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"slug": "rbl-posse-a-lesson-to-be-learned-album-cover",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Editor’s note: \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>This story is part of \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003ci>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RBL Posse’s debut album \u003c/em>A Lesson to Be Learned\u003cem> is a Bay Area classic that sold over 220,000 copies and put Hunters Point on the map. Here, RBL Posse’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackc/?hl=en\">Black C\u003c/a>, a.k.a. Christian Mathews, recalls the neighborhood circumstances surrounding the album’s iconic cover photo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Location\u003c/strong>: Harbor and Northridge Roads, Hunters Point, San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>As told to\u003c/strong>: Gabe Meline \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he day we shot the cover for \u003cem>Lesson to be Learned\u003c/em>, we were just trying to represent our neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, an album cover was more about the eye candy — you pick it up and you see a bunch of guys on it, spray paint on the wall, stuff like that, and it makes you curious. I was really influenced by N.W.A. and the Geto Boys, so even though it was only me and Mr. Cee rapping in RBL, I gathered up a couple of my friends from the neighborhood to be in the picture. This is back when you had, like, \u003ca href=\"https://i.discogs.com/o1OhlCJWFiJN08RD3rFLuohEgsk6weI76QpEQ1CT39o/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:597/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTEyMzM3/NTgtMTIwMjU2MTgz/NC5qcGVn.jpeg\">posse photos\u003c/a>. It attracted attention. People was like, “Oh, that’s a \u003cem>crew\u003c/em> — where they from?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I told them dudes to go put on they RBL jackets, ’cause we all had RBL jackets made at Serramonte shopping mall. And we just had one of those little wind-up Kodak cameras, the kind you buy from Walgreens. My little brother Acie Matthews took the picture. He wasn’t a professional. He was just the only one out there with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13923773\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Lesson.cover_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Lesson.cover_.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Lesson.cover_-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We tried a few different things that day. We had a song called “More Like an Orgy,” where I talk about rollin’ four deep in a mail Jeep, so we actually did a photo with the mail Jeep. We did a photo on top of the building by the Harbor Road sign. I wish I still had those photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then we took a couple photos there in the basketball court, because not only did it have a lot of our names on the walls with spraypaint, but it was an area where we all gathered. We were doing barbecues there, shooting dice, hanging out, playing hunches. It was just a staple in our neighborhood. [pullquote citation='Black C' size='large' align='right']‘I look at that picture and get happy, and then at times I’m sad about the whole thing. I have dudes behind me in the picture who really didn’t have my back. It’s bittersweet.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The picture we actually used, sitting up on the stairs at the basketball court, that one just stood out to me. It had that grimy look and represented us, you know, it just represented our neighborhood. Anybody that’s seen that picture, especially from Hunters Point, knew exactly where that was that. They knew that was our road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923776\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923776\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-800x526.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-800x526.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-1020x671.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RBL Posse perform at the basketball court on Harbor Road, where the cover photo for ‘A Lesson to Be Learned’ was taken. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Black C)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We did so many things at the basketball court. I got shot and lost my eye close by there. We learned how to fight there. Learned how to play basketball. Our first concert we ever did in the neighborhood was done there. Back when we was hustling, that’s where everybody was at, from the OGs down to the youngsters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, I was living at 27 Harbor Road, the next building over. Before I even got outside and started hustling, I used to run to the candy house across the street, down them stairs across from the basketball court. I was doing store runs down to Surfside Liquors — that’s Bob’s store — or going to the candy house for the OGs that was around there hustlin’.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhRJnuCrAoM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Looking at that photo now, it’s happy and it’s sad. I think about the day we took it, how we was all together, and havin’ fun. We was just happy about RBL. We had no idea it was going to take off like it did. The song “Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed” — I knew that was hot because of what it did locally for us. I knew we had a hit on our hands. Everybody was excited, everybody had RBL jackets, and the whole neighborhood then, it was unity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then also when I look at that photo, that same album caused a divide. It brought jealousy to the dudes within the camp. The guy that’s standin’ up behind Mr. Cee — Boobie, me and him fell apart, and it split the turf in half, and that kind of caused the demise of Mr. Cee, him getting killed. I look at that picture and get happy, and then at times I’m sad about the whole thing. I have dudes behind me in the picture who really didn’t have my back. It’s bittersweet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924411\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924411\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A man in black leans out the drivers-side window of a vintage teal-blue car with buildings in the background\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-2048x1369.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-1920x1284.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RBL Posse’s Black C in his 1966 Skylark on Harbor Road in Hunters Point, circa 1990s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Black C)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Standing on the right-hand side, that’s Lil’ Mo, I still deal with him. Rest in peace to his sister, my kid’s mom — Lil’ Mo’s her brother. And that’s me in front of him with a beanie hat on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then in the middle you have Curtis. He’s dead now. He was one of the guys that I didn’t get along with later on. He switched up on them after we left and became a snitch, worked for the state or something. But he ended up getting killed some years back in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then you have Mr. Cee to the left of him, at the bottom. Rest in peace, Mr. Cee, that was my partner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one at the top above Mr. Cee, that’s Boobie. He just got out from doing 19 years. The whole thing with Boobie and them, when the turf split up, they became Big Block and they kind of went against us, and the whole stuff happened. The feds came in, took them to jail, and Curtis told on Boobie and a few other people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Me and Boobie talked a couple months ago. We’re going to let bygones be bygones, and at least be cordial moving forward. So we good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the graffiti in the back. We had all our names spraypainted at the basketball court, and little phrases and sayings we used. We had R.I.P. Chucky, our boy who had passed away. Behind me on the cover you can see an R.I.P. for Tone — that’s our boy Tone that got killed by the Vallejo PD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923778\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923778\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-800x690.png\" alt=\"Two young men sit on graffiti-covered steps, looking into the camera\" width=\"800\" height=\"690\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-800x690.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-1020x880.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-160x138.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-768x662.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_.png 1310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Black C on the basketball court steps with Herm Lewis (L–R), whose spoken-word intro on ‘A Lesson to Be Learned’ begins: “To survive the difficulties of these ghetto circumstances, we must motivate and respect each other, because the system is causing considerable damage to the Black man.” \u003ccite>(Courtesy Black C)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’m 50 now. And that’s why \u003ca href=\"https://rblposse.bigcartel.com/product/black-c-a-part-of-survival-from-the-block-to-the-booth-book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I put it all in my book\u003c/a>. I talk about everything, from the block to the booth. From being outside, losing my eye, and being part of the Sunnydale-Fillmore turf wars, to me being part of the truce, and bringing Sunnydale and Fillmore together. And then the fallout of my neighborhood, how it all happened. The fallout with our our label, In-a-Minute Records, who we signed to at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13924126']And even now, today, the fans still come out to see us. Even though they know we lost two members. We lost Mr. Cee, and we lost Hitman later on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I pressed forward and kept doing music, and thank God I didn’t have any problems. I’m still here to tell the story, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-800x60.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-400x30.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-768x58.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "'It's Bittersweet': The Story Behind RBL Posse’s ‘A Lesson to Be Learned’ Cover Photo | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Editor’s note: \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>This story is part of \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003ci>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RBL Posse’s debut album \u003c/em>A Lesson to Be Learned\u003cem> is a Bay Area classic that sold over 220,000 copies and put Hunters Point on the map. Here, RBL Posse’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackc/?hl=en\">Black C\u003c/a>, a.k.a. Christian Mathews, recalls the neighborhood circumstances surrounding the album’s iconic cover photo.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Location\u003c/strong>: Harbor and Northridge Roads, Hunters Point, San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>As told to\u003c/strong>: Gabe Meline \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>he day we shot the cover for \u003cem>Lesson to be Learned\u003c/em>, we were just trying to represent our neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, an album cover was more about the eye candy — you pick it up and you see a bunch of guys on it, spray paint on the wall, stuff like that, and it makes you curious. I was really influenced by N.W.A. and the Geto Boys, so even though it was only me and Mr. Cee rapping in RBL, I gathered up a couple of my friends from the neighborhood to be in the picture. This is back when you had, like, \u003ca href=\"https://i.discogs.com/o1OhlCJWFiJN08RD3rFLuohEgsk6weI76QpEQ1CT39o/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:597/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTEyMzM3/NTgtMTIwMjU2MTgz/NC5qcGVn.jpeg\">posse photos\u003c/a>. It attracted attention. People was like, “Oh, that’s a \u003cem>crew\u003c/em> — where they from?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I told them dudes to go put on they RBL jackets, ’cause we all had RBL jackets made at Serramonte shopping mall. And we just had one of those little wind-up Kodak cameras, the kind you buy from Walgreens. My little brother Acie Matthews took the picture. He wasn’t a professional. He was just the only one out there with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13923773\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Lesson.cover_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Lesson.cover_.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Lesson.cover_-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We tried a few different things that day. We had a song called “More Like an Orgy,” where I talk about rollin’ four deep in a mail Jeep, so we actually did a photo with the mail Jeep. We did a photo on top of the building by the Harbor Road sign. I wish I still had those photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then we took a couple photos there in the basketball court, because not only did it have a lot of our names on the walls with spraypaint, but it was an area where we all gathered. We were doing barbecues there, shooting dice, hanging out, playing hunches. It was just a staple in our neighborhood. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I look at that picture and get happy, and then at times I’m sad about the whole thing. I have dudes behind me in the picture who really didn’t have my back. It’s bittersweet.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The picture we actually used, sitting up on the stairs at the basketball court, that one just stood out to me. It had that grimy look and represented us, you know, it just represented our neighborhood. Anybody that’s seen that picture, especially from Hunters Point, knew exactly where that was that. They knew that was our road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923776\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923776\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-800x526.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-800x526.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-1020x671.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Concert.HuntersPoint.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RBL Posse perform at the basketball court on Harbor Road, where the cover photo for ‘A Lesson to Be Learned’ was taken. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Black C)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We did so many things at the basketball court. I got shot and lost my eye close by there. We learned how to fight there. Learned how to play basketball. Our first concert we ever did in the neighborhood was done there. Back when we was hustling, that’s where everybody was at, from the OGs down to the youngsters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, I was living at 27 Harbor Road, the next building over. Before I even got outside and started hustling, I used to run to the candy house across the street, down them stairs across from the basketball court. I was doing store runs down to Surfside Liquors — that’s Bob’s store — or going to the candy house for the OGs that was around there hustlin’.\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/nhRJnuCrAoM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/nhRJnuCrAoM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Looking at that photo now, it’s happy and it’s sad. I think about the day we took it, how we was all together, and havin’ fun. We was just happy about RBL. We had no idea it was going to take off like it did. The song “Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed” — I knew that was hot because of what it did locally for us. I knew we had a hit on our hands. Everybody was excited, everybody had RBL jackets, and the whole neighborhood then, it was unity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then also when I look at that photo, that same album caused a divide. It brought jealousy to the dudes within the camp. The guy that’s standin’ up behind Mr. Cee — Boobie, me and him fell apart, and it split the turf in half, and that kind of caused the demise of Mr. Cee, him getting killed. I look at that picture and get happy, and then at times I’m sad about the whole thing. I have dudes behind me in the picture who really didn’t have my back. It’s bittersweet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924411\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924411\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A man in black leans out the drivers-side window of a vintage teal-blue car with buildings in the background\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-2048x1369.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.BlackC.66.Skylark-1920x1284.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RBL Posse’s Black C in his 1966 Skylark on Harbor Road in Hunters Point, circa 1990s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Black C)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Standing on the right-hand side, that’s Lil’ Mo, I still deal with him. Rest in peace to his sister, my kid’s mom — Lil’ Mo’s her brother. And that’s me in front of him with a beanie hat on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then in the middle you have Curtis. He’s dead now. He was one of the guys that I didn’t get along with later on. He switched up on them after we left and became a snitch, worked for the state or something. But he ended up getting killed some years back in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then you have Mr. Cee to the left of him, at the bottom. Rest in peace, Mr. Cee, that was my partner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one at the top above Mr. Cee, that’s Boobie. He just got out from doing 19 years. The whole thing with Boobie and them, when the turf split up, they became Big Block and they kind of went against us, and the whole stuff happened. The feds came in, took them to jail, and Curtis told on Boobie and a few other people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Me and Boobie talked a couple months ago. We’re going to let bygones be bygones, and at least be cordial moving forward. So we good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the graffiti in the back. We had all our names spraypainted at the basketball court, and little phrases and sayings we used. We had R.I.P. Chucky, our boy who had passed away. Behind me on the cover you can see an R.I.P. for Tone — that’s our boy Tone that got killed by the Vallejo PD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923778\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923778\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-800x690.png\" alt=\"Two young men sit on graffiti-covered steps, looking into the camera\" width=\"800\" height=\"690\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-800x690.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-1020x880.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-160x138.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_-768x662.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/BlackC.Herm_.png 1310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Black C on the basketball court steps with Herm Lewis (L–R), whose spoken-word intro on ‘A Lesson to Be Learned’ begins: “To survive the difficulties of these ghetto circumstances, we must motivate and respect each other, because the system is causing considerable damage to the Black man.” \u003ccite>(Courtesy Black C)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’m 50 now. And that’s why \u003ca href=\"https://rblposse.bigcartel.com/product/black-c-a-part-of-survival-from-the-block-to-the-booth-book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I put it all in my book\u003c/a>. I talk about everything, from the block to the booth. From being outside, losing my eye, and being part of the Sunnydale-Fillmore turf wars, to me being part of the truce, and bringing Sunnydale and Fillmore together. And then the fallout of my neighborhood, how it all happened. The fallout with our our label, In-a-Minute Records, who we signed to at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>And even now, today, the fans still come out to see us. Even though they know we lost two members. We lost Mr. Cee, and we lost Hitman later on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I pressed forward and kept doing music, and thank God I didn’t have any problems. I’m still here to tell the story, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923952\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923952\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_-800x604.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration of the rapper e-40, holding his glasses, based on the cover to the album 'my ghetto report card'\" width=\"800\" height=\"604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_-800x604.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_-1020x770.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_-768x580.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_-1536x1160.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/e-40.web_.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘That’s My Word’ drops new stories each week throughout 2023. \u003ccite>(Illustration by Shomari Smith)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There is nothing in the world like Bay Area hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our hip-hop is multicultural, flamboyant, political, diverse, high-energy. It’s staunchly independent and doesn’t ask for approval. It’s the product of pimps and hustlers just as much as activists and intellectuals. In the Bay — \u003cem>rewind that Mac Dre song\u003c/em> — we dance a little different. [aside postID='arts_13924126']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s no secret that hip-hop in the Bay has been overlooked. But something else has happened. The rest of the country, befuddled but fascinated, has hijacked our production, slang and dance styles as their own. Our DJs have inspired the world; our graffiti artists too. Spend a little time in hip-hop, and you’ll quickly notice just how much the Bay has influenced without recognition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the year 2023 marks what’s widely accepted as the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, it’s time to give the Bay its shine. That’s why we’re spending the whole year telling the story of this culture, piece by piece.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924235\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2-800x295.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"295\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924235\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2-800x295.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2-1020x376.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2-160x59.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2-768x283.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2-1536x566.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/NoahHaytin.FourPortraits.2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sly Stone, E_40, Mistah F.A.B. and Kamaiyah. \u003ccite>(Illustration by Noah Haytin/NOH8TIN )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We’ll give you inside stories of hit records and deep cuts. We’ll break down how our innovative social, political and cultural movements contributed to hip-hop’s DNA. We’ll also go well beyond the music, and show how artists like Boots Riley and Tupac Shakur forced direct action for police accountability; how trailblazing women like Pam the Funkstress and the Conscious Daughters pushed hip-hop forward; and how Too Short, E-40, JT the Bigga Figga, Hieroglyphics and other entrepreneurs created the blueprint for independent artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through regular feature stories, interviews, playlists, photo galleries, podcast episodes and live events throughout 2023, we’re here to backcue the record and make sure the Bay gets its due. [aside postid='arts_13923978']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve also embarked on an ambitious endeavor, one that’s collaborative by design: a searchable, filterable \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline\">timeline of important moments in Bay Area hip-hop history\u003c/a>. It’s already over 200 entries long, and we’ll be adding to it as the year goes on for future generations to explore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No single person can tell the entire story of Bay Area hip-hop. It’s too huge, too variegated. That’s why we’re working with contributors — journalists, visual artists, rappers, academics, turntablists — to capture as much of this history before it dissipates. We’re also working with an advisory panel consisting of \u003ca href=\"https://jeffchang.net/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeff Chang\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Davey D Cook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://anthropology.sfsu.edu/people/dawn-elissa-fischer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dawn-Elissa Fischer\u003c/a>, all three of whom live and breathe hip-hop history. [aside postid='arts_13924042']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But importantly, we want to hear from you. Tap in and talk to us \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/about\">here\u003c/a>. Fact-check us when needed. Tell us what you’ve seen and where you’ve been. The permanent record needs you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re alive in 2023, you’ve been affected by hip-hop. For decades, it’s transformed not just music but art, politics, education and culture. So this series isn’t just for the old heads — it’s for young fans wanting to connect to the lineage; for those eager to learn about the Bay Area’s social, political and cultural history; for any of the millions across the globe whose life soundtrack spans the music of Mac Dre, The Jacka, Blackalicious, Keak Da Sneak, Kamaiyah, Digital Underground, DJ Shadow, MC Hammer, The Coup, Mystic, I.M.P., Saafir, Mistah F.A.B., the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and… you know what? If we listed everyone, we’d be here ’til infinity. [aside postid='arts_13924170']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hip-hop history is so much more than New York, L.A. and Atlanta. For the foreseeable future here in the Bay, it’s all eyez on us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>— Gabe Meline, Eric Arnold, Nastia Voynovskaya and Pendarvis Harshaw \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Watch: ‘We Were Hyphy’ Celebrates the Bay’s Innovative 2000s Rap Subculture",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Editor’s note:\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This story is part of\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\"> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s My Word\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hyphy movement looms large in the Bay Area. Its trunk-rattling beats, high-energy dance moves and flamboyant fashion still sit at the core of local culture over a decade since its peak in the mid-2000s. But there’s a lot more to hyphy than going dumb. For a generation that came up in the aftermath of the crack epidemic and mass incarceration, the subculture’s wild expressions of joy also made room for catharsis, protest and liberation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laurence Madrigal’s feature documentary \u003ca href=\"https://www.wewerehyphy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i>\u003c/a> puts the movement in this larger social context. The director enlisted an expert team of executive producers: “I Gott Grapes” hitmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ceo_nump_beastmobile/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nump\u003c/a>, Thizz Nation photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/isawdray/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D-Ray\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thizzler.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thizzler\u003c/a> founder Matt Werner and \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7242142/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Blindspotting\u003c/i>\u003c/a>’s Rafael Casal, all of whom except Werner appear as commentators in the film. [aside postid='arts_13924042']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i> celebrates big hits like E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go,” but it doesn’t miss the deep cuts. We hear from artists like Mistah F.A.B. and Keak Da Sneak — the latter of whom introduced the word “hyphy” to the masses — as well as the turf dancers, independent label bosses and sideshow drivers at the heart of the grassroots subculture. Interviews with Sacramento State University’s Dr. Andrea Moore and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/rightnowish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED’s Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/a> take the narrative a layer deeper, showing how creative innovation thrived in spite of oppressive circumstances. And testimonies from big-name artists raised on the hyphy movement, including G-Eazy and Kamaiyah, create a throughline to its enduring influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i> is not the first hyphy film. In the 2000s, while the movement was ongoing, Mac Dre’s \u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i> and the sideshow doc \u003ci>Go Dumb USA\u003c/i> captured the good times. Madrigal was a teenager in Antioch in those days, when hyphy made its way from inner cities to the suburbs, and onto the radio and MTV. Now, with the gift of hindsight, he and his collaborators evolve the conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After making its premiere at Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in San Jose in 2022, \u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i> is now available for streaming on KQED and the PBS app. It will also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/tv/schedules/weekly?date=2023-02-05&channel=KQED-HD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broadcast on PBS stations\u003c/a> nationwide (Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. on KQED PLUS, and Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. for KQED Channel 9). As you watch it, don’t be surprised if you find yourself dancing in your seat one minute and wiping a tear the next. [aside postid='arts_13900205']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Madrigal says, “Let’s just be wowed about how this community of people made something so beautiful out of nothing. It’s the classic story, [similar to] the birth of hip-hop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-800x60.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>\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Editor’s note:\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This story is part of\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\"> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s My Word\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hyphy movement looms large in the Bay Area. Its trunk-rattling beats, high-energy dance moves and flamboyant fashion still sit at the core of local culture over a decade since its peak in the mid-2000s. But there’s a lot more to hyphy than going dumb. For a generation that came up in the aftermath of the crack epidemic and mass incarceration, the subculture’s wild expressions of joy also made room for catharsis, protest and liberation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laurence Madrigal’s feature documentary \u003ca href=\"https://www.wewerehyphy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i>\u003c/a> puts the movement in this larger social context. The director enlisted an expert team of executive producers: “I Gott Grapes” hitmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ceo_nump_beastmobile/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nump\u003c/a>, Thizz Nation photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/isawdray/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D-Ray\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thizzler.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thizzler\u003c/a> founder Matt Werner and \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7242142/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Blindspotting\u003c/i>\u003c/a>’s Rafael Casal, all of whom except Werner appear as commentators in the film. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i> celebrates big hits like E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go,” but it doesn’t miss the deep cuts. We hear from artists like Mistah F.A.B. and Keak Da Sneak — the latter of whom introduced the word “hyphy” to the masses — as well as the turf dancers, independent label bosses and sideshow drivers at the heart of the grassroots subculture. Interviews with Sacramento State University’s Dr. Andrea Moore and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/rightnowish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED’s Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/a> take the narrative a layer deeper, showing how creative innovation thrived in spite of oppressive circumstances. And testimonies from big-name artists raised on the hyphy movement, including G-Eazy and Kamaiyah, create a throughline to its enduring influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i> is not the first hyphy film. In the 2000s, while the movement was ongoing, Mac Dre’s \u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i> and the sideshow doc \u003ci>Go Dumb USA\u003c/i> captured the good times. Madrigal was a teenager in Antioch in those days, when hyphy made its way from inner cities to the suburbs, and onto the radio and MTV. Now, with the gift of hindsight, he and his collaborators evolve the conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Madrigal says, “Let’s just be wowed about how this community of people made something so beautiful out of nothing. It’s the classic story, [similar to] the birth of hip-hop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-800x60.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\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How I Made a Bay Area Classic at Age 15",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s note:\u003c/strong> This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>In this edited excerpt from his book \u003c/em>My Opinion\u003cem> (\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/My-Opinion-Mac-Mall/dp/0692456570/\">available here\u003c/a>), Vallejo legend Mac Mall recalls signing his first record deal and recording his classic debut album, \u003c/em>Illegal Business\u003cem>, at age 15.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen I heard that \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/184149-Khayree\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Khayree\u003c/a> wanted to holla at me about signing to a new label he was starting called Young Black Brotha Records, I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I was superjuiced, ’cause in my opinion, Khayree was and is a genius. His music is how the Crestside streets sound. I knew that if we hooked up, I would become a part of a legacy, but on the other hand, I was havin’ a run of some real buzzard luck. It seemed like nothing was going my way. I would get close enough to touch my goal, and the rug would get snatched from under me. A part of me thought this time would be no different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khayree was like a myth to me then. I never saw him hangin’ out; I just heard and felt the passion in his music. He definitely had his finger on the pulse of the Country Club and the whole Bay with the records he made for Strictly Business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the things that eased my mind was Ceese telling me that it was real business. A Crestside OG and local DJ, Ceese was family; my mother used to babysit him way back when. He was always straight up and honest, so to me, his word was his bond. I got Khayree’s number from Ceese, went directly home, and called him. We talked two or three times, but they were only short conversations, because Khayree was as busy as a dope dealer on the first. Between his campaigning to free Mac Dre, who had been railroaded by the feds, and Ray Luv, who was signed to Strictly Business and dropped the Bay Area classic “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/IVS-j8mGvqU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Ya Money On\u003c/a>,” Khayree didn’t have much time to chat on the phone. He told me he would come to the Crest to chop it up with me face to face and would probably bring some tracks, so I had to be ready to spit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the day arrived, a few cuddies and I were posted up in front of my house on Mark Avenue. Khayree pulled up in his dark blue BMW. We knew it was him, ’cause not too many cars like that came through the turf. My crew knew Khayree was in the ‘hood to talk business with me, so they left me there in front of my house. My first impression of Khayree was that he was taller than he looked on the record covers and TV, and he wasn’t mean muggin’; he was actually smiling. So I put my best cold-as-the-North-Pole face on and gave him some dap, and then he ran down his plans on how he was creating Young Black Brotha (YBB) Records. He really didn’t have to sell me on the idea, though, ’cause I was a jump, skip, and a hop from a cell block or a pine box, so I felt I had nothing to lose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khayree had heard me rap on the four-track demo tape Mac Dre had produced for me, but I guess he wanted to hear me flow live to find out if my skills were actual and factual. I think this is where the man upstairs who controls all game stepped in, ’cause the first piece of music he played for me was knockin’, and I must say, the rap I spit felt tailor made for the beat. The track and rap ended up being the title track to what would become my debut record \u003cem>Illegal Business\u003c/em>. After I spit a few raps to a couple different beats, I guess Khayree was convinced, so we agreed we would make Young Black Brotha Records a reality. The next step, though, would be a hard one. We would have to persuade my parents to let their 15-year-old son get involved with strangers in a business they knew little, if anything, about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='From the Book' link1='https://www.amazon.com/My-Opinion-Mac-Mall/dp/0692456570/,My Opinion (133 pages; $20)' hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacMall.MyOpinion.jpg']My relationship with my pops wasn’t too cool at this time. We barely even spoke, so I felt he would be against it or wouldn’t care. My mom was under a lot of stress ’cause of the funk between me and my pops, and all she heard about the music business were horror stories of people getting strung out on drugs or dying broke because the record company robbed them. Plus, with the way I was livin’ at that time, she could have thought only the worst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceese set up a meeting at my house with him, Khayree, my parents, and me to discuss my future in the record industry. You should have seen us: Ceese and Khayree were sitting on the couch looking like they just stepped out of a rap video, and my folks and I were on the other side of the couch looking like we just stepped out of an episode of \u003cem>Good Times\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My parents asked the usual questions like how this would affect me in school, who would look out for me and make sure I wouldn’t fall victim to drugs, and what was up with the contract (who got what, how much, and when). Since I was a minor, a parent would have to sign along with me. For that reason, I was worried; if my pops told my mom not to sign out of spite, maybe mom wouldn’t sign just to keep things cool between them. If that went down, I was right back where I started: the bottom of the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Khayree finished his presentation, Ceese assured my parents that he would look out for me as best as he could, acting as DJ/mentor. Like I said, Ceese was family. After Ceese and Khayree bounced, my parents let me know that they thought I shouldn’t risk my future on a dream and that I should concentrate on school. Then they informed me that if I disobeyed them and chose a music career, I would be doing so alone and without their support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they told me that, it really fucked me up. I mean, this was one of the biggest decisions in my life, and not having them have my back felt like they disowned me anyway. My mind was made up — matter of fact, it was a no-brainer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom and pops wanted me to focus on school, but Hogan High School, which I was attending then, was just the minor leagues of the Crest against the rest of Vallejo funk. There, I focused only on fighting with the enemy and smoking weed with the cuddies, and getting a name for myself was more important than studying or homework. My parents didn’t want me to risk my future on a dream, but my life was at risk every day I woke up and went outside. I felt the music industry couldn’t be worse than growing up in the ‘hood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pops had washed his hands of the situation, so I was able to convince my mother to sign the contract. I had to promise her that I would finish school and stay out of trouble. I gave her my word, we both signed, and it was official: Mac Mall was the first artist signed to Young Black Brotha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/g8Bfxiq5Cos\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Writing Up a Storm for ‘Illegal Business’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>So Khayree started giving me tracks, and we began putting together what would become my first record, \u003cem>Illegal Business\u003c/em>. Leila Steinberg, who managed Ray and had managed Tupac before he got with Digital Underground, agreed to be my manager. With Dre in the feds, Ray took on a big cuddie role, letting me come along with him and perform at clubs and concerts. I felt like things were starting to happen — until Ray Luv caught a bullshit case and had to go to San Quentin for a ninety-day op.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leila spent a lot of time trying to make sure he didn’t get washed in the legal system and catch some serious time. Khayree was still shooting me tracks for the records, and I was writing up a storm. In the Crestside, the streets were on fire; it was like cats stopped grinding and started robbing banks. Every neighborhood d-boy switched his pitch up and became a modern-day Jesse James. Cuddies were runnin’ up in every bank and credit union around. Some licks were so sweet, cats hit the same spot twice. This was the time some key members of my crew went down, mostly for robbery charges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, the turf took the fed as a joke, but soon nobody would be laughin’. The ‘hood lost some real soldiers to the funk, which was getting deeper by the day. With all this shit jumpin’ off around me, it definitely influenced my rhymes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My family had decided to take a vacation to Detroit that summer to go see my grandmother, Juanita Rocker. Juanita was a strong, strict, smart woman. She invested in real estate and owned property throughout Detroit. I spent a lot of summers in Motown helping repair houses and doing other business. I couldn’t see it then, but now I appreciate the knowledge I received while I was out there. [aside postid='arts_13923766' hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/RBL.Small_.GIF.gif']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this summer in particular, I wasn’t trying to go out there. I had some Khayree beats to write to, the cuddies from the Strictly Ses (which we changed our name to) and I were putting it down in the town. I was right there in the middle of it. I wasn’t trying to miss any of the action. But after my mom made me go, the trip was actually cool. I got a chance to step back from my reality and put together some real raw material for my CD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I got back to the Crest, it was on. Khayree had the game plan made and was ready to execute. He decided we were gonna call the record \u003cem>Illegal Business\u003c/em>, since that was one of the first and tightest songs we made. We were gonna do a savage record cover, where I would be lookin’ like I was plotting a heist. When I heard that, I was with it, but the next thing he said threw me off. He told me he wanted to add another L to my name, ’cause he didn’t think people would get Mall from Mal. At first I didn’t want to do it, but trick it! I was getting in the game, so that’s all that mattered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I started my sophomore year at Hogan High, I was hyphy — I mean, I was experiencing stuff no teenager or most adults get a chance to. My mom made me promise that if I rapped, I would have to keep my grades up, so I did just enough to keep her off my back. When people started seeing that what I was doing was profitable, school became an obstacle for them. I would have fools tell me that I would be making more money than the principal, so I should concentrate on my flows instead of school. It sounded cool, but I made a promise to my mother to finish school, and that was what I was gonna do. I’m not gonna say that I was an angel or anything. I would cut class to do songs — even at lunch time — anything I had to do to make it happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYUNInmYtlI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I finished the record, I knew it was good, but I really didn’t know what we had our hands on. I gave tapes to some cuddies, but I didn’t know how people outside the turf would take to it. Because of Ray Luv’s single “Get Ya Money On,” KMEL, the rap station in the Bay, gave us some love. I remember when I first heard my song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/CUm-vin3gR0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Gots 2 Have It\u003c/a>” on the radio. A DJ named Theo Mizuhara, the most popular DJ at the time, played it. I was on Mark Avenue with the cuddie from the crew, just smoking blunts and drinking forties, when a cuddie of mine told me they were playin’ my song. I tell ya, I had an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t believe that was me on the radio for the whole Bay to hear. The cuddies were so juiced that we hopped in the cars and rolled all around the turf, dancing and yelling, telling everybody who would listen that I was on the radio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we dropped the record that summer, I could feel something was about to happen. We had a strong street buzz, and slowly but surely, the record picked up momentum. It was a great time for Bay Area music then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was JT & the Get Low Playaz, Dre Dog, Cougnut, and RBL getting down in Frisco; Dru Down, The Luniz, 3X Krazy, and Richie Rich out in Oakland; Lil Ric in Richmond; and Brotha Lynch and C-Bo out in Sac. Man, I tell you, it was a good time to be a rapper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0qR8qB6JbTVhK2HDodBv4b?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hooking Up With Tupac, One of the Hardest to Ever Live\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With Mac Dre in the feds, E-40 became the king of Vallejo rap. If 40 was the king of Vallejo rap, then I was the prince. A lot of people don’t know this, but 40 and I are cousins, with our roots goin’ back to Louisiana. Actually, when I was younger, my mother and aunt wanted me to hook up with 40 and put out a record, since we were family. We chopped it up, but nothing ever came of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was at E-40’s “Practice Lookin’ Hard” video that I met one of the hardest niggas to ever live: Tupac Amaru Shakur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924484\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13924484\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-1020x1224.jpg\" alt=\"Three young men, two of them sitting on car hoods, on a city street\" width=\"640\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-1020x1224.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-800x960.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-160x192.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-768x922.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Tupac Shakur, Mac Mall and Ray Luv on the set of Mac Mall’s music video, “Ghetto Theme,” directed by Tupac. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Mac Mall / 'My Opinion')\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>My cousin Shanda had brought me to the video; it was cool, even though I don’t think I got in one scene. The thing that made it worth being there was when Pac showed up for his cameo. Pac was there with Mopreme, Stretch, Big Syke, and a couple of his folks from the Bay. He looked like success; at the time, he was on his way to becoming the biggest rap star alive, and the best thing about it was that he was from the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember back in the day when Pac ran with the Jungle, a turf in Marin. Mac Dre did a show out there, and our ‘hoods had funk. We basically had to fight and shoot our way out of the projects, but that was then, and this was now. I can’t front, I was starstruck. I always related to Tupac, not only ’cause he was from the Bay but because I felt that when he rapped, he spoke for every young Black man in America — shit, the world! He represented how far you could take it if you worked hard and kept it real. Pac was at the video chillin’ just like a regular person, only difference was that everybody was jockin’ him. I remember he was smoking some chocolate ty he had brought back from New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My cousin Shanda, who was talking shit as usual, had made a remark about his weed, and that’s when I took my chance to introduce myself. I walked up to him and said, “What’s up, Pac? My name is Mac Mall.” Then I gave him some dap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he heard my name, his eyes got big. Now, anybody who knew Pac knew how hyper he could get about shit. He was like, “You Mac Mall from Young Black Brotha? I love your shit, dog! Me and all my niggas is slammin’ that shit right now! I know your manager, Leila. I’m gonna call you up; we got to do something!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I heard this coming out of the mouth of one of my rap idols and the biggest rapper in the game, I felt validated and honored. I finally felt like I was on the right track. Shit, if the best said I was good, then I had to be doing something right!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he told me “we had to do something,” I really didn’t trip; in the rap game, when somebody tells you that, it’s kind of like somebody in Hollywood telling you, “Hey, I’ll call you, and we’ll do lunch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/EL3N3D5B0CA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Tupac wasn’t Hollywood. He called Leila, whom he hadn’t spoken to in a while, and the next time he was in the Bay, he came through the YBB studio to check out our operation and do some tracks with me and Khayree. We had already shot the video for “Sic Wit Dis” a few months prior, and it was during this visit that Tupac told us that he wanted to direct a video for a song on my record called “Ghetto Theme.” I was floored! I couldn’t believe he would take time out of his busy schedule to direct and be in a video for little ol’ me. Tupac will forever be a friend in my eyes for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even now, I think about how God brought Pac into my life. I mean Tupac was large; he didn’t even have to talk to me, let alone take me under his wing. I don’t know why God did it, but I’m happy he did. Here I was in the 11th grade with a CD in stores, doing shows around the country, starting to see a little paper, and having the biggest rapper as a big cuddie! It felt good; life was sweet!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you can’t have the sweet without the bitter. The bitter came in the form of hate; it seemed like the better I did, the more some people hated on me. It didn’t bother me, ’cause I had my crew, but when some of them dudes started to hate, it really cut me deep. I had to come face to face with the fact that everybody wasn’t going to see my dream the way I saw it. It hurt that rap came between us, but this was bigger than me. This was destiny. I had to handle my business. Pac and I got close, and even though he was fighting cases, doing movies, and making music, I was still able to call him and ask him for advice or just to chop it up. [aside postid='arts_13924170' hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember when Pac wanted to take me to the Soul Train Awards that year. Since I was young, he decided he’d call my mom and ask her personally for permission rather than having his people do it. He couldn’t have called at a worse time, ’cause I wasn’t doing well in school. When he asked her, she straight-up told him no. I almost fainted. I had to explain to her that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I had to get out there. Luckily I was able to get my grades together and go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Man, going to Hollywood for the Soul Train Awards with Tupac was major! It also was the first time Ray Luv and Tupac had spoken since the Strictly Dope days. Strictly Dope was a group Pac and Ray started back in the day. Pac left the group to join Digital Underground, so he and Ray weren’t on good terms. Once we hooked up with Pac, though, he and Ray went into a back room, chopped it up, and squashed whatever problem they had. When we got to the awards, I saw how the big dogs do it. It was superstars everywhere. Pac let me sit in the front next to him, while Ray and Thug Life had other seats in the back. Man, I was literally sitting next to Madonna, and Jamie Foxx, Dr. Dre, and Snoop were by us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People I watched on TV were right in front of my face — not to mention, I was with the biggest rapper/ actor in the game. “Man, if the cuddies could see me now,” I thought.\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>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s note:\u003c/strong> This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>In this edited excerpt from his book \u003c/em>My Opinion\u003cem> (\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/My-Opinion-Mac-Mall/dp/0692456570/\">available here\u003c/a>), Vallejo legend Mac Mall recalls signing his first record deal and recording his classic debut album, \u003c/em>Illegal Business\u003cem>, at age 15.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hen I heard that \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/184149-Khayree\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Khayree\u003c/a> wanted to holla at me about signing to a new label he was starting called Young Black Brotha Records, I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I was superjuiced, ’cause in my opinion, Khayree was and is a genius. His music is how the Crestside streets sound. I knew that if we hooked up, I would become a part of a legacy, but on the other hand, I was havin’ a run of some real buzzard luck. It seemed like nothing was going my way. I would get close enough to touch my goal, and the rug would get snatched from under me. A part of me thought this time would be no different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khayree was like a myth to me then. I never saw him hangin’ out; I just heard and felt the passion in his music. He definitely had his finger on the pulse of the Country Club and the whole Bay with the records he made for Strictly Business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the things that eased my mind was Ceese telling me that it was real business. A Crestside OG and local DJ, Ceese was family; my mother used to babysit him way back when. He was always straight up and honest, so to me, his word was his bond. I got Khayree’s number from Ceese, went directly home, and called him. We talked two or three times, but they were only short conversations, because Khayree was as busy as a dope dealer on the first. Between his campaigning to free Mac Dre, who had been railroaded by the feds, and Ray Luv, who was signed to Strictly Business and dropped the Bay Area classic “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/IVS-j8mGvqU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Ya Money On\u003c/a>,” Khayree didn’t have much time to chat on the phone. He told me he would come to the Crest to chop it up with me face to face and would probably bring some tracks, so I had to be ready to spit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the day arrived, a few cuddies and I were posted up in front of my house on Mark Avenue. Khayree pulled up in his dark blue BMW. We knew it was him, ’cause not too many cars like that came through the turf. My crew knew Khayree was in the ‘hood to talk business with me, so they left me there in front of my house. My first impression of Khayree was that he was taller than he looked on the record covers and TV, and he wasn’t mean muggin’; he was actually smiling. So I put my best cold-as-the-North-Pole face on and gave him some dap, and then he ran down his plans on how he was creating Young Black Brotha (YBB) Records. He really didn’t have to sell me on the idea, though, ’cause I was a jump, skip, and a hop from a cell block or a pine box, so I felt I had nothing to lose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khayree had heard me rap on the four-track demo tape Mac Dre had produced for me, but I guess he wanted to hear me flow live to find out if my skills were actual and factual. I think this is where the man upstairs who controls all game stepped in, ’cause the first piece of music he played for me was knockin’, and I must say, the rap I spit felt tailor made for the beat. The track and rap ended up being the title track to what would become my debut record \u003cem>Illegal Business\u003c/em>. After I spit a few raps to a couple different beats, I guess Khayree was convinced, so we agreed we would make Young Black Brotha Records a reality. The next step, though, would be a hard one. We would have to persuade my parents to let their 15-year-old son get involved with strangers in a business they knew little, if anything, about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>My relationship with my pops wasn’t too cool at this time. We barely even spoke, so I felt he would be against it or wouldn’t care. My mom was under a lot of stress ’cause of the funk between me and my pops, and all she heard about the music business were horror stories of people getting strung out on drugs or dying broke because the record company robbed them. Plus, with the way I was livin’ at that time, she could have thought only the worst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ceese set up a meeting at my house with him, Khayree, my parents, and me to discuss my future in the record industry. You should have seen us: Ceese and Khayree were sitting on the couch looking like they just stepped out of a rap video, and my folks and I were on the other side of the couch looking like we just stepped out of an episode of \u003cem>Good Times\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My parents asked the usual questions like how this would affect me in school, who would look out for me and make sure I wouldn’t fall victim to drugs, and what was up with the contract (who got what, how much, and when). Since I was a minor, a parent would have to sign along with me. For that reason, I was worried; if my pops told my mom not to sign out of spite, maybe mom wouldn’t sign just to keep things cool between them. If that went down, I was right back where I started: the bottom of the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Khayree finished his presentation, Ceese assured my parents that he would look out for me as best as he could, acting as DJ/mentor. Like I said, Ceese was family. After Ceese and Khayree bounced, my parents let me know that they thought I shouldn’t risk my future on a dream and that I should concentrate on school. Then they informed me that if I disobeyed them and chose a music career, I would be doing so alone and without their support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they told me that, it really fucked me up. I mean, this was one of the biggest decisions in my life, and not having them have my back felt like they disowned me anyway. My mind was made up — matter of fact, it was a no-brainer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom and pops wanted me to focus on school, but Hogan High School, which I was attending then, was just the minor leagues of the Crest against the rest of Vallejo funk. There, I focused only on fighting with the enemy and smoking weed with the cuddies, and getting a name for myself was more important than studying or homework. My parents didn’t want me to risk my future on a dream, but my life was at risk every day I woke up and went outside. I felt the music industry couldn’t be worse than growing up in the ‘hood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pops had washed his hands of the situation, so I was able to convince my mother to sign the contract. I had to promise her that I would finish school and stay out of trouble. I gave her my word, we both signed, and it was official: Mac Mall was the first artist signed to Young Black Brotha.\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/g8Bfxiq5Cos'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/g8Bfxiq5Cos'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>Writing Up a Storm for ‘Illegal Business’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>So Khayree started giving me tracks, and we began putting together what would become my first record, \u003cem>Illegal Business\u003c/em>. Leila Steinberg, who managed Ray and had managed Tupac before he got with Digital Underground, agreed to be my manager. With Dre in the feds, Ray took on a big cuddie role, letting me come along with him and perform at clubs and concerts. I felt like things were starting to happen — until Ray Luv caught a bullshit case and had to go to San Quentin for a ninety-day op.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leila spent a lot of time trying to make sure he didn’t get washed in the legal system and catch some serious time. Khayree was still shooting me tracks for the records, and I was writing up a storm. In the Crestside, the streets were on fire; it was like cats stopped grinding and started robbing banks. Every neighborhood d-boy switched his pitch up and became a modern-day Jesse James. Cuddies were runnin’ up in every bank and credit union around. Some licks were so sweet, cats hit the same spot twice. This was the time some key members of my crew went down, mostly for robbery charges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, the turf took the fed as a joke, but soon nobody would be laughin’. The ‘hood lost some real soldiers to the funk, which was getting deeper by the day. With all this shit jumpin’ off around me, it definitely influenced my rhymes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My family had decided to take a vacation to Detroit that summer to go see my grandmother, Juanita Rocker. Juanita was a strong, strict, smart woman. She invested in real estate and owned property throughout Detroit. I spent a lot of summers in Motown helping repair houses and doing other business. I couldn’t see it then, but now I appreciate the knowledge I received while I was out there. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this summer in particular, I wasn’t trying to go out there. I had some Khayree beats to write to, the cuddies from the Strictly Ses (which we changed our name to) and I were putting it down in the town. I was right there in the middle of it. I wasn’t trying to miss any of the action. But after my mom made me go, the trip was actually cool. I got a chance to step back from my reality and put together some real raw material for my CD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I got back to the Crest, it was on. Khayree had the game plan made and was ready to execute. He decided we were gonna call the record \u003cem>Illegal Business\u003c/em>, since that was one of the first and tightest songs we made. We were gonna do a savage record cover, where I would be lookin’ like I was plotting a heist. When I heard that, I was with it, but the next thing he said threw me off. He told me he wanted to add another L to my name, ’cause he didn’t think people would get Mall from Mal. At first I didn’t want to do it, but trick it! I was getting in the game, so that’s all that mattered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I started my sophomore year at Hogan High, I was hyphy — I mean, I was experiencing stuff no teenager or most adults get a chance to. My mom made me promise that if I rapped, I would have to keep my grades up, so I did just enough to keep her off my back. When people started seeing that what I was doing was profitable, school became an obstacle for them. I would have fools tell me that I would be making more money than the principal, so I should concentrate on my flows instead of school. It sounded cool, but I made a promise to my mother to finish school, and that was what I was gonna do. I’m not gonna say that I was an angel or anything. I would cut class to do songs — even at lunch time — anything I had to do to make it happen.\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/VYUNInmYtlI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/VYUNInmYtlI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>When I finished the record, I knew it was good, but I really didn’t know what we had our hands on. I gave tapes to some cuddies, but I didn’t know how people outside the turf would take to it. Because of Ray Luv’s single “Get Ya Money On,” KMEL, the rap station in the Bay, gave us some love. I remember when I first heard my song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/CUm-vin3gR0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Gots 2 Have It\u003c/a>” on the radio. A DJ named Theo Mizuhara, the most popular DJ at the time, played it. I was on Mark Avenue with the cuddie from the crew, just smoking blunts and drinking forties, when a cuddie of mine told me they were playin’ my song. I tell ya, I had an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t believe that was me on the radio for the whole Bay to hear. The cuddies were so juiced that we hopped in the cars and rolled all around the turf, dancing and yelling, telling everybody who would listen that I was on the radio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we dropped the record that summer, I could feel something was about to happen. We had a strong street buzz, and slowly but surely, the record picked up momentum. It was a great time for Bay Area music then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was JT & the Get Low Playaz, Dre Dog, Cougnut, and RBL getting down in Frisco; Dru Down, The Luniz, 3X Krazy, and Richie Rich out in Oakland; Lil Ric in Richmond; and Brotha Lynch and C-Bo out in Sac. Man, I tell you, it was a good time to be a rapper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0qR8qB6JbTVhK2HDodBv4b?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hooking Up With Tupac, One of the Hardest to Ever Live\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With Mac Dre in the feds, E-40 became the king of Vallejo rap. If 40 was the king of Vallejo rap, then I was the prince. A lot of people don’t know this, but 40 and I are cousins, with our roots goin’ back to Louisiana. Actually, when I was younger, my mother and aunt wanted me to hook up with 40 and put out a record, since we were family. We chopped it up, but nothing ever came of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was at E-40’s “Practice Lookin’ Hard” video that I met one of the hardest niggas to ever live: Tupac Amaru Shakur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924484\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13924484\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-1020x1224.jpg\" alt=\"Three young men, two of them sitting on car hoods, on a city street\" width=\"640\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-1020x1224.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-800x960.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-160x192.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv-768x922.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Tupac.MacMall..RayLuv.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Tupac Shakur, Mac Mall and Ray Luv on the set of Mac Mall’s music video, “Ghetto Theme,” directed by Tupac. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Mac Mall / 'My Opinion')\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>My cousin Shanda had brought me to the video; it was cool, even though I don’t think I got in one scene. The thing that made it worth being there was when Pac showed up for his cameo. Pac was there with Mopreme, Stretch, Big Syke, and a couple of his folks from the Bay. He looked like success; at the time, he was on his way to becoming the biggest rap star alive, and the best thing about it was that he was from the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember back in the day when Pac ran with the Jungle, a turf in Marin. Mac Dre did a show out there, and our ‘hoods had funk. We basically had to fight and shoot our way out of the projects, but that was then, and this was now. I can’t front, I was starstruck. I always related to Tupac, not only ’cause he was from the Bay but because I felt that when he rapped, he spoke for every young Black man in America — shit, the world! He represented how far you could take it if you worked hard and kept it real. Pac was at the video chillin’ just like a regular person, only difference was that everybody was jockin’ him. I remember he was smoking some chocolate ty he had brought back from New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My cousin Shanda, who was talking shit as usual, had made a remark about his weed, and that’s when I took my chance to introduce myself. I walked up to him and said, “What’s up, Pac? My name is Mac Mall.” Then I gave him some dap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he heard my name, his eyes got big. Now, anybody who knew Pac knew how hyper he could get about shit. He was like, “You Mac Mall from Young Black Brotha? I love your shit, dog! Me and all my niggas is slammin’ that shit right now! I know your manager, Leila. I’m gonna call you up; we got to do something!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I heard this coming out of the mouth of one of my rap idols and the biggest rapper in the game, I felt validated and honored. I finally felt like I was on the right track. Shit, if the best said I was good, then I had to be doing something right!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he told me “we had to do something,” I really didn’t trip; in the rap game, when somebody tells you that, it’s kind of like somebody in Hollywood telling you, “Hey, I’ll call you, and we’ll do lunch.”\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/EL3N3D5B0CA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/EL3N3D5B0CA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>But Tupac wasn’t Hollywood. He called Leila, whom he hadn’t spoken to in a while, and the next time he was in the Bay, he came through the YBB studio to check out our operation and do some tracks with me and Khayree. We had already shot the video for “Sic Wit Dis” a few months prior, and it was during this visit that Tupac told us that he wanted to direct a video for a song on my record called “Ghetto Theme.” I was floored! I couldn’t believe he would take time out of his busy schedule to direct and be in a video for little ol’ me. Tupac will forever be a friend in my eyes for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even now, I think about how God brought Pac into my life. I mean Tupac was large; he didn’t even have to talk to me, let alone take me under his wing. I don’t know why God did it, but I’m happy he did. Here I was in the 11th grade with a CD in stores, doing shows around the country, starting to see a little paper, and having the biggest rapper as a big cuddie! It felt good; life was sweet!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you can’t have the sweet without the bitter. The bitter came in the form of hate; it seemed like the better I did, the more some people hated on me. It didn’t bother me, ’cause I had my crew, but when some of them dudes started to hate, it really cut me deep. I had to come face to face with the fact that everybody wasn’t going to see my dream the way I saw it. It hurt that rap came between us, but this was bigger than me. This was destiny. I had to handle my business. Pac and I got close, and even though he was fighting cases, doing movies, and making music, I was still able to call him and ask him for advice or just to chop it up. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember when Pac wanted to take me to the Soul Train Awards that year. Since I was young, he decided he’d call my mom and ask her personally for permission rather than having his people do it. He couldn’t have called at a worse time, ’cause I wasn’t doing well in school. When he asked her, she straight-up told him no. I almost fainted. I had to explain to her that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I had to get out there. Luckily I was able to get my grades together and go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Man, going to Hollywood for the Soul Train Awards with Tupac was major! It also was the first time Ray Luv and Tupac had spoken since the Strictly Dope days. Strictly Dope was a group Pac and Ray started back in the day. Pac left the group to join Digital Underground, so he and Ray weren’t on good terms. Once we hooked up with Pac, though, he and Ray went into a back room, chopped it up, and squashed whatever problem they had. When we got to the awards, I saw how the big dogs do it. It was superstars everywhere. Pac let me sit in the front next to him, while Ray and Thug Life had other seats in the back. Man, I was literally sitting next to Madonna, and Jamie Foxx, Dr. Dre, and Snoop were by us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People I watched on TV were right in front of my face — not to mention, I was with the biggest rapper/ actor in the game. “Man, if the cuddies could see me now,” I thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As we kick off \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">\u003cem>That’s My Word\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, it’s only right to include playlists of each decade’s music.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1960s–1970s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/6QO0SJgNdiPaDRpwHMPySi?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 1960s and ’70s are what one could call hip-hop’s “preschool” era — the era \u003cem>before\u003c/em> the old school. This was a time when the Black Panthers created a blueprint for hip-hop’s early ideology, and blaxploitation films like \u003ci>The Mack\u003c/i> fascinated America with larger-than-life heroes who later inspired rappers’ personas. Vallejo’s Sly Stone changed the sound and substance of Black music; Oakland’s Pointer Sisters made funky hits; and greats like Herbie Hancock and Betty Davis recorded in San Francisco. Hip-hop’s pioneers came of age during this dynamic era.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6QO0SJgNdiPaDRpwHMPySi?si=879d429190394352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8KhFudHq4ubwy3biwplEwlfN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1980s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5Qh4JQ3yYUFhaC8t49NZnx?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1980s, Bay Area hip-hop grew from an underground youth subculture to a commercial force. A teenage Too Short, who began selling custom tapes out of his trunk, set a precedent for Bay Area rappers’ independent hustle and released his first major-label album by the end of the decade. MC Hammer went platinum and kicked off the career of hitmaking female rap group Oaktown 3.5.7. By 1989, a teenage Mac Dre, the multifaceted Digital Underground collective and the staunchly political rapper Paris all made their debuts. The ’80s show that Bay Area rap has never been just one thing — it has contained street, commercial, experimental and revolutionary elements from the beginning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Qh4JQ3yYUFhaC8t49NZnx?si=60ee48b59ede433a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8Kj4L0_4wmYuJuxcu3cnriRk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1990s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0qR8qB6JbTVhK2HDodBv4b?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Often referred to as the golden age of hip-hop, the 1990s saw the solo debuts of foundational Bay Area figures, including E-40, who has made hits in every decade since. Major labels took an interest in mobb music with artists like Spice 1 and Keak Da Sneak’s 3X Krazy. 2pac soaked up game from the Bay’s rap hustle and revolutionary politics. Conscious Daughters and Female Fonk paved the way for streetwise women who followed. And the Bay Area fostered a thriving alternative and conscious hip-hop scene that included The Coup, Hieroglyphics, Blackalicious and Mystik Journeymen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qR8qB6JbTVhK2HDodBv4b?si=a45ebe28f4f34264\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8KiylrEs49IVOGMDBAAxTyCj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2000s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/24nGNva2CJnP8gBDYmJwXK?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first word that comes to mind to describe the 2000s in the Bay Area is “hyphy.” What began in the streets turned into a musical movement fueled by eccentric self-expression, rebelliousness and hard partying. Keak Da Sneak gave hyphy its name; Mac Dre encouraged people to embrace their inner weirdness; and E-40, Mistah F.A.B., the Pack, the Federation and many others made music to go dumb to. But the aughts were more than just hyphy — Mystic and Zion I put poetry to personal and societal struggles, Goapele and Keyshia Cole made R&B classics and Deep Dickollective unapologetically rhymed about their queer, Black experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/24nGNva2CJnP8gBDYmJwXK?si=06579db2baeb44e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8KiyTww7LhwKGSiqsN40rJFf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2010s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5hVOob5M93yPwp8rVK257S?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beginning of the 2010s was sort of a comedown from the hyphy movement with hits like Clyde Carson’s “Slow Down” and D-Lo’s “No Hoe.” A new generation found its voice with the emergence of new artists like the party-centric HBK Gang, streetwise SOB x RBE, mobby Kamaiyah and thoughtful Rexx Life Raj. G-Eazy and Saweetie made big, hyphy-inspired commercial hits. And Kehlani, who got her start with HBK, emerged as a savvy R&B songwriter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hVOob5M93yPwp8rVK257S?si=566f406e8bce4c10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8Ki8-y0PrRxuFLm3smb496RO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As we kick off \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">\u003cem>That’s My Word\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, it’s only right to include playlists of each decade’s music.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1960s–1970s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/6QO0SJgNdiPaDRpwHMPySi?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 1960s and ’70s are what one could call hip-hop’s “preschool” era — the era \u003cem>before\u003c/em> the old school. This was a time when the Black Panthers created a blueprint for hip-hop’s early ideology, and blaxploitation films like \u003ci>The Mack\u003c/i> fascinated America with larger-than-life heroes who later inspired rappers’ personas. Vallejo’s Sly Stone changed the sound and substance of Black music; Oakland’s Pointer Sisters made funky hits; and greats like Herbie Hancock and Betty Davis recorded in San Francisco. Hip-hop’s pioneers came of age during this dynamic era.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6QO0SJgNdiPaDRpwHMPySi?si=879d429190394352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8KhFudHq4ubwy3biwplEwlfN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1980s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5Qh4JQ3yYUFhaC8t49NZnx?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1980s, Bay Area hip-hop grew from an underground youth subculture to a commercial force. A teenage Too Short, who began selling custom tapes out of his trunk, set a precedent for Bay Area rappers’ independent hustle and released his first major-label album by the end of the decade. MC Hammer went platinum and kicked off the career of hitmaking female rap group Oaktown 3.5.7. By 1989, a teenage Mac Dre, the multifaceted Digital Underground collective and the staunchly political rapper Paris all made their debuts. The ’80s show that Bay Area rap has never been just one thing — it has contained street, commercial, experimental and revolutionary elements from the beginning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Qh4JQ3yYUFhaC8t49NZnx?si=60ee48b59ede433a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8Kj4L0_4wmYuJuxcu3cnriRk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1990s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0qR8qB6JbTVhK2HDodBv4b?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Often referred to as the golden age of hip-hop, the 1990s saw the solo debuts of foundational Bay Area figures, including E-40, who has made hits in every decade since. Major labels took an interest in mobb music with artists like Spice 1 and Keak Da Sneak’s 3X Krazy. 2pac soaked up game from the Bay’s rap hustle and revolutionary politics. Conscious Daughters and Female Fonk paved the way for streetwise women who followed. And the Bay Area fostered a thriving alternative and conscious hip-hop scene that included The Coup, Hieroglyphics, Blackalicious and Mystik Journeymen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qR8qB6JbTVhK2HDodBv4b?si=a45ebe28f4f34264\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8KiylrEs49IVOGMDBAAxTyCj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2000s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/24nGNva2CJnP8gBDYmJwXK?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first word that comes to mind to describe the 2000s in the Bay Area is “hyphy.” What began in the streets turned into a musical movement fueled by eccentric self-expression, rebelliousness and hard partying. Keak Da Sneak gave hyphy its name; Mac Dre encouraged people to embrace their inner weirdness; and E-40, Mistah F.A.B., the Pack, the Federation and many others made music to go dumb to. But the aughts were more than just hyphy — Mystic and Zion I put poetry to personal and societal struggles, Goapele and Keyshia Cole made R&B classics and Deep Dickollective unapologetically rhymed about their queer, Black experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/24nGNva2CJnP8gBDYmJwXK?si=06579db2baeb44e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8KiyTww7LhwKGSiqsN40rJFf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2010s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5hVOob5M93yPwp8rVK257S?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beginning of the 2010s was sort of a comedown from the hyphy movement with hits like Clyde Carson’s “Slow Down” and D-Lo’s “No Hoe.” A new generation found its voice with the emergence of new artists like the party-centric HBK Gang, streetwise SOB x RBE, mobby Kamaiyah and thoughtful Rexx Life Raj. G-Eazy and Saweetie made big, hyphy-inspired commercial hits. And Kehlani, who got her start with HBK, emerged as a savvy R&B songwriter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen on \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hVOob5M93yPwp8rVK257S?si=566f406e8bce4c10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeGdTT0--8Ki8-y0PrRxuFLm3smb496RO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>efore \u003cem>8 Mile\u003c/em>, before Scribble Jam and WorldStar, and before MTV and BET developed freestyle shows, there was the Hiero-Hobo battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pitting Saafir and his Hobo Junction crew against Casual and his Hieroglyphics crew, the 1994 rap battle held in KMEL’s San Francisco studios, broadcast live on the air, lasted more than 40 minutes. But its aftereffects lasted for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was like an out-of-body experience, just watching it,” said KMEL host Sway. “It was the most amazing, beautiful conflict you could ever witness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Above, watch Shomari Smith’s 2021 short documentary \u003cem>The Battle\u003c/em>, which includes rare footage of the battle itself, and read below for some of the director’s reflections on this landmark meeting of Bay Area greats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-13120075\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-800x97.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"48\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-160x19.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-768x93.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-240x29.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-375x45.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-520x63.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>GABE MELINE: In the realm of Bay Area hip-hop history, in your own words, how important was this battle?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>SHOMARI SMITH\u003c/strong>: This battle was one of \u003cem>the\u003c/em> most important, for sure, for West Coast MCs, especially during that time. There was a different style from New York that kind of spawned out of the West Coast, and it was great to see West Coast MCs just battling it out live on the radio. You don’t see that very often — I can’t think of another live battle that happened on the air, at all. It’s usually at a show, or on record. So yeah, it was unique, and very, very important.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13923938']\u003cstrong>Freestyle battles weren’t as big a thing in the Bay as they were in New York, or Philly, or Cincinnati. Why do you think that is? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s interesting, because there \u003cem>was\u003c/em> a culture for it here. It was just smaller. You had to seek it out. A lot of it happened on street corners; you wouldn’t find it formally happening. And I believe it just had a lot to do with what was popularized here — Too Short, sort of spawning the culture, he had a totally different style. It wasn’t a battle-rap style. There was this subculture of MCs who liked to battle and meet up, but it was just a smaller community on the West Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924171\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924171\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a beanie and headphones raps assertively into a microphone in a radio station studio\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saafir takes aim at Casual during the Hieroglyphics / Hobo Junction rap battle at KMEL Studios, Nov. 18, 1994. \u003ccite>(Alex Asher Daniel / Courtesy Skyfre Productions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What ripple effects would you say the Hiero-Hobo battle had, for its participants but also in the culture at large?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The battle really spawned out of a personal dispute. And I think the biggest thing is that no one was physically hurt. So many times, you’ll see two rappers have a problem with each other, and then there’s a fight. Neither of these two guys ever got hurt over this battle, and there was a resolve on the mic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then also, as the tapes traveled, and now with \u003cem>The Battle\u003c/em> being available online, you hear this energy and spontaneity. It spread this understanding that, yes, there are rappers’ rappers here in the Bay Area that very early on were following in the tradition of some of the original elements of hip-hop. It really brought attention to the Bay Area in a way that we hadn’t seen before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13918720']\u003cstrong>When you first set out to do this documentary… were you worried at all about reigniting old disputes?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No. Making the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/QVKJWlxpPy4\">Souls of Mischief documentary\u003c/a>, because they were a part of the battle, it was something that came up over and over again. At a certain point, I started making the battle a part of my line of questioning. And the last piece of it came when I ran into Saafir in Los Angeles, and I hadn’t seen him in a very, very long time, and he said so many nice things about the Souls. Right then and there, I knew this was something I could do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty years had passed. They had moved on. It seemed like they looked back on it finally like, “Oh, we were young guys, and I can’t believe we did that.” It was that energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>One thing that really comes across is that, despite the passage of time, everybody remembers the events in that cramped studio really, really vividly.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s really incredible! Even 20 years later, the way they tell the story, like with the energy around it. A friend of mine, Alex Asher Daniel, who’s close with Hiero, also was in the room that night, and he brought a video camera to the battle. And Alex has had the tape this entire time, been watching it since the ’90s, but there’s no other tape that’s ever really surfaced of it. Everyone else who videotaped that night, I’m not sure what they did with their footage, or if it got lost, or it’s so far removed now, but nothing else has ever really surfaced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the greatest element of the film is to actually see the footage of these guys in the studio facing off. It’s a special moment in hip-hop, and I think it deserved to be documented. We have to tell our own stories in our own way, and that’s why the way it’s told, the way I formed it, was very intentional. I didn’t have an angle in it, which was something Saafir really thanked me for, because he knows that I’m close with Hiero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924404\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924404\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a colorful jacket, rapping into a microphone, surrounded by supporters\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Casual battles it out against Saafir at KMEL studios in San Francisco, Nov. 18, 1994. \u003ccite>(Alex Asher Daniel/Courtesy Skyfre Productions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So here’s the million-dollar question: Who do \u003cem>you\u003c/em> think won the battle?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, this is where my allegiance comes in. It’s Hiero, for sure. My whole thing was, if you’re only saying what is coming from your head at that moment, I think that’s pretty remarkable. Casual did not prepare at all, and that’s pretty incredible, to go live on the air with no rhymes written. I don’t know if there’s an MC that does that anymore. So yeah, my allegiance will always be with the Hiero crew, for sure. [aside postid='arts_13924167']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there anything else you want to add about the battle?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like I was saying before, things spawned from the battle. Crews got involved. But no one died. This was a hip-hop conflict that was resolved in the right way, in the spirit of the culture. I really like to emphasize that because it seems like, more and more, people have trouble solving problems that don’t end up fatal. These guys have been able to go on and live their life, and finally talk about it later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the 20th anniversary of \u003cem>Fear Itself\u003c/em>, Casual had a show, and Saafir came. Casual brought him on stage. I was there for that moment, I put that in the film, and I think that’s the very essence of it. It’s like, “We were young, and we had some fun, and here we are now, 20 years later.” It’s pretty amazing for that to be the case, because so often it just isn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-800x60.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>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>efore \u003cem>8 Mile\u003c/em>, before Scribble Jam and WorldStar, and before MTV and BET developed freestyle shows, there was the Hiero-Hobo battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pitting Saafir and his Hobo Junction crew against Casual and his Hieroglyphics crew, the 1994 rap battle held in KMEL’s San Francisco studios, broadcast live on the air, lasted more than 40 minutes. But its aftereffects lasted for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was like an out-of-body experience, just watching it,” said KMEL host Sway. “It was the most amazing, beautiful conflict you could ever witness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Above, watch Shomari Smith’s 2021 short documentary \u003cem>The Battle\u003c/em>, which includes rare footage of the battle itself, and read below for some of the director’s reflections on this landmark meeting of Bay Area greats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-13120075\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-800x97.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"48\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-160x19.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-768x93.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-240x29.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-375x45.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/04/Microphone.Break_-520x63.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>GABE MELINE: In the realm of Bay Area hip-hop history, in your own words, how important was this battle?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>SHOMARI SMITH\u003c/strong>: This battle was one of \u003cem>the\u003c/em> most important, for sure, for West Coast MCs, especially during that time. There was a different style from New York that kind of spawned out of the West Coast, and it was great to see West Coast MCs just battling it out live on the radio. You don’t see that very often — I can’t think of another live battle that happened on the air, at all. It’s usually at a show, or on record. So yeah, it was unique, and very, very important.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Freestyle battles weren’t as big a thing in the Bay as they were in New York, or Philly, or Cincinnati. Why do you think that is? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s interesting, because there \u003cem>was\u003c/em> a culture for it here. It was just smaller. You had to seek it out. A lot of it happened on street corners; you wouldn’t find it formally happening. And I believe it just had a lot to do with what was popularized here — Too Short, sort of spawning the culture, he had a totally different style. It wasn’t a battle-rap style. There was this subculture of MCs who liked to battle and meet up, but it was just a smaller community on the West Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924171\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924171\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a beanie and headphones raps assertively into a microphone in a radio station studio\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Saafir.Battle.72dpi.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saafir takes aim at Casual during the Hieroglyphics / Hobo Junction rap battle at KMEL Studios, Nov. 18, 1994. \u003ccite>(Alex Asher Daniel / Courtesy Skyfre Productions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What ripple effects would you say the Hiero-Hobo battle had, for its participants but also in the culture at large?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The battle really spawned out of a personal dispute. And I think the biggest thing is that no one was physically hurt. So many times, you’ll see two rappers have a problem with each other, and then there’s a fight. Neither of these two guys ever got hurt over this battle, and there was a resolve on the mic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then also, as the tapes traveled, and now with \u003cem>The Battle\u003c/em> being available online, you hear this energy and spontaneity. It spread this understanding that, yes, there are rappers’ rappers here in the Bay Area that very early on were following in the tradition of some of the original elements of hip-hop. It really brought attention to the Bay Area in a way that we hadn’t seen before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>When you first set out to do this documentary… were you worried at all about reigniting old disputes?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No. Making the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/QVKJWlxpPy4\">Souls of Mischief documentary\u003c/a>, because they were a part of the battle, it was something that came up over and over again. At a certain point, I started making the battle a part of my line of questioning. And the last piece of it came when I ran into Saafir in Los Angeles, and I hadn’t seen him in a very, very long time, and he said so many nice things about the Souls. Right then and there, I knew this was something I could do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty years had passed. They had moved on. It seemed like they looked back on it finally like, “Oh, we were young guys, and I can’t believe we did that.” It was that energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>One thing that really comes across is that, despite the passage of time, everybody remembers the events in that cramped studio really, really vividly.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s really incredible! Even 20 years later, the way they tell the story, like with the energy around it. A friend of mine, Alex Asher Daniel, who’s close with Hiero, also was in the room that night, and he brought a video camera to the battle. And Alex has had the tape this entire time, been watching it since the ’90s, but there’s no other tape that’s ever really surfaced of it. Everyone else who videotaped that night, I’m not sure what they did with their footage, or if it got lost, or it’s so far removed now, but nothing else has ever really surfaced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the greatest element of the film is to actually see the footage of these guys in the studio facing off. It’s a special moment in hip-hop, and I think it deserved to be documented. We have to tell our own stories in our own way, and that’s why the way it’s told, the way I formed it, was very intentional. I didn’t have an angle in it, which was something Saafir really thanked me for, because he knows that I’m close with Hiero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924404\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924404\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a colorful jacket, rapping into a microphone, surrounded by supporters\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Casual.Battle.KMEL_.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Casual battles it out against Saafir at KMEL studios in San Francisco, Nov. 18, 1994. \u003ccite>(Alex Asher Daniel/Courtesy Skyfre Productions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So here’s the million-dollar question: Who do \u003cem>you\u003c/em> think won the battle?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, this is where my allegiance comes in. It’s Hiero, for sure. My whole thing was, if you’re only saying what is coming from your head at that moment, I think that’s pretty remarkable. Casual did not prepare at all, and that’s pretty incredible, to go live on the air with no rhymes written. I don’t know if there’s an MC that does that anymore. So yeah, my allegiance will always be with the Hiero crew, for sure. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there anything else you want to add about the battle?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like I was saying before, things spawned from the battle. Crews got involved. But no one died. This was a hip-hop conflict that was resolved in the right way, in the spirit of the culture. I really like to emphasize that because it seems like, more and more, people have trouble solving problems that don’t end up fatal. These guys have been able to go on and live their life, and finally talk about it later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the 20th anniversary of \u003cem>Fear Itself\u003c/em>, Casual had a show, and Saafir came. Casual brought him on stage. I was there for that moment, I put that in the film, and I think that’s the very essence of it. It’s like, “We were young, and we had some fun, and here we are now, 20 years later.” It’s pretty amazing for that to be the case, because so often it just isn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "nump-hyphy-i-gott-grapes-interview",
"title": "Before ‘I Gott Grapes,’ Nump Engineered Some of Hyphy’s Biggest Hits",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cb>Editor’s note:\u003c/b> This story is part of \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003ci>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you were into Bay Area hip-hop in the mid-2000s, you probably know the answer to the question, “Who got purple?” With “I Gott Grapes,” Nump made a hit that helped take the hyphy movement across the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond his classic track, Nump has a solid body of work as a rapper and an audio engineer. But his journey in the music industry wasn’t easy. A true \u003ci>Student ov da Game\u003c/i>, as E-40 dubbed him on his 2009 sophomore album, he had to climb his way up — literally, as his first gig was “sniping” flyers onto telephone poles. [pullquote citation='Nump' align='right' size='medium']‘I’m still hyphy, and my kids is too. It ain’t just an era, it’s an expression.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After he graduated from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona in the early 2000s, Nump hustled his way through unpaid internships, first at Green Day’s Studio 880 in Oakland’s Jingletown, where he alphabetized records for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13899416/the-gift-of-gab-5-songs-to-know-by-the-blackalicious-legend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blackalicious\u003c/a>’ Chief Xcel after hours. Later, at \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/174134-Michael-Denten\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Denton\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.infinitestudios.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Infinite Studios\u003c/a> in Nump’s hometown of Alameda, he ascended to house engineer. As the hyphy movement began to take off, Nump worked on some of the Bay Area’s most beloved songs, including Keak Da Sneak’s “White T-Shirt, Blue Jeans and Nikes” and The Federation’s “Hyphy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was my dream. And it all happened. Until I became Nump the touring artist, that was the best ‘the grit don’t quit’ story,” Nump says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was at Infinite Studios that Nump met E-40 — a relationship that would change his life forever. Nump has credits on some of E-40’s best-known albums, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_UQr4mEaiZZMBHoFhb256C8mMhELh6yR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, and Forty Water equipped him with the connections and experience that turned “I Gott Grapes” into a hit. “Once E-40 met me, we had a bromance,” Nump says. “I showed him hard work ethic, and we got along great.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/1lV34zt_9Wk\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we meet for lunch in the East Bay suburbs on a recent rainy afternoon, Nump is in dad mode, with his three elementary school-aged children in tow. But a Sick Wid It Records forearm tattoo, iced-out chains and a neon-orange beanie embroidered with his \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3aTLwvvyQUAipmwaWgrrEe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Lapu Lapu\u003c/i> album\u003c/a> signal that he’s still hyphy — just grown up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Nump is helping preserve the Bay Area’s hip-hop legacy for generations to come. In addition to his \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/its-easy-filipino-rapper-nump-enters-cannabis-delivery-service/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">many entrepreneurial ventures\u003c/a>, he’s an executive producer of Laurence Madrigal’s documentary \u003ca href=\"https://www.wewerehyphy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, which makes its \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/arts/13924109/stream-we-were-hyphy-documentary\">global streaming premiere today on KQED\u003c/a>. Here, he shares some incredible stories about the musical movement that came to define Bay Area rap in the aughts and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This conversation was edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924087\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924087\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump with his family. \u003ccite>(Nastia Voynovskaya/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NASTIA VOYNOVSKAYA: \u003c/b>Can you tell me about those \u003ci>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/i> sessions with E-40? Those had to be legendary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NUMP: \u003c/b>Are you ready for this? So, the song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/luzJj7eFPPY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gouda\u003c/a>,” where he’s counting his money. He had just come up with the word “gouda.” We were recording this shit and he was like, “Five, ten, 15, gouda / 20, 25, 30, chalupa.” That wasn’t something he planned to say, he just ended up going off top. And that ended up being the hardest part of the hook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember going to Atlanta to do some sessions with Lil Jon [who produced \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> with Rick Rock], and we go to the studio and Crime Mob pulls up, David Banner pulls up — all these South legends. My first time ever in the South, first time ever in Atlanta. And yeah, man, he was just making hit after hit. [aside postid='arts_13924109']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Were Rick Rock and Lil Jon in the studio together making beats?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t remember those sessions, but I worked a whole shit ton with Rick Rock. Not only helping him with the E-40 shit — I did the whole Federation project from head to toe, even the skits. We’re like this [\u003ci>crosses fingers\u003c/i>].\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that’s how I got Stresmatic and Doonie [of the Federation] on “I Gott Grapes.” We were hanging out so much, one day I was like, “Hey, I got the studio to myself.” Just using them opportunities. I told Mike [Denton], I’ll run all your studio sessions, but please let me just work after, and I’ll take care of your shit. That’s the reason why I’m here today. I always gotta show love to Mike Denton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/24nGNva2CJnP8gBDYmJwXK?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So that album you worked on with the Federation was what broke them — especially the song “Hyphy.”\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/sfb6N9nSFpQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hyphy\u003c/a>” was crazy. I remember when they made that remix and they had San Quinn and Keak da Sneak on that shit, and they started adding the “White T-shirt, Blue Jeans and Nikes” beat behind Keak’s verse. I remember editing all that with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And working with Rick Rock off top — this fool is a genius. Maybe back in the day, like a Beethoven, you smell me? He could be on the MPC working on a slap, hear a sound, switch, turn that one off, go now make a whole new blap. The first song I got to work on [with him] was “White T-shirt, Blue Jeans and Nikes.” I sat in on that session and was like, “Oh my God, this that new Keak Da Sneak shit!” Imagine me, I’m a fan. I’m a Baydestrian. And now I’m behind the scenes doing what I love and engineering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/BcOzQ-SKlH0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeing how Rick Rock works actually evolved my style because I was blessed to be around these great motherfuckers. And when they would leave, I’m cleaning up, and now I’m messing around trying to make my own shit. I just saw Bruce Lee fight and train, but I saw what he did to do that high kick. Now he left the dojo — let me practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So tell me about how “I Gott Grapes” became a hit.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We made the song that night. It was me, Doonie Baby and Stresmatic, [the producer] D1 and myself. So the song is done, and that night we’re all turnt. We go straight to the club — Ibiza in Oakland, it was hella poppin’ at the time. I give DJ E Rock the CD, he plays it, and it’s like a real-life movie scene. Everyone was singing the hook by the second time they heard it. He ran it back and played it again and they still wouldn’t stop. And that’s when we knew we made a banger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That night I remember E Rock trying to take the CD from me, and I was like, “Nah, bruh, I can’t do it. It’s not done yet.” And he was like, “Nah, I already got it anyways.” But he was drunk, slippin’. I took the CD out of his backpack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lot of people really wanted to — not take my song, but at least use it because they knew it was so good. But I believed in it so much, like, “Nah, the only one who gonna put it out is me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So fast forward, I finally get an engineering session with E-40. It was probably five in the morning. We were probably on one or whatever, it’s been a long night. And I was like, “40, before we wrap it up, can I get you on this song? It’s already ready.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he did it. We’re recording it, you know, all he had to do was say, “I got grapes” like four, five, six times. I’m an engineer, so I’m layering this shit. And I’m hearing him go, “ough” or “yee.” He’s feeling himself. So I would take them little soundbites and I had it sprinkled all through the track. D1 did what he had to do with the beat, and that’s how we made “I Gott Grapes” featuring E-40 and the Federation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924088\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924088\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-800x503.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-800x503.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-1020x642.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-768x483.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump looked up to E-40 growing up, and eventually became one of his go-to engineers during the hyphy movement. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And then we would go to the club. At that time, E-40 had a nightclub called the Ambassador’s Lounge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>San Jose, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose, which was yankin’. Every Friday, there was a celebrity guest. Before Uber, 40 would call a limo, and if I’m the engineer, “Come on, you want to roll with me?” Katt Williams came with us one time. But the big memory was Nate Dogg. My patna was giggin’ — you know how they did it on \u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i> — gig so hard your pants fall down. Nate Dogg was like, “What the fuck is this?” That’s how we dance out here, man. So RIP Nate Dogg. I’m just blessed to say I got to work with him and he was dope as fuck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How did your life change after “I Gott Grapes”?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shout out to Big Von and Scotty Fox, they had \u003ci>On the Block\u003c/i> on KMEL. And at that time if you was a local Bay Area artist, that was the biggest platform to get your music heard. And they would always show me fuckin’ love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After “I Gott Grapes” started poppin’ and I started doing shows, people were fuckin’ with me because of my energy. When I would do the concerts, they were like, “Bruh, this fool is lit. This fool is hyphy, going dumb, all that.” And I dressed the part too. I always had my stunna shades on, baggy clothes. I used to wear size 42 Girbauds, 4XL tall tees all the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/jGoUezD5CxE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then I got on MTV \u003ci>My Block\u003c/i>, Bay Area. And once that happened, my whole shit spiraled to the roof, to the moon, you feel me? I booked to go on DJ Shadow’s European tour with Mistah F.A.B. He wanted to show Europe how the hyphy movement was poppin’. We all bonded so well, we went to like eight countries. I mean, Lisbon, Portugal; Brussels, Belgium; Leeds; London; Barcelona, Spain and a couple of other ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And once I got back from Europe, I booked a Philippines and Asia tour. Then my shit kept going. I had my sophomore album \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/1PNXaz0wpnhYVi0qUMtIvR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Student ov da Game\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. The first single was called “Legalize My Medicine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>With M.I.A.?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funny story about M.I.A. She hit us up. She liked the song “I Gott Grapes.” We finally connected. She talked to my brother D1, she talked to me. The next thing you know, the label calls. “Hey, we got your fuckin’ front-row tickets to go see M.I.A. It’s her last day on tour, she wants to meet y’all.” She’s playing at the Coliseum opening for Gwen Stefani, and this is when she dropped that “it’s bananas.” So we’re at this whole weird little youngster concert. M.I.A. is performing, it’s dope — I don’t know any of her music. But in the middle of her set she goes, “Hey, who got purple? I got grapes!” Swear to god. I wish I had IG back then or even a camera phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/iMwM8EjebKY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We all hang out backstage. M.I.A. hangs out with us for a whole week and a half and basically stays in San Jose, works with D1 and they just make slaps. And it’s funny because we were at our aunty house doing the beat in the laundry room. When she got there, she’s like, “Where’s the studio?” We’re like, “This is the studio.” She’s like, “How do you listen to it? “Right here, put the headphones on.” She was like, “Oh, hell nah.” She went to Guitar Center and bought us speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So after that happened, we built a cool little relationship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You worked with Messy Marv pretty extensively too. Tell me about that.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I really got a lot of respect for Messy Marv. He was the first person to call me Nump. When I met him, I was already a house engineer at Mike Denton’s, I was super excited. It was like right before [Messy Marv’s 2004] \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/6LWdXPpdVShQI8Sp6bryhW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Disobayish\u003c/i>\u003c/a> album — classic. I did that whole album from head to toe. No one would work like Mess. I was there when he was trying to shop a deal for Warner Brothers, when hyphy was at its peak, when all these labels was really looking at us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924090\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924090\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-800x756.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-800x756.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-1020x964.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-160x151.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-768x726.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump with Messy Marv. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> What do you remember about working with Mac Dre?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Mac Dre came to the studio, shout out to Jonas [Teele]. He brings Mac Dre, and this is the time where \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/3SFLEJqzEJQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i>\u003c/a> is the most popular DVD. We’re watching that DVD on loop every day, morning, noon and night. So this fool comes to the studio and I’m slightweight — I’m starstruck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a glass door right by the studio with a reflection, and he just giggin’ to the beat, looking at himself. And I’ll never forget, he had Vans on. Just real proper. He has some kind of Lacoste collared shirt on. He was business casual in my book.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the rule at Infinite Studios is no smoking in the studio, and Mac Dre lit a Wood up. I was like, “Oh my God.” And I remembered in the DVD he was like, “Man, the engineer didn’t let me smoke in the studio, man. I had to take his top off, man.” And it showed him kneeing his head, right? So I’m like, “What do I do?” So my engineering brain starts troubleshooting. I open up all the doors, light hella incense. He’s in and out. Mac Dre could write his verse, lay it down and have it sound perfect in 30 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When you toured, what cities did you really see resonating with the hyphy movement?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hawaii loved the hyphy shit. Las Vegas. Seattle. A lot of the West Coast was really tapped in with the hyphy shit. But in the Philippines, they was really on me. They was on the \u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i>, watching the shit. [aside postid='arts_13924126']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Was that your first time in the Philippines?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was my first time. I call it the motherland. It was a blessing because it showed me that I really need to be with my culture more. At that time, I really wasn’t tapped in how I should have been, even though I represented the \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2zNP0qUityo240VXX1bN48\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gorillapino\u003c/a> side. They call us Fil-Am because we’re Filipino American. So what I learned from that was like, man, let me step it up. Let me learn this Tagalog, and from there [I started] learning the stories. And that’s what really got me excited about my culture, knowing that like a guy like \u003ca href=\"https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-story-of-lapu-lapu-the-legendary-filipino-hero/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lapu Lapu\u003c/a> — Magellan tried to take over the Philippines, and Lapu Lapu was there ready to slice his head off. They had to run back to the boat and go with a plan B because they don’t expect us Filipinos to be savages like that. I teach it to the kids to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is actually one of my future goals in 2023, 2024, to curate and create more content for my Filipino people in the culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/TdEaQwVvnNs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>And there are a lot of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905208/a-new-generation-of-filipino-hip-hop-builds-on-a-deep-bay-area-legacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">influential Filipinos in Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a>. Were you inspired by the ones who came before?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mine was KNT out of the City, they had the song with San Quinn, “Come See Us,” and they had that song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/m0-vvM0wJ2g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cutty Bang\u003c/a>.” I was inspired by DJs, QBert and DJ Shortkut. It wasn’t a lot of us. But now, in 2023, from P-Lo to Guapdad to Ruby Ibarra to Saweetie to Bambu to H.E.R. It’s very inspiring. And it’s just dope to see H.E.R. on a fucking huge platform like Disney and my kids could see that and go, “She’s Filipino too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924091\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924091\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-800x589.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-800x589.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-1020x751.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-768x565.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump and Mike Dream’s friends, family and members of the TDK graffiti crew on the set of Nump’s ‘Be Like Mike Dream’ music video. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You have a track dedicated to the graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mike Dream\u003c/a>. Can you talk about why he’s important?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thank you for asking this question. My kids are heavily into graffiti, it’s a blessing. So the story is I was at Street Jam in San Jose, this Filipino festival. And I just remember that these fools were giving tattoos outside, and back then that was rare. So I was just watching what they doing, being curious, admiring it. I saw this literature they had, and it was all about “RIP Mike Dream.” And I just collected it all and saved it. I used to have a cubicle job — I put that up in my cubicle. That’s actually what paid for my school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fast forward, I made that song called “Be Like Mike Dream” — be like Mike, but not Michael Jordan. I was just so infatuated and inspired, and I had no clue. I just saw his style of graffiti, I really didn’t know no stories of how great he was for the community. Not until I met everybody. After I made the song, I was at Infinite Studios, and one of my brothers there, Jonas, was tapped in with Mike Dream[’s family]. So he brought the brother and a cousin through, and they all gave me my blessing. They all did my video shoot, and the rest is history. His son Akil is in there with my daughter, Trinity. Now they’re in their early 20s — back then, they’re like five. So that song meant more to me because, not just that I paid homage to a Filipino legend, but I also got to make a whole new family with that whole graffiti side, with the TDK crew and all them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/HDs0cvGS9Fs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>OK, hyphy nostalgia lightning round. Where were some of your favorite places to perform in the Bay?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz, the Catalyst. And in Petaluma, DJ Amen would do the “Super Hyphys” at Phoenix Theatre. I did a show there when “I Gott Grapes” was at its peak. I always used to do this fuckin’ skit, right? I’m an entertainer. I stop the record — “Hey, hold on, man. I want y’all to know real quick, we shootin’ the video for ‘I Gott Grapes.’ So if you see the camera, turn the fuck up.” And I’d do that everywhere. But at this particular time, it must have been the energy — these motherfuckers was going stuey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the Town, On Broadway was the one, that was the spot. If you ever could perform over there or just pull up after the club was over, we would parking-lot all day over there, right across from Nation’s. And then San Jose, of course, the Ambassador’s Lounge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I used to do all the open mics, like every night of the week if I could — before I was even Nump and I was just trying to rap with my patnas, I would go to Club 510 in Fremont and all the San Jose open mics. And I always had my CDs, my merch and was always outside. And my friends were doing the same shit, until the point that we was outside at Berkeley, Rasputin’s, and we would all have some type of mixtape or album out. We were collecting our bread like a real job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Do you remember your first sideshow?\u003c/b> [aside postid='arts_13924167']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hell nah, that shit happened all the time. I just remember that shit be lit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Do you remember your favorite tall tee?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had an “I Gott Grapes” one that I’d always wear. I had a Mac Dre airbrush one that I was really excited about, and I had one of Carlos Rossi Rhine. I used to always drink Carlos Rossi like E-40. I looked up to him so much, so whatever he did, I wanted to do just like him. And actually my patnas, we used to make our own tall tees until we met Prospect, the airbrush guy, and he was doing everything. Shout out to Filthy Dripped on Telegraph in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So what was it like when the hyphy movement started to end?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everything started sounding more like R&B radio style. Atlanta was kind of taking over with their sound. Nothing really changed with me. I was still dressing baggy, and I had to not get into a couple of clubs [because of dress code] and really start realizing, “Bro, I’ve got to transition. I gotta stop thinking that I’m in this era.” There were a few moments of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924089\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-800x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-800x512.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-768x492.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump and The Jacka. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Now that we’re looking back on the hyphy movement as a piece of history, how do you want people to remember it?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Positivity. Number one, bringing everybody together of all different cultures, all different colors, all different sizes, all different ages. Outside, just moving as one, ’cause the energy is there — no matter if you’re offbeat dancing, jumping around, going crazy or just laidback, bobbing your head, you could feel that hyphy spirit, and it’s still out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I want to say, because everybody be online like, “Aw, why you call the movie \u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i>? I’m still hyphy.” No, fam, I’m not saying we \u003ci>aren’t\u003c/i> hyphy anymore. This is just an era when we were \u003ci>all\u003c/i> hyphy, and we’re trying to document it and show you guys what it was like. I’m still hyphy, and my kids is too. It ain’t just an era, it’s an expression.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cb>Editor’s note:\u003c/b> This story is part of \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003ci>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you were into Bay Area hip-hop in the mid-2000s, you probably know the answer to the question, “Who got purple?” With “I Gott Grapes,” Nump made a hit that helped take the hyphy movement across the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond his classic track, Nump has a solid body of work as a rapper and an audio engineer. But his journey in the music industry wasn’t easy. A true \u003ci>Student ov da Game\u003c/i>, as E-40 dubbed him on his 2009 sophomore album, he had to climb his way up — literally, as his first gig was “sniping” flyers onto telephone poles. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After he graduated from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona in the early 2000s, Nump hustled his way through unpaid internships, first at Green Day’s Studio 880 in Oakland’s Jingletown, where he alphabetized records for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13899416/the-gift-of-gab-5-songs-to-know-by-the-blackalicious-legend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blackalicious\u003c/a>’ Chief Xcel after hours. Later, at \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/174134-Michael-Denten\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Denton\u003c/a>’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.infinitestudios.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Infinite Studios\u003c/a> in Nump’s hometown of Alameda, he ascended to house engineer. As the hyphy movement began to take off, Nump worked on some of the Bay Area’s most beloved songs, including Keak Da Sneak’s “White T-Shirt, Blue Jeans and Nikes” and The Federation’s “Hyphy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was my dream. And it all happened. Until I became Nump the touring artist, that was the best ‘the grit don’t quit’ story,” Nump says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was at Infinite Studios that Nump met E-40 — a relationship that would change his life forever. Nump has credits on some of E-40’s best-known albums, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_UQr4mEaiZZMBHoFhb256C8mMhELh6yR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, and Forty Water equipped him with the connections and experience that turned “I Gott Grapes” into a hit. “Once E-40 met me, we had a bromance,” Nump says. “I showed him hard work ethic, and we got along great.”\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/1lV34zt_9Wk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/1lV34zt_9Wk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>When we meet for lunch in the East Bay suburbs on a recent rainy afternoon, Nump is in dad mode, with his three elementary school-aged children in tow. But a Sick Wid It Records forearm tattoo, iced-out chains and a neon-orange beanie embroidered with his \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3aTLwvvyQUAipmwaWgrrEe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Lapu Lapu\u003c/i> album\u003c/a> signal that he’s still hyphy — just grown up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Nump is helping preserve the Bay Area’s hip-hop legacy for generations to come. In addition to his \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/its-easy-filipino-rapper-nump-enters-cannabis-delivery-service/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">many entrepreneurial ventures\u003c/a>, he’s an executive producer of Laurence Madrigal’s documentary \u003ca href=\"https://www.wewerehyphy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, which makes its \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/arts/13924109/stream-we-were-hyphy-documentary\">global streaming premiere today on KQED\u003c/a>. Here, he shares some incredible stories about the musical movement that came to define Bay Area rap in the aughts and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This conversation was edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924087\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924087\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Nump-3-square-scaled-e1674583437718.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump with his family. \u003ccite>(Nastia Voynovskaya/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NASTIA VOYNOVSKAYA: \u003c/b>Can you tell me about those \u003ci>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/i> sessions with E-40? Those had to be legendary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>NUMP: \u003c/b>Are you ready for this? So, the song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/luzJj7eFPPY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gouda\u003c/a>,” where he’s counting his money. He had just come up with the word “gouda.” We were recording this shit and he was like, “Five, ten, 15, gouda / 20, 25, 30, chalupa.” That wasn’t something he planned to say, he just ended up going off top. And that ended up being the hardest part of the hook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember going to Atlanta to do some sessions with Lil Jon [who produced \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> with Rick Rock], and we go to the studio and Crime Mob pulls up, David Banner pulls up — all these South legends. My first time ever in the South, first time ever in Atlanta. And yeah, man, he was just making hit after hit. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Were Rick Rock and Lil Jon in the studio together making beats?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t remember those sessions, but I worked a whole shit ton with Rick Rock. Not only helping him with the E-40 shit — I did the whole Federation project from head to toe, even the skits. We’re like this [\u003ci>crosses fingers\u003c/i>].\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that’s how I got Stresmatic and Doonie [of the Federation] on “I Gott Grapes.” We were hanging out so much, one day I was like, “Hey, I got the studio to myself.” Just using them opportunities. I told Mike [Denton], I’ll run all your studio sessions, but please let me just work after, and I’ll take care of your shit. That’s the reason why I’m here today. I always gotta show love to Mike Denton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/24nGNva2CJnP8gBDYmJwXK?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So that album you worked on with the Federation was what broke them — especially the song “Hyphy.”\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/sfb6N9nSFpQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hyphy\u003c/a>” was crazy. I remember when they made that remix and they had San Quinn and Keak da Sneak on that shit, and they started adding the “White T-shirt, Blue Jeans and Nikes” beat behind Keak’s verse. I remember editing all that with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And working with Rick Rock off top — this fool is a genius. Maybe back in the day, like a Beethoven, you smell me? He could be on the MPC working on a slap, hear a sound, switch, turn that one off, go now make a whole new blap. The first song I got to work on [with him] was “White T-shirt, Blue Jeans and Nikes.” I sat in on that session and was like, “Oh my God, this that new Keak Da Sneak shit!” Imagine me, I’m a fan. I’m a Baydestrian. And now I’m behind the scenes doing what I love and engineering.\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/BcOzQ-SKlH0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/BcOzQ-SKlH0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Seeing how Rick Rock works actually evolved my style because I was blessed to be around these great motherfuckers. And when they would leave, I’m cleaning up, and now I’m messing around trying to make my own shit. I just saw Bruce Lee fight and train, but I saw what he did to do that high kick. Now he left the dojo — let me practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So tell me about how “I Gott Grapes” became a hit.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We made the song that night. It was me, Doonie Baby and Stresmatic, [the producer] D1 and myself. So the song is done, and that night we’re all turnt. We go straight to the club — Ibiza in Oakland, it was hella poppin’ at the time. I give DJ E Rock the CD, he plays it, and it’s like a real-life movie scene. Everyone was singing the hook by the second time they heard it. He ran it back and played it again and they still wouldn’t stop. And that’s when we knew we made a banger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That night I remember E Rock trying to take the CD from me, and I was like, “Nah, bruh, I can’t do it. It’s not done yet.” And he was like, “Nah, I already got it anyways.” But he was drunk, slippin’. I took the CD out of his backpack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lot of people really wanted to — not take my song, but at least use it because they knew it was so good. But I believed in it so much, like, “Nah, the only one who gonna put it out is me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So fast forward, I finally get an engineering session with E-40. It was probably five in the morning. We were probably on one or whatever, it’s been a long night. And I was like, “40, before we wrap it up, can I get you on this song? It’s already ready.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he did it. We’re recording it, you know, all he had to do was say, “I got grapes” like four, five, six times. I’m an engineer, so I’m layering this shit. And I’m hearing him go, “ough” or “yee.” He’s feeling himself. So I would take them little soundbites and I had it sprinkled all through the track. D1 did what he had to do with the beat, and that’s how we made “I Gott Grapes” featuring E-40 and the Federation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924088\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924088\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-800x503.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-800x503.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-1020x642.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1-768x483.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/b196f9d6-8ead-4914-9e3b-808ea08ba1b1.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump looked up to E-40 growing up, and eventually became one of his go-to engineers during the hyphy movement. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And then we would go to the club. At that time, E-40 had a nightclub called the Ambassador’s Lounge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>San Jose, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose, which was yankin’. Every Friday, there was a celebrity guest. Before Uber, 40 would call a limo, and if I’m the engineer, “Come on, you want to roll with me?” Katt Williams came with us one time. But the big memory was Nate Dogg. My patna was giggin’ — you know how they did it on \u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i> — gig so hard your pants fall down. Nate Dogg was like, “What the fuck is this?” That’s how we dance out here, man. So RIP Nate Dogg. I’m just blessed to say I got to work with him and he was dope as fuck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How did your life change after “I Gott Grapes”?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shout out to Big Von and Scotty Fox, they had \u003ci>On the Block\u003c/i> on KMEL. And at that time if you was a local Bay Area artist, that was the biggest platform to get your music heard. And they would always show me fuckin’ love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After “I Gott Grapes” started poppin’ and I started doing shows, people were fuckin’ with me because of my energy. When I would do the concerts, they were like, “Bruh, this fool is lit. This fool is hyphy, going dumb, all that.” And I dressed the part too. I always had my stunna shades on, baggy clothes. I used to wear size 42 Girbauds, 4XL tall tees all the time.\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/jGoUezD5CxE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/jGoUezD5CxE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Then I got on MTV \u003ci>My Block\u003c/i>, Bay Area. And once that happened, my whole shit spiraled to the roof, to the moon, you feel me? I booked to go on DJ Shadow’s European tour with Mistah F.A.B. He wanted to show Europe how the hyphy movement was poppin’. We all bonded so well, we went to like eight countries. I mean, Lisbon, Portugal; Brussels, Belgium; Leeds; London; Barcelona, Spain and a couple of other ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And once I got back from Europe, I booked a Philippines and Asia tour. Then my shit kept going. I had my sophomore album \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/1PNXaz0wpnhYVi0qUMtIvR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Student ov da Game\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. The first single was called “Legalize My Medicine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>With M.I.A.?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funny story about M.I.A. She hit us up. She liked the song “I Gott Grapes.” We finally connected. She talked to my brother D1, she talked to me. The next thing you know, the label calls. “Hey, we got your fuckin’ front-row tickets to go see M.I.A. It’s her last day on tour, she wants to meet y’all.” She’s playing at the Coliseum opening for Gwen Stefani, and this is when she dropped that “it’s bananas.” So we’re at this whole weird little youngster concert. M.I.A. is performing, it’s dope — I don’t know any of her music. But in the middle of her set she goes, “Hey, who got purple? I got grapes!” Swear to god. I wish I had IG back then or even a camera phone.\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/iMwM8EjebKY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/iMwM8EjebKY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>We all hang out backstage. M.I.A. hangs out with us for a whole week and a half and basically stays in San Jose, works with D1 and they just make slaps. And it’s funny because we were at our aunty house doing the beat in the laundry room. When she got there, she’s like, “Where’s the studio?” We’re like, “This is the studio.” She’s like, “How do you listen to it? “Right here, put the headphones on.” She was like, “Oh, hell nah.” She went to Guitar Center and bought us speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So after that happened, we built a cool little relationship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You worked with Messy Marv pretty extensively too. Tell me about that.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I really got a lot of respect for Messy Marv. He was the first person to call me Nump. When I met him, I was already a house engineer at Mike Denton’s, I was super excited. It was like right before [Messy Marv’s 2004] \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/6LWdXPpdVShQI8Sp6bryhW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Disobayish\u003c/i>\u003c/a> album — classic. I did that whole album from head to toe. No one would work like Mess. I was there when he was trying to shop a deal for Warner Brothers, when hyphy was at its peak, when all these labels was really looking at us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924090\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924090\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-800x756.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-800x756.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-1020x964.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-160x151.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871-768x726.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1b391526-3797-4371-acff-a39092a7d871.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump with Messy Marv. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> What do you remember about working with Mac Dre?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Mac Dre came to the studio, shout out to Jonas [Teele]. He brings Mac Dre, and this is the time where \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/3SFLEJqzEJQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i>\u003c/a> is the most popular DVD. We’re watching that DVD on loop every day, morning, noon and night. So this fool comes to the studio and I’m slightweight — I’m starstruck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a glass door right by the studio with a reflection, and he just giggin’ to the beat, looking at himself. And I’ll never forget, he had Vans on. Just real proper. He has some kind of Lacoste collared shirt on. He was business casual in my book.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the rule at Infinite Studios is no smoking in the studio, and Mac Dre lit a Wood up. I was like, “Oh my God.” And I remembered in the DVD he was like, “Man, the engineer didn’t let me smoke in the studio, man. I had to take his top off, man.” And it showed him kneeing his head, right? So I’m like, “What do I do?” So my engineering brain starts troubleshooting. I open up all the doors, light hella incense. He’s in and out. Mac Dre could write his verse, lay it down and have it sound perfect in 30 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When you toured, what cities did you really see resonating with the hyphy movement?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hawaii loved the hyphy shit. Las Vegas. Seattle. A lot of the West Coast was really tapped in with the hyphy shit. But in the Philippines, they was really on me. They was on the \u003ci>Treal TV\u003c/i>, watching the shit. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Was that your first time in the Philippines?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was my first time. I call it the motherland. It was a blessing because it showed me that I really need to be with my culture more. At that time, I really wasn’t tapped in how I should have been, even though I represented the \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2zNP0qUityo240VXX1bN48\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gorillapino\u003c/a> side. They call us Fil-Am because we’re Filipino American. So what I learned from that was like, man, let me step it up. Let me learn this Tagalog, and from there [I started] learning the stories. And that’s what really got me excited about my culture, knowing that like a guy like \u003ca href=\"https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-story-of-lapu-lapu-the-legendary-filipino-hero/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lapu Lapu\u003c/a> — Magellan tried to take over the Philippines, and Lapu Lapu was there ready to slice his head off. They had to run back to the boat and go with a plan B because they don’t expect us Filipinos to be savages like that. I teach it to the kids to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is actually one of my future goals in 2023, 2024, to curate and create more content for my Filipino people in the culture.\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/TdEaQwVvnNs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/TdEaQwVvnNs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>And there are a lot of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905208/a-new-generation-of-filipino-hip-hop-builds-on-a-deep-bay-area-legacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">influential Filipinos in Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a>. Were you inspired by the ones who came before?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mine was KNT out of the City, they had the song with San Quinn, “Come See Us,” and they had that song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/m0-vvM0wJ2g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cutty Bang\u003c/a>.” I was inspired by DJs, QBert and DJ Shortkut. It wasn’t a lot of us. But now, in 2023, from P-Lo to Guapdad to Ruby Ibarra to Saweetie to Bambu to H.E.R. It’s very inspiring. And it’s just dope to see H.E.R. on a fucking huge platform like Disney and my kids could see that and go, “She’s Filipino too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924091\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924091\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-800x589.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-800x589.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-1020x751.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05-768x565.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/98f13f72-62e7-470f-847a-bf0255abdb05.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump and Mike Dream’s friends, family and members of the TDK graffiti crew on the set of Nump’s ‘Be Like Mike Dream’ music video. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You have a track dedicated to the graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mike Dream\u003c/a>. Can you talk about why he’s important?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thank you for asking this question. My kids are heavily into graffiti, it’s a blessing. So the story is I was at Street Jam in San Jose, this Filipino festival. And I just remember that these fools were giving tattoos outside, and back then that was rare. So I was just watching what they doing, being curious, admiring it. I saw this literature they had, and it was all about “RIP Mike Dream.” And I just collected it all and saved it. I used to have a cubicle job — I put that up in my cubicle. That’s actually what paid for my school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fast forward, I made that song called “Be Like Mike Dream” — be like Mike, but not Michael Jordan. I was just so infatuated and inspired, and I had no clue. I just saw his style of graffiti, I really didn’t know no stories of how great he was for the community. Not until I met everybody. After I made the song, I was at Infinite Studios, and one of my brothers there, Jonas, was tapped in with Mike Dream[’s family]. So he brought the brother and a cousin through, and they all gave me my blessing. They all did my video shoot, and the rest is history. His son Akil is in there with my daughter, Trinity. Now they’re in their early 20s — back then, they’re like five. So that song meant more to me because, not just that I paid homage to a Filipino legend, but I also got to make a whole new family with that whole graffiti side, with the TDK crew and all 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/HDs0cvGS9Fs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/HDs0cvGS9Fs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>OK, hyphy nostalgia lightning round. Where were some of your favorite places to perform in the Bay?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz, the Catalyst. And in Petaluma, DJ Amen would do the “Super Hyphys” at Phoenix Theatre. I did a show there when “I Gott Grapes” was at its peak. I always used to do this fuckin’ skit, right? I’m an entertainer. I stop the record — “Hey, hold on, man. I want y’all to know real quick, we shootin’ the video for ‘I Gott Grapes.’ So if you see the camera, turn the fuck up.” And I’d do that everywhere. But at this particular time, it must have been the energy — these motherfuckers was going stuey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the Town, On Broadway was the one, that was the spot. If you ever could perform over there or just pull up after the club was over, we would parking-lot all day over there, right across from Nation’s. And then San Jose, of course, the Ambassador’s Lounge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I used to do all the open mics, like every night of the week if I could — before I was even Nump and I was just trying to rap with my patnas, I would go to Club 510 in Fremont and all the San Jose open mics. And I always had my CDs, my merch and was always outside. And my friends were doing the same shit, until the point that we was outside at Berkeley, Rasputin’s, and we would all have some type of mixtape or album out. We were collecting our bread like a real job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Do you remember your first sideshow?\u003c/b> \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hell nah, that shit happened all the time. I just remember that shit be lit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Do you remember your favorite tall tee?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had an “I Gott Grapes” one that I’d always wear. I had a Mac Dre airbrush one that I was really excited about, and I had one of Carlos Rossi Rhine. I used to always drink Carlos Rossi like E-40. I looked up to him so much, so whatever he did, I wanted to do just like him. And actually my patnas, we used to make our own tall tees until we met Prospect, the airbrush guy, and he was doing everything. Shout out to Filthy Dripped on Telegraph in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So what was it like when the hyphy movement started to end?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everything started sounding more like R&B radio style. Atlanta was kind of taking over with their sound. Nothing really changed with me. I was still dressing baggy, and I had to not get into a couple of clubs [because of dress code] and really start realizing, “Bro, I’ve got to transition. I gotta stop thinking that I’m in this era.” There were a few moments of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924089\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-800x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-800x512.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad-768x492.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/257fe056-0668-40b9-b124-40986b7a32ad.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump and The Jacka. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Now that we’re looking back on the hyphy movement as a piece of history, how do you want people to remember it?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Positivity. Number one, bringing everybody together of all different cultures, all different colors, all different sizes, all different ages. Outside, just moving as one, ’cause the energy is there — no matter if you’re offbeat dancing, jumping around, going crazy or just laidback, bobbing your head, you could feel that hyphy spirit, and it’s still out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I want to say, because everybody be online like, “Aw, why you call the movie \u003ci>We Were Hyphy\u003c/i>? I’m still hyphy.” No, fam, I’m not saying we \u003ci>aren’t\u003c/i> hyphy anymore. This is just an era when we were \u003ci>all\u003c/i> hyphy, and we’re trying to document it and show you guys what it was like. I’m still hyphy, and my kids is too. It ain’t just an era, it’s an expression.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "davey-d-hip-hop-1984",
"title": "A Trip With Davey D Back to 1984, When Hip-Hop Was Still Undefined",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Editor’s note:\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci> This story is part of\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\"> That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003ci>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dave “Davey D” Cook\u003c/a> is a cornerstone of hip-hop culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He currently co-hosts KPFA’s \u003ci>Hard Knock Radio\u003c/i> and serves as a professor of Africana studies at San Francisco State University, where he teaches popular courses on hip-hop and African American music. Working with historian Jeff Chang, Davey recently co-published the book \u003ci>Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation\u003c/i> (2021). (Both Davey and Jeff are advisors for KQED’s \u003ci>That’s My Word\u003c/i>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Davey D is a practitioner of the culture as well as a critic. Over the span of five decades, he’s been an MC, DJ, journalist, activist — the list goes on. He was at the heart of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.daveyd.com/articleradiosucks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fight against a corporate media takeover\u003c/a> of a San Francisco hip-hop radio station. He \u003ca href=\"https://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/tag/oscar-grant/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">amplified the call for justice\u003c/a> in Oakland after Oscar Grant was killed by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. And during a financial literacy conference in New York, Davey D conducted one of the first major interviews with the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/GwG4A_OrTmk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">late, legendary Los Angeles lyricist Nipsey Hussle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923991\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923991\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-800x627.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-800x627.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-1020x800.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-160x125.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-768x602.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-1536x1205.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-2048x1606.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-1920x1506.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dave ‘Davey D’ Cook on stage with Dominique DiPrima at the Macy’s passport event in Oakland circa 1993. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Davey D)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Originally from The Bronx, New York, Davey D was there when this thing we call hip-hop was in its nascent form, before it even had a name. When he arrived in the Bay Area in the early ’80s, one of his missions as a UC Berkeley student was to lend some insight to this burgeoning culture. So he put on a few events, one of which was The Day in Hip-Hop on Oct. 24, 1984.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Footage of The Day in Hip-hop shows dancers, rappers and DJs performing in front of a captive audience, as they get a crash course on what would eventually become the most popular music in the world. The films are housed in UC Berkeley’s archives. Fortunately, a few clips have been uploaded to YouTube by Jim Richards. With the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the front of mind, I spoke to Davey D about what the culture was like back then and how far it has come.\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=KQINC6878706120&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Below are lightly edited excerpts from my conversation with Davey D.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/L_71XuDWzeE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>PENDARVIS HARSHAW:\u003c/b> The objective of this interview is to talk about a video specifically from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOH_YgzQS7M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1984 at UC Berkeley on Sproul Plaza\u003c/a> with you DJing. I saw the fresh cut, and you had your name on your shirt. It’s an early iteration of what hip-hop looks like in the Bay Area. It’s just a moving piece of footage. Can we talk through it while we watch it real quick?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>DAVEY D:\u003c/b> So you got [the MCs] Commander C and Diamond D from Berkeley and Richmond. They were The Dazzling Two. And that graffiti that you see, that’s me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You did the graffiti too?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, I did the writing. I was never a graff artist, but I did do that. We were trying to do a showcase, and bring to the campus and celebrate this thing that was burgeoning. So what you see in the video is me, with a cut-off sweatshirt that has my name on it. You also see a guy named Patrick Norwood who is out of L.A. and was a good DJ. We had a crew called the New York/L.A. Connection because they were from L.A., and I was from New York. And we bought out some dancers. We brought out these artists. And it had to be several hundred people there watching as we did this thing. And it was just a day to remember, it was exciting. [pullquote align='right' size='medium' citation='Davey D']‘Hip-hop will [always] be a continuation of Black expression, it ain’t going nowhere.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you look at it now, it’s kind of basic what we were doing. My scratches weren’t all that and the raps weren’t all that. But you know what? They were entertaining and could hold their own. I passed out a leaflet that explained what hip-hop was. They were on pink pieces of paper. And I think UC Berkeley filmed this as well, and they have it in their archives. We did another one several months later, and that one you actually have me rapping with a number of people. And we did an anti-apartheid song called “South Africa It’s Just a Matter of Time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the day, I started out as an MC. I became a DJ when I moved out here. People just weren’t MCing like that when I first came out here. So I had more of an opportunity to do what I liked by DJing, versus getting on the mic and doing what the Dazzling Two were doing. I wonder whatever happened to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/fOH_YgzQS7M\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I’m watching the video, and the audience is kind of stunned. Sitting there, jaw dropped.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were watching because they hadn’t seen it. This was before the Fresh Fest [in December 1984, the first national hip-hop tour with Run D.M.C., Whodini and more]. So you didn’t really have performances like this. This was a treat for a lot of people. They might have seen something on a TV show, [or] \u003ci>Beat Street\u003c/i> the movie or something, but they hadn’t seen this up close and live. That’s why we wound up doing a second one. People were like, “Man, you all got to do that again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>If we’re saying that the start of hip-hop was ’73, then 10 years later you have people rapping in French. And you have this spread to the West Coast.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that’s one way to look at it. Or the other way is to understand that Indigenous folks, and in this case when I say “Indigenous” I’m saying people that come from Black communities — you know, “the hood,” so to speak — we always had these expressions. And so hip-hop had two types of responses. If you talk to Commander C and Diamond from the Dazzling Two, and you tell them about rap, them being from [the East Bay], their response wouldn’t have been, “Oh wow, this is great. How do you do it?” Their response would have been more like, “Oh man, that sounds like something my uncle used to do.” Because there would be a reference point. “Oh man, it sounds like some hambone. That sounds like some pimp talk,” right? They’ve already seen people rhyming. They saw a \u003ci>Dolemite\u003c/i> movie. They had an uncle that would talk slick like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How [hip-hop] was packaged may have been new. Like, “Oh, I never thought to do it over beats like that.” But the concept wasn’t new. Then you have other people who’ve never seen anything like this. And their reference point then becomes, “What did I see on TV?” And if you’re telling me this is a New York thing, then I want to soak up everything that came out of New York. Whereas, I think a Richmond and Oakland cat was like, “This is good. I’m going to integrate this New York style with things that I’ve already done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5Qh4JQ3yYUFhaC8t49NZnx?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you listen to those guys, to their credit, they didn’t try to sound like they were from New York. They still sound like some cat from Richmond in ’83, ’84. And I think that’s a testament to the Bay. [It] has its own identity… They didn’t feel like [they] needed to follow a prescribed path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You have to understand that there’s no YouTube at the time. Most people never saw a video like this until years later. This wasn’t on Channel Two or ABC or anything like that. This was something that [you] had to be there [for]. So for a lot of folks, they hadn’t seen this whole package until that day… And that’s what made it special. And I think if you were there, what I recall was the energy. There was a vibe. And it was almost euphoric, especially once the dancers got on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/JrbBU_Mfi1s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>The dancers turned it out. There’s a scene where the dancers line up. You think it’s about to start, and then they drop their pants and they have pants under their pants. And you see their uniforms, and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s about to go down.’\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you also got to remember, in the Bay dance expression has been around for a long time too. They’re doing breaking, right? But there was a Bay style of dance that is — big shout out to The Black Resurgents and The Messengers, and all those groups. The Black Resurgents just celebrated their 50th anniversary. They were doing the boogaloo, and they were strutting, and they were roboting. [aside postid='arts_13891300']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So these guys [on campus] were breaking, they weren’t doing Bay traditional dances, and we can get into why that was the case: Because [some of] those guys who came out of that dance era that actually predates hip-hop in New York had aged out. They were older, doing other things. And the fascination of hip-hop out of New York was really through the visuals of dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I should acknowledge the fact that the elements that are hip-hop were present even before 1973 in the Bay Area, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve always danced. Percussion has always been our thing, right? Black people are the people of the drum. Native folks are people of the drum, so the drum is not foreign. And rhyming has been around for a very long time. Having all those elements put together in a package like that had not happened. So again, It’s not “either or,” it’s “both and.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/ALLGyes9MhA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>One of the big things that jumped out at me about the video is that it’s at Sproul Plaza, and this is the home of the Free Speech Movement and anti-Vietnam War protests. Having this event at that same hallowed ground, does that bring some type of legitimacy? Legitimacy is a loaded word, but does it bring some weight to it?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t think people were thinking of it at that time. I certainly wasn’t. The reason we did it at Sproul Plaza was because that’s where all the Black folks hung out, the fraternities: the Alphas, who were probably the biggest one. And the Kappas, when they did their step shows, they did it on Sproul Plaza, right? Sproul Plaza is right there at the entry of the campus, so if you want to get maximum people, you’re going to do it on Sproul Plaza. The second one we did down in Zellerbach, but it wasn’t like, “Aw man, the Free Speech Movement happened here, let’s do it on Sproul Plaza.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923986\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-800x987.png\" alt='Davey D explains this new thing called \"hip-hop\" in this one-sheeter from 1984.' width=\"800\" height=\"987\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-800x987.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-1020x1258.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-160x197.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-768x947.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM.png 1218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Davey D explains this new thing called “hip-hop” in this one-sheeter from 1984. \u003ccite>(Via Dave \"Davey D\" Cook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>And you said you passed out a flyer there.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not a flyer, but a piece of — it was an article that I wrote explaining what hip-hop was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>A one-sheeter, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A one-sheeter, yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Why would you need to pass on a one-sheeter explaining hip-hop?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because people didn’t know at that time, and you wanted to make sure they had it. What are you watching? Why are you watching this? So, again, for many people that was the first time they saw something live like that. We take it for granted now, but in 1984, you didn’t see that like that. There wasn’t no [hip-hop] block parties here. So this was the first time for a lot of people. And we wanted to make sure that they had an understanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom was mad because she said, “You didn’t put your name on it.” She’s like, “Put your name on it so people know that you wrote this, I don’t want nobody taking your stuff.” And I was like, “Nah, ma, they seen me pass it out.” But it became important because a lot of people did use that article. It showed up in the \u003ci>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/i>. There were people that quoted from it and didn’t know where it came from. I seen it on websites years later, right? But, you know, it’s actually \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/whatishipdav.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on my site now\u003c/a>. I was asked to write it for a magazine, so I rewrote that and added to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>In the early days, how did hip-hop culture spread to the Bay Area?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It spread the same way that it does everywhere else where Black folks are. First, we have to ask the question: What parts of hip-hop? So you have to get a graff writer in here to break down how they were passing along secrets and understandings and cultural aesthetics. You know, somebody like \u003ca href=\"http://www.refa1.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Refa One\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think us as DJs, there’s a whole path that we took, right? … So I’ll give you an example: There was a guy named Quickie Kev who was on the campus, and I was the main DJ, but Quickie Kev came out of L.A. and he knew how to scratch. His scratch was picked up from [the radio station] KDAY. And at that time, they had a bunch of DJs on there. Tony G. Joe Cooley, right? So there was an “L.A. Fast Scratch,” that’s what we called it. And he picked that up, and he was vicious on it. So whenever he did a party, people were sitting around like, “Man, how do we do that?” So that became one way some of that trickery was passed along. Much of it was seeing somebody who had a skillset, and they would pick it up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/7bYXW4x7RXk\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Was there a point in the late ’80s, early ’90s where you could pinpoint and say hip-hop had irreversibly established itself?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003ci>Beat Street\u003c/i> came out, I think there was no turning back. Shout out to Harry Belafonte and all those people who put it together. I know we had \u003ci>Krush Groove\u003c/i>, and \u003ci>Wild Style\u003c/i> had come out prior to that. But I think \u003ci>Beat Street\u003c/i> because it was such a mainstream thing, it was the one that was for people who grew up with that in New York — this was a validation. I think there was no turning back at that point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember, I was at a place called the Promenade, which is next to Marble Hill Projects in the Bronx. And my crew was doing a party. And I remember sitting there like, “Wow, look at all these people here.” And I said, “I wonder if people around the world know what we’re doing.” This is incredible. It just hit me. And within two years time, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2000/12/29/1116242/rappers-delight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rapper’s Delight\u003c/a>” came out and that was irreversible there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So, one more question on my end: 50 years from now, hip-hop is…?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hip-hop will be a continuation of Black expression, it ain’t going nowhere. We’re gonna stop singing and vocalizing ourselves? No. We gonna stop dancing? No. Are we going to have different rhythms? Absolutely. You can have a crunk beat, boom-bap beat, hyphy beat, underground lo-fi beat, jazzy beat, right? You can have those 808 beats, Miami bass beat. There’s like 50 different beats that you can find within hip-hop. There will be new beats 50 years from now. It might not be called hip-hop, but it’s still going to be here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It will never leave because hip-hop at its core is the expression of people who want to build community with one another. Who want to lose themselves in other ways, to express themselves and not be limited to what society says is valid expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The key for us is, can we connect the past with the present? And can we connect the past and present to the future? That’s our job. So we’re here to open your mind, and as Black Moon would say, “get you open.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-800x60.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>\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Editor’s note:\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci> This story is part of\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/bayareahiphop\"> That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003ci>, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dave “Davey D” Cook\u003c/a> is a cornerstone of hip-hop culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He currently co-hosts KPFA’s \u003ci>Hard Knock Radio\u003c/i> and serves as a professor of Africana studies at San Francisco State University, where he teaches popular courses on hip-hop and African American music. Working with historian Jeff Chang, Davey recently co-published the book \u003ci>Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation\u003c/i> (2021). (Both Davey and Jeff are advisors for KQED’s \u003ci>That’s My Word\u003c/i>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Davey D is a practitioner of the culture as well as a critic. Over the span of five decades, he’s been an MC, DJ, journalist, activist — the list goes on. He was at the heart of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.daveyd.com/articleradiosucks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fight against a corporate media takeover\u003c/a> of a San Francisco hip-hop radio station. He \u003ca href=\"https://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/tag/oscar-grant/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">amplified the call for justice\u003c/a> in Oakland after Oscar Grant was killed by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. And during a financial literacy conference in New York, Davey D conducted one of the first major interviews with the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/GwG4A_OrTmk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">late, legendary Los Angeles lyricist Nipsey Hussle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923991\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923991\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-800x627.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-800x627.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-1020x800.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-160x125.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-768x602.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-1536x1205.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-2048x1606.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.21.56-AM-1920x1506.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dave ‘Davey D’ Cook on stage with Dominique DiPrima at the Macy’s passport event in Oakland circa 1993. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Davey D)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Originally from The Bronx, New York, Davey D was there when this thing we call hip-hop was in its nascent form, before it even had a name. When he arrived in the Bay Area in the early ’80s, one of his missions as a UC Berkeley student was to lend some insight to this burgeoning culture. So he put on a few events, one of which was The Day in Hip-Hop on Oct. 24, 1984.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Footage of The Day in Hip-hop shows dancers, rappers and DJs performing in front of a captive audience, as they get a crash course on what would eventually become the most popular music in the world. The films are housed in UC Berkeley’s archives. Fortunately, a few clips have been uploaded to YouTube by Jim Richards. With the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the front of mind, I spoke to Davey D about what the culture was like back then and how far it has come.\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=KQINC6878706120&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Below are lightly edited excerpts from my conversation with Davey D.\u003c/strong>\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/L_71XuDWzeE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/L_71XuDWzeE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>PENDARVIS HARSHAW:\u003c/b> The objective of this interview is to talk about a video specifically from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOH_YgzQS7M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1984 at UC Berkeley on Sproul Plaza\u003c/a> with you DJing. I saw the fresh cut, and you had your name on your shirt. It’s an early iteration of what hip-hop looks like in the Bay Area. It’s just a moving piece of footage. Can we talk through it while we watch it real quick?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>DAVEY D:\u003c/b> So you got [the MCs] Commander C and Diamond D from Berkeley and Richmond. They were The Dazzling Two. And that graffiti that you see, that’s me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You did the graffiti too?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, I did the writing. I was never a graff artist, but I did do that. We were trying to do a showcase, and bring to the campus and celebrate this thing that was burgeoning. So what you see in the video is me, with a cut-off sweatshirt that has my name on it. You also see a guy named Patrick Norwood who is out of L.A. and was a good DJ. We had a crew called the New York/L.A. Connection because they were from L.A., and I was from New York. And we bought out some dancers. We brought out these artists. And it had to be several hundred people there watching as we did this thing. And it was just a day to remember, it was exciting. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you look at it now, it’s kind of basic what we were doing. My scratches weren’t all that and the raps weren’t all that. But you know what? They were entertaining and could hold their own. I passed out a leaflet that explained what hip-hop was. They were on pink pieces of paper. And I think UC Berkeley filmed this as well, and they have it in their archives. We did another one several months later, and that one you actually have me rapping with a number of people. And we did an anti-apartheid song called “South Africa It’s Just a Matter of Time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the day, I started out as an MC. I became a DJ when I moved out here. People just weren’t MCing like that when I first came out here. So I had more of an opportunity to do what I liked by DJing, versus getting on the mic and doing what the Dazzling Two were doing. I wonder whatever happened to 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/fOH_YgzQS7M'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/fOH_YgzQS7M'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>I’m watching the video, and the audience is kind of stunned. Sitting there, jaw dropped.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were watching because they hadn’t seen it. This was before the Fresh Fest [in December 1984, the first national hip-hop tour with Run D.M.C., Whodini and more]. So you didn’t really have performances like this. This was a treat for a lot of people. They might have seen something on a TV show, [or] \u003ci>Beat Street\u003c/i> the movie or something, but they hadn’t seen this up close and live. That’s why we wound up doing a second one. People were like, “Man, you all got to do that again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>If we’re saying that the start of hip-hop was ’73, then 10 years later you have people rapping in French. And you have this spread to the West Coast.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that’s one way to look at it. Or the other way is to understand that Indigenous folks, and in this case when I say “Indigenous” I’m saying people that come from Black communities — you know, “the hood,” so to speak — we always had these expressions. And so hip-hop had two types of responses. If you talk to Commander C and Diamond from the Dazzling Two, and you tell them about rap, them being from [the East Bay], their response wouldn’t have been, “Oh wow, this is great. How do you do it?” Their response would have been more like, “Oh man, that sounds like something my uncle used to do.” Because there would be a reference point. “Oh man, it sounds like some hambone. That sounds like some pimp talk,” right? They’ve already seen people rhyming. They saw a \u003ci>Dolemite\u003c/i> movie. They had an uncle that would talk slick like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How [hip-hop] was packaged may have been new. Like, “Oh, I never thought to do it over beats like that.” But the concept wasn’t new. Then you have other people who’ve never seen anything like this. And their reference point then becomes, “What did I see on TV?” And if you’re telling me this is a New York thing, then I want to soak up everything that came out of New York. Whereas, I think a Richmond and Oakland cat was like, “This is good. I’m going to integrate this New York style with things that I’ve already done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5Qh4JQ3yYUFhaC8t49NZnx?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you listen to those guys, to their credit, they didn’t try to sound like they were from New York. They still sound like some cat from Richmond in ’83, ’84. And I think that’s a testament to the Bay. [It] has its own identity… They didn’t feel like [they] needed to follow a prescribed path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You have to understand that there’s no YouTube at the time. Most people never saw a video like this until years later. This wasn’t on Channel Two or ABC or anything like that. This was something that [you] had to be there [for]. So for a lot of folks, they hadn’t seen this whole package until that day… And that’s what made it special. And I think if you were there, what I recall was the energy. There was a vibe. And it was almost euphoric, especially once the dancers got on.\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/JrbBU_Mfi1s'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/JrbBU_Mfi1s'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>The dancers turned it out. There’s a scene where the dancers line up. You think it’s about to start, and then they drop their pants and they have pants under their pants. And you see their uniforms, and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s about to go down.’\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But you also got to remember, in the Bay dance expression has been around for a long time too. They’re doing breaking, right? But there was a Bay style of dance that is — big shout out to The Black Resurgents and The Messengers, and all those groups. The Black Resurgents just celebrated their 50th anniversary. They were doing the boogaloo, and they were strutting, and they were roboting. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So these guys [on campus] were breaking, they weren’t doing Bay traditional dances, and we can get into why that was the case: Because [some of] those guys who came out of that dance era that actually predates hip-hop in New York had aged out. They were older, doing other things. And the fascination of hip-hop out of New York was really through the visuals of dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I should acknowledge the fact that the elements that are hip-hop were present even before 1973 in the Bay Area, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve always danced. Percussion has always been our thing, right? Black people are the people of the drum. Native folks are people of the drum, so the drum is not foreign. And rhyming has been around for a very long time. Having all those elements put together in a package like that had not happened. So again, It’s not “either or,” it’s “both and.”\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/ALLGyes9MhA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ALLGyes9MhA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>One of the big things that jumped out at me about the video is that it’s at Sproul Plaza, and this is the home of the Free Speech Movement and anti-Vietnam War protests. Having this event at that same hallowed ground, does that bring some type of legitimacy? Legitimacy is a loaded word, but does it bring some weight to it?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t think people were thinking of it at that time. I certainly wasn’t. The reason we did it at Sproul Plaza was because that’s where all the Black folks hung out, the fraternities: the Alphas, who were probably the biggest one. And the Kappas, when they did their step shows, they did it on Sproul Plaza, right? Sproul Plaza is right there at the entry of the campus, so if you want to get maximum people, you’re going to do it on Sproul Plaza. The second one we did down in Zellerbach, but it wasn’t like, “Aw man, the Free Speech Movement happened here, let’s do it on Sproul Plaza.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13923986\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-800x987.png\" alt='Davey D explains this new thing called \"hip-hop\" in this one-sheeter from 1984.' width=\"800\" height=\"987\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-800x987.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-1020x1258.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-160x197.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM-768x947.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Screenshot-2022-12-05-at-11.16.13-AM.png 1218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Davey D explains this new thing called “hip-hop” in this one-sheeter from 1984. \u003ccite>(Via Dave \"Davey D\" Cook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>And you said you passed out a flyer there.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not a flyer, but a piece of — it was an article that I wrote explaining what hip-hop was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>A one-sheeter, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A one-sheeter, yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Why would you need to pass on a one-sheeter explaining hip-hop?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because people didn’t know at that time, and you wanted to make sure they had it. What are you watching? Why are you watching this? So, again, for many people that was the first time they saw something live like that. We take it for granted now, but in 1984, you didn’t see that like that. There wasn’t no [hip-hop] block parties here. So this was the first time for a lot of people. And we wanted to make sure that they had an understanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom was mad because she said, “You didn’t put your name on it.” She’s like, “Put your name on it so people know that you wrote this, I don’t want nobody taking your stuff.” And I was like, “Nah, ma, they seen me pass it out.” But it became important because a lot of people did use that article. It showed up in the \u003ci>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/i>. There were people that quoted from it and didn’t know where it came from. I seen it on websites years later, right? But, you know, it’s actually \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/whatishipdav.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on my site now\u003c/a>. I was asked to write it for a magazine, so I rewrote that and added to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>In the early days, how did hip-hop culture spread to the Bay Area?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It spread the same way that it does everywhere else where Black folks are. First, we have to ask the question: What parts of hip-hop? So you have to get a graff writer in here to break down how they were passing along secrets and understandings and cultural aesthetics. You know, somebody like \u003ca href=\"http://www.refa1.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Refa One\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think us as DJs, there’s a whole path that we took, right? … So I’ll give you an example: There was a guy named Quickie Kev who was on the campus, and I was the main DJ, but Quickie Kev came out of L.A. and he knew how to scratch. His scratch was picked up from [the radio station] KDAY. And at that time, they had a bunch of DJs on there. Tony G. Joe Cooley, right? So there was an “L.A. Fast Scratch,” that’s what we called it. And he picked that up, and he was vicious on it. So whenever he did a party, people were sitting around like, “Man, how do we do that?” So that became one way some of that trickery was passed along. Much of it was seeing somebody who had a skillset, and they would pick it up.\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/7bYXW4x7RXk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/7bYXW4x7RXk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>Was there a point in the late ’80s, early ’90s where you could pinpoint and say hip-hop had irreversibly established itself?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When \u003ci>Beat Street\u003c/i> came out, I think there was no turning back. Shout out to Harry Belafonte and all those people who put it together. I know we had \u003ci>Krush Groove\u003c/i>, and \u003ci>Wild Style\u003c/i> had come out prior to that. But I think \u003ci>Beat Street\u003c/i> because it was such a mainstream thing, it was the one that was for people who grew up with that in New York — this was a validation. I think there was no turning back at that point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember, I was at a place called the Promenade, which is next to Marble Hill Projects in the Bronx. And my crew was doing a party. And I remember sitting there like, “Wow, look at all these people here.” And I said, “I wonder if people around the world know what we’re doing.” This is incredible. It just hit me. And within two years time, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2000/12/29/1116242/rappers-delight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rapper’s Delight\u003c/a>” came out and that was irreversible there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So, one more question on my end: 50 years from now, hip-hop is…?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hip-hop will be a continuation of Black expression, it ain’t going nowhere. We’re gonna stop singing and vocalizing ourselves? No. We gonna stop dancing? No. Are we going to have different rhythms? Absolutely. You can have a crunk beat, boom-bap beat, hyphy beat, underground lo-fi beat, jazzy beat, right? You can have those 808 beats, Miami bass beat. There’s like 50 different beats that you can find within hip-hop. There will be new beats 50 years from now. It might not be called hip-hop, but it’s still going to be here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It will never leave because hip-hop at its core is the expression of people who want to build community with one another. Who want to lose themselves in other ways, to express themselves and not be limited to what society says is valid expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The key for us is, can we connect the past with the present? And can we connect the past and present to the future? That’s our job. So we’re here to open your mind, and as Black Moon would say, “get you open.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Oakland-born jazz trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.ambroseakinmusire.com/\">Ambrose Akinmusire\u003c/a> received the second Grammy nomination of his career in November. It was for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, with the song “Rounds (Live)” on Terri Lynne Carrington’s pivotal \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/21/1124362063/terri-lyne-carrington-addresses-womens-omission-from-jazz-canon-with-new-standar\">New Standards, Vol. 1\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Akinmusire won’t be in Los Angeles on Feb. 5 for this year’s awards ceremony. Instead, the acclaimed musician will be in the Bay — where he’s based — paying tribute to his musical mentors, with a new residency Feb. 3–9 at SFJAZZ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"arts_13887363\"]Described as possibly “the most distinctive, elusive and ultimately satisfying trumpeter of his generation,” by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/arts/music/ambrose-akinmusire-origami-harvest-review.html\">the \u003ci>New York Times\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, Akinmusire is a master improviser whose original compositions blend influences beyond classical jazz, including poetry, blues and hip-hop. And while his talent and accomplishments regularly send him to venues all over the world, there’s still no place like home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe that Oakland, specifically, is sacred ground,” says Akinmusire. “I think it’s a place where you can come and replenish yourself. And that’s something that I see in the culture. It’s something I hear in the music. It’s something that I hear in the way we talk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The series of four performances will cap off his role as one of SFJAZZ’s 2022-23 resident artistic directors. “I told [SFJAZZ] I just wanted to find creative ways of saying ‘thank you.’ Showing gratitude,” says the musician of the opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm2eK__EbUw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He kicked off the role last March with a residency titled “Porter,” after his first jazz trumpet teacher, the late Robert Porter, and featured guest performances by some of the Bay Area musicians and mentors who shaped him as an artist, like bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/marcus-shelby\">Marcus Shelby\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of older cats that were here that mentored me that nobody knows of. Like \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2005/02/06/local-jazz-great-ed-kelly-69-dies/\">Ed Kelly\u003c/a> or Robert Porter or \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Khalil-Shaheed-noted-jazz-trumpet-player-dies-3439622.php\">Khalil Shaheed\u003c/a> … a drummer named Hi Fi — all these old-school cats who were just around,” says Akinmusire, who played in the jazz ensemble at Berkeley High School. “And some of them were ex-Black Panthers and all these other things. But they played jazz and they were really instrumental in developing me and a lot of the younger musicians.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tribute to his musical heroes continues with this new run of performances, which will feature artists like drummer Thomas Pridgen, formerly of the group Mars Volta, and saxophonist Joshua Redman, a fellow Berkeley High alum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akinmusire will perform as part of a quartet, trio and duo at the SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium and then conclude with a solo performance at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, giving a cool “countdown” structure to the performances — 4, 3, 2, 1 — for which Akinmusire gives credit to outgoing SFJAZZ founder and executive artistic director Randall Kline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the duo performance, Akinmusire will be joined by legendary double bassist Ron Carter — which is a dream come true for the trumpeter. “At a young age, I wanted to — and I still want to — be Ron Carter. I want to grow up and have the integrity that he has. I mean everything he says, every note he plays has so much integrity and beauty in it,” says the musician, pointing out that Carter doesn’t typically perform with artists of Akinmusire’s generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86PPN1zVdZw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The final, solo performance at Grace Cathedral carries special meaning, says the musician, who notes that he recorded a solo album about a year and a half ago that has yet to be released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Playing solo has just been something that’s been in the back of my head,” he says. The appeal, he adds, is the beauty that lives in sitting with oneself — and that being enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think when you have a lot of technique and you can play almost everything that’s in your head, it’s hard to commit to beauty. It’s hard to not do the flashy stuff,” says Akinmusire. “So I wanted to do a solo project that is just about sitting in the center of the beauty. The center of self, which is, for me, beauty. And so that’s why I’m doing the Grace Cathedral [show].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s likely why so many music lovers will relish the opportunity to experience it with him.\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>\u003ci>Ambrose Akinmusire performs nightly from Feb. 3–5 at the SFJAZZ Center and Feb. 9 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfjazz.org/calendar/?month=2.2023&series=50876\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland-born jazz trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.ambroseakinmusire.com/\">Ambrose Akinmusire\u003c/a> received the second Grammy nomination of his career in November. It was for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, with the song “Rounds (Live)” on Terri Lynne Carrington’s pivotal \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/21/1124362063/terri-lyne-carrington-addresses-womens-omission-from-jazz-canon-with-new-standar\">New Standards, Vol. 1\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Akinmusire won’t be in Los Angeles on Feb. 5 for this year’s awards ceremony. Instead, the acclaimed musician will be in the Bay — where he’s based — paying tribute to his musical mentors, with a new residency Feb. 3–9 at SFJAZZ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Described as possibly “the most distinctive, elusive and ultimately satisfying trumpeter of his generation,” by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/arts/music/ambrose-akinmusire-origami-harvest-review.html\">the \u003ci>New York Times\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, Akinmusire is a master improviser whose original compositions blend influences beyond classical jazz, including poetry, blues and hip-hop. And while his talent and accomplishments regularly send him to venues all over the world, there’s still no place like home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe that Oakland, specifically, is sacred ground,” says Akinmusire. “I think it’s a place where you can come and replenish yourself. And that’s something that I see in the culture. It’s something I hear in the music. It’s something that I hear in the way we talk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The series of four performances will cap off his role as one of SFJAZZ’s 2022-23 resident artistic directors. “I told [SFJAZZ] I just wanted to find creative ways of saying ‘thank you.’ Showing gratitude,” says the musician of the opportunity.\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/Dm2eK__EbUw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Dm2eK__EbUw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>He kicked off the role last March with a residency titled “Porter,” after his first jazz trumpet teacher, the late Robert Porter, and featured guest performances by some of the Bay Area musicians and mentors who shaped him as an artist, like bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/marcus-shelby\">Marcus Shelby\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of older cats that were here that mentored me that nobody knows of. Like \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2005/02/06/local-jazz-great-ed-kelly-69-dies/\">Ed Kelly\u003c/a> or Robert Porter or \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Khalil-Shaheed-noted-jazz-trumpet-player-dies-3439622.php\">Khalil Shaheed\u003c/a> … a drummer named Hi Fi — all these old-school cats who were just around,” says Akinmusire, who played in the jazz ensemble at Berkeley High School. “And some of them were ex-Black Panthers and all these other things. But they played jazz and they were really instrumental in developing me and a lot of the younger musicians.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tribute to his musical heroes continues with this new run of performances, which will feature artists like drummer Thomas Pridgen, formerly of the group Mars Volta, and saxophonist Joshua Redman, a fellow Berkeley High alum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akinmusire will perform as part of a quartet, trio and duo at the SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium and then conclude with a solo performance at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, giving a cool “countdown” structure to the performances — 4, 3, 2, 1 — for which Akinmusire gives credit to outgoing SFJAZZ founder and executive artistic director Randall Kline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the duo performance, Akinmusire will be joined by legendary double bassist Ron Carter — which is a dream come true for the trumpeter. “At a young age, I wanted to — and I still want to — be Ron Carter. I want to grow up and have the integrity that he has. I mean everything he says, every note he plays has so much integrity and beauty in it,” says the musician, pointing out that Carter doesn’t typically perform with artists of Akinmusire’s generation.\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/86PPN1zVdZw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/86PPN1zVdZw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The final, solo performance at Grace Cathedral carries special meaning, says the musician, who notes that he recorded a solo album about a year and a half ago that has yet to be released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Playing solo has just been something that’s been in the back of my head,” he says. The appeal, he adds, is the beauty that lives in sitting with oneself — and that being enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think when you have a lot of technique and you can play almost everything that’s in your head, it’s hard to commit to beauty. It’s hard to not do the flashy stuff,” says Akinmusire. “So I wanted to do a solo project that is just about sitting in the center of the beauty. The center of self, which is, for me, beauty. And so that’s why I’m doing the Grace Cathedral [show].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s likely why so many music lovers will relish the opportunity to experience it with him.\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>\u003ci>Ambrose Akinmusire performs nightly from Feb. 3–5 at the SFJAZZ Center and Feb. 9 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfjazz.org/calendar/?month=2.2023&series=50876\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "5 Astonishing Things We Found in UC Santa Barbara’s Old-Timey Audio Archive",
"headTitle": "5 Astonishing Things We Found in UC Santa Barbara’s Old-Timey Audio Archive | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In the days of yore, before digital recording, cassettes, vinyl and even 8-tracks existed, there lived audio cylinders — also known as tin foil phonographs. These circular tin, foil and wax objects were all the rage between the 1880s and 1920s, having been \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-sound-recordings/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph/#:~:text=The%20patent%20on%20the%20phonograph,written%20on%20April%2018%2C%201877.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">invented by Thomas Edison\u003c/a> so that humans could listen to music and make their own recordings. They captured songs, comedy acts, readings of all descriptions, messages between families and — that perennial favorite — out-of-tune children singing at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You name it, people a century ago phonographed it, leaving behind a compelling (and infinitely weird) snapshot of life and culture at the turn of the 19th century. Which is why UC Santa Barbara has taken the time to archive 10,000 surviving tin foil phonographs in the \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cylinder Audio Archive\u003c/a>. That archive is now all online, organized by theme, and incredibly easy to search using key words. (Certainly a lot easier than trying to locate and play the original cylinders.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924233\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924233\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-800x642.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-800x642.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-1020x819.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-768x617.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-1536x1234.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-2048x1645.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-1920x1542.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One Edison Blue and one Edison Purple Amberol cylindrical phonograph records, from 1912 and 1914. \u003ccite>(SSPL/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here are five of the most astonishing things I stumbled across while exploring the archive.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Frisco, Frisco and More Frisco\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Are you one of the (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11339599/why-do-some-hate-the-nickname-frisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">incorrect\u003c/a>) people who thinks “Frisco” is only used by tourists? Are you perhaps one of those Herb Caen fans who agrees with his 1953 assertion that “Frisco is a nickname that reminds the city uncomfortably of the early, brawling, boisterous days of the Barbary Coast”? Hey, maybe you’re just too damn fancy to truncate place names.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13919589']Either way, if you are not currently on the “Frisco” train, just know that UCSB’s archive is awash with reasons to love the term. There’s a glorious duet of “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025090450203776&r=7&of=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hello Frisco!\u003c/a>” by Harvey Hindermyer and Helen Clark from 1915. (The song was written to celebrate the first direct phone call between New York and San Francisco.) There are a number of \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990026662280203776&r=1&of=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jaunty little numbers\u003c/a> recorded by the \u003ca href=\"https://syncopatedtimes.com/frisco-jass-band/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frisco Jazz Band\u003c/a> in 1917 and ’18. (The band was based in New York, but its members were all from California.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Searching for the term also brought me to a delightful xylophonist named \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025263690203776&r=11&of=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lou “Frisco” Chiha\u003c/a>, who, according to several newspaper articles from the time, publicized his Edison cylinder recordings by playing along with them on stages across the country. When he stopped playing and the music continued, it blew the minds of audiences everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>All of the racism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There was another “Frisco” I found in the archive — 1913’s “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query_type=keyword&query=frisco+dan&nq=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frisco Dan\u003c/a>” by Billy Murray, about a sailor who has a girl in every port all over the world. The reason I didn’t put it in the positive Frisco section is because it sounds \u003cem>exactly\u003c/em> like an \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> parody making fun of how racist people were in the 1910s. (To give you some specifics so you can avoid listening to it, there is a fake accent used here not dissimilar to the one Mickey Rooney does all the way through \u003cem>Breakfast at Tiffany’s\u003c/em>. Ugh.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13890853']It’s one thing to know America’s racist history in theory; it’s quite another to face it down via specific moments from pop culture history. And, dear God, there is a lot to face down in UCSB’s Cylinder Audio Archive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990036399730203776&r=5&of=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Golden and Hughes\u003c/a>, who used to perform in blackface, are here. As are \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990041107070203776&r=4&of=212\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">songs romanticizing the Old South\u003c/a>. Then there’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Jones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ada Jones\u003c/a>, a white woman who had no qualms about \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025429880203776&r=7&of=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">using the N-word in ballads\u003c/a>, or doing skits in which \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025615920203776&r=2&of=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">she impersonated Jewish people\u003c/a>. There’s a track called “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025386080203776&r=14&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arrah Wanna\u003c/a>” about an Irishman marrying an Indigenous woman that is exactly as awful as it sounds. (There are a lot of \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990036280780203776&r=10&of=222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Irish impersonators\u003c/a> in this archive, by the way.) One of the most bizarre relics here is a song by Edward Meeker, titled “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990030498980203776&r=12&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Argentines, the Portuguese and the Greeks\u003c/a>.” It features a baffling degree of extremely specific xenophobia that I had, until now, been entirely unaware of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Needless to say, if you stay in the archive for longer than five minutes, you \u003cem>will\u003c/em> hear something very offensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924228\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924228\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-800x1155.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holding an Edison Gold Moulded cylinder record that can be played on the phonograph that stands on a table in front of her.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-800x1155.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1020x1472.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-160x231.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-768x1109.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1064x1536.jpg 1064w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1419x2048.jpg 1419w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1920x2772.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-scaled.jpg 1773w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 1904 magazine ad showing an Edison phonograph with a horn and hand crank. \u003ccite>(Stock Montage/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Unintentional Terror\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You know \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jZorZeWro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that one Death Cab For Cutie song\u003c/a> about watching movies from the 1950s and obsessing about the fact that everyone on the screen is dead now? These archives are a bit like that, only much, much more frightening because the majority of these recordings sound like something that would suddenly start playing from the attic in a \u003cem>Paranormal Activity\u003c/em> movie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crackles, echos, speeds that are just a little bit off-kilter, voices yelling in the distance, the sound of children who are definitely dead… There is something incredibly eerie about all of it. Once upon a time, the scariest recording here was probably an actor named \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990047160590203776&r=6&of=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Edward Brigham doing the ghost scene from \u003cem>Hamlet\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Now? Honestly? Literally every clip here could be used in a horror movie. Take this\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990041108090203776&r=4&of=24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> recording of a man and two children talking imperceptibly about a “sociable\u003c/a>” as just one of many examples. Chilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Historical business\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13884403']The archive is peppered with interesting glimpses of how national events worked their way into entertainment in the Victorian era. “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025232980203776&r=1&of=299\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keep the Home Fires Burning\u003c/a>” is a ballad for women missing their menfolk away fighting World War I. “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025593380203776&r=4&of=55\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bunker Hill,\u003c/a>” recorded by Harlan and Stanley in 1905, is a patriotic look back on the Revolutionary War — a conflict that had happened in their own lifetimes. And references to presidents show up in some of the \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?nq=1&query=Humorous+songs&query_type=keyword\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comic songs\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025382950203776&r=3&of=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Presidents Theodore Roosevelt\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990047154350203776&r=6&of=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">William H. Taft\u003c/a> also utilized the new technology to make speeches and pass on information about new laws. (Some of what they commit to audio here is so incredibly dull, you have to wonder if anyone ever listened to it on purpose.) You can find the \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990041106240203776&r=5&of=212\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gettysburg Address\u003c/a> in the archive as well, though not Lincoln’s original version, obviously.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Some very predictable sexism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The sexism on display in the archive isn’t as consistently shocking as the racism, but I was entirely taken aback after stumbling across a couple of \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query_type=keyword&query=gash&nq=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bawdy limericks about female anatomy\u003c/a>. (I now imagine my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ younger lives quite differently, thanks to this one recording.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other sexist content includes songs about \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025660200203776&r=19&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">women with unattractive bodies\u003c/a>, ugly \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025431380203776&r=10&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">women still being marriage material as long as they can cook\u003c/a> and songs about how much nicer men would be \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025384450203776&r=2&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">if Eve had never met Adam\u003c/a>. (Suffragettes are Eve’s fault as well, apparently. Super hot take.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Women couldn’t even vote while all of this was being recorded, and less than 20% of the workforce was female, so it’s not terribly surprising that this generation was judged almost entirely on physical attractiveness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-800x638.jpg\" alt=\"An artist's rendition of a besuited man playing a cornet into a phonograph horn.\" width=\"800\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-800x638.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-1020x813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-768x612.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-1536x1224.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">How people used to record onto cylinders, according to a wood engraving from 1889. \u003ccite>(Stock Montage/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what have we learned? Wandering around these archives without a plan will give you an extraordinary glimpse into the past — the quaint stuff, the weird stuff and the downright awful stuff we’d rather forget happened. That’s exactly why UCSB’s Cylinder Audio Archive is so important. These recordings stand as a great reminder of how far we’ve come, and just how much progress is still possible.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the days of yore, before digital recording, cassettes, vinyl and even 8-tracks existed, there lived audio cylinders — also known as tin foil phonographs. These circular tin, foil and wax objects were all the rage between the 1880s and 1920s, having been \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-sound-recordings/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph/#:~:text=The%20patent%20on%20the%20phonograph,written%20on%20April%2018%2C%201877.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">invented by Thomas Edison\u003c/a> so that humans could listen to music and make their own recordings. They captured songs, comedy acts, readings of all descriptions, messages between families and — that perennial favorite — out-of-tune children singing at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You name it, people a century ago phonographed it, leaving behind a compelling (and infinitely weird) snapshot of life and culture at the turn of the 19th century. Which is why UC Santa Barbara has taken the time to archive 10,000 surviving tin foil phonographs in the \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cylinder Audio Archive\u003c/a>. That archive is now all online, organized by theme, and incredibly easy to search using key words. (Certainly a lot easier than trying to locate and play the original cylinders.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924233\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924233\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-800x642.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-800x642.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-1020x819.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-768x617.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-1536x1234.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-2048x1645.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-90727823-1920x1542.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One Edison Blue and one Edison Purple Amberol cylindrical phonograph records, from 1912 and 1914. \u003ccite>(SSPL/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here are five of the most astonishing things I stumbled across while exploring the archive.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Frisco, Frisco and More Frisco\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Are you one of the (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11339599/why-do-some-hate-the-nickname-frisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">incorrect\u003c/a>) people who thinks “Frisco” is only used by tourists? Are you perhaps one of those Herb Caen fans who agrees with his 1953 assertion that “Frisco is a nickname that reminds the city uncomfortably of the early, brawling, boisterous days of the Barbary Coast”? Hey, maybe you’re just too damn fancy to truncate place names.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Either way, if you are not currently on the “Frisco” train, just know that UCSB’s archive is awash with reasons to love the term. There’s a glorious duet of “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025090450203776&r=7&of=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hello Frisco!\u003c/a>” by Harvey Hindermyer and Helen Clark from 1915. (The song was written to celebrate the first direct phone call between New York and San Francisco.) There are a number of \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990026662280203776&r=1&of=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jaunty little numbers\u003c/a> recorded by the \u003ca href=\"https://syncopatedtimes.com/frisco-jass-band/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frisco Jazz Band\u003c/a> in 1917 and ’18. (The band was based in New York, but its members were all from California.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Searching for the term also brought me to a delightful xylophonist named \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025263690203776&r=11&of=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lou “Frisco” Chiha\u003c/a>, who, according to several newspaper articles from the time, publicized his Edison cylinder recordings by playing along with them on stages across the country. When he stopped playing and the music continued, it blew the minds of audiences everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>All of the racism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There was another “Frisco” I found in the archive — 1913’s “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query_type=keyword&query=frisco+dan&nq=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frisco Dan\u003c/a>” by Billy Murray, about a sailor who has a girl in every port all over the world. The reason I didn’t put it in the positive Frisco section is because it sounds \u003cem>exactly\u003c/em> like an \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> parody making fun of how racist people were in the 1910s. (To give you some specifics so you can avoid listening to it, there is a fake accent used here not dissimilar to the one Mickey Rooney does all the way through \u003cem>Breakfast at Tiffany’s\u003c/em>. Ugh.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It’s one thing to know America’s racist history in theory; it’s quite another to face it down via specific moments from pop culture history. And, dear God, there is a lot to face down in UCSB’s Cylinder Audio Archive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990036399730203776&r=5&of=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Golden and Hughes\u003c/a>, who used to perform in blackface, are here. As are \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990041107070203776&r=4&of=212\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">songs romanticizing the Old South\u003c/a>. Then there’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Jones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ada Jones\u003c/a>, a white woman who had no qualms about \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025429880203776&r=7&of=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">using the N-word in ballads\u003c/a>, or doing skits in which \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025615920203776&r=2&of=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">she impersonated Jewish people\u003c/a>. There’s a track called “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025386080203776&r=14&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arrah Wanna\u003c/a>” about an Irishman marrying an Indigenous woman that is exactly as awful as it sounds. (There are a lot of \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990036280780203776&r=10&of=222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Irish impersonators\u003c/a> in this archive, by the way.) One of the most bizarre relics here is a song by Edward Meeker, titled “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990030498980203776&r=12&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Argentines, the Portuguese and the Greeks\u003c/a>.” It features a baffling degree of extremely specific xenophobia that I had, until now, been entirely unaware of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Needless to say, if you stay in the archive for longer than five minutes, you \u003cem>will\u003c/em> hear something very offensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924228\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924228\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-800x1155.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holding an Edison Gold Moulded cylinder record that can be played on the phonograph that stands on a table in front of her.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-800x1155.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1020x1472.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-160x231.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-768x1109.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1064x1536.jpg 1064w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1419x2048.jpg 1419w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-1920x2772.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-120817326-scaled.jpg 1773w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 1904 magazine ad showing an Edison phonograph with a horn and hand crank. \u003ccite>(Stock Montage/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Unintentional Terror\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You know \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jZorZeWro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that one Death Cab For Cutie song\u003c/a> about watching movies from the 1950s and obsessing about the fact that everyone on the screen is dead now? These archives are a bit like that, only much, much more frightening because the majority of these recordings sound like something that would suddenly start playing from the attic in a \u003cem>Paranormal Activity\u003c/em> movie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crackles, echos, speeds that are just a little bit off-kilter, voices yelling in the distance, the sound of children who are definitely dead… There is something incredibly eerie about all of it. Once upon a time, the scariest recording here was probably an actor named \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990047160590203776&r=6&of=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Edward Brigham doing the ghost scene from \u003cem>Hamlet\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Now? Honestly? Literally every clip here could be used in a horror movie. Take this\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990041108090203776&r=4&of=24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> recording of a man and two children talking imperceptibly about a “sociable\u003c/a>” as just one of many examples. Chilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Historical business\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The archive is peppered with interesting glimpses of how national events worked their way into entertainment in the Victorian era. “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025232980203776&r=1&of=299\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keep the Home Fires Burning\u003c/a>” is a ballad for women missing their menfolk away fighting World War I. “\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025593380203776&r=4&of=55\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bunker Hill,\u003c/a>” recorded by Harlan and Stanley in 1905, is a patriotic look back on the Revolutionary War — a conflict that had happened in their own lifetimes. And references to presidents show up in some of the \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?nq=1&query=Humorous+songs&query_type=keyword\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comic songs\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025382950203776&r=3&of=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Presidents Theodore Roosevelt\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990047154350203776&r=6&of=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">William H. Taft\u003c/a> also utilized the new technology to make speeches and pass on information about new laws. (Some of what they commit to audio here is so incredibly dull, you have to wonder if anyone ever listened to it on purpose.) You can find the \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990041106240203776&r=5&of=212\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gettysburg Address\u003c/a> in the archive as well, though not Lincoln’s original version, obviously.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Some very predictable sexism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The sexism on display in the archive isn’t as consistently shocking as the racism, but I was entirely taken aback after stumbling across a couple of \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query_type=keyword&query=gash&nq=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bawdy limericks about female anatomy\u003c/a>. (I now imagine my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ younger lives quite differently, thanks to this one recording.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other sexist content includes songs about \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025660200203776&r=19&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">women with unattractive bodies\u003c/a>, ugly \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025431380203776&r=10&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">women still being marriage material as long as they can cook\u003c/a> and songs about how much nicer men would be \u003ca href=\"https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/detail.php?query_type=mms_id&query=990025384450203776&r=2&of=293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">if Eve had never met Adam\u003c/a>. (Suffragettes are Eve’s fault as well, apparently. Super hot take.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Women couldn’t even vote while all of this was being recorded, and less than 20% of the workforce was female, so it’s not terribly surprising that this generation was judged almost entirely on physical attractiveness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13924337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-800x638.jpg\" alt=\"An artist's rendition of a besuited man playing a cornet into a phonograph horn.\" width=\"800\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-800x638.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-1020x813.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-768x612.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232-1536x1224.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/GettyImages-143231579-scaled-e1674780076232.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">How people used to record onto cylinders, according to a wood engraving from 1889. \u003ccite>(Stock Montage/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what have we learned? Wandering around these archives without a plan will give you an extraordinary glimpse into the past — the quaint stuff, the weird stuff and the downright awful stuff we’d rather forget happened. That’s exactly why UCSB’s Cylinder Audio Archive is so important. These recordings stand as a great reminder of how far we’ve come, and just how much progress is still possible.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "seiji-odas-anri-city-pop-003-celebrates-lunar-new-year-with-a-ride-through-japantown",
"title": "Seiji Oda Celebrates the Lunar New Year With a Ride Through Japantown",
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"headTitle": "Seiji Oda Celebrates the Lunar New Year With a Ride Through Japantown | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to Pass the Aux, where KQED Arts & Culture brings you our favorite new tracks by Bay Area artists. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/pass-the-aux\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check out past entries and submit a song for future coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of all the music genres associated with the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-endless-life-cycle-of-japanese-city-pop/\">Japanese “city pop” might not be one that comes to mind for most. \u003c/a>Yet for Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seijioda/?hl=en\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a>, the internet-influenced style was the driving inspiration for his latest single, “ANRI (city pop 003).”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason I started including [the city pop label] in my music was because I got into it and I loved it, and I wanted to share that with others,” he says. “City pop sounds to me like a combination of Bay slaps and tempo with an anime vibe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The emerging artist released his newest track — which pays homage to Anri, a Japanese vocalist whom he credits with introducing him to the genre — on Lunar New Year. Oda says he chose the day of Asian American celebration because it represents the heritage and traditions that have allowed him to become the artist he is today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a way for me to show my appreciation for the culture, really,” he says. “Without that, I don’t have shit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/v7h_QDXezKM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having grown up reading manga and watching animes like \u003ci>Samurai Champloo\u003c/i> — \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq6EYcpWB_c\">famous for its Nujuabes-produced score\u003c/a> — Oda makes music with a soundscape that is at once familiar and fresh. His exposure to a variety of influences and flavors emerges naturally on the upbeat single, with references that range from Vietnamese sandwiches to Japanese singers from the ’80s: “Yeah I need my bread, baby, bánh mì, sliding through Japantown slappin’ Anri.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filmed in San Francisco’s Japantown, the video features Oda rocking an A’s dad hat while wandering around clothing shops like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chameleonvtg/?hl=en\">Chameleon Vintage\u003c/a>, dapping up his folks and rap-singing about childhood summers, family and remaining true to his roots: “I always do my own thing I never assimilate… I’m from the soil so you know I gotta innovate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The catchy hook, melodic delivery and hints of Japanese pop mixed with sprinkles of Bay Area funk are trademark textures for Oda, whose recent projects include \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBJkcxcKYkM\">\u003ci>lofi // HYPHY\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. Oda credits local influences like P-Lo, HBK’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/azuresworld/?hl=en\">Azure\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hokagesimon/?hl=en\">Hokage Simon\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_futurejames/?hl=en\">Future James as multi-talented artists who are shaping the scene.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Asian Americans aren’t always seen as creative people. But it’s important for us to see we are setting that example and being outside the box and just doing what we want to do,” he says. “I’m also not trying to be anything other than myself. I’m just showing the regular-ness of my life.”\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>Seiji Oda’s EP ‘wading in shallow water’ is\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://seijioda.bandcamp.com/album/wading-in-shallow-water\">\u003ci>available now\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. You can also catch him giving \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPkgBf6Mk8Y\">\u003ci>ramen tutorials on YouTube\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. For information about upcoming Lunar New Year events and resources for addressing anti-Asian hate, visit the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://ccsjsf.org/\">\u003ci>Coalition for Community Safety and Justice\u003c/i>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "'It’s a way for me to show my appreciation for the culture,' says the Oakland artist of his latest single.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to Pass the Aux, where KQED Arts & Culture brings you our favorite new tracks by Bay Area artists. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/pass-the-aux\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check out past entries and submit a song for future coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of all the music genres associated with the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-endless-life-cycle-of-japanese-city-pop/\">Japanese “city pop” might not be one that comes to mind for most. \u003c/a>Yet for Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seijioda/?hl=en\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a>, the internet-influenced style was the driving inspiration for his latest single, “ANRI (city pop 003).”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason I started including [the city pop label] in my music was because I got into it and I loved it, and I wanted to share that with others,” he says. “City pop sounds to me like a combination of Bay slaps and tempo with an anime vibe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The emerging artist released his newest track — which pays homage to Anri, a Japanese vocalist whom he credits with introducing him to the genre — on Lunar New Year. Oda says he chose the day of Asian American celebration because it represents the heritage and traditions that have allowed him to become the artist he is today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a way for me to show my appreciation for the culture, really,” he says. “Without that, I don’t have shit.”\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/v7h_QDXezKM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/v7h_QDXezKM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Having grown up reading manga and watching animes like \u003ci>Samurai Champloo\u003c/i> — \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq6EYcpWB_c\">famous for its Nujuabes-produced score\u003c/a> — Oda makes music with a soundscape that is at once familiar and fresh. His exposure to a variety of influences and flavors emerges naturally on the upbeat single, with references that range from Vietnamese sandwiches to Japanese singers from the ’80s: “Yeah I need my bread, baby, bánh mì, sliding through Japantown slappin’ Anri.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filmed in San Francisco’s Japantown, the video features Oda rocking an A’s dad hat while wandering around clothing shops like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chameleonvtg/?hl=en\">Chameleon Vintage\u003c/a>, dapping up his folks and rap-singing about childhood summers, family and remaining true to his roots: “I always do my own thing I never assimilate… I’m from the soil so you know I gotta innovate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The catchy hook, melodic delivery and hints of Japanese pop mixed with sprinkles of Bay Area funk are trademark textures for Oda, whose recent projects include \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBJkcxcKYkM\">\u003ci>lofi // HYPHY\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. Oda credits local influences like P-Lo, HBK’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/azuresworld/?hl=en\">Azure\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hokagesimon/?hl=en\">Hokage Simon\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_futurejames/?hl=en\">Future James as multi-talented artists who are shaping the scene.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Asian Americans aren’t always seen as creative people. But it’s important for us to see we are setting that example and being outside the box and just doing what we want to do,” he says. “I’m also not trying to be anything other than myself. I’m just showing the regular-ness of my life.”\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>Seiji Oda’s EP ‘wading in shallow water’ is\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://seijioda.bandcamp.com/album/wading-in-shallow-water\">\u003ci>available now\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. You can also catch him giving \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPkgBf6Mk8Y\">\u003ci>ramen tutorials on YouTube\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. For information about upcoming Lunar New Year events and resources for addressing anti-Asian hate, visit the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://ccsjsf.org/\">\u003ci>Coalition for Community Safety and Justice\u003c/i>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A cabaret dance troupe of elders from San Francisco’s Chinatown has released a rap track and video celebrating the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/01/20/1150070528/these-lunar-new-year-dishes-remind-those-who-make-them-of-their-family-and-frien\">Lunar New Year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13923317']“\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1600909627034398&t=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">That Lunar Cheer\u003c/a>,” a collaboration between the \u003ca href=\"http://grantavenuefollies.com\">Grant Avenue Follies\u003c/a> and Los Angeles-based rapper \u003ca href=\"http://jasonchumusic.com\">Jason Chu\u003c/a>, hippety-hops into the Year of the Rabbit with calls for food, family and fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been through a couple challenging years and we want to wish everybody a happy new year as well as making sure that it will be a peaceful and healthy new year. That is very important to us,” Follies co-founder Cynthia Yee told NPR. “We have customs that have to be followed, such as cleaning the house before New Year’s Day to sweep away all the bad luck and welcome the new.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAARPAAPI%2Fvideos%2F1600909627034398%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The video was was funded by the AARP, a nonprofit interest group focusing on issues affecting those over the age of 50.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No strangers to hip-hop\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The 12 members of the Follies, aged between 61 and 87, might be steeped in tap dance and the songs of the 1950s and ‘60s. But they are no strangers to hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>That Lunar Cheer\u003c/em> is the group’s third rap track to date. The Follies’ song protesting violence against people of Asian descent, \u003cem>Gai Mou Sou Rap \u003c/em>(named after the chicken feature dusters that Chinese parents traditionally use around the home, and also use to spank naughty children), has garnered nearly 90,000 views on YouTube since debuting in May 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Follies founder Yee said she feels a connection to the hip-hop genre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>‘What better way to express ourselves through poetry, which is a song with rap,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13923548']Their dedication to the art form impressed rapper Chu, who wrote \u003cem>That Lunar Cheer\u003c/em>, and has a strong background in community activism as well as music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These ladies are strong and feisty and creative,” Chu told NPR. “Getting to collaborate with them is exactly the kind of art I love making — something that highlights culture and community in a way that’s fun and empowering.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yee added she hopes the song exemplifies the values of the Year of the Rabbit: “Mostly very quiet, very lovable, very fuzzy-wuzzy, and of course all about having lots of family,” she said. “The Year of the Rabbit is about multiplying everything, whether that’s children, grandchildren or money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=San+Francisco+Chinatown+seniors+welcome+in+the+Lunar+New+Year+with+rap+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1600909627034398&t=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">That Lunar Cheer\u003c/a>,” a collaboration between the \u003ca href=\"http://grantavenuefollies.com\">Grant Avenue Follies\u003c/a> and Los Angeles-based rapper \u003ca href=\"http://jasonchumusic.com\">Jason Chu\u003c/a>, hippety-hops into the Year of the Rabbit with calls for food, family and fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been through a couple challenging years and we want to wish everybody a happy new year as well as making sure that it will be a peaceful and healthy new year. That is very important to us,” Follies co-founder Cynthia Yee told NPR. “We have customs that have to be followed, such as cleaning the house before New Year’s Day to sweep away all the bad luck and welcome the new.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAARPAAPI%2Fvideos%2F1600909627034398%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The video was was funded by the AARP, a nonprofit interest group focusing on issues affecting those over the age of 50.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No strangers to hip-hop\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The 12 members of the Follies, aged between 61 and 87, might be steeped in tap dance and the songs of the 1950s and ‘60s. But they are no strangers to hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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},
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"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
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},
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},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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},
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"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"order": 10
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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},
"closealltabs": {
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"order": 1
},
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 18
},
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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