Five Top-Tier Bay Area Rappers Unite Under ‘1 Umbrella’
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Frak’s ‘Four Square’ Mixtape Showcases a Rare Roster of Talent
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Unsigned and Hella Broke: The East Bay’s Dirt-Hustling 1990s Hip-Hop Subculture
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s a Thursday night in late January, and the members of the newly formed rap supergroup 1 Umbrella are scattered around an \u003ca href=\"https://www.empi.re/\">EMPIRE\u003c/a> recording studio in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cameras and lights are mounted in one room. A TV showing a basketball game is on nearby. The crew is in that limbo native to recording studios: both working hard and somehow simultaneously chilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/22ndjim/\">22nd Jim\u003c/a> shakes my hand, casually walking past en route to change his outfit. Out back, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/whoisallblack/\">ALLBLACK\u003c/a> gives me a big dap and a hug near people rolling Backwoods. Back inside, behind the bar, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zaybang/\">Zaybang\u003c/a> mixes a pitcher filled with Sprite and a few other liquids. I congratulate \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yee/\">Lil Yee\u003c/a> on his latest solo project, \u003cem>LIFE AFTER DEATH\u003c/em>, inspired by surviving a recent shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986383\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216.jpg\" alt=\"Six African American men sit in a circle while holding a conversation in a music studio \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">KQED’s Pendarvis Harshaw interviews the members of 1 Umbrella at an EMPIRE recording studio in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But we’re not here to talk about last year, nor solo projects. We’re discussing how these four artists, plus \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lilbean/\">Lil Bean\u003c/a> (who’d arrive later), have sparked fire in the Bay with their new supergroup, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/1umbrellaofficial/\">1 Umbrella\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group’s debut self-titled album drops Friday, Feb. 6, followed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/upcoming/detail-3090/\">record signing event the next day at Amoeba Music\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13983236']Guests on \u003cem>1 Umbrella\u003c/em> include \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larry-june\">Larry June\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">1100 Himself\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rexx-life-raj\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>. With production from the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reecebeats/\">Reece Beats\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/brutalmoney/\">Brutal Money\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/eazydrez/\"> EazyDrez\u003c/a>, the album will undoubtedly be played boisterously from the sound systems of fly cars for months to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To hear the group tell it, their music isn’t “gangsta rap” and it “fasho ain’t hyphy.” It’s lifestyle rap over heavy bass. It’s turf-repping, in-your-face bravado trash talking that comes from “diary entries” based on lived experiences. Above all, it’s a polished glimpse of modern rap from the Bay, made by artists who’ve amplified local street culture for many moons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to think, it all came together so organically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986384\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250.jpg\" alt=\"Two African-American men sit and talk in a studio in San Francisco. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1 Umbrella members and San Francisco representatives, Lil Bean (left) and Lil Yee (right) discuss the importance of working together to uplift the region as a whole. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I commented on his post, ‘1 umbrella,’” Lil Bean tells me as I sit down with the group’s five members. “That was a bar,” adds Zaybang of the comment that set this alliance in motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The members of the group, all with well-decorated solo careers, had already collaborated on one-off songs here and there. But late last year, when 22nd Jim released the video for the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nae30ATotE\">Cash Sh*t\u003c/a>” (featuring Lil Yee and Lil Bean), Lil Bean added his comment to an Instagram post, and it was up from there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there’s been a handful of hip-hop supergroups in California alone — including Westside Connection, T.W.D.Y. and Mount Westmore — when asked who he’d compare the collective to, ALLBLACK pulls an even deeper reference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I listen to a lot of ’70s and ’80s R&B,” he says, leaning back in a folding chair while describing the groups cohesiveness. “I would say we’re the S.O.S. Band … [or] like the Stylistics, you know I mean?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986388\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13986388\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Three African-American men sit in a music studio while being interviewed.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zaybang (center), smiles as he’s flanked by fellow 1 Umbrella group members Lil Yee (left) and ALLBLACK (right). ‘If you put us anywhere, we’re gonna go crazy,’ says ALLBLACK. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Supergroups are often manufactured by a manager or label, says Zaybang, but 1 Umbrella came about naturally. “We frequent each other’s sessions,” says the Frisco lyricist, adding that even when they’re not on a track, they offer each other creative feedback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assisting this effort is EMPIRE itself, and its studio. Zaybang says the project technically could have been possible without EMPIRE, but “having a space to come together without even thinking about it, it gives us a good environment where, you feel me, we’re chillin, there’s snacks, and we can just park our whips…”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breaking it down in sports terms, Lil Yee interjects, “This is a layup, it’s accessible. Everything else would have been a three-pointer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To their point, Vallejo rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/daboii/\">DaBoii\u003c/a>, who appears on one of the album’s singles, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZK9sOUoBo\">The Blueprint\u003c/a>,” sat in the next room as we talked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZK9sOUoBo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A far reach from Bay Area gangsta rap of the late ’80s and early ’90s, but clearly influenced by the mobb music of the late ’90s, 1 Umbrella’s music comes from young men who grew up during the hyphy era of the early 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked what statement the project makes, Zaybang and Lil Yee reply in tandem, “It’s a new Bay.” 22nd Jim adds, “It’s a new wave, a new sound.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We give all respect to our legends,” says Lil Yee, naming artists he idolizes as predecessors like E-40, Messy Marv and the Jacka. “They put on for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13984638']Wearing a monochrome black outfit accented by a bulky Cuban link chain, Lil Yee refers to the hyphy era as the Bay’s collective past. “It’s like an ancestor to us,” he says — adding that it’s still in us, and, if provoked, “we can show you the real definition of hyphy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I mention that the video for E-40’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GZbaXdK8Js\">Tell Me When To Go\u003c/a>” dropped exactly 20 years ago, 22nd Jim replies, “We was riding bikes in that video.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But times have changed. Many young hip-hop heads in the Bay strive for high-end fashion and foreign cars, not Vans and scrapers. Summing it up in another sports metaphor, Lil Yee says, “Niggas don’t hoop in Chucks no more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986385\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986385\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373.jpg\" alt=\"A group of men stand under bright lights with multiple cameras focused on them as they record a rap performance in a music studio.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Music is my diary,’ says ALLBLACK, in reference to his lyrics about pimp culture. ‘That was a part of my life.’ \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There’s something to be said about the Bay being pigeonholed to a popular narrative from two decades ago, especially now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay’s influence in music — and popular culture as a whole — is arguably more prominent than it’s ever been, says 22nd Jim as he leans forward in his seat. “You got my nigga \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ryan-coogler\">Ryan [Coogler]\u003c/a>, he got 16 Oscar [nominations],” he points out. “You got \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kehlani\">Kehlani\u003c/a>, you even got \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> doing what he’s doing.” Add to that the success of musicians \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/miles.minnick/\">Miles Minnick\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bet.com/article/8pjb6y/the-rise-of-jane-handcock-death-rows-new-voice\">JANE HANDCOCK\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ovrkast-drake-rookie-month-1236024179/\">Ovrkast.\u003c/a> and actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/04/nx-s1-5698219/marvels-wonder-man-is-a-low-key-low-stakes-buddy-comedy\">Yahya Abdul-Mateen II\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wearing jet black sunglasses, a baseball hat and a huge chain with an even bigger “22nd” medallion, Jim adds, “There’s room for everyone to eat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the table set, it’s clear that the 1 Umbrella ensemble is ready to feast.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A listening party and record signing event for 1 Umbrella takes place Saturday, Feb. 7, at \u003ca href=\"https://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/upcoming/detail-3090/\">Amoeba Records\u003c/a> (1855 Haight St., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/upcoming/detail-3090/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a Thursday night in late January, and the members of the newly formed rap supergroup 1 Umbrella are scattered around an \u003ca href=\"https://www.empi.re/\">EMPIRE\u003c/a> recording studio in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cameras and lights are mounted in one room. A TV showing a basketball game is on nearby. The crew is in that limbo native to recording studios: both working hard and somehow simultaneously chilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/22ndjim/\">22nd Jim\u003c/a> shakes my hand, casually walking past en route to change his outfit. Out back, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/whoisallblack/\">ALLBLACK\u003c/a> gives me a big dap and a hug near people rolling Backwoods. Back inside, behind the bar, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zaybang/\">Zaybang\u003c/a> mixes a pitcher filled with Sprite and a few other liquids. I congratulate \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yee/\">Lil Yee\u003c/a> on his latest solo project, \u003cem>LIFE AFTER DEATH\u003c/em>, inspired by surviving a recent shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986383\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216.jpg\" alt=\"Six African American men sit in a circle while holding a conversation in a music studio \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06216-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">KQED’s Pendarvis Harshaw interviews the members of 1 Umbrella at an EMPIRE recording studio in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But we’re not here to talk about last year, nor solo projects. We’re discussing how these four artists, plus \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lilbean/\">Lil Bean\u003c/a> (who’d arrive later), have sparked fire in the Bay with their new supergroup, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/1umbrellaofficial/\">1 Umbrella\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group’s debut self-titled album drops Friday, Feb. 6, followed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/upcoming/detail-3090/\">record signing event the next day at Amoeba Music\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Guests on \u003cem>1 Umbrella\u003c/em> include \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larry-june\">Larry June\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">1100 Himself\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rexx-life-raj\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>. With production from the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reecebeats/\">Reece Beats\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/brutalmoney/\">Brutal Money\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/eazydrez/\"> EazyDrez\u003c/a>, the album will undoubtedly be played boisterously from the sound systems of fly cars for months to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To hear the group tell it, their music isn’t “gangsta rap” and it “fasho ain’t hyphy.” It’s lifestyle rap over heavy bass. It’s turf-repping, in-your-face bravado trash talking that comes from “diary entries” based on lived experiences. Above all, it’s a polished glimpse of modern rap from the Bay, made by artists who’ve amplified local street culture for many moons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to think, it all came together so organically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986384\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250.jpg\" alt=\"Two African-American men sit and talk in a studio in San Francisco. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06250-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1 Umbrella members and San Francisco representatives, Lil Bean (left) and Lil Yee (right) discuss the importance of working together to uplift the region as a whole. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I commented on his post, ‘1 umbrella,’” Lil Bean tells me as I sit down with the group’s five members. “That was a bar,” adds Zaybang of the comment that set this alliance in motion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The members of the group, all with well-decorated solo careers, had already collaborated on one-off songs here and there. But late last year, when 22nd Jim released the video for the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nae30ATotE\">Cash Sh*t\u003c/a>” (featuring Lil Yee and Lil Bean), Lil Bean added his comment to an Instagram post, and it was up from there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there’s been a handful of hip-hop supergroups in California alone — including Westside Connection, T.W.D.Y. and Mount Westmore — when asked who he’d compare the collective to, ALLBLACK pulls an even deeper reference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I listen to a lot of ’70s and ’80s R&B,” he says, leaning back in a folding chair while describing the groups cohesiveness. “I would say we’re the S.O.S. Band … [or] like the Stylistics, you know I mean?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986388\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13986388\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"Three African-American men sit in a music studio while being interviewed.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06207.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zaybang (center), smiles as he’s flanked by fellow 1 Umbrella group members Lil Yee (left) and ALLBLACK (right). ‘If you put us anywhere, we’re gonna go crazy,’ says ALLBLACK. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Supergroups are often manufactured by a manager or label, says Zaybang, but 1 Umbrella came about naturally. “We frequent each other’s sessions,” says the Frisco lyricist, adding that even when they’re not on a track, they offer each other creative feedback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assisting this effort is EMPIRE itself, and its studio. Zaybang says the project technically could have been possible without EMPIRE, but “having a space to come together without even thinking about it, it gives us a good environment where, you feel me, we’re chillin, there’s snacks, and we can just park our whips…”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breaking it down in sports terms, Lil Yee interjects, “This is a layup, it’s accessible. Everything else would have been a three-pointer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To their point, Vallejo rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/daboii/\">DaBoii\u003c/a>, who appears on one of the album’s singles, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZK9sOUoBo\">The Blueprint\u003c/a>,” sat in the next room as we talked.\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/1fZK9sOUoBo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/1fZK9sOUoBo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>A far reach from Bay Area gangsta rap of the late ’80s and early ’90s, but clearly influenced by the mobb music of the late ’90s, 1 Umbrella’s music comes from young men who grew up during the hyphy era of the early 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked what statement the project makes, Zaybang and Lil Yee reply in tandem, “It’s a new Bay.” 22nd Jim adds, “It’s a new wave, a new sound.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We give all respect to our legends,” says Lil Yee, naming artists he idolizes as predecessors like E-40, Messy Marv and the Jacka. “They put on for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Wearing a monochrome black outfit accented by a bulky Cuban link chain, Lil Yee refers to the hyphy era as the Bay’s collective past. “It’s like an ancestor to us,” he says — adding that it’s still in us, and, if provoked, “we can show you the real definition of hyphy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I mention that the video for E-40’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GZbaXdK8Js\">Tell Me When To Go\u003c/a>” dropped exactly 20 years ago, 22nd Jim replies, “We was riding bikes in that video.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But times have changed. Many young hip-hop heads in the Bay strive for high-end fashion and foreign cars, not Vans and scrapers. Summing it up in another sports metaphor, Lil Yee says, “Niggas don’t hoop in Chucks no more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986385\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986385\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373.jpg\" alt=\"A group of men stand under bright lights with multiple cameras focused on them as they record a rap performance in a music studio.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R06373-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Music is my diary,’ says ALLBLACK, in reference to his lyrics about pimp culture. ‘That was a part of my life.’ \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There’s something to be said about the Bay being pigeonholed to a popular narrative from two decades ago, especially now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay’s influence in music — and popular culture as a whole — is arguably more prominent than it’s ever been, says 22nd Jim as he leans forward in his seat. “You got my nigga \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ryan-coogler\">Ryan [Coogler]\u003c/a>, he got 16 Oscar [nominations],” he points out. “You got \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kehlani\">Kehlani\u003c/a>, you even got \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> doing what he’s doing.” Add to that the success of musicians \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/miles.minnick/\">Miles Minnick\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bet.com/article/8pjb6y/the-rise-of-jane-handcock-death-rows-new-voice\">JANE HANDCOCK\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ovrkast-drake-rookie-month-1236024179/\">Ovrkast.\u003c/a> and actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/04/nx-s1-5698219/marvels-wonder-man-is-a-low-key-low-stakes-buddy-comedy\">Yahya Abdul-Mateen II\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wearing jet black sunglasses, a baseball hat and a huge chain with an even bigger “22nd” medallion, Jim adds, “There’s room for everyone to eat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the table set, it’s clear that the 1 Umbrella ensemble is ready to feast.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A listening party and record signing event for 1 Umbrella takes place Saturday, Feb. 7, at \u003ca href=\"https://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/upcoming/detail-3090/\">Amoeba Records\u003c/a> (1855 Haight St., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/upcoming/detail-3090/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986295\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 904px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03%E2%80%AFAM.png\" alt=\"Two men stand next to each other outside, wearing heavy jackets and hats, while posing for a photo.\" width=\"904\" height=\"1290\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03 AM.png 904w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03 AM-160x228.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03 AM-768x1096.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rapper and Roc Nation CEO Jay-Z and Vallejo rapper and entrepreneur LaRussell. \u003ccite>(LaRussell/Instagram)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> has officially signed with Jay-Z’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.rocnation.com/\">Roc Nation\u003c/a>. The Vallejo rapper and entrepreneur made the announcement during this morning’s episode of Power 105.1’s podcast and radio show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/BreakfastClubPower1051FM\">The Breakfast Club\u003c/a>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It means I now have support beyond just my homies,” LaRussell told the show’s hosts. He and his \u003ca href=\"https://goodcompenny.co/\">Good Compenny\u003c/a> team have had success independently, he explained, but he now needs support and guidance from a higher level within the music industry. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hov has been here and done it,” LaRussell says of Jay-Z, the rapper and Roc Nation CEO. “So it just gives us a different level of infrastructure.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell poses for a portrait backstage at BottleRock Napa Valley festival on Saturday, May 25, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While details of the deal were not publicly shared, LaRussell stated during the interview that he will retain his publishing rights and ownership of his masters — a rare concession in the music industry, and proof of the leverage he’s built as an independent artist. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LaRussell had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937331/larussell-vallejo-def-jam-record-deal\">previously declined a deal with Def Jam\u003c/a> in 2023, and has alluded to other major labels and companies expressing interest since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13937331']Last month, LaRussell \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znNpfVP-5TQ\">announced his signing of a “project deal” with San Francisco label EMPIRE\u003c/a>, one of the music industry’s largest and most powerful independent labels and distributors. In 2023, he \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/nS3ENMfIGuM?si=bmsQrSUkipBIa_6q&t=394\">announced a deal with Live Nation\u003c/a> for select concert dates. Both deals, LaRussell indicated, allowed him to make decisions on his own terms. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Roc Nation announcement comes after images of a late January meeting between LaRussell and Jay-Z were shared online. Shortly afterward, LaRussell announced that he and his live band and choir will perform as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/video/larussell-performing-at-super-bowl-pregame-tailgate/11473127/\">NFL’s official Tailgate Party\u003c/a> on Sunday, Feb. 8. (Jay-Z’s Roc Nation curates the entertainment for the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime and pregame events.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RL2iYuJwXo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During his conversation with \u003cem>The Breakfast Club\u003c/em>, LaRussell also promoted his album \u003cem>Something’s in The Water\u003c/em>, which officially releases to streaming platforms this week. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past 30 days the album has garnered attention with LaRussell’s attempt to sell 100,000 hard copies in one month. Though he fell short of his initial goal, the campaign received the support of rap legend Snoop Dogg, NBA star Kyrie Irving, Oakland-raised musician Raphael Saadiq and CEO of VaynerMedia Gary Vaynerchuk, who all paid thousands of dollars for the album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first single from the project, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjqyksm5CA\">I’m From The Bay\u003c/a>,” has received airplay on local radio, and the numerous videos of LaRussell performing the song at various high schools and middle schools around the Bay Area have been widely circulated. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the Jay-Z cosign and Roc Nation deal, the proud Bay Area representative — who turned a backyard in Vallejo into a full performance venue — has the backing of one of the biggest companies in music.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986295\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 904px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03%E2%80%AFAM.png\" alt=\"Two men stand next to each other outside, wearing heavy jackets and hats, while posing for a photo.\" width=\"904\" height=\"1290\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03 AM.png 904w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03 AM-160x228.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-9.26.03 AM-768x1096.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rapper and Roc Nation CEO Jay-Z and Vallejo rapper and entrepreneur LaRussell. \u003ccite>(LaRussell/Instagram)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> has officially signed with Jay-Z’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.rocnation.com/\">Roc Nation\u003c/a>. The Vallejo rapper and entrepreneur made the announcement during this morning’s episode of Power 105.1’s podcast and radio show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/BreakfastClubPower1051FM\">The Breakfast Club\u003c/a>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It means I now have support beyond just my homies,” LaRussell told the show’s hosts. He and his \u003ca href=\"https://goodcompenny.co/\">Good Compenny\u003c/a> team have had success independently, he explained, but he now needs support and guidance from a higher level within the music industry. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hov has been here and done it,” LaRussell says of Jay-Z, the rapper and Roc Nation CEO. “So it just gives us a different level of infrastructure.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240524_BottleRockDay2_EG_02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell poses for a portrait backstage at BottleRock Napa Valley festival on Saturday, May 25, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While details of the deal were not publicly shared, LaRussell stated during the interview that he will retain his publishing rights and ownership of his masters — a rare concession in the music industry, and proof of the leverage he’s built as an independent artist. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LaRussell had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937331/larussell-vallejo-def-jam-record-deal\">previously declined a deal with Def Jam\u003c/a> in 2023, and has alluded to other major labels and companies expressing interest since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Last month, LaRussell \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znNpfVP-5TQ\">announced his signing of a “project deal” with San Francisco label EMPIRE\u003c/a>, one of the music industry’s largest and most powerful independent labels and distributors. In 2023, he \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/nS3ENMfIGuM?si=bmsQrSUkipBIa_6q&t=394\">announced a deal with Live Nation\u003c/a> for select concert dates. Both deals, LaRussell indicated, allowed him to make decisions on his own terms. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Roc Nation announcement comes after images of a late January meeting between LaRussell and Jay-Z were shared online. Shortly afterward, LaRussell announced that he and his live band and choir will perform as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/video/larussell-performing-at-super-bowl-pregame-tailgate/11473127/\">NFL’s official Tailgate Party\u003c/a> on Sunday, Feb. 8. (Jay-Z’s Roc Nation curates the entertainment for the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime and pregame events.)\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/3RL2iYuJwXo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/3RL2iYuJwXo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>During his conversation with \u003cem>The Breakfast Club\u003c/em>, LaRussell also promoted his album \u003cem>Something’s in The Water\u003c/em>, which officially releases to streaming platforms this week. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past 30 days the album has garnered attention with LaRussell’s attempt to sell 100,000 hard copies in one month. Though he fell short of his initial goal, the campaign received the support of rap legend Snoop Dogg, NBA star Kyrie Irving, Oakland-raised musician Raphael Saadiq and CEO of VaynerMedia Gary Vaynerchuk, who all paid thousands of dollars for the album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first single from the project, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjqyksm5CA\">I’m From The Bay\u003c/a>,” has received airplay on local radio, and the numerous videos of LaRussell performing the song at various high schools and middle schools around the Bay Area have been widely circulated. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the Jay-Z cosign and Roc Nation deal, the proud Bay Area representative — who turned a backyard in Vallejo into a full performance venue — has the backing of one of the biggest companies in music.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Frak’s ‘Four Square’ Mixtape Showcases a Rare Roster of Talent",
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"content": "\u003cp>When San Francisco rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13963964/san-franciscos-frak-has-been-wild-n-out\">Frak\u003c/a> started his \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/foursquare.bars/\">\u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em>\u003c/a> video series, he allowed local legends of linguistics to show off their pen game while trading sets of four bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, after 18 episodes over nearly three years, and on the verge of dropping a 16-song mixtape of the same name, he’s accumulated a “lyricist lounge” of sorts. On Four Square, Frak isn’t exactly the star of the show. Instead, he’s a conduit — a bridge connecting artists and amplifying their craft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em> mixtape features a rare roster of rappers that includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/delhiero/\">Del the Funky Homosapien\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pass510/\">Passwurdz\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ozersf/\">Ozer\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tia.nomore/\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stunnaman02/\">Stunnaman02,\u003c/a> as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/natecurry_/\">Nate Curry,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blimesbrixton/?hl=en\">Blimes\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gifted_gab/\">Gab\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/john_mackk/?hl=en\">John Mackk\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/g_eazy/\">G-Eazy\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/1100himself/\">1100 Himself\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woyekmmbLUU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I invented Four Square,” says Frak during a recent call, “it was really because everyone was saying ‘You need to do collabs.'” Wanting to retain his solo music for his own personal expression, he created the separate arena to work with artists he looks up to — or sees coming up in the game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Four Square,” Frak says, explaining the parameters of the songs, “is this idea of going back and forth in a conversational way.” Through short stanzas, the artists create songs that sound like discussions which just happen to rhyme, all over a dope beat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>True to form, that’s how the songs are created.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=arts_13963964,arts_13965683]Frak, who’s recently performed on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb9HV3Kpx6U\">Nick Cannon’s \u003cem>Wild ‘n Out\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and rapped on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nz-QygJDGx4\">Kai Cenat’s\u003c/a> uber-popular Twitch live stream, is gifted at freestyling off the dome. When he pre-writes songs, the process usually takes weeks. But with Four Square, he adjusts to other rappers’ schedules, and “the songs are usually made within a couple of hours, if that,” he tells me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a process that’s made him up his ante and learn to rhyme alongside the likes of Nef The Pharaoh, who doesn’t write at all. Instead, the South Vallejo MC of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3EPYFrBaoQ\">Big Timin\u003c/a>‘” fame punches in — similar to freestyling, but pausing along the way to add bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The end result may not take the form of a traditional song, says Frak, but it more closely documents an actual conversation from the session. And each conversation is unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnG3PcQSuLo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnG3PcQSuLo\">Created Player\u003c/a>,” with Oakland’s John Mackk — who like Frak, loves basketball — puns about hoop culture abound while the video imagines the duo as created players in an NBA2K-like video game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEPiNO0rk1Y&list=RDTEPiNO0rk1Y&start_radio=1\">Johnny Tsunami\u003c/a>,” with San Francisco rapper and actor Tia Nomore — one of the coolest kids in her class — the duo spits with a cool-breeze flow over a chill beat while the video shows them green-screen “surfing” on ocean waves, snowy hillsides, and concert crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the project’s first single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym2uYJ-byLU&list=RDym2uYJ-byLU&start_radio=1\">Heat Check\u003c/a>,” with the East Bay rap star G-Eazy, the theme is a last-man-standing old time wild west battle. Ironically, the two made the song after randomly connecting on the East Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXfP6RuMrFY\">compliment battle\u003c/a> in New York,” says Frak, referring to a competition where MCs give each others their flowers in a competitive way. During his stay, the Frisco lyricist was walking to dinner through Manhattan when heard a voice call out, “Is that motherfuckin’ Frak?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then G-Eazy’s tall, lanky frame “descended from the clouds” and announced he and his friends were crashing Frak’s dinner plans. The two ended up spending the better part of the ensuing five days together, during which G-Eazy produced a beat for the song they’d eventually use on \u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym2uYJ-byLU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s such a huge artist,” says Frak, “I wasn’t even really trying to put pressure on him to do a song with me… but then he offered.” Frak adds that working opposite G-Eazy brought “a little battle vibe” to the track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That competitive nature also came out in the track “Thai Thea,” featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iamsu/\">Iamsu!\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a rapper who’s won his fair share of battles, Frak has enough humility to know when someone might’ve gotten the best of him. “I feel like Su was rapping circles [around me],” Frak admits. He, too, was spitting on that track, he adds, “but [Su] just showed such dexterity.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The making of the project wasn’t all competition. For San Francisco’s Blimes and Seattle’s Gab, it was about camaraderie and reconnecting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA8xAWzymX0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those two hadn’t made a song together in years,” says Frak of Blimes and Gab. “You can hear it in the lyrics,” he notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You know we had to run it back / Breakups are sad, ain’t no fun in that,” raps Blimes on the track “Smash Mouth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On top of reuniting the duo, Frak is facilitating their first show together in years. Blimes and Gab, plus many others, are set to perform at \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-admin/post.php?post=13940111&action=edit&classic-editor\">the \u003cem>Four Square \u003c/em>release party on Friday, Jan. 30, at The Independent\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em> mixtape project is a fun, lyrical listen, and doesn’t short on the blap. (We always need the blap.) There’s a feature from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927692/del-funky-homosapien-no-need-for-alarm-30-years-anniversary\">Del the Funky Homosapien\u003c/a>, a founding member of the almighty Hieroglyphics crew, and a song with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bookofmalachii_/?hl=en\">Malachi Martin\u003c/a>, the 18-year-old bar spitter from Merced who plays a significant role in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13906706/the-year-larussell-called-his-shot\">LaRussell’s Good Compenny\u003c/a> collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mixtape doesn’t cover the \u003cem>entire\u003c/em> landscape of rappers in the region, but it offers a window into the who’s-who of Northern California hip-hop. And with ongoing discourse about the lack of local platforms for artists, it’s a step in the right direction of filling that need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, it would take an artist to support other artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Four Square mixtape release party, with guests Nef the Pharaoh, Seiji Oda, 1100 Himself, Blimes & Gab, Stunnaman02, Tia No More, Passwordz, Ozer, Kaly Jay and more, is set for Jan. 30 at The Independent in San Francisco (628 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94117). \u003ca href=\"https://www.theindependentsf.com/tm-event/frak-presents-four-square/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Frak’s ‘Four Square’ Mixtape Showcases a Rare Roster of Talent | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When San Francisco rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13963964/san-franciscos-frak-has-been-wild-n-out\">Frak\u003c/a> started his \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/foursquare.bars/\">\u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em>\u003c/a> video series, he allowed local legends of linguistics to show off their pen game while trading sets of four bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, after 18 episodes over nearly three years, and on the verge of dropping a 16-song mixtape of the same name, he’s accumulated a “lyricist lounge” of sorts. On Four Square, Frak isn’t exactly the star of the show. Instead, he’s a conduit — a bridge connecting artists and amplifying their craft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em> mixtape features a rare roster of rappers that includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/delhiero/\">Del the Funky Homosapien\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pass510/\">Passwurdz\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ozersf/\">Ozer\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tia.nomore/\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stunnaman02/\">Stunnaman02,\u003c/a> as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/natecurry_/\">Nate Curry,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blimesbrixton/?hl=en\">Blimes\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gifted_gab/\">Gab\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/john_mackk/?hl=en\">John Mackk\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/g_eazy/\">G-Eazy\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/1100himself/\">1100 Himself\u003c/a>.\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/woyekmmbLUU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/woyekmmbLUU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“When I invented Four Square,” says Frak during a recent call, “it was really because everyone was saying ‘You need to do collabs.'” Wanting to retain his solo music for his own personal expression, he created the separate arena to work with artists he looks up to — or sees coming up in the game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Four Square,” Frak says, explaining the parameters of the songs, “is this idea of going back and forth in a conversational way.” Through short stanzas, the artists create songs that sound like discussions which just happen to rhyme, all over a dope beat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>True to form, that’s how the songs are created.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Frak, who’s recently performed on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb9HV3Kpx6U\">Nick Cannon’s \u003cem>Wild ‘n Out\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and rapped on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nz-QygJDGx4\">Kai Cenat’s\u003c/a> uber-popular Twitch live stream, is gifted at freestyling off the dome. When he pre-writes songs, the process usually takes weeks. But with Four Square, he adjusts to other rappers’ schedules, and “the songs are usually made within a couple of hours, if that,” he tells me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a process that’s made him up his ante and learn to rhyme alongside the likes of Nef The Pharaoh, who doesn’t write at all. Instead, the South Vallejo MC of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3EPYFrBaoQ\">Big Timin\u003c/a>‘” fame punches in — similar to freestyling, but pausing along the way to add bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The end result may not take the form of a traditional song, says Frak, but it more closely documents an actual conversation from the session. And each conversation is unique.\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/YnG3PcQSuLo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YnG3PcQSuLo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>On “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnG3PcQSuLo\">Created Player\u003c/a>,” with Oakland’s John Mackk — who like Frak, loves basketball — puns about hoop culture abound while the video imagines the duo as created players in an NBA2K-like video game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEPiNO0rk1Y&list=RDTEPiNO0rk1Y&start_radio=1\">Johnny Tsunami\u003c/a>,” with San Francisco rapper and actor Tia Nomore — one of the coolest kids in her class — the duo spits with a cool-breeze flow over a chill beat while the video shows them green-screen “surfing” on ocean waves, snowy hillsides, and concert crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the project’s first single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym2uYJ-byLU&list=RDym2uYJ-byLU&start_radio=1\">Heat Check\u003c/a>,” with the East Bay rap star G-Eazy, the theme is a last-man-standing old time wild west battle. Ironically, the two made the song after randomly connecting on the East Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXfP6RuMrFY\">compliment battle\u003c/a> in New York,” says Frak, referring to a competition where MCs give each others their flowers in a competitive way. During his stay, the Frisco lyricist was walking to dinner through Manhattan when heard a voice call out, “Is that motherfuckin’ Frak?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then G-Eazy’s tall, lanky frame “descended from the clouds” and announced he and his friends were crashing Frak’s dinner plans. The two ended up spending the better part of the ensuing five days together, during which G-Eazy produced a beat for the song they’d eventually use on \u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/ym2uYJ-byLU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ym2uYJ-byLU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“He’s such a huge artist,” says Frak, “I wasn’t even really trying to put pressure on him to do a song with me… but then he offered.” Frak adds that working opposite G-Eazy brought “a little battle vibe” to the track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That competitive nature also came out in the track “Thai Thea,” featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iamsu/\">Iamsu!\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a rapper who’s won his fair share of battles, Frak has enough humility to know when someone might’ve gotten the best of him. “I feel like Su was rapping circles [around me],” Frak admits. He, too, was spitting on that track, he adds, “but [Su] just showed such dexterity.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The making of the project wasn’t all competition. For San Francisco’s Blimes and Seattle’s Gab, it was about camaraderie and reconnecting.\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/QA8xAWzymX0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/QA8xAWzymX0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“Those two hadn’t made a song together in years,” says Frak of Blimes and Gab. “You can hear it in the lyrics,” he notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You know we had to run it back / Breakups are sad, ain’t no fun in that,” raps Blimes on the track “Smash Mouth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On top of reuniting the duo, Frak is facilitating their first show together in years. Blimes and Gab, plus many others, are set to perform at \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-admin/post.php?post=13940111&action=edit&classic-editor\">the \u003cem>Four Square \u003c/em>release party on Friday, Jan. 30, at The Independent\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Four Square\u003c/em> mixtape project is a fun, lyrical listen, and doesn’t short on the blap. (We always need the blap.) There’s a feature from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927692/del-funky-homosapien-no-need-for-alarm-30-years-anniversary\">Del the Funky Homosapien\u003c/a>, a founding member of the almighty Hieroglyphics crew, and a song with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bookofmalachii_/?hl=en\">Malachi Martin\u003c/a>, the 18-year-old bar spitter from Merced who plays a significant role in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13906706/the-year-larussell-called-his-shot\">LaRussell’s Good Compenny\u003c/a> collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mixtape doesn’t cover the \u003cem>entire\u003c/em> landscape of rappers in the region, but it offers a window into the who’s-who of Northern California hip-hop. And with ongoing discourse about the lack of local platforms for artists, it’s a step in the right direction of filling that need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, it would take an artist to support other artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Four Square mixtape release party, with guests Nef the Pharaoh, Seiji Oda, 1100 Himself, Blimes & Gab, Stunnaman02, Tia No More, Passwordz, Ozer, Kaly Jay and more, is set for Jan. 30 at The Independent in San Francisco (628 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94117). \u003ca href=\"https://www.theindependentsf.com/tm-event/frak-presents-four-square/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "new-grammy-category-honors-album-covers-and-the-artists-behind-them",
"title": "New Grammy Category Honors Album Covers and the Artists Behind Them",
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"content": "\u003cp>When it came time to decide the cover image for Wet Leg’s sophomore album, the British \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/indie-rock\">indie rock\u003c/a> band packed items that might provide inspiration — velvet worms sewn by guitarist Hester Chambers, an oversized head of hair from a music video shoot, lizard-like gloves — and headed to an Airbnb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted it to be something that was both super girly and feminine, but then at the same time, just totally repulsive,” said lead singer Rhian Teasdale, who art-directed the \u003cem>Moisturizer\u003c/em> cover with Iris Luz and Lava La Rue. “That juxtaposition, I don’t know, it just creates something that’s evocative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13985738']The final image, inspired by a photo from that weekend, earned Teasdale, Luz and La Rue a Grammy nomination for best album cover — a category that will be awarded this year for the first time in over 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other evocative covers nominated are Bad Bunny’s \u003cem>Debí Tirar Más Fotos\u003c/em>, Tyler, the Creator’s \u003cem>Chromakopia\u003c/em>, Perfume Genius’ \u003cem>Glory\u003c/em> and Djo’s \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em>. The award goes to the project’s art directors: This year, the recording artists are included as nominees in all cases except for \u003cem>Glory\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, covers had been assessed as part of the best recording package category, which considers all physical materials and images. The package for \u003cem>Brat\u003c/em>, with its pop culture-infiltrating green, earned Charli XCX, Brent David Freaney and Imogene Strauss a Grammy last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Chromakopia.’ \u003ccite>(Columbia Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told Grammy.com that the split is an effort to recognize the impact of cover art in the digital age. It also aligns with the Academy’s goal to recognize more of the artists that shape music, Mason said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the creative teams, the revived award amplifies what goes into building the visual worlds of music. “When a cover in a campaign hits right,” said photographer Neil Krug, nominated for \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em>, “it’s part of the language and the fabric of what makes a great record a great record.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Capturing an energy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The defining portrait of \u003cem>Chromakopia\u003c/em> — a monochrome close-up of Tyler, face concealed by a mask — was the last shot captured. Luis “Panch” Perez, the director of photography, said the expression in Tyler’s eyes stood out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting there, he said, required tapping into a shared “unspoken language,” built by pulling references for the project’s surrealist, old Hollywood aesthetic — and by years of collaboration. “Tyler knows exactly how to move his body, he’s so well in control of that. I just have to be ready for whatever he’s going to do in front of the lens,” Perez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perfume Genius worked with art directors Cody Critcheloe and Andrew J.S. on the cover for \u003cem>Glory\u003c/em>. He splays on a patchwork carpet inside a dark, homey interior, his stiletto boots extending toward a bright window. Colorful cords snake across the floor like microphone cords onstage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985803\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1999\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Perfume Genius’ ‘Glory.’ \u003ccite>(Matador Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He said the image reflects the push and pull he found himself exploring while writing the album: the comfort and avoidance of an introverted, private life, versus the confidence required of his “maximal” public-facing persona: “How do I have each of those things season my life?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal wasn’t to capture a specific scene, or choreography. “It was mostly about an energy,” said Critcheloe, who photographed the cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People have said to both of us that they can’t figure out what the aesthetic of the album cover is,” he added. “That’s the best thing to hear.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The creature-like version of Teasdale that appears on Wet Leg’s \u003cem>Moisturizer\u003c/em> cover — squatting, hands outstretched, eerie grin trained toward the camera — is also meant to evoke friction. “The album explores themes of love and longing. But also, there are a couple moments on the album that are so, you know, just feral,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Crafting, casting and styling a world\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The pivotal setting of \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em> — the third album by Djo, the musical moniker for actor Joe Keery — was a fictional hotel on the Brooklyn-inspired section of the Paramount Studios backlot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Krug, Djo and collaborator Jake Hirshland looked at dense scenes, like Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> (also shot on a Paramount Studios lot), for inspiration. They considered locations in (the real) New York and Atlanta, where the artist was filming \u003cem>Stranger Things\u003c/em>, before locking the lot in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985804\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096.jpg\" alt=\"a four-story brick building with various scenes in its windows stands in front of a street with cars and people\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985804\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Djo’s ‘The Crux.’ \u003ccite>(AWAL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Next came casting the characters that make up the scene. “Anything that we could come up with, we were just like throwing it at the canvas,” Krug said. A couple kiss in a window. A man fights a parking ticket in the foreground. Djo is seen only from the back, dangling from a window in a white suit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Art director William Wesley II oversaw production details, including designing the neon sign that bears the album’s name — an homage to iconic hotels like the Chateau Marmont. “Everything is intentional,” he said. “It’s really a sum of its parts and it’s the sum of many people’s contributions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A pair of white plastic chairs are the only props on the cover of \u003cem>Debí Tirar Más Fotos\u003c/em>, which translates to “I should have taken more photos.” Art directed by Bad Bunny himself, the image by Puerto Rican photographer Eric Rojas also features plantain trees — a symbol of the island, but also of the Caribbean and Latin America overall. There is a nostalgia to the simple combination — conjuring a day at the beach, or a backyard gathering — that also mirrors the album’s diasporic, history-making storytelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Debí Tirar Más Fotos” and “Chromakopia” are also nominated for album of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l.jpg\" alt=\"Two white plastic patio chairs sit amongst tropical foliage on the lawn\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos .’ \u003ccite>(Rimas)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What makes a cover Grammy-eligible?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Official Grammy rules say albums do not need to exist physically to be considered in this category — a key point in differentiating the award from its package counterpart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s nominees, however, are all available on vinyl or CD. Krug, who has worked on covers for Lana Del Rey and Tame Impala, said the vinyl presentation is often the first point discussed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you have the physical vinyls in your home or your apartment, that stuff lives with you. It’s out in your space, whether you’re having a good day or a bad day, you’re getting married or breaking up with whomever,” Krug said. “There’s this rediscovery of the art form.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters must consider the cover’s creativity and design, alongside the illustration, photography or graphic elements. Trophies go to the winning art directors, and certificates to designers, illustrators or photographers, if applicable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sign of the growing pains of a new category, this year’s list of nominees saw edits ahead of the voting window’s opening — a process not uncommon in other categories with multiple nominees. Djo, Krug, Hirshland and Taylor Vandergrift were added alongside Wesley for \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em>; Perez and photographer Shaun Llewellyn were removed for \u003cem>Chromakopia\u003c/em>, replaced by just Tyler. Luz and La Rue joined Teasdale for \u003cem>Moisturizer\u003c/em>, while several others — including the rest of the band — were removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was super surprised and really excited because I wasn’t aware that it was a category,” Critcheloe said of his nomination. “I love the idea of making things that are strange and subversive and irreverent, and having an audience that is bigger than it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The 68th Grammy Awards are held Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When it came time to decide the cover image for Wet Leg’s sophomore album, the British \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/indie-rock\">indie rock\u003c/a> band packed items that might provide inspiration — velvet worms sewn by guitarist Hester Chambers, an oversized head of hair from a music video shoot, lizard-like gloves — and headed to an Airbnb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted it to be something that was both super girly and feminine, but then at the same time, just totally repulsive,” said lead singer Rhian Teasdale, who art-directed the \u003cem>Moisturizer\u003c/em> cover with Iris Luz and Lava La Rue. “That juxtaposition, I don’t know, it just creates something that’s evocative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The final image, inspired by a photo from that weekend, earned Teasdale, Luz and La Rue a Grammy nomination for best album cover — a category that will be awarded this year for the first time in over 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other evocative covers nominated are Bad Bunny’s \u003cem>Debí Tirar Más Fotos\u003c/em>, Tyler, the Creator’s \u003cem>Chromakopia\u003c/em>, Perfume Genius’ \u003cem>Glory\u003c/em> and Djo’s \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em>. The award goes to the project’s art directors: This year, the recording artists are included as nominees in all cases except for \u003cem>Glory\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, covers had been assessed as part of the best recording package category, which considers all physical materials and images. The package for \u003cem>Brat\u003c/em>, with its pop culture-infiltrating green, earned Charli XCX, Brent David Freaney and Imogene Strauss a Grammy last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/2000x2000bb_b4f9966a-89fc-4c4e-97e8-858b0431a7cc-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Chromakopia.’ \u003ccite>(Columbia Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told Grammy.com that the split is an effort to recognize the impact of cover art in the digital age. It also aligns with the Academy’s goal to recognize more of the artists that shape music, Mason said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the creative teams, the revived award amplifies what goes into building the visual worlds of music. “When a cover in a campaign hits right,” said photographer Neil Krug, nominated for \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em>, “it’s part of the language and the fabric of what makes a great record a great record.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Capturing an energy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The defining portrait of \u003cem>Chromakopia\u003c/em> — a monochrome close-up of Tyler, face concealed by a mask — was the last shot captured. Luis “Panch” Perez, the director of photography, said the expression in Tyler’s eyes stood out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting there, he said, required tapping into a shared “unspoken language,” built by pulling references for the project’s surrealist, old Hollywood aesthetic — and by years of collaboration. “Tyler knows exactly how to move his body, he’s so well in control of that. I just have to be ready for whatever he’s going to do in front of the lens,” Perez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perfume Genius worked with art directors Cody Critcheloe and Andrew J.S. on the cover for \u003cem>Glory\u003c/em>. He splays on a patchwork carpet inside a dark, homey interior, his stiletto boots extending toward a bright window. Colorful cords snake across the floor like microphone cords onstage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985803\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1999\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/perfume-genius-glory-exclusive-blue-vinyl-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Perfume Genius’ ‘Glory.’ \u003ccite>(Matador Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He said the image reflects the push and pull he found himself exploring while writing the album: the comfort and avoidance of an introverted, private life, versus the confidence required of his “maximal” public-facing persona: “How do I have each of those things season my life?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal wasn’t to capture a specific scene, or choreography. “It was mostly about an energy,” said Critcheloe, who photographed the cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People have said to both of us that they can’t figure out what the aesthetic of the album cover is,” he added. “That’s the best thing to hear.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The creature-like version of Teasdale that appears on Wet Leg’s \u003cem>Moisturizer\u003c/em> cover — squatting, hands outstretched, eerie grin trained toward the camera — is also meant to evoke friction. “The album explores themes of love and longing. But also, there are a couple moments on the album that are so, you know, just feral,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Crafting, casting and styling a world\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The pivotal setting of \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em> — the third album by Djo, the musical moniker for actor Joe Keery — was a fictional hotel on the Brooklyn-inspired section of the Paramount Studios backlot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Krug, Djo and collaborator Jake Hirshland looked at dense scenes, like Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> (also shot on a Paramount Studios lot), for inspiration. They considered locations in (the real) New York and Atlanta, where the artist was filming \u003cem>Stranger Things\u003c/em>, before locking the lot in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985804\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096.jpg\" alt=\"a four-story brick building with various scenes in its windows stands in front of a street with cars and people\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985804\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/20000000273413_1d6cf227_thumbnail_4096-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Djo’s ‘The Crux.’ \u003ccite>(AWAL)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Next came casting the characters that make up the scene. “Anything that we could come up with, we were just like throwing it at the canvas,” Krug said. A couple kiss in a window. A man fights a parking ticket in the foreground. Djo is seen only from the back, dangling from a window in a white suit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Art director William Wesley II oversaw production details, including designing the neon sign that bears the album’s name — an homage to iconic hotels like the Chateau Marmont. “Everything is intentional,” he said. “It’s really a sum of its parts and it’s the sum of many people’s contributions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A pair of white plastic chairs are the only props on the cover of \u003cem>Debí Tirar Más Fotos\u003c/em>, which translates to “I should have taken more photos.” Art directed by Bad Bunny himself, the image by Puerto Rican photographer Eric Rojas also features plantain trees — a symbol of the island, but also of the Caribbean and Latin America overall. There is a nostalgia to the simple combination — conjuring a day at the beach, or a backyard gathering — that also mirrors the album’s diasporic, history-making storytelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Debí Tirar Más Fotos” and “Chromakopia” are also nominated for album of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l.jpg\" alt=\"Two white plastic patio chairs sit amongst tropical foliage on the lawn\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/197020-680e20078d4ad-l-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos .’ \u003ccite>(Rimas)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What makes a cover Grammy-eligible?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Official Grammy rules say albums do not need to exist physically to be considered in this category — a key point in differentiating the award from its package counterpart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s nominees, however, are all available on vinyl or CD. Krug, who has worked on covers for Lana Del Rey and Tame Impala, said the vinyl presentation is often the first point discussed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you have the physical vinyls in your home or your apartment, that stuff lives with you. It’s out in your space, whether you’re having a good day or a bad day, you’re getting married or breaking up with whomever,” Krug said. “There’s this rediscovery of the art form.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters must consider the cover’s creativity and design, alongside the illustration, photography or graphic elements. Trophies go to the winning art directors, and certificates to designers, illustrators or photographers, if applicable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sign of the growing pains of a new category, this year’s list of nominees saw edits ahead of the voting window’s opening — a process not uncommon in other categories with multiple nominees. Djo, Krug, Hirshland and Taylor Vandergrift were added alongside Wesley for \u003cem>The Crux\u003c/em>; Perez and photographer Shaun Llewellyn were removed for \u003cem>Chromakopia\u003c/em>, replaced by just Tyler. Luz and La Rue joined Teasdale for \u003cem>Moisturizer\u003c/em>, while several others — including the rest of the band — were removed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was super surprised and really excited because I wasn’t aware that it was a category,” Critcheloe said of his nomination. “I love the idea of making things that are strange and subversive and irreverent, and having an audience that is bigger than it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It was the final night of DJ Quik’s December residency at Yoshi’s, and he felt like stretching out. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two songs into his set, the Compton-raised rap legend started conducting the band: first bringing the volume down, then leading his guitarist and keyboard player in back-to-back solos before pulling in the drums. He then turned the song’s West Coast rap rhythms upside down by grabbing some Latin percussion and twisting out an improvised solo of his own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A grin spread across Quik’s face. “This \u003ci>is\u003c/i> a jazz club, ain’t it?” he asked the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Yoshi’s is the oldest and most famous jazz club in Oakland. But lately, it’s been something else too: a home for hip-hop legends like Scarface, the Pharcyde and Ghostface Killah, usually with a live band. It’s a reinvention that’s been especially notable in the past year, and it’s been packing in grown fans who once ran in the streets but now prefer sitting at tables. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985283\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Audience members film Spice 1 as he performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on January 8, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There was definitely a certain effort with us to evolve our programming into more hip-hop and contemporary R&B bookings,” says Marc Zuazua, Yoshi’s director of marketing, in the club’s dining room before a recent Spice 1 show. After the pandemic, especially, he says, the crowds that once came to see traditional jazz artists, “who would do amazing for us in the past — like, those audiences weren’t coming back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who \u003ci>were\u003c/i> coming back were rap fans, especially to see the Bay Area’s own homegrown talent. Last year alone, Vallejo legend Mac Mall sold out a show. Oakland’s Richie Rich sold out two. Too Short sold out six. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s transformed not only box office revenues but the vibe inside the club, Zuazua says, with its traditional supper-club-style semicircle seating at tables and booths, and a menu featuring sushi and cocktails. Currently, Yoshi’s has hip-hop shows lined up with Mistah FAB (Jan. 22), the GZA (Feb. 8), and Twista (April 23). \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985286\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985286\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spice 1 performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on January 8, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Hayward’s Spice 1 took the stage later in the night, he acknowledged the mostly full club, and its atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is kind of an upscale type thing, man,” he said, “but we can get up out of our seats!” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the bass line to “I Got 5 on It” kicked off the set, many folks did just that — dancing, singing along, filming. Over the next 45 minutes, while Spice 1 delivered 30-year-old hits like “187 Proof” and “Welcome to the Ghetto,” people who now qualify for AARP membership celebrated with abandon alongside a handful of younger fans, who swarmed the rapper in the Yoshi’s front lobby afterward to get a selfie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=arts_13975538 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/20250425_AYOBRAME_GC-26-KQED-1.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a far cry from a straight-ahead jazz show at Yoshi’s, historically known for hosting golden-era legends like Pharoah Sanders, Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden or the esteemed McCoy Tyner, who once played an annual two-week residency at the club.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before the pandemic, several factors affected Yoshi’s ability to book traditional jazz. One was the 2013 opening of the SFJAZZ Center, which siphoned giants like Tyner across the Bay and into a brand new venue with a bigger backstage. Another was the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10297603/the-addition-formerly-yoshis-in-san-francisco-to-abruptly-close\">high-profile collapse of Yoshi’s San Francisco\u003c/a>, which kept some artists away from the Oakland club — even though the operations were basically separate entities. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s the simple fact that, despite contemporary jazz scenes in LA, Chicago and London gaining popularity with younger fans over the past decade, \u003ca href=\"https://andscape.com/features/jazz-musicians-see-signs-of-hope-despite-repeated-questions-about-its-popularity/\">jazz remains a small sliver of overall music listening\u003c/a>. The 1960s and ’70s jazz generation is getting older. Sanders, Haynes, Haden and Tyner, to count just four of hundreds, have all passed away. As Zuazua notes, many traditional jazz fans either live far away in the suburbs, remain scared by a media crime narrative about Oakland or have simply aged out of their nightclub-going years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s unfortunate, because if your typical jazz-listening uncle came to a rap show at Yoshi’s, most of the time he’d witness a live band on par with a classic Prestige Records-era quintet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985677\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985677\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Mall performs with a live band and DJ at Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland on Aug. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Mac Mall)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rappers at Yoshi’s are often backed by the go-to live hip-hop musical director for the Bay Area: Kev Choice. In fact, Choice was the first artist to regularly bring hip-hop to Yoshi’s, starting all the way back in 2008, with annual shows by his Kev Choice Ensemble that featured guests like Zumbi from Zion I, Phesto from Souls of Mischief, Silk-E from the Coup or Too Short. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hip-hop fans have grown, have matured, have come into a new space of wanting to see some of their favorite artists — maybe in a different context, or coming to life in a different way,” Choice says.\u003ci> \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yoshi’s isn’t alone in selling out shows by regional stars, like Oakland group the Delinquents in 2023. For the past several years, the Blue Note jazz club in New York has hosted rappers like Mos Def, Black Thought and Rakim. Yoshi’s San Francisco had even booked hip-hop acts a full 10 to 15 years ago: the Geto Boys, Public Enemy, Suga Free, Jay Electronica and KRS-One all appeared on its stage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gianna Farren performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on January 8, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, rap and jazz have overlapped since the dawn of the 1990s. Along with more R&B, smooth jazz and world music on Yoshi’s calendar, one could call the development part of a natural lineage, musically and culturally. Richie Rich, who once \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/JGXrqZY8hwM?si=sowD8bDEnrHy60en\">rapped over George Duke samples\u003c/a> in the East Bay group 415, has been particularly strong in recommending Yoshi’s to other rappers, sometimes booked by outside promoters like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ajthearchitect/\">AJ the Architect\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With change comes criticism, of course. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely older jazz fans out there that always have something to say on Facebook. ‘I remember when Yoshi’s was a jazz venue,’ you know,” says Zuazua. “But if they were to show up and not just be commenting on social media, we’d definitely be booking more jazz, and more blues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13928550']Echoing Choice — who also served as musical director for \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/59eBs8iiLU0?si=zAMfirZRZImLNTxi\">E-40’s recent Tiny Desk Concert at NPR\u003c/a> — Zuazua says that while the “soundscape” has changed, the intensity, spontaneity and musical beauty Yoshi’s is known for is still very much present, especially with a live band.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been going to hip-hop shows for as long as I can remember,” he says. “You go to a hip-hop show with a band, and that bass line is \u003ci>popping\u003c/i>. There’s horns. It’s alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mistah FAB performs two shows with the Kev Choice Ensemble on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Yoshi’s (510 Embarcadero West, Oakland), at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/sold-out/mistah-f-a-b-with-kev-choice/detail\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It was the final night of DJ Quik’s December residency at Yoshi’s, and he felt like stretching out. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two songs into his set, the Compton-raised rap legend started conducting the band: first bringing the volume down, then leading his guitarist and keyboard player in back-to-back solos before pulling in the drums. He then turned the song’s West Coast rap rhythms upside down by grabbing some Latin percussion and twisting out an improvised solo of his own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A grin spread across Quik’s face. “This \u003ci>is\u003c/i> a jazz club, ain’t it?” he asked the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Yoshi’s is the oldest and most famous jazz club in Oakland. But lately, it’s been something else too: a home for hip-hop legends like Scarface, the Pharcyde and Ghostface Killah, usually with a live band. It’s a reinvention that’s been especially notable in the past year, and it’s been packing in grown fans who once ran in the streets but now prefer sitting at tables. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985283\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00690_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Audience members film Spice 1 as he performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on January 8, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There was definitely a certain effort with us to evolve our programming into more hip-hop and contemporary R&B bookings,” says Marc Zuazua, Yoshi’s director of marketing, in the club’s dining room before a recent Spice 1 show. After the pandemic, especially, he says, the crowds that once came to see traditional jazz artists, “who would do amazing for us in the past — like, those audiences weren’t coming back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who \u003ci>were\u003c/i> coming back were rap fans, especially to see the Bay Area’s own homegrown talent. Last year alone, Vallejo legend Mac Mall sold out a show. Oakland’s Richie Rich sold out two. Too Short sold out six. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s transformed not only box office revenues but the vibe inside the club, Zuazua says, with its traditional supper-club-style semicircle seating at tables and booths, and a menu featuring sushi and cocktails. Currently, Yoshi’s has hip-hop shows lined up with Mistah FAB (Jan. 22), the GZA (Feb. 8), and Twista (April 23). \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985286\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985286\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00908_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spice 1 performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on January 8, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Hayward’s Spice 1 took the stage later in the night, he acknowledged the mostly full club, and its atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is kind of an upscale type thing, man,” he said, “but we can get up out of our seats!” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the bass line to “I Got 5 on It” kicked off the set, many folks did just that — dancing, singing along, filming. Over the next 45 minutes, while Spice 1 delivered 30-year-old hits like “187 Proof” and “Welcome to the Ghetto,” people who now qualify for AARP membership celebrated with abandon alongside a handful of younger fans, who swarmed the rapper in the Yoshi’s front lobby afterward to get a selfie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a far cry from a straight-ahead jazz show at Yoshi’s, historically known for hosting golden-era legends like Pharoah Sanders, Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden or the esteemed McCoy Tyner, who once played an annual two-week residency at the club.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before the pandemic, several factors affected Yoshi’s ability to book traditional jazz. One was the 2013 opening of the SFJAZZ Center, which siphoned giants like Tyner across the Bay and into a brand new venue with a bigger backstage. Another was the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10297603/the-addition-formerly-yoshis-in-san-francisco-to-abruptly-close\">high-profile collapse of Yoshi’s San Francisco\u003c/a>, which kept some artists away from the Oakland club — even though the operations were basically separate entities. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s the simple fact that, despite contemporary jazz scenes in LA, Chicago and London gaining popularity with younger fans over the past decade, \u003ca href=\"https://andscape.com/features/jazz-musicians-see-signs-of-hope-despite-repeated-questions-about-its-popularity/\">jazz remains a small sliver of overall music listening\u003c/a>. The 1960s and ’70s jazz generation is getting older. Sanders, Haynes, Haden and Tyner, to count just four of hundreds, have all passed away. As Zuazua notes, many traditional jazz fans either live far away in the suburbs, remain scared by a media crime narrative about Oakland or have simply aged out of their nightclub-going years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s unfortunate, because if your typical jazz-listening uncle came to a rap show at Yoshi’s, most of the time he’d witness a live band on par with a classic Prestige Records-era quintet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985677\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985677\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/IMG_3943-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Mall performs with a live band and DJ at Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland on Aug. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Mac Mall)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rappers at Yoshi’s are often backed by the go-to live hip-hop musical director for the Bay Area: Kev Choice. In fact, Choice was the first artist to regularly bring hip-hop to Yoshi’s, starting all the way back in 2008, with annual shows by his Kev Choice Ensemble that featured guests like Zumbi from Zion I, Phesto from Souls of Mischief, Silk-E from the Coup or Too Short. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hip-hop fans have grown, have matured, have come into a new space of wanting to see some of their favorite artists — maybe in a different context, or coming to life in a different way,” Choice says.\u003ci> \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yoshi’s isn’t alone in selling out shows by regional stars, like Oakland group the Delinquents in 2023. For the past several years, the Blue Note jazz club in New York has hosted rappers like Mos Def, Black Thought and Rakim. Yoshi’s San Francisco had even booked hip-hop acts a full 10 to 15 years ago: the Geto Boys, Public Enemy, Suga Free, Jay Electronica and KRS-One all appeared on its stage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/260108-yoshishiphopshows00240_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gianna Farren performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on January 8, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, rap and jazz have overlapped since the dawn of the 1990s. Along with more R&B, smooth jazz and world music on Yoshi’s calendar, one could call the development part of a natural lineage, musically and culturally. Richie Rich, who once \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/JGXrqZY8hwM?si=sowD8bDEnrHy60en\">rapped over George Duke samples\u003c/a> in the East Bay group 415, has been particularly strong in recommending Yoshi’s to other rappers, sometimes booked by outside promoters like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ajthearchitect/\">AJ the Architect\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With change comes criticism, of course. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely older jazz fans out there that always have something to say on Facebook. ‘I remember when Yoshi’s was a jazz venue,’ you know,” says Zuazua. “But if they were to show up and not just be commenting on social media, we’d definitely be booking more jazz, and more blues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Echoing Choice — who also served as musical director for \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/59eBs8iiLU0?si=zAMfirZRZImLNTxi\">E-40’s recent Tiny Desk Concert at NPR\u003c/a> — Zuazua says that while the “soundscape” has changed, the intensity, spontaneity and musical beauty Yoshi’s is known for is still very much present, especially with a live band.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been going to hip-hop shows for as long as I can remember,” he says. “You go to a hip-hop show with a band, and that bass line is \u003ci>popping\u003c/i>. There’s horns. It’s alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mistah FAB performs two shows with the Kev Choice Ensemble on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Yoshi’s (510 Embarcadero West, Oakland), at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/sold-out/mistah-f-a-b-with-kev-choice/detail\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Bay Showed Love to Messy Marv in 2025",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, as we near the end of 2025, the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture are reflecting on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing\">One Beautiful Thing\u003c/a> from the year.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his year, nothing has been more beautiful than the outpouring of support for famed San Francisco rapper Messy Marv.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After being released last year from a stint behind bars, the lyrical game spitter has been spotted struggling on the streets of the Bay. People have pulled up and given him \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mXuWiOev5ow\">money\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/29nYDBERpBQ\">food\u003c/a>, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a5WY-nRTLYg\">haircut\u003c/a>, as well as love and support; that affection has only been \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DRTEsgIEiCz/\">amplified online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\">Marv’s return was highlighted by an emotional reunion with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DPM4vs5keOY/\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a> in September, which inspired another resounding wave of props to remind people of his rightful spot in the Bay Area’s hip-hop pantheon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The question of who goes on the Mt. Rushmore of Bay Area rap has always bothered me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set aside that it’s referencing images of colonists carved into sacred stones of the Lakota Sioux, who called the land formation Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, or Six Grandfathers. My main problem is with people believing that four individuals can truly represent the entirety of this unique, obscure, vast flavor of hip-hop we know and love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Do you know the depth of Bay Area hip-hop? \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951128\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png\" alt=\"Fillmore raised MC, San Francisco rap star Messy Marv poses for a photo.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-1020x1357.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-160x213.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-768x1022.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3.png 1108w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fillmore-raised MC and San Francisco rap star Messy Marv in the 2000s. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The list of figureheads for Northern California’s rap scene usually starts with Too Short, the Godfather, and E-40, the king of slang. The Furly Ghost himself, Mac Dre, is often a shoo-in. And then the discussion gets interesting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MC Hammer broke pop barriers and went diamond. The Jacka’s music reached folks on prison yards and those praying in Mecca. And HBK held it down when the Bay wasn’t really making a sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hieroglyphics created a brand known around the world, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.xxlmag.com/california-love/\">San Quinn is in the Guinness Book of World Records\u003c/a> for recording the most features before the age of 21. Kamaiyah is a party music machine, Traxamillion gave us anthems for virtually every Bay Area city and Rick Rock embodies the term “slap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Conscious Daughters gave us “Somethin’ to Ride To,” Larry June is showing us there’s a healthy way to be a player and Keak Da Sneak is still the people’s champ. There’s Digital Underground, Luniz, Rappin’ 4-Tay, Richie Rich, Mistah F.A.B. and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s Messy Marv.\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://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/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=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump (at right) with Messy Marv, who gave Nump his name during studio sessions in the early 2000s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He’s a rapper that’s seen some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. And his story shows why the Mt. Rushmore question is asinine, and leaves no room for the nuances of an artist’s career, or the person’s lived experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For some rappers, “making it” isn’t about talent and hit tracks, radio spins, plaques on the wall or songs reaching the charts. It’s about surviving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Messy Marv has done all of the above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s rocked shows all across the country, dropped multiple tracks that’ve reached the Billboard charts and collaborated with the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNGSCgs8moM&t=43s\">Keyshia Cole\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHZphkKEt2Q\">Dead Prez\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izr9s1ozOss\">George Clinton\u003c/a>. He’s navigated true poverty, dealt with addiction and been in and out of one system or another since he was a kid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13983670']“I’m a foster care baby,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMR8X5NHk\">Messy Marv told Dregs One\u003c/a>, host of the \u003cem>History of The Bay\u003c/em> podcast during a revealing interview last year. Discussing his parents, whom he’s never met, he said, “They left me on the porch when I was two years old, and sold me for $70.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He slept in trap houses with dogs, and was exposed to the fast life at a young age. “I was tooting powder at 9,” Marv told Dregs One in the same interview. “This is a Fillmore tradition,” he added. “Smoke a lil’ coke and toot a lil’ powder cocaine. This is history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marv found family through \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/richrocka/?hl=en\">Rich Rocka\u003c/a> (formerly known as Ya Boy) and the neighboring Fillmore community; serenity came later in the form of hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspired by the music of pioneering San Francisco rappers \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hughemc/\">Hugh EMC\u003c/a> and the late \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928057/alien-mac-kitty-cougnut-daughter-san-francisco-frisco-rap-legacy\">Cougnut\u003c/a>, and coupled with a push to perform during a middle school talent show, Messy Marv found his lane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He dropped his first full album \u003cem>Messy Situationz\u003c/em> in 1996. Two years later he partnered with fellow Fillmore rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sanquinn415/\">San Quinn\u003c/a> for \u003cem>Explosive Mode\u003c/em>, a project that still stands as a certified hood classic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984674\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984674\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Explosive Mode,’ Messy Marv’s 1998 album with San Quinn. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marv then went on a run from the late ’90s through the early 2000s, dropping dozens of albums, recording hundreds of features and founding his own label, Scalen Entertainment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His music reflected his real-life involvement with the streets, fast cars, women and drug use. With a certain ease, he used his guttural voice and punchy wordplay to paint vivid images of “the other side” of the most picturesque city in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marv’s career is full of erroneous decisions and unfortunate mishaps. In 2001 he was confined to a wheelchair for six months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMR8X5NHk&t=2413s\">surviving a leap from a four-story window\u003c/a> that left his legs shattered. In 2005 he was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/for-s-f-rappers-another-dream-deferred-2560404.php\">arrested on weapons possession charges\u003c/a> while en route to a photoshoot for the magazine \u003cem>XXL\u003c/em>. In 2018 he was seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73KjowD6TLg\">brandishing a firearm\u003c/a> while searching for rapper J-Diggs in Vallejo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And still, Marv holds a special place in Bay Area hip-hop lore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, as O.J. Simpson discussed his love of hip-hop during an appearance on Cam’ron and Ma$e’s popular podcast \u003cem>It Is What It Is\u003c/em>, he surprised nearly everyone by \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=311185161773531\">mentioning Messy Marv first\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13895586']I’ve talked to so many people about Marv’s influence. That includes renowned hip-hop \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951122/d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer\">photographer D-Ray\u003c/a>, who made some of the earliest images of Marv as a rapper, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956701/therapy-in-the-ghetto-reimagined-to-raise-mental-health-awareness-in-sfs-bayview\">Gunna Goes Global\u003c/a>, an MC raised in the shadows of Marv’s ascension in the Fillmore. They all say the same thing: Messy Marv is tragically underrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent call to one of Marv’s close family members revealed to me that the famed rapper is still in need of help. And a text from Mistah F.A.B., who also runs the “\u003ca href=\"https://thethugstherapy.com/\">T.H.U.G. Therapy\u003c/a>” men’s support group, reminded me that “mental health is important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many all across the Bay, I’m hoping for the best for Marv. I’ll also echo something \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC6momU_K50\">Mistah F.A.B. told Dregs One\u003c/a> earlier this year, while discussing Messy Marv: “They can’t take who we was,” he said, paraphrasing a line from the film \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8NeB6-JQqI\">\u003cem>Above The Rim\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A gold medal in 2002 is still a gold medal in 2025,” added F.A.B. “And Mess will always be a gold medalist in my eyes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t believe we should have a Mt. Rushmore of Bay Area hip-hop. But if we were to hoist the names of the greatest locally raised hip-hop artists to the top of, say, Twin Peaks? Then there’d better be a spot reserved for Messy Marv.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, as we near the end of 2025, the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture are reflecting on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing\">One Beautiful Thing\u003c/a> from the year.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>his year, nothing has been more beautiful than the outpouring of support for famed San Francisco rapper Messy Marv.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After being released last year from a stint behind bars, the lyrical game spitter has been spotted struggling on the streets of the Bay. People have pulled up and given him \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mXuWiOev5ow\">money\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/29nYDBERpBQ\">food\u003c/a>, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a5WY-nRTLYg\">haircut\u003c/a>, as well as love and support; that affection has only been \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DRTEsgIEiCz/\">amplified online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\">Marv’s return was highlighted by an emotional reunion with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DPM4vs5keOY/\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a> in September, which inspired another resounding wave of props to remind people of his rightful spot in the Bay Area’s hip-hop pantheon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The question of who goes on the Mt. Rushmore of Bay Area rap has always bothered me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set aside that it’s referencing images of colonists carved into sacred stones of the Lakota Sioux, who called the land formation Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, or Six Grandfathers. My main problem is with people believing that four individuals can truly represent the entirety of this unique, obscure, vast flavor of hip-hop we know and love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Do you know the depth of Bay Area hip-hop? \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951128\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png\" alt=\"Fillmore raised MC, San Francisco rap star Messy Marv poses for a photo.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-1020x1357.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-160x213.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-768x1022.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3.png 1108w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fillmore-raised MC and San Francisco rap star Messy Marv in the 2000s. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The list of figureheads for Northern California’s rap scene usually starts with Too Short, the Godfather, and E-40, the king of slang. The Furly Ghost himself, Mac Dre, is often a shoo-in. And then the discussion gets interesting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MC Hammer broke pop barriers and went diamond. The Jacka’s music reached folks on prison yards and those praying in Mecca. And HBK held it down when the Bay wasn’t really making a sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hieroglyphics created a brand known around the world, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.xxlmag.com/california-love/\">San Quinn is in the Guinness Book of World Records\u003c/a> for recording the most features before the age of 21. Kamaiyah is a party music machine, Traxamillion gave us anthems for virtually every Bay Area city and Rick Rock embodies the term “slap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Conscious Daughters gave us “Somethin’ to Ride To,” Larry June is showing us there’s a healthy way to be a player and Keak Da Sneak is still the people’s champ. There’s Digital Underground, Luniz, Rappin’ 4-Tay, Richie Rich, Mistah F.A.B. and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s Messy Marv.\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://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/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=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nump (at right) with Messy Marv, who gave Nump his name during studio sessions in the early 2000s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nump)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He’s a rapper that’s seen some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. And his story shows why the Mt. Rushmore question is asinine, and leaves no room for the nuances of an artist’s career, or the person’s lived experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For some rappers, “making it” isn’t about talent and hit tracks, radio spins, plaques on the wall or songs reaching the charts. It’s about surviving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Messy Marv has done all of the above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s rocked shows all across the country, dropped multiple tracks that’ve reached the Billboard charts and collaborated with the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNGSCgs8moM&t=43s\">Keyshia Cole\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHZphkKEt2Q\">Dead Prez\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izr9s1ozOss\">George Clinton\u003c/a>. He’s navigated true poverty, dealt with addiction and been in and out of one system or another since he was a kid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I’m a foster care baby,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMR8X5NHk\">Messy Marv told Dregs One\u003c/a>, host of the \u003cem>History of The Bay\u003c/em> podcast during a revealing interview last year. Discussing his parents, whom he’s never met, he said, “They left me on the porch when I was two years old, and sold me for $70.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He slept in trap houses with dogs, and was exposed to the fast life at a young age. “I was tooting powder at 9,” Marv told Dregs One in the same interview. “This is a Fillmore tradition,” he added. “Smoke a lil’ coke and toot a lil’ powder cocaine. This is history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marv found family through \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/richrocka/?hl=en\">Rich Rocka\u003c/a> (formerly known as Ya Boy) and the neighboring Fillmore community; serenity came later in the form of hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspired by the music of pioneering San Francisco rappers \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hughemc/\">Hugh EMC\u003c/a> and the late \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928057/alien-mac-kitty-cougnut-daughter-san-francisco-frisco-rap-legacy\">Cougnut\u003c/a>, and coupled with a push to perform during a middle school talent show, Messy Marv found his lane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He dropped his first full album \u003cem>Messy Situationz\u003c/em> in 1996. Two years later he partnered with fellow Fillmore rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sanquinn415/\">San Quinn\u003c/a> for \u003cem>Explosive Mode\u003c/em>, a project that still stands as a certified hood classic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984674\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984674\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/img_9880-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Explosive Mode,’ Messy Marv’s 1998 album with San Quinn. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marv then went on a run from the late ’90s through the early 2000s, dropping dozens of albums, recording hundreds of features and founding his own label, Scalen Entertainment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His music reflected his real-life involvement with the streets, fast cars, women and drug use. With a certain ease, he used his guttural voice and punchy wordplay to paint vivid images of “the other side” of the most picturesque city in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marv’s career is full of erroneous decisions and unfortunate mishaps. In 2001 he was confined to a wheelchair for six months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMR8X5NHk&t=2413s\">surviving a leap from a four-story window\u003c/a> that left his legs shattered. In 2005 he was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/for-s-f-rappers-another-dream-deferred-2560404.php\">arrested on weapons possession charges\u003c/a> while en route to a photoshoot for the magazine \u003cem>XXL\u003c/em>. In 2018 he was seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73KjowD6TLg\">brandishing a firearm\u003c/a> while searching for rapper J-Diggs in Vallejo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And still, Marv holds a special place in Bay Area hip-hop lore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, as O.J. Simpson discussed his love of hip-hop during an appearance on Cam’ron and Ma$e’s popular podcast \u003cem>It Is What It Is\u003c/em>, he surprised nearly everyone by \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=311185161773531\">mentioning Messy Marv first\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I’ve talked to so many people about Marv’s influence. That includes renowned hip-hop \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951122/d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer\">photographer D-Ray\u003c/a>, who made some of the earliest images of Marv as a rapper, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956701/therapy-in-the-ghetto-reimagined-to-raise-mental-health-awareness-in-sfs-bayview\">Gunna Goes Global\u003c/a>, an MC raised in the shadows of Marv’s ascension in the Fillmore. They all say the same thing: Messy Marv is tragically underrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent call to one of Marv’s close family members revealed to me that the famed rapper is still in need of help. And a text from Mistah F.A.B., who also runs the “\u003ca href=\"https://thethugstherapy.com/\">T.H.U.G. Therapy\u003c/a>” men’s support group, reminded me that “mental health is important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many all across the Bay, I’m hoping for the best for Marv. I’ll also echo something \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC6momU_K50\">Mistah F.A.B. told Dregs One\u003c/a> earlier this year, while discussing Messy Marv: “They can’t take who we was,” he said, paraphrasing a line from the film \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8NeB6-JQqI\">\u003cem>Above The Rim\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A gold medal in 2002 is still a gold medal in 2025,” added F.A.B. “And Mess will always be a gold medalist in my eyes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t believe we should have a Mt. Rushmore of Bay Area hip-hop. But if we were to hoist the names of the greatest locally raised hip-hop artists to the top of, say, Twin Peaks? Then there’d better be a spot reserved for Messy Marv.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Unsigned and Hella Broke: The East Bay’s Dirt-Hustling 1990s Hip-Hop Subculture",
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"headTitle": "Unsigned and Hella Broke: The East Bay’s Dirt-Hustling 1990s Hip-Hop Subculture | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, an ongoing KQED series about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll never lose that spirit, but I don’t miss being on the street from morning to night,” says Corey “Sunspot Jonz” Johnson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson is talking about his years of “dirt hustling,” when he sold stapled and Xeroxed copies of his zine \u003ci>Unsigned and Hella Broke \u003c/i>and cassette tapes by his rap group Mystik Journeymen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Anyone who either attended UC Berkeley in the 1990s or frequented heavily trafficked storefronts like Blondie’s Pizza and Leopold’s Music undoubtedly has memories of being approached by a friendly teenager who moonlit as a rapper and tried to sell you a homemade tape. It was very nearly a rite of passage during an era now romanticized for birthing the Bay Area’s underground hip-hop scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sunspot Jonz may have given the Unsigned and Hella Broke era its name, but he wasn’t the only one on Telegraph Avenue. Others who gathered there to sell their wares included the Berkeley duo Fundamentals, Kirby Dominant, Fremont rapper/producer “Walt Liquor” Taylor and his group Mixed Practice, the Cytoplasmz crew, Queen Nefra, and Hobo Junction, the crew led by the dextrous rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>. They duplicated their songs onto blank cassette tapes, added modestly illustrated J-cards and sold them wherever they could, from sidewalks along Telegraph and outside of local concert venues to newly launched message boards on the nascent internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984377\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1079px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1079\" height=\"550\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984377\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515.jpg 1079w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515-160x82.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515-768x391.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1079px) 100vw, 1079px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cassettes sold hand-to-hand in the Bay Area’s independent hip-hop scene included the Dereliks’ ‘A Turn on the Wheel Is Worth More Than a Record Deal,’ Hobo Junction’s ‘Limited Edition’ and Bored Stiff’s ‘Explainin’.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the time, the sound of the Bay Area underground was typified by warm and muddy tones generated by basic four-track recording equipment, with deliberately abstract lyrics. Its homespun quality stood in defiantly uncommercial contrast to the slick “gangsta” style that defined mainstream rap after the arrival of Dr. Dre’s 1992 opus \u003ci>The Chronic\u003c/i>. Its ethos posited hip-hop as not just a popular musical genre, but a vocation that required personal commitment and sacrifice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody in Living Legends had a job. Nobody had kids at the time. Nobody had anything but to do \u003ci>this \u003c/i>every day,” says Sunspot, who rapped and produced beats in Mystik Journeymen alongside L.A. transplant Tommy “Luckyiam” Woolfolk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mystik Journeymen eventually built a modest yet far-flung cult following, traveling overseas and laying the groundwork for an international DIY touring circuit that others would duplicate. In 1996, the duo co-founded the group Living Legends, alongside Berkeley rapper The Grouch, L.A. rappers Murs and Eligh; San Jose State student Scarab; Fresno rapper Asop and DJ/producer Bicasso, a graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt. (Arata was briefly a member before returning home to Japan.) On Dec. 5 at the UC Theater in Berkeley, they headline \u003ca href=\"https://www.theuctheatre.org/shows/how-the-grouch-stole-christmas-tour-living-legends-05-dec\">How the Grouch Stole Christmas\u003c/a>, an annual concert tour organized by The Grouch since 2007; Oakland icons Souls of Mischief and Kentucky trio Cunninlynguists support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984360\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2390px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2390\" height=\"1875\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS.jpg 2390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-2000x1569.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-768x603.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-1536x1205.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-2048x1607.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2390px) 100vw, 2390px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Various members of Living Legends gather outside a show in the 1990s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunspot Jonz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But for Sunspot, reminiscing about his formative years on Telegraph Avenue elicits complicated feelings. His drive and passion back then put “a battery pack in our asses,” as Fundamentals rapper/producer Jonathan “King Koncepts” Sklute appreciatively notes. Yet it also was an extreme result of surviving as a starving artist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do I miss being on the street?” asks Sunspot, whose many 2025 projects include releasing a solo album (\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/tOmlruvkQak?si=o4fR_64__VH1E-xY\">Bad to the Bonez\u003c/a>\u003c/i>), organizing his annual “Hip Hop Fairyland” back-to-school bazaar at Children’s Fairyland through his Hip-Hop Scholastics nonprofit, and publishing a children’s book he wrote and illustrated (\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1YL39RL\">\u003ci>Werewolves Want the Moon for Christmas\u003c/i>\u003c/a>). “I would literally wake up, scrape together money I had to get on the bus or BART from East Oakland to Berkeley, and unless I sold a tape, I wasn’t getting two things: I wasn’t getting lunch, and I wasn’t getting a ride home, because I needed to make enough for the bus fare home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am done with those days.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984165\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984165\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bret Alexander Sweet poses for a portrait on Telegraph Avenue, where he used to sell his own cassette tapes in the 1990s as part of the Bay Area’s independent hip-hop scene. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>From high school to the Avenue\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The roots of Telegraph Avenue as a brief yet memorable hub for local hip-hop entrepreneurs lie in the University of California, Berkeley. Located at the northernmost end of Telegraph, it’s an unofficial gateway for students to the rest of the Bay Area. At the dawn of the 1990s, as the culture blossomed both locally and nationally, small groups of youth in ciphers joined the annoyingly loud drum circles and couples furiously making out on park benches that typified the daily Sproul Plaza backdrop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, “[Telegraph was] the magnetism point of the entire Bay Area, of something for young people to go and do,” says Bret “Karma” Sweet of Fundamentals. “If you went to Telegraph next week and you would see all the streets are blocked off because there’s [a street festival] where they can sell things for Black Friday, that’s how Telegraph used to be \u003ci>every day\u003c/i>, especially weekends from 1993 to 2001.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13979349']Amid a confluence of developments around the Bay, from Oakland’s Digital Underground on KMEL-FM and \u003ci>Billboard \u003c/i>charts to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11690787/when-oakland-was-a-chocolate-city-a-brief-history-of-festival-at-the-lake\">Festival at the Lake\u003c/a> in Lake Merritt, there was the emergence of\u003ca href=\"https://bsc.coop/housing/our-houses-apartments/african-american-theme-house\"> The Afro House\u003c/a>, a South Berkeley student co-op established in 1977, as a spot for house parties. And there was the Justice League, a crew of 20-30 DJs and MCs that included Beni B (who formed the prominent independent label ABB Records in 1997) as well as UC Berkeley students Hodari “Dr. Bomb” Davis, \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#college-radio-makes-its-mark\">Davey D\u003c/a>, and Defari and Superstar Quamallah (the latter two became ABB artists).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A year after Davis graduated in 1991, he began teaching at Berkeley High, and drew national attention for leading its African American studies department. He was \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/RZJxp4iFSK0?si=9PNjzJsSPOQZYVoF&t=1144\">prominently featured in the controversial 1994 PBS \u003ci>Frontline \u003c/i>documentary \u003ci>School Colors\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, which led media outlets such as the \u003ci>New York Times \u003c/i>to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/18/arts/television-review-school-s-integration-falling-short-of-ideal.html\">blithely criticize his activism on integration and race relations\u003c/a>. But Davis also launched Live Lyricist Society, an academic club where students could practice hip-hop elements such as DJing, B-boy dancing, and MC’ing. (Its name was inspired by the Robin Williams movie \u003ci>Dead Poets Society\u003c/i>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1455px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22%E2%80%AFPM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1455\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984375\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22 PM.jpg 1455w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22 PM-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22 PM-768x591.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1455px) 100vw, 1455px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hodari Davis in the 1994 PBS documentary ‘School Colors.’ \u003ccite>(PBS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1992, “I’m walking across campus on Berkeley High School, and I noticed that these kids are freestyling on the courtyard. … They’re doing it in the middle of the day, which was a problem for other teachers, because it meant that whole groups of people would be late to class,” says Davis. Eventually, he offered his classroom as a space for the students to practice their craft. “We never kicked anybody out because they were weak. The point was to get people’s skills up,” he adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As students in the Live Lyricist Society club, Fundamentals’ King Koncepts and Karma fondly recall campus visits by rap stars that Davis invited, like Outkast and the Wu-Tang Clan (with help from Justice League crew like Davey D, by then a well-known journalist and radio host). \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When Wu-Tang came, it was damn near a riot. [The organizers] had to do it outside because there wasn’t any indoor space that could accommodate that amount of people. They had to do a signing and a talk in the courtyard,” remembers Koncepts. “But the only people who knew Outkast at that time were people who were clued in. … We were ciphering with them in the hallway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Broke-ass parties at the East Oakland warehouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile in East Oakland, Sunspot formed Mystik Journeymen, after spending two years at college in Hawaii. He cycled through various collaborators before meeting Luckyiam on a trip to L.A. “Tom always has my back, no matter how psycho and stupid and childish my ideas would be,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984364\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1806px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1806\" height=\"1204\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984364\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001.jpg 1806w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1806px) 100vw, 1806px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mystik Journeymen in the studio. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunspot Jonz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mystik Journeymen opened for the likes of Broun Fellinis and Conscious Daughters, earned a “Demo Tape of the Week” nod in the \u003ci>San Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c/i>, and were mentored by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914311/rono-tse-disposable-heroes-hiphoprisy-michael-franti\">Rono Tse of Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy\u003c/a>. As the Journeymen’s local reputation ascended, Tse helped the duo get a publishing deal at Polygram, which allowed them to buy equipment and studio time at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. The deal should’ve led to a London Records contract. Instead, Sunspot says, “Polygram was, like, ‘We don’t know what to do with you,’” and released the group from its contract. “We weren’t ready. The way we were going to make it wasn’t gonna be by making songs all perfect for the radio. The way we were going to make it is by making songs from our heart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tse also found the duo a unit at 4001 San Leandro Street, a warehouse in East Oakland. Sunspot and Luckyiam began throwing “Unsigned and Hella Broke” parties to pay the bills. Famously, they charged $3 and a package of Top Ramen noodles for entry. “They had no money. That’s how they were feeding themselves,” says Koncepts, who remembers “literally being at 4001 eating Top Ramen. Like, somebody would cook it up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the 4001 San Leandro Street parties grew and, later, moved to Jackson Street Studios, the Journeymen attracted acolytes. One of them was Corey “The Grouch” Scoffern, an Oakland youth hungering to network with fellow hip-hop enthusiasts. He met the group during one of its performances at Yo Mama’s Kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hip-hop was like a subculture at the time that was growing and becoming what it is today. But it wasn’t there yet,” says The Grouch. “I didn’t hear of any unsigned artists following their dreams and putting their music in the world out on their own. And that’s what I discovered when I was introduced to Mystik Journeymen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984367\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1140px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1464\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984367\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM.jpg 1140w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM-160x205.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM-768x986.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collage of underground hip-hop artist names from an issue of ‘Unsigned and Hella Broke.’ \u003ccite>(King Koncepts)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>1995 proved to be a breakthrough year for local underground rap. Mystik Journeymen dropped their first official project the previous year, \u003ci>4001: The Stolen Legacy\u003c/i>, then followed with \u003ci>Walkmen Invaders\u003c/i>, both on their Outhouse imprint. Walt Liquor’s group Mixed Practice dropped \u003ci>Homegrown: The EP\u003c/i>. Hobo Junction dropped \u003ci>Limited Edition\u003c/i>, which generated an unexpected national hit in Whoridas’ “Shot Callin’ and Big Ballin’” after L.A. label Southpaw Records picked it up for distribution. (According to Bas-1 of Cytoplasmz, it was Hobo Junction rapper Eyecue who coined the phrase “dirt hustling.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Grouch completed his debut, \u003ci>Don’t Talk to Me\u003c/i>, after Sunspot jokingly threatened to “beat him up” if he didn’t finish it. The Journeymen captured the energy of it all in \u003ci>Unsigned and Hella Broke\u003c/i>, a photocopied zine they assembled on an occasional basis between 1993 and 1996.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13937489']At its inception, this byzantine movement drew middling industry support. For rap fans that associated “Yay Area” rap with street-oriented mobb music like the Luniz’ “I Got 5 on It” and E-40’s “Sprinkle Me,” these indie acts must’ve seemed like the kind of local yokels that follow in the wake of bigger artists’ success, and whose art seemed insubstantial by comparison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I met MC Hammer at this [SF mastering studio] called the Rocket Lab,” remembers Sunspot, “and he was, like, ‘Who you guys signed to?’ And I was, like, ‘No one. We’re just doing it ourselves.’ And he was, like, ‘Okay, y’all ain’t doing nothin’.’ And I was, like, \u003ci>whoa\u003c/i>. These motherfuckers really discount us because we’re not trying to be hoe-ed or slaved out to some label.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1463px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1463\" height=\"335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984368\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns.jpg 1463w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns-160x37.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns-768x176.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1463px) 100vw, 1463px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fundamentals members King Koncepts and Karma (L–R, center) and other members of the Kemetic Suns crew. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Bret Sweet)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Resourceful creativity meets police harassment\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But for those who took the time to listen, the Journeymen’s tapes as well as similar releases by San Francisco’s Bored Stiff (\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsUHUp69VXg&list=PLO5qzC_OCrlhnKRpQLJdcVjvKoiBRPwH7\">Explainin’\u003c/a>\u003c/i>), the South Bay’s Dereliks (\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7GaAj4M90Vs?si=8l0PbB_0ZWaSWMB8\">A Turn on the Wheel Is Worth More Than a Record Deal\u003c/a>\u003c/i>) and others were soulful, imaginative, and engrossing. On tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/yDM7BBFleVk?si=ksxgjNvrUWYD3xqA\">Call Ov Da Wild\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/G52NArlILxs?si=QrZMXvjtxcpugjT8\">Runnin’ Through the Swamps\u003c/a>,” the Journeymen explored their inner mind’s eye with bracing honesty, and earnestly questioned the meaning of life with ruddy melodies and slangy verses. Their music captivated thousands of local youth that couldn’t relate to the G-funk beats and thugged-out dramatics dominating mainstream rap and were inquisitive enough to seek out alternatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fundamentals’ Koncepts — who also enjoyed the likes of E-40 and DJ Quik — had just graduated from Berkeley High when he and Karma made \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuBYizoeUc\">Thirty Daze and a Plane Ticket\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, a title inspired by Koncepts’ impending move to New York to attend NYU. “I used to find it real cringey, because I’m baring my soul from the perspective of a 17 year-old kid,” says Koncepts, who now works in the music industry and runs a label, Key System Recordings. (Full disclosure: I contributed liner notes to a Key System project.) “But I think it’s really sweet. My whole life was about to change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With little in the way of media attention, save for brief items in magazines like \u003ci>Rap Pages, 4080, \u003c/i>and \u003ci>URB \u003c/i>or alt-weeklies like the \u003ci>Bay Guardian\u003c/i> that didn’t capture the scene’s growing depth, Telegraph Avenue seemed like a great place to boost much-needed awareness. It was a near-daily open bazaar, with crowds of students, tourists, and even the occasional naked person navigating streets filled with shops and street vendors. The best spot was on the corner of Durant and Telegraph, right next to Leopold’s Records before it closed in 1996.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984163\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984163\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bret Alexander Sweet’s tapes, CD, and record, rest on a divider on Telegraph Avenue, where he sold his own tapes in the 1990s. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is the economics of it,” says Walt Liquor, who sold copies of his group Mixed Practice’s \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/YrzxuuVqzwU?si=WL5JhFfefhagUKyM\">Homegrown\u003c/a>\u003c/i>. Today, he’s a soundtrack producer and artist manager with several IMDB credits, most recently the Lifetime Channel movie \u003ci>Terry McMillan Presents: Preach, Pray, Love\u003c/i>. “I would go to Costco and get a whole brick of 90-minute TDK tapes for 100 bucks. Let’s say I get 100 tapes. I’d just sit there and dub them shits. I’d record them in my bedroom, having fun with my homies … and selling them for $10 a pop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Black youth solicited passersby, formed impromptu ciphers, took food breaks at Blondie’s and hung out all day outside on the street, police scrutiny inevitably followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13914311']Before he passed away this year on August 18, Living Legends’ Asop recalled how the police harassed him for selling copies of his tapes \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/HydxuPEguR4?si=ajVNkDNIKEYq-NyP\">Who Are U\u003c/a>\u003c/i> and \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/TGsnYFjn9h8?si=2wu1k3pc-a4RU8yO\">Demonstration\u003c/a>\u003c/i>. “I remember the police started running us off Telegraph Avenue,” he told me in a 2001 \u003ci>URB\u003c/i> magazine story. “I had a box of tapes once and some money in my pocket, and it was just like I had dope. They handcuffed me, took my stuff and my money and let me go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Karma of Fundamentals was also arrested, thrown in jail, and forced to go to court and pay a fine. “The reason why they would do that is because the other vendors who were selling tie-dyed shirts or necklaces or whatever would go, like, ‘Hey, these guys don’t have a permit,’” he says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the hassles, Karma says he eventually sold thousands of tapes on Telegraph as well as on the internet, a grind that earned him a measure of respect. “Imagine being these kids who keep dreaming that one day they’ll know our name,” he says. “Even the guys who used to pick on you in high school are rolling down [the street and seeing you] and bumping your music. And they’re playing it for \u003ci>you\u003c/i>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984168\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984168\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunspot Jonz shows off his hat representing Oakland on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on November 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘We couldn’t be eating ramen forever’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The formation of Living Legends in 1996 symbolized the scene’s emerging professionalism, moving from word-of-mouth house parties to more official event venues like La Peña Cultural Center. The Grouch, for one, welcomed the growth. “I feel like it’s natural. I feel like we couldn’t be eating ramen forever,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the music changed as well, shifting from the murky production and raw lyrics of the mid-’90s tapes to the clean keyboard bounce and DJ Premier-like chops that typified indie-rap toward the end of the decade, as evoked by standout Legends projects like The Grouch’s 1997 album \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0IBntZWJdvU?si=4UVygiMN-HIhURHw\">Success Is Destiny\u003c/a>\u003c/i> and Mystik Journeymen’s 1998 album \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/t2-Y236gllo?si=VoPh_3ApPeN3jcY5\">Worldwide Underground\u003c/a>\u003c/i>. Local companies like TRC Distribution catered to the rising tide, allowing local acts to press 12-inch vinyl and CDs with finished artwork — a marked upgrade from Maxell blank cassettes and hand-drawn covers. With more industry structure, the number of artists calling themselves “underground” and “indie” multiplied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when I learned that saturation isn’t always great,” says Sunspot. “If we’re going to be underground, we need to be underground \u003ci>superstars\u003c/i>. We need to be next-level underground.” That led the Legends to pursue larger venues like San Francisco’s Maritime Hall and, later in the 2000s, the national Rock the Bells festival. Still, his older fans often yearned for the “Top Ramen” glory days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had an ex-girlfriend tell me, ‘Please never do a show in an arena.’ When it’s sacred, people only want you for \u003ci>them\u003c/i>. They don’t care what that means for your career, or your longevity. They want you to be in the same box you always stayed. But the thing is, we are all artists, and we’re gonna evolve,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1802px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1802\" height=\"1224\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984363\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001.jpg 1802w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001-1536x1043.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1802px) 100vw, 1802px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Out of the warehouse and onto the stage: Mystik Journeymen live. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunspot Jonz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Today, original copies of Mystik Journeymen’s sundry demo tapes, Fundamentals’ \u003ci>Thirty Daze and a Plane Ticket\u003c/i> and Hobo Junction’s \u003ci>Limited Edition\u003c/i> trade for up to hundreds of dollars. For collectors and rap scholars, the Bay’s underground era yielded a rich source of creativity. However, its cult status means that many people don’t know or appreciate how much those artists contributed to local music history. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I look back on it from 30 years, every single hip-hop household name has been built by a major label, and if there’s one or two exceptions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967904/watch-larussell-pay-tribute-to-the-bay-during-his-tiny-desk-concert\">LaRussell\u003c/a>, that speaks to my point,” says The Grouch, who rues that the streaming economy tends to reward major label stars. “We were not able to touch on a household name level, and so that affects business, and the power you have in the industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps it’s ironic that the heroes of the Bay Area underground, who once valued their distance from the music industry, now struggle to be taken seriously as artists because of it. But it’s also an opportunity: the ’90s Bay Area hip-hop underground is now ripe for discovery by anyone looking for an alternative to the rap mainstream. As the Grouch puts it, “I still say we’re the most underground, independent crew to ever do it, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for Sunspot, who now operates as a multi-disciplinary artist and cultural strategist, he continues to carry the ethos he honed on Telegraph Avenue, applying the same formula to his current projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll never lose that spirit,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, an ongoing KQED series about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll never lose that spirit, but I don’t miss being on the street from morning to night,” says Corey “Sunspot Jonz” Johnson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson is talking about his years of “dirt hustling,” when he sold stapled and Xeroxed copies of his zine \u003ci>Unsigned and Hella Broke \u003c/i>and cassette tapes by his rap group Mystik Journeymen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Anyone who either attended UC Berkeley in the 1990s or frequented heavily trafficked storefronts like Blondie’s Pizza and Leopold’s Music undoubtedly has memories of being approached by a friendly teenager who moonlit as a rapper and tried to sell you a homemade tape. It was very nearly a rite of passage during an era now romanticized for birthing the Bay Area’s underground hip-hop scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sunspot Jonz may have given the Unsigned and Hella Broke era its name, but he wasn’t the only one on Telegraph Avenue. Others who gathered there to sell their wares included the Berkeley duo Fundamentals, Kirby Dominant, Fremont rapper/producer “Walt Liquor” Taylor and his group Mixed Practice, the Cytoplasmz crew, Queen Nefra, and Hobo Junction, the crew led by the dextrous rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>. They duplicated their songs onto blank cassette tapes, added modestly illustrated J-cards and sold them wherever they could, from sidewalks along Telegraph and outside of local concert venues to newly launched message boards on the nascent internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984377\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1079px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1079\" height=\"550\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984377\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515.jpg 1079w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515-160x82.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/R-3874152-1371056865-1515-768x391.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1079px) 100vw, 1079px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cassettes sold hand-to-hand in the Bay Area’s independent hip-hop scene included the Dereliks’ ‘A Turn on the Wheel Is Worth More Than a Record Deal,’ Hobo Junction’s ‘Limited Edition’ and Bored Stiff’s ‘Explainin’.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the time, the sound of the Bay Area underground was typified by warm and muddy tones generated by basic four-track recording equipment, with deliberately abstract lyrics. Its homespun quality stood in defiantly uncommercial contrast to the slick “gangsta” style that defined mainstream rap after the arrival of Dr. Dre’s 1992 opus \u003ci>The Chronic\u003c/i>. Its ethos posited hip-hop as not just a popular musical genre, but a vocation that required personal commitment and sacrifice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody in Living Legends had a job. Nobody had kids at the time. Nobody had anything but to do \u003ci>this \u003c/i>every day,” says Sunspot, who rapped and produced beats in Mystik Journeymen alongside L.A. transplant Tommy “Luckyiam” Woolfolk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mystik Journeymen eventually built a modest yet far-flung cult following, traveling overseas and laying the groundwork for an international DIY touring circuit that others would duplicate. In 1996, the duo co-founded the group Living Legends, alongside Berkeley rapper The Grouch, L.A. rappers Murs and Eligh; San Jose State student Scarab; Fresno rapper Asop and DJ/producer Bicasso, a graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt. (Arata was briefly a member before returning home to Japan.) On Dec. 5 at the UC Theater in Berkeley, they headline \u003ca href=\"https://www.theuctheatre.org/shows/how-the-grouch-stole-christmas-tour-living-legends-05-dec\">How the Grouch Stole Christmas\u003c/a>, an annual concert tour organized by The Grouch since 2007; Oakland icons Souls of Mischief and Kentucky trio Cunninlynguists support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984360\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2390px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2390\" height=\"1875\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS.jpg 2390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-2000x1569.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-768x603.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-1536x1205.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/LL-VARIOUS-2048x1607.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2390px) 100vw, 2390px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Various members of Living Legends gather outside a show in the 1990s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunspot Jonz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But for Sunspot, reminiscing about his formative years on Telegraph Avenue elicits complicated feelings. His drive and passion back then put “a battery pack in our asses,” as Fundamentals rapper/producer Jonathan “King Koncepts” Sklute appreciatively notes. Yet it also was an extreme result of surviving as a starving artist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do I miss being on the street?” asks Sunspot, whose many 2025 projects include releasing a solo album (\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/tOmlruvkQak?si=o4fR_64__VH1E-xY\">Bad to the Bonez\u003c/a>\u003c/i>), organizing his annual “Hip Hop Fairyland” back-to-school bazaar at Children’s Fairyland through his Hip-Hop Scholastics nonprofit, and publishing a children’s book he wrote and illustrated (\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1YL39RL\">\u003ci>Werewolves Want the Moon for Christmas\u003c/i>\u003c/a>). “I would literally wake up, scrape together money I had to get on the bus or BART from East Oakland to Berkeley, and unless I sold a tape, I wasn’t getting two things: I wasn’t getting lunch, and I wasn’t getting a ride home, because I needed to make enough for the bus fare home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am done with those days.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984165\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984165\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00132_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bret Alexander Sweet poses for a portrait on Telegraph Avenue, where he used to sell his own cassette tapes in the 1990s as part of the Bay Area’s independent hip-hop scene. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>From high school to the Avenue\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The roots of Telegraph Avenue as a brief yet memorable hub for local hip-hop entrepreneurs lie in the University of California, Berkeley. Located at the northernmost end of Telegraph, it’s an unofficial gateway for students to the rest of the Bay Area. At the dawn of the 1990s, as the culture blossomed both locally and nationally, small groups of youth in ciphers joined the annoyingly loud drum circles and couples furiously making out on park benches that typified the daily Sproul Plaza backdrop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, “[Telegraph was] the magnetism point of the entire Bay Area, of something for young people to go and do,” says Bret “Karma” Sweet of Fundamentals. “If you went to Telegraph next week and you would see all the streets are blocked off because there’s [a street festival] where they can sell things for Black Friday, that’s how Telegraph used to be \u003ci>every day\u003c/i>, especially weekends from 1993 to 2001.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Amid a confluence of developments around the Bay, from Oakland’s Digital Underground on KMEL-FM and \u003ci>Billboard \u003c/i>charts to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11690787/when-oakland-was-a-chocolate-city-a-brief-history-of-festival-at-the-lake\">Festival at the Lake\u003c/a> in Lake Merritt, there was the emergence of\u003ca href=\"https://bsc.coop/housing/our-houses-apartments/african-american-theme-house\"> The Afro House\u003c/a>, a South Berkeley student co-op established in 1977, as a spot for house parties. And there was the Justice League, a crew of 20-30 DJs and MCs that included Beni B (who formed the prominent independent label ABB Records in 1997) as well as UC Berkeley students Hodari “Dr. Bomb” Davis, \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#college-radio-makes-its-mark\">Davey D\u003c/a>, and Defari and Superstar Quamallah (the latter two became ABB artists).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A year after Davis graduated in 1991, he began teaching at Berkeley High, and drew national attention for leading its African American studies department. He was \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/RZJxp4iFSK0?si=9PNjzJsSPOQZYVoF&t=1144\">prominently featured in the controversial 1994 PBS \u003ci>Frontline \u003c/i>documentary \u003ci>School Colors\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, which led media outlets such as the \u003ci>New York Times \u003c/i>to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/18/arts/television-review-school-s-integration-falling-short-of-ideal.html\">blithely criticize his activism on integration and race relations\u003c/a>. But Davis also launched Live Lyricist Society, an academic club where students could practice hip-hop elements such as DJing, B-boy dancing, and MC’ing. (Its name was inspired by the Robin Williams movie \u003ci>Dead Poets Society\u003c/i>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1455px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22%E2%80%AFPM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1455\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984375\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22 PM.jpg 1455w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22 PM-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-02-at-9.45.22 PM-768x591.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1455px) 100vw, 1455px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hodari Davis in the 1994 PBS documentary ‘School Colors.’ \u003ccite>(PBS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1992, “I’m walking across campus on Berkeley High School, and I noticed that these kids are freestyling on the courtyard. … They’re doing it in the middle of the day, which was a problem for other teachers, because it meant that whole groups of people would be late to class,” says Davis. Eventually, he offered his classroom as a space for the students to practice their craft. “We never kicked anybody out because they were weak. The point was to get people’s skills up,” he adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As students in the Live Lyricist Society club, Fundamentals’ King Koncepts and Karma fondly recall campus visits by rap stars that Davis invited, like Outkast and the Wu-Tang Clan (with help from Justice League crew like Davey D, by then a well-known journalist and radio host). \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When Wu-Tang came, it was damn near a riot. [The organizers] had to do it outside because there wasn’t any indoor space that could accommodate that amount of people. They had to do a signing and a talk in the courtyard,” remembers Koncepts. “But the only people who knew Outkast at that time were people who were clued in. … We were ciphering with them in the hallway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Broke-ass parties at the East Oakland warehouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile in East Oakland, Sunspot formed Mystik Journeymen, after spending two years at college in Hawaii. He cycled through various collaborators before meeting Luckyiam on a trip to L.A. “Tom always has my back, no matter how psycho and stupid and childish my ideas would be,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984364\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1806px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1806\" height=\"1204\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984364\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001.jpg 1806w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-ELIGH-MURS-AUSTRALIA-FLIER_0001-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1806px) 100vw, 1806px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mystik Journeymen in the studio. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunspot Jonz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mystik Journeymen opened for the likes of Broun Fellinis and Conscious Daughters, earned a “Demo Tape of the Week” nod in the \u003ci>San Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c/i>, and were mentored by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914311/rono-tse-disposable-heroes-hiphoprisy-michael-franti\">Rono Tse of Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy\u003c/a>. As the Journeymen’s local reputation ascended, Tse helped the duo get a publishing deal at Polygram, which allowed them to buy equipment and studio time at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. The deal should’ve led to a London Records contract. Instead, Sunspot says, “Polygram was, like, ‘We don’t know what to do with you,’” and released the group from its contract. “We weren’t ready. The way we were going to make it wasn’t gonna be by making songs all perfect for the radio. The way we were going to make it is by making songs from our heart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tse also found the duo a unit at 4001 San Leandro Street, a warehouse in East Oakland. Sunspot and Luckyiam began throwing “Unsigned and Hella Broke” parties to pay the bills. Famously, they charged $3 and a package of Top Ramen noodles for entry. “They had no money. That’s how they were feeding themselves,” says Koncepts, who remembers “literally being at 4001 eating Top Ramen. Like, somebody would cook it up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the 4001 San Leandro Street parties grew and, later, moved to Jackson Street Studios, the Journeymen attracted acolytes. One of them was Corey “The Grouch” Scoffern, an Oakland youth hungering to network with fellow hip-hop enthusiasts. He met the group during one of its performances at Yo Mama’s Kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hip-hop was like a subculture at the time that was growing and becoming what it is today. But it wasn’t there yet,” says The Grouch. “I didn’t hear of any unsigned artists following their dreams and putting their music in the world out on their own. And that’s what I discovered when I was introduced to Mystik Journeymen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984367\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1140px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1464\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984367\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM.jpg 1140w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM-160x205.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Screenshot-2023-09-05-at-2.48.06-PM-768x986.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collage of underground hip-hop artist names from an issue of ‘Unsigned and Hella Broke.’ \u003ccite>(King Koncepts)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>1995 proved to be a breakthrough year for local underground rap. Mystik Journeymen dropped their first official project the previous year, \u003ci>4001: The Stolen Legacy\u003c/i>, then followed with \u003ci>Walkmen Invaders\u003c/i>, both on their Outhouse imprint. Walt Liquor’s group Mixed Practice dropped \u003ci>Homegrown: The EP\u003c/i>. Hobo Junction dropped \u003ci>Limited Edition\u003c/i>, which generated an unexpected national hit in Whoridas’ “Shot Callin’ and Big Ballin’” after L.A. label Southpaw Records picked it up for distribution. (According to Bas-1 of Cytoplasmz, it was Hobo Junction rapper Eyecue who coined the phrase “dirt hustling.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Grouch completed his debut, \u003ci>Don’t Talk to Me\u003c/i>, after Sunspot jokingly threatened to “beat him up” if he didn’t finish it. The Journeymen captured the energy of it all in \u003ci>Unsigned and Hella Broke\u003c/i>, a photocopied zine they assembled on an occasional basis between 1993 and 1996.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At its inception, this byzantine movement drew middling industry support. For rap fans that associated “Yay Area” rap with street-oriented mobb music like the Luniz’ “I Got 5 on It” and E-40’s “Sprinkle Me,” these indie acts must’ve seemed like the kind of local yokels that follow in the wake of bigger artists’ success, and whose art seemed insubstantial by comparison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I met MC Hammer at this [SF mastering studio] called the Rocket Lab,” remembers Sunspot, “and he was, like, ‘Who you guys signed to?’ And I was, like, ‘No one. We’re just doing it ourselves.’ And he was, like, ‘Okay, y’all ain’t doing nothin’.’ And I was, like, \u003ci>whoa\u003c/i>. These motherfuckers really discount us because we’re not trying to be hoe-ed or slaved out to some label.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1463px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1463\" height=\"335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984368\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns.jpg 1463w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns-160x37.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/KemeticSuns-768x176.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1463px) 100vw, 1463px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fundamentals members King Koncepts and Karma (L–R, center) and other members of the Kemetic Suns crew. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Bret Sweet)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Resourceful creativity meets police harassment\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But for those who took the time to listen, the Journeymen’s tapes as well as similar releases by San Francisco’s Bored Stiff (\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsUHUp69VXg&list=PLO5qzC_OCrlhnKRpQLJdcVjvKoiBRPwH7\">Explainin’\u003c/a>\u003c/i>), the South Bay’s Dereliks (\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7GaAj4M90Vs?si=8l0PbB_0ZWaSWMB8\">A Turn on the Wheel Is Worth More Than a Record Deal\u003c/a>\u003c/i>) and others were soulful, imaginative, and engrossing. On tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/yDM7BBFleVk?si=ksxgjNvrUWYD3xqA\">Call Ov Da Wild\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/G52NArlILxs?si=QrZMXvjtxcpugjT8\">Runnin’ Through the Swamps\u003c/a>,” the Journeymen explored their inner mind’s eye with bracing honesty, and earnestly questioned the meaning of life with ruddy melodies and slangy verses. Their music captivated thousands of local youth that couldn’t relate to the G-funk beats and thugged-out dramatics dominating mainstream rap and were inquisitive enough to seek out alternatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fundamentals’ Koncepts — who also enjoyed the likes of E-40 and DJ Quik — had just graduated from Berkeley High when he and Karma made \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuBYizoeUc\">Thirty Daze and a Plane Ticket\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, a title inspired by Koncepts’ impending move to New York to attend NYU. “I used to find it real cringey, because I’m baring my soul from the perspective of a 17 year-old kid,” says Koncepts, who now works in the music industry and runs a label, Key System Recordings. (Full disclosure: I contributed liner notes to a Key System project.) “But I think it’s really sweet. My whole life was about to change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With little in the way of media attention, save for brief items in magazines like \u003ci>Rap Pages, 4080, \u003c/i>and \u003ci>URB \u003c/i>or alt-weeklies like the \u003ci>Bay Guardian\u003c/i> that didn’t capture the scene’s growing depth, Telegraph Avenue seemed like a great place to boost much-needed awareness. It was a near-daily open bazaar, with crowds of students, tourists, and even the occasional naked person navigating streets filled with shops and street vendors. The best spot was on the corner of Durant and Telegraph, right next to Leopold’s Records before it closed in 1996.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984163\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984163\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251124-bretalexanderswet00044_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bret Alexander Sweet’s tapes, CD, and record, rest on a divider on Telegraph Avenue, where he sold his own tapes in the 1990s. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is the economics of it,” says Walt Liquor, who sold copies of his group Mixed Practice’s \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/YrzxuuVqzwU?si=WL5JhFfefhagUKyM\">Homegrown\u003c/a>\u003c/i>. Today, he’s a soundtrack producer and artist manager with several IMDB credits, most recently the Lifetime Channel movie \u003ci>Terry McMillan Presents: Preach, Pray, Love\u003c/i>. “I would go to Costco and get a whole brick of 90-minute TDK tapes for 100 bucks. Let’s say I get 100 tapes. I’d just sit there and dub them shits. I’d record them in my bedroom, having fun with my homies … and selling them for $10 a pop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Black youth solicited passersby, formed impromptu ciphers, took food breaks at Blondie’s and hung out all day outside on the street, police scrutiny inevitably followed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Before he passed away this year on August 18, Living Legends’ Asop recalled how the police harassed him for selling copies of his tapes \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/HydxuPEguR4?si=ajVNkDNIKEYq-NyP\">Who Are U\u003c/a>\u003c/i> and \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/TGsnYFjn9h8?si=2wu1k3pc-a4RU8yO\">Demonstration\u003c/a>\u003c/i>. “I remember the police started running us off Telegraph Avenue,” he told me in a 2001 \u003ci>URB\u003c/i> magazine story. “I had a box of tapes once and some money in my pocket, and it was just like I had dope. They handcuffed me, took my stuff and my money and let me go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Karma of Fundamentals was also arrested, thrown in jail, and forced to go to court and pay a fine. “The reason why they would do that is because the other vendors who were selling tie-dyed shirts or necklaces or whatever would go, like, ‘Hey, these guys don’t have a permit,’” he says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the hassles, Karma says he eventually sold thousands of tapes on Telegraph as well as on the internet, a grind that earned him a measure of respect. “Imagine being these kids who keep dreaming that one day they’ll know our name,” he says. “Even the guys who used to pick on you in high school are rolling down [the street and seeing you] and bumping your music. And they’re playing it for \u003ci>you\u003c/i>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984168\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984168\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/251125-sunspotjonz00286_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunspot Jonz shows off his hat representing Oakland on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on November 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘We couldn’t be eating ramen forever’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The formation of Living Legends in 1996 symbolized the scene’s emerging professionalism, moving from word-of-mouth house parties to more official event venues like La Peña Cultural Center. The Grouch, for one, welcomed the growth. “I feel like it’s natural. I feel like we couldn’t be eating ramen forever,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the music changed as well, shifting from the murky production and raw lyrics of the mid-’90s tapes to the clean keyboard bounce and DJ Premier-like chops that typified indie-rap toward the end of the decade, as evoked by standout Legends projects like The Grouch’s 1997 album \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0IBntZWJdvU?si=4UVygiMN-HIhURHw\">Success Is Destiny\u003c/a>\u003c/i> and Mystik Journeymen’s 1998 album \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/t2-Y236gllo?si=VoPh_3ApPeN3jcY5\">Worldwide Underground\u003c/a>\u003c/i>. Local companies like TRC Distribution catered to the rising tide, allowing local acts to press 12-inch vinyl and CDs with finished artwork — a marked upgrade from Maxell blank cassettes and hand-drawn covers. With more industry structure, the number of artists calling themselves “underground” and “indie” multiplied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when I learned that saturation isn’t always great,” says Sunspot. “If we’re going to be underground, we need to be underground \u003ci>superstars\u003c/i>. We need to be next-level underground.” That led the Legends to pursue larger venues like San Francisco’s Maritime Hall and, later in the 2000s, the national Rock the Bells festival. Still, his older fans often yearned for the “Top Ramen” glory days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had an ex-girlfriend tell me, ‘Please never do a show in an arena.’ When it’s sacred, people only want you for \u003ci>them\u003c/i>. They don’t care what that means for your career, or your longevity. They want you to be in the same box you always stayed. But the thing is, we are all artists, and we’re gonna evolve,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1802px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1802\" height=\"1224\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984363\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001.jpg 1802w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/MJ-VARIOUS_0001-1536x1043.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1802px) 100vw, 1802px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Out of the warehouse and onto the stage: Mystik Journeymen live. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunspot Jonz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Today, original copies of Mystik Journeymen’s sundry demo tapes, Fundamentals’ \u003ci>Thirty Daze and a Plane Ticket\u003c/i> and Hobo Junction’s \u003ci>Limited Edition\u003c/i> trade for up to hundreds of dollars. For collectors and rap scholars, the Bay’s underground era yielded a rich source of creativity. However, its cult status means that many people don’t know or appreciate how much those artists contributed to local music history. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I look back on it from 30 years, every single hip-hop household name has been built by a major label, and if there’s one or two exceptions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967904/watch-larussell-pay-tribute-to-the-bay-during-his-tiny-desk-concert\">LaRussell\u003c/a>, that speaks to my point,” says The Grouch, who rues that the streaming economy tends to reward major label stars. “We were not able to touch on a household name level, and so that affects business, and the power you have in the industry.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps it’s ironic that the heroes of the Bay Area underground, who once valued their distance from the music industry, now struggle to be taken seriously as artists because of it. But it’s also an opportunity: the ’90s Bay Area hip-hop underground is now ripe for discovery by anyone looking for an alternative to the rap mainstream. As the Grouch puts it, “I still say we’re the most underground, independent crew to ever do it, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for Sunspot, who now operates as a multi-disciplinary artist and cultural strategist, he continues to carry the ethos he honed on Telegraph Avenue, applying the same formula to his current projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll never lose that spirit,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-best-bay-area-albums-of-2025",
"title": "The 20 Best Bay Area Albums of 2025",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, we’re looking back on the best art, music, food, movies and more from the year. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/best-of-2025\">See our entire Best of 2025 guide here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The year is almost over, and we’re working on our resolutions. Out: passively listening to algorithm-driven, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13982572/ai-is-coming-for-the-music-industry-how-will-artists-adapt\">AI-infested playlists\u003c/a>. In: letting the talented artists in your community move, surprise and even challenge you, restoring your faith in humanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether making hip-hop, punk, salsa or spiritual jazz, Bay Area artists didn’t disappoint this year. The KQED Arts & Culture team and contributors combed through 2025’s releases to bring you our favorite local music of the year. Turn up the volume and hit play. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6fiG4ui62dDneZQjMFh8ha?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Jamel Griot, \u003cem>Sincerely, Jamel \u003c/em>(Remain Family Oriented Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Sincerely, Jamel\u003c/em>, Oakland rapper Jamel Griot invites us to witness his dark night of the soul, when grief cracks him open and forces him face himself, honestly and unflinchingly. Griot punctuates hard-hitting verses over contemplative, jazzy beats with diary entries, revealing how serial one-night stands turned into a coping mechanism, and how partying has disconnected him from his purpose. “Although you a self-centered n—, you aren’t selfish enough. Because a selfish person loves themselves,” he reads aloud from his journal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To find his way back to himself, Griot unpacks childhood trauma with a courageous vulnerability. His lyrics illuminate a new path forward, one that invites listeners to lovingly tend to their own scars. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2YjTKpjohCKRlShBvgWHqQ?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Rabiah Kabir, \u003cem>Jezebel: Rewritten \u003c/em>(Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The song “Flute / Overture,” opens Rabiah Kabir’s \u003cem>Jezebel: Rewritten\u003c/em> with a jazzy thesis statement. Birds chirp, shakers shake and keys resonate as the flute’s flow intertwines with comments about the historical importance of the instrument and the artist’s work to dispel sexist notions about flutists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the support of a full band, Oakland’s Kabir shows a range of a flute’s sonic capabilities. The song “Fin.” showcases the wind instrument’s mysticism. “The ReZident” offers a taste of flute funk. And the dark keys and heavy drums at the start of “I Crashed My Car” create an anxious tone that is ultimately resolved, climaxing in a flute run that’s as relaxing as a field of fresh lavender. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4149894761/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kathryn Mohr, \u003cem>Waiting Room\u003c/em> (The Flenser)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A bell’s hollow rings echo through a room. Static builds. Radio noise chatters in the distance. Sea waves crash. Someone (or something) scribbles. The field recordings that populate Kathryn Mohr’s \u003cem>Waiting Room\u003c/em> — self-recorded in an abandoned fish factory in Iceland — give a sense of isolation and melancholy, capturing the anxiety of anticipation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mohr builds on those recordings using an analog synth and aching vocals, creating subtle, pinpoint-precise melodies. Following the oneiric opener “Diver,” dissonant tracks weave between guitar-driven, ’90s grunge-inspired pieces. In “Petrified,” gentle vocals evoke violent visuals that dance above finger-plucked guitar. Mohr’s full-length debut asks its listeners to find beauty in decay, to sit in feelings of discomfort without the promise of catharsis. \u003cem>— Caroline Smith\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1MTodq6IqzqFEav64mt1Jg?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Michael Sneed, \u003cem>floaters at the buzzer!\u003c/em> (Michael Sneed/Create Music Group)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Attention spans might be shrinking because of TikTok and Instagram, but rapper and producer Michael Sneed’s \u003cem>floaters at the buzzer!\u003c/em> beckons to be heard from start to finish. “I’ll be your guide, I got you,” Sneed croons on the opening track. From there he puffs out his chest on “blend*” featuring Bay Area trailblazer P-Lo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On “town sh!t 4ever!,” Sneed and P-Lo reinterpret a classic by sampling Mistah F.A.B.’s legendary “N.E.W. Oakland.” The song features Ovrkast. and wrestles with the tension of being pushed out of your hometown yet still trying to love it despite the struggles. This contradiction crescendos with “still ain’t die!,” a trumpet-laced proclamation of the life Sneed and his kin insist on, in spite of the forces conspiring against their thriving. \u003cem>— Sarah O’Neal\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=106152191/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>John Elliott, \u003cem>I Am John Mayer\u003c/em> (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When John Michael Mayer started making music in the Y2K era, he faced a problem: There was another musician on the internet named John Mayer. Vowing to battle for name recognition and acclaim in the public arena, he released song after song, none as schlocky as “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” and lost the fight. Now, the San Francisco musician forced to rechristen himself John Elliott has told the story in a catchy, cleverly written title track, “I Am John Mayer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Possessed of a Jonathan Richman sincerity and a John Darnielle expressiveness, Elliott’s a wide-eyed everyman who soaks up and sings about the world’s joys and pains alike. (Recall his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13912499/song-jfk-drive-car-free-board-of-supervisors-sf\">one-minute song to elected officials about keeping JFK Drive car-free\u003c/a>.) On \u003cem>I Am John Mayer\u003c/em> (currently only available \u003ca href=\"https://www.thehereafterishere.com/store/p/i-am-john-mayer-digital-download\">through his website\u003c/a>, and coming soon to streaming), he’s in top form, including the heartstring-pulling “Out Here,” a plea to an unborn child hesitant to enter the world. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2rPy6g5DGQBsb7g96xXFGI?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Jane Handcock, \u003cem>It’s Me, Not You \u003c/em>(Death Row Records/gamma.)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>It’s Me, Not You\u003c/em> marks a well-deserved ascent for Jane Handcock, the mega-talented Richmond-raised vocalist who’s spent years behind the scenes, penning lyrics for R&B and hip-hop greats like Kelly Rowland, Rick Ross, Tyrese and Teddy Riley. Now signed to the venerable Death Row Records, Handcock delivered a finely crafted album for the grown-and-sexy lover girls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effervescent mood of “Stare At Me” featuring Anderson .Paak feels like eclectic sliding through the clouds. The funky, horn-driven “Can’t Let Go” drips with sex appeal, and on “For the Views” — a missive to social-media lurkers — Handcock conjures the atmosphere of a smoke-filled lounge where one might exchange a furtive glance over the rim of a martini glass. \u003cem>It’s Me, Not You\u003c/em> proves Handcock has earned her spotlight and will continue to hold our attention for a long time. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=97838322/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spiritual Cramp, \u003ci>Rude\u003c/i> (Blue Grape Music)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“What if I went back home to the Bay where I belong? / In the heart of San Francisco, just an hour away from home,” Spiritual Cramp’s Michael Bingham sings on “True Love (Is Hard To Find).” It’s the premise for \u003cem>Rude\u003c/em>, an eloquent new-wave punk love letter to the city that still holds the keys to his soul, even though he’s moved away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Produced by the accomplished John Congleton, \u003cem>Rude\u003c/em> wears that heart on its sleeve at every turn, from the tantalizing melodies of “Automatic” to the endearingly self-deprecating “At My Funeral.” Sharon Van Etten guests on the gleaming “You’ve Got My Number,” a highlight within what should go down as a breakout effort for Spiritual Cramp, who are primed for big things in 2026. \u003cem>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2XeGkDrU1IX9hlqEId3GS3?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Various Artists, \u003cem>Salsa de la Bahia Vol. III: Renegade Queens\u003c/em> (Patois Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s rare indeed when an album makes you rethink the history of a genre, but by focusing on female salsa and Latin jazz artists, \u003cem>Salsa de la Bahia Vol. III: Renegade Queens\u003c/em> offers a deeply informed alternative view of the evolution of Latin music in the Bay Area. Without a dominant group to shape the rhythmic currents, the Bay Area Latin music scene has always cast a wide net. This two-disc anthology shows that same pan-Latin forces at work, showcasing excellent work by women from Venezuela, Cuba, Chile and Colombia and the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both discs open with new music showcasing a brilliant cross-section of women players, many of whom lead their own bands. But it’s tracks like “Cosmo” by the Blazing Redheads, an all-female septet that coalesced at the end of the 1980s with a dance-inducing combination of jazz, funk and Latin beats, that make \u003cem>Renegade Queens\u003c/em> a continual source of delight. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/22nSF43OqkoSheKO58Fie1?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lil Yee, \u003cem>Life After Death\u003c/em> (G-Affair/Empire)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“They say death is a deep sleep / Wake me up, it ain’t my time,” says San Francisco’s Lil Yee on \u003cem>Life After Death\u003c/em>. After being shot in March of this year, Yee’s latest project illustrates his pain, his family’s love and his devotion to a higher power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He brings the audience into the hospital on “ICU” as he describes the feeling of flatlining. Yee yearns for romantic love on “Love Me FRFR,” and he stunts on tracks with Veeze, 22nd Jim and EBK Jaaybo. On “Chopper Zone,” Yee paints the perils of his community. “Wicked Man” is a blues song about sinister things happening to benevolent people. And on “Sunday Morning,” Yee shares his resilient mindstate after the shooting, and how he’s persevering through it all. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2185729243/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spellling, \u003cem>Portrait of My Heart\u003c/em> (Sacred Bones)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Portrait of My Heart\u003c/em>, Oakland art-pop luminary Spellling strips away ornate theatricality for punchy guitar rock that speaks straight into the soul of anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast: “I don’t belong here,” she wails on the title track, which simmers with inner turmoil before boiling over into a cathartic crescendo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sharply written album is a cinematic ride through alienation and grief. Spellling pushes the limits of her voice to belt, whisper and growl as she delicately unravels thorny emotions such as shame and fear, letting herself bleed as she narrates her internal battles. Guitarist Wyatt Overson’s distortion-heavy riffs and anthemic solos add weight to the gut punch of Spellling’s lyrical intensity. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2577981795/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Arts and Crafts, \u003cem>1000 Dancing Devils\u003c/em> (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Prog jazz meets math rock meets influences from South Asia and North Africa in Arts and Crafts’ \u003cem>1000 Dancing Devils\u003c/em>. Guitarist Noam Teyssier, bassist Nadia Aquil and drummer Jeff Klein \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/arts-crafts-1000-dancing-devils-review-ngo-core-2q9oc/\">say their inspirations span\u003c/a> Moroccan ouds, Bollywood films and the band Phish — specifically for the track “Roti,” the three-over-four rhythm from Phish’s “Buried Alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sounds originate from the San Francisco and Oakland band’s own communities and diasporas, combining and transmuting to form the groovy, upbeat album: Psychedelic opener “Oö” gives way to the cymbal crashes and pulsing surf rock of “Sidi Bouzid.” Named after a Moroccan city of Teyssier’s childhood, that track ends with a sample of the very musicians who played at Teyssier’s wedding. It’s personal and universal and wholly Bay Area. Blast the album during a winding car ride along the California coast, and you’ll find your head nodding, fingers reaching out of the open window to tap along. \u003cem>— Caroline Smith\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2693444777/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Andrés Miguel Cervantes, \u003cem>Songs for the Seance\u003c/em> (Speakeasy Studios SF)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Andrés Miguel Cervantes is a Western desperado whose journeys through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and up the coast are at the crux of his latest album. \u003cem>Songs for the Seance\u003c/em> sounds like Hermanos Gutierrez backing Sturgill Simpson, and this is rarified air for a Bay Area artist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recorded on eight-track tape, sinister guitar, omnipresent pedal steel and twangy violin, garnished with harmonica, guide Cervantes’ rugged baritone staccato. “I saw the devil’s eyes in me,” the Oaklander laments on the title track, pleading to marauding spirits that he’s passionately trying to harness. It’s one of many wonderfully constructed tunes on an album that reveals Cervantes’ gifts as an essential emerging storyteller. \u003cem>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1253547124/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cole Pulice, \u003cem>Land’s End Eternal \u003c/em>(Leaving Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cole Pulice’s work this decade showed improvisers all over the world a way forward for Coltrane-inspired spiritual-jazz saxophone, culminating in the pitch-shifted frenzy of 2023’s longform odyssey “If I Don’t See You in the Future, I’ll See You in the Pasture.” On their new album \u003cem>Land’s End Eternal\u003c/em>, the Oakland improviser takes a breather, pairing the first scratchings of their journey as a guitarist with gentle saxophone leads that snake across the stereo field like the cliff-hugging trails of the album’s namesake park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pulice cited Bay Area art-music legends Pauline Oliveros and Terry Riley as inspirations for their meditative approach on this record, but it’s guided just as much by the ineffable something that rolls in with the fog every night. \u003cem>— Daniel Bromfield\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1fHEmXGVuCHiRI10E9gybP?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Kevin Allen, \u003cem>Mr. Nobody\u003c/em> (Grand Nationxl/Create Music Group)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Fuck the middleman, I had to do it myself.” So begins Kevin Allen’s \u003cem>Mr. Nobody\u003c/em>, a 10-song manifesto from one of the Bay’s most prolific and underrated rappers. At this stage in his career, Allen’s got nothing more to prove, evidenced by the risk-taking on the breezy, exploratory R&B of his 2024 album \u003cem>Don’t Overthink It\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This time around, Allen’s the grown lyricist claiming his spot at the Bay Area table, with a well-earned chip on his shoulder (“My baby mama only one who came to my court date,” he raps on “F.W.W.I.D.”). Add an undercurrent of gospel, a dash of the cinematic and a sidearm pitch of romance in the eighth inning (“Put You First”), and you’ve got a solid album with Allen’s voice and vision front and center — no middleman needed. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=658546348/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Raven, \u003cem>Gnosis\u003c/em> (Incienso)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There’s certain music that timelessly soundtracks a pensive nighttime stroll in the big city. Everything but the Girl’s \u003cem>Walking Wounded\u003c/em> inspires you to find a dance floor and spill your emotions, while Adam F’s \u003cem>Colours\u003c/em> invites you to seek harmony in the chaos of your surroundings. San Francisco producer Raven’s \u003cem>Gnosis\u003c/em> (out on NYC’s Incienso label) has a similar spirit, emphasizing the organic sensory experiences of urban life amid an increasingly tech-saturated landscape: the moisture in the air, cold pavement, tall buildings, lights that flicker and thousands of people with their hands in their pockets making their way across town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wrapped in synths and dark textures, Raven’s ambient techno begs us to dance, but ultimately stays grounded in an IDM sensibility — like floating above a wormhole into a mysterious other side and winning the battle against its gravitational pull. \u003cem>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/47NKcUIh3dBEfKgCfIV475?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>demahjiae, \u003cem>what do you hear when you pray?\u003c/em> (Yalé/Empire)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“How is this for alternative?” demahjiae begins, pushing back on being pigeonholed as an artist. \u003cem>what do you hear when you pray?\u003c/em> releases the expectation to have answers, offering a litany of questions instead. In a time when many stereotype the Bay Area as having a single sound, demahjiae puts his foot down, stubbornly crafting on his terms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He turns away from the pressure of people and towards the support of a higher power, echoing that in the end “God got me” on “Silver Surfer.” “a ladder to the sky” concludes with keys and violin strings that break through like sun rays shattering rainclouds. “The north star don’t shine on the east too much,” he professes. Yet despite the exhaustion of insisting on a truth few recognize, in defense of a home many denigrate, demahjiae presses on, holding up a mirror to his own contradictions while casting prayers to soften the path.\u003cem> — Sarah O’Neal\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2076548456/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hook-Ups, \u003cem>Hook-Ups Presents… Hkup \u003c/em>(Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hook-Ups, the slacker-rock solo project of Castro Valley-based Maxwell Carver, released its most ambitious work yet in the half-hour LP \u003cem>Hook-Ups Presents… Hkup\u003c/em>. After a jingle plays for the fictional radio station HKUP, DJ Scotty2Shoes (voiced by Carver) wishes listeners good morning, introducing himself and his high-pitched, possibly avian co-host Jimmy (also Carver) as the Hook-Ups track “Crawlin’” plays underneath. The gambit is that we’re tuning into Scotty2Shoes’ radio hour as he sets up — and distracts us from — all-new Hook-Ups songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the musical interludes — or, rather, the album — indie rock earworms like “Wcyd?” stand out with hypnotic loops of guitar and keys as backing vocals whisper and repeat. Meanwhile, in the album’s spoken parts, Scotty gives traffic updates on I-880, takes staticky local calls and needles Jimmy about his love life. Jimmy eventually leaves the show in anger, catalyzing the album’s second half: Jimmy’s replacement Albert (still Carver) asks Scotty to “turn that shit up” by way of introducing “Fine Whine.” And to win Jimmy back, Scotty plays Hook-Ups’ ebullient cover of Dion and the Belmonts’ 1959 “A Teenager in Love” — winning over, too, listeners who might’ve been initially unsure about the album’s out-there concept. \u003cem>— Caroline Smith\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2396630951/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Beth Schenck, \u003cem>Dahlia\u003c/em> (Queen Bee Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Part of the extraordinary 12/12 project spearheaded by Berkeley bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, which has released a dozen albums by improvisation-powered Bay Area ensembles, San Francisco alto saxophonist Beth Schenck’s \u003cem>Dahlia\u003c/em> is among the most striking blooms in this artfully curated garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Best known for her folk and chamber-jazz work with Jenny Scheinman, Schenck possesses a bright, gleaming tone and divergent impulses as a composer. Featuring a formidable cast with Mezzacappa, drummer Jordan Glenn, Cory Wright on tenor sax and bass clarinet and Schenck’s husband Matt Wrobel on guitar, \u003cem>Dahlia\u003c/em> toggles between Ornette Coleman-inspired laments (“Every Riven Thing”), tender tone poems (“Wayne’s Gone”) and sinuous, multi-layered investigations (“Playground”). Each mode contains its own particular rewards, starting with the sheer beauty of her sound. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0jHqElEG9tMkgMXk3IKQrV?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Miles Minnick, \u003cem>Via Dolorosa\u003c/em> (Glo/Empire)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Via Dolorosa\u003c/em>, Miles Minnick, a former youth pastor from Pittsburg, cooks up some traditional West Coast hip-hop without using a single cuss word. There’s praise and affirmations, melodic hooks and that trademark Bay Area blap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Minnick taps Brooke Valentine and Lacrae for features, as well as the Bay Area’s own G-Eazy, E-40 and Kamiyah. Keak Da Sneak is on “Bout Time,” which pulls from his 2003 track “Know What I’m Talking About.” And Mistah F.A.B. is on “Sick Wid It,” a retake of 2005’s “Super Sic Wit It.” Minnick samples Mac Dre’s “Not My Job” but shares a message that differs from Furl’s. “It’s not my job, can’t judge you / Live different, but we still gon’ love you,” Minnick says, summarizing the album’s ethos. The project, the fourth from Minnick in the past two years, is evidence that he’s making religious rap more relatable, not condescending — and he’s doing so without watering down the beats. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3695116657/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Various Artists, \u003cem>Bay Area Renegade Trax Vol. 2 \u003c/em>(No Bias)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re searching for the pulse of the Bay Area’s underground electronic music scene, look no further than \u003cem>Bay Area Renegade Trax Vol. 2\u003c/em>, a compilation featuring 31 eccentric, eclectic DJs and producers put together by local label No Bias.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These high-BPM bangers by artists including Bored Lord, Bastiengoat and DJ Juanny span house, juke, garage, drum and bass and more. They’re dirty, gritty and elastic — a rebuke to background music, and a manifesto for dancing at the forest rave until the sun comes up. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "The 20 Best Bay Area Albums of 2025 | KQED",
"description": "Whether working in hip-hop, spiritual jazz or punk, Bay Area artists didn't disappoint this year. ",
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"headline": "The 20 Best Bay Area Albums of 2025",
"datePublished": "2025-12-01T12:25:45-08:00",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, we’re looking back on the best art, music, food, movies and more from the year. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/best-of-2025\">See our entire Best of 2025 guide here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The year is almost over, and we’re working on our resolutions. Out: passively listening to algorithm-driven, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13982572/ai-is-coming-for-the-music-industry-how-will-artists-adapt\">AI-infested playlists\u003c/a>. In: letting the talented artists in your community move, surprise and even challenge you, restoring your faith in humanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether making hip-hop, punk, salsa or spiritual jazz, Bay Area artists didn’t disappoint this year. The KQED Arts & Culture team and contributors combed through 2025’s releases to bring you our favorite local music of the year. Turn up the volume and hit play. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6fiG4ui62dDneZQjMFh8ha?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Jamel Griot, \u003cem>Sincerely, Jamel \u003c/em>(Remain Family Oriented Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Sincerely, Jamel\u003c/em>, Oakland rapper Jamel Griot invites us to witness his dark night of the soul, when grief cracks him open and forces him face himself, honestly and unflinchingly. Griot punctuates hard-hitting verses over contemplative, jazzy beats with diary entries, revealing how serial one-night stands turned into a coping mechanism, and how partying has disconnected him from his purpose. “Although you a self-centered n—, you aren’t selfish enough. Because a selfish person loves themselves,” he reads aloud from his journal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To find his way back to himself, Griot unpacks childhood trauma with a courageous vulnerability. His lyrics illuminate a new path forward, one that invites listeners to lovingly tend to their own scars. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2YjTKpjohCKRlShBvgWHqQ?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Rabiah Kabir, \u003cem>Jezebel: Rewritten \u003c/em>(Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The song “Flute / Overture,” opens Rabiah Kabir’s \u003cem>Jezebel: Rewritten\u003c/em> with a jazzy thesis statement. Birds chirp, shakers shake and keys resonate as the flute’s flow intertwines with comments about the historical importance of the instrument and the artist’s work to dispel sexist notions about flutists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the support of a full band, Oakland’s Kabir shows a range of a flute’s sonic capabilities. The song “Fin.” showcases the wind instrument’s mysticism. “The ReZident” offers a taste of flute funk. And the dark keys and heavy drums at the start of “I Crashed My Car” create an anxious tone that is ultimately resolved, climaxing in a flute run that’s as relaxing as a field of fresh lavender. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4149894761/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kathryn Mohr, \u003cem>Waiting Room\u003c/em> (The Flenser)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A bell’s hollow rings echo through a room. Static builds. Radio noise chatters in the distance. Sea waves crash. Someone (or something) scribbles. The field recordings that populate Kathryn Mohr’s \u003cem>Waiting Room\u003c/em> — self-recorded in an abandoned fish factory in Iceland — give a sense of isolation and melancholy, capturing the anxiety of anticipation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mohr builds on those recordings using an analog synth and aching vocals, creating subtle, pinpoint-precise melodies. Following the oneiric opener “Diver,” dissonant tracks weave between guitar-driven, ’90s grunge-inspired pieces. In “Petrified,” gentle vocals evoke violent visuals that dance above finger-plucked guitar. Mohr’s full-length debut asks its listeners to find beauty in decay, to sit in feelings of discomfort without the promise of catharsis. \u003cem>— Caroline Smith\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1MTodq6IqzqFEav64mt1Jg?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Michael Sneed, \u003cem>floaters at the buzzer!\u003c/em> (Michael Sneed/Create Music Group)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Attention spans might be shrinking because of TikTok and Instagram, but rapper and producer Michael Sneed’s \u003cem>floaters at the buzzer!\u003c/em> beckons to be heard from start to finish. “I’ll be your guide, I got you,” Sneed croons on the opening track. From there he puffs out his chest on “blend*” featuring Bay Area trailblazer P-Lo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On “town sh!t 4ever!,” Sneed and P-Lo reinterpret a classic by sampling Mistah F.A.B.’s legendary “N.E.W. Oakland.” The song features Ovrkast. and wrestles with the tension of being pushed out of your hometown yet still trying to love it despite the struggles. This contradiction crescendos with “still ain’t die!,” a trumpet-laced proclamation of the life Sneed and his kin insist on, in spite of the forces conspiring against their thriving. \u003cem>— Sarah O’Neal\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=106152191/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>John Elliott, \u003cem>I Am John Mayer\u003c/em> (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When John Michael Mayer started making music in the Y2K era, he faced a problem: There was another musician on the internet named John Mayer. Vowing to battle for name recognition and acclaim in the public arena, he released song after song, none as schlocky as “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” and lost the fight. Now, the San Francisco musician forced to rechristen himself John Elliott has told the story in a catchy, cleverly written title track, “I Am John Mayer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Possessed of a Jonathan Richman sincerity and a John Darnielle expressiveness, Elliott’s a wide-eyed everyman who soaks up and sings about the world’s joys and pains alike. (Recall his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13912499/song-jfk-drive-car-free-board-of-supervisors-sf\">one-minute song to elected officials about keeping JFK Drive car-free\u003c/a>.) On \u003cem>I Am John Mayer\u003c/em> (currently only available \u003ca href=\"https://www.thehereafterishere.com/store/p/i-am-john-mayer-digital-download\">through his website\u003c/a>, and coming soon to streaming), he’s in top form, including the heartstring-pulling “Out Here,” a plea to an unborn child hesitant to enter the world. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2rPy6g5DGQBsb7g96xXFGI?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Jane Handcock, \u003cem>It’s Me, Not You \u003c/em>(Death Row Records/gamma.)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>It’s Me, Not You\u003c/em> marks a well-deserved ascent for Jane Handcock, the mega-talented Richmond-raised vocalist who’s spent years behind the scenes, penning lyrics for R&B and hip-hop greats like Kelly Rowland, Rick Ross, Tyrese and Teddy Riley. Now signed to the venerable Death Row Records, Handcock delivered a finely crafted album for the grown-and-sexy lover girls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effervescent mood of “Stare At Me” featuring Anderson .Paak feels like eclectic sliding through the clouds. The funky, horn-driven “Can’t Let Go” drips with sex appeal, and on “For the Views” — a missive to social-media lurkers — Handcock conjures the atmosphere of a smoke-filled lounge where one might exchange a furtive glance over the rim of a martini glass. \u003cem>It’s Me, Not You\u003c/em> proves Handcock has earned her spotlight and will continue to hold our attention for a long time. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=97838322/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spiritual Cramp, \u003ci>Rude\u003c/i> (Blue Grape Music)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“What if I went back home to the Bay where I belong? / In the heart of San Francisco, just an hour away from home,” Spiritual Cramp’s Michael Bingham sings on “True Love (Is Hard To Find).” It’s the premise for \u003cem>Rude\u003c/em>, an eloquent new-wave punk love letter to the city that still holds the keys to his soul, even though he’s moved away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Produced by the accomplished John Congleton, \u003cem>Rude\u003c/em> wears that heart on its sleeve at every turn, from the tantalizing melodies of “Automatic” to the endearingly self-deprecating “At My Funeral.” Sharon Van Etten guests on the gleaming “You’ve Got My Number,” a highlight within what should go down as a breakout effort for Spiritual Cramp, who are primed for big things in 2026. \u003cem>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2XeGkDrU1IX9hlqEId3GS3?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Various Artists, \u003cem>Salsa de la Bahia Vol. III: Renegade Queens\u003c/em> (Patois Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s rare indeed when an album makes you rethink the history of a genre, but by focusing on female salsa and Latin jazz artists, \u003cem>Salsa de la Bahia Vol. III: Renegade Queens\u003c/em> offers a deeply informed alternative view of the evolution of Latin music in the Bay Area. Without a dominant group to shape the rhythmic currents, the Bay Area Latin music scene has always cast a wide net. This two-disc anthology shows that same pan-Latin forces at work, showcasing excellent work by women from Venezuela, Cuba, Chile and Colombia and the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both discs open with new music showcasing a brilliant cross-section of women players, many of whom lead their own bands. But it’s tracks like “Cosmo” by the Blazing Redheads, an all-female septet that coalesced at the end of the 1980s with a dance-inducing combination of jazz, funk and Latin beats, that make \u003cem>Renegade Queens\u003c/em> a continual source of delight. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/22nSF43OqkoSheKO58Fie1?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lil Yee, \u003cem>Life After Death\u003c/em> (G-Affair/Empire)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“They say death is a deep sleep / Wake me up, it ain’t my time,” says San Francisco’s Lil Yee on \u003cem>Life After Death\u003c/em>. After being shot in March of this year, Yee’s latest project illustrates his pain, his family’s love and his devotion to a higher power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He brings the audience into the hospital on “ICU” as he describes the feeling of flatlining. Yee yearns for romantic love on “Love Me FRFR,” and he stunts on tracks with Veeze, 22nd Jim and EBK Jaaybo. On “Chopper Zone,” Yee paints the perils of his community. “Wicked Man” is a blues song about sinister things happening to benevolent people. And on “Sunday Morning,” Yee shares his resilient mindstate after the shooting, and how he’s persevering through it all. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2185729243/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spellling, \u003cem>Portrait of My Heart\u003c/em> (Sacred Bones)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Portrait of My Heart\u003c/em>, Oakland art-pop luminary Spellling strips away ornate theatricality for punchy guitar rock that speaks straight into the soul of anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast: “I don’t belong here,” she wails on the title track, which simmers with inner turmoil before boiling over into a cathartic crescendo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sharply written album is a cinematic ride through alienation and grief. Spellling pushes the limits of her voice to belt, whisper and growl as she delicately unravels thorny emotions such as shame and fear, letting herself bleed as she narrates her internal battles. Guitarist Wyatt Overson’s distortion-heavy riffs and anthemic solos add weight to the gut punch of Spellling’s lyrical intensity. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2577981795/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Arts and Crafts, \u003cem>1000 Dancing Devils\u003c/em> (Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Prog jazz meets math rock meets influences from South Asia and North Africa in Arts and Crafts’ \u003cem>1000 Dancing Devils\u003c/em>. Guitarist Noam Teyssier, bassist Nadia Aquil and drummer Jeff Klein \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/arts-crafts-1000-dancing-devils-review-ngo-core-2q9oc/\">say their inspirations span\u003c/a> Moroccan ouds, Bollywood films and the band Phish — specifically for the track “Roti,” the three-over-four rhythm from Phish’s “Buried Alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sounds originate from the San Francisco and Oakland band’s own communities and diasporas, combining and transmuting to form the groovy, upbeat album: Psychedelic opener “Oö” gives way to the cymbal crashes and pulsing surf rock of “Sidi Bouzid.” Named after a Moroccan city of Teyssier’s childhood, that track ends with a sample of the very musicians who played at Teyssier’s wedding. It’s personal and universal and wholly Bay Area. Blast the album during a winding car ride along the California coast, and you’ll find your head nodding, fingers reaching out of the open window to tap along. \u003cem>— Caroline Smith\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2693444777/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Andrés Miguel Cervantes, \u003cem>Songs for the Seance\u003c/em> (Speakeasy Studios SF)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Andrés Miguel Cervantes is a Western desperado whose journeys through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and up the coast are at the crux of his latest album. \u003cem>Songs for the Seance\u003c/em> sounds like Hermanos Gutierrez backing Sturgill Simpson, and this is rarified air for a Bay Area artist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recorded on eight-track tape, sinister guitar, omnipresent pedal steel and twangy violin, garnished with harmonica, guide Cervantes’ rugged baritone staccato. “I saw the devil’s eyes in me,” the Oaklander laments on the title track, pleading to marauding spirits that he’s passionately trying to harness. It’s one of many wonderfully constructed tunes on an album that reveals Cervantes’ gifts as an essential emerging storyteller. \u003cem>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1253547124/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cole Pulice, \u003cem>Land’s End Eternal \u003c/em>(Leaving Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Cole Pulice’s work this decade showed improvisers all over the world a way forward for Coltrane-inspired spiritual-jazz saxophone, culminating in the pitch-shifted frenzy of 2023’s longform odyssey “If I Don’t See You in the Future, I’ll See You in the Pasture.” On their new album \u003cem>Land’s End Eternal\u003c/em>, the Oakland improviser takes a breather, pairing the first scratchings of their journey as a guitarist with gentle saxophone leads that snake across the stereo field like the cliff-hugging trails of the album’s namesake park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pulice cited Bay Area art-music legends Pauline Oliveros and Terry Riley as inspirations for their meditative approach on this record, but it’s guided just as much by the ineffable something that rolls in with the fog every night. \u003cem>— Daniel Bromfield\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1fHEmXGVuCHiRI10E9gybP?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Kevin Allen, \u003cem>Mr. Nobody\u003c/em> (Grand Nationxl/Create Music Group)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Fuck the middleman, I had to do it myself.” So begins Kevin Allen’s \u003cem>Mr. Nobody\u003c/em>, a 10-song manifesto from one of the Bay’s most prolific and underrated rappers. At this stage in his career, Allen’s got nothing more to prove, evidenced by the risk-taking on the breezy, exploratory R&B of his 2024 album \u003cem>Don’t Overthink It\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This time around, Allen’s the grown lyricist claiming his spot at the Bay Area table, with a well-earned chip on his shoulder (“My baby mama only one who came to my court date,” he raps on “F.W.W.I.D.”). Add an undercurrent of gospel, a dash of the cinematic and a sidearm pitch of romance in the eighth inning (“Put You First”), and you’ve got a solid album with Allen’s voice and vision front and center — no middleman needed. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=658546348/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Raven, \u003cem>Gnosis\u003c/em> (Incienso)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There’s certain music that timelessly soundtracks a pensive nighttime stroll in the big city. Everything but the Girl’s \u003cem>Walking Wounded\u003c/em> inspires you to find a dance floor and spill your emotions, while Adam F’s \u003cem>Colours\u003c/em> invites you to seek harmony in the chaos of your surroundings. San Francisco producer Raven’s \u003cem>Gnosis\u003c/em> (out on NYC’s Incienso label) has a similar spirit, emphasizing the organic sensory experiences of urban life amid an increasingly tech-saturated landscape: the moisture in the air, cold pavement, tall buildings, lights that flicker and thousands of people with their hands in their pockets making their way across town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wrapped in synths and dark textures, Raven’s ambient techno begs us to dance, but ultimately stays grounded in an IDM sensibility — like floating above a wormhole into a mysterious other side and winning the battle against its gravitational pull. \u003cem>— Adrian Spinelli\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/47NKcUIh3dBEfKgCfIV475?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>demahjiae, \u003cem>what do you hear when you pray?\u003c/em> (Yalé/Empire)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“How is this for alternative?” demahjiae begins, pushing back on being pigeonholed as an artist. \u003cem>what do you hear when you pray?\u003c/em> releases the expectation to have answers, offering a litany of questions instead. In a time when many stereotype the Bay Area as having a single sound, demahjiae puts his foot down, stubbornly crafting on his terms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He turns away from the pressure of people and towards the support of a higher power, echoing that in the end “God got me” on “Silver Surfer.” “a ladder to the sky” concludes with keys and violin strings that break through like sun rays shattering rainclouds. “The north star don’t shine on the east too much,” he professes. Yet despite the exhaustion of insisting on a truth few recognize, in defense of a home many denigrate, demahjiae presses on, holding up a mirror to his own contradictions while casting prayers to soften the path.\u003cem> — Sarah O’Neal\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2076548456/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hook-Ups, \u003cem>Hook-Ups Presents… Hkup \u003c/em>(Self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hook-Ups, the slacker-rock solo project of Castro Valley-based Maxwell Carver, released its most ambitious work yet in the half-hour LP \u003cem>Hook-Ups Presents… Hkup\u003c/em>. After a jingle plays for the fictional radio station HKUP, DJ Scotty2Shoes (voiced by Carver) wishes listeners good morning, introducing himself and his high-pitched, possibly avian co-host Jimmy (also Carver) as the Hook-Ups track “Crawlin’” plays underneath. The gambit is that we’re tuning into Scotty2Shoes’ radio hour as he sets up — and distracts us from — all-new Hook-Ups songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the musical interludes — or, rather, the album — indie rock earworms like “Wcyd?” stand out with hypnotic loops of guitar and keys as backing vocals whisper and repeat. Meanwhile, in the album’s spoken parts, Scotty gives traffic updates on I-880, takes staticky local calls and needles Jimmy about his love life. Jimmy eventually leaves the show in anger, catalyzing the album’s second half: Jimmy’s replacement Albert (still Carver) asks Scotty to “turn that shit up” by way of introducing “Fine Whine.” And to win Jimmy back, Scotty plays Hook-Ups’ ebullient cover of Dion and the Belmonts’ 1959 “A Teenager in Love” — winning over, too, listeners who might’ve been initially unsure about the album’s out-there concept. \u003cem>— Caroline Smith\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2396630951/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Beth Schenck, \u003cem>Dahlia\u003c/em> (Queen Bee Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Part of the extraordinary 12/12 project spearheaded by Berkeley bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, which has released a dozen albums by improvisation-powered Bay Area ensembles, San Francisco alto saxophonist Beth Schenck’s \u003cem>Dahlia\u003c/em> is among the most striking blooms in this artfully curated garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Best known for her folk and chamber-jazz work with Jenny Scheinman, Schenck possesses a bright, gleaming tone and divergent impulses as a composer. Featuring a formidable cast with Mezzacappa, drummer Jordan Glenn, Cory Wright on tenor sax and bass clarinet and Schenck’s husband Matt Wrobel on guitar, \u003cem>Dahlia\u003c/em> toggles between Ornette Coleman-inspired laments (“Every Riven Thing”), tender tone poems (“Wayne’s Gone”) and sinuous, multi-layered investigations (“Playground”). Each mode contains its own particular rewards, starting with the sheer beauty of her sound. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0jHqElEG9tMkgMXk3IKQrV?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" 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>Miles Minnick, \u003cem>Via Dolorosa\u003c/em> (Glo/Empire)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Via Dolorosa\u003c/em>, Miles Minnick, a former youth pastor from Pittsburg, cooks up some traditional West Coast hip-hop without using a single cuss word. There’s praise and affirmations, melodic hooks and that trademark Bay Area blap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Minnick taps Brooke Valentine and Lacrae for features, as well as the Bay Area’s own G-Eazy, E-40 and Kamiyah. Keak Da Sneak is on “Bout Time,” which pulls from his 2003 track “Know What I’m Talking About.” And Mistah F.A.B. is on “Sick Wid It,” a retake of 2005’s “Super Sic Wit It.” Minnick samples Mac Dre’s “Not My Job” but shares a message that differs from Furl’s. “It’s not my job, can’t judge you / Live different, but we still gon’ love you,” Minnick says, summarizing the album’s ethos. The project, the fourth from Minnick in the past two years, is evidence that he’s making religious rap more relatable, not condescending — and he’s doing so without watering down the beats. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3695116657/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Various Artists, \u003cem>Bay Area Renegade Trax Vol. 2 \u003c/em>(No Bias)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re searching for the pulse of the Bay Area’s underground electronic music scene, look no further than \u003cem>Bay Area Renegade Trax Vol. 2\u003c/em>, a compilation featuring 31 eccentric, eclectic DJs and producers put together by local label No Bias.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Spice 1 Talks Growing Up in Hayward, Running From Cops and Breakin’ at the Mall",
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"content": "\u003cp>Spice 1 is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area rap\u003c/a> legend. Born Robert Lee Greene Jr., he first became interested in rapping after watching Ice-T in the 1980s movies \u003cem>Breakin’\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Rappin’\u003c/em>. As a teenager, he was taken under \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>’s wing, joined the Dangerous Crew and signed to Jive Records, releasing six albums under the label throughout the 1990s. Incredibly prolific since, his latest album is \u003cem>Platinum O.G. 2\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of his headlining set at the third annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/publicsf/events/3rd-annual-history-of-the-bay-day-159082?utm_source=publicsf&utm_medium=venuewebsite\">History of the Bay party on Sunday, Nov. 9\u003c/a> at Public Works in San Francisco (which includes appearances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">Too Short\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13836150/the-power-of-taking-up-space-at-marshawn-lynchs-oakland-rideout\">Marshawn Lynch\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10489213/a-day-in-the-life-with-breakout-bay-area-rappers-hbk-gang\">Iamsu\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/lyrics-born\">Lyrics Born\u003c/a> and others) Joshua Minsoo Kim spoke with Spice 1 to discuss his upbringing in Hayward, breakdancing at the mall, running from the cops, meeting Too Short and picking up the mic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An abridged Q&A appears below; read the full, unedited interview at \u003ca href=\"https://toneglow.substack.com/p/tone-glow-146-spice-1\">Tone Glow\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRJA2YrA6qI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joshua Minsoo Kim:\u003c/strong> How’s your day been?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Spice 1:\u003c/strong> Man, I’m good. I just woke up from a nap. I gotta take that OG nap, y’know what I’m sayin’? You don’t take that OG nap at 12 or 1 o’clock, you’re not gonna make it to 9 (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). You gotta get that extra energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I saw online that you were born in Corsicana, Texas. How long were you there for?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was born in Bryan, Texas. College Station. Texas A&M, that area. It’s about 100 miles outside of Houston. I don’t think I even turned one year old before I got to California. And we was living in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I wanted to ask about your family. I know your dad was a poet and that his dad was a poet, too. Did you grow up reading or hearing your father’s poetry when you were a kid? Was that a thing he would do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, he’d show me his poems. His poetry was kind of like my raps. He was really militant (\u003cem>laughs\u003c/em>). He would speak at Black Panther events sometimes. He would go to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cwmorse.org/uhuruhouse/\">Uhuru House\u003c/a> in East Oakland and speak while I would be getting my haircut down the street. First time he showed me some poetry he was like, “I wrote a poem, I want you to hear it.” We were in the car and I was in the passenger seat. I don’t even remember the whole poem but I remember him starting off (\u003cem>in a loud, authoritative voice\u003c/em>) \u003cem>“N****s die! N****s think they fly, n****s gon’ die tryin’ be cool.”\u003c/em> When he said this I was like, okay, pops is crazy (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). I’m in the car trying not to laugh and he’s just like, \u003cem>“N****s die!”\u003c/em> and I’m like, oh shit, if I laugh I’d be in trouble. Like, this n**** crazy! (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His poetry was very militant and he may have written other poems but it was crazy when he showed me that one. It was dope, though. When I got older, that’s what I seen. And you probably seen it too. N****s out here dying, and not just Black dudes. \u003cem>People. N****s.\u003c/em> People are out here dying tryin’ to be cool. They gon’ be too busy looking good—when death come, they ain’t even gon’ know. What’s that song? “Imma be fly when the feds watch” or something like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13927349']\u003cstrong>That’s 2 Chainz. “Feds Watching.”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah. Basically, my dad was tellin’ me, pay attention to this shit. Don’t walk around thinkin’ you the shit. Pay attention to what’s around you. You gon’ be too busy trying to look good when death come. It had a message to it—I just caught the message years later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How old were you when he said the poem in the car?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was probably nine (\u003cem>laughs\u003c/em>). Shout out to pops. Real smart dude, real intelligent man. He showed me a lot. Shout out to Robert Greene Sr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Did you know your grandfather? He wrote poems, too.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I didn’t know he wrote poems until my dad told me, and then my sisters, my cousins do spoken word. It was amazing to know that. My sisters and cousins do spoken word and they’re really good too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Older or younger?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Older sister.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8K31tTV554\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What was it like growing up in the Greene household?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dad and mom split up when I was two or three, and when I was nine or ten years old, my mom remarried and I got my crazy-ass step-dad. My real dad lived in Oakland and we lived in Hayward. And it was like how \u003cem>Boyz n the Hood\u003c/em> was. My dad had the same orange Volkswagen convertible. The \u003cem>same\u003c/em> car. And he would act exactly how Tre’s dad act. He was like that to a T. That was Robert Greene Sr.! He’d come get me in the orange Volkswagen and I would come from Hayward to Oakland. I’d see my homeboys from Oakland and, just like Tre, I’d be waitin’ for dad to go in the house so I could play. They’d be like, “Chico! What’s up man!” And my dad would always say exactly what Tre’s dad said: “Wash my car and rake them leaves up before you start playing.” The same shit! When I saw that movie, it was like the spitting image of how my father and me were.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My sister, I would try to show her my raps and she’d be like, “That shit wack, n****! Get that shit outta here!” If I could impress an older female like my sister, then I could impress anybody. But she was just saying that shit was wack even if it was dope. She said she wanted to make me better by telling me my shit was wack. And it was like, okay… it worked (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Did she ever give approval?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRJA2YrA6qI\">187 Proof\u003c/a>,” my first single—she was loving that. She was like, “Shit, well I couldn’t write like that. That was cool.” That song was a blessing to me because it raised a lot of eyebrows and turned a lot of heads my way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983524\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 599px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/R-5525685-1597856575-3411.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"599\" height=\"589\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983524\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/R-5525685-1597856575-3411.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/R-5525685-1597856575-3411-160x157.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spice 1’s debut album, released in 1992. \u003ccite>(Jive Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You had this family who were into the arts, and I know that your dad showed you The Last Poets, too. How old were you when you started rapping? I know you were in the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dangerous_Crew\">Dangerous Crew\u003c/a> in high school, but when did it all begin?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I used to breakdance, and I was in my little breakdancing crew. We was hip-hop. We’d sneak out at night and spray paint our group name on the side of the BART trains. We’d sneak on the BART like we was from New York. We’d hop on the train from Hayward to San Francisco and go to Pier 39 and we would breakdance our way to some real good money. Next thing you know, we got two or three thousand dollars in the hat, we’d split it between all of us, and we’d be on our way back home. Eventually, I seen Ice-T in the movie \u003cem>Breakin’\u003c/em>. He was on stage singing the song “Killers.” [Editor’s Note: This specific scene is from the 1985 movie Rappin’]. “Killers! Bloodthirsty killers!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was watching him and I was like, that’s dope, I wanna do that. Give me the motherfuckin’ mic and let me talk my shit! After I seen that I was like, man, Imma write some raps and I showed it to a few people and I kept on doing it. The next thing you know, I was standing up in front of crowds. I remembered all my songs and I was just gettin’ it. I had to tell my little breakdancing crew, hey, I probably won’t be doing this no more, I’m on the microphone now. And that was it. This was around 1986 I think. It was a lot going on. Hip-hop hit the nation real tough, real big. Crack hit the nation real big. Gangs hit the nation real big. Around that time, I felt like I was developing my style, so by the time ’90 came in, “187 Proof” was out. I couldn’t even buy alcohol back then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5Bdmle6CS8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What memories do you have of being in that breakdancing crew? Does anything stand out?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It gave me a sense of being on a team. Baseball and basketball is the same thing. When you’re in a breakin’ crew, you’re on a team and help each other make different moves, make up different stuff, and it shows you how to work with other people and get something accomplished. We was \u003cem>good\u003c/em>. We won some trophies! We were called Video Numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We was kind of crazy. I remember we were in a battle at the mall against Planet Poppers or something—I can’t remember the name. We had a big crowd and we was one of the hottest groups out there. We was hitting our moves and then we got into it with these dudes. A fight broke out and everything calmed down and I did a few moves and stepped out. I see my homie to the left and he’s like, “Come here!” I go over to him and he’s like, “I got a stolen car outside!” And I was like, “For real?” We go outside, I hop in the car. I’m not thinkin’. I’m \u003cem>on one\u003c/em>. We’re in the parking lot of the mall in a stolen car doing doughnuts. We burnin’ that muthafucka (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). Figure eights and all that! I just remember hearing \u003cem>skrrrt\u003c/em> and us laughing real hard and then the police got behind us. We parked the car, hopped out, and ran back into the mall and tried to mix in with the rest of the crowd. And it worked. I was like, wow, they’re probably looking for our group, we better take these hats off (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). Those years, everything was a learning experience. The bad shit and the good shit made me who I am today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s the good shit that comes to mind immediately?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Definitely when I met Too Short’s manager, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/raustin510/?hl=en\">Randy Austin\u003c/a>, through some friends at school. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">N-Tice and Barbie of the Danger Zone\u003c/a>, who are on “Don’t Fight the Feelin’,” were my friends. When you keep good relations with people, you never know what can happen or who they know or how they may be able to help. I knew this girl and we were kickin’ it and we both switched schools at the same time and she was like, “I heard you rap, my uncle is Too Short’s manager.” I was like, “Oh shit, I been knowin’ you for years, I didn’t know that.” I was always cool with her. When Short would come pick me up from school, he’d pick them up too and we’d all be in the car ride. It taught me a lot as far as building relationships with people. Shit, you never know what you gon’ get when you don’t burn bridges. Shout out to the Danger Zone. Those are my homegirls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13922616']\u003cstrong>Do you remember the first time you met Too Short and what that was like? How were you feeling?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Randy callin’ me on the phone and he was like, “What’s your name? MC Spice? We gon’ come pick you up at school tomorrow.” And I’m like, “Whatever muthafucka, who the hell is this? Fuck outta here.” I hung the phone up and then 10 minutes later, the phone rang again and my mom answered. She was like, “Chico! There’s someone named Too Short on the phone!” I get on the phone and it’s Short, saying (\u003cem>imitating his voice\u003c/em>) “Hey man, what time you get out of school?” So now I gotta be cool. This is muthafuckin’ Too Short on the phone! I’m like (\u003cem>in the coolest, most nonchalant voice\u003c/em>) “Oh, you know, I get out of school about 2:30, 3 o’clock.” And he’s like, “Okay, we gon’ come swoop you, just stand outside.” I was tryin’ be cool, and when he hung up I was like (\u003cem>five seconds of excited, cartoonish babbling\u003c/em>). It was Too Short!!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day at school, I’m tellin’ all my friends that Too Short called me. They just like, “Hell nah. No way Too Short comin’ to get you fool.” So we’re all standing there outside the school, waiting for him to pull up and sure enough, he pull up in a burgundy Biarritz convertible. White interior. He pull up and I said, “See! I told you!” He picked me up for the rest of the school year. We was hanging out and he’d take me to the studio. That experience of me being in the studio was an influence. The dude was cool as hell. I wanted to drive his car but he wouldn’t let me do that. And then I stole one and drove it over there and I was doing doughnuts in front of his house making hella noise. He opened up the door and yelled, “Chico! Get that stolen-ass car off my mama’s house n****!” I was thinking, why the fuck he think this car was stolen? But he knew damn well I stole that muthafuckin’ car. It was a Cadillac Biarritz. That’s uncle Short, man. I used to do a lot of things to impress that dude (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983519\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/21ebc59c-e340-47a4-8d61-a1b57f184627_750x421.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"421\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/21ebc59c-e340-47a4-8d61-a1b57f184627_750x421.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/21ebc59c-e340-47a4-8d61-a1b57f184627_750x421-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spice 1. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Spice 1)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I wanna talk about that first tape with the Dangerous Crew. You had “Leave It to Me” on there and there were songs by Rappin’ 4-Tay and Crazy Rak. You went from the breakin’ crew and now you were with this rap crew. What was that like? And you were still a teenager at the time.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going to school, I understood what haterism was at a very young age. A lot of my friends believed in me and was down with me from day one. But a lot of cats didn’t believe in me, even in my high school. They were doubting me and I would come through with my record and they would try their hardest to act unimpressed by this shit. It always bothered me. There’s this saying: “A prophet is never honored in his own space.” I felt the wrath of that at a young age. I felt how deep the hate could get. Many people would be trippin’ on you because they felt they should be in your position or they didn’t like that you were making it out and they not. You never know how deep it could go. And I experienced a lot of this stuff as a teen in high school. I was in school with my CD out, with Too Short and the Dangerous Crew. I was passing it out at school and you was getting a lot of looks like, yeah, whatever muthafucka. And I was like, no, it’s \u003cem>real\u003c/em> muthafucka.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The point of that, of passing out your CDs, is to get everybody to be like, “that’s him.” But I didn’t get that from my peers at school. A few of my friends was with me, but the majority was like, whatever n****. That taught me a lot right there. And even coming back with my album and passing out flyers that says I’m opening up for Eazy-E and N.W.A. I was 16. A few of my friends was like, “We comin’ through.” They started to rock with me then. They witnessed it for real. I really get down. I rocked the crowd, there was no doubt. There was no boos. They might’ve tried to talk shit before I started rapping, but once I started spitting I turnt them crowd of haters into some muthafuckas who love me. Right there before your eyes. And that’s what you supposed to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Were you scared at all about opening for them?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had so much energy at that point in time. I was just on one. I coulda jumped into a roaring ocean—I had so much energy in me. I knew I had outrapped a lot of rappers by the time I got there. I had a lot of confidence in me and my music. My DJ was dope. It was \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/331474-Pizzo\">DJ Pizzo\u003c/a>, and he used to DJ for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a> and Too Short but he was my DJ from the beginning. He was from Hayward. We rocked that shit. They wanted to see N.W.A. and Eazy-E, they didn’t know who the fuck I was, but they knew who I was after I got off stage. Too Short came up and watched me get down. Rodney-O & Joe Cooley, I opened up for them too. We had these concerts at the skating rink. They got me a lot of exposure. Four years later, by the time I was 20, “187 Proof” dropped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I love that you had all these people who were older than you who were really supportive.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was cool, man. A lot of people felt like I wasn’t supposed to be in the position I was, but being around Short and the whole Dangerous Crew—\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845996/four-years-after-drake-dispute-rappin-4-tays-song-royalties-are-for-sale\">4-Tay\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/568712-JJ-Hard\">J.J. Hard\u003c/a>, even the homegirls—it was all a big influence to keep going. J.J. Hard still do his thing too. I saw him at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937563/tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming\">Tupac thing where they gave him his street\u003c/a>. Hopefully I do some work with him still. We’re still pushing—it’s the Dangerous Crew! Everything and everybody who come into your life is either a blessing or a lesson. Every time you make a mistake, you gotta learn from it. Learn from everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Spice 1 performs at the third annual History of the Bay party on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Public Works in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/publicsf/events/3rd-annual-history-of-the-bay-day-159082?utm_source=publicsf&utm_medium=venuewebsite\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>To read the rest of this conversation, which touches on Spice 1’s relationships with Jive Records, his dad, the city of Houston, reggae music, Bruce Lee and the remix to ‘I Got 5 On It,’ head over to \u003ca href=\"https://toneglow.substack.com/p/tone-glow-146-spice-1\">the full interview at Tone Glow\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Spice 1 is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area rap\u003c/a> legend. Born Robert Lee Greene Jr., he first became interested in rapping after watching Ice-T in the 1980s movies \u003cem>Breakin’\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Rappin’\u003c/em>. As a teenager, he was taken under \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>’s wing, joined the Dangerous Crew and signed to Jive Records, releasing six albums under the label throughout the 1990s. Incredibly prolific since, his latest album is \u003cem>Platinum O.G. 2\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of his headlining set at the third annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/publicsf/events/3rd-annual-history-of-the-bay-day-159082?utm_source=publicsf&utm_medium=venuewebsite\">History of the Bay party on Sunday, Nov. 9\u003c/a> at Public Works in San Francisco (which includes appearances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">Too Short\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13836150/the-power-of-taking-up-space-at-marshawn-lynchs-oakland-rideout\">Marshawn Lynch\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10489213/a-day-in-the-life-with-breakout-bay-area-rappers-hbk-gang\">Iamsu\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/lyrics-born\">Lyrics Born\u003c/a> and others) Joshua Minsoo Kim spoke with Spice 1 to discuss his upbringing in Hayward, breakdancing at the mall, running from the cops, meeting Too Short and picking up the mic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An abridged Q&A appears below; read the full, unedited interview at \u003ca href=\"https://toneglow.substack.com/p/tone-glow-146-spice-1\">Tone Glow\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/kRJA2YrA6qI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/kRJA2YrA6qI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joshua Minsoo Kim:\u003c/strong> How’s your day been?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Spice 1:\u003c/strong> Man, I’m good. I just woke up from a nap. I gotta take that OG nap, y’know what I’m sayin’? You don’t take that OG nap at 12 or 1 o’clock, you’re not gonna make it to 9 (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). You gotta get that extra energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I saw online that you were born in Corsicana, Texas. How long were you there for?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was born in Bryan, Texas. College Station. Texas A&M, that area. It’s about 100 miles outside of Houston. I don’t think I even turned one year old before I got to California. And we was living in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I wanted to ask about your family. I know your dad was a poet and that his dad was a poet, too. Did you grow up reading or hearing your father’s poetry when you were a kid? Was that a thing he would do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, he’d show me his poems. His poetry was kind of like my raps. He was really militant (\u003cem>laughs\u003c/em>). He would speak at Black Panther events sometimes. He would go to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cwmorse.org/uhuruhouse/\">Uhuru House\u003c/a> in East Oakland and speak while I would be getting my haircut down the street. First time he showed me some poetry he was like, “I wrote a poem, I want you to hear it.” We were in the car and I was in the passenger seat. I don’t even remember the whole poem but I remember him starting off (\u003cem>in a loud, authoritative voice\u003c/em>) \u003cem>“N****s die! N****s think they fly, n****s gon’ die tryin’ be cool.”\u003c/em> When he said this I was like, okay, pops is crazy (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). I’m in the car trying not to laugh and he’s just like, \u003cem>“N****s die!”\u003c/em> and I’m like, oh shit, if I laugh I’d be in trouble. Like, this n**** crazy! (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His poetry was very militant and he may have written other poems but it was crazy when he showed me that one. It was dope, though. When I got older, that’s what I seen. And you probably seen it too. N****s out here dying, and not just Black dudes. \u003cem>People. N****s.\u003c/em> People are out here dying tryin’ to be cool. They gon’ be too busy looking good—when death come, they ain’t even gon’ know. What’s that song? “Imma be fly when the feds watch” or something like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That’s 2 Chainz. “Feds Watching.”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah. Basically, my dad was tellin’ me, pay attention to this shit. Don’t walk around thinkin’ you the shit. Pay attention to what’s around you. You gon’ be too busy trying to look good when death come. It had a message to it—I just caught the message years later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How old were you when he said the poem in the car?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was probably nine (\u003cem>laughs\u003c/em>). Shout out to pops. Real smart dude, real intelligent man. He showed me a lot. Shout out to Robert Greene Sr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Did you know your grandfather? He wrote poems, too.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I didn’t know he wrote poems until my dad told me, and then my sisters, my cousins do spoken word. It was amazing to know that. My sisters and cousins do spoken word and they’re really good too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Older or younger?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Older sister.\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/S8K31tTV554'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/S8K31tTV554'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What was it like growing up in the Greene household?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dad and mom split up when I was two or three, and when I was nine or ten years old, my mom remarried and I got my crazy-ass step-dad. My real dad lived in Oakland and we lived in Hayward. And it was like how \u003cem>Boyz n the Hood\u003c/em> was. My dad had the same orange Volkswagen convertible. The \u003cem>same\u003c/em> car. And he would act exactly how Tre’s dad act. He was like that to a T. That was Robert Greene Sr.! He’d come get me in the orange Volkswagen and I would come from Hayward to Oakland. I’d see my homeboys from Oakland and, just like Tre, I’d be waitin’ for dad to go in the house so I could play. They’d be like, “Chico! What’s up man!” And my dad would always say exactly what Tre’s dad said: “Wash my car and rake them leaves up before you start playing.” The same shit! When I saw that movie, it was like the spitting image of how my father and me were.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My sister, I would try to show her my raps and she’d be like, “That shit wack, n****! Get that shit outta here!” If I could impress an older female like my sister, then I could impress anybody. But she was just saying that shit was wack even if it was dope. She said she wanted to make me better by telling me my shit was wack. And it was like, okay… it worked (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Did she ever give approval?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRJA2YrA6qI\">187 Proof\u003c/a>,” my first single—she was loving that. She was like, “Shit, well I couldn’t write like that. That was cool.” That song was a blessing to me because it raised a lot of eyebrows and turned a lot of heads my way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983524\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 599px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/R-5525685-1597856575-3411.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"599\" height=\"589\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983524\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/R-5525685-1597856575-3411.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/R-5525685-1597856575-3411-160x157.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spice 1’s debut album, released in 1992. \u003ccite>(Jive Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You had this family who were into the arts, and I know that your dad showed you The Last Poets, too. How old were you when you started rapping? I know you were in the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dangerous_Crew\">Dangerous Crew\u003c/a> in high school, but when did it all begin?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I used to breakdance, and I was in my little breakdancing crew. We was hip-hop. We’d sneak out at night and spray paint our group name on the side of the BART trains. We’d sneak on the BART like we was from New York. We’d hop on the train from Hayward to San Francisco and go to Pier 39 and we would breakdance our way to some real good money. Next thing you know, we got two or three thousand dollars in the hat, we’d split it between all of us, and we’d be on our way back home. Eventually, I seen Ice-T in the movie \u003cem>Breakin’\u003c/em>. He was on stage singing the song “Killers.” [Editor’s Note: This specific scene is from the 1985 movie Rappin’]. “Killers! Bloodthirsty killers!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was watching him and I was like, that’s dope, I wanna do that. Give me the motherfuckin’ mic and let me talk my shit! After I seen that I was like, man, Imma write some raps and I showed it to a few people and I kept on doing it. The next thing you know, I was standing up in front of crowds. I remembered all my songs and I was just gettin’ it. I had to tell my little breakdancing crew, hey, I probably won’t be doing this no more, I’m on the microphone now. And that was it. This was around 1986 I think. It was a lot going on. Hip-hop hit the nation real tough, real big. Crack hit the nation real big. Gangs hit the nation real big. Around that time, I felt like I was developing my style, so by the time ’90 came in, “187 Proof” was out. I couldn’t even buy alcohol back then.\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/h5Bdmle6CS8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/h5Bdmle6CS8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What memories do you have of being in that breakdancing crew? Does anything stand out?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It gave me a sense of being on a team. Baseball and basketball is the same thing. When you’re in a breakin’ crew, you’re on a team and help each other make different moves, make up different stuff, and it shows you how to work with other people and get something accomplished. We was \u003cem>good\u003c/em>. We won some trophies! We were called Video Numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We was kind of crazy. I remember we were in a battle at the mall against Planet Poppers or something—I can’t remember the name. We had a big crowd and we was one of the hottest groups out there. We was hitting our moves and then we got into it with these dudes. A fight broke out and everything calmed down and I did a few moves and stepped out. I see my homie to the left and he’s like, “Come here!” I go over to him and he’s like, “I got a stolen car outside!” And I was like, “For real?” We go outside, I hop in the car. I’m not thinkin’. I’m \u003cem>on one\u003c/em>. We’re in the parking lot of the mall in a stolen car doing doughnuts. We burnin’ that muthafucka (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). Figure eights and all that! I just remember hearing \u003cem>skrrrt\u003c/em> and us laughing real hard and then the police got behind us. We parked the car, hopped out, and ran back into the mall and tried to mix in with the rest of the crowd. And it worked. I was like, wow, they’re probably looking for our group, we better take these hats off (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>). Those years, everything was a learning experience. The bad shit and the good shit made me who I am today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s the good shit that comes to mind immediately?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Definitely when I met Too Short’s manager, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/raustin510/?hl=en\">Randy Austin\u003c/a>, through some friends at school. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13973907/freaky-tales-true-stories-pedro-pascal-too-short-924-gilman-oakland\">N-Tice and Barbie of the Danger Zone\u003c/a>, who are on “Don’t Fight the Feelin’,” were my friends. When you keep good relations with people, you never know what can happen or who they know or how they may be able to help. I knew this girl and we were kickin’ it and we both switched schools at the same time and she was like, “I heard you rap, my uncle is Too Short’s manager.” I was like, “Oh shit, I been knowin’ you for years, I didn’t know that.” I was always cool with her. When Short would come pick me up from school, he’d pick them up too and we’d all be in the car ride. It taught me a lot as far as building relationships with people. Shit, you never know what you gon’ get when you don’t burn bridges. Shout out to the Danger Zone. Those are my homegirls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you remember the first time you met Too Short and what that was like? How were you feeling?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Randy callin’ me on the phone and he was like, “What’s your name? MC Spice? We gon’ come pick you up at school tomorrow.” And I’m like, “Whatever muthafucka, who the hell is this? Fuck outta here.” I hung the phone up and then 10 minutes later, the phone rang again and my mom answered. She was like, “Chico! There’s someone named Too Short on the phone!” I get on the phone and it’s Short, saying (\u003cem>imitating his voice\u003c/em>) “Hey man, what time you get out of school?” So now I gotta be cool. This is muthafuckin’ Too Short on the phone! I’m like (\u003cem>in the coolest, most nonchalant voice\u003c/em>) “Oh, you know, I get out of school about 2:30, 3 o’clock.” And he’s like, “Okay, we gon’ come swoop you, just stand outside.” I was tryin’ be cool, and when he hung up I was like (\u003cem>five seconds of excited, cartoonish babbling\u003c/em>). It was Too Short!!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day at school, I’m tellin’ all my friends that Too Short called me. They just like, “Hell nah. No way Too Short comin’ to get you fool.” So we’re all standing there outside the school, waiting for him to pull up and sure enough, he pull up in a burgundy Biarritz convertible. White interior. He pull up and I said, “See! I told you!” He picked me up for the rest of the school year. We was hanging out and he’d take me to the studio. That experience of me being in the studio was an influence. The dude was cool as hell. I wanted to drive his car but he wouldn’t let me do that. And then I stole one and drove it over there and I was doing doughnuts in front of his house making hella noise. He opened up the door and yelled, “Chico! Get that stolen-ass car off my mama’s house n****!” I was thinking, why the fuck he think this car was stolen? But he knew damn well I stole that muthafuckin’ car. It was a Cadillac Biarritz. That’s uncle Short, man. I used to do a lot of things to impress that dude (\u003cem>laughter\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983519\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/21ebc59c-e340-47a4-8d61-a1b57f184627_750x421.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"421\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/21ebc59c-e340-47a4-8d61-a1b57f184627_750x421.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/21ebc59c-e340-47a4-8d61-a1b57f184627_750x421-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spice 1. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Spice 1)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I wanna talk about that first tape with the Dangerous Crew. You had “Leave It to Me” on there and there were songs by Rappin’ 4-Tay and Crazy Rak. You went from the breakin’ crew and now you were with this rap crew. What was that like? And you were still a teenager at the time.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going to school, I understood what haterism was at a very young age. A lot of my friends believed in me and was down with me from day one. But a lot of cats didn’t believe in me, even in my high school. They were doubting me and I would come through with my record and they would try their hardest to act unimpressed by this shit. It always bothered me. There’s this saying: “A prophet is never honored in his own space.” I felt the wrath of that at a young age. I felt how deep the hate could get. Many people would be trippin’ on you because they felt they should be in your position or they didn’t like that you were making it out and they not. You never know how deep it could go. And I experienced a lot of this stuff as a teen in high school. I was in school with my CD out, with Too Short and the Dangerous Crew. I was passing it out at school and you was getting a lot of looks like, yeah, whatever muthafucka. And I was like, no, it’s \u003cem>real\u003c/em> muthafucka.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The point of that, of passing out your CDs, is to get everybody to be like, “that’s him.” But I didn’t get that from my peers at school. A few of my friends was with me, but the majority was like, whatever n****. That taught me a lot right there. And even coming back with my album and passing out flyers that says I’m opening up for Eazy-E and N.W.A. I was 16. A few of my friends was like, “We comin’ through.” They started to rock with me then. They witnessed it for real. I really get down. I rocked the crowd, there was no doubt. There was no boos. They might’ve tried to talk shit before I started rapping, but once I started spitting I turnt them crowd of haters into some muthafuckas who love me. Right there before your eyes. And that’s what you supposed to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Were you scared at all about opening for them?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had so much energy at that point in time. I was just on one. I coulda jumped into a roaring ocean—I had so much energy in me. I knew I had outrapped a lot of rappers by the time I got there. I had a lot of confidence in me and my music. My DJ was dope. It was \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/331474-Pizzo\">DJ Pizzo\u003c/a>, and he used to DJ for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a> and Too Short but he was my DJ from the beginning. He was from Hayward. We rocked that shit. They wanted to see N.W.A. and Eazy-E, they didn’t know who the fuck I was, but they knew who I was after I got off stage. Too Short came up and watched me get down. Rodney-O & Joe Cooley, I opened up for them too. We had these concerts at the skating rink. They got me a lot of exposure. Four years later, by the time I was 20, “187 Proof” dropped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I love that you had all these people who were older than you who were really supportive.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was cool, man. A lot of people felt like I wasn’t supposed to be in the position I was, but being around Short and the whole Dangerous Crew—\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845996/four-years-after-drake-dispute-rappin-4-tays-song-royalties-are-for-sale\">4-Tay\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/artist/568712-JJ-Hard\">J.J. Hard\u003c/a>, even the homegirls—it was all a big influence to keep going. J.J. Hard still do his thing too. I saw him at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937563/tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming\">Tupac thing where they gave him his street\u003c/a>. Hopefully I do some work with him still. We’re still pushing—it’s the Dangerous Crew! Everything and everybody who come into your life is either a blessing or a lesson. Every time you make a mistake, you gotta learn from it. Learn from everything.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Spice 1 performs at the third annual History of the Bay party on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Public Works in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/publicsf/events/3rd-annual-history-of-the-bay-day-159082?utm_source=publicsf&utm_medium=venuewebsite\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>To read the rest of this conversation, which touches on Spice 1’s relationships with Jive Records, his dad, the city of Houston, reggae music, Bruce Lee and the remix to ‘I Got 5 On It,’ head over to \u003ca href=\"https://toneglow.substack.com/p/tone-glow-146-spice-1\">the full interview at Tone Glow\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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},
"radiolab": {
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
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"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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