\u003cem>‘Omar’ runs for six performances Nov. 5–22 at the San Francisco Opera; \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Railroad’ will be performed Nov. 15 at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 16 at UC Davis’s Mondavi Center (\u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 17 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">details here\u003c/a>); and Nov. 18 at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center (\u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">details here\u003c/a>).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The musician’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Omar' opens at SF Opera, and her multimedia 'American Railroad' hits local concert halls — and did we mention her children's book?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with light brown skin and dark brown hair poses in a blue and orange dress against a blue backdrop\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The musician Rhiannon Giddens has two major works that explore the contributions of immigrants, ‘Omar’ and ‘American Railroad,’ headed to the Bay Area this November. \u003ccite>(Ebru Yildiz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rhiannon Giddens has long focused on stories neglected, ignored and devalued in American culture. But the past year has made the musician’s gift for those narratives abundantly clear, and to a powerful effect: What began as a campaign to rewrite the narrative of American roots music in her longtime band, the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, has expanded by leaps and bounds, encompassing just about every influx of people that have shaped the so-called “manifest destiny” of the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been an extraordinary journey for the acclaimed singer, fiddler, banjo player and composer. And many of its paths converge this month in the Bay Area, starting at the San Francisco Opera, which presents Giddens’ 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\">Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em>\u003c/a> over six performances Nov. 5–22. Originally co-produced by Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina and Spoleto Festival USA, where the opera premiered last year, \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> was inspired by the singular 1831 autobiography \u003cem>A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raised in a West African Islamic state in what is now Senegal, kidnapped and sold into servitude in South Carolina, Ibn Said wrote about his experience in Arabic, a work that languished in obscurity until the University of Wisconsin Press published Ala Alryyes’ English translation in 2011. San Francisco Opera and six other companies commissioned the two-act opera, which Giddens co-composed with Michael Abels (she also wrote the libretto). Unfamiliar with Ibn Said’s saga before she received the commission, Giddens plunged into an assignment that took her far from her comfort zone.\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/OGuXnIsiA1w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/OGuXnIsiA1w'\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“I was immediately taken with his story and furious that I’d never heard it before,” says Giddens, 46, on a recent video call. “Michael Ables was the perfect collaborator to tell Omar’s story. I know what I can do and what I can’t do, and there were a lot of leaps of imagination. The biography is very short. Omar is telling a lot, but you have to be open to different ways of storytelling. He finds himself in a completely alien world, and is desperately trying to maintain ties to African Muslim identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> is directed by Kaneza Schaal and stars New Orleans tenor Jamez McCorkle, who was hailed as the discovery of 2022 Spoleto Festival USA for creating the titular role (“a miraculous voice with abundant body but no apparent weight,” wrote \u003cem>Opera News\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of people on stage in blue light during an opera\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamez McCorkle stars as the titular character in Rhiannon Giddens’ ‘Omar,’ which opens at San Francisco Opera Nov. 5 \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/LA Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the opera is just one of Giddens’ spectacular projects that’s manifesting around the region. She’s also leading the Silkroad Ensemble’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.silkroad.org/american-railroad\">American Railroad\u003c/a> \u003c/em>production, a multimedia musical excavation revealing the peoples who built the transcontinental railroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Performing Nov. 15 at \u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\">Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall\u003c/a>, Nov. 16 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">UC Davis’s Mondavi Center\u003c/a>, Nov. 17 at \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall\u003c/a>, and Nov. 18 at \u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">Sonoma State’s Green Music Center\u003c/a>, \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> builds on the concept and cast first assembled a quarter-century ago by cellist Yo-Yo Ma to explore the East-meets-West cultural confluence conveyed over the course of a millennium by the Silk Road trading route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Giddens’ artistic direction, the project trained its focus on the music of the laborers left out of Andrew J. Russell’s iconic 1869 photo “East and West Shaking Hands at Laying of Last Rail” at Promontory Summit, Utah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was one inspiration, who’s \u003cem>not\u003c/em> in the photo,” Giddens says. “How do we refocus that story? Many people know about the Chinese contributions, but if you’re talking about the Eastern part, you’re talking about Irish people, and you’re talking about the transition from slavery into convict labor. The other missing piece is Indigenous people.”\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/VQwOdmsJvqM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/VQwOdmsJvqM'\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>\nWith nine Silkroad Ensemble musicians and an array of special guests, the program encompasses Native American and African American music and reimagined traditional songs drawing from Irish, Chinese, Japanese and other immigrant cultures. Running through \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is Giddens’ arrangement of the bluegrass standard “Swannanoa Tunnel” (also known as “Asheville Junction” and “Swannanoa Town”), a song with largely forgotten origins as a 19th century African-American work song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The production doesn’t unfold as a linear narrative so much as gradually resolve into a fine-grained soundscape of a protean nation, one very much in the initial phase of coalescing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We’re going to start here and end up there, so there’s a narrative,” Giddens said. “But everybody took the assignment in different ways, some more from direct cultural inspiration, and some from the locomotive engine and the movement of the train, or the sound of the workers. So there are vocal pieces, instrumental pieces, improvised pieces, and this thread coming back to ‘Swannanoa Tunnel’ in different guises. The audience is on a ride with us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a ride that boasts an extravagant collection of talent. The cast includes Sandeep Das on tabla, Karen Ouzounian on cello and vocals, Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion, East Bay percussionist Haruka Fujii and Mazz Swift on violin and vocals. (Swift is then back in town Dec. 8–9 to curate \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SoundBox-MAZZ-SWIFT\">San Francisco Symphony’s latest Soundbox production.\u003c/a>) There are also a number of featured guests, such as Francesco Turrisi on frame drums and accordion and Pura Fé Crescioni on lap-steel guitar and voice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png\" alt=\"an ensemble of musicians performs on stage in front of a purple curtain\" width=\"800\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1020x707.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-768x532.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1536x1064.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cal Performances will present Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens on Nov. 17 at Zellerbach Hall. \u003ccite>(Adam Gurczak)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Giddens presides over the disparate ensemble on banjo and vocals, though she credits Wu Man, a master of the lute-like traditional Chinese pipa, with providing much of the glue that holds all the elements together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble well known to Bay Area audiences via her deep connection to Kronos Quartet, Wu says that Giddens came on board in 2020, “just at the right time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s an amazing artist and very easy to work with, and when she joined we had many different ideas about how to bring the group forward,” Wu says. “It’s a different time than when we started 25 years ago. \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is more based in American roots and traditions, reaching out to these different countries, but still rooted in the Silk Road history and instruments from Central Asia. But now we moved to America, the American Silk Road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Given Giddens’ last 18 months, the work reads as an expansion on a theme. Rooted in the verdant soil of her native North Carolina, Giddens launched her first mission with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, revealing the pervasive Black contributions to American old-time and string band music. The group, which first formed in 2005, certainly wasn’t the first to make the case — Taj Mahal was connecting the old-time and folk music dots to Piedmont blues, spirituals and work songs more than five decades ago. But with Giddens’ quietly charismatic presence out front, the Chocolate Drops helped widen conversations about the origins of American roots music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em>, Giddens opens a portal big enough to drive a train through — in part because the concerts are one component of a much larger undertaking. As the project continues to roll, plans include an album and a documentary series, site-specific visual installations and curricular materials for use by educators and the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a heaping plate for any one artist. But Giddens is also capping off her 2023 by publishing her second children’s book, following up on last year’s \u003cem>Build a House\u003c/em>. Available on Nov. 7, \u003cem>We Could Fly\u003c/em> is a collaboration with acclaimed graphic artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, based on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KhzRgqcBBc\">song of the same title\u003c/a> that Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell. It’s yet another creative alliance for a musician who has mastered the art of collaboration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You send them your words, and they come up with what they see needs to happen,” Giddens says. “It really is a partnership. She’s an artist, I’m an artist, and the two art forms come together to make something new.”\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>\u003cem>‘Omar’ runs for six performances Nov. 5–22 at the San Francisco Opera; \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Railroad’ will be performed Nov. 15 at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 16 at UC Davis’s Mondavi Center (\u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 17 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">details here\u003c/a>); and Nov. 18 at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center (\u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">details here\u003c/a>).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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