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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a Sunday afternoon in mid-November, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is onstage at The New Parish in Oakland, energetically hurling rhyme pyrotechnics, just days after the premiere of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40XbPyotj8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his NPR \u003cem>Tiny Desk\u003c/em> concert\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known for his clever lyrics, charismatic personality and nonstop production, LaRussell has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937331/larussell-vallejo-def-jam-record-deal\">refused to sign with a major label\u003c/a>. He hosts sold-out shows at a small venue, The Pergola, built in his backyard. Staunchly independent, he’s paved his own lane in the rap game by investing in himself, his community and his culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His latest investment: the reintroduction of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tharealrichierich/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richie Rich\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968024\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968024\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-scaled.jpeg\" alt='While on stage with rising Vallejo rap star LaRussell at the New Parish in Oakland, veteran rapper Richie Rich tells the crowd that \"Double R\" now stands for LaRussell and Rich.' width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the New Parish in Oakland on Nov. 10, 2024, veteran rapper Richie Rich tells the crowd that “Double R” now stands for LaRussell and Rich. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes / \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/j.castae/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">J.Castae\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Minutes into Sunday’s show, after LaRussell warms up the crowd with violinist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/michaelprinceviolin/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Prince\u003c/a> and vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/shante_music/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shanté\u003c/a>, Rich walks out on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richie Rich’s pedigree is \u003cem>deep\u003c/em>. He’s a former Def Jam signee who influenced Snoop Dogg and was friends with Tupac. He had songs on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_RQEby1JQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>The Nutty Professor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/track/3EcVo3nMBveyqGi7MzTZdM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>How To Be A Player\u003c/em>\u003c/a> soundtracks. His 1996 album \u003cem>Seasoned Veteran\u003c/em> spawned two singles on the Billboard Top 100. And his verse on \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#i-got-5-on-it-remix-a-meeting-of-greats-recorded-in-alameda\">the remix to the Luniz’ anthem “I Got 5 On It”\u003c/a> provided the Town with the classic line: “Where you from? Oakland. Smokin’.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fittingly, at the New Parish, the artist who founded the pioneering rap group 415 enters to the beat of one of his group’s best-known songs, 1990’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsOeXoZoYPo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Side Show\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQGqYHg-uyI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a stripped-down instrumental on live keyboard, Rich raps bar-for-bar in his raspy, laid-back flow, crisp and clear, without any background vocals. When the chorus hits, LaRussell steps in and remixes it, pulling from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4d7UwaNrIQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the 2006 remake, “The Sideshow,”\u003c/a> by the late Traxamillion, Too Short and Mistah FAB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It becomes clear: this isn’t just a guest appearance of Richie Rich at a LaRussell show. No, this is two emcees, with an age gap of over 20 years, trading bars, innovating on stage and moving the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the audience recites the lyrics, the energy builds. LaRussell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/splashthakidd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Splash Tha Kidd\u003c/a> are on stage giggin’, jumping as they dance. After the second verse, the crowd is turned up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richie Rich, grounded, laughs and calmly says, “Na… that’s how you got me last time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3TM5WSCvZs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]F[/dropcap]our months prior in LaRussell’s backyard, onstage at the Pergola, the energy got the best of Rich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a performance of the song “What We Doin!?” which features Richie Rich alongside LaRussell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mal4chii/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an 18 year-old MC named MALACHI,\u003c/a> Rich was in go mode. The P-Lo–produced track, full of high energy, is the type of song that makes one jump on stage — even if they know damn well they shouldn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the scorching August sun, Rich was a few bars into his verse when the 56-year-old rapper, bouncing alongside the crowd, turned to his left. Suddenly, his knee popped. Falling to the ground, he kept rapping without missing a beat, freestyling new lyrics to communicate what’d just happened to his leg — “blew my knee actin’ out my age” — and even diagnosing it as a torn lower patella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGqKGhZkuug\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of this could’ve easily become a huge setback. Instead, in a world where the elements of hip-hop have expanded to include viral moments and social media influence, the widely viewed footage of Richie Rich kicking culture while sustaining a painful injury only helped reestablish his footprint in the rap game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I recently caught up with Rich for a long conversation at his home in the East Bay, his leg in a brace as he sat across from me. Rich is a mild-mannered person who was raised by well-to-do parents, but despite his upbringing — and lifelong issues with his knees — he ran the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968025\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1180px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968025\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543.jpg\" alt=\"With a scar on one knee and the other in a brace, you can tell that Richie Rich has had some conversations with his knees-- and they've done most of the talking.\" width=\"1180\" height=\"1554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-800x1054.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-1020x1343.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-160x211.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-768x1011.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-1166x1536.jpg 1166w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1180px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">With a scar on one knee and the other in a brace, it’s clear Richie Rich has had some conversations with his knees — and they’ve done most of the talking. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Richie Rich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’m from up the hill, I’m not even from the flats,” says Rich, explaining his childhood and the topography of Deep East Oakland in one statement. “I went down the hill, and that shit changed me, bro,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Them spokes that you see on that car out here?” Rich says, pointing to the gold rims of his cognac-colored 1972 Cutlass Oldsmobile. He first saw them, he explains, on a Falcon when he was 12. Little Rich ran to tell the driver how clean they were, but the light turned green and the driver pulled off. A few weeks later, Rich caught the driver at a red light and properly complemented him. The driver thanked him, and suggested he could one day have a car like that, too, before tapping the gas pedal and leaving tire treads in the intersection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I live to be 90,” says Rich, fully committed to his cars, “I’ma have some gold ones and Vogues, you better know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Rapper Richie Rich poses in a Raiders Bo Jackson jersey, while standing in front of his Cutlass Oldsmobile.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In a Raiders Bo Jackson jersey, Richie Rich poses with his 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Richie Rich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rich’s street life and hillside upbringing brought about different perspectives. He had run-ins with the law, though he often evaded them. But the culture had a grip on him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was two people,” says Rich, from behind dark sunglasses. “I was Richie Rich and I was Double R.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He elaborates: “Double R was the dude who went down the hill, Richie Rich was the dude who lived up the hill. So Richie Rich wrote ‘Do G’s Get to Go to Heaven,’” he says. “Double R wrote ‘Side Show’ and ‘Snitches and Bitches.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s always been a tug-of-war between these two sides, he says. Fortunately his dad gave him constant reassurance, and his mom gave him spiritual guidance, even if it came in the form of heavy-handed discipline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom was so strict,” Rich reflects, “that when I got caught stealing at Longs Drugs and they told me they was going to call my mom, I said, ‘Na, call the police. Don’t call my momma!'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once his mother found the Lord, “she brought that spirituality to us and locked us in with it,” says Rich. A sweet woman who was very hard to impress, Rich says he’d get good grades and his mother would remark, “Want to impress me? Show me that you can fly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Rich signed with Def Jam, the label sent a car to take him to the airport. Misty-eyed, he reflects on his mother’s reaction. “She knocked on my door, and said, ‘There’s a limousine out front, Richie.’” Fanning out, she asked, “Can I go outside and see?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rich recalls her floating out the door in her trademark blue robe, sitting in the stretch limo, finally understanding that her son had made something of himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-800x541.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-1020x690.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-1536x1039.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-1920x1299.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richie Rich pictured in New York City on Aug. 10, 1996, the day he signed with Def Jam Records. \u003ccite>(Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]R[/dropcap]ich had a conversation with his knees when he was a kid. They told him, “We’re gonna hold you down if the red and blue lights get behind you, or the dogs get to chasing you. Outside of that, don’t be attending those softball games and don’t play no three-on-threes,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, Rich still has trouble walking in his own legacy. Almost 35 years since his 1990 debut solo album, \u003cem>Don’t Do It\u003c/em>, he’s on the verge of dropping a new project titled \u003cem>Richard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album, set to release on the platform \u003ca href=\"https://get.even.biz/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Even\u003c/a> next month and then to all streaming services in January, features \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larryjunetfm/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry June\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/youngjr/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young JR\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msjanehandcock/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jane Handcock\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thedelinquents86/?hl=en\">V. White of The Delinquents\u003c/a>. There’s a track where Rich pays homage to the slick players who came before him, as well as one with open critiques of current Oakland culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968027\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968027\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-scaled.jpg\" alt='\"Top of the Rolex, top of the Rolex,\" Richie says as he addresses people during his regular social media video check-ins.' width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Top of the Rolex, top of the Rolex,’ Richie says as he addresses people during regular social media video check-ins. \u003ccite>(Richie Rich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rich has been open about his issues with the place that raised him. In January of this year the rapper made headlines for \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/watch/2024-01-19-011924-richie-rich-1761556-305/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a rant he posted on social media\u003c/a>, proclaiming that he was leaving California. “The cost of living here is going up, but the chances of living is going down,” he says in the video.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, he explains that Oakland losing its pro sports teams and his favorite restaurants hurts. He adds that it’s very clear that the chasm between classes is growing, and when the haves and have-nots are at odds it makes it hard to own nice things without becoming a target. (And being a known rapper from that place adds another layer.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He stands by many of the things he said in the post, but given time to reflect, he says it’s more about where he’s at this point in life than the Golden State. “I think it’s the invisibility that I’m chasing, not so much a disdain for California,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rich’s California love is motivated by his ties to the people, from family members to world renowned artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968115\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1499\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-1920x1439.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richie Rich’s motorcycle, Makaveli, bears a portrait tribute to his late friend, Tupac Shakur. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Richie Rich )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He says he’s appreciative that his friend, the late Tupac Shakur, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929233/tupac-shakur-street-oakland-tupac-shakur-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a street named in his honor\u003c/a> and that there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/09/29/1202754616/suspect-in-tupac-shakur-murder-arrested\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an arrest in connection to his murder\u003c/a>. But Rich would prefer to see Pac alive now, enjoying all he accomplished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rich and Pac met around ’91 through a common friend, and became homies; not making music, just hanging out. As Rich’s career was in full swing and Shakur’s was just getting off the ground, Pac asked to be on a track with Rich. “Na, we’re doing gangsta music,” the rapper from the Rolling Hundreds told the young MC from Marin. “You on that Black Power shit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13927810']The two stayed in contact, though, and Rich watched Tupac’s career explode. When Pac was incarcerated, they exchanged letters; mail that Rich wishes he would’ve kept. With a custom Harley motorcycle parked behind him, painted with Tupac’s face on it, Rich says, “When it’s your homeboy, you not planning on him dying and being one of the most famous people in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before his death, Rich saw visible changes in Tupac. “He was moving too fast,” says Rich, who urged him to lead a more private life. But that didn’t happen. Rich had to accept that “my little homie became my big homie,” as he says. So Rich did his best to look out for him in life, and continues to represent for him after his death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the customized motorcycle — named Makaveli — Rich has photos, a framed plaque of albums commemorating the songs they recorded together, and a set of coat hangers in the form of middle fingers. (Tupac loved flipping people off.) Rich also has a handwritten contract ensuring songwriting royalties for his contribution to the song “Heavy in the Game,” framed and mounted on the wall in his house — signed by Tupac and his late mother, Afeni Shakur, just months before Tupac’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968028\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979.jpg\" alt=\"A handwritten contract by Tupac Shakur, ensuring Richie Rich gets royalties for their work together; written just months before Tupac's death.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-1020x856.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-768x644.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-1536x1289.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A handwritten contract by Tupac Shakur, ensuring that Richie Rich received royalties for their work together, written just months before Tupac’s death. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ll of the art in Rich’s house is properly positioned. His crib is well-kept and organized. His cars are pristine and his head is shaved clean. It’s all a reflection of who he is, and an extension of the discipline his mother instilled in him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there are still times when everything isn’t all put together. Instances when the unpredictable happens, like when he hits the stage and literally breaks a leg. That’s when the cool, calm, collected Rich takes a backseat, and Double R comes out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know what happened that day,” says Rich, reflecting on the day he fell at the Pergola. He suspects that someone else showed up inside of him — someone he’s known for a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He always shows up when I’m in distress,” says Rich. The persona never stays there long enough to introduce himself, but Rich brags, “He’s raw. He knows how to rap, how to ride motorcycles, he knows how to drive cars. Yeah, he’s good at a lot of things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968029\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968029\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"LaRussell, excited to see Richie Rich perform again, says this show was extra-special for his mother and father who were in the audience at The New Parish during the show.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell, excited to see Richie Rich perform again, says the New Parish show was extra-special for his mother and father, who were in the audience. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes / \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/j.castae/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">J.Castae\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The song that started all of this, “What We Doin!?,” was released in June 2024 — with some subtly prophetic lines. On the first verse, recorded weeks before Rich injured his leg while performing the song, LaRussell says “Broke a leg, re-learned how to stand.” In the third verse, Rich advises: “If you know me, never underestimate the OG.” Doctors told him it would take eight months to heal. Four months later he was back on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At The New Parish on that Sunday afternoon in Oakland, Rich was sharp throughout the hour-long performance. A few weeks before the show, LaRussell had pulled some of his favorite Richie Rich tracks and asked if he could add them to the setlist. And though they didn’t rehearse beforehand, the two didn’t miss a beat, going through hit after hit, like Rich’s 2000 track “Playboy” and LaRussell’s 2021 song “GT Coupe.” They reimagined songs in never-before-heard iterations, spanning generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following day, Rich tells me his leg is doing fine. Talking just after getting off the phone with LaRussell, he adds that the younger rapper discussed future collaborations and offered continued encouragement to the rapper who, nearly 30 years after his Def Jam debut, has more than earned the title \u003cem>Seasoned Veteran\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t know you was a dog like that, Double,” LaRussell told him. “A unc, you still got it.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">O\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n a Sunday afternoon in mid-November, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is onstage at The New Parish in Oakland, energetically hurling rhyme pyrotechnics, just days after the premiere of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40XbPyotj8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his NPR \u003cem>Tiny Desk\u003c/em> concert\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known for his clever lyrics, charismatic personality and nonstop production, LaRussell has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937331/larussell-vallejo-def-jam-record-deal\">refused to sign with a major label\u003c/a>. He hosts sold-out shows at a small venue, The Pergola, built in his backyard. Staunchly independent, he’s paved his own lane in the rap game by investing in himself, his community and his culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His latest investment: the reintroduction of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tharealrichierich/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richie Rich\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968024\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968024\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-scaled.jpeg\" alt='While on stage with rising Vallejo rap star LaRussell at the New Parish in Oakland, veteran rapper Richie Rich tells the crowd that \"Double R\" now stands for LaRussell and Rich.' width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-66-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the New Parish in Oakland on Nov. 10, 2024, veteran rapper Richie Rich tells the crowd that “Double R” now stands for LaRussell and Rich. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes / \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/j.castae/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">J.Castae\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Minutes into Sunday’s show, after LaRussell warms up the crowd with violinist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/michaelprinceviolin/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Prince\u003c/a> and vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/shante_music/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shanté\u003c/a>, Rich walks out on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richie Rich’s pedigree is \u003cem>deep\u003c/em>. He’s a former Def Jam signee who influenced Snoop Dogg and was friends with Tupac. He had songs on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_RQEby1JQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>The Nutty Professor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/track/3EcVo3nMBveyqGi7MzTZdM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>How To Be A Player\u003c/em>\u003c/a> soundtracks. His 1996 album \u003cem>Seasoned Veteran\u003c/em> spawned two singles on the Billboard Top 100. And his verse on \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#i-got-5-on-it-remix-a-meeting-of-greats-recorded-in-alameda\">the remix to the Luniz’ anthem “I Got 5 On It”\u003c/a> provided the Town with the classic line: “Where you from? Oakland. Smokin’.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fittingly, at the New Parish, the artist who founded the pioneering rap group 415 enters to the beat of one of his group’s best-known songs, 1990’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsOeXoZoYPo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Side Show\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/SQGqYHg-uyI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/SQGqYHg-uyI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Over a stripped-down instrumental on live keyboard, Rich raps bar-for-bar in his raspy, laid-back flow, crisp and clear, without any background vocals. When the chorus hits, LaRussell steps in and remixes it, pulling from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4d7UwaNrIQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the 2006 remake, “The Sideshow,”\u003c/a> by the late Traxamillion, Too Short and Mistah FAB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It becomes clear: this isn’t just a guest appearance of Richie Rich at a LaRussell show. No, this is two emcees, with an age gap of over 20 years, trading bars, innovating on stage and moving the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the audience recites the lyrics, the energy builds. LaRussell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/splashthakidd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Splash Tha Kidd\u003c/a> are on stage giggin’, jumping as they dance. After the second verse, the crowd is turned up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richie Rich, grounded, laughs and calmly says, “Na… that’s how you got me last time.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/s3TM5WSCvZs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/s3TM5WSCvZs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">F\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>our months prior in LaRussell’s backyard, onstage at the Pergola, the energy got the best of Rich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a performance of the song “What We Doin!?” which features Richie Rich alongside LaRussell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mal4chii/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an 18 year-old MC named MALACHI,\u003c/a> Rich was in go mode. The P-Lo–produced track, full of high energy, is the type of song that makes one jump on stage — even if they know damn well they shouldn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the scorching August sun, Rich was a few bars into his verse when the 56-year-old rapper, bouncing alongside the crowd, turned to his left. Suddenly, his knee popped. Falling to the ground, he kept rapping without missing a beat, freestyling new lyrics to communicate what’d just happened to his leg — “blew my knee actin’ out my age” — and even diagnosing it as a torn lower patella.\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/YGqKGhZkuug'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YGqKGhZkuug'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>All of this could’ve easily become a huge setback. Instead, in a world where the elements of hip-hop have expanded to include viral moments and social media influence, the widely viewed footage of Richie Rich kicking culture while sustaining a painful injury only helped reestablish his footprint in the rap game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I recently caught up with Rich for a long conversation at his home in the East Bay, his leg in a brace as he sat across from me. Rich is a mild-mannered person who was raised by well-to-do parents, but despite his upbringing — and lifelong issues with his knees — he ran the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968025\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1180px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968025\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543.jpg\" alt=\"With a scar on one knee and the other in a brace, you can tell that Richie Rich has had some conversations with his knees-- and they've done most of the talking.\" width=\"1180\" height=\"1554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-800x1054.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-1020x1343.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-160x211.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-768x1011.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6004-e1731530175543-1166x1536.jpg 1166w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1180px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">With a scar on one knee and the other in a brace, it’s clear Richie Rich has had some conversations with his knees — and they’ve done most of the talking. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Richie Rich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’m from up the hill, I’m not even from the flats,” says Rich, explaining his childhood and the topography of Deep East Oakland in one statement. “I went down the hill, and that shit changed me, bro,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Them spokes that you see on that car out here?” Rich says, pointing to the gold rims of his cognac-colored 1972 Cutlass Oldsmobile. He first saw them, he explains, on a Falcon when he was 12. Little Rich ran to tell the driver how clean they were, but the light turned green and the driver pulled off. A few weeks later, Rich caught the driver at a red light and properly complemented him. The driver thanked him, and suggested he could one day have a car like that, too, before tapping the gas pedal and leaving tire treads in the intersection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I live to be 90,” says Rich, fully committed to his cars, “I’ma have some gold ones and Vogues, you better know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968026\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Rapper Richie Rich poses in a Raiders Bo Jackson jersey, while standing in front of his Cutlass Oldsmobile.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6682-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In a Raiders Bo Jackson jersey, Richie Rich poses with his 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Richie Rich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rich’s street life and hillside upbringing brought about different perspectives. He had run-ins with the law, though he often evaded them. But the culture had a grip on him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was two people,” says Rich, from behind dark sunglasses. “I was Richie Rich and I was Double R.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He elaborates: “Double R was the dude who went down the hill, Richie Rich was the dude who lived up the hill. So Richie Rich wrote ‘Do G’s Get to Go to Heaven,’” he says. “Double R wrote ‘Side Show’ and ‘Snitches and Bitches.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s always been a tug-of-war between these two sides, he says. Fortunately his dad gave him constant reassurance, and his mom gave him spiritual guidance, even if it came in the form of heavy-handed discipline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom was so strict,” Rich reflects, “that when I got caught stealing at Longs Drugs and they told me they was going to call my mom, I said, ‘Na, call the police. Don’t call my momma!'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once his mother found the Lord, “she brought that spirituality to us and locked us in with it,” says Rich. A sweet woman who was very hard to impress, Rich says he’d get good grades and his mother would remark, “Want to impress me? Show me that you can fly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Rich signed with Def Jam, the label sent a car to take him to the airport. Misty-eyed, he reflects on his mother’s reaction. “She knocked on my door, and said, ‘There’s a limousine out front, Richie.’” Fanning out, she asked, “Can I go outside and see?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rich recalls her floating out the door in her trademark blue robe, sitting in the stretch limo, finally understanding that her son had made something of himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-800x541.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-1020x690.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-1536x1039.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1293520518-1920x1299.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richie Rich pictured in New York City on Aug. 10, 1996, the day he signed with Def Jam Records. \u003ccite>(Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">R\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ich had a conversation with his knees when he was a kid. They told him, “We’re gonna hold you down if the red and blue lights get behind you, or the dogs get to chasing you. Outside of that, don’t be attending those softball games and don’t play no three-on-threes,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Years later, Rich still has trouble walking in his own legacy. Almost 35 years since his 1990 debut solo album, \u003cem>Don’t Do It\u003c/em>, he’s on the verge of dropping a new project titled \u003cem>Richard\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album, set to release on the platform \u003ca href=\"https://get.even.biz/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Even\u003c/a> next month and then to all streaming services in January, features \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larryjunetfm/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry June\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/youngjr/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young JR\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msjanehandcock/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jane Handcock\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thedelinquents86/?hl=en\">V. White of The Delinquents\u003c/a>. There’s a track where Rich pays homage to the slick players who came before him, as well as one with open critiques of current Oakland culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968027\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968027\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-scaled.jpg\" alt='\"Top of the Rolex, top of the Rolex,\" Richie says as he addresses people during his regular social media video check-ins.' width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_6378-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Top of the Rolex, top of the Rolex,’ Richie says as he addresses people during regular social media video check-ins. \u003ccite>(Richie Rich)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rich has been open about his issues with the place that raised him. In January of this year the rapper made headlines for \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/watch/2024-01-19-011924-richie-rich-1761556-305/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a rant he posted on social media\u003c/a>, proclaiming that he was leaving California. “The cost of living here is going up, but the chances of living is going down,” he says in the video.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, he explains that Oakland losing its pro sports teams and his favorite restaurants hurts. He adds that it’s very clear that the chasm between classes is growing, and when the haves and have-nots are at odds it makes it hard to own nice things without becoming a target. (And being a known rapper from that place adds another layer.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He stands by many of the things he said in the post, but given time to reflect, he says it’s more about where he’s at this point in life than the Golden State. “I think it’s the invisibility that I’m chasing, not so much a disdain for California,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rich’s California love is motivated by his ties to the people, from family members to world renowned artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968115\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1499\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/screenshot_2024-11-13_at_12.52.25___pm-1920x1439.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richie Rich’s motorcycle, Makaveli, bears a portrait tribute to his late friend, Tupac Shakur. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Richie Rich )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He says he’s appreciative that his friend, the late Tupac Shakur, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929233/tupac-shakur-street-oakland-tupac-shakur-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a street named in his honor\u003c/a> and that there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/09/29/1202754616/suspect-in-tupac-shakur-murder-arrested\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an arrest in connection to his murder\u003c/a>. But Rich would prefer to see Pac alive now, enjoying all he accomplished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rich and Pac met around ’91 through a common friend, and became homies; not making music, just hanging out. As Rich’s career was in full swing and Shakur’s was just getting off the ground, Pac asked to be on a track with Rich. “Na, we’re doing gangsta music,” the rapper from the Rolling Hundreds told the young MC from Marin. “You on that Black Power shit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The two stayed in contact, though, and Rich watched Tupac’s career explode. When Pac was incarcerated, they exchanged letters; mail that Rich wishes he would’ve kept. With a custom Harley motorcycle parked behind him, painted with Tupac’s face on it, Rich says, “When it’s your homeboy, you not planning on him dying and being one of the most famous people in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before his death, Rich saw visible changes in Tupac. “He was moving too fast,” says Rich, who urged him to lead a more private life. But that didn’t happen. Rich had to accept that “my little homie became my big homie,” as he says. So Rich did his best to look out for him in life, and continues to represent for him after his death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the customized motorcycle — named Makaveli — Rich has photos, a framed plaque of albums commemorating the songs they recorded together, and a set of coat hangers in the form of middle fingers. (Tupac loved flipping people off.) Rich also has a handwritten contract ensuring songwriting royalties for his contribution to the song “Heavy in the Game,” framed and mounted on the wall in his house — signed by Tupac and his late mother, Afeni Shakur, just months before Tupac’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968028\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979.jpg\" alt=\"A handwritten contract by Tupac Shakur, ensuring Richie Rich gets royalties for their work together; written just months before Tupac's death.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-1020x856.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-768x644.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/IMG_7651-scaled-e1731531563979-1536x1289.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A handwritten contract by Tupac Shakur, ensuring that Richie Rich received royalties for their work together, written just months before Tupac’s death. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">A\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ll of the art in Rich’s house is properly positioned. His crib is well-kept and organized. His cars are pristine and his head is shaved clean. It’s all a reflection of who he is, and an extension of the discipline his mother instilled in him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there are still times when everything isn’t all put together. Instances when the unpredictable happens, like when he hits the stage and literally breaks a leg. That’s when the cool, calm, collected Rich takes a backseat, and Double R comes out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know what happened that day,” says Rich, reflecting on the day he fell at the Pergola. He suspects that someone else showed up inside of him — someone he’s known for a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He always shows up when I’m in distress,” says Rich. The persona never stays there long enough to introduce himself, but Rich brags, “He’s raw. He knows how to rap, how to ride motorcycles, he knows how to drive cars. Yeah, he’s good at a lot of things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968029\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968029\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"LaRussell, excited to see Richie Rich perform again, says this show was extra-special for his mother and father who were in the audience at The New Parish during the show.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/LaRussell-x-Richie-Rich-New-Parish-Richie-Rich-111024-74-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell, excited to see Richie Rich perform again, says the New Parish show was extra-special for his mother and father, who were in the audience. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes / \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/j.castae/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">J.Castae\u003c/a>)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The song that started all of this, “What We Doin!?,” was released in June 2024 — with some subtly prophetic lines. On the first verse, recorded weeks before Rich injured his leg while performing the song, LaRussell says “Broke a leg, re-learned how to stand.” In the third verse, Rich advises: “If you know me, never underestimate the OG.” Doctors told him it would take eight months to heal. Four months later he was back on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At The New Parish on that Sunday afternoon in Oakland, Rich was sharp throughout the hour-long performance. A few weeks before the show, LaRussell had pulled some of his favorite Richie Rich tracks and asked if he could add them to the setlist. And though they didn’t rehearse beforehand, the two didn’t miss a beat, going through hit after hit, like Rich’s 2000 track “Playboy” and LaRussell’s 2021 song “GT Coupe.” They reimagined songs in never-before-heard iterations, spanning generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following day, Rich tells me his leg is doing fine. Talking just after getting off the phone with LaRussell, he adds that the younger rapper discussed future collaborations and offered continued encouragement to the rapper who, nearly 30 years after his Def Jam debut, has more than earned the title \u003cem>Seasoned Veteran\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t know you was a dog like that, Double,” LaRussell told him. “A unc, you still got it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen Benjamin Glover visited Chicago’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.atelier-chicago.com/\">Atelier\u003c/a> at the end of 2023, he didn’t know what to expect. He left a changed man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Never having experienced a fine dining tasting menu before, Glover figured he would have to get McDonald’s on the way home — there was no way those tiny plates would do the trick. But over the course of the meal, his mind was fully blown, his spirit stimulated alongside his stomach’s satiation. The thoughtful sequencing of dishes conjured to mind music. “It was like eating my way through an album,” Glover says. “I wanted to make an album that sounded like a tasting menu.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because when Glover is not eating gourmet dinners, he performs as the rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blvcksvm/?hl=en\">Blvck Svm\u003c/a>. And he really did wind up creating an entire album that’s inspired by fine dining. It’s called \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i>, and it drops on Nov. 11. In keeping with the theme, Glover shot the music videos for the album in upscale kitchens around the country, milling between sauciers and line cooks while he raps into a mic that drapes down from the ceiling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given Northern California’s fine-dining bona fides, it should come as no surprise that the project has strong Bay Area connections: Glover himself is based in Chicago, but one of the album’s main producers is from the East Bay. San Francisco fine dining restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://www.restaurantnisei.com/\">Nisei\u003c/a> gets a name drop on \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i>’s first track, “greymatter,” and its kitchen — and kitchen team — is featured in the music video for the song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The songs on \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i> weave a concentric circle between high-level rapping and high-level cooking, bouncing between basketball references and tuna belly with ease. Tracks are riddled with samples from cooking shows and chefs pleading with diners to pay attention to their palate. On “irongate” Glover details the camel bone spoon he’ll use for Beluga caviar before comparing his duffel bag to a “Twix sans nougat.” On “mikealstott,” he raps in a near-whisper about how he will “trim the fat and drop it on the heat like a Pat Riley contract” — a reference to how the Miami Heat executive was notorious for monitoring his players’ body fat percentage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAjb2ruk1SM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The songs are both about fine dining and not, shifting between instructions for searing meat and processing grief with ease. Through the 13-song, nearly 40-minute album, Glover’s flow is a low-rolling storm, breathless and quiet as each song’s larger picture emerges minute by minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover wrote the album between April and September of this year and shot the music videos in the same timeframe. Inspired by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fromtheblockperformance/\">From the Block Performance’s\u003c/a> viral outdoor rap videos, the music videos for \u003ci>michelinman \u003c/i>have a certain Humans of New York feeling to them, as strangers peel around the artist while he raps in public — in this case, inside prominent fine dining kitchens including Oklahoma City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nonesuchokc.com/\">NONESUCH\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.thebutcheryyeg.ca/\">The Butchery by RGE RD\u003c/a> in Alberta, Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the videos, Glover plays the part of an interloper praising the work he sees around him. In the one for “greymatter,” shot at Nisei in black and white, the kitchen crew makes quick work of several whole fish, slicing and deboning behind Glover in his puffy jacket. Over a tinkling piano loop, Glover waxes poetic about the Russian Hill restaurant’s raw fish preparations: “I ran out of excuses, I had to make something happen / Break a backend at Nisei or Momotaro / Sashimi otoro, chutoro, cleansing all of my sorrows / Soy sauce only an option if flavor need to be borrowed.” There’s a noir ambiance to the scene, Glover barely visible, the mic hanging in front of him an anchor through the rushing energy of the Nisei kitchen staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=488DcyAaXV4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover has been chasing his rap dreams since he was a kid in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Back then, he modeled himself after the Southern icon Lil Wayne — but that was just for fun during lunch. It was while he was a student at the University of Chicago, shaking like a leaf during his first performances, that he finally rapped in front of an actual audience. His handle’s changed over the years, finally landing on Blvck Svm as a nod to Cartoon Network’s \u003ci>Samurai Jack\u003c/i>. It’s also an homage to Yasuke, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-yasuke-japans-first-black-samurai-180981416/\">first Black samurai\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13907726']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>During the pandemic, Glover lost his day job as an assistant manager at the university’s gym just before his rap career started to go big: His 2020 single “\u003ca href=\"https://blvcksvm.bandcamp.com/track/bleach\">bleach\u003c/a>,” a brief, lyrically dense track, now has millions of streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i>, Glover linked up with Los Angeles–based producer MIKE SUMMERS, but he tapped Fremont musician Max He for sample interpolation. He has been working with Glover for about a year and says that while the Bay Area’s music scene is vast, not a lot of action happens in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13965193/fremont-immigrant-suburb-idealism-my-hometown\">Fremont\u003c/a> — so he was starstruck, for instance, to be working on the same project as Terrace Martin, who plays sax on the album’s outro. “[Blvck Svm’s] music is about redefining luxury into something accessible,” He says, “not something reserved just for the upper class. He talks about the waiter sprinkling lemon pepper on his wings at Wing Stop in the same way he does about sashimi from Nisei.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967664\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967664\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef.jpg\" alt=\"A rapper in a black puffy jacket poses with a chef in the kitchen of a fine dining restaurant.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Glover poses with Nisei chef-owner David Yoshimura. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Blvck Svm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For David Yoshimura, Nisei’s chef-owner, it was wonderful to be involved in the album at all. Nisei is a fitting restaurant to highlight on the topic of “accessible luxury” — after all, not many other San Francisco restaurants pair \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2024/5/2/24133340/savory-mochi-san-francisco-restaurants\">caviar with mochi\u003c/a>. Glover had reached out to the \u003ca href=\"https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/san-francisco/restaurant/nisei\">Michelin-starred restaurant\u003c/a> directly via Instagram, and while a lot of people hit him up with offers to collaborate, Yoshimura was struck by the rapper’s politeness and professionalism. The shoot itself was an easy affair. There’s not usually much yelling in Nisei’s kitchen, he says, so they amped up the energy for the video.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afterwards, Glover and He came in for dinner, and both of them raved about the mochi caviar course and the miso soup. “They were the nicest guests,” Yoshimura says. “And I think his album is going to be the first of its kind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967673\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967673\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront.jpg\" alt='A man in a red baseball cap and white \"A Timeless Ape\" T-shirt poses in front of the Chicago waterfront.' width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1920x2400.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Glover in front of the Chicago waterfront. \u003ccite>(Michael Tinley, courtesy of Blvck Svm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, Glover is hardly the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13955802/bay-area-rappers-food-lyrics-illustrations-e-40-larry-june\"> first rapper to consider food\u003c/a>. The late great MF Doom was famous for his lyrical odes to “Doritos, Cheetos or Fritos.” Earlier this fall, New York experimental rappers Phiik and Lungs put out a dense project called \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/phiik-lungs-carrot-season/\">\u003ci>Carrot Season\u003c/i>\u003c/a> that includes a track about psychedelic herbal tea. And the Bay’s own Larry June raps about health food and orange juice, and even \u003ca href=\"https://brokeassstuart.com/2023/04/24/larry-june-and-the-alchemists-love-letter-to-the-bay-area-is-a-delight/\">owns a boba shop\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13955802,arts_13934248']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>But Glover hopes to be the first full bridge between the mediums — like a fan of flex rap finding a track that gets them deeper into hip-hop, or a diner who heads to Benu for the Instagram pic but leaves weeping like Keanu Reeves in \u003ci>Always Be My Maybe\u003c/i>. His inspirations include MF DOOM and the Griselda hip-hop collective (Boldy James is featured on the album). He cites Action Bronson as another muse, in the way he de-escalates luxurious experiences through irreverent, abstract bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover’s training to get to that level is, fittingly, spent at the chef’s table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All those things people see as art in food are also in rap. So I spend my time watching how they move through the space,” he says. “The timing, the precision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://too.fm/michelinman?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZwbE2w0QgkWzig03KGJJwvFGQh60VyVR65a7G7W0ZLRC1uzS1H7buao00_aem_JNNYZ0-t6kek9RcG8zCqtg\">michelinman\u003c/a> will be available to stream on all platforms on Nov. 11. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hen Benjamin Glover visited Chicago’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.atelier-chicago.com/\">Atelier\u003c/a> at the end of 2023, he didn’t know what to expect. He left a changed man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Never having experienced a fine dining tasting menu before, Glover figured he would have to get McDonald’s on the way home — there was no way those tiny plates would do the trick. But over the course of the meal, his mind was fully blown, his spirit stimulated alongside his stomach’s satiation. The thoughtful sequencing of dishes conjured to mind music. “It was like eating my way through an album,” Glover says. “I wanted to make an album that sounded like a tasting menu.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because when Glover is not eating gourmet dinners, he performs as the rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blvcksvm/?hl=en\">Blvck Svm\u003c/a>. And he really did wind up creating an entire album that’s inspired by fine dining. It’s called \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i>, and it drops on Nov. 11. In keeping with the theme, Glover shot the music videos for the album in upscale kitchens around the country, milling between sauciers and line cooks while he raps into a mic that drapes down from the ceiling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given Northern California’s fine-dining bona fides, it should come as no surprise that the project has strong Bay Area connections: Glover himself is based in Chicago, but one of the album’s main producers is from the East Bay. San Francisco fine dining restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://www.restaurantnisei.com/\">Nisei\u003c/a> gets a name drop on \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i>’s first track, “greymatter,” and its kitchen — and kitchen team — is featured in the music video for the song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The songs on \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i> weave a concentric circle between high-level rapping and high-level cooking, bouncing between basketball references and tuna belly with ease. Tracks are riddled with samples from cooking shows and chefs pleading with diners to pay attention to their palate. On “irongate” Glover details the camel bone spoon he’ll use for Beluga caviar before comparing his duffel bag to a “Twix sans nougat.” On “mikealstott,” he raps in a near-whisper about how he will “trim the fat and drop it on the heat like a Pat Riley contract” — a reference to how the Miami Heat executive was notorious for monitoring his players’ body fat percentage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\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/FAjb2ruk1SM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/FAjb2ruk1SM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The songs are both about fine dining and not, shifting between instructions for searing meat and processing grief with ease. Through the 13-song, nearly 40-minute album, Glover’s flow is a low-rolling storm, breathless and quiet as each song’s larger picture emerges minute by minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover wrote the album between April and September of this year and shot the music videos in the same timeframe. Inspired by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fromtheblockperformance/\">From the Block Performance’s\u003c/a> viral outdoor rap videos, the music videos for \u003ci>michelinman \u003c/i>have a certain Humans of New York feeling to them, as strangers peel around the artist while he raps in public — in this case, inside prominent fine dining kitchens including Oklahoma City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nonesuchokc.com/\">NONESUCH\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.thebutcheryyeg.ca/\">The Butchery by RGE RD\u003c/a> in Alberta, Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the videos, Glover plays the part of an interloper praising the work he sees around him. In the one for “greymatter,” shot at Nisei in black and white, the kitchen crew makes quick work of several whole fish, slicing and deboning behind Glover in his puffy jacket. Over a tinkling piano loop, Glover waxes poetic about the Russian Hill restaurant’s raw fish preparations: “I ran out of excuses, I had to make something happen / Break a backend at Nisei or Momotaro / Sashimi otoro, chutoro, cleansing all of my sorrows / Soy sauce only an option if flavor need to be borrowed.” There’s a noir ambiance to the scene, Glover barely visible, the mic hanging in front of him an anchor through the rushing energy of the Nisei kitchen staff.\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/488DcyAaXV4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/488DcyAaXV4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Glover has been chasing his rap dreams since he was a kid in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Back then, he modeled himself after the Southern icon Lil Wayne — but that was just for fun during lunch. It was while he was a student at the University of Chicago, shaking like a leaf during his first performances, that he finally rapped in front of an actual audience. His handle’s changed over the years, finally landing on Blvck Svm as a nod to Cartoon Network’s \u003ci>Samurai Jack\u003c/i>. It’s also an homage to Yasuke, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-yasuke-japans-first-black-samurai-180981416/\">first Black samurai\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>During the pandemic, Glover lost his day job as an assistant manager at the university’s gym just before his rap career started to go big: His 2020 single “\u003ca href=\"https://blvcksvm.bandcamp.com/track/bleach\">bleach\u003c/a>,” a brief, lyrically dense track, now has millions of streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For \u003ci>michelinman\u003c/i>, Glover linked up with Los Angeles–based producer MIKE SUMMERS, but he tapped Fremont musician Max He for sample interpolation. He has been working with Glover for about a year and says that while the Bay Area’s music scene is vast, not a lot of action happens in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13965193/fremont-immigrant-suburb-idealism-my-hometown\">Fremont\u003c/a> — so he was starstruck, for instance, to be working on the same project as Terrace Martin, who plays sax on the album’s outro. “[Blvck Svm’s] music is about redefining luxury into something accessible,” He says, “not something reserved just for the upper class. He talks about the waiter sprinkling lemon pepper on his wings at Wing Stop in the same way he does about sashimi from Nisei.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967664\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967664\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef.jpg\" alt=\"A rapper in a black puffy jacket poses with a chef in the kitchen of a fine dining restaurant.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-nisei-chef-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Glover poses with Nisei chef-owner David Yoshimura. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Blvck Svm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For David Yoshimura, Nisei’s chef-owner, it was wonderful to be involved in the album at all. Nisei is a fitting restaurant to highlight on the topic of “accessible luxury” — after all, not many other San Francisco restaurants pair \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2024/5/2/24133340/savory-mochi-san-francisco-restaurants\">caviar with mochi\u003c/a>. Glover had reached out to the \u003ca href=\"https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/san-francisco/restaurant/nisei\">Michelin-starred restaurant\u003c/a> directly via Instagram, and while a lot of people hit him up with offers to collaborate, Yoshimura was struck by the rapper’s politeness and professionalism. The shoot itself was an easy affair. There’s not usually much yelling in Nisei’s kitchen, he says, so they amped up the energy for the video.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afterwards, Glover and He came in for dinner, and both of them raved about the mochi caviar course and the miso soup. “They were the nicest guests,” Yoshimura says. “And I think his album is going to be the first of its kind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967673\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967673\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront.jpg\" alt='A man in a red baseball cap and white \"A Timeless Ape\" T-shirt poses in front of the Chicago waterfront.' width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/blck-svm-waterfront-1920x2400.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Glover in front of the Chicago waterfront. \u003ccite>(Michael Tinley, courtesy of Blvck Svm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, Glover is hardly the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13955802/bay-area-rappers-food-lyrics-illustrations-e-40-larry-june\"> first rapper to consider food\u003c/a>. The late great MF Doom was famous for his lyrical odes to “Doritos, Cheetos or Fritos.” Earlier this fall, New York experimental rappers Phiik and Lungs put out a dense project called \u003ca href=\"https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/phiik-lungs-carrot-season/\">\u003ci>Carrot Season\u003c/i>\u003c/a> that includes a track about psychedelic herbal tea. And the Bay’s own Larry June raps about health food and orange juice, and even \u003ca href=\"https://brokeassstuart.com/2023/04/24/larry-june-and-the-alchemists-love-letter-to-the-bay-area-is-a-delight/\">owns a boba shop\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>But Glover hopes to be the first full bridge between the mediums — like a fan of flex rap finding a track that gets them deeper into hip-hop, or a diner who heads to Benu for the Instagram pic but leaves weeping like Keanu Reeves in \u003ci>Always Be My Maybe\u003c/i>. His inspirations include MF DOOM and the Griselda hip-hop collective (Boldy James is featured on the album). He cites Action Bronson as another muse, in the way he de-escalates luxurious experiences through irreverent, abstract bars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover’s training to get to that level is, fittingly, spent at the chef’s table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All those things people see as art in food are also in rap. So I spend my time watching how they move through the space,” he says. “The timing, the precision.”\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>\u003ca href=\"https://too.fm/michelinman?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZwbE2w0QgkWzig03KGJJwvFGQh60VyVR65a7G7W0ZLRC1uzS1H7buao00_aem_JNNYZ0-t6kek9RcG8zCqtg\">michelinman\u003c/a> will be available to stream on all platforms on Nov. 11. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mac-dre-20-years-death-furly-ghost-bay-area",
"title": "20 Years After Mac Dre’s Death, the Furly Ghost Still Lingers",
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"headTitle": "20 Years After Mac Dre’s Death, the Furly Ghost Still Lingers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen I ask the security guard at Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery for directions to Plot 47, he replies, “You lookin’ for Dre?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s an older brown-skinned man in a crossing guard vest, sporty sunglasses and an afro protruding from a trucker hat, his hair seasoned by strands of grey. As I talk to the thin, tall, square-shouldered brotha, I wonder: Is this what Mac Dre would’ve looked like had he been able to see elderhood?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">As he hands me a map, he says folks always come looking for Mac Dre’s burial site, usually to take pictures and leave tokens of appreciation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those visitors are about to arrive in large numbers. On Nov. 1, 2004, Mac Dre was shot and killed in Kansas City at age 34. Which means that Friday, Nov. 1, will mark 20 years since his death, and a loss felt in every pocket of the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A week before the anniversary, I get to the gravesite and take in each letter engraved in the mahogany-colored marble headstone. ANDRE ‘MAC DRE’ HICKS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967460\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967460\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"Mac Dre's headstone, located at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre’s headstone, located at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The gravesite has character. Two small pinwheels blow in the wind. There’s a couple coins, a piece of quartz and a small figurine of Ernie from Sesame Street. Two feathers stand atop the headstone, and at the center sits a six-inch metallic statuette of Mac Dre on a scooter in a straw hat and stunna shades — a \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fo4k38u80jc741.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3D923dc928f710936d8da6933dee7f5a723585bb94\">classic image\u003c/a> of the legend in Hawaii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Oakland on July 5, 1970, Dre grew up in Vallejo and became a proud representative of the Crestside neighborhood. But in reality, he held it down for the entire Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His decorated rap career spanned 15 years. He recorded album after album, toured continuously and created a subculture within a subculture. His \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lo0aiUxJ34\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treal T.V.\u003c/a>\u003c/em> documentary is a cultural cornerstone. And his contributions to our lexicon are undeniable. If the Bay Area had its say, “Thizz” would be in Webster’s Dictionary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967496\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1668px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967496\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1668\" height=\"2388\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal.png 1668w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-800x1145.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-1020x1460.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-160x229.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-768x1100.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-1073x1536.png 1073w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-1431x2048.png 1431w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1668px) 100vw, 1668px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(\u003cem>Illustration by Noah Haytin/\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/noh8tin/\">NOH8TIN\u003c/a>)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite serving a five-year stint in a federal prison after being charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery (a trial during which \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954252/did-mac-dre-really-go-to-prison-because-of-his-lyrics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his lyrics were played for the jury\u003c/a>), Mac Dre had a prolific music career unlike any other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s still going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decade after his death, aerosol artists \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/illuminaries/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Illuminaries\u003c/a> put up a mural of \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/warriors/status/609932704205766657\">Steph Curry in a classic Thizz face pose\u003c/a> for the NBA Finals in Oakland. Last year, Curry’s company Unanimous Media announced a forthcoming \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935501/steph-curry-mac-dre-documentary-bay-area-hip-hop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mac Dre documentary\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just last month, NFL star-turned-media personality Marshawn Lynch was in Cuba for Amazon TV’s NFL coverage, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX2tJKo6wgs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he taught locals the Thizz Dance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967462\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967462\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-800x449.jpg\" alt=\"Thizz Face Steph Curry, painted in 2015 on 27th Street and Northgate Avenue in Oakland by The Illuminaries (the mural is no longer standing). \" width=\"800\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-800x449.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-768x431.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thizz Face Steph Curry, painted in 2015 on 27th Street and Northgate Avenue in Oakland by The Illuminaries (the mural is no longer standing). \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And here I am, two decades after Mac Dre’s death, at his gravesite asking questions to the wind blowing through the pinwheels by his headstone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You know you influenced everything from fashion to media, drug culture to car culture, spoken language to body language, right?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mac Dre was a man of many aliases — Andre Macassi, Ronald Dregan and more — but I was speaking to “Furl,” a.k.a. “The Furly Ghost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>How did you do it, Furl? How do you become immortal? How do you influence generations of artists? How do you represent a region even after your demise? What does that mean for us? Are we haunted by the ghost of Furl, or are we enchanted by the legacy of a Mac named Dre? \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967465\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967465\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"The image of Mac Dre's 'Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics' album cover is shown in the background, as veteran Vallejo MC B-Legit performs at History of The Bay Day in San Francisco. \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre’s ‘Ronald Dregan’ album cover hovers over veteran Vallejo MC B-Legit at History of The Bay Day in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he History of The Bay Day, an annual day party organized by podcast production duo, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dregs_one/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dregs One\u003c/a> and audio engineer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/deo415/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DEO\u003c/a>, is a collage of Bay Area hip-hop culture. Graffiti writers, MCs, media makers and more rub shoulders as panel discussions and live performances take place on the main stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, I walk in with Mac Dre on my mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Is Furl’s spirit still here? What does Mac Dre mean to fans of Bay Area hip-hop history? Is the lingering presence of “hyphy culture” impeding the progress of current Bay Area rap?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='news_11954252']When \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>DJ ShellHeart\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> plays Mac Dre during her events, she says, “it brings the party up to a whole ‘nother level, even in 2024.” Behind her dark-tinted sunglasses, ShellHeart’s eyes widen as she adds, “I get chills talking about it, that’s how I know his spirit is still here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the snack line, \u003ca href=\"https://www.theringer.com/authors/logan-murdock\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Logan Murdock\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, writer for \u003cem>The Ringer\u003c/em> and co-host of \u003cem>The Real Ones\u003c/em>, tells me Mac Dre’s legacy lives on because there were “so many different versions of Dre, just like there are so many different versions of the Bay.” And as far as moving beyond the hyphy era, Murdock urges people to acknowledge the variety of Bay Area artists since Dre’s passing. “Artists like 22nd Jim, AllBlack, SOB x RBE, and others who’ve taken the genre forward,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13930745\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre.png\" alt=\"Mac Dre performs on stage in the early 2000s, wearing giant sunglasses, a striped polo shirt and Adidas jacket.\" width=\"999\" height=\"751\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre.png 999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre-800x601.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre onstage in the early 2000s. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I run into producer \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/trackademicks/?hl=en\">\u003cstrong>Trackademicks\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>, who compares Dre’s contribution to Bay Area hip-hop to the corn tortilla’s place in Mexican cuisine. “It’s part of our cultural fabric.” And just like there’s so much more to Mexican cuisine, there’s more to Bay Area hip-hop culture. “When folks decide to fixate,” says Trackademicks, “thinking you can only be the corn tortilla, that’s where the problems lie.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for Mac Dre being a vital ingredient in our cultural roux, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/a.m.a.lllllll/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>DJ Amal\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> tells me that “Mac Dre gave us weird. He gave us different. He gave us obscure.” His influence, and the imprint of the hyphy era, is present in new artists both in and out of the Bay, she says. “It’s a reference point, it’s a foundation for a lot of stuff that we do now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13930686']On the venue’s back patio, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djhholla/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJ H Holla\u003c/a> plays Mac Dre’s “Get Stupid.” Upstairs on the terrace, Oakland-based lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aliasharrief/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Alia Sharrief\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> doesn’t hesitate to tell me, “Mac Dre is the reason we’re \u003ca href=\"https://genius.com/198388\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dipped in A.1.\u003c/a>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are going to have their positives and negatives as far as impact and music and message,” Sharrief adds, referring to Dre’s promotion of pimping and pandering. “But when it comes to being happy, having heart and soul for the Bay Area… Mac Dre did that. And he still got us feeling ourselves today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TepB8KXVZIk\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stson_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Stetson Hines\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> notes that Mac Dre’s work brought economic growth. Talking about Dre’s \u003cem>Treal T.V.\u003c/em> and other media endeavors, Hines asks, “You ever think about the \u003ca href=\"https://48hills.org/2022/12/meet-the-videographer-behind-mac-dres-historic-90s-treal-t-v/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">videographers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951122/d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">photographers\u003c/a> it created?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well-known Pittsburg rapper and Mac Dre collaborator \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/golasoaso/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Husalah\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> says Dre’s spirit has persevered because he represents a fading identity, “the street guys.” Akin to mobsters in Chicago, Husalah says they were once looked down upon, but now they’re celebrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an outlaw life,” says Husalah, before going on stage. “We was cutthroats, pirates. Mac Dre was a pirate,” he says, explaining how as free-spirited artists with street ties they’d live freely, eating off of the land, drinking wine and playing their metaphorical “fiddle or violin.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People romanticize artists from the true underground, Husalah says, and “Mac Dre represents one of the most authentic subcultures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967501\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967501\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mural of Mac Dre in Langton Alley in San Francisco, circa 2005. \u003ccite>(Elizabeth Seward)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before leaving, I talk with rapper, producer and studio engineer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897503/rapper-and-audio-engineer-xarina-opens-a-studio-of-her-own-in-east-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Xarina\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked if she hears Mac Dre’s influence in the rappers she works with, she says matter-of-factly: “I record Mistah F.A.B. … When he feels like rapping like Mac Dre, he will rap like Mac Dre. In 2024.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She adds that other artists — Seiji Oda, LaRussell, and Nef the Pharoah to name a few — have taken aspects of Dre’s style and “flipped it and made it new and fresh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s hyphy,” Xarina says of Seiji Oda. “But it’s not same hyphy. It’s a refined new hyphy that fits into 2024.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967464\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-800x1185.jpg\" alt=\"Artist Billy Blaze says his image of Mac Dre as the Furly Ghost is one of his most popular illustrations.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1185\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-800x1185.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-1020x1511.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-160x237.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-768x1138.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1.jpg 1061w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist Billy Blaze says his image of Mac Dre as the Furly Ghost is one of his most popular illustrations. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Billy Blaze)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seijioda/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Seiji Oda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> is a 26 year-old Japanese and Panamanian guy from Oakland who makes “lo-fi hyphy” music; it’s tranquil yet saucy, and it’s recently gained momentum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After he produced the beat for his latest track, “\u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/seijioda/peaceful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peaceful\u003c/a>,” a friend pointed out that Oda had inadvertently flipped Mac Dre’s “Thizzle Dance” without realizing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Intrinsically,” he says, “I heard it and I felt it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda was just six when Mac Dre was killed, and says he got Mac Dre vibes secondhand from the artists who were popular in the 2010s. “I was listening to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ezalecantseewell/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ezale\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p_lo/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">P-Lo\u003c/a>,” says Seiji Oda during a phone call. He watched their videos, noticing how they embodied aspects of Dre’s music. “The way that it was passed down to us,” says Seiji Oda, “was through that lineage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967498\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967498\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"991\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_-800x793.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_-160x159.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_-768x761.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre’s ‘Young Black Brotha,’ recorded around the time he first met Ray Luv. \u003ccite>(Young Black Brotha Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Few can speak to Bay Area hip-hop lineage like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therealrayluv/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Ray Luv\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>. Raised in Santa Rosa, as a teen he was close friends with Tupac, as a young adult he had his own career as an MC and nowadays Luv is the COO of Thizz Entertainment, managing Mac Dre’s estate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luv even has a story of Mac Dre and Tupac sharing the the same space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In high school, Luv and Tupac once cut class to visit a video shoot for a Too Short song featuring Ice Cube. As Luv, Tupac and Shock G of The Digital Underground were being interviewed by famed comedian Mark Curry, Mac Dre arrived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When Mac Dre got to the door, everybody stopped, and all you heard was ‘Mac Dre!'” exclaims Luv, elevating the pitch in his tone to imitate the guests. “This was a room full of stars and celebrities, but Mac Dre was one of those figures, like Pac in a way; a star among stars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13886730\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1198px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13886730\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM.png\" alt=\"V White and Mac Dre in Big Pimpin' Turf Clothes\" width=\"1198\" height=\"1184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM.png 1198w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-800x791.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-1020x1008.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-160x158.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-768x759.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1198px) 100vw, 1198px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">V White and Mac Dre in Big Pimpin’ Turf Clothes. \u003ccite>(Big Printing Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Luv says that these days, Dre’s brand is active, with companies regularly reaching out for potential action figures and hologram collaborations. “Without any marketing or promotion,” adds Luv, “he does millions of streams every month.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why has Dre’s brand and spirit stood the test of time?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason we haven’t, per se, grown past Mac Dre, is because I don’t think that he’s someone to grow past,” says Luv, before remixing an iconic Maya Angelou quote. “People may not remember the words to your songs — they might not remember \u003cem>any\u003c/em> of your songs — but they will always remember the way you made them feel.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Mac Dre made us feel ourselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924556\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13924556\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured.jpg\" alt=\"a spraypainted mural of the rap artist mac dre\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Mac Dre mural on Foothill Boulevard in Oakland by artist Chez. \u003ccite>(Laurence Madrigal/We Were Hyphy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]T[/dropcap]o understand Mac Dre’s impact, I revisited his discography and looked at old photos. I drove around, taking note of murals and stickers with with Mac Dre’s imagery, as well as people wearing Thizz gear. In 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spent time listening to a wide array of artists eager to discuss Dre’s legacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Famed Oakland-born actor \u003ca href=\"https://daveeddiggs.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Daveed Diggs\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> asserts that Mac Dre “is under-appreciated as a lyricist and as a originator of cadences.” His hip-hop group \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/clppng/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clipping.\u003c/a> often uses Mac Dre songs as a reference for a particular feel, Diggs says, and deeper cuts like “Since ’84” and “Me Damac” are some of his favorite Mac Dre tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13934874']“If I ever had written a verse as good as any of those,” Diggs testifies, “I would have stopped, I would’ve just stopped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angelically hyphy extraterrestrial Frisco native \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alienmackitty/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alien Mac Kitty\u003c/a> (AMK) attributes the “Mac” in her name to Mac Dre. In a voice note, she says she carries on that spirit, just as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928057/alien-mac-kitty-cougnut-daughter-san-francisco-frisco-rap-legacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">she carries on the legacy of her late father\u003c/a>, pioneering San Francisco rapper Cougnut. “He and Dre were actually really cool,” says AMK, adding that Mac Dre made everything fun, funky and colorful, in the most respectful way. The underground lyricist says that “Furl is still alive, and his spirit runs through the entire Bay Area renaissance right now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The journey — all of the conversations — were worth it. But the answers to my questions were in the soil at Mac Dre’s gravesite all along. The cigarette butts and tiny trinkets, the holistic stones and loose change donated to the patron saint of the hyphy movement. All evidence that Mac Dre’s spirt, the ghost of Furl, is still alive — and it lives in the people.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Mac Dre influenced the Bay Area immeasurably. Twenty years later, we're still enchanted by the Furly Ghost.",
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"title": "20 Years After Mac Dre’s Death, the Furly Ghost Still Lingers | KQED",
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"headline": "20 Years After Mac Dre’s Death, the Furly Ghost Still Lingers",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hen I ask the security guard at Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery for directions to Plot 47, he replies, “You lookin’ for Dre?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s an older brown-skinned man in a crossing guard vest, sporty sunglasses and an afro protruding from a trucker hat, his hair seasoned by strands of grey. As I talk to the thin, tall, square-shouldered brotha, I wonder: Is this what Mac Dre would’ve looked like had he been able to see elderhood?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">As he hands me a map, he says folks always come looking for Mac Dre’s burial site, usually to take pictures and leave tokens of appreciation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those visitors are about to arrive in large numbers. On Nov. 1, 2004, Mac Dre was shot and killed in Kansas City at age 34. Which means that Friday, Nov. 1, will mark 20 years since his death, and a loss felt in every pocket of the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A week before the anniversary, I get to the gravesite and take in each letter engraved in the mahogany-colored marble headstone. ANDRE ‘MAC DRE’ HICKS.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967460\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967460\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"Mac Dre's headstone, located at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Mac-Dre-RIP-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre’s headstone, located at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The gravesite has character. Two small pinwheels blow in the wind. There’s a couple coins, a piece of quartz and a small figurine of Ernie from Sesame Street. Two feathers stand atop the headstone, and at the center sits a six-inch metallic statuette of Mac Dre on a scooter in a straw hat and stunna shades — a \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fo4k38u80jc741.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3D923dc928f710936d8da6933dee7f5a723585bb94\">classic image\u003c/a> of the legend in Hawaii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Oakland on July 5, 1970, Dre grew up in Vallejo and became a proud representative of the Crestside neighborhood. But in reality, he held it down for the entire Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His decorated rap career spanned 15 years. He recorded album after album, toured continuously and created a subculture within a subculture. His \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lo0aiUxJ34\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treal T.V.\u003c/a>\u003c/em> documentary is a cultural cornerstone. And his contributions to our lexicon are undeniable. If the Bay Area had its say, “Thizz” would be in Webster’s Dictionary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967496\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1668px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967496\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1668\" height=\"2388\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal.png 1668w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-800x1145.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-1020x1460.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-160x229.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-768x1100.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-1073x1536.png 1073w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.NoahHaytin.FINALfinal-1431x2048.png 1431w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1668px) 100vw, 1668px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(\u003cem>Illustration by Noah Haytin/\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/noh8tin/\">NOH8TIN\u003c/a>)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite serving a five-year stint in a federal prison after being charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery (a trial during which \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954252/did-mac-dre-really-go-to-prison-because-of-his-lyrics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his lyrics were played for the jury\u003c/a>), Mac Dre had a prolific music career unlike any other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s still going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decade after his death, aerosol artists \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/illuminaries/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Illuminaries\u003c/a> put up a mural of \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/warriors/status/609932704205766657\">Steph Curry in a classic Thizz face pose\u003c/a> for the NBA Finals in Oakland. Last year, Curry’s company Unanimous Media announced a forthcoming \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935501/steph-curry-mac-dre-documentary-bay-area-hip-hop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mac Dre documentary\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just last month, NFL star-turned-media personality Marshawn Lynch was in Cuba for Amazon TV’s NFL coverage, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX2tJKo6wgs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he taught locals the Thizz Dance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967462\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967462\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-800x449.jpg\" alt=\"Thizz Face Steph Curry, painted in 2015 on 27th Street and Northgate Avenue in Oakland by The Illuminaries (the mural is no longer standing). \" width=\"800\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-800x449.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa-768x431.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/CHbqj0GUcAAFcNa.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thizz Face Steph Curry, painted in 2015 on 27th Street and Northgate Avenue in Oakland by The Illuminaries (the mural is no longer standing). \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And here I am, two decades after Mac Dre’s death, at his gravesite asking questions to the wind blowing through the pinwheels by his headstone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You know you influenced everything from fashion to media, drug culture to car culture, spoken language to body language, right?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mac Dre was a man of many aliases — Andre Macassi, Ronald Dregan and more — but I was speaking to “Furl,” a.k.a. “The Furly Ghost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>How did you do it, Furl? How do you become immortal? How do you influence generations of artists? How do you represent a region even after your demise? What does that mean for us? Are we haunted by the ghost of Furl, or are we enchanted by the legacy of a Mac named Dre? \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967465\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967465\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"The image of Mac Dre's 'Ronald Dregan: Dreganomics' album cover is shown in the background, as veteran Vallejo MC B-Legit performs at History of The Bay Day in San Francisco. \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/unnamed-1.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre’s ‘Ronald Dregan’ album cover hovers over veteran Vallejo MC B-Legit at History of The Bay Day in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>he History of The Bay Day, an annual day party organized by podcast production duo, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dregs_one/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dregs One\u003c/a> and audio engineer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/deo415/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DEO\u003c/a>, is a collage of Bay Area hip-hop culture. Graffiti writers, MCs, media makers and more rub shoulders as panel discussions and live performances take place on the main stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, I walk in with Mac Dre on my mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Is Furl’s spirit still here? What does Mac Dre mean to fans of Bay Area hip-hop history? Is the lingering presence of “hyphy culture” impeding the progress of current Bay Area rap?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>DJ ShellHeart\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> plays Mac Dre during her events, she says, “it brings the party up to a whole ‘nother level, even in 2024.” Behind her dark-tinted sunglasses, ShellHeart’s eyes widen as she adds, “I get chills talking about it, that’s how I know his spirit is still here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the snack line, \u003ca href=\"https://www.theringer.com/authors/logan-murdock\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Logan Murdock\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, writer for \u003cem>The Ringer\u003c/em> and co-host of \u003cem>The Real Ones\u003c/em>, tells me Mac Dre’s legacy lives on because there were “so many different versions of Dre, just like there are so many different versions of the Bay.” And as far as moving beyond the hyphy era, Murdock urges people to acknowledge the variety of Bay Area artists since Dre’s passing. “Artists like 22nd Jim, AllBlack, SOB x RBE, and others who’ve taken the genre forward,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13930745\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre.png\" alt=\"Mac Dre performs on stage in the early 2000s, wearing giant sunglasses, a striped polo shirt and Adidas jacket.\" width=\"999\" height=\"751\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre.png 999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre-800x601.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/mac-dre-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre onstage in the early 2000s. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I run into producer \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/trackademicks/?hl=en\">\u003cstrong>Trackademicks\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>, who compares Dre’s contribution to Bay Area hip-hop to the corn tortilla’s place in Mexican cuisine. “It’s part of our cultural fabric.” And just like there’s so much more to Mexican cuisine, there’s more to Bay Area hip-hop culture. “When folks decide to fixate,” says Trackademicks, “thinking you can only be the corn tortilla, that’s where the problems lie.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for Mac Dre being a vital ingredient in our cultural roux, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/a.m.a.lllllll/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>DJ Amal\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> tells me that “Mac Dre gave us weird. He gave us different. He gave us obscure.” His influence, and the imprint of the hyphy era, is present in new artists both in and out of the Bay, she says. “It’s a reference point, it’s a foundation for a lot of stuff that we do now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On the venue’s back patio, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djhholla/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJ H Holla\u003c/a> plays Mac Dre’s “Get Stupid.” Upstairs on the terrace, Oakland-based lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aliasharrief/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Alia Sharrief\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> doesn’t hesitate to tell me, “Mac Dre is the reason we’re \u003ca href=\"https://genius.com/198388\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dipped in A.1.\u003c/a>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are going to have their positives and negatives as far as impact and music and message,” Sharrief adds, referring to Dre’s promotion of pimping and pandering. “But when it comes to being happy, having heart and soul for the Bay Area… Mac Dre did that. And he still got us feeling ourselves today.”\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/TepB8KXVZIk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/TepB8KXVZIk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stson_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Stetson Hines\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> notes that Mac Dre’s work brought economic growth. Talking about Dre’s \u003cem>Treal T.V.\u003c/em> and other media endeavors, Hines asks, “You ever think about the \u003ca href=\"https://48hills.org/2022/12/meet-the-videographer-behind-mac-dres-historic-90s-treal-t-v/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">videographers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951122/d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">photographers\u003c/a> it created?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well-known Pittsburg rapper and Mac Dre collaborator \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/golasoaso/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Husalah\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> says Dre’s spirit has persevered because he represents a fading identity, “the street guys.” Akin to mobsters in Chicago, Husalah says they were once looked down upon, but now they’re celebrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an outlaw life,” says Husalah, before going on stage. “We was cutthroats, pirates. Mac Dre was a pirate,” he says, explaining how as free-spirited artists with street ties they’d live freely, eating off of the land, drinking wine and playing their metaphorical “fiddle or violin.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People romanticize artists from the true underground, Husalah says, and “Mac Dre represents one of the most authentic subcultures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967501\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967501\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/009_9-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mural of Mac Dre in Langton Alley in San Francisco, circa 2005. \u003ccite>(Elizabeth Seward)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before leaving, I talk with rapper, producer and studio engineer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897503/rapper-and-audio-engineer-xarina-opens-a-studio-of-her-own-in-east-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Xarina\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked if she hears Mac Dre’s influence in the rappers she works with, she says matter-of-factly: “I record Mistah F.A.B. … When he feels like rapping like Mac Dre, he will rap like Mac Dre. In 2024.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She adds that other artists — Seiji Oda, LaRussell, and Nef the Pharoah to name a few — have taken aspects of Dre’s style and “flipped it and made it new and fresh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s hyphy,” Xarina says of Seiji Oda. “But it’s not same hyphy. It’s a refined new hyphy that fits into 2024.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13967464\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-800x1185.jpg\" alt=\"Artist Billy Blaze says his image of Mac Dre as the Furly Ghost is one of his most popular illustrations.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1185\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-800x1185.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-1020x1511.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-160x237.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-768x1138.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/0-1.jpg 1061w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist Billy Blaze says his image of Mac Dre as the Furly Ghost is one of his most popular illustrations. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Billy Blaze)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seijioda/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Seiji Oda\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> is a 26 year-old Japanese and Panamanian guy from Oakland who makes “lo-fi hyphy” music; it’s tranquil yet saucy, and it’s recently gained momentum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After he produced the beat for his latest track, “\u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/seijioda/peaceful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peaceful\u003c/a>,” a friend pointed out that Oda had inadvertently flipped Mac Dre’s “Thizzle Dance” without realizing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Intrinsically,” he says, “I heard it and I felt it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda was just six when Mac Dre was killed, and says he got Mac Dre vibes secondhand from the artists who were popular in the 2010s. “I was listening to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ezalecantseewell/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ezale\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p_lo/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">P-Lo\u003c/a>,” says Seiji Oda during a phone call. He watched their videos, noticing how they embodied aspects of Dre’s music. “The way that it was passed down to us,” says Seiji Oda, “was through that lineage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967498\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967498\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"991\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_-800x793.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_-160x159.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/MacDre.YBB_-768x761.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac Dre’s ‘Young Black Brotha,’ recorded around the time he first met Ray Luv. \u003ccite>(Young Black Brotha Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Few can speak to Bay Area hip-hop lineage like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therealrayluv/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Ray Luv\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>. Raised in Santa Rosa, as a teen he was close friends with Tupac, as a young adult he had his own career as an MC and nowadays Luv is the COO of Thizz Entertainment, managing Mac Dre’s estate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luv even has a story of Mac Dre and Tupac sharing the the same space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In high school, Luv and Tupac once cut class to visit a video shoot for a Too Short song featuring Ice Cube. As Luv, Tupac and Shock G of The Digital Underground were being interviewed by famed comedian Mark Curry, Mac Dre arrived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When Mac Dre got to the door, everybody stopped, and all you heard was ‘Mac Dre!'” exclaims Luv, elevating the pitch in his tone to imitate the guests. “This was a room full of stars and celebrities, but Mac Dre was one of those figures, like Pac in a way; a star among stars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13886730\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1198px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13886730\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM.png\" alt=\"V White and Mac Dre in Big Pimpin' Turf Clothes\" width=\"1198\" height=\"1184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM.png 1198w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-800x791.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-1020x1008.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-160x158.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-10.02.09-AM-768x759.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1198px) 100vw, 1198px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">V White and Mac Dre in Big Pimpin’ Turf Clothes. \u003ccite>(Big Printing Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Luv says that these days, Dre’s brand is active, with companies regularly reaching out for potential action figures and hologram collaborations. “Without any marketing or promotion,” adds Luv, “he does millions of streams every month.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why has Dre’s brand and spirit stood the test of time?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason we haven’t, per se, grown past Mac Dre, is because I don’t think that he’s someone to grow past,” says Luv, before remixing an iconic Maya Angelou quote. “People may not remember the words to your songs — they might not remember \u003cem>any\u003c/em> of your songs — but they will always remember the way you made them feel.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Mac Dre made us feel ourselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13924556\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13924556\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured.jpg\" alt=\"a spraypainted mural of the rap artist mac dre\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MacDre.chez_.featured-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Mac Dre mural on Foothill Boulevard in Oakland by artist Chez. \u003ccite>(Laurence Madrigal/We Were Hyphy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>o understand Mac Dre’s impact, I revisited his discography and looked at old photos. I drove around, taking note of murals and stickers with with Mac Dre’s imagery, as well as people wearing Thizz gear. In 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spent time listening to a wide array of artists eager to discuss Dre’s legacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Famed Oakland-born actor \u003ca href=\"https://daveeddiggs.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cstrong>Daveed Diggs\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> asserts that Mac Dre “is under-appreciated as a lyricist and as a originator of cadences.” His hip-hop group \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/clppng/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clipping.\u003c/a> often uses Mac Dre songs as a reference for a particular feel, Diggs says, and deeper cuts like “Since ’84” and “Me Damac” are some of his favorite Mac Dre tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“If I ever had written a verse as good as any of those,” Diggs testifies, “I would have stopped, I would’ve just stopped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angelically hyphy extraterrestrial Frisco native \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alienmackitty/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alien Mac Kitty\u003c/a> (AMK) attributes the “Mac” in her name to Mac Dre. In a voice note, she says she carries on that spirit, just as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928057/alien-mac-kitty-cougnut-daughter-san-francisco-frisco-rap-legacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">she carries on the legacy of her late father\u003c/a>, pioneering San Francisco rapper Cougnut. “He and Dre were actually really cool,” says AMK, adding that Mac Dre made everything fun, funky and colorful, in the most respectful way. The underground lyricist says that “Furl is still alive, and his spirit runs through the entire Bay Area renaissance right now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The journey — all of the conversations — were worth it. But the answers to my questions were in the soil at Mac Dre’s gravesite all along. The cigarette butts and tiny trinkets, the holistic stones and loose change donated to the patron saint of the hyphy movement. All evidence that Mac Dre’s spirt, the ghost of Furl, is still alive — and it lives in the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "heres-everyone-caught-in-the-web-of-the-sean-diddy-combs-allegations-so-far",
"title": "Here’s Everyone Caught in the Web of the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Allegations So Far",
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"headTitle": "Here’s Everyone Caught in the Web of the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Allegations So Far | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>Updated 10:17 a.m. Oct. 14, 2024.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sean “Diddy” Combs remains in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting a May 5 trial on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/16/g-s1-23363/sean-diddy-combs-faces-federal-charges-in-new-york\">federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering\u003c/a>. The hip-hop mogul has pleaded not guilty on all charges and has been denied bail twice thus far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13954740']Before and after his arrest, Combs has also been served \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954740/diddy-allegations-sean-combs-raids-sex-trafficking-cassie-joi-rod-harve-pierre-jane-doe\">more than two dozen civil lawsuits\u003c/a> for physical assault, rape and more. The indictment and many of the lawsuits name Combs’ numerous business ventures and claim they are complicit in financing and enabling the rapper’s abuse inside and outside of the recording studio. They also detail how Combs allegedly used his position of power in the entertainment industry to lure, coerce and silence those around him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s an ongoing list of notable people named in lawsuits and criminal investigations against Combs so far, excluding the accusers who have chosen not to reveal their names.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>The Accusers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Casandra Ventura, aka Cassie\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13954776\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13954776\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/GettyImages-1780923026-scaled-e1711490898243.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man wearing a suit and very long couture coat stands holding hands with a Black woman wearing an elaborate black gown and purse in the shape of a skull.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sean Combs and Cassie at the 2017 Met Gala. \u003ccite>(Clint Spaulding/ Penske Media via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The R&B singer was in a personal and professional relationship with Combs for over a decade. In November 2023, Ventura filed a federal lawsuit against Combs alleging years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The lawsuit also named Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records, Epic Records and Combs Enterprises. A day after the filing, the two parties settled the trafficking, rape and physical assault case out of court — but Ventura’s willingness to come forward opened the floodgates for nearly a dozen other lawsuits against Combs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pair reportedly met in 2005, when Ventura was 19 and Combs was 37. The following year, Ventura signed a deal with Bad Boy Entertainment and released her self-titled debut album. Ventura’s lawsuit alleged this was the beginning of Combs’ coercion and abuse, which she said completely took over her life and included forcing her to take illicit substances, forcing her to participate in sex with male sex workers while Combs filmed her — encounters Combs referred to as “freakoffs” — and frequent beatings. The lawsuit stated that the beatings were often witnessed by Combs’ staff, employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs’ affiliated businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, CNN published \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/05/17/1252221941/sean-combs-cassie-ventura-cnn-video\">footage\u003c/a> dated to 2016 that showed Combs repeatedly hitting and kicking Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Shortly after, Ventura took to Instagram to address the video and subsequent public response. “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7T6OCKRJ-W/\">she wrote\u003c/a>. “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joi Dickerson-Neal\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days after Ventura’s lawsuit, a woman named Joi Dickerson filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of drugging, sexually harassing and abusing her and distributing “revenge porn.” The suit states that Dickerson was a psychology student at Syracuse University when she agreed to go on a date with Combs in 1991. She had appeared in one of the rapper’s music videos. After the pair had dinner, the suit alleges that Combs pressured Dickerson to keep the night going and drove them to a recording studio. There, Dickerson says she realized she had been drugged and was unable to get out of the car, since she could no longer stand or walk on her own. This is when the suit alleges that Combs took her to another location and proceeded to sexually assault her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13964507']Days later, Dickerson was told by a male friend that Combs had recorded the assault and had shown it to him and several others. The lawsuit states that the ensuing feelings of violation and humiliation derailed Dickerson’s studies and have had prolonged effects on her mental health, career and economic opportunities. Like Ventura, Dickerson filed the lawsuit under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which provided a one-year window for victims of sexual abuse who were age 18 or older at the time of the crime to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations of the crimes themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Liza Gardner\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last November, Liza Gardner filed a lawsuit alleging that in 1990, she was raped by Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall. The lawsuit says that days later, Combs assaulted and choked Gardner until she lost consciousness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an amended complaint filed Oct. 8, Gardner adds that she was 16 years old when she was invited to New Jersey from her home in North Carolina by her friends DeVante Swing and Dalvin DeGrate of the R&B group Jodeci. The lawsuit states that Jodeci’s housing, where Gardner was staying, was “subsidized” by their label, Uptown Records, a subsidiary of MCA and UMG. It goes on to allege that Gardner and her 15-year-old friend, Monica Case, met Combs and Hall at an MCA Records event in New York, where they were reportedly supplied with alcohol. Combs and Hall allegedly provided the minors with more drinks and with marijuana later that night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit states that Gardner and her friends were later taken back to Hall’s apartment in New Jersey, where Combs raped Gardner. The suit states that unbeknownst to Gardner at the time, Devante Swing was in the room at the time and did nothing to stop Combs. Swing was added as a co-defendant in the new complaint for “aiding and abetting” the sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit also names UMG Recordings, Universal Music Group and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones worked with Combs on his 2023 release, \u003cem>The Love Album: Off the Grid\u003c/em>. In February, Jones filed a lawsuit alleging that during the making of the album — from 2022 to 2023 — he lived with Combs, who he says repeatedly groped him, forced him to solicit sex workers, take illegal drugs, and more. The suit states that Combs would often walk around naked in front of Jones, and that the music mogul attempted to groom the producer into engaging in sex with other men in the music industry, allegedly promising Jones a Grammy if he complied. Jones also alleges that a cousin of rapper Yung Miami, who was dating Combs at the time, sexually assaulted him in Combs’ home in 2022 in front of Combs and his staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13962885']Jones’ lawsuit also names Combs’ son, Justin Dior Combs, Love Records, Combs Global Enterprises and Combs’ chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, as co-defendants. In addition to the allegations of abuse, the suit describes a shooting at a recording studio involving Combs, his son Justin Dior Combs and an unnamed victim. The suit also claims that Combs did not properly compensate Jones for his work on \u003cem>The Love Album.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit originally included Universal Music Group, Motown Records, former Motown CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam and UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge as co-defendants. Lawyers for Grainge and UMG denied their involvement in the allegations, eventually leading Jones’ lawyer to drop Grainge and the labels from the charges.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Crystal McKinney\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966508\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966508\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc.png\" alt=\"A beautiful blond woman wearing a coat with a fur collar.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-800x530.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-1020x676.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-768x509.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-1536x1018.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-1920x1273.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crystal McKinney. \u003ccite>(Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In May, Crystal McKinney filed a lawsuit against Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Combs’ clothing company, Sean John Clothing. The charges against UMG Recordings were later dismissed, and Daddy’s House Recordings was added as a co-defendant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit states that in 2003, McKinney was 22 years old and working as a model when an unnamed designer introduced her to Combs at a Sean John fashion show in New York City. Combs allegedly expressed interest in getting to know McKinney better and helping her modeling career grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later that night, he invited her to a recording studio, where McKinney says Combs and several other men were smoking marijuana and drinking. She took a hit of a joint, which according to the lawsuit, she believes was laced with another substance. The lawsuit states that Combs pressured McKinney to continue drinking and smoking, and as she became more intoxicated, she was led to a bathroom by Combs, who forced her to perform oral sex on him. Afterward, McKinney lost consciousness and awoke in a taxi en route to the designer’s apartment. The lawsuit states that following the assault, McKinney became severely depressed. According to the lawsuit, she believes Combs “blackballed” her in the industry, which led to the downfall of her modeling career, and has had long-lasting effects on her mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>April Lampros\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, April Lampros filed a lawsuit naming Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment and Arista Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. Lampros met Combs in 1994 while studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She says Combs often invited her to the Bad Boy studio, promised to mentor and help her advance her career and began “love-bombing” her. They started dating and Lampros would often travel to see Combs, though he asked that their relationship be kept private.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13956667']In the suit, Lampros accuses Combs of sexually assaulting her on four separate occasions and repeatedly threatening to harm her, both physically and professionally. In one such instance, Combs allegedly forced Lampros and his then-girlfriend Kim Porter to take ecstasy, forced them to engage in sex while he watched and then raped Lampros. Though she tried to distance herself from Combs as the relationship turned abusive, Lampros says Combs continually contacted her, and she feared the repercussions of rebuffing his advances. The lawsuit states that after Lampros’ relationship with Combs had ended, she was told by someone she knew that he had seen a video of her and Combs having sex, recorded without her knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, a man incarcerated in Michigan filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging that the rapper drugged and sexually assaulted him in Detroit in 1997. During a hearing in September, a default judgment was granted to Cardello-Smith for $100 million after Combs and his lawyers failed to appear in court. Shortly after, the judgment was set aside on grounds that Cardello-Smith’s lawsuit, mailed to a Combs residence in Los Angeles, was not properly served. Cardello-Smith is currently serving sentences for kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adria English\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, a woman named Adria English filed a lawsuit against Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John Clothing, Combs Global Enterprises, Tamiko Thomas, Jacob Arabov aka “Jacob The Jeweler,” \u003cem>VIBE\u003c/em> magazine, Penske Media Corporation and several unnamed defendants. The suit alleges that in 2004, English was working as a dancer at a club in New York City when she and her then-boyfriend, aspiring model Anthony Gallo, were hired to work at one of Combs’ famous “White Parties” in the Hamptons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>English alleges that while working at the party, she was forced to drink alcohol, which she believes was laced with ecstasy, and forced to consume narcotics. The suit alleges that Combs and a Bad Boy Entertainment employee continued to hire her to work at “White Parties” in New York and in Miami. According to the lawsuit, around the third event, English alleges that she was asked to swap the usual white attire for a black mini-dress and forced to begin having intercourse with guests. She believes the black dress was meant to signal to guests that she was a “sex trafficked sex worker.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit names Jacob Arabov aka “Jacob The Jeweler” as one such guest she was coerced into having intercourse with, along with other unnamed defendants. English believes there are secret recordings of those defendants sexually assaulting her in Combs’ homes while she was unconscious.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dawn Richard\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966509\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966509\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn.png\" alt=\"A Black woman wearng a gold jacket talks into a microphone.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1325\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-800x530.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-1020x676.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-768x509.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-1536x1018.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-1920x1272.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn Richard. \u003ccite>(Josh Brasted/Getty Images for ESSENCE/Getty Images North America)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In September, singer Dawn Richard filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/12/nx-s1-5110001/dawn-richard-diddy-danity-kane-lawsuit\">lawsuit\u003c/a> against Combs for sexual assault and battery. The complaint also states that Richard witnessed Combs beat and abuse Ventura on many occasions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard first met Combs when she auditioned for the MTV show \u003cem>Making the Band\u003c/em> in 2004 and was selected to be a member of the group Danity Kane under Combs’ mentorship. The lawsuit alleges that Richard and her bandmates were subjected to inhumane working conditions during their time on the show and in the musical group, sometimes being forced to rehearse for up to 48 hours without food or breaks and often being berated by Combs. The complaint states that the abusive behavior continued throughout Richard’s professional relationship with Combs, and that he instilled a culture of fear in the women he worked with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13918217']After Danity Kane disbanded in 2009, Richard continued to work with Combs in the trio Diddy — Dirty Money, along with singer Kalenna Harper — who allegedly also witnessed much of Combs’ abusive behavior and was subject to his numerous threats. The lawsuit alleges Combs would force Richard to take meetings while he was in his underwear, and he would barge into her dressing room unannounced and would grope her breasts and buttocks during stylist fittings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one instance in 2010, the lawsuit states that Combs berated Richard and Harper in the lobby of SIR Studios and attempted to punch Richard when she asked him to stop calling them “bitches” in front of people. Richard alleges the women were then ushered into a company car and that Combs and Harve Pierre falsely imprisoned them in the vehicle for over two hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the allegations of abuse, Richard’s lawsuit demands unpaid salaries, royalties and wages for Richard’s work as part of Danity Kane and Diddy — Dirty Money. The complaint also names Harve Pierre, Remote Productions, Bad Boy Entertainment, Daddy’s House Recording Studio and a number of other music, publishing and finance corporations associated with Combs for enabling his violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thalia Graves\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966510\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966510\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves.png\" alt=\"A light skinned Black woman sits on a white armchair wearing a white top.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-800x542.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-1020x692.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-160x108.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-768x521.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-1536x1041.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-1920x1302.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thalia Graves. \u003ccite>(Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In September, a woman named Thalia Graves filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/24/g-s1-24401/sean-diddy-combs-graves-rape-lawsuit\">lawsuit\u003c/a> accusing Combs and his bodyguard Joseph Sherman of raping her, recording the assault without her knowledge and distributing the video as pornography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graves alleges that the assault took place in 2001, when she was 25 years old and dating an unnamed record producer who worked with Combs. She says Combs and Sherman took advantage of her relationship with their colleague to lure her to a recording studio alone, where they gave her a drink she believes was laced with some kind of drug. The lawsuit says Graves lost consciousness and awoke to find herself bound and restrained; Combs and Sherman then proceeded to take turns raping her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graves says she did not report the alleged crime out of fear of Combs’ retaliation, and that her boyfriend at the time discouraged her from doing so because it might hurt his career. In November 2023, Graves alleges she learned the rape had been recorded by Sherman and Combs, who showed it to others with the purpose of humiliating Graves and her then-boyfriend. The lawsuit details how the crime and the knowledge of its recording has had dire, long-lasting consequences on Graves’ mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ashley Parham\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 15, a woman named Ashley Parham filed a lawsuit against Combs in California involving sexual assault, battery, rape, sexual abuse, false imprisonment and kidnapping. Parham alleges that in 2018, she met a man named Shane Pearce who was associated with Combs. Parham says Pearce called Combs on FaceTime in front of her, but she made remarks about being unimpressed because “she believed Defendant Diddy had something to do with the murder of Tupac Shakur.” Combs allegedly became upset by Parham’s statements during the call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint says that some time later, Pearce invited Parham over to his home. While she was there, Combs allegedly arrived with Kristina Khorram and several unnamed others. The lawsuit states that Combs was angry at Parham for how she had treated him over the video call. Combs allegedly threatened to physically harm Parham with a knife, while Khorram allegedly said they could “sell” the plaintiff for sex. The lawsuit states that Pearce and Combs then removed Parham’s clothing and Combs squirted Parham with what she believes was an oil or lubricant. According to the lawsuit, Khorram was instructed by Diddy to insert a syringe into Parham’s vagina. The lawsuit goes on to state that Combs, Pearce and two unnamed defendants violently raped Parham and that Combs forced an unknown pill down the woman’s throat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kristina Khorram, Shane Pearce and several unnamed men and women are listed as co-defendants in the lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryana “Bana” Bongolan\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Nov. 27, fashion designer Bryana “Bana” Bongolan filed a lawsuit against Combs in California that alleges the mogul groped her breasts, dangled her over the balcony of a 17th floor apartment and frequently threatened and intimidated her throughout their working relationship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit states that Bongolan worked with Cassie Ventura at Diamond Supply Co. in 2014, which led the two women to develop a friendship. As they got closer, Bongolan alleges that she became aware of Combs’ violent and abusive behavior towards Ventura, eventually leading to Ventura showing Bongolan bruises and a black eye she received from Combs. According to the lawsuit, Bongolan worked closely with both Ventura and Combs, designing Bad Boy jackets for the mogul, creating costumes for the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, starting a clothing line called “Cassie + BANA,” and designing merchandise and cover art for Ventura.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the time they worked together, Bongolan alleges that Combs intimidated and threatened her, including an instance in which he forcibly drugged her and another in which he said “You have no idea what I could do to you. I could kill you.” The lawsuit states that in September of 2016, Bongolan, her then-girlfriend and Ventura were at Ventura’s apartment when Combs began violently knocking on the door. After making his way in, Bongolan alleges he found her on the balcony and began groping her breasts. When she resisted, she alleges that he picked her up and held her over the ledge of the 17th floor balcony, and then slammed her into patio furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ventura’s attorneys declined to comment on Bongolan’s lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>The Accused\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jay-Z\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13832289\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9.jpg\" alt=\"Jay-Z, on the red carpet to promote the film The Great Gatsby in New York in 2013.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1152\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13832289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-520x292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jay-Z, on the red carpet to promote the film ‘The Great Gatsby’ in New York in 2013. \u003ccite>(Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In October, an unnamed plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against Combs alleging that he and an unnamed male celebrity assaulted her at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000, when she was only 13 years old. On December 8, the lawsuit was amended and refiled to name Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, as the second assailant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint alleges that in September of 2000, the unnamed victim was attempting to gain entry to the VMAs in New York City when she approached a limousine driver who told her he worked for Combs and could take her to an after-party and did. The plaintiff alleges that later that night, when she arrived, she was asked to sign a document she now believes was a non-disclosure agreement. The complaint states that the plaintiff accepted a drink that made her woozy, leading her to retire to one of the bedrooms. She alleges that Carter, Combs and an unnamed female celebrity entered the room and that the two men raped her while the female celebrity stood by and watched.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to NPR, Carter denied the allegations and stated that he was the target of a blackmail attempt designed to extort settlement money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!” he said. “Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My only heartbreak is for my family,” Carter added. “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter is the first high-profile co-defendant to be named in over a dozen lawsuits filed by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, all on behalf of unnamed accusers. The amended complaint accuses Carter of filing his own lawsuit against Buzbee, which the attorney called “frivolous.” NPR has reviewed a lawsuit filed on November 18 by an anonymous celebrity accusing Buzbee of extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Aaron Hall\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966511\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall.png\" alt=\"A Black man onstage wearing sunglasses and a denim jacket.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-800x553.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-1020x705.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-768x531.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-1536x1062.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-1920x1328.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aaron Hall. \u003ccite>(Paras Griffin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The R&B singer is named in Gardner’s lawsuit, alleging that he and Combs raped her and an unnamed friend in 1990. Hall could not be reached for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Harve Pierre\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966512\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre.png\" alt=\"A bald Black man in a suit sits at a dinner table.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-800x529.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-1020x674.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-768x508.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-1536x1015.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-1920x1269.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Harve Pierre. \u003ccite>(Thaddaeus McAdams/FilmMagic/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In December 2023, an unnamed woman filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24193192-sean-combs-jane-doe-complaint\">lawsuit\u003c/a> accusing Combs, former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre and a third man of trafficking and gang raping her when she was 17 years old. The suit states that the victim met Pierre at a lounge in Michigan in 2003 while she was still in high school, and that the record executive sexually assaulted her by forcing her to perform oral sex on him. Pierre allegedly called Combs, who convinced the underaged woman to board a private jet to New Jersey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13934462']After the plane ride, the suit states that the unnamed victim, Pierre and two other men were driven to Combs’ recording studio in New York, where they “plied Ms. Doe with drugs and alcohol.” The lawsuit says that Combs, Pierre and another man proceeded to “gang-rape” the teenager, and that she has limited recollection of the trip back to Michigan the following day. The lawsuit also names recording studio Daddy’s House Recordings and Bad Boy Entertainment as co-defendants. Pierre denied the allegations in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/2023/12/08/diddy-bad-boy-president-harve-pierre-lawsuit/\">statement\u003c/a> to TMZ.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kristina Khorram\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khorram is named as Combs’ chief of staff and a co-defendant in Jones’ lawsuit. Jones alleges that Khorram frequently solicited illicit drugs and sex workers for Combs and his guests, forced Jones to carry substances for Combs and ordered Jones to hire sex workers for Combs. He also accuses Khorram of “aiding and abetting” Combs’ sexual assault and helping Combs groom Jones. Though she is not listed as a co-defendant, Khorram is also named in a September 2024 sexual abuse lawsuit filed by an unnamed woman who says the Combs employee often paid for her to travel and “perform” for Combs — the complaint alleges Combs’ staffers would “send drivers to [the victim’s] home to pick her up before she agreed to travel, to the point where she did not believe she had a choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR reached out to Khorram’s attorneys Oct. 10 and Oct. 22 for comment and is awaiting a reply.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cuba Gooding Jr.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966514\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr.png\" alt=\"A Black man sits in court wearing a suit and red scarf, looking concerned.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-1920x1282.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cuba Gooding Jr. \u003ccite>(Alec Tabak/The Daily News via AP, Pool, File)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The actor, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/13/1092699710/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-to-forcibly-touching\">pled guilty\u003c/a> in 2022 to forcibly touching a woman and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/06/06/1180421961/cuba-gooding-jr-settles-civil-sex-abuse-case\">settled\u003c/a> a civil sexual abuse case in 2023, was named in an amendment to Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’ original lawsuit against Combs. The producer alleges that Gooding Jr. fondled and groped him on Combs’ yacht. The actor has denied the allegations. “It’s the most ridiculous thing ever,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuZbTB0Fh24\">he said\u003c/a> in an interview with Extra TV. “Welcome to being a celebrity. Welcome to my world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Justin Dior Combs and Christian Combs\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966515\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966515\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior.png\" alt=\"Two young, casually dressed Black men stand on a red carpet, smiling.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-800x706.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-1020x900.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-160x141.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-768x678.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-1536x1356.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-1920x1694.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin Dior Combs (left) and Christian Combs. \u003ccite>(Aaron Davidson/WireImage | Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sean Combs’ son, Justin Dior Combs, is also named in Jones’ lawsuit against the rapper, which alleges that the producer witnessed the father and son solicit sex workers and admit underaged girls to a listening party where they laced the women’s drinks. The lawsuit also alleges that Jones witnessed Christian Combs, another son of Combs, drug and assault a woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tyrone Blackburn, an attorney representing Jones, is also part of a separate lawsuit filed in April against Christian Combs on behalf of a plaintiff named Grace O’Marcaigh, alleging the younger Combs assaulted her on a yacht owned by Combs, who is named as co-defendant. Both Justin Dior Combs and Christian Combs have denied the allegations against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jacob Arabov, aka “Jacob The Jeweler” aka Jacob Arabo \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966516\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966516\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov.png\" alt=\"A middle aged white man in a blue suit holds one wrist up to show his watch.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-1536x1026.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-1920x1283.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jacob Arabov. \u003ccite>(Matthew Eisman/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The founder and chairman of high-profile jewelry and watch company Jacob & Co. is named as a co-defendant in English’s suit, which alleges he was one of the “White Party” guests she was forced to have sex with. Jacob & Co did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combs’ former bodyguard is named as a co-defendant in Graves’ lawsuit, along with Daddy’s House Recordings, Bad Boy Entertainment and more. Graves claims that Sherman actively raped her alongside Combs in 2001. The lawsuit states that when she attempted to escape the assault, Combs slammed her head into a pool table, causing her to lose consciousness. After waking up, she says Sherman continued to assault her and slapped her until she passed out a third time. Sherman has \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/former-celeb-body-guard-falsely-accused-raping-woman-with-diddy/5849264/\">denied\u003c/a> Graves’ claims, saying he no longer worked for Bad Boy in 2001 and never met the young woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>DeVante Swing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an amended complaint filed on Oct. 8, Liza Gardner added Devante Swing of the R&B group Jodeci as a co-defendant to her lawsuit. Gardner alleges that Swing, who was an adult at the time, was her “assumed co-guardian” when he invited the underaged Gardner to New Jersey. The suit alleges that Swing “trafficked and or coerced the child to travel across state lines from North Carolina to New York and New Jersey with the hidden intention of providing the child with alcohol, and marijuana and prostituting the child to his A&R Combs.” Gardner’s friend, Monica Case, also filed a sworn declaration alleging Swing was in the room “watching whatever Puffy was doing to Liza.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swing could not be reached for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Shane Pearce\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearce is accused of inviting Parham to his home with the intention of allowing Combs to assault her. The lawsuit also alleges Pearce is one of the men who participated in the “gang-raping” of Parham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearce could not be reached for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>Other Names To Know\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jimmy Iovine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966518\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966518\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine.png\" alt=\"A white man wearing a white baseball cap, backwards and sunglasses.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-800x532.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-1020x679.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-768x511.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-1536x1022.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-1920x1278.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jimmy Iovine. \u003ccite>(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In her lawsuit, Richard alleges that she attended a party where Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine witnessed Combs punch Ventura in the stomach. The lawsuit blames Iovine — and Interscope — for moving forward with a deal with Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment after becoming aware of his violent and abusive behavior. Separately, in 2022, Iovine was accused of sexual abuse and harassment by an unnamed woman under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The woman later dropped the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR reached out to Interscope and Iovine’s team but did not receive a comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kid Cudi\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966519\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966519\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi.png\" alt=\"A Black man wearing a white t-shirt sings passionately into a microphone on stage.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-800x528.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-1020x673.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-768x507.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-1536x1014.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-1920x1267.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kid Cudi. \u003ccite>(Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Coachella)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kid Cudi and Ventura were romantically involved in 2011. In her lawsuit, Ventura alleged that when Combs found emails between the two on Ventura’s phone, he became enraged and attacked her. Ventura attempted to run away but returned due to pressure from Combs’ staff; the lawsuit alleged that Combs then hit and kicked her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit stated that in 2012, Combs told Ventura he wanted to “blow up” Kid Cudi’s car while the rapper was home. Kid Cudi corroborated to \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> that his car exploded in his driveway around that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Caresha Brownlee, aka Yung Miami\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966520\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966520\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami.png\" alt=\"A glamourous Black woman performs on stage wearing a strapless leather dress.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-1536x1026.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-1920x1283.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caresha Brownlee, aka Yung Miami. \u003ccite>(Terence Rushin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yung Miami, half of the rap duo City Girls, dated Combs in recent years. In August, she denied knowing anything about the accusations that have surfaced against her ex. “I can’t speak on these allegations because I wasn’t around at the time,” she said on her Revolt TV show, \u003cem>Caresha Please\u003c/em>. “I don’t know that person, and that wasn’t my experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September, however, Brownlee was named in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/27/g-s1-25157/sean-diddy-combs-jane-doe-pregnant-assault-lawsuit\">\u003cu>lawsuit\u003c/u>\u003c/a> filed against Combs by an unnamed woman. The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff was forced to travel and “perform” for Combs many times from 2021 to 2024. Much of this travel was reportedly paid for by Combs’ staffer Kristina Khorram. The suit states that in 2022, the plaintiff was forced to take drugs and have sex with Combs. When she learned she was pregnant and told Combs, the lawsuit states that Brownlee — who is not a co-defendant on the complaint — harassed and called the plaintiff repeatedly, pressuring her to get an abortion. The stress allegedly led the woman to suffer a miscarriage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR reached out to Brownlee’s representation Thursday morning and is awaiting a reply.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tony Buzbee\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966521\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966521\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee.png\" alt=\"A white man in a suit.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-1920x1282.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Buzbee. \u003ccite>(Eric Gay/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 1, Texas attorney Tony Buzbee held a press conference announcing that his firm will be filing at least 120 individual civil lawsuits against Combs in the coming weeks. “The biggest secret in the entertainment industry that wasn’t really a secret at all has finally been revealed to the world,” Buzbee said during the presser. “The wall of silence has been broken, and victims are coming forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, Buzbee has filed more than a dozen sexual assault lawsuits against Combs, all on behalf of unnamed plaintiffs. On December 8, one such complaint was amended to name Jay-Z as a co-defendant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 14, six unnamed plaintiffs filed separate lawsuits against Combs; all are being represented by Buzbee. One of the alleged victims is a man who says Combs fondled him when he was 16 years old at a “White Party” in the Hamptons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Buzbee is known for representing clients in high-profile cases, including Texas attorney general Ken Paxton during his 2023 impeachment trial, the women who sued football player \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/06/21/1106409107/cleveland-browns-deshaun-watson-settles-20-of-24-sexual-misconduct-lawsuits\">Deshaun Watson\u003c/a> for sexual misconduct, and the victims of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/11/1054765905/what-went-wrong-at-astroworld-the-deadly-dynamics-of-crowd-surge\">Astroworld\u003c/a> deadly crowd surge. During Paxton’s trial, Buzbee took his own share of the spotlight for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/ken-paxton-trial-buzbee-altuve-bucees-18355320.php\">public spat\u003c/a> with the media over how they photographed his tan in the courtroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to practicing at the Buzbee Law Firm, his professional ventures include property development, a short-lived THC-infused \u003ca href=\"https://www.chron.com/food/article/houston-buzbee-thc-seltzer-discontinued-19462337.php\">seltzer company\u003c/a> and local politics. He self-funded \u003ca href=\"https://www.texastribune.org/2019/11/05/houston-mayor-race-sylvester-turner-tony-buzbee-runoff/\">a run for Houston mayor\u003c/a> against Democratic incumbent Sylvester Turner in 2019 and \u003ca href=\"https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/tony-buzbee-houston-city-council-election-nan-huffman/\">ran for Houston City Council\u003c/a> in 2023, ultimately losing both races.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>Updated 10:17 a.m. Oct. 14, 2024.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sean “Diddy” Combs remains in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting a May 5 trial on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/16/g-s1-23363/sean-diddy-combs-faces-federal-charges-in-new-york\">federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering\u003c/a>. The hip-hop mogul has pleaded not guilty on all charges and has been denied bail twice thus far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Before and after his arrest, Combs has also been served \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954740/diddy-allegations-sean-combs-raids-sex-trafficking-cassie-joi-rod-harve-pierre-jane-doe\">more than two dozen civil lawsuits\u003c/a> for physical assault, rape and more. The indictment and many of the lawsuits name Combs’ numerous business ventures and claim they are complicit in financing and enabling the rapper’s abuse inside and outside of the recording studio. They also detail how Combs allegedly used his position of power in the entertainment industry to lure, coerce and silence those around him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s an ongoing list of notable people named in lawsuits and criminal investigations against Combs so far, excluding the accusers who have chosen not to reveal their names.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>The Accusers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Casandra Ventura, aka Cassie\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13954776\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13954776\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/GettyImages-1780923026-scaled-e1711490898243.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man wearing a suit and very long couture coat stands holding hands with a Black woman wearing an elaborate black gown and purse in the shape of a skull.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sean Combs and Cassie at the 2017 Met Gala. \u003ccite>(Clint Spaulding/ Penske Media via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The R&B singer was in a personal and professional relationship with Combs for over a decade. In November 2023, Ventura filed a federal lawsuit against Combs alleging years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The lawsuit also named Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records, Epic Records and Combs Enterprises. A day after the filing, the two parties settled the trafficking, rape and physical assault case out of court — but Ventura’s willingness to come forward opened the floodgates for nearly a dozen other lawsuits against Combs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pair reportedly met in 2005, when Ventura was 19 and Combs was 37. The following year, Ventura signed a deal with Bad Boy Entertainment and released her self-titled debut album. Ventura’s lawsuit alleged this was the beginning of Combs’ coercion and abuse, which she said completely took over her life and included forcing her to take illicit substances, forcing her to participate in sex with male sex workers while Combs filmed her — encounters Combs referred to as “freakoffs” — and frequent beatings. The lawsuit stated that the beatings were often witnessed by Combs’ staff, employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs’ affiliated businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, CNN published \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/05/17/1252221941/sean-combs-cassie-ventura-cnn-video\">footage\u003c/a> dated to 2016 that showed Combs repeatedly hitting and kicking Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Shortly after, Ventura took to Instagram to address the video and subsequent public response. “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7T6OCKRJ-W/\">she wrote\u003c/a>. “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joi Dickerson-Neal\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days after Ventura’s lawsuit, a woman named Joi Dickerson filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of drugging, sexually harassing and abusing her and distributing “revenge porn.” The suit states that Dickerson was a psychology student at Syracuse University when she agreed to go on a date with Combs in 1991. She had appeared in one of the rapper’s music videos. After the pair had dinner, the suit alleges that Combs pressured Dickerson to keep the night going and drove them to a recording studio. There, Dickerson says she realized she had been drugged and was unable to get out of the car, since she could no longer stand or walk on her own. This is when the suit alleges that Combs took her to another location and proceeded to sexually assault her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Days later, Dickerson was told by a male friend that Combs had recorded the assault and had shown it to him and several others. The lawsuit states that the ensuing feelings of violation and humiliation derailed Dickerson’s studies and have had prolonged effects on her mental health, career and economic opportunities. Like Ventura, Dickerson filed the lawsuit under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which provided a one-year window for victims of sexual abuse who were age 18 or older at the time of the crime to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations of the crimes themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Liza Gardner\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last November, Liza Gardner filed a lawsuit alleging that in 1990, she was raped by Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall. The lawsuit says that days later, Combs assaulted and choked Gardner until she lost consciousness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an amended complaint filed Oct. 8, Gardner adds that she was 16 years old when she was invited to New Jersey from her home in North Carolina by her friends DeVante Swing and Dalvin DeGrate of the R&B group Jodeci. The lawsuit states that Jodeci’s housing, where Gardner was staying, was “subsidized” by their label, Uptown Records, a subsidiary of MCA and UMG. It goes on to allege that Gardner and her 15-year-old friend, Monica Case, met Combs and Hall at an MCA Records event in New York, where they were reportedly supplied with alcohol. Combs and Hall allegedly provided the minors with more drinks and with marijuana later that night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit states that Gardner and her friends were later taken back to Hall’s apartment in New Jersey, where Combs raped Gardner. The suit states that unbeknownst to Gardner at the time, Devante Swing was in the room at the time and did nothing to stop Combs. Swing was added as a co-defendant in the new complaint for “aiding and abetting” the sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit also names UMG Recordings, Universal Music Group and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones worked with Combs on his 2023 release, \u003cem>The Love Album: Off the Grid\u003c/em>. In February, Jones filed a lawsuit alleging that during the making of the album — from 2022 to 2023 — he lived with Combs, who he says repeatedly groped him, forced him to solicit sex workers, take illegal drugs, and more. The suit states that Combs would often walk around naked in front of Jones, and that the music mogul attempted to groom the producer into engaging in sex with other men in the music industry, allegedly promising Jones a Grammy if he complied. Jones also alleges that a cousin of rapper Yung Miami, who was dating Combs at the time, sexually assaulted him in Combs’ home in 2022 in front of Combs and his staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Jones’ lawsuit also names Combs’ son, Justin Dior Combs, Love Records, Combs Global Enterprises and Combs’ chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, as co-defendants. In addition to the allegations of abuse, the suit describes a shooting at a recording studio involving Combs, his son Justin Dior Combs and an unnamed victim. The suit also claims that Combs did not properly compensate Jones for his work on \u003cem>The Love Album.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit originally included Universal Music Group, Motown Records, former Motown CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam and UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge as co-defendants. Lawyers for Grainge and UMG denied their involvement in the allegations, eventually leading Jones’ lawyer to drop Grainge and the labels from the charges.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Crystal McKinney\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966508\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966508\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc.png\" alt=\"A beautiful blond woman wearing a coat with a fur collar.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-800x530.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-1020x676.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-768x509.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-1536x1018.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/c-mc-1920x1273.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crystal McKinney. \u003ccite>(Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In May, Crystal McKinney filed a lawsuit against Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Combs’ clothing company, Sean John Clothing. The charges against UMG Recordings were later dismissed, and Daddy’s House Recordings was added as a co-defendant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit states that in 2003, McKinney was 22 years old and working as a model when an unnamed designer introduced her to Combs at a Sean John fashion show in New York City. Combs allegedly expressed interest in getting to know McKinney better and helping her modeling career grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later that night, he invited her to a recording studio, where McKinney says Combs and several other men were smoking marijuana and drinking. She took a hit of a joint, which according to the lawsuit, she believes was laced with another substance. The lawsuit states that Combs pressured McKinney to continue drinking and smoking, and as she became more intoxicated, she was led to a bathroom by Combs, who forced her to perform oral sex on him. Afterward, McKinney lost consciousness and awoke in a taxi en route to the designer’s apartment. The lawsuit states that following the assault, McKinney became severely depressed. According to the lawsuit, she believes Combs “blackballed” her in the industry, which led to the downfall of her modeling career, and has had long-lasting effects on her mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>April Lampros\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, April Lampros filed a lawsuit naming Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment and Arista Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. Lampros met Combs in 1994 while studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She says Combs often invited her to the Bad Boy studio, promised to mentor and help her advance her career and began “love-bombing” her. They started dating and Lampros would often travel to see Combs, though he asked that their relationship be kept private.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the suit, Lampros accuses Combs of sexually assaulting her on four separate occasions and repeatedly threatening to harm her, both physically and professionally. In one such instance, Combs allegedly forced Lampros and his then-girlfriend Kim Porter to take ecstasy, forced them to engage in sex while he watched and then raped Lampros. Though she tried to distance herself from Combs as the relationship turned abusive, Lampros says Combs continually contacted her, and she feared the repercussions of rebuffing his advances. The lawsuit states that after Lampros’ relationship with Combs had ended, she was told by someone she knew that he had seen a video of her and Combs having sex, recorded without her knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, a man incarcerated in Michigan filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging that the rapper drugged and sexually assaulted him in Detroit in 1997. During a hearing in September, a default judgment was granted to Cardello-Smith for $100 million after Combs and his lawyers failed to appear in court. Shortly after, the judgment was set aside on grounds that Cardello-Smith’s lawsuit, mailed to a Combs residence in Los Angeles, was not properly served. Cardello-Smith is currently serving sentences for kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adria English\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, a woman named Adria English filed a lawsuit against Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John Clothing, Combs Global Enterprises, Tamiko Thomas, Jacob Arabov aka “Jacob The Jeweler,” \u003cem>VIBE\u003c/em> magazine, Penske Media Corporation and several unnamed defendants. The suit alleges that in 2004, English was working as a dancer at a club in New York City when she and her then-boyfriend, aspiring model Anthony Gallo, were hired to work at one of Combs’ famous “White Parties” in the Hamptons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>English alleges that while working at the party, she was forced to drink alcohol, which she believes was laced with ecstasy, and forced to consume narcotics. The suit alleges that Combs and a Bad Boy Entertainment employee continued to hire her to work at “White Parties” in New York and in Miami. According to the lawsuit, around the third event, English alleges that she was asked to swap the usual white attire for a black mini-dress and forced to begin having intercourse with guests. She believes the black dress was meant to signal to guests that she was a “sex trafficked sex worker.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit names Jacob Arabov aka “Jacob The Jeweler” as one such guest she was coerced into having intercourse with, along with other unnamed defendants. English believes there are secret recordings of those defendants sexually assaulting her in Combs’ homes while she was unconscious.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dawn Richard\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966509\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966509\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn.png\" alt=\"A Black woman wearng a gold jacket talks into a microphone.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1325\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-800x530.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-1020x676.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-768x509.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-1536x1018.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dawn-1920x1272.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn Richard. \u003ccite>(Josh Brasted/Getty Images for ESSENCE/Getty Images North America)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In September, singer Dawn Richard filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/12/nx-s1-5110001/dawn-richard-diddy-danity-kane-lawsuit\">lawsuit\u003c/a> against Combs for sexual assault and battery. The complaint also states that Richard witnessed Combs beat and abuse Ventura on many occasions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard first met Combs when she auditioned for the MTV show \u003cem>Making the Band\u003c/em> in 2004 and was selected to be a member of the group Danity Kane under Combs’ mentorship. The lawsuit alleges that Richard and her bandmates were subjected to inhumane working conditions during their time on the show and in the musical group, sometimes being forced to rehearse for up to 48 hours without food or breaks and often being berated by Combs. The complaint states that the abusive behavior continued throughout Richard’s professional relationship with Combs, and that he instilled a culture of fear in the women he worked with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After Danity Kane disbanded in 2009, Richard continued to work with Combs in the trio Diddy — Dirty Money, along with singer Kalenna Harper — who allegedly also witnessed much of Combs’ abusive behavior and was subject to his numerous threats. The lawsuit alleges Combs would force Richard to take meetings while he was in his underwear, and he would barge into her dressing room unannounced and would grope her breasts and buttocks during stylist fittings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one instance in 2010, the lawsuit states that Combs berated Richard and Harper in the lobby of SIR Studios and attempted to punch Richard when she asked him to stop calling them “bitches” in front of people. Richard alleges the women were then ushered into a company car and that Combs and Harve Pierre falsely imprisoned them in the vehicle for over two hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the allegations of abuse, Richard’s lawsuit demands unpaid salaries, royalties and wages for Richard’s work as part of Danity Kane and Diddy — Dirty Money. The complaint also names Harve Pierre, Remote Productions, Bad Boy Entertainment, Daddy’s House Recording Studio and a number of other music, publishing and finance corporations associated with Combs for enabling his violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Thalia Graves\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966510\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966510\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves.png\" alt=\"A light skinned Black woman sits on a white armchair wearing a white top.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-800x542.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-1020x692.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-160x108.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-768x521.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-1536x1041.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Thalia-Graves-1920x1302.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thalia Graves. \u003ccite>(Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In September, a woman named Thalia Graves filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/24/g-s1-24401/sean-diddy-combs-graves-rape-lawsuit\">lawsuit\u003c/a> accusing Combs and his bodyguard Joseph Sherman of raping her, recording the assault without her knowledge and distributing the video as pornography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graves alleges that the assault took place in 2001, when she was 25 years old and dating an unnamed record producer who worked with Combs. She says Combs and Sherman took advantage of her relationship with their colleague to lure her to a recording studio alone, where they gave her a drink she believes was laced with some kind of drug. The lawsuit says Graves lost consciousness and awoke to find herself bound and restrained; Combs and Sherman then proceeded to take turns raping her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graves says she did not report the alleged crime out of fear of Combs’ retaliation, and that her boyfriend at the time discouraged her from doing so because it might hurt his career. In November 2023, Graves alleges she learned the rape had been recorded by Sherman and Combs, who showed it to others with the purpose of humiliating Graves and her then-boyfriend. The lawsuit details how the crime and the knowledge of its recording has had dire, long-lasting consequences on Graves’ mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ashley Parham\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 15, a woman named Ashley Parham filed a lawsuit against Combs in California involving sexual assault, battery, rape, sexual abuse, false imprisonment and kidnapping. Parham alleges that in 2018, she met a man named Shane Pearce who was associated with Combs. Parham says Pearce called Combs on FaceTime in front of her, but she made remarks about being unimpressed because “she believed Defendant Diddy had something to do with the murder of Tupac Shakur.” Combs allegedly became upset by Parham’s statements during the call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint says that some time later, Pearce invited Parham over to his home. While she was there, Combs allegedly arrived with Kristina Khorram and several unnamed others. The lawsuit states that Combs was angry at Parham for how she had treated him over the video call. Combs allegedly threatened to physically harm Parham with a knife, while Khorram allegedly said they could “sell” the plaintiff for sex. The lawsuit states that Pearce and Combs then removed Parham’s clothing and Combs squirted Parham with what she believes was an oil or lubricant. According to the lawsuit, Khorram was instructed by Diddy to insert a syringe into Parham’s vagina. The lawsuit goes on to state that Combs, Pearce and two unnamed defendants violently raped Parham and that Combs forced an unknown pill down the woman’s throat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kristina Khorram, Shane Pearce and several unnamed men and women are listed as co-defendants in the lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryana “Bana” Bongolan\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Nov. 27, fashion designer Bryana “Bana” Bongolan filed a lawsuit against Combs in California that alleges the mogul groped her breasts, dangled her over the balcony of a 17th floor apartment and frequently threatened and intimidated her throughout their working relationship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit states that Bongolan worked with Cassie Ventura at Diamond Supply Co. in 2014, which led the two women to develop a friendship. As they got closer, Bongolan alleges that she became aware of Combs’ violent and abusive behavior towards Ventura, eventually leading to Ventura showing Bongolan bruises and a black eye she received from Combs. According to the lawsuit, Bongolan worked closely with both Ventura and Combs, designing Bad Boy jackets for the mogul, creating costumes for the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, starting a clothing line called “Cassie + BANA,” and designing merchandise and cover art for Ventura.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the time they worked together, Bongolan alleges that Combs intimidated and threatened her, including an instance in which he forcibly drugged her and another in which he said “You have no idea what I could do to you. I could kill you.” The lawsuit states that in September of 2016, Bongolan, her then-girlfriend and Ventura were at Ventura’s apartment when Combs began violently knocking on the door. After making his way in, Bongolan alleges he found her on the balcony and began groping her breasts. When she resisted, she alleges that he picked her up and held her over the ledge of the 17th floor balcony, and then slammed her into patio furniture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ventura’s attorneys declined to comment on Bongolan’s lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>The Accused\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jay-Z\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13832289\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9.jpg\" alt=\"Jay-Z, on the red carpet to promote the film The Great Gatsby in New York in 2013.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1152\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13832289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/gettyimages-167861280_wide-4d1f06bf6c32c94d5b6c0fb9c6bd351a100f11e9-520x292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jay-Z, on the red carpet to promote the film ‘The Great Gatsby’ in New York in 2013. \u003ccite>(Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In October, an unnamed plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against Combs alleging that he and an unnamed male celebrity assaulted her at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000, when she was only 13 years old. On December 8, the lawsuit was amended and refiled to name Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, as the second assailant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint alleges that in September of 2000, the unnamed victim was attempting to gain entry to the VMAs in New York City when she approached a limousine driver who told her he worked for Combs and could take her to an after-party and did. The plaintiff alleges that later that night, when she arrived, she was asked to sign a document she now believes was a non-disclosure agreement. The complaint states that the plaintiff accepted a drink that made her woozy, leading her to retire to one of the bedrooms. She alleges that Carter, Combs and an unnamed female celebrity entered the room and that the two men raped her while the female celebrity stood by and watched.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to NPR, Carter denied the allegations and stated that he was the target of a blackmail attempt designed to extort settlement money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!” he said. “Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My only heartbreak is for my family,” Carter added. “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter is the first high-profile co-defendant to be named in over a dozen lawsuits filed by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, all on behalf of unnamed accusers. The amended complaint accuses Carter of filing his own lawsuit against Buzbee, which the attorney called “frivolous.” NPR has reviewed a lawsuit filed on November 18 by an anonymous celebrity accusing Buzbee of extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Aaron Hall\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966511\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall.png\" alt=\"A Black man onstage wearing sunglasses and a denim jacket.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-800x553.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-1020x705.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-768x531.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-1536x1062.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Aaron-Hall-1920x1328.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aaron Hall. \u003ccite>(Paras Griffin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The R&B singer is named in Gardner’s lawsuit, alleging that he and Combs raped her and an unnamed friend in 1990. Hall could not be reached for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Harve Pierre\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966512\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre.png\" alt=\"A bald Black man in a suit sits at a dinner table.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-800x529.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-1020x674.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-768x508.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-1536x1015.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Harve-Pierre-1920x1269.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Harve Pierre. \u003ccite>(Thaddaeus McAdams/FilmMagic/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In December 2023, an unnamed woman filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24193192-sean-combs-jane-doe-complaint\">lawsuit\u003c/a> accusing Combs, former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre and a third man of trafficking and gang raping her when she was 17 years old. The suit states that the victim met Pierre at a lounge in Michigan in 2003 while she was still in high school, and that the record executive sexually assaulted her by forcing her to perform oral sex on him. Pierre allegedly called Combs, who convinced the underaged woman to board a private jet to New Jersey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After the plane ride, the suit states that the unnamed victim, Pierre and two other men were driven to Combs’ recording studio in New York, where they “plied Ms. Doe with drugs and alcohol.” The lawsuit says that Combs, Pierre and another man proceeded to “gang-rape” the teenager, and that she has limited recollection of the trip back to Michigan the following day. The lawsuit also names recording studio Daddy’s House Recordings and Bad Boy Entertainment as co-defendants. Pierre denied the allegations in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/2023/12/08/diddy-bad-boy-president-harve-pierre-lawsuit/\">statement\u003c/a> to TMZ.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kristina Khorram\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khorram is named as Combs’ chief of staff and a co-defendant in Jones’ lawsuit. Jones alleges that Khorram frequently solicited illicit drugs and sex workers for Combs and his guests, forced Jones to carry substances for Combs and ordered Jones to hire sex workers for Combs. He also accuses Khorram of “aiding and abetting” Combs’ sexual assault and helping Combs groom Jones. Though she is not listed as a co-defendant, Khorram is also named in a September 2024 sexual abuse lawsuit filed by an unnamed woman who says the Combs employee often paid for her to travel and “perform” for Combs — the complaint alleges Combs’ staffers would “send drivers to [the victim’s] home to pick her up before she agreed to travel, to the point where she did not believe she had a choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR reached out to Khorram’s attorneys Oct. 10 and Oct. 22 for comment and is awaiting a reply.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cuba Gooding Jr.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966514\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr.png\" alt=\"A Black man sits in court wearing a suit and red scarf, looking concerned.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Cuba-Gooding-Jr-1920x1282.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cuba Gooding Jr. \u003ccite>(Alec Tabak/The Daily News via AP, Pool, File)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The actor, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/13/1092699710/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-to-forcibly-touching\">pled guilty\u003c/a> in 2022 to forcibly touching a woman and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/06/06/1180421961/cuba-gooding-jr-settles-civil-sex-abuse-case\">settled\u003c/a> a civil sexual abuse case in 2023, was named in an amendment to Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’ original lawsuit against Combs. The producer alleges that Gooding Jr. fondled and groped him on Combs’ yacht. The actor has denied the allegations. “It’s the most ridiculous thing ever,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuZbTB0Fh24\">he said\u003c/a> in an interview with Extra TV. “Welcome to being a celebrity. Welcome to my world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Justin Dior Combs and Christian Combs\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966515\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966515\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior.png\" alt=\"Two young, casually dressed Black men stand on a red carpet, smiling.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-800x706.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-1020x900.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-160x141.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-768x678.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-1536x1356.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/dior-1920x1694.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin Dior Combs (left) and Christian Combs. \u003ccite>(Aaron Davidson/WireImage | Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sean Combs’ son, Justin Dior Combs, is also named in Jones’ lawsuit against the rapper, which alleges that the producer witnessed the father and son solicit sex workers and admit underaged girls to a listening party where they laced the women’s drinks. The lawsuit also alleges that Jones witnessed Christian Combs, another son of Combs, drug and assault a woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tyrone Blackburn, an attorney representing Jones, is also part of a separate lawsuit filed in April against Christian Combs on behalf of a plaintiff named Grace O’Marcaigh, alleging the younger Combs assaulted her on a yacht owned by Combs, who is named as co-defendant. Both Justin Dior Combs and Christian Combs have denied the allegations against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jacob Arabov, aka “Jacob The Jeweler” aka Jacob Arabo \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966516\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966516\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov.png\" alt=\"A middle aged white man in a blue suit holds one wrist up to show his watch.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-1536x1026.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jacob-Arabov-1920x1283.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jacob Arabov. \u003ccite>(Matthew Eisman/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The founder and chairman of high-profile jewelry and watch company Jacob & Co. is named as a co-defendant in English’s suit, which alleges he was one of the “White Party” guests she was forced to have sex with. Jacob & Co did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combs’ former bodyguard is named as a co-defendant in Graves’ lawsuit, along with Daddy’s House Recordings, Bad Boy Entertainment and more. Graves claims that Sherman actively raped her alongside Combs in 2001. The lawsuit states that when she attempted to escape the assault, Combs slammed her head into a pool table, causing her to lose consciousness. After waking up, she says Sherman continued to assault her and slapped her until she passed out a third time. Sherman has \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/former-celeb-body-guard-falsely-accused-raping-woman-with-diddy/5849264/\">denied\u003c/a> Graves’ claims, saying he no longer worked for Bad Boy in 2001 and never met the young woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>DeVante Swing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an amended complaint filed on Oct. 8, Liza Gardner added Devante Swing of the R&B group Jodeci as a co-defendant to her lawsuit. Gardner alleges that Swing, who was an adult at the time, was her “assumed co-guardian” when he invited the underaged Gardner to New Jersey. The suit alleges that Swing “trafficked and or coerced the child to travel across state lines from North Carolina to New York and New Jersey with the hidden intention of providing the child with alcohol, and marijuana and prostituting the child to his A&R Combs.” Gardner’s friend, Monica Case, also filed a sworn declaration alleging Swing was in the room “watching whatever Puffy was doing to Liza.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swing could not be reached for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Shane Pearce\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearce is accused of inviting Parham to his home with the intention of allowing Combs to assault her. The lawsuit also alleges Pearce is one of the men who participated in the “gang-raping” of Parham.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearce could not be reached for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>Other Names To Know\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jimmy Iovine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966518\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966518\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine.png\" alt=\"A white man wearing a white baseball cap, backwards and sunglasses.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-800x532.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-1020x679.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-768x511.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-1536x1022.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Jimmy-Iovine-1920x1278.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jimmy Iovine. \u003ccite>(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In her lawsuit, Richard alleges that she attended a party where Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine witnessed Combs punch Ventura in the stomach. The lawsuit blames Iovine — and Interscope — for moving forward with a deal with Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment after becoming aware of his violent and abusive behavior. Separately, in 2022, Iovine was accused of sexual abuse and harassment by an unnamed woman under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The woman later dropped the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR reached out to Interscope and Iovine’s team but did not receive a comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Kid Cudi\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966519\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966519\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi.png\" alt=\"A Black man wearing a white t-shirt sings passionately into a microphone on stage.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-800x528.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-1020x673.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-768x507.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-1536x1014.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/cudi-1920x1267.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kid Cudi. \u003ccite>(Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Coachella)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kid Cudi and Ventura were romantically involved in 2011. In her lawsuit, Ventura alleged that when Combs found emails between the two on Ventura’s phone, he became enraged and attacked her. Ventura attempted to run away but returned due to pressure from Combs’ staff; the lawsuit alleged that Combs then hit and kicked her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit stated that in 2012, Combs told Ventura he wanted to “blow up” Kid Cudi’s car while the rapper was home. Kid Cudi corroborated to \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> that his car exploded in his driveway around that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Caresha Brownlee, aka Yung Miami\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966520\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966520\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami.png\" alt=\"A glamourous Black woman performs on stage wearing a strapless leather dress.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-1536x1026.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Caresha-Brownlee-aka-Yung-Miami-1920x1283.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caresha Brownlee, aka Yung Miami. \u003ccite>(Terence Rushin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yung Miami, half of the rap duo City Girls, dated Combs in recent years. In August, she denied knowing anything about the accusations that have surfaced against her ex. “I can’t speak on these allegations because I wasn’t around at the time,” she said on her Revolt TV show, \u003cem>Caresha Please\u003c/em>. “I don’t know that person, and that wasn’t my experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In September, however, Brownlee was named in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/27/g-s1-25157/sean-diddy-combs-jane-doe-pregnant-assault-lawsuit\">\u003cu>lawsuit\u003c/u>\u003c/a> filed against Combs by an unnamed woman. The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff was forced to travel and “perform” for Combs many times from 2021 to 2024. Much of this travel was reportedly paid for by Combs’ staffer Kristina Khorram. The suit states that in 2022, the plaintiff was forced to take drugs and have sex with Combs. When she learned she was pregnant and told Combs, the lawsuit states that Brownlee — who is not a co-defendant on the complaint — harassed and called the plaintiff repeatedly, pressuring her to get an abortion. The stress allegedly led the woman to suffer a miscarriage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR reached out to Brownlee’s representation Thursday morning and is awaiting a reply.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tony Buzbee\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966521\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966521\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee.png\" alt=\"A white man in a suit.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-768x513.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/Tony-Buzbee-1920x1282.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Buzbee. \u003ccite>(Eric Gay/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 1, Texas attorney Tony Buzbee held a press conference announcing that his firm will be filing at least 120 individual civil lawsuits against Combs in the coming weeks. “The biggest secret in the entertainment industry that wasn’t really a secret at all has finally been revealed to the world,” Buzbee said during the presser. “The wall of silence has been broken, and victims are coming forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, Buzbee has filed more than a dozen sexual assault lawsuits against Combs, all on behalf of unnamed plaintiffs. On December 8, one such complaint was amended to name Jay-Z as a co-defendant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 14, six unnamed plaintiffs filed separate lawsuits against Combs; all are being represented by Buzbee. One of the alleged victims is a man who says Combs fondled him when he was 16 years old at a “White Party” in the Hamptons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Buzbee is known for representing clients in high-profile cases, including Texas attorney general Ken Paxton during his 2023 impeachment trial, the women who sued football player \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/06/21/1106409107/cleveland-browns-deshaun-watson-settles-20-of-24-sexual-misconduct-lawsuits\">Deshaun Watson\u003c/a> for sexual misconduct, and the victims of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/11/1054765905/what-went-wrong-at-astroworld-the-deadly-dynamics-of-crowd-surge\">Astroworld\u003c/a> deadly crowd surge. During Paxton’s trial, Buzbee took his own share of the spotlight for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/ken-paxton-trial-buzbee-altuve-bucees-18355320.php\">public spat\u003c/a> with the media over how they photographed his tan in the courtroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to practicing at the Buzbee Law Firm, his professional ventures include property development, a short-lived THC-infused \u003ca href=\"https://www.chron.com/food/article/houston-buzbee-thc-seltzer-discontinued-19462337.php\">seltzer company\u003c/a> and local politics. He self-funded \u003ca href=\"https://www.texastribune.org/2019/11/05/houston-mayor-race-sylvester-turner-tony-buzbee-runoff/\">a run for Houston mayor\u003c/a> against Democratic incumbent Sylvester Turner in 2019 and \u003ca href=\"https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/07/tony-buzbee-houston-city-council-election-nan-huffman/\">ran for Houston City Council\u003c/a> in 2023, ultimately losing both races.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "nicki-minaj-fans-election-barbz-harris-trump",
"title": "The Beautiful Chaos of Nicki Minaj Fans During an Election",
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"headTitle": "The Beautiful Chaos of Nicki Minaj Fans During an Election | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of the KQED series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fandomvote\">The Fandom Vote\u003c/a>, exploring the election-year concerns and voting preferences of pop culture fanbases.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen we began planning to talk to pop culture fandoms about this year’s election, we knew we couldn’t overlook the Barbz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nicki Minaj fans come from all walks of life, unified in their fierce loyalty to the Queen of Rap. As a pivotal figure in music who blew open the doors for today’s female rappers, Nicki is an icon — one whose fanbase has as many different political leanings as \u003ca href=\"https://nickiminaj.fandom.com/wiki/Alter_egos\">she has alter egos\u003c/a>. [aside postID='news_11999092']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nicki’s own politics don’t exactly fit into a box, either. She’s expressed \u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/nicki-minaj-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-barack-obama-sandra-bland-6804598/\">admiration for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama\u003c/a>, but has also \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1438256221660663812?lang=en\">decried\u003c/a> being told what to do by Democrats, including getting COVID vaccines. In trademark chaotic style, she once \u003ca href=\"https://www.eonline.com/news/760126/nicki-minaj-dedicates-anaconda-to-donald-trump-and-joe-biden-at-time-100-gala\">dedicated her ass-centric hit “Anaconda”\u003c/a> to \u003cem>both\u003c/em> Joe Biden and Donald Trump, “in the spirit of unity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So it wasn’t too surprising that outside Nicki Minaj’s show at the Chase Center in San Francisco, just over a month before Election Day, we found Barbz for Trump, Barbz for Harris, Barbz who didn’t care — as well as Barbz who flat-out hate both candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You already know in advance what political opinions you’ll get at a Ted Nugent concert. Or a Phoebe Bridgers concert. Nicki, though? It’s all over the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965820\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremiah Gage, left, and Elissa Amin, right, pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024 \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’m voting Trump all the way, and anybody that got a problem can fight me,” said Elissa Amin, from Reno. “When he was president four years ago, everything was better, prices were lower. He’s even said he’s gonna lower all the prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amin praised Trump’s foreign policy as well. “I feel like we’ve just been at war with a lot of countries. You can just make peace with someone in a phone call. That’s what he does,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for other issues, like abortion, Amin said that she was “definitely learning more about that stuff right now. I’m trying to extend my knowledge on that. But I’m definitely all about pro-choice, whatever a woman wants to do with her body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her friend, Jeremiah Gage, just turned 18. “I’m not really big on politics,” he said. “But I feel like it’s cool. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone’s opinion can change the world, you know? Definitely, next year, I will be voting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965829\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965829\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Domi Nhan, left, and Anecia Brown, right, of Modesto pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Domi Nhan came to the show from Modesto with her friend Anecia Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Go Kamala,” Nhan said, planning to vote for the candidate who “can actually have a difference and not go backwards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, look at the presidential debate. It was a mess. You can’t spit false information 24/7 just to save your ass,” Nhan said. “And women’s rights mean a lot to me. That’s \u003cem>something\u003c/em>, at least, and I’d rather go forward with something than nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965830\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965830\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Northcutt, left, and Leanna Taylor, right, of Sacramento pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sierra Northcutt, from Sacramento, was blunt about her stance on the candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re both evil. They both fuckin’ suck,” she said. “I don’t think any one of ’em would be a good choice. We need somebody who’s actually for the people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her friend Leanna Taylor agreed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13963687']“Either one, they’re just not ready for the White House,” Taylor said. “’Cause [Kamala] stands with how Joe Biden stands. I feel like Joe Biden hasn’t really done as much as other presidents. And Donald Trump, people say he’s crazy and everything, but there’s also just his age. We need somebody a little bit younger, who sees more of the younger generation’s perspective on things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what qualities would their ideal candidate have?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Somebody who doesn’t come from privilege, obviously,” said Northcutt. “And under 70. Actually, under 50.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965828\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965828\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Siena Starr of San Jose, 15, poses for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Siena Starr was just one year old when Nicki Minaj’s debut album \u003cem>Pink Friday\u003c/em> was released. Hailing from San Jose, Starr plans to start voting when she turns 18, but for now, at the age of 15, she’s already paying attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, if I could vote, I’d vote for Kamala Harris,” Starr said. “I feel like she’s very woman-empowering. I feel like she’d be a good representative for our country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starr added that she doesn’t like Trump, stating it plain: “He used to be our president, and I didn’t like the ideas he had.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1320\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-800x528.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-1020x673.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-768x507.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-1920x1267.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Nikaiyah Williams and Kiera Baldwin attend the Nicki Minaj concert at Chase Center on Sept. 23, 2024 in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kiera Baldwin and Nikaiyah Williams, both from Hayward, are that rare breed of Bay Area voter: undecided about whether to vote for Harris or Trump. And it’s not that they don’t participate in elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I vote,” Baldwin said. “But right now, I’m still thinking about it.” Baldwin cited the economy, homelessness and women’s rights as issues that are important to her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said her concerns in this election cycle include “homelessness and low-income families.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for any issue that Nicki fans are united on, “I would probably say women’s rights, most likely,” Baldwin offered, noting that Nicki Minaj is a mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965827\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965827\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trini of Oakland poses for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Trini, a recording artist from Oakland, did not hesitate in her opinion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Vote Kamala,” she implored. “Please get Trump out of my face. I don’t want to see him no more. And I just hate the fact that he’s even an option. If a felon can run the country, then why can’t felons get jobs?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An advocate for reproductive rights, Trini worries about what could happen if Trump wins and assumes the role of a dictator, especially since he’s given a lot of leeway already, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As far as the debate, he didn’t answer no questions directly. Just tiptoein’ around. I’m just over it. It’s like a theatrical performance at this point,” Trini added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965823\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965823\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ronnie Punani of Stockton poses for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ronnie Punani came from Stockton for the show to celebrate her four-year anniversary with partner Nate — but was decidedly not celebrating her choices at the ballot box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each candidate “kind of sucks ass, you know, at this point,” she said. “It’s like, what the lesser evil is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Ronnie encouraged people to vote anyway. “There’s a lot of people that are not registered, whose voice does matter. Every voice matters, wherever you come from, no matter your skin tone or who you are. Your voice matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neither Nate nor Ronnie wanted to say who they’d be voting for. But Nate offered an array of issues on his mind this election cycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965824\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965824\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ronnie Punani of Stockton wears pink boots for a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Everyday middle-class American jobs are always an issue,” Nate said. “Pay is always an issue. Living situations are always an issue. Groceries, everything from eggs to milk to bread and butter, are an issue.” He added that taxes, high rent, poverty and crime create poor living conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you come in to the city, here in Frisco, it almost looks like a third-world country,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for solutions? “I think we need to bring American jobs back to the states. I think taxes need to be lowered, I think police need to be reinforced, and I think that local government needs to step up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ronnie said she’s not very concerned with Nicki Minaj making an endorsement of one candidate or the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look in an interview, she always makes sure that her Barbz go to school. She’s encouraged people to make sure that they get their college degree. But when it comes down to politics, it’s like… you’ve seen the meme of Nicki Minaj with the American flag, right? Nicki for President, honestly. Period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965826\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965826\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ally Thomas, left, and Cordè Faafiu, right, of Chico, pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ally Thomas came for the show from Chico with her friend Cordé Faafiu. And while the three-hour drive proved her passion for Nicki Minaj, Thomas doesn’t have the same interest the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I try to avoid it, to be honest. It’s just a mess,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked about any issues that concern her in Chico, Thomas said, “I mean, wildfires are always a concern, up in Chico. I was evacuated twice this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965831\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965831\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-1020x728.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-768x548.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-1920x1371.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Lakayla Shelton, Shanquae Perry and Loretta Stanberry pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lakayla Shelton, from San Francisco, said that with her background as a prosecutor, Harris would be a firm but fair president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s just a strong, independent woman, and that’s what we need in the office right now,” Shelton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13960424']Her friend Loretta Stanberry, also from San Francisco, acknowledged some good in the Trump administration, like the stimulus checks authorized during the first year of COVID. But she plans to vote for Kamala, and “it’s not just because she’s a woman or she’s an African American,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like the direction Trump’s going, we’re not going to make it too long. And I also feel like if you could be a felon, indicted on felonies, and still run? I don’t think that’s fair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanberry went on to praise Harris’ mindset. “Even when working with Biden, she’s on our team, all the issues, she’s working for us. She’s for all minorities. No matter what descent, what you identify as, she’s equal to everybody. I feel like she’ll be a great president.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Read more stories of pop culture fandoms and the election in the KQED series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fandomvote\">The Fandom Vote\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "At Nicki’s San Francisco concert, the Barbz spoke out on abortion, taxes and Trump.",
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"title": "The Beautiful Chaos of Nicki Minaj Fans During an Election | KQED",
"description": "At Nicki’s San Francisco concert, the Barbz spoke out on abortion, taxes and Trump.",
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"headline": "The Beautiful Chaos of Nicki Minaj Fans During an Election",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of the KQED series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fandomvote\">The Fandom Vote\u003c/a>, exploring the election-year concerns and voting preferences of pop culture fanbases.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hen we began planning to talk to pop culture fandoms about this year’s election, we knew we couldn’t overlook the Barbz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nicki Minaj fans come from all walks of life, unified in their fierce loyalty to the Queen of Rap. As a pivotal figure in music who blew open the doors for today’s female rappers, Nicki is an icon — one whose fanbase has as many different political leanings as \u003ca href=\"https://nickiminaj.fandom.com/wiki/Alter_egos\">she has alter egos\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nicki’s own politics don’t exactly fit into a box, either. She’s expressed \u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/nicki-minaj-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-barack-obama-sandra-bland-6804598/\">admiration for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama\u003c/a>, but has also \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1438256221660663812?lang=en\">decried\u003c/a> being told what to do by Democrats, including getting COVID vaccines. In trademark chaotic style, she once \u003ca href=\"https://www.eonline.com/news/760126/nicki-minaj-dedicates-anaconda-to-donald-trump-and-joe-biden-at-time-100-gala\">dedicated her ass-centric hit “Anaconda”\u003c/a> to \u003cem>both\u003c/em> Joe Biden and Donald Trump, “in the spirit of unity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So it wasn’t too surprising that outside Nicki Minaj’s show at the Chase Center in San Francisco, just over a month before Election Day, we found Barbz for Trump, Barbz for Harris, Barbz who didn’t care — as well as Barbz who flat-out hate both candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You already know in advance what political opinions you’ll get at a Ted Nugent concert. Or a Phoebe Bridgers concert. Nicki, though? It’s all over the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965820\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-1-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremiah Gage, left, and Elissa Amin, right, pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024 \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’m voting Trump all the way, and anybody that got a problem can fight me,” said Elissa Amin, from Reno. “When he was president four years ago, everything was better, prices were lower. He’s even said he’s gonna lower all the prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amin praised Trump’s foreign policy as well. “I feel like we’ve just been at war with a lot of countries. You can just make peace with someone in a phone call. That’s what he does,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for other issues, like abortion, Amin said that she was “definitely learning more about that stuff right now. I’m trying to extend my knowledge on that. But I’m definitely all about pro-choice, whatever a woman wants to do with her body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her friend, Jeremiah Gage, just turned 18. “I’m not really big on politics,” he said. “But I feel like it’s cool. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone’s opinion can change the world, you know? Definitely, next year, I will be voting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965829\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965829\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-15-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Domi Nhan, left, and Anecia Brown, right, of Modesto pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Domi Nhan came to the show from Modesto with her friend Anecia Brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Go Kamala,” Nhan said, planning to vote for the candidate who “can actually have a difference and not go backwards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, look at the presidential debate. It was a mess. You can’t spit false information 24/7 just to save your ass,” Nhan said. “And women’s rights mean a lot to me. That’s \u003cem>something\u003c/em>, at least, and I’d rather go forward with something than nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965830\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965830\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-16-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Northcutt, left, and Leanna Taylor, right, of Sacramento pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sierra Northcutt, from Sacramento, was blunt about her stance on the candidates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re both evil. They both fuckin’ suck,” she said. “I don’t think any one of ’em would be a good choice. We need somebody who’s actually for the people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her friend Leanna Taylor agreed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Either one, they’re just not ready for the White House,” Taylor said. “’Cause [Kamala] stands with how Joe Biden stands. I feel like Joe Biden hasn’t really done as much as other presidents. And Donald Trump, people say he’s crazy and everything, but there’s also just his age. We need somebody a little bit younger, who sees more of the younger generation’s perspective on things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what qualities would their ideal candidate have?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Somebody who doesn’t come from privilege, obviously,” said Northcutt. “And under 70. Actually, under 50.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965828\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965828\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-12-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Siena Starr of San Jose, 15, poses for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Siena Starr was just one year old when Nicki Minaj’s debut album \u003cem>Pink Friday\u003c/em> was released. Hailing from San Jose, Starr plans to start voting when she turns 18, but for now, at the age of 15, she’s already paying attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, if I could vote, I’d vote for Kamala Harris,” Starr said. “I feel like she’s very woman-empowering. I feel like she’d be a good representative for our country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starr added that she doesn’t like Trump, stating it plain: “He used to be our president, and I didn’t like the ideas he had.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1320\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-800x528.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-1020x673.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-768x507.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/20240923_NickiMinajFandomVote-27-1920x1267.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Nikaiyah Williams and Kiera Baldwin attend the Nicki Minaj concert at Chase Center on Sept. 23, 2024 in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kiera Baldwin and Nikaiyah Williams, both from Hayward, are that rare breed of Bay Area voter: undecided about whether to vote for Harris or Trump. And it’s not that they don’t participate in elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I vote,” Baldwin said. “But right now, I’m still thinking about it.” Baldwin cited the economy, homelessness and women’s rights as issues that are important to her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said her concerns in this election cycle include “homelessness and low-income families.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for any issue that Nicki fans are united on, “I would probably say women’s rights, most likely,” Baldwin offered, noting that Nicki Minaj is a mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965827\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965827\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trini of Oakland poses for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Trini, a recording artist from Oakland, did not hesitate in her opinion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Vote Kamala,” she implored. “Please get Trump out of my face. I don’t want to see him no more. And I just hate the fact that he’s even an option. If a felon can run the country, then why can’t felons get jobs?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An advocate for reproductive rights, Trini worries about what could happen if Trump wins and assumes the role of a dictator, especially since he’s given a lot of leeway already, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As far as the debate, he didn’t answer no questions directly. Just tiptoein’ around. I’m just over it. It’s like a theatrical performance at this point,” Trini added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965823\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965823\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-5-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ronnie Punani of Stockton poses for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ronnie Punani came from Stockton for the show to celebrate her four-year anniversary with partner Nate — but was decidedly not celebrating her choices at the ballot box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each candidate “kind of sucks ass, you know, at this point,” she said. “It’s like, what the lesser evil is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Ronnie encouraged people to vote anyway. “There’s a lot of people that are not registered, whose voice does matter. Every voice matters, wherever you come from, no matter your skin tone or who you are. Your voice matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neither Nate nor Ronnie wanted to say who they’d be voting for. But Nate offered an array of issues on his mind this election cycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965824\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965824\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-6-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ronnie Punani of Stockton wears pink boots for a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Everyday middle-class American jobs are always an issue,” Nate said. “Pay is always an issue. Living situations are always an issue. Groceries, everything from eggs to milk to bread and butter, are an issue.” He added that taxes, high rent, poverty and crime create poor living conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you come in to the city, here in Frisco, it almost looks like a third-world country,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for solutions? “I think we need to bring American jobs back to the states. I think taxes need to be lowered, I think police need to be reinforced, and I think that local government needs to step up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ronnie said she’s not very concerned with Nicki Minaj making an endorsement of one candidate or the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look in an interview, she always makes sure that her Barbz go to school. She’s encouraged people to make sure that they get their college degree. But when it comes down to politics, it’s like… you’ve seen the meme of Nicki Minaj with the American flag, right? Nicki for President, honestly. Period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965826\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965826\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-9-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ally Thomas, left, and Cordè Faafiu, right, of Chico, pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ally Thomas came for the show from Chico with her friend Cordé Faafiu. And while the three-hour drive proved her passion for Nicki Minaj, Thomas doesn’t have the same interest the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I try to avoid it, to be honest. It’s just a mess,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked about any issues that concern her in Chico, Thomas said, “I mean, wildfires are always a concern, up in Chico. I was evacuated twice this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965831\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965831\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-1020x728.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-768x548.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/20240923_NICKIMINAJFANDOMVOTE_GC-17-KQED-1920x1371.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Lakayla Shelton, Shanquae Perry and Loretta Stanberry pose for a photo ahead of a Nicki Minaj concert at the Chase Center on September 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lakayla Shelton, from San Francisco, said that with her background as a prosecutor, Harris would be a firm but fair president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s just a strong, independent woman, and that’s what we need in the office right now,” Shelton said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Her friend Loretta Stanberry, also from San Francisco, acknowledged some good in the Trump administration, like the stimulus checks authorized during the first year of COVID. But she plans to vote for Kamala, and “it’s not just because she’s a woman or she’s an African American,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like the direction Trump’s going, we’re not going to make it too long. And I also feel like if you could be a felon, indicted on felonies, and still run? I don’t think that’s fair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanberry went on to praise Harris’ mindset. “Even when working with Biden, she’s on our team, all the issues, she’s working for us. She’s for all minorities. No matter what descent, what you identify as, she’s equal to everybody. I feel like she’ll be a great president.”\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>Read more stories of pop culture fandoms and the election in the KQED series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fandomvote\">The Fandom Vote\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "east-side-san-jose-rap-hustle",
"title": "Illicon Valley: Inside East Side San Jose's Rap Hustle",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/series/silicon-valley-unseen\">Silicon Valley Unseen\u003c/a> is a series of photo essays, original reporting and underreported histories that survey the tech capital’s overlooked communities and subcultures from a local perspective.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]P[/dropcap]roTribe Stretch takes a pull from his Black & Mild as he stands under the blazing summer sun in the Tak Food & Liquor parking lot in East Side San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A tall, thin brown-skinned Eritrean brother in sunglasses and a black shirt, Stretch’s hair is cut short with deep waves, except for the back where a long patch will soon become a set of ducktails. As he moves through the cutty parking lot, he talks about his neighborhood with reverence, noting the sites of music videos and childhood football games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13964538']Stretch is a proud representative of East Side San Jose, an active but often overlooked pocket of the Bay Area. Geographically, it’s near the sprawling campuses that make up Silicon Valley, but culturally it’s closer to parts of the soil that raised me — East Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a multicultural working-class enclave full of families and small businesses, religious centers and corner stores. It’s over-policed and under-resourced, facing an inflated cost of living and the constant threat of redevelopment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rightfully, East Side San Jose should be mentioned in the same breath as other Bay Area cultural hubs known for their grit and resilience, like Hunters Point, North Vallejo and Central Richmond. But for many, the idea of Silicon Valley overshadows East Side San Jose. Existing in that shadow keeps local artists from shining, and leaves many outsiders in the dark about the city within the Bay Area’s largest city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965429\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965429\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ProTribe Stretch says what his neighborhood lacks in resources, it makes up for in culture. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Stretch puts out the lit cherry of his cigar before going to work on a plate of beef tacos from Cali Spartan Mexican Kitchen, simultaneously explaining his connection to this part of San Jose and its community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of Stretch’s family first immigrated from Eritrea to San Jose in the 1970s. By the end of the 1980s, the extended family owned multiple houses in the cul-de-sac just a block away from the liquor store parking lot. The street’s name is Luke Court. But Stretch calls it “Little Eritrea.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in San Jose in 1991, the year Eritrea won its independence from Ethiopia, Stretch is proud of his heritage. And though he’s clear on the importance of history, and the cause of conflicts in the East African region, he’s just as versed in the conflicts happening in San Jose right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13964439']He knows the turf wars and longstanding beefs. He speaks from experience when discussing the ever-present tension between law enforcement and Black and Brown folks in the South Bay — and America, for that matter. He’s opinionated about the lack of resources in local schools and the region’s high housing costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s this one conflict Stretch tells me about that causes my ears to perk up: San Jose’s East Side existing at odds with the concept of “Silicon Valley.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose is the tech capital of the world. Its suburbs and surrounding cities are home to some of the world’s wealthiest people. Fortune 500 companies dot the southern tip and western peninsula of The Bay. The cost of living is astronomical, and plenty have no issue paying it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That Silicon Valley brand doesn’t apply to Stretch’s neighborhood. And it hasn’t since the term was first coined in the ’70s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965422\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965422\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Jose, known locally as Shark City, hasn’t always gotten the same cultural recognition as its neighboring cities. But as the Bay Area’s largest city in both size and population, it’s home to plenty of aspiring artists and hustlers. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We weren’t going to Mountain View or other parts of San Jose,” says Stretch when asked about his teenage years, which coincided with the dot-com boom of the late ’90s and early 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of us on this side feel like we got robbed of those opportunities,” Stretch laments. “They’re flying people in from all around the world to come and do these tech jobs, when they really should’ve had us doing them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of learning to code as a teen, Stretch played basketball. He hustled. He bumped his head and got into legal trouble. He depended on friends for inspiration and family for finances. He started rapping and his mom invested in his plans to sell merch. He created a group called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pro_tribe/\">ProTribe\u003c/a>, a nod to the diverse community of Filipino, Vietnamese, Mexican and Somali folks he grew up amongst. And he started building with his people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13951001']Rhyming over mobbish, synth-laced beats, Stretch expresses himself through expletives, drug references and poetry about escaping oppression. He only has one full solo album, but a gang of singles and features. He’s done shows all around the Bay, and has worked with some top-tier names, including opening for the most famous Eritrean rapper ever, the late Nipsey Hussle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s done a lot of work in his neighborhood, an area he didn’t leave much as a kid. “We were always in the East,” says Stretch. “Right off King and Story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the heart of the East Side, not too far from where I first met him six months ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13965311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a light February rain comes down on the Mt. Pleasant Shopping Center on Story and White, a group of men stand in the parking lot outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jeanspalaceinc/?hl=en\">San Jose Blue Jeans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The store is a community staple, where schoolkids buy uniforms and homies from around the way buy rags to rep their set. Displayed inside is a piece of artwork that shows the names of prominent local street signs all mounted together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965424\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965424\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A man in the Mt. Pleasant Shopping Center parking lot stops to show me a tattoo of his late daughter. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year, the shopping center where the business is located \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/02/03/san-jose-retail-center-develop-build-buy-sell-restaurant-real-estate/\">was purchased by a new owner\u003c/a>. Like many things in Silicon Valley, it’s now scheduled for redevelopment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on this late winter Sunday afternoon, the store’s parking lot is the site of a memorial. A bunch of tattooed guys ranging from their 20s to late 40s stand outside smoking and drinking, paying homage to a fallen friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We go through everything that every other trench goes through,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/amoneymuzic/\">Amoneymuzic\u003c/a>, a Latino rapper who’s worked with ProTribe Stretch. Raised in East Side San Jose, and sporting an olive green windbreaker and a black backwards baseball hat, Amoneymuzic talks candidly about the streets: police brutality, fentanyl deaths, homicides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not the side of Silicon Valley that many see. Unless you grew up in it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965423\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965423\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amoneymuzic, in a green jacket and hat, stands alongside two others gathered to mourn the passing of a friend. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He notes that while the vast sprawl of San Jose has a population of over a million people, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastside-fund.org/east_side_alliance\">the concentrated East Side alone has around 300,000 residents\u003c/a>. That population density creates a world unto itself: “A city within a city,” as Amoneymuzic says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose is layered. It’s\u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US0668000-san-jose-ca/\"> one of the most diverse places in the U.S\u003c/a>., with a population of nearly 40% Asian, 30% Latino and over 20% white. But African Americans account for just about 2% of the city’s residents. The city’s median income is over $130,000, but it’s also \u003ca href=\"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf\">home to one of the largest populations of unsheltered people\u003c/a> in the nation. With \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/mayor-says-san-jose-is-safest-bay-area-city-18665432.php\">one of the smallest police forces for a city its size\u003c/a> and only a handful of homicides this year, San Jose was recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2023/01/31/report-ranks-americas-15-safest-and-most-dangerous-cities-for-2023/\">named by Forbes\u003c/a> as one of the safest major cities in the U.S.; the same article listed the city as one of the most likely for a mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The East Side, a community of hardworking people, a world removed from the headquarters of Intel, Apple and Google, catches a lot of the negative attributions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='news_12000464']To fully understand the inner workings of this community, Amoneymuzic says you have to “push up here” to see it. That’s why there’s a misconception about it, he says: “People don’t come through here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having grown up in Oakland, I know where Amoneymuzic is coming from. Outsiders didn’t understand the story of my hometown, so I took it upon myself to show them the nuances of the soil through photos, written pieces and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local artists and storytellers are important. People from places that are historically overlooked and underreported have a story to tell — one with more layers than are easily found on the internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you type the words “East San Jose” into the Google search tab, the words that autofill are “shooting” and “ghetto.” Just like when you search for “East Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s when I knew I had to push up and see it for myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965421\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13965421 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin Engel, Joe Fresco, San Jose Blue Jeans store owner Sam Masoud, and Jamori ‘Laze’ Ringold at San Jose Blue Jeans. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That afternoon I rode along with \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/Joefresco\">Joe Fresco\u003c/a>, Jamori “Laze” Ringold, and Justin Engel — a collage of musicians, rappers and producers who grew up on San Jose’s East Side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We bent corners in an SUV, driving down King Road and under the 680 overpass, where it’s customary for drivers to honk their horns as they go by. While passing Eastridge Mall, the trio of Black men shared stories about their teenage years. They pointed toward places in East Side San Jose where their families once lived before being priced out and relocating to Sacramento, Las Vegas and other places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Fresco is a bigger dude who wears fly chains, a gold watch, and a two-finger ring. As a rapper, his music is all about player-isms delivered over ’90s-style West Coast synthesizers and heavy bass, full of references to Zapco boards and Daytons. Over the past two years he’s dropped multiple albums, including two duo projects with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13923766/rbl-posse-a-lesson-to-be-learned-album-cover\">RBL Posse’s Black C\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13939767']Fresco says that outside of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13939767/peanut-butter-wolf-san-jose-hip-hop-1980s-1990s\">Peanut Butter Wolf\u003c/a>, and later, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907735/remembering-traxamillion-whose-beats-defined-the-bay-area-sound\">Traxamillion\u003c/a>, San Jose didn’t have much of a national footprint when it came to hip-hop. He had to choose between being a gangsta rapper like NWA, a backpacker like Hieroglyphics or a player like Too $hort. He went with $hort. It was his way of telling the story of what he witnessed happening in San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As was the case for Black folks in many major U.S. cities in the 1980s, the crack cocaine epidemic hit Fresco’s family hard. His father, a former serviceman who’d been stationed nearby at Moffett Field in Mountain View, became addicted once he left the service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad was so strung out on crack that he sold everything in the house,” reflects Fresco. “My mom had to go and collect everything from people around the apartments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965426\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965426\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joe Fresco with the fresh two-finger ring. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a youngster, Fresco also learned that East Side San Jose was “political.” Southern California gang culture hit San Jose like no other city in the Bay, where gang colors have never been as critical an issue as in Los Angeles. But in San Jose, particularly throughout the massive East Side, colors mattered. “If you ain’t bangin’, you ain’t hangin’” was the saying back then, says Fresco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had to survive in East Side culture, which is gang culture,” says Justin Engel, from the back seat of the car. “It’s only so many times you’re gonna get punked on the 71 [bus] before you clique up. And then you have to protect your section.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “protection” wasn’t just from people in their own area. It also came from people in neighboring turfs — most notably East Palo Alto, which was dubbed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11610493/murder-rate-in-east-palo-alto-so-far-this-year-zero\">the “murder capital” of the United States in 1992\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People think San Jose is a suburb,” says Laze from the back seat, adding the nickname of “Scrill-a-con Valley.” He theorizes that’s why some violent conflicts and robberies that happen in the community don’t hit the news: “They want to protect the tech companies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s not just the tech companies, but the entire San Jose brand — and the investment in major construction projects and sprawling new neighborhoods instead of the neglected East Side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965430\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13965430 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38%E2%80%AFAM-800x959.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"959\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-800x959.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-1020x1223.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-160x192.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-768x921.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-1281x1536.png 1281w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM.png 1416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A makeshift street sign inside San Jose Blue Jeans displays prominent intersections and neighborhoods from San Jose’s unseen sides. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just outside the north side of the city is Levi’s Stadium, home to the 49ers, and the upcoming 2026 Super Bowl – its second Super Bowl since it opened 10 years ago. A multi-billion dollar investment in the future of the region, it also hosts concerts by stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, and is a future site for the World Cup. The San Jose metro area is \u003ca href=\"https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/23131/san-jose/population#google_vignette\">growing by about 10,000 people per year\u003c/a>, and with that growth comes change. New buildings — often without the history or connection to what existed before it — have replaced old community fabrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The kids are growing up in a different San Jose than we grew up in,” says Joe Fresco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the ride, the guys point to spots where shops used to be. They talk about who passed, and who moved away. All are reasons they cling even harder to what’s left.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the hub of the East Side is still Mt. Pleasant Shopping Center, anchored by San Jose Blue Jeans. That’s where the guys bump into old classmates, and reminisce about the grocery store back in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965425\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965425\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Getting sideways in San Jose on a Sunday. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All conversation stops when a Mustang 5.0 starts to swing donuts during the memorial. As the car dances in the light rain, the men with tattoos and 49ers gear take their phones out and record as the screeching tires send smoke skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moments later, police sirens approach. We assume it’s in response to the car swinging donuts, but it turns out to be for an unhoused person in the alley next to the FoodMaxx.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People pivot their phones from the sideshow activity and start documenting a short-lived police foot pursuit that results in the unhoused person being forcibly apprehended. Joe Fresco and company decide to get out of there — their East Side senses kicking in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their decision proves to be wise. Later that evening, Joe Fresco texts me to say that multiple people were shot near that same parking lot, and one of them passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13965311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It takes a lot to survive over here, bruh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So says Stretch in the summer of 2024, six months after we’d first met in a parking lot on a drizzling day. He’s parked in front of his brother-in-law’s business, Pro Styles Barbershop on the West Side of the sprawling town. Before going into the shop to get a quick lineup, Stretch lists all the hurdles he faces as an artist — and as a working adult — trying to stay above water in San Jose. “You need a job to fund the art, and to live,” he says. He uses his fingers to count on the steering wheel: “The cameraman, the producer, the studio time, all that shit costs. It takes a lot financially and mentally. It’s draining.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965427\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965427\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ProTribe Stretch sitting in the chair at Pro Styles Barbershop in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On top of the cost of living, it’s hard for a rapper to get a foothold out of the shark tank. In a region of millions, home to major video and music tech companies, plus some of the Bay Area’s largest live music venues, only a few artists have achieved national recognition. Why?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Consistency,” Stretch says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He adds that over-saturation of MCs is an issue — too many people want to be the star — and there’s a lack of connection to the rest of the Bay, both geographically and culturally. Plus, the brand of “Silicon Valley” doesn’t exactly play well for gangsta rappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stretch takes accountability for where his own career is. He’s got one foot in music and the other pounding the pavement to make sure his bills are paid. There’s a real reason for the inconsistencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deeper than that is the mindset he’s ascribed from living in East Side San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I grew up where niggas was supposed to be under; we were trying to blend in,” says Stretch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[But] you can’t blend in if you’re trying to rap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen to the stories in his music, and you’ll understand why he wanted to be under. Take a drive through his neighborhood, and you’ll understand just how far it is from Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Majority of the time when people visit, they be like, ‘I didn’t know San Jose get down like this.’” says Stretch. “That’s why I tell people to come pay a visit.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Pendarvis Harshaw visits the overlooked enclave where aspiring rappers face twin obstacles of tech and neglect.",
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"title": "Illicon Valley: Inside East Side San Jose's Rap Hustle | KQED",
"description": "Pendarvis Harshaw visits the overlooked enclave where aspiring rappers face twin obstacles of tech and neglect.",
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"headline": "Illicon Valley: Inside East Side San Jose's Rap Hustle",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/series/silicon-valley-unseen\">Silicon Valley Unseen\u003c/a> is a series of photo essays, original reporting and underreported histories that survey the tech capital’s overlooked communities and subcultures from a local perspective.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">P\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>roTribe Stretch takes a pull from his Black & Mild as he stands under the blazing summer sun in the Tak Food & Liquor parking lot in East Side San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A tall, thin brown-skinned Eritrean brother in sunglasses and a black shirt, Stretch’s hair is cut short with deep waves, except for the back where a long patch will soon become a set of ducktails. As he moves through the cutty parking lot, he talks about his neighborhood with reverence, noting the sites of music videos and childhood football games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Stretch is a proud representative of East Side San Jose, an active but often overlooked pocket of the Bay Area. Geographically, it’s near the sprawling campuses that make up Silicon Valley, but culturally it’s closer to parts of the soil that raised me — East Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a multicultural working-class enclave full of families and small businesses, religious centers and corner stores. It’s over-policed and under-resourced, facing an inflated cost of living and the constant threat of redevelopment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rightfully, East Side San Jose should be mentioned in the same breath as other Bay Area cultural hubs known for their grit and resilience, like Hunters Point, North Vallejo and Central Richmond. But for many, the idea of Silicon Valley overshadows East Side San Jose. Existing in that shadow keeps local artists from shining, and leaves many outsiders in the dark about the city within the Bay Area’s largest city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965429\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965429\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08947-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ProTribe Stretch says what his neighborhood lacks in resources, it makes up for in culture. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Stretch puts out the lit cherry of his cigar before going to work on a plate of beef tacos from Cali Spartan Mexican Kitchen, simultaneously explaining his connection to this part of San Jose and its community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of Stretch’s family first immigrated from Eritrea to San Jose in the 1970s. By the end of the 1980s, the extended family owned multiple houses in the cul-de-sac just a block away from the liquor store parking lot. The street’s name is Luke Court. But Stretch calls it “Little Eritrea.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in San Jose in 1991, the year Eritrea won its independence from Ethiopia, Stretch is proud of his heritage. And though he’s clear on the importance of history, and the cause of conflicts in the East African region, he’s just as versed in the conflicts happening in San Jose right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>He knows the turf wars and longstanding beefs. He speaks from experience when discussing the ever-present tension between law enforcement and Black and Brown folks in the South Bay — and America, for that matter. He’s opinionated about the lack of resources in local schools and the region’s high housing costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s this one conflict Stretch tells me about that causes my ears to perk up: San Jose’s East Side existing at odds with the concept of “Silicon Valley.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose is the tech capital of the world. Its suburbs and surrounding cities are home to some of the world’s wealthiest people. Fortune 500 companies dot the southern tip and western peninsula of The Bay. The cost of living is astronomical, and plenty have no issue paying it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That Silicon Valley brand doesn’t apply to Stretch’s neighborhood. And it hasn’t since the term was first coined in the ’70s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965422\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965422\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07708-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Jose, known locally as Shark City, hasn’t always gotten the same cultural recognition as its neighboring cities. But as the Bay Area’s largest city in both size and population, it’s home to plenty of aspiring artists and hustlers. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We weren’t going to Mountain View or other parts of San Jose,” says Stretch when asked about his teenage years, which coincided with the dot-com boom of the late ’90s and early 2000s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of us on this side feel like we got robbed of those opportunities,” Stretch laments. “They’re flying people in from all around the world to come and do these tech jobs, when they really should’ve had us doing them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of learning to code as a teen, Stretch played basketball. He hustled. He bumped his head and got into legal trouble. He depended on friends for inspiration and family for finances. He started rapping and his mom invested in his plans to sell merch. He created a group called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pro_tribe/\">ProTribe\u003c/a>, a nod to the diverse community of Filipino, Vietnamese, Mexican and Somali folks he grew up amongst. And he started building with his people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Rhyming over mobbish, synth-laced beats, Stretch expresses himself through expletives, drug references and poetry about escaping oppression. He only has one full solo album, but a gang of singles and features. He’s done shows all around the Bay, and has worked with some top-tier names, including opening for the most famous Eritrean rapper ever, the late Nipsey Hussle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s done a lot of work in his neighborhood, an area he didn’t leave much as a kid. “We were always in the East,” says Stretch. “Right off King and Story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the heart of the East Side, not too far from where I first met him six months ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13965311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a light February rain comes down on the Mt. Pleasant Shopping Center on Story and White, a group of men stand in the parking lot outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jeanspalaceinc/?hl=en\">San Jose Blue Jeans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The store is a community staple, where schoolkids buy uniforms and homies from around the way buy rags to rep their set. Displayed inside is a piece of artwork that shows the names of prominent local street signs all mounted together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965424\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965424\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07727-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A man in the Mt. Pleasant Shopping Center parking lot stops to show me a tattoo of his late daughter. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year, the shopping center where the business is located \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/02/03/san-jose-retail-center-develop-build-buy-sell-restaurant-real-estate/\">was purchased by a new owner\u003c/a>. Like many things in Silicon Valley, it’s now scheduled for redevelopment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on this late winter Sunday afternoon, the store’s parking lot is the site of a memorial. A bunch of tattooed guys ranging from their 20s to late 40s stand outside smoking and drinking, paying homage to a fallen friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We go through everything that every other trench goes through,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/amoneymuzic/\">Amoneymuzic\u003c/a>, a Latino rapper who’s worked with ProTribe Stretch. Raised in East Side San Jose, and sporting an olive green windbreaker and a black backwards baseball hat, Amoneymuzic talks candidly about the streets: police brutality, fentanyl deaths, homicides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not the side of Silicon Valley that many see. Unless you grew up in it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965423\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965423\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07719-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amoneymuzic, in a green jacket and hat, stands alongside two others gathered to mourn the passing of a friend. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He notes that while the vast sprawl of San Jose has a population of over a million people, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastside-fund.org/east_side_alliance\">the concentrated East Side alone has around 300,000 residents\u003c/a>. That population density creates a world unto itself: “A city within a city,” as Amoneymuzic says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose is layered. It’s\u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US0668000-san-jose-ca/\"> one of the most diverse places in the U.S\u003c/a>., with a population of nearly 40% Asian, 30% Latino and over 20% white. But African Americans account for just about 2% of the city’s residents. The city’s median income is over $130,000, but it’s also \u003ca href=\"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf\">home to one of the largest populations of unsheltered people\u003c/a> in the nation. With \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/mayor-says-san-jose-is-safest-bay-area-city-18665432.php\">one of the smallest police forces for a city its size\u003c/a> and only a handful of homicides this year, San Jose was recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2023/01/31/report-ranks-americas-15-safest-and-most-dangerous-cities-for-2023/\">named by Forbes\u003c/a> as one of the safest major cities in the U.S.; the same article listed the city as one of the most likely for a mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The East Side, a community of hardworking people, a world removed from the headquarters of Intel, Apple and Google, catches a lot of the negative attributions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To fully understand the inner workings of this community, Amoneymuzic says you have to “push up here” to see it. That’s why there’s a misconception about it, he says: “People don’t come through here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having grown up in Oakland, I know where Amoneymuzic is coming from. Outsiders didn’t understand the story of my hometown, so I took it upon myself to show them the nuances of the soil through photos, written pieces and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local artists and storytellers are important. People from places that are historically overlooked and underreported have a story to tell — one with more layers than are easily found on the internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you type the words “East San Jose” into the Google search tab, the words that autofill are “shooting” and “ghetto.” Just like when you search for “East Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s when I knew I had to push up and see it for myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965421\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13965421 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07695-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin Engel, Joe Fresco, San Jose Blue Jeans store owner Sam Masoud, and Jamori ‘Laze’ Ringold at San Jose Blue Jeans. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That afternoon I rode along with \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/Joefresco\">Joe Fresco\u003c/a>, Jamori “Laze” Ringold, and Justin Engel — a collage of musicians, rappers and producers who grew up on San Jose’s East Side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We bent corners in an SUV, driving down King Road and under the 680 overpass, where it’s customary for drivers to honk their horns as they go by. While passing Eastridge Mall, the trio of Black men shared stories about their teenage years. They pointed toward places in East Side San Jose where their families once lived before being priced out and relocating to Sacramento, Las Vegas and other places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Fresco is a bigger dude who wears fly chains, a gold watch, and a two-finger ring. As a rapper, his music is all about player-isms delivered over ’90s-style West Coast synthesizers and heavy bass, full of references to Zapco boards and Daytons. Over the past two years he’s dropped multiple albums, including two duo projects with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13923766/rbl-posse-a-lesson-to-be-learned-album-cover\">RBL Posse’s Black C\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Fresco says that outside of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13939767/peanut-butter-wolf-san-jose-hip-hop-1980s-1990s\">Peanut Butter Wolf\u003c/a>, and later, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907735/remembering-traxamillion-whose-beats-defined-the-bay-area-sound\">Traxamillion\u003c/a>, San Jose didn’t have much of a national footprint when it came to hip-hop. He had to choose between being a gangsta rapper like NWA, a backpacker like Hieroglyphics or a player like Too $hort. He went with $hort. It was his way of telling the story of what he witnessed happening in San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As was the case for Black folks in many major U.S. cities in the 1980s, the crack cocaine epidemic hit Fresco’s family hard. His father, a former serviceman who’d been stationed nearby at Moffett Field in Mountain View, became addicted once he left the service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad was so strung out on crack that he sold everything in the house,” reflects Fresco. “My mom had to go and collect everything from people around the apartments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965426\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965426\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07755-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joe Fresco with the fresh two-finger ring. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a youngster, Fresco also learned that East Side San Jose was “political.” Southern California gang culture hit San Jose like no other city in the Bay, where gang colors have never been as critical an issue as in Los Angeles. But in San Jose, particularly throughout the massive East Side, colors mattered. “If you ain’t bangin’, you ain’t hangin’” was the saying back then, says Fresco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had to survive in East Side culture, which is gang culture,” says Justin Engel, from the back seat of the car. “It’s only so many times you’re gonna get punked on the 71 [bus] before you clique up. And then you have to protect your section.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “protection” wasn’t just from people in their own area. It also came from people in neighboring turfs — most notably East Palo Alto, which was dubbed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11610493/murder-rate-in-east-palo-alto-so-far-this-year-zero\">the “murder capital” of the United States in 1992\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People think San Jose is a suburb,” says Laze from the back seat, adding the nickname of “Scrill-a-con Valley.” He theorizes that’s why some violent conflicts and robberies that happen in the community don’t hit the news: “They want to protect the tech companies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s not just the tech companies, but the entire San Jose brand — and the investment in major construction projects and sprawling new neighborhoods instead of the neglected East Side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965430\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13965430 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38%E2%80%AFAM-800x959.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"959\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-800x959.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-1020x1223.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-160x192.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-768x921.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM-1281x1536.png 1281w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-at-7.14.38 AM.png 1416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A makeshift street sign inside San Jose Blue Jeans displays prominent intersections and neighborhoods from San Jose’s unseen sides. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just outside the north side of the city is Levi’s Stadium, home to the 49ers, and the upcoming 2026 Super Bowl – its second Super Bowl since it opened 10 years ago. A multi-billion dollar investment in the future of the region, it also hosts concerts by stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, and is a future site for the World Cup. The San Jose metro area is \u003ca href=\"https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/23131/san-jose/population#google_vignette\">growing by about 10,000 people per year\u003c/a>, and with that growth comes change. New buildings — often without the history or connection to what existed before it — have replaced old community fabrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The kids are growing up in a different San Jose than we grew up in,” says Joe Fresco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the ride, the guys point to spots where shops used to be. They talk about who passed, and who moved away. All are reasons they cling even harder to what’s left.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the hub of the East Side is still Mt. Pleasant Shopping Center, anchored by San Jose Blue Jeans. That’s where the guys bump into old classmates, and reminisce about the grocery store back in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965425\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965425\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC07739-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Getting sideways in San Jose on a Sunday. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All conversation stops when a Mustang 5.0 starts to swing donuts during the memorial. As the car dances in the light rain, the men with tattoos and 49ers gear take their phones out and record as the screeching tires send smoke skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moments later, police sirens approach. We assume it’s in response to the car swinging donuts, but it turns out to be for an unhoused person in the alley next to the FoodMaxx.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People pivot their phones from the sideshow activity and start documenting a short-lived police foot pursuit that results in the unhoused person being forcibly apprehended. Joe Fresco and company decide to get out of there — their East Side senses kicking in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their decision proves to be wise. Later that evening, Joe Fresco texts me to say that multiple people were shot near that same parking lot, and one of them passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13965311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/SVU.LogoBreak.computer-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It takes a lot to survive over here, bruh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So says Stretch in the summer of 2024, six months after we’d first met in a parking lot on a drizzling day. He’s parked in front of his brother-in-law’s business, Pro Styles Barbershop on the West Side of the sprawling town. Before going into the shop to get a quick lineup, Stretch lists all the hurdles he faces as an artist — and as a working adult — trying to stay above water in San Jose. “You need a job to fund the art, and to live,” he says. He uses his fingers to count on the steering wheel: “The cameraman, the producer, the studio time, all that shit costs. It takes a lot financially and mentally. It’s draining.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13965427\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13965427\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/DSC08905-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ProTribe Stretch sitting in the chair at Pro Styles Barbershop in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On top of the cost of living, it’s hard for a rapper to get a foothold out of the shark tank. In a region of millions, home to major video and music tech companies, plus some of the Bay Area’s largest live music venues, only a few artists have achieved national recognition. Why?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Consistency,” Stretch says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He adds that over-saturation of MCs is an issue — too many people want to be the star — and there’s a lack of connection to the rest of the Bay, both geographically and culturally. Plus, the brand of “Silicon Valley” doesn’t exactly play well for gangsta rappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stretch takes accountability for where his own career is. He’s got one foot in music and the other pounding the pavement to make sure his bills are paid. There’s a real reason for the inconsistencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deeper than that is the mindset he’s ascribed from living in East Side San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I grew up where niggas was supposed to be under; we were trying to blend in,” says Stretch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[But] you can’t blend in if you’re trying to rap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen to the stories in his music, and you’ll understand why he wanted to be under. Take a drive through his neighborhood, and you’ll understand just how far it is from Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Majority of the time when people visit, they be like, ‘I didn’t know San Jose get down like this.’” says Stretch. “That’s why I tell people to come pay a visit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The pandemic’s Verzuz battles were meant to have no winner, but anyone who witnessed \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP4_0d1npjk\">Dipset getting their lunch eaten in real time by The Lox\u003c/a> will tell you: it was a jubilant massacre, and a masterclass in coming prepared. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That The Lox are still killing shows almost three decades in should be no surprise. Rather than slinging alcohol like other seasoned rap veterans, the group’s Styles P has found entrepreneurship in \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20231201075120/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/after-25-years-of-rapping-nycs-styles-p-is-ready-to-focus-on-his-wellness-empire\">wellness\u003c/a> and runs \u003ca href=\"https://farmacares.org/\">a vegan nonprofit\u003c/a>. Jadakiss has a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kisscafecoffee.com/\">coffee brand\u003c/a>. Sheek Louch invests in \u003ca href=\"https://editionml.com/sheek-louch-real-estate-tips-music-interview\">real estate\u003c/a>. They’re taking care of themselves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fresh off an \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/01/g-s1-14761/the-lox-tiny-desk-concert\">NPR Tiny Desk appearance\u003c/a>, the Yonkers trio is currently on tour during \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/podcasts/the-sean-diddy-combs-charges-explained.html\">some bombshell revelations about their former label boss\u003c/a>, and one can only imagine the conversations on the tour bus. The Lox famously dumped Diddy after their debut album \u003cem>Money, Power & Respect\u003c/em>, and took shots at him on their follow-up \u003cem>We Are The Streets\u003c/em>; by the time they reach San Francisco on Sunday night, expect an extra bit of fire in their delivery.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Lox perform with Tony Moxberg, Stunnaman02 and C5 on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.theregencyballroom.com/events/detail/?event_id=538357\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The pandemic’s Verzuz battles were meant to have no winner, but anyone who witnessed \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP4_0d1npjk\">Dipset getting their lunch eaten in real time by The Lox\u003c/a> will tell you: it was a jubilant massacre, and a masterclass in coming prepared. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That The Lox are still killing shows almost three decades in should be no surprise. Rather than slinging alcohol like other seasoned rap veterans, the group’s Styles P has found entrepreneurship in \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20231201075120/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/after-25-years-of-rapping-nycs-styles-p-is-ready-to-focus-on-his-wellness-empire\">wellness\u003c/a> and runs \u003ca href=\"https://farmacares.org/\">a vegan nonprofit\u003c/a>. Jadakiss has a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kisscafecoffee.com/\">coffee brand\u003c/a>. Sheek Louch invests in \u003ca href=\"https://editionml.com/sheek-louch-real-estate-tips-music-interview\">real estate\u003c/a>. They’re taking care of themselves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fresh off an \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/01/g-s1-14761/the-lox-tiny-desk-concert\">NPR Tiny Desk appearance\u003c/a>, the Yonkers trio is currently on tour during \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/podcasts/the-sean-diddy-combs-charges-explained.html\">some bombshell revelations about their former label boss\u003c/a>, and one can only imagine the conversations on the tour bus. The Lox famously dumped Diddy after their debut album \u003cem>Money, Power & Respect\u003c/em>, and took shots at him on their follow-up \u003cem>We Are The Streets\u003c/em>; by the time they reach San Francisco on Sunday night, expect an extra bit of fire in their delivery.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Lox perform with Tony Moxberg, Stunnaman02 and C5 on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.theregencyballroom.com/events/detail/?event_id=538357\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you were at last year’s History of the Bay Day in San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931387/photos-history-of-the-bay-day-party-dregs-one-review\">you already know\u003c/a>. Put on by Lakeview rapper Dregs One, host of the \u003cem>History of the Bay\u003c/em> podcast, the daytime party brought out a who’s-who of regional hip-hop legends and a completely packed house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year is shaping up to be no different, based on the lineup. Set for Oct. 19, the event will feature a reunion of the Jacka’s group Mob Figaz, along with a special tribute to the Jacka. Kamaiyah is on the bill too, along with Oakland ambassadors \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/souls-of-mischief\">Souls of Mischief\u003c/a>, who spent last year touring the globe to celebrate the anniversary of \u003cem>’93 Til Infinity\u003c/em>. B-Legit, Dru Down, DaBoii and Dregs One himself also perform. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For true Bay history, a rare performance by \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weKkAF9NdCI\">Demons of the Mind\u003c/a> leads a dance cypher with Turf Feinz and Floor Gangz. There’s a skate photo gallery organized by FTC Skateboarding, and a graffiti gallery put together by Dying Breed SF. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This being Frisco, the event hands out its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Fillmore icon \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therealrappin4tay/?hl=en\">Rappin’ 4-Tay\u003c/a>, whose \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/hope-blooms-for-myeloma-fundraising-for-a-cureo\">recent cancer diagnosis\u003c/a> has reminded folks to not take Bay Area legends for granted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the event will be DJ sets, Bay Area memorabilia, a Women in Hip-Hop Panel hosted by KQED Arts & Culture’s Nastia Voynovskaya and more. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931387/photos-history-of-the-bay-day-party-dregs-one-review\">Read our coverage of last year’s event here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘History of the Bay Day’ takes place Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Midway in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C-8Pgb6S4A2/?img_index=1\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you were at last year’s History of the Bay Day in San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931387/photos-history-of-the-bay-day-party-dregs-one-review\">you already know\u003c/a>. Put on by Lakeview rapper Dregs One, host of the \u003cem>History of the Bay\u003c/em> podcast, the daytime party brought out a who’s-who of regional hip-hop legends and a completely packed house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year is shaping up to be no different, based on the lineup. Set for Oct. 19, the event will feature a reunion of the Jacka’s group Mob Figaz, along with a special tribute to the Jacka. Kamaiyah is on the bill too, along with Oakland ambassadors \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/souls-of-mischief\">Souls of Mischief\u003c/a>, who spent last year touring the globe to celebrate the anniversary of \u003cem>’93 Til Infinity\u003c/em>. B-Legit, Dru Down, DaBoii and Dregs One himself also perform. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For true Bay history, a rare performance by \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weKkAF9NdCI\">Demons of the Mind\u003c/a> leads a dance cypher with Turf Feinz and Floor Gangz. There’s a skate photo gallery organized by FTC Skateboarding, and a graffiti gallery put together by Dying Breed SF. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This being Frisco, the event hands out its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Fillmore icon \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/therealrappin4tay/?hl=en\">Rappin’ 4-Tay\u003c/a>, whose \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/hope-blooms-for-myeloma-fundraising-for-a-cureo\">recent cancer diagnosis\u003c/a> has reminded folks to not take Bay Area legends for granted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the event will be DJ sets, Bay Area memorabilia, a Women in Hip-Hop Panel hosted by KQED Arts & Culture’s Nastia Voynovskaya and more. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931387/photos-history-of-the-bay-day-party-dregs-one-review\">Read our coverage of last year’s event here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘History of the Bay Day’ takes place Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Midway in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C-8Pgb6S4A2/?img_index=1\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "oakland-proclaims-august-12-the-jacka-day-birthday-month-ambrose-park",
"title": "Oakland Proclaims Aug. 12 ‘The Jacka Day’; Month of Celebration Continues",
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"content": "\u003cp>Since his death in 2015, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931795/the-jacka-allah-muslim-bay-area-islam-hip-hop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Jacka\u003c/a>’s influence has steadily grown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, throughout The Jacka’s birth month of August, friends, family and fans of the late hip-hop artist will celebrate his life and legacy with a series of events, which kicked off last weekend with a boat cruise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Saturday, Aug. 10, The Jacka’s family hosts a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ivNXyyPLw/\">BBQ and birthday party\u003c/a> at Ambrose Park in Bay Point. The following weekend, on Aug. 17, festivities return to Ambrose Park for The Jacka \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C9mE-7xREdj/\">Art in The Park\u003c/a> exhibition. And on Saturday, Aug. 31, Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hellapositive/?hl=en\">Hella Positive\u003c/a> holds a smoke out in The Jacka’s honor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13962130\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13962130\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"A framed photo of The Jacka and photographer D-Ray at an art exhibit dedicated to The Jacka in Oakland in February of 2024.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A framed photo of The Jacka with photographer D-Ray at an art exhibit dedicated to The Jacka in Oakland in February of 2024. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We always celebrated him when he was alive, so I want to continue that,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mspitre/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reatha Pitre\u003c/a>, the late MC’s mother (who also goes by Mama Jack). The Jacka, who was killed in a shooting on Feb. 2, 2015, would’ve been 47 years old this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want them to forget him,” says Mama Jack. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mama Jack expects the birthday party and art show to be filled with people telling stories about The Jacka while slappin’ his music. As for the smoke out, Mama Jack says, “Everybody knows that he loved to smoke, so that might happen every year now.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A major addition to this year’s celebration of The Jacka, a centered man who lyrically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874024/five-years-after-his-death-the-jackas-collaborators-remember-his-complex-legacy\">navigated the Bay Area’s underworld\u003c/a> while \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931795/the-jacka-allah-muslim-bay-area-islam-hip-hop\">striving for religious clarity and taking on the name Saheed Akbar\u003c/a>, is a proclamation from the City of Oakland that his birthday, Aug. 12, be known as The Jacka Day. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of great things happening in terms of memorializing rappers and artists within hip-hop, and renaming streets,” says Seretse Njemanze, director of a forthcoming\u003ca href=\"https://www.thejackadoc.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> documentary\u003c/a> on the The Jacka’s life. “Him getting a day, it feels like it falls in line with that.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13962131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13962131\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"A signed proclamation from Oakland mayor Sheng Thao that August 12 is The Jacka Day in Oakland. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A signed proclamation from Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao that Aug. 12 be known as The Jacka Day in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of The Jacka's family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Njemanze and co-producers Devin Wessell, Tehan Davis and Tim Slater have been working on the documentary project for nearly a year. They’re set to share a trailer for it in February of 2025, 10 years after The Jacka’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Saturday, the crew will be at The Jacka’s birthday celebration, and are inviting people to share stories about his life for filmed interviews. The setting of Ambrose Park is intentional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The location is historic and extremely important to his story,” Njemanze says, noting that Ambrose Park was one of the first places The Jacka performed as a teen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Co-producer Tehan Davis says that the overall goal of the documentary is to amplify the sincere impact The Jacka had on the Bay Area and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just want to capture the real,” Davis says, “and broadcast it to the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>More information on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thejackadoc.com/\">forthcoming documentary on The Jacka\u003c/a> can be found \u003ca href=\"https://www.thejackadoc.com/\">here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Since his death in 2015, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931795/the-jacka-allah-muslim-bay-area-islam-hip-hop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Jacka\u003c/a>’s influence has steadily grown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, throughout The Jacka’s birth month of August, friends, family and fans of the late hip-hop artist will celebrate his life and legacy with a series of events, which kicked off last weekend with a boat cruise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Saturday, Aug. 10, The Jacka’s family hosts a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ivNXyyPLw/\">BBQ and birthday party\u003c/a> at Ambrose Park in Bay Point. The following weekend, on Aug. 17, festivities return to Ambrose Park for The Jacka \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C9mE-7xREdj/\">Art in The Park\u003c/a> exhibition. And on Saturday, Aug. 31, Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hellapositive/?hl=en\">Hella Positive\u003c/a> holds a smoke out in The Jacka’s honor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13962130\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13962130\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"A framed photo of The Jacka and photographer D-Ray at an art exhibit dedicated to The Jacka in Oakland in February of 2024.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_3399-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A framed photo of The Jacka with photographer D-Ray at an art exhibit dedicated to The Jacka in Oakland in February of 2024. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We always celebrated him when he was alive, so I want to continue that,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mspitre/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reatha Pitre\u003c/a>, the late MC’s mother (who also goes by Mama Jack). The Jacka, who was killed in a shooting on Feb. 2, 2015, would’ve been 47 years old this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want them to forget him,” says Mama Jack. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mama Jack expects the birthday party and art show to be filled with people telling stories about The Jacka while slappin’ his music. As for the smoke out, Mama Jack says, “Everybody knows that he loved to smoke, so that might happen every year now.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A major addition to this year’s celebration of The Jacka, a centered man who lyrically \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874024/five-years-after-his-death-the-jackas-collaborators-remember-his-complex-legacy\">navigated the Bay Area’s underworld\u003c/a> while \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13931795/the-jacka-allah-muslim-bay-area-islam-hip-hop\">striving for religious clarity and taking on the name Saheed Akbar\u003c/a>, is a proclamation from the City of Oakland that his birthday, Aug. 12, be known as The Jacka Day. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of great things happening in terms of memorializing rappers and artists within hip-hop, and renaming streets,” says Seretse Njemanze, director of a forthcoming\u003ca href=\"https://www.thejackadoc.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> documentary\u003c/a> on the The Jacka’s life. “Him getting a day, it feels like it falls in line with that.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13962131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13962131\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"A signed proclamation from Oakland mayor Sheng Thao that August 12 is The Jacka Day in Oakland. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/IMG_7232-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A signed proclamation from Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao that Aug. 12 be known as The Jacka Day in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of The Jacka's family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Njemanze and co-producers Devin Wessell, Tehan Davis and Tim Slater have been working on the documentary project for nearly a year. They’re set to share a trailer for it in February of 2025, 10 years after The Jacka’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Saturday, the crew will be at The Jacka’s birthday celebration, and are inviting people to share stories about his life for filmed interviews. The setting of Ambrose Park is intentional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The location is historic and extremely important to his story,” Njemanze says, noting that Ambrose Park was one of the first places The Jacka performed as a teen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Co-producer Tehan Davis says that the overall goal of the documentary is to amplify the sincere impact The Jacka had on the Bay Area and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just want to capture the real,” Davis says, “and broadcast it to the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>More information on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thejackadoc.com/\">forthcoming documentary on The Jacka\u003c/a> can be found \u003ca href=\"https://www.thejackadoc.com/\">here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Years before they released an album, the Bay Area funk duo \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tallteesound\">Tall Tee\u003c/a> began building their fan base off the strength of friendship. Not only does their laidback camaraderie translate easily on stage, but the two members, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/joogmac/\">Joog Mac\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/flexone/\">Flex One\u003c/a>, keep their hands in countless creative communities and hustles. For Joog, it’s his genre-spanning DJ collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/joogmac/\">Bussdown\u003c/a>, comfort food pop-up \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/that_smax/\">SMAX\u003c/a>, and work in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13923081/purity-wine-richmond-new-years-eve-party-inclusive-natural-winery\">natural wine industry\u003c/a>. For Flex, it’s videography, photography and even muay Thai.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Folks from all of these scenes show up when Tall Tee rocks a show. And whether they’re collaborating or pursuing solo ventures, Flex and Joog support each other completely. But that wasn’t necessarily the case when the two first met as San Francisco State University students over a decade ago, when they opened for underground hip-hop legends Zion I as two separate rap acts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/iW_1yQsyTq8?si=e0SGpnEI2qu3h3N4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw what I thought was going to be my rival,” jokingly admits Flex, who was born and raised in San Francisco. “[But he] actually had similar interests, and we were in the same [broadcasting] program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two eventually began working on music together, and after years of growing their hype through shows at venues like Oakland hotspot Crybaby, Tall Tee has officially arrived with their debut album \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>. Released in June, it’s full of feel-good, two-stepping boogie tracks prime for summer pool parties and barbecues. Over fat bass and wiggly synths with a booty-shaking groove, Flex and Joog tag-team singing and rapping, with dynamic flows and unpretentious lyrics that are as fun as they are cheeky. (It’s hard not to sing along, grinning, to lead single “So Fly,” where Joog rhymes “stick-ay ick-ay” with “freak-ay zeak-ay.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959342\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alexander “Flex” Lim (left) and Jon “Joog” Macapinlac sit at their studio in Oakland on June 5, 2024, from the funk band Tall Tee. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tall Tee taps into a deep Bay Area legacy of funk that began in the ’70s with Sly and the Family Stone, who hailed from Joog’s hometown of Vallejo. During the same era in San Francisco, Flex’s uncles formed the barrier-breaking Filipino-led funk, rock and soul band \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926503/dakila-guerssen-records-asian-american-filipino-rock-history-san-francisco\">Dakila\u003c/a>, one of the first U.S. bands to sing in Tagalog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not lost on Tall Tee that funk also forms the backbone of the West Coast hip-hop they grew up on. “I was a student of \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/whoisdaveyd.html\">Davey D\u003c/a>’s at SF State, and he really made you aware that in the East [Coast] they had DJ crews, but here everyone had a funk band in their garage,” says Flex, referencing the renowned local radio host and hip-hop scholar. “So I really try to pay homage and bring that same energy.”\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=2436567542/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\u003cp>The boogie style that makes up Tall Tee’s sound emerged in the early ’80s, when funk musicians embraced the sleek, digitized sounds of emerging synthesizer technologies, and blended funk with disco. As influences, Flex and Joog cite \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/zSOUNeiTkiE?si=bqqSRPb5WfG3-2FC\">Kashif\u003c/a>, a hitmaker who penned Evelyn Champagne King’s “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/p9f_4F-GZgY?si=NpHjjRS94wkH2AZ8\">I’m in Love\u003c/a>”; R&B great \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/jtMHsNhQBvI?si=xhIe3BlAzNkjWSa2\">Patrice Rushen\u003c/a>; and Cameo, the flamboyant, leather-clad band of “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/sn8KYD1Vco0?si=bws-0UHGEr6N_fpg\">Candy\u003c/a>” fame. [aside postid='arts_13960094,arts_13926503,arts_13923978']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once deemed cheesy and uncool (namely because of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230922-the-night-angry-rock-fans-destroyed-disco-music\">racist and homophobic backlash\u003c/a> against disco), boogie experienced a revival over the past decade thanks to crate-digging DJs who recontextualized the genre and showed the world that it actually slaps. (And it’s not just for record collectors \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—\u003c/span> you can now turn on your radio and hear \u003ca href=\"https://slate.com/culture/2024/06/sabrina-carpenter-espresso-song-summer-boogie-post-disco.html\">a boogie bassline\u003c/a> in Sabrina Carpenter’s massive hit “Espresso.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Locally, the chief architects of its resurgence are the crew behind the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13837743/how-sweater-funk-djs-revived-boogie-a-once-uncool-sound\"> long-running party Sweater Funk\u003c/a>. After SF State, Joog and Flex became Sweater Funk regulars, and the all-vinyl dive bar dance party led Joog and Flex to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elive_beats/\">E. Live\u003c/a>, the producer of \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>. Their collaboration began in 2017, when Joog rapped over an instrumental E. Live posted online; after hearing his verse, E. Live invited Joog to one of his shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the show, “when I met him, he was already playing. And then, like, in the middle of his set, he just handed me the mic and we did the song I recorded over,” Joog recalls. “My homies were actually smoking outside, and they were like, ‘Oh shit, is that Joog inside on the mic?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959345\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959345\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alexander “Flex” Lim and Jon “Joog” Macapinlac work with Deshawn Guilloux and Jarin Tindall, aka OG Jarin, at OG Jarin’s studio in Oakland on June 5, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The impromptu collab paved the way for the 10 groove-laden, cruise-with-the-windows-down tracks that make up \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>. Up next, Tall Tee will perform at 7th West on Aug. 3 for the party DAMoakland, and they’ll join E. Live on stage at The Independent on Aug. 16, opening for fellow funk revivalists Planet Booty. The duo is also self-funding an independent vinyl release of \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>, and working on a release party where they’ll perform with a full band, followed by a fall mini-tour in Japan. [ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve garnered a lot of support through friends and through doing shows and performing, just through face to face and word of mouth for a long time,” says Joog. “This album was our first effort to make it very official.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tall Tee performs on \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/damoakland-7th-west-tickets-919796585347\">Saturday, Aug. 3, as part of DAMoakland at 7th West in Oakland\u003c/a>; and with E. Live on \u003ca href=\"https://apeconcerts.com/events/planet-booty-240816/\">Friday, Aug. 16, at The Independent in San Francisco\u003c/a>. Follow \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tallteesound/\">Tall Tee on Instagram\u003c/a> for show announcements and updates. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Years before they released an album, the Bay Area funk duo \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tallteesound\">Tall Tee\u003c/a> began building their fan base off the strength of friendship. Not only does their laidback camaraderie translate easily on stage, but the two members, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/joogmac/\">Joog Mac\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/flexone/\">Flex One\u003c/a>, keep their hands in countless creative communities and hustles. For Joog, it’s his genre-spanning DJ collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/joogmac/\">Bussdown\u003c/a>, comfort food pop-up \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/that_smax/\">SMAX\u003c/a>, and work in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13923081/purity-wine-richmond-new-years-eve-party-inclusive-natural-winery\">natural wine industry\u003c/a>. For Flex, it’s videography, photography and even muay Thai.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Folks from all of these scenes show up when Tall Tee rocks a show. And whether they’re collaborating or pursuing solo ventures, Flex and Joog support each other completely. But that wasn’t necessarily the case when the two first met as San Francisco State University students over a decade ago, when they opened for underground hip-hop legends Zion I as two separate rap acts.\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/iW_1yQsyTq8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/iW_1yQsyTq8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“I saw what I thought was going to be my rival,” jokingly admits Flex, who was born and raised in San Francisco. “[But he] actually had similar interests, and we were in the same [broadcasting] program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two eventually began working on music together, and after years of growing their hype through shows at venues like Oakland hotspot Crybaby, Tall Tee has officially arrived with their debut album \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>. Released in June, it’s full of feel-good, two-stepping boogie tracks prime for summer pool parties and barbecues. Over fat bass and wiggly synths with a booty-shaking groove, Flex and Joog tag-team singing and rapping, with dynamic flows and unpretentious lyrics that are as fun as they are cheeky. (It’s hard not to sing along, grinning, to lead single “So Fly,” where Joog rhymes “stick-ay ick-ay” with “freak-ay zeak-ay.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959342\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-07-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alexander “Flex” Lim (left) and Jon “Joog” Macapinlac sit at their studio in Oakland on June 5, 2024, from the funk band Tall Tee. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tall Tee taps into a deep Bay Area legacy of funk that began in the ’70s with Sly and the Family Stone, who hailed from Joog’s hometown of Vallejo. During the same era in San Francisco, Flex’s uncles formed the barrier-breaking Filipino-led funk, rock and soul band \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926503/dakila-guerssen-records-asian-american-filipino-rock-history-san-francisco\">Dakila\u003c/a>, one of the first U.S. bands to sing in Tagalog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not lost on Tall Tee that funk also forms the backbone of the West Coast hip-hop they grew up on. “I was a student of \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/whoisdaveyd.html\">Davey D\u003c/a>’s at SF State, and he really made you aware that in the East [Coast] they had DJ crews, but here everyone had a funk band in their garage,” says Flex, referencing the renowned local radio host and hip-hop scholar. “So I really try to pay homage and bring that same energy.”\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=2436567542/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\u003cp>The boogie style that makes up Tall Tee’s sound emerged in the early ’80s, when funk musicians embraced the sleek, digitized sounds of emerging synthesizer technologies, and blended funk with disco. As influences, Flex and Joog cite \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/zSOUNeiTkiE?si=bqqSRPb5WfG3-2FC\">Kashif\u003c/a>, a hitmaker who penned Evelyn Champagne King’s “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/p9f_4F-GZgY?si=NpHjjRS94wkH2AZ8\">I’m in Love\u003c/a>”; R&B great \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/jtMHsNhQBvI?si=xhIe3BlAzNkjWSa2\">Patrice Rushen\u003c/a>; and Cameo, the flamboyant, leather-clad band of “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/sn8KYD1Vco0?si=bws-0UHGEr6N_fpg\">Candy\u003c/a>” fame. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once deemed cheesy and uncool (namely because of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230922-the-night-angry-rock-fans-destroyed-disco-music\">racist and homophobic backlash\u003c/a> against disco), boogie experienced a revival over the past decade thanks to crate-digging DJs who recontextualized the genre and showed the world that it actually slaps. (And it’s not just for record collectors \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—\u003c/span> you can now turn on your radio and hear \u003ca href=\"https://slate.com/culture/2024/06/sabrina-carpenter-espresso-song-summer-boogie-post-disco.html\">a boogie bassline\u003c/a> in Sabrina Carpenter’s massive hit “Espresso.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Locally, the chief architects of its resurgence are the crew behind the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13837743/how-sweater-funk-djs-revived-boogie-a-once-uncool-sound\"> long-running party Sweater Funk\u003c/a>. After SF State, Joog and Flex became Sweater Funk regulars, and the all-vinyl dive bar dance party led Joog and Flex to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elive_beats/\">E. Live\u003c/a>, the producer of \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>. Their collaboration began in 2017, when Joog rapped over an instrumental E. Live posted online; after hearing his verse, E. Live invited Joog to one of his shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the show, “when I met him, he was already playing. And then, like, in the middle of his set, he just handed me the mic and we did the song I recorded over,” Joog recalls. “My homies were actually smoking outside, and they were like, ‘Oh shit, is that Joog inside on the mic?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959345\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959345\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240605-TALLTEE-40-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alexander “Flex” Lim and Jon “Joog” Macapinlac work with Deshawn Guilloux and Jarin Tindall, aka OG Jarin, at OG Jarin’s studio in Oakland on June 5, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The impromptu collab paved the way for the 10 groove-laden, cruise-with-the-windows-down tracks that make up \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>. Up next, Tall Tee will perform at 7th West on Aug. 3 for the party DAMoakland, and they’ll join E. Live on stage at The Independent on Aug. 16, opening for fellow funk revivalists Planet Booty. The duo is also self-funding an independent vinyl release of \u003ci>Talk to Me\u003c/i>, and working on a release party where they’ll perform with a full band, followed by a fall mini-tour in Japan. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve garnered a lot of support through friends and through doing shows and performing, just through face to face and word of mouth for a long time,” says Joog. “This album was our first effort to make it very official.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tall Tee performs on \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/damoakland-7th-west-tickets-919796585347\">Saturday, Aug. 3, as part of DAMoakland at 7th West in Oakland\u003c/a>; and with E. Live on \u003ca href=\"https://apeconcerts.com/events/planet-booty-240816/\">Friday, Aug. 16, at The Independent in San Francisco\u003c/a>. Follow \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tallteesound/\">Tall Tee on Instagram\u003c/a> for show announcements and updates. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Missy Elliott Took the Bay Area ‘Out of This World’ at Oakland Arena",
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"content": "\u003cp>Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott done told us: she is supa fly. Supa dupa fly. So it was no surprise the hip-hop icon soared to stratospheric heights throughout her \u003cem>Out of This World\u003c/em> tour stop in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at Oakland Arena on Tuesday, July 9.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her long-awaited first headlining tour, Missy kept her promise that there would be “no tour like it.” The unique mind that hatched her mold-breaking hit albums and videos across her 30-year career made sure Spaceship757 (the area code of her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia) landed with all the bells, whistles, hydraulics and pyrotechnics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I appreciate when an artist \u003cem>commits\u003c/em> to a theme for their show. From the simulated spaceship landing on the big screen, enhanced with smoke machines, to \u003cem>Star Wars\u003c/em>-style scrolling messages — Missy went all in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve ever been to a Cirque du Soleil show, you can tell Missy’s been taking a few notes from the world-renowned circus troupe. Her set starts with a jester-like host informing us of the 75-minute journey we’re about to take. He continues to pop up throughout the night to guide the audience from “planet” to “planet” — or set change to set change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13961102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13961102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Missy Elliott performs at the Oakland Arena on July 8, 2024. \u003ccite>(Alexis Smith/crowdMGMT)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Missy emerged through the spaceship smoke in a sparkly yellow and silver outfit and helmet to open with her 2019 song “Throw It Back” — though it took a minute to register that. The arena’s sound throughout the entire night wasn’t great; certain songs, like that one, at times sounded more blown out than others. But that didn’t dampen the energy one bit, as the crowd went crazy and her 22 dancers flooded the stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Audience members got special wristbands at the door, and as the music played we got to see what they were there to do: They lit up in different colors to the beat. At any given moment, there was a sea of purple or green or red-then-orange lights. It was a dope touch. When she hit the verse “Missy in this bitch / doin’ shit you ain’t never seen” during “Cool Off,” I agreed wholeheartedly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13960206']Over the course of the 32-song setlist, the set and costume changes were smooth and seamless. Missy tapped longtime collaborator and celebrity stylist June Ambrose for her costumes, and every look and scene was \u003cem>a moment\u003c/em>. My favorite section was the dark, stormy planet that took us into “Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” featuring a high fashion riff on Missy’s famous trash bag look. (That section also featured Missy’s fiery track “She’s a Bitch,” which was most recently sampled by Cardi B.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one point Missy and two dancers took flight on a platform during “Gossip Folks.” Later she’d do a lap around the arena, shaking hands while rapping during her megahit “Work It.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13960872\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178.jpg\" alt=\"Missy Elliott performs wearing a graffiti-printed bodysuit and balaclava, surrounded by dancers. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"734\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-1020x731.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-160x115.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-768x551.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Missy Elliott performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. \u003ccite>(Michael Kovac/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No matter what hit song she was performing or what moving set-piece was lifting and lowering her, one thing was very apparent: Missy was having FUN. Her choreography was dialed in, and you could see and feel the confidence that makes her \u003cem>Missy Elliott\u003c/em>. The show felt triumphant (and deserving of a Las Vegas residency).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a moment with the audience, she said, “I want y’all to know that I don’t take you for granted,” noting that everyone on the tour — Ciara, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland — have been making music for 20 or more years. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier in the night, R&B star Ciara delivered a high-octane set with nonstop choreography and efficiently served up hits like “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Body Party” and “1,2 Step.” Towards the end of her set, she took a moment to show special affection for the Bay Area, telling the Oakland crowd “this is the town that helped put me on the map” when she started 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13961104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13961104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ciara performs at the Oakland Arena on July 8, 2024. \u003ccite>(Priscilla Rodriguez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She was followed by hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes, who managed to be both high energy and underwhelming. Some of that was the poor sound quality, to be fair. Otherwise, there was a lot of chatter and a heavy emphasis on his 2000s hits. Beat-wise, I suppose it fit the outer space theme, but left me wanting him to “Gimme Some More” — literally. But we did get an attempt at a Journey sing-a-long… for the Bay? It fell flat. In other news, his partner-in-rhyme Spliff Star is still one of the best hype men in the game. [aside postid='arts_13959969']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To close the show, Missy’s co-stars emerged one by one — Timbaland to perform their classic “Up Jumps the Boogie”; Busta Rhymes to perform his song “Touch It” with her; and lastly Ciara to bring it home with her feature on “Lose Control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they all took a bow, Missy was left alone on stage. A smoky, lit-up platform raised her in the air and — \u003cem>poof\u003c/em>! She was gone. But the feeling of awe, satisfaction and gratitude for the journey to Planet Missy certainly was not.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott done told us: she is supa fly. Supa dupa fly. So it was no surprise the hip-hop icon soared to stratospheric heights throughout her \u003cem>Out of This World\u003c/em> tour stop in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at Oakland Arena on Tuesday, July 9.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her long-awaited first headlining tour, Missy kept her promise that there would be “no tour like it.” The unique mind that hatched her mold-breaking hit albums and videos across her 30-year career made sure Spaceship757 (the area code of her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia) landed with all the bells, whistles, hydraulics and pyrotechnics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I appreciate when an artist \u003cem>commits\u003c/em> to a theme for their show. From the simulated spaceship landing on the big screen, enhanced with smoke machines, to \u003cem>Star Wars\u003c/em>-style scrolling messages — Missy went all in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve ever been to a Cirque du Soleil show, you can tell Missy’s been taking a few notes from the world-renowned circus troupe. Her set starts with a jester-like host informing us of the 75-minute journey we’re about to take. He continues to pop up throughout the night to guide the audience from “planet” to “planet” — or set change to set change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13961102\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13961102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/Day3OOTWTour-942-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Missy Elliott performs at the Oakland Arena on July 8, 2024. \u003ccite>(Alexis Smith/crowdMGMT)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Missy emerged through the spaceship smoke in a sparkly yellow and silver outfit and helmet to open with her 2019 song “Throw It Back” — though it took a minute to register that. The arena’s sound throughout the entire night wasn’t great; certain songs, like that one, at times sounded more blown out than others. But that didn’t dampen the energy one bit, as the crowd went crazy and her 22 dancers flooded the stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Audience members got special wristbands at the door, and as the music played we got to see what they were there to do: They lit up in different colors to the beat. At any given moment, there was a sea of purple or green or red-then-orange lights. It was a dope touch. When she hit the verse “Missy in this bitch / doin’ shit you ain’t never seen” during “Cool Off,” I agreed wholeheartedly. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Over the course of the 32-song setlist, the set and costume changes were smooth and seamless. Missy tapped longtime collaborator and celebrity stylist June Ambrose for her costumes, and every look and scene was \u003cem>a moment\u003c/em>. My favorite section was the dark, stormy planet that took us into “Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” featuring a high fashion riff on Missy’s famous trash bag look. (That section also featured Missy’s fiery track “She’s a Bitch,” which was most recently sampled by Cardi B.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one point Missy and two dancers took flight on a platform during “Gossip Folks.” Later she’d do a lap around the arena, shaking hands while rapping during her megahit “Work It.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13960872\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178.jpg\" alt=\"Missy Elliott performs wearing a graffiti-printed bodysuit and balaclava, surrounded by dancers. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"734\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-1020x731.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-160x115.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GettyImages-1463307178-768x551.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Missy Elliott performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. \u003ccite>(Michael Kovac/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No matter what hit song she was performing or what moving set-piece was lifting and lowering her, one thing was very apparent: Missy was having FUN. Her choreography was dialed in, and you could see and feel the confidence that makes her \u003cem>Missy Elliott\u003c/em>. The show felt triumphant (and deserving of a Las Vegas residency).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a moment with the audience, she said, “I want y’all to know that I don’t take you for granted,” noting that everyone on the tour — Ciara, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland — have been making music for 20 or more years. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier in the night, R&B star Ciara delivered a high-octane set with nonstop choreography and efficiently served up hits like “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Body Party” and “1,2 Step.” Towards the end of her set, she took a moment to show special affection for the Bay Area, telling the Oakland crowd “this is the town that helped put me on the map” when she started 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13961104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13961104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/OutofthisworldTour_PriscillaRodriguez16-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ciara performs at the Oakland Arena on July 8, 2024. \u003ccite>(Priscilla Rodriguez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She was followed by hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes, who managed to be both high energy and underwhelming. Some of that was the poor sound quality, to be fair. Otherwise, there was a lot of chatter and a heavy emphasis on his 2000s hits. Beat-wise, I suppose it fit the outer space theme, but left me wanting him to “Gimme Some More” — literally. But we did get an attempt at a Journey sing-a-long… for the Bay? It fell flat. In other news, his partner-in-rhyme Spliff Star is still one of the best hype men in the game. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To close the show, Missy’s co-stars emerged one by one — Timbaland to perform their classic “Up Jumps the Boogie”; Busta Rhymes to perform his song “Touch It” with her; and lastly Ciara to bring it home with her feature on “Lose Control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they all took a bow, Missy was left alone on stage. A smoky, lit-up platform raised her in the air and — \u003cem>poof\u003c/em>! She was gone. But the feeling of awe, satisfaction and gratitude for the journey to Planet Missy certainly was not.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "megan-thee-stallion-stans-hotties-election-biden-trump-san-francisco",
"title": "Megan Thee Stallion Stans Are Salty Over Their Choice of Candidates",
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"headTitle": "Megan Thee Stallion Stans Are Salty Over Their Choice of Candidates | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of the KQED series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fandomvote\">The Fandom Vote\u003c/a>, exploring the election-year concerns and voting preferences of significant pop culture fanbases.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]M[/dropcap]egan Thee Stallion fans from the Bay Area and beyond flocked to San Francisco’s Chase Center on June 23 for the rapper’s Hot Girl Summer Tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As anticipation filled the air outside the arena, we talked with Megan Thee Stallion fans, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxkishlal/megan-thee-stallion-fans\">Hotties\u003c/a>, about what they admire about the rap star — and, evidently, what they do \u003cem>not\u003c/em> admire about the candidates in the 2024 Presidential Election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960247\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960247\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abby Nation (left) and her fiancé Emma Gray pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center on Sunday, June 23, 2024, during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour. Gray said Palestine is among the top concerns on her mind during this election. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emma Gray, who lives near Stockton, came to see Megan Thee Stallion with her fiancé, Abby Nation. “It’s very disappointing that I don’t feel there is a candidate that I can trust to end genocide,” Gray said. “I would vote for a third party, [even if] I know it’s probably not going to result in that person being elected,” she explained. “But I’m also not going to put my vote to someone who is causing so much harm.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960238\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960238\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Left: Adrienne Williams, Erica Williams, Lauryn Major and Jasmine Cannon pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For me, the most important thing is to free Palestine,” echoed Lauryn Major, who showed up to the concert with three of her friends. “That’s the only thing that I’m voting on this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adding to Major’s comment, her friend Jasmine Cannon listed some of her priorities: “Ceasefire, reproductive rights, voting access, education, funding libraries, decriminalizing weed and other nonviolent crimes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960244\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960244\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28.jpg 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christian, who declined to give her last name, poses for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Christian considers President Biden her only option of the two leading candidates, but is conflicted due to his support of Israel. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Christian, who declined to give her last name, flew in for the show from Arkansas. She said she “doesn’t really like either of [the candidates], but Biden is better.” Still, she’s upset by Biden’s continued support of Israel and “sending money to help kill other people […] when we should be helping our citizens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1746px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1746\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13960450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych.jpg 1746w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-800x586.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-1020x748.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-768x563.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-1536x1126.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1746px) 100vw, 1746px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kierunya Davis, who brought a bouquet of flowers, poses in her custom Megan The Stallion-inspired outfit outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kierunya Davis flew in from Compton bearing gifts for Megan Thee Stallion, who later accepted them on stage. “White men do not speak for the majority,” Davis said. “We deserve better as brown and black people — for somebody to actually make promises and follow through.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960236\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960236\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Cruz (left) and Katarina Ruiz pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Cruz has reproductive and immigration rights front of mind this election year. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Self-identified Hottie Alex Cruz said she’s anxious about the election, “especially with Roe v. Wade recently being overturned.” She said it’s “disappointing that Biden hasn’t been able to do more” regarding reproductive rights and immigration reform, but clarified that she is “probably just going to end up voting for him anyway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960231\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mia Williams poses for a portrait in her Starfire superhero costume outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Williams isn’t happy with the choice of presidential candidates in the upcoming election. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mia Williams, from Seattle, also traveled hundreds of miles to see Megan Thee Stallion. “She stands up for body positivity and she helped push female rap to where it is,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about the election, Williams was less hopeful. “I feel like regardless, it’s a bad choice,” she said. “I don’t know how [Joe Biden] could do another four years,” she said, “and [Donald Trump] is just a bigot.” She continued, “Also, he’s a felon now, so I don’t think a felon should be a president.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960243\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mourice Grey (left) and Karl Daniels pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mourice Grey and Karl Daniels both live in San Leandro, and cited rent control, women’s rights and queer rights as their top concerns this year. “[Trump] broke the law, so he should not get the opportunity,” Daniels noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960242\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960242\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Left: Iyobosa Igbinake, Ayah Benjamin, Aminah Benjamin, Ifela Hayes pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Benjamin has yet to decide if she’ll be voting this year, and said being a young person today is exhausting. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Decked out in Sailor Mars cosplay, Ayah Benjamin said she “hasn’t made a decision yet” on whether she will vote this year. “Capitalism and being a young person in society is genuinely exhausting,” she expressed with frustration. “Civil rights, humanitarian issues and obviously the genocides globally” are her primary concerns in this election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960240\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960240\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Destiny Phan (left) and Jeneveive Kongkham pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Megan Thee Stallion show at the Chase Center was Destiny Phan’s first concert. This year’s election will mark another first, as she’s finally old enough to vote. Phan said it’s been “hard to keep up” with politics this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960246\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960246\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tourean Barnes (right) poses for a portrait with his nephew Javonte Barnes outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Tourean Barnes is unsure if he’ll vote in the next election and said he sees the two leading candidates as entertainers rather than presidents. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tourean Barnes was there to attend the concert with his nephew Javonte Barnes. “My main issue would be the stability of our democracy,” said Tourean, adding that the two front-running candidates are “more like entertainers than presidents.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Megan Thee Stallion Stans Are Salty Over Their Choice of Candidates | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of the KQED series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fandomvote\">The Fandom Vote\u003c/a>, exploring the election-year concerns and voting preferences of significant pop culture fanbases.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">M\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>egan Thee Stallion fans from the Bay Area and beyond flocked to San Francisco’s Chase Center on June 23 for the rapper’s Hot Girl Summer Tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As anticipation filled the air outside the arena, we talked with Megan Thee Stallion fans, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxkishlal/megan-thee-stallion-fans\">Hotties\u003c/a>, about what they admire about the rap star — and, evidently, what they do \u003cem>not\u003c/em> admire about the candidates in the 2024 Presidential Election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960247\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960247\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_31.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abby Nation (left) and her fiancé Emma Gray pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center on Sunday, June 23, 2024, during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour. Gray said Palestine is among the top concerns on her mind during this election. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emma Gray, who lives near Stockton, came to see Megan Thee Stallion with her fiancé, Abby Nation. “It’s very disappointing that I don’t feel there is a candidate that I can trust to end genocide,” Gray said. “I would vote for a third party, [even if] I know it’s probably not going to result in that person being elected,” she explained. “But I’m also not going to put my vote to someone who is causing so much harm.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960238\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960238\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_22.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Left: Adrienne Williams, Erica Williams, Lauryn Major and Jasmine Cannon pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For me, the most important thing is to free Palestine,” echoed Lauryn Major, who showed up to the concert with three of her friends. “That’s the only thing that I’m voting on this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adding to Major’s comment, her friend Jasmine Cannon listed some of her priorities: “Ceasefire, reproductive rights, voting access, education, funding libraries, decriminalizing weed and other nonviolent crimes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960244\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960244\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_28.jpg 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christian, who declined to give her last name, poses for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Christian considers President Biden her only option of the two leading candidates, but is conflicted due to his support of Israel. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Christian, who declined to give her last name, flew in for the show from Arkansas. She said she “doesn’t really like either of [the candidates], but Biden is better.” Still, she’s upset by Biden’s continued support of Israel and “sending money to help kill other people […] when we should be helping our citizens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1746px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1746\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13960450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych.jpg 1746w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-800x586.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-1020x748.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-768x563.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStalliondiptych-1536x1126.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1746px) 100vw, 1746px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kierunya Davis, who brought a bouquet of flowers, poses in her custom Megan The Stallion-inspired outfit outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kierunya Davis flew in from Compton bearing gifts for Megan Thee Stallion, who later accepted them on stage. “White men do not speak for the majority,” Davis said. “We deserve better as brown and black people — for somebody to actually make promises and follow through.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960236\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960236\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_20.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Cruz (left) and Katarina Ruiz pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Cruz has reproductive and immigration rights front of mind this election year. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Self-identified Hottie Alex Cruz said she’s anxious about the election, “especially with Roe v. Wade recently being overturned.” She said it’s “disappointing that Biden hasn’t been able to do more” regarding reproductive rights and immigration reform, but clarified that she is “probably just going to end up voting for him anyway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960231\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_15.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mia Williams poses for a portrait in her Starfire superhero costume outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Williams isn’t happy with the choice of presidential candidates in the upcoming election. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mia Williams, from Seattle, also traveled hundreds of miles to see Megan Thee Stallion. “She stands up for body positivity and she helped push female rap to where it is,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about the election, Williams was less hopeful. “I feel like regardless, it’s a bad choice,” she said. “I don’t know how [Joe Biden] could do another four years,” she said, “and [Donald Trump] is just a bigot.” She continued, “Also, he’s a felon now, so I don’t think a felon should be a president.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960243\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_27.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mourice Grey (left) and Karl Daniels pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mourice Grey and Karl Daniels both live in San Leandro, and cited rent control, women’s rights and queer rights as their top concerns this year. “[Trump] broke the law, so he should not get the opportunity,” Daniels noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960242\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960242\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_26.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Left: Iyobosa Igbinake, Ayah Benjamin, Aminah Benjamin, Ifela Hayes pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Benjamin has yet to decide if she’ll be voting this year, and said being a young person today is exhausting. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Decked out in Sailor Mars cosplay, Ayah Benjamin said she “hasn’t made a decision yet” on whether she will vote this year. “Capitalism and being a young person in society is genuinely exhausting,” she expressed with frustration. “Civil rights, humanitarian issues and obviously the genocides globally” are her primary concerns in this election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960240\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960240\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_24.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Destiny Phan (left) and Jeneveive Kongkham pose for a portrait outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Megan Thee Stallion show at the Chase Center was Destiny Phan’s first concert. This year’s election will mark another first, as she’s finally old enough to vote. Phan said it’s been “hard to keep up” with politics this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13960246\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13960246\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/240624_MeganTheeStallionPF_EG_30.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tourean Barnes (right) poses for a portrait with his nephew Javonte Barnes outside the Chase Center during Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Tourean Barnes is unsure if he’ll vote in the next election and said he sees the two leading candidates as entertainers rather than presidents. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tourean Barnes was there to attend the concert with his nephew Javonte Barnes. “My main issue would be the stability of our democracy,” said Tourean, adding that the two front-running candidates are “more like entertainers than presidents.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"onourwatch": {
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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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"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.",
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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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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
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