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"bio": "Alan Chazaro is the author of \u003cem>This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album\u003c/em> (Black Lawrence Press, 2019), \u003cem>Piñata Theory\u003c/em> (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), and \u003cem>Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge\u003c/em> (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. He writes about sports, food, art, music, education, and culture while repping the Bay on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/alan_chazaro\">Twitter\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alan_chazaro/?hl=en\">Instagram\u003c/a> at @alan_chazaro.",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>So it’s 1999, right, and I’m a teenager at a sweaty house party on High Street in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">East Oakland\u003c/a>. There in the living room of the small apartment, kids in Carolina blue velour sweatsuits and grey Gap hoodies are dancing to CDs playing on a home stereo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b8kTV4VtKA\">Couldn’t Be a Better Player\u003c/a>” comes on, the room \u003cem>erupts\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/128417476/lil-jon\">Lil Jon\u003c/a> track, featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>, has strings that marinate with a menacing bass line, creating a beat that says “I’m cool but don’t test me” – the same edgy-player mentality is reflected in the lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> in its natural state, before it became the movement we know today. It might’ve been the first time I went dumb at a party.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It was definitely my first glimpse of what Lil Jon’s music can do to a function.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling Black man wearing sunglasses, a grey hoodie and blue jeans sits on a couch next to a black wall.\" class=\"wp-image-13932756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon backstage before a DJ set at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco, 2016. (Kelly Sullivan/ Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He bottled that influence in a sound that resonated well beyond Atlanta, and especially with teenagers in East Oakland. It even reached Oakland-born former Vice President Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1325\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg 1325w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-160x242.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1325px) 100vw, 1325px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon‘s ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’ (Simon and Schuster)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lil Jon’s resume is deep. He’s produced songs for the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Ciara and T-Pain. He’s made multi-platinum selling music with the likes of Los Angeles pop group LMFAO and Miami mega-star Pitbull. In 1996, he worked on the Ghost Town DJ’s classic contribution to the culture, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRiwnmYjMg\">My Boo\u003c/a>.” Thirty years later, he produced \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2Knrk6Q04i9itgxtTSguQN\">Something’s in the Water\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the recent album by Vallejo rapper LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what stands out, especially to the now-grown-up kid from that East Oakland house party, is Lil Jon’s intersection with the Bay Area titans E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2113\" height=\"2113\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13925972\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg 2113w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2113px) 100vw, 2113px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil’ Jon and E-40, pictured onstage together in 2006. From his home base in Atlanta, Lil Jon produced the hyphy era’s two biggest nationwide hits: E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” and Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” — just one of many close ties between Southern and Bay Area hip-hop. (John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Blow the Whistle” got a second life 10 years after its release when it was interpolated in 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6zD3L7H00&list=RD3W6zD3L7H00&start_radio=1\">For Free\u003c/a>” by DJ Khaled and Drake. It was revived again in 2020 when Saweetie sampled it for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qRc72BAjg\">Tap In\u003c/a>.” During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, the song became \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKY8MD7-ZHM\">their anthem\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Beyond its stories about the Bay Area, Lil Jon’s book is a turn of the millennium \u003cem>Forrest Gump\u003c/em>-esque tale of being just about everywhere and working with everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How does that happen?” Lil Jon writes in his book, bewilderedly reflecting on the their individual paths leading to a game show set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lil Jon’s memoir ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ is out Oct. 20, 2026. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/128417476/lil-jon\">Lil Jon\u003c/a> track, featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>, has strings that marinate with a menacing bass line, creating a beat that says “I’m cool but don’t test me” – the same edgy-player mentality is reflected in the lyrics.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> in its natural state, before it became the movement we know today. It might’ve been the first time I went dumb at a party.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It was definitely my first glimpse of what Lil Jon’s music can do to a function.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling Black man wearing sunglasses, a grey hoodie and blue jeans sits on a couch next to a black wall.\" class=\"wp-image-13932756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon backstage before a DJ set at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco, 2016.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kelly Sullivan/ Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling Black man wearing sunglasses, a grey hoodie and blue jeans sits on a couch next to a black wall.\" class=\"wp-image-13932756\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon backstage before a DJ set at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco, 2016.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kelly Sullivan/ Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He bottled that influence in a sound that resonated well beyond Atlanta, and especially with teenagers in East Oakland. It even reached Oakland-born former Vice President Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg 1325w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-160x242.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon‘s ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Simon and Schuster)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lil Jon’s resume is deep. He’s produced songs for the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Ciara and T-Pain. He’s made multi-platinum selling music with the likes of Los Angeles pop group LMFAO and Miami mega-star Pitbull. In 1996, he worked on the Ghost Town DJ’s classic contribution to the culture, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRiwnmYjMg\">My Boo\u003c/a>.” Thirty years later, he produced \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2Knrk6Q04i9itgxtTSguQN\">Something’s in the Water\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the recent album by Vallejo rapper LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But what stands out, especially to the now-grown-up kid from that East Oakland house party, is Lil Jon’s intersection with the Bay Area titans E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Blow the Whistle” got a second life 10 years after its release when it was interpolated in 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6zD3L7H00&list=RD3W6zD3L7H00&start_radio=1\">For Free\u003c/a>” by DJ Khaled and Drake. It was revived again in 2020 when Saweetie sampled it for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qRc72BAjg\">Tap In\u003c/a>.” During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, the song became \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKY8MD7-ZHM\">their anthem\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Beyond its stories about the Bay Area, Lil Jon’s book is a turn of the millennium \u003cem>Forrest Gump\u003c/em>-esque tale of being just about everywhere and working with everyone.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“How does that happen?” Lil Jon writes in his book, bewilderedly reflecting on the their individual paths leading to a game show set.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lil Jon’s memoir ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ is out Oct. 20, 2026. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Atlanta rapper, producer and collaborator with Too Short and E-40 has a new memoir, ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’",
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"title": "In New Memoir, Lil Jon Salutes The Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>So it’s 1999, right, and I’m a teenager at a sweaty house party on High Street in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">East Oakland\u003c/a>. There in the living room of the small apartment, kids in Carolina blue velour sweatsuits and grey Gap hoodies are dancing to CDs playing on a home stereo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b8kTV4VtKA\">Couldn’t Be a Better Player\u003c/a>” comes on, the room \u003cem>erupts\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/128417476/lil-jon\">Lil Jon\u003c/a> track, featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>, has strings that marinate with a menacing bass line, creating a beat that says “I’m cool but don’t test me” – the same edgy-player mentality is reflected in the lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> in its natural state, before it became the movement we know today. It might’ve been the first time I went dumb at a party.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It was definitely my first glimpse of what Lil Jon’s music can do to a function.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling Black man wearing sunglasses, a grey hoodie and blue jeans sits on a couch next to a black wall.\" class=\"wp-image-13932756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon backstage before a DJ set at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco, 2016. (Kelly Sullivan/ Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He bottled that influence in a sound that resonated well beyond Atlanta, and especially with teenagers in East Oakland. It even reached Oakland-born former Vice President Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1325\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg 1325w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-160x242.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1325px) 100vw, 1325px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon‘s ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’ (Simon and Schuster)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lil Jon’s resume is deep. He’s produced songs for the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Ciara and T-Pain. He’s made multi-platinum selling music with the likes of Los Angeles pop group LMFAO and Miami mega-star Pitbull. In 1996, he worked on the Ghost Town DJ’s classic contribution to the culture, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRiwnmYjMg\">My Boo\u003c/a>.” Thirty years later, he produced \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2Knrk6Q04i9itgxtTSguQN\">Something’s in the Water\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the recent album by Vallejo rapper LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what stands out, especially to the now-grown-up kid from that East Oakland house party, is Lil Jon’s intersection with the Bay Area titans E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2113\" height=\"2113\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13925972\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg 2113w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2113px) 100vw, 2113px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil’ Jon and E-40, pictured onstage together in 2006. From his home base in Atlanta, Lil Jon produced the hyphy era’s two biggest nationwide hits: E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” and Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” — just one of many close ties between Southern and Bay Area hip-hop. (John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Blow the Whistle” got a second life 10 years after its release when it was interpolated in 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6zD3L7H00&list=RD3W6zD3L7H00&start_radio=1\">For Free\u003c/a>” by DJ Khaled and Drake. It was revived again in 2020 when Saweetie sampled it for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qRc72BAjg\">Tap In\u003c/a>.” During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, the song became \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKY8MD7-ZHM\">their anthem\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/rz6MrrVqUZE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/rz6MrrVqUZE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Beyond its stories about the Bay Area, Lil Jon’s book is a turn of the millennium \u003cem>Forrest Gump\u003c/em>-esque tale of being just about everywhere and working with everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How does that happen?” Lil Jon writes in his book, bewilderedly reflecting on the their individual paths leading to a game show set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lil Jon’s memoir ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ is out Oct. 20, 2026. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mac-dre-will-get-a-vallejo-street-named-in-his-honor",
"title": "Mac Dre Will Get a Vallejo Street Named in His Honor",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>In Bay Area hip-hop, few artists loom as large as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mac-dre\">Mac Dre\u003c/a>, the late Vallejo rapper who helped inspire the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> movement and create the region’s signature sound.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, Mac Dre will soon have a street named after him. On Sept. 8, the Vallejo City Council voted unanimously to rename Taper Avenue in Vallejo’s Crestside neighborhood Mac Dre Way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s about damn time,” said Vallejo Vice Mayor Diosdado “J.R.” Matulac at the unusually lively city council meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ray Luv, a hip-hop artist and the chief of operations at Mac Dre’s estate, described the honorary street renaming as a major milestone for Vallejo hip-hop and Black culture more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mac Dre is one of the founders. When Mac Dre came onto the scene in the late ’80s, it was maybe less than a dozen record labels in the Bay Area that focused on rap,” Ray Luv told KQED in a phone call. “He helped to pave the way for kids from the 707, from the Bay area. And he was able to make his mark internationally, as far away as Amsterdam. They celebrate Mac Dre Day all over the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mac Dre, born Andre Hicks in 1970, was a major influence on prominent Bay Area rappers during the ’90s and 2000s, including Mistah F.A.B. and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924167/mac-mall-illegal-business-my-opinion-excerpt\">Mac Mall\u003c/a>. He also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967351/mac-dre-20-years-death-furly-ghost-bay-area\">inspired the Bay Area’s next generation\u003c/a> of hitmakers, including P-Lo and Karri. Earlier this year, the two produced Drake’s “2 Hard 4 the Radio,” which heavily samples Mac Dre’s 1989 song “2 Hard 4 the Fuckin’ Radio,” which launched his career as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two decades after his untimely death in a 2004 Kansas City shooting, Mac Dre’s hits, including “Feelin’ Myself” and “Thizzelle Dance,” remain in heavy rotation at Bay Area nightclubs and sports stadiums. For many fans, who’ve made countless tributes through artwork, tattoos and murals, Mac Dre represents freedom, self-expression and being unafraid to “dance a little different,” as he famously rapped on “Get Stupid.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mac Dre is a person that — people would come to his concerts, watch his videos and listen to his music, and they felt welcome,” Ray Luv said. “They felt invited. They did not feel ‘other’ when they were around him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" 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\" class=\"wp-image-13924556\" 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=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Mac Dre mural on Foothill Boulevard in Oakland by artist Chez. (Laurence Madrigal/We Were Hyphy)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a petition for the commemorative street renaming filed by Miami the Most, an artist signed to Mac Dre’s Thizz Entertainment record label, the intersection of Taper Avenue and Amelia Street was the location of Mac Dre’s childhood home, and he made his earliest music there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The renaming makes Mac Dre the latest in a line of Bay Area hip-hop icons who’ve had streets renamed in their honor, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936776/e-40-gets-the-key-to-the-city-of-vallejo-and-a-street-named-in-his-honor\">E-40\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too $hort\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937563/tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming\">Tupac\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Tuesday night Vallejo City Council meeting drew dozens of supporters who spoke in favor of the renaming during the 42 minutes of public comment. Those included Tom Pangelinan, a local coach; Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, whose district includes North Vallejo; and artists, rappers and managers who either worked with or were inspired by Mac Dre. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People ask me, ‘What is it that’s so great about Vallejo?’ This! It’s that intangible, it’s that community, it’s everybody showing up,” Mayor Andrea Sorce remarked, before taking a selfie with the large crowd. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mac Mall was among the community supporters. “Andre Hicks was a selfless person,” he said. “He helped start my career, and helped countless young people get their start in the music business, and be able to change their lives and provide for their family and friends.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview, Mac Mall said he hopes Mac Dre Way will set an example for the youth of the Crest, the neighborhood where he and Mac Dre both grew up. “I believe that it’s gonna inspire the next generation to dream big and to do like Mac Dre, man,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A date for the street renaming ceremony has not yet been set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Gabe Meline contributed reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Mac Dre is one of the founders. When Mac Dre came onto the scene in the late ’80s, it was maybe less than a dozen record labels in the Bay Area that focused on rap,” Ray Luv told KQED in a phone call. “He helped to pave the way for kids from the 707, from the Bay area. And he was able to make his mark internationally, as far away as Amsterdam. They celebrate Mac Dre Day all over the world.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mac Dre, born Andre Hicks in 1970, was a major influence on prominent Bay Area rappers during the ’90s and 2000s, including Mistah F.A.B. and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924167/mac-mall-illegal-business-my-opinion-excerpt\">Mac Mall\u003c/a>. He also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967351/mac-dre-20-years-death-furly-ghost-bay-area\">inspired the Bay Area’s next generation\u003c/a> of hitmakers, including P-Lo and Karri. Earlier this year, the two produced Drake’s “2 Hard 4 the Radio,” which heavily samples Mac Dre’s 1989 song “2 Hard 4 the Fuckin’ Radio,” which launched his career as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mac Dre, born Andre Hicks in 1970, was a major influence on prominent Bay Area rappers during the ’90s and 2000s, including Mistah F.A.B. and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924167/mac-mall-illegal-business-my-opinion-excerpt\">Mac Mall\u003c/a>. He also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967351/mac-dre-20-years-death-furly-ghost-bay-area\">inspired the Bay Area’s next generation\u003c/a> of hitmakers, including P-Lo and Karri. Earlier this year, the two produced Drake’s “2 Hard 4 the Radio,” which heavily samples Mac Dre’s 1989 song “2 Hard 4 the Fuckin’ Radio,” which launched his career as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two decades after his untimely death in a 2004 Kansas City shooting, Mac Dre’s hits, including “Feelin’ Myself” and “Thizzelle Dance,” remain in heavy rotation at Bay Area nightclubs and sports stadiums. For many fans, who’ve made countless tributes through artwork, tattoos and murals, Mac Dre represents freedom, self-expression and being unafraid to “dance a little different,” as he famously rapped on “Get Stupid.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two decades after his untimely death in a 2004 Kansas City shooting, Mac Dre’s hits, including “Feelin’ Myself” and “Thizzelle Dance,” remain in heavy rotation at Bay Area nightclubs and sports stadiums. For many fans, who’ve made countless tributes through artwork, tattoos and murals, Mac Dre represents freedom, self-expression and being unafraid to “dance a little different,” as he famously rapped on “Get Stupid.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg 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\" class=\"wp-image-13924556\" 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=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Mac Dre mural on Foothill Boulevard in Oakland by artist Chez.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Laurence Madrigal/We Were Hyphy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to a petition for the commemorative street renaming filed by Miami the Most, an artist signed to Mac Dre’s Thizz Entertainment record label, the intersection of Taper Avenue and Amelia Street was the location of Mac Dre’s childhood home, and he made his earliest music there. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to a petition for the commemorative street renaming filed by Miami the Most, an artist signed to Mac Dre’s Thizz Entertainment record label, the intersection of Taper Avenue and Amelia Street was the location of Mac Dre’s childhood home, and he made his earliest music there. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The renaming makes Mac Dre the latest in a line of Bay Area hip-hop icons who’ve had streets renamed in their honor, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936776/e-40-gets-the-key-to-the-city-of-vallejo-and-a-street-named-in-his-honor\">E-40\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too $hort\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937563/tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming\">Tupac\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The renaming makes Mac Dre the latest in a line of Bay Area hip-hop icons who’ve had streets renamed in their honor, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936776/e-40-gets-the-key-to-the-city-of-vallejo-and-a-street-named-in-his-honor\">E-40\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too $hort\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937563/tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming\">Tupac\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Tuesday night Vallejo City Council meeting drew dozens of supporters who spoke in favor of the renaming during the 42 minutes of public comment. Those included Tom Pangelinan, a local coach; Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, whose district includes North Vallejo; and artists, rappers and managers who either worked with or were inspired by Mac Dre. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Tuesday night Vallejo City Council meeting drew dozens of supporters who spoke in favor of the renaming during the 42 minutes of public comment. Those included Tom Pangelinan, a local coach; Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, whose district includes North Vallejo; and artists, rappers and managers who either worked with or were inspired by Mac Dre. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People ask me, ‘What is it that’s so great about Vallejo?’ This! It’s that intangible, it’s that community, it’s everybody showing up,” Mayor Andrea Sorce remarked, before taking a selfie with the large crowd. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“People ask me, ‘What is it that’s so great about Vallejo?’ This! It’s that intangible, it’s that community, it’s everybody showing up,” Mayor Andrea Sorce remarked, before taking a selfie with the large crowd. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mac Mall was among the community supporters. “Andre Hicks was a selfless person,” he said. “He helped start my career, and helped countless young people get their start in the music business, and be able to change their lives and provide for their family and friends.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mac Mall was among the community supporters. “Andre Hicks was a selfless person,” he said. “He helped start my career, and helped countless young people get their start in the music business, and be able to change their lives and provide for their family and friends.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview, Mac Mall said he hopes Mac Dre Way will set an example for the youth of the Crest, the neighborhood where he and Mac Dre both grew up. “I believe that it’s gonna inspire the next generation to dream big and to do like Mac Dre, man,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview, Mac Mall said he hopes Mac Dre Way will set an example for the youth of the Crest, the neighborhood where he and Mac Dre both grew up. “I believe that it’s gonna inspire the next generation to dream big and to do like Mac Dre, man,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A date for the street renaming ceremony has not yet been set.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Gabe Meline contributed reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Taper Avenue will be renamed after one of the Bay Area's biggest rap icons.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In Bay Area hip-hop, few artists loom as large as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mac-dre\">Mac Dre\u003c/a>, the late Vallejo rapper who helped inspire the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> movement and create the region’s signature sound.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, Mac Dre will soon have a street named after him. On Sept. 8, the Vallejo City Council voted unanimously to rename Taper Avenue in Vallejo’s Crestside neighborhood Mac Dre Way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s about damn time,” said Vallejo Vice Mayor Diosdado “J.R.” Matulac at the unusually lively city council meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ray Luv, a hip-hop artist and the chief of operations at Mac Dre’s estate, described the honorary street renaming as a major milestone for Vallejo hip-hop and Black culture more broadly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mac Dre is one of the founders. When Mac Dre came onto the scene in the late ’80s, it was maybe less than a dozen record labels in the Bay Area that focused on rap,” Ray Luv told KQED in a phone call. “He helped to pave the way for kids from the 707, from the Bay area. And he was able to make his mark internationally, as far away as Amsterdam. They celebrate Mac Dre Day all over the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mac Dre, born Andre Hicks in 1970, was a major influence on prominent Bay Area rappers during the ’90s and 2000s, including Mistah F.A.B. and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924167/mac-mall-illegal-business-my-opinion-excerpt\">Mac Mall\u003c/a>. He also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967351/mac-dre-20-years-death-furly-ghost-bay-area\">inspired the Bay Area’s next generation\u003c/a> of hitmakers, including P-Lo and Karri. Earlier this year, the two produced Drake’s “2 Hard 4 the Radio,” which heavily samples Mac Dre’s 1989 song “2 Hard 4 the Fuckin’ Radio,” which launched his career as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two decades after his untimely death in a 2004 Kansas City shooting, Mac Dre’s hits, including “Feelin’ Myself” and “Thizzelle Dance,” remain in heavy rotation at Bay Area nightclubs and sports stadiums. For many fans, who’ve made countless tributes through artwork, tattoos and murals, Mac Dre represents freedom, self-expression and being unafraid to “dance a little different,” as he famously rapped on “Get Stupid.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mac Dre is a person that — people would come to his concerts, watch his videos and listen to his music, and they felt welcome,” Ray Luv said. “They felt invited. They did not feel ‘other’ when they were around him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" 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\" class=\"wp-image-13924556\" 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=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Mac Dre mural on Foothill Boulevard in Oakland by artist Chez. (Laurence Madrigal/We Were Hyphy)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a petition for the commemorative street renaming filed by Miami the Most, an artist signed to Mac Dre’s Thizz Entertainment record label, the intersection of Taper Avenue and Amelia Street was the location of Mac Dre’s childhood home, and he made his earliest music there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The renaming makes Mac Dre the latest in a line of Bay Area hip-hop icons who’ve had streets renamed in their honor, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936776/e-40-gets-the-key-to-the-city-of-vallejo-and-a-street-named-in-his-honor\">E-40\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922616/too-short-way-street-sign-unveiled-oakland\">Too $hort\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937563/tupac-shakur-way-oakland-street-renaming\">Tupac\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Tuesday night Vallejo City Council meeting drew dozens of supporters who spoke in favor of the renaming during the 42 minutes of public comment. Those included Tom Pangelinan, a local coach; Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, whose district includes North Vallejo; and artists, rappers and managers who either worked with or were inspired by Mac Dre. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People ask me, ‘What is it that’s so great about Vallejo?’ This! It’s that intangible, it’s that community, it’s everybody showing up,” Mayor Andrea Sorce remarked, before taking a selfie with the large crowd. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mac Mall was among the community supporters. “Andre Hicks was a selfless person,” he said. “He helped start my career, and helped countless young people get their start in the music business, and be able to change their lives and provide for their family and friends.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview, Mac Mall said he hopes Mac Dre Way will set an example for the youth of the Crest, the neighborhood where he and Mac Dre both grew up. “I believe that it’s gonna inspire the next generation to dream big and to do like Mac Dre, man,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A date for the street renaming ceremony has not yet been set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Gabe Meline contributed reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-hyphy-sna-jose-oakland",
"title": "20 Years Later, Traxamillion’s ‘Slapp Addict’ Remains the Royal Hyphy Standard",
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"headTitle": "20 Years Later, Traxamillion’s ‘Slapp Addict’ Remains the Royal Hyphy Standard | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Traxamillion’s album \u003cem>The Slapp Addict\u003c/em> is a Renaissance painting; a still life, depicting a moment in time of oversized white T’s and Gucci Air Forces, dancing a \u003cem>little different\u003c/em> to a sound unlike anything hip-hop had heard before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a proper portrayal of the hyphy period, it combines the San José-raised producer’s canvas of banging beats with lyrics from rap heavyweights in the region. The result is a record that represents hyphy-era royalty — but the only Regals referenced are Buicks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the midst of it all, Traxamillion delivered one of the most significant and underrated albums of the entire subgenre that had folks going dumb.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in oversized T-shirt and jeans, with dreadlocks and a backwards cap, amid text and a UPC code\" class=\"wp-image-13992864\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-160x162.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-768x777.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-1519x1536.jpg 1519w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘The Slapp Addict’ album cover was styled like a magazine, and numbered ‘Issue 408’ after San José’s area code. (Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s audible time capsule, preserving a slice of culture while serving as a history lesson that you can still gig to, 20 years later. On Saturday, Aug. 22 at Passport Bar & Lounge in Oakland, an event \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">honors the album’s 20th anniversary.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has so many hits on it,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqsT_rplbR/\">Alex Jimenez\u003c/a>, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhVWeDwSkzc\">woo early in the morning\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: \u003cem>Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “From The Hood” (feat. Husalah, The Jacka and San Quinn) is an ode to the real ones. Over a slower, menacing beat, the rappers bring audiences into the underbelly of the Yay Area. The gritty black-and-white music video is a perfect compliment to the song.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kk_2q7rvkQ\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962689/zumbi-zion-i-stephen-gaines-lawsuit-vigil-update\">Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines\u003c/a>, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-160x149.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-768x715.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-1536x1429.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’ (Awnica ‘Flix’ Browne / Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-600x600.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. (Courtesy of Traxamillion's estate)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962689/zumbi-zion-i-stephen-gaines-lawsuit-vigil-update\">Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines\u003c/a>, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-160x149.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-768x715.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-1536x1429.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-600x600.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Traxamillion’s album \u003cem>The Slapp Addict\u003c/em> is a Renaissance painting; a still life, depicting a moment in time of oversized white T’s and Gucci Air Forces, dancing a \u003cem>little different\u003c/em> to a sound unlike anything hip-hop had heard before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a proper portrayal of the hyphy period, it combines the San José-raised producer’s canvas of banging beats with lyrics from rap heavyweights in the region. The result is a record that represents hyphy-era royalty — but the only Regals referenced are Buicks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Released in August 2006, the album joined an onslaught from Bay Area hip-hop artists that same year. Vallejo’s E-40 dropped \u003cem>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/em> and Oakland’s Too Short released \u003cem>Blow The Whistle\u003c/em>. The Pack came out of Berkeley with the song “Vans,” while San Francisco’s Messy Marv had a run of seven back-to-back albums.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the midst of it all, Traxamillion delivered one of the most significant and underrated albums of the entire subgenre that had folks going dumb.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2023\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in oversized T-shirt and jeans, with dreadlocks and a backwards cap, amid text and a UPC code\" class=\"wp-image-13992864\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-160x162.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-768x777.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Cover_-1519x1536.jpg 1519w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘The Slapp Addict’ album cover was styled like a magazine, and numbered ‘Issue 408’ after San José’s area code. (Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s audible time capsule, preserving a slice of culture while serving as a history lesson that you can still gig to, 20 years later. On Saturday, Aug. 22 at Passport Bar & Lounge in Oakland, an event \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">honors the album’s 20th anniversary.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has so many hits on it,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqsT_rplbR/\">Alex Jimenez\u003c/a>, event co-organizer and Traxamillion’s former assistant, adding that the album is “arguably one of the top records for that era.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Near the top of the project is “Wakin Em Up” (feat. Dem Hoodstarz and Turf Talk), made to be played at a high volume, preferably by an old-school car with a huge sound system. (It pairs well with whistle tips, the kind that go \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhVWeDwSkzc\">woo early in the morning\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “Grown Man (Remix)” (feat. Clyde Carson, Dem Hoodstarz, Mistah F.A.B., San Quinn and Turf Talk) is a function anthem. It’s also a bit of a protest song, pushing back against the dress codes at hip-hop clubs in the early 2000s. The high-energy track essentially says: \u003cem>Even with these Stacy Adams shoes on, I’m still finna go dumb\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The track “From The Hood” (feat. Husalah, The Jacka and San Quinn) is an ode to the real ones. Over a slower, menacing beat, the rappers bring audiences into the underbelly of the Yay Area. The gritty black-and-white music video is a perfect compliment to the song.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/-kk_2q7rvkQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/-kk_2q7rvkQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project captures certain people at early stages of their careers. “We Like the Slapps” features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978372/saaed-crumpler-oakland-bravemaker-film-festival\">Saeed Crumpler\u003c/a>, rapping under the name Balance; Crumpler is now a full-time television writer and filmmaker. “Club Stuntin” features Lil B when he was with The Pack, and before he became the Based God. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some people on the album are no longer with us, like The Jacka, who guests on “From the Hood.” There’s also “Top Down” with Zion I; the duo’s lead lyricist, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962689/zumbi-zion-i-stephen-gaines-lawsuit-vigil-update\">Stephen “Zumbi” Gaines\u003c/a>, was killed five years ago during an altercation with a security guard at a hospital in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The interludes further illustrate the era. In one skit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rita-forte\">Rita Forte\u003c/a> (then known as DJ Backside) calls Traxamillion looking to help deliver his songs to DJs around the nation. In another, someone calls Traxamillion impersonating then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated after trying to get in contact with the producer via Myspace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1861\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man in an oversized red T-shirt, backwards white striped baseball cap, studded belt and large jeans, in front of a hamburger stand\" class=\"wp-image-13992865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-160x149.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-768x715.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Traxamillion.SlappAddict.Booklet-1536x1429.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traxamillion, pictured in 2006 style, from the CD booklet for ‘The Slapp Addict.’ (Awnica ‘Flix’ Browne / Slapp Addict Productions)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The album also contains aspects of the time that didn’t age well, namely using the term “retarded” to describe dancing; “Yellow Bus” by Mistah F.A.B. is a reminder of that. Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://rap.fandom.com/wiki/Mistah_F.A.B.\">Mistah F.A.B.\u003c/a>’s “Sideshow” (which also features \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mistah-fab\">T\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">oo Short\u003c/a>) has provided a soundtrack to car culture in this region for two decades, featured in street parties, bootleg DVDs and Instagram stories.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the bass-heavy track “On Citas” (feat. Keak da Sneak), which made kids turf dance at the bus stop back in the day, is now being paired with a popular dance routine \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/On-Citas-6757185322213214210\">on TikTok\u003c/a> by the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jimenez, who has a nine-year-old and 13-year old, reports that “When [the song] started trending last year, they came up to me like, ‘You know Traxamillion is trending?’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And that’s the larger goal, Jimenez tells me — to “reintroduce” Traxamillion’s work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of an African American man in a backwards hat and plaid shirt.\" class=\"wp-image-13992722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Resized_IMG_44541-600x600.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sultan ‘Traxamillion’ Banks was a producer known for his heavy drums and uptempo sound. He died in January of 2022 from nasopharyngeal cancer. (Courtesy of Traxamillion's estate)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With appearances from Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, Jimenez says the 20th anniversary event will feel like a “hyphy reunion.” Co-hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pricelessdaroc/\">Priceless Da ROC\u003c/a>, with a headlining DJ set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmindmotion1/\">DJ Mind Motion\u003c/a>, the event will also benefit Traxamillion’s estate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Traxamillion never stopped reaching new heights. He produced City Girls’ 2020 song “Broke N—-s” (feat. Yo Gotti) and E-40’s 2021 track “I Stand On That” (feat. Joyner Lucas and T.I.). Today, 20 years after his debut album and nearly five years after his passing, he’s still moving the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The people that are coming together,” Jimenez says of the upcoming event, “probably haven’t been together in the same room in a while. That’s going to be pretty cool to see.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Traxamillion ‘Slapp Addict’ 20th Anniversary Day Party takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at Passport Bar & Lounge (1915 Broadway, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traxamillion-slapp-addict-20-year-anniversary-day-party-tickets-1996318754133?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaetrh9j8FTEryTdLFwPpmR9aZuZmuilCte0_jBfAWql3FLQqyk3Qgfp2XbTGw_aem_yR3U2jfjWmr9fR76s_j6wA\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-mekanix-oakland-rap-hip-hop-production-bay-area",
"title": "After 20 Years of Blaps, The Mekanix Thrive on Willpower and Alignment",
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"content": "\u003cp>The computer screen displays photos of rap luminaries. On a nearby wall hang news articles, vinyl records and memorabilia from the likes of Shock G and Tupac Shakur.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mentored by the best\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5vM4VSB3A\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"680\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Linking with J. Stalin in the 2000s\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/rZQmO20BSaw?si=ixsbvRdZ8-RCzy1V\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Everything got blurry’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"638\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg\" alt=\"Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. Shock G died Thursday at age 57.\" class=\"wp-image-13896258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep showing up \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m gonna go ahead and say it,” declares 4rAx, tipping his hand and showing the production duo’s cards. “One of our next projects is called \u003cem>Alignment\u003c/em>,” he says, noting how much of his life has been kismet. “I can’t make this shit up.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5vM4VSB3A\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5vM4VSB3A\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"text": "Linking with J. Stalin in the 2000s",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/rZQmO20BSaw?si=ixsbvRdZ8-RCzy1V\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "‘Everything got blurry’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg\" alt=\"Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. Shock G died Thursday at age 57.\" class=\"wp-image-13896258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg\" alt=\"Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. Shock G died Thursday at age 57.\" class=\"wp-image-13896258\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Keep showing up",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m gonna go ahead and say it,” declares 4rAx, tipping his hand and showing the production duo’s cards. “One of our next projects is called \u003cem>Alignment\u003c/em>,” he says, noting how much of his life has been kismet. “I can’t make this shit up.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "For 20 years, the Oakland production duo has helped define the sound of Bay Area rap — and they're not done yet.",
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"title": "The Mekanix and 20 Years of Bay Area Blaps | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The computer screen displays photos of rap luminaries. On a nearby wall hang news articles, vinyl records and memorabilia from the likes of Shock G and Tupac Shakur.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mentored by the best\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/YU5vM4VSB3A'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YU5vM4VSB3A'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"680\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Linking with J. Stalin in the 2000s\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/rZQmO20BSaw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/rZQmO20BSaw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Everything got blurry’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"638\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg\" alt=\"Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. Shock G died Thursday at age 57.\" class=\"wp-image-13896258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep showing up \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m gonna go ahead and say it,” declares 4rAx, tipping his hand and showing the production duo’s cards. “One of our next projects is called \u003cem>Alignment\u003c/em>,” he says, noting how much of his life has been kismet. “I can’t make this shit up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary",
"title": "‘Blow the Whistle’ is 20 Years Old — and Keeps Going On and On",
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"headTitle": "‘Blow the Whistle’ is 20 Years Old — and Keeps Going On and On | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>On March 3, 2006, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a> dropped “Blow The Whistle,” an addictive comeback single from the Oakland legend that to this day is played at nearly every block party and club night in the Bay Area. Despite never cracking the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it’s had enough staying power to become a nationwide classic.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Here, in an excerpt from her upcoming book \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://sf-music-week.squarespace.com/calendar/music-book-club-studio-aurora-and-fault-radio-present-tamara-palmers-bay-area-rap-mixtape-book-release-party-and-movie-night\">Bay Area Rap Mixtape\u003c/a>\u003cem>, music writer \u003ca href=\"https://www.thetamarapalmer.com/\">Tamara Palmer\u003c/a> recalls the song’s video shoot in Oakland, and the new world it heralded. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/CBJtzEKetBM?si=NWSzz8Z7cLKoeCKS\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]F[/dropcap]our days after a riotous visit to San Quentin with KMEL and Messy Marv, I was on the phone with Too Short, conducting an interview about the Black Panthers for MTV News. At the end of the call, he invited me to the “Blow the Whistle” video shoot, taking place the next day in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’d like to say that I responded with cool nonchalance. But according to the blog post I wrote when I got home, I said, “REALLY? CAN I?!?!?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, 20 years since its release in March 2006, “Blow The Whistle” is a beloved and iconic Bay Area party and sports anthem. Short’s catalog is deep, but “Blow The Whistle” is the song of his that most people know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Produced by Lil Jon, who once told me about bumping Too Short tracks while driving around in high school, “Blow The Whistle” was recorded in Atlanta and Miami and landed as part of a multi-year crunk hitmaking streak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987149\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208-768x575.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A clapperboard at the video shoot for Too Short’s ‘Blow the Whistle’ at Mingles nightclub in Oakland in 2006. \u003ccite>(Tamara Palmer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first day of the video shoot took place at Mingles Martini & Champagne Lounge, a nightclub near Jack London Square. As I stood in line and stared at the train tracks across the street, two kids behind me recalled witnessing a graphic killing outside the club.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The environment outside Mingles on that early afternoon included a van of youngsters who pulled up, filmed a video to a short but rowdy song — something about “Dead! Beat! Dead! Beat!” — and then peeled off as fast as they came. The Team’s Clyde Carson passed out cans of his new Grapple (grape-apple) flavored Hyphy energy drink. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I finally got inside, I quickly met two women who I felt immediate care from, and for: legendary \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951122/d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer\">Bay Area rap photographer D-Ray\u003c/a> and rapper OOO (Omolara Odofin). The energy in the room was very masculine, to put it mildly, yet they both clocked my awkwardness and took me under their wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987152\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1-768x575.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Too Short (center) at the video shoot for ‘Blow the Whistle’ at Mingles nightclub in Oakland in 2006. \u003ccite>(Tamara Palmer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Director Bernard Gourley was fresh off of directing his childhood friend E-40’s brilliant “Tell Me When to Go” video, which was shot in black and white. The Turf Feinz were there, ready to dance. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spent nine and a half hours inside Mingles, allowed to take photos without a flash. It was one of the most enjoyable observational experiences ever. At one point, I sat directly behind the camera, on the floor, as the main dance scenes were filmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are three secrets from the “Blow The Whistle” music video: Short wore a “Love Is for Suckers” shirt, the nightclub scene was filmed during the afternoon, and the “DJ” didn’t actually have any equipment in front of him — he was air DJing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=arts_13927349 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1536x864.png']So much has changed since that night in 2006. Following an accidental fatal shooting of a pregnant woman outside the club, and two additional incidents of gun violence in 2006, Mingles would permanently close six months later. Sadly, Gourley, the video’s director, died in a car accident in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet “Blow the Whistle” has endured, as well as some of its video’s stars. Last year, Kendrick Lamar incorporated the Turf Feinz into his 2025 Super Bowl performance in New Orleans — a true moment of Bay Area pride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]B[/dropcap]y May of 2006, Short was sensitive to criticism that he’d co-opted hyphy culture, but he insisted that he had a more important goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m trying to be a guiding light to these youngsters,” he told me, during an interview about the crunk and hyphy movements for Atlanta’s weekly paper \u003cem>Creative Loafing\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m like, ‘Man, don’t make the wrong decisions,’” he said. “‘Don’t sign stupid contracts, don’t let nobody else get your money and jack it off.’ I’m thinking like that. Don’t turn the hyphy into a dance that comes and goes. Turn this into a business that supports families and kids and generations. It’s somebody’s kids going to go to college because of crunk music. Somebody’s kids are gonna get a trust fund because of crunk, you know what I’m saying? Let’s do that with the hyphy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987150\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987150\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254-768x575.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A young attendee at Too Short’s ‘Blow the Whistle’ video shoot at Mingles nightclub in Oakland in 2006. \u003ccite>(Tamara Palmer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the next five years — until Messy Marv leaked his number and it changed — I annoyed Short by texting him every time I reviewed a concert where the DJ played “Blow the Whistle” — Janet Jackson, say, or Bell Biv DeVoe. It’s still an out-of-town DJ’s way of checking in with the Bay and paying respect. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2013, I was visiting NYC when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10517260/growing-up-deprived-in-east-oakland\">Youth Uprising\u003c/a>’s Jacky Johnson invited me to Short’s guest appearance on \u003cem>Late Night with Jimmy Fallon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Short had a five-minute rehearsal of the song with The Roots before the show. Tuba Gooding Jr. took care of the bassline, and Black Thought freestyled over the top. Though the rehearsal was brief, Short and The Roots performed with the ease of longtime collaborators. “I never practice before the show,” Short said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re really not that short!” Fallon said to Short, as the show began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song brought the TV audience to its feet, a full seven years after “Blow the Whistle” dropped. And now, 20 years later, its relevance keeps going on and on. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A book release party for Tamara Palmer’s ‘Bay Area Rap Mixtape’ takes place Sunday, March 1 at Studio Aurora (302 Valencia St., San Francisco). Admission is free; \u003ca href=\"https://sf-music-week.squarespace.com/calendar/music-book-club-studio-aurora-and-fault-radio-present-tamara-palmers-bay-area-rap-mixtape-book-release-party-and-movie-night\">more event details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>On March 3, 2006, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a> dropped “Blow The Whistle,” an addictive comeback single from the Oakland legend that to this day is played at nearly every block party and club night in the Bay Area. Despite never cracking the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it’s had enough staying power to become a nationwide classic.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Here, in an excerpt from her upcoming book \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://sf-music-week.squarespace.com/calendar/music-book-club-studio-aurora-and-fault-radio-present-tamara-palmers-bay-area-rap-mixtape-book-release-party-and-movie-night\">Bay Area Rap Mixtape\u003c/a>\u003cem>, music writer \u003ca href=\"https://www.thetamarapalmer.com/\">Tamara Palmer\u003c/a> recalls the song’s video shoot in Oakland, and the new world it heralded. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/CBJtzEKetBM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/CBJtzEKetBM'\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 days after a riotous visit to San Quentin with KMEL and Messy Marv, I was on the phone with Too Short, conducting an interview about the Black Panthers for MTV News. At the end of the call, he invited me to the “Blow the Whistle” video shoot, taking place the next day in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’d like to say that I responded with cool nonchalance. But according to the blog post I wrote when I got home, I said, “REALLY? CAN I?!?!?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, 20 years since its release in March 2006, “Blow The Whistle” is a beloved and iconic Bay Area party and sports anthem. Short’s catalog is deep, but “Blow The Whistle” is the song of his that most people know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Produced by Lil Jon, who once told me about bumping Too Short tracks while driving around in high school, “Blow The Whistle” was recorded in Atlanta and Miami and landed as part of a multi-year crunk hitmaking streak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987149\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_208-768x575.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A clapperboard at the video shoot for Too Short’s ‘Blow the Whistle’ at Mingles nightclub in Oakland in 2006. \u003ccite>(Tamara Palmer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first day of the video shoot took place at Mingles Martini & Champagne Lounge, a nightclub near Jack London Square. As I stood in line and stared at the train tracks across the street, two kids behind me recalled witnessing a graphic killing outside the club.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The environment outside Mingles on that early afternoon included a van of youngsters who pulled up, filmed a video to a short but rowdy song — something about “Dead! Beat! Dead! Beat!” — and then peeled off as fast as they came. The Team’s Clyde Carson passed out cans of his new Grapple (grape-apple) flavored Hyphy energy drink. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I finally got inside, I quickly met two women who I felt immediate care from, and for: legendary \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951122/d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer\">Bay Area rap photographer D-Ray\u003c/a> and rapper OOO (Omolara Odofin). The energy in the room was very masculine, to put it mildly, yet they both clocked my awkwardness and took me under their wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987152\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_192.1-768x575.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Too Short (center) at the video shoot for ‘Blow the Whistle’ at Mingles nightclub in Oakland in 2006. \u003ccite>(Tamara Palmer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Director Bernard Gourley was fresh off of directing his childhood friend E-40’s brilliant “Tell Me When to Go” video, which was shot in black and white. The Turf Feinz were there, ready to dance. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spent nine and a half hours inside Mingles, allowed to take photos without a flash. It was one of the most enjoyable observational experiences ever. At one point, I sat directly behind the camera, on the floor, as the main dance scenes were filmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are three secrets from the “Blow The Whistle” music video: Short wore a “Love Is for Suckers” shirt, the nightclub scene was filmed during the afternoon, and the “DJ” didn’t actually have any equipment in front of him — he was air DJing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>So much has changed since that night in 2006. Following an accidental fatal shooting of a pregnant woman outside the club, and two additional incidents of gun violence in 2006, Mingles would permanently close six months later. Sadly, Gourley, the video’s director, died in a car accident in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet “Blow the Whistle” has endured, as well as some of its video’s stars. Last year, Kendrick Lamar incorporated the Turf Feinz into his 2025 Super Bowl performance in New Orleans — a true moment of Bay Area pride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">B\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>y May of 2006, Short was sensitive to criticism that he’d co-opted hyphy culture, but he insisted that he had a more important goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m trying to be a guiding light to these youngsters,” he told me, during an interview about the crunk and hyphy movements for Atlanta’s weekly paper \u003cem>Creative Loafing\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m like, ‘Man, don’t make the wrong decisions,’” he said. “‘Don’t sign stupid contracts, don’t let nobody else get your money and jack it off.’ I’m thinking like that. Don’t turn the hyphy into a dance that comes and goes. Turn this into a business that supports families and kids and generations. It’s somebody’s kids going to go to college because of crunk music. Somebody’s kids are gonna get a trust fund because of crunk, you know what I’m saying? Let’s do that with the hyphy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987150\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987150\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/NY_254-768x575.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A young attendee at Too Short’s ‘Blow the Whistle’ video shoot at Mingles nightclub in Oakland in 2006. \u003ccite>(Tamara Palmer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the next five years — until Messy Marv leaked his number and it changed — I annoyed Short by texting him every time I reviewed a concert where the DJ played “Blow the Whistle” — Janet Jackson, say, or Bell Biv DeVoe. It’s still an out-of-town DJ’s way of checking in with the Bay and paying respect. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2013, I was visiting NYC when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10517260/growing-up-deprived-in-east-oakland\">Youth Uprising\u003c/a>’s Jacky Johnson invited me to Short’s guest appearance on \u003cem>Late Night with Jimmy Fallon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Short had a five-minute rehearsal of the song with The Roots before the show. Tuba Gooding Jr. took care of the bassline, and Black Thought freestyled over the top. Though the rehearsal was brief, Short and The Roots performed with the ease of longtime collaborators. “I never practice before the show,” Short said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re really not that short!” Fallon said to Short, as the show began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song brought the TV audience to its feet, a full seven years after “Blow the Whistle” dropped. And now, 20 years later, its relevance keeps going on and on. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A book release party for Tamara Palmer’s ‘Bay Area Rap Mixtape’ takes place Sunday, March 1 at Studio Aurora (302 Valencia St., San Francisco). Admission is free; \u003ca href=\"https://sf-music-week.squarespace.com/calendar/music-book-club-studio-aurora-and-fault-radio-present-tamara-palmers-bay-area-rap-mixtape-book-release-party-and-movie-night\">more event details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "hyphy-burger-grand-opening-west-oakland-guapdad",
"title": "West Oakland’s Hyphy Burger Celebrates Its Grand Opening",
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"content": "\u003cp>In discussing this Saturday’s grand opening party for \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hyphy Burger\u003c/a> in West Oakland, locally raised rapper\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Guap (aka Guapdad 4000)\u003c/a> sounds like he’s describing the circus coming to town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got face paint for the kids, a photo booth, a jumper and horses,” he says. “And then we’ll roll in the cars, and the DJ starts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its soft opening back in February, the burger-fries-and-shakes joint has had a constant line of patrons. Now, Guap and the team of local owners will celebrate the restaurant’s official grand opening with an expansion of the menu (with more burger options, including a pastrami burger and a veggie burger) and food giveaways for those who arrive early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Hyphy Burger is an ode to the term “the king of the super-duper-hyphy,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/keak-da-sneak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keak Da Sneak\u003c/a>, helped popularize — one that represents the hyperactive energy that brewed out of the inner city of the Bay Area and fueled a cultural phenomenon in the early aughts — today the burger shack on West Grand and Market stands as another local eatery gaining its footing in a churning sea of ups and downs for East Bay food establishments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979394\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979394\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man in a black jacket and braids poses for a photo outside of a burger joint while holding a soda. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guap, part-owner of Hyphy Burger, stops by the restaurant for a meal. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Guapdad 4000,)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To launch the restaurant, Guap (real name Akeem Hayes) teamed up with Darion Frazier (known for his social media food reviews under the moniker \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bayareafoodz/\">@bayareafoodz)\u003c/a>, Julian “Jigga” Ervin and a duo of brothers, Fakri and Zakaria “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zackstv/?hl=en\">Zack\u003c/a>” Alwajeeh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an initial aim of opening a cheesesteak shop, Frazier joined Guap on tour with DMV Area lyricist Wale and Philadelphia MC Young Chris (of the Young Gunz), stopping in Philly to survey the local cuisine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>I recommended that we change it to smash burgers because I live in Los Angeles,” says Guap, noting how the craze over the flattened burgers was taking over Southern California. “I liked the simplicity of it, and I felt like it was doable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frazier, the food influencer, did more research and development, testing over 30 different burger spots and taking notes on his experiences. Guap, who in addition to rapping is an actor, designer and model, took the lead on other aspects of the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979395\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979395\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg\" alt='A mini yellow bus and signage that reads \"you feel me\" appear at the Hyphy Burger kiosk.' width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mini yellow bus and signage that reads “you feel me” shows how the eatery is hyphy down to the details. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I run, for the most part, creative design and customer experience,” he says, adding that he designed the employee uniforms and created a comic book that will be given away during Saturday’s event. “I did the 3-D mock-up for the fry holders and the bag,” says Guap. “I learned how to do that just to make our own for the restaurant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team added tables with signage that harken back 20 years to the era of going 18-dummy. The restaurant’s speakers blast local Bay Area hip-hop, new and old. The menu boasts a “Ya Feel Me” sauce, and the milkshakes are called “Stunna Shakes,” a play off of stunna shades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even a mini short bus parked outside of the restaurant, a nod to the unfortunate side of the hyphy movement that made light of stigmas about people with learning disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bright logos and fresh yellow, red and blue paint have replaced the signage from the old All Star Donuts & Burgers that previously occupied the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s crazy too,” exclaims Guap, “because we finna add donuts to the menu, and really call back to that. I’m not even playing, I’m working on the logo now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent revitalization of West Oakland’s food scene has been a process of two steps forward and one step back. There are newer eateries like \u003ca href=\"https://www.prescottmarket.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Prescott Market\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://junespizza.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June’s Pizza\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soulblendscoffee/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soul Blends Coffee.\u003c/a> There’s also \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/category/nosh/restaurant-closures/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a running list of closures\u003c/a> that includes places like the famed \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/03/14/west-oakland-horn-barbecue-will-not-reopen-after-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Horn BBQ\u003c/a>, which last year closed its West Oakland establishment and reopened in\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/03/17/horn-barbecue-oakland-updates/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> a new downtown location.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guap, who grew up in the neighborhood, understands this sea change. “I think the average person in the West, where we put the restaurant, wants to see new shiny things,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprO6K7KEw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In seeing how people have flocked to the business since its soft launch, whether to enjoy the food or \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprO6K7KEw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">film music videos\u003c/a> at the establishment, Guap notes that there’s value in making something presentable for the community. But it has to be bigger than doing it for clicks and shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“\u003c/i>I want people to Instagram some quality,” he says, alluding to it being deeper than social media. “I want to bring actual value to the real estate in the community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not an easy process. In the six months since its soft launch, the business has experienced employee turnover, isn’t yet on the delivery service apps and hasn’t opened its drive-thru window. But with the impending launch of a second location on 98th in Deep East Oakland, Guap says what they’re really celebrating on Saturday is the baby steps of a burgeoning business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been crazy to have that line of people” says Guap. “It is a blessing though. It’s a great problem to have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution, he says — for his team or any other business in their position — is to do research, work with the City and find a team of people who have the same “motion as you.” Ultimately, Guap says, it’s about working with “your innermost community and pooling your resources” to create something that benefits the larger collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland’s Hyphy Burger celebrates its grand opening all day Saturday, August 2, at 898 West Grand Ave. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check the restaurant’s IG page for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In discussing this Saturday’s grand opening party for \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hyphy Burger\u003c/a> in West Oakland, locally raised rapper\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Guap (aka Guapdad 4000)\u003c/a> sounds like he’s describing the circus coming to town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got face paint for the kids, a photo booth, a jumper and horses,” he says. “And then we’ll roll in the cars, and the DJ starts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its soft opening back in February, the burger-fries-and-shakes joint has had a constant line of patrons. Now, Guap and the team of local owners will celebrate the restaurant’s official grand opening with an expansion of the menu (with more burger options, including a pastrami burger and a veggie burger) and food giveaways for those who arrive early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Hyphy Burger is an ode to the term “the king of the super-duper-hyphy,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/keak-da-sneak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keak Da Sneak\u003c/a>, helped popularize — one that represents the hyperactive energy that brewed out of the inner city of the Bay Area and fueled a cultural phenomenon in the early aughts — today the burger shack on West Grand and Market stands as another local eatery gaining its footing in a churning sea of ups and downs for East Bay food establishments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979394\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979394\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man in a black jacket and braids poses for a photo outside of a burger joint while holding a soda. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guap, part-owner of Hyphy Burger, stops by the restaurant for a meal. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Guapdad 4000,)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To launch the restaurant, Guap (real name Akeem Hayes) teamed up with Darion Frazier (known for his social media food reviews under the moniker \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bayareafoodz/\">@bayareafoodz)\u003c/a>, Julian “Jigga” Ervin and a duo of brothers, Fakri and Zakaria “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zackstv/?hl=en\">Zack\u003c/a>” Alwajeeh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an initial aim of opening a cheesesteak shop, Frazier joined Guap on tour with DMV Area lyricist Wale and Philadelphia MC Young Chris (of the Young Gunz), stopping in Philly to survey the local cuisine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>I recommended that we change it to smash burgers because I live in Los Angeles,” says Guap, noting how the craze over the flattened burgers was taking over Southern California. “I liked the simplicity of it, and I felt like it was doable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frazier, the food influencer, did more research and development, testing over 30 different burger spots and taking notes on his experiences. Guap, who in addition to rapping is an actor, designer and model, took the lead on other aspects of the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979395\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979395\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg\" alt='A mini yellow bus and signage that reads \"you feel me\" appear at the Hyphy Burger kiosk.' width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mini yellow bus and signage that reads “you feel me” shows how the eatery is hyphy down to the details. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I run, for the most part, creative design and customer experience,” he says, adding that he designed the employee uniforms and created a comic book that will be given away during Saturday’s event. “I did the 3-D mock-up for the fry holders and the bag,” says Guap. “I learned how to do that just to make our own for the restaurant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team added tables with signage that harken back 20 years to the era of going 18-dummy. The restaurant’s speakers blast local Bay Area hip-hop, new and old. The menu boasts a “Ya Feel Me” sauce, and the milkshakes are called “Stunna Shakes,” a play off of stunna shades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even a mini short bus parked outside of the restaurant, a nod to the unfortunate side of the hyphy movement that made light of stigmas about people with learning disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bright logos and fresh yellow, red and blue paint have replaced the signage from the old All Star Donuts & Burgers that previously occupied the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s crazy too,” exclaims Guap, “because we finna add donuts to the menu, and really call back to that. I’m not even playing, I’m working on the logo now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent revitalization of West Oakland’s food scene has been a process of two steps forward and one step back. There are newer eateries like \u003ca href=\"https://www.prescottmarket.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Prescott Market\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://junespizza.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June’s Pizza\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soulblendscoffee/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soul Blends Coffee.\u003c/a> There’s also \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/category/nosh/restaurant-closures/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a running list of closures\u003c/a> that includes places like the famed \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/03/14/west-oakland-horn-barbecue-will-not-reopen-after-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Horn BBQ\u003c/a>, which last year closed its West Oakland establishment and reopened in\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/03/17/horn-barbecue-oakland-updates/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> a new downtown location.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guap, who grew up in the neighborhood, understands this sea change. “I think the average person in the West, where we put the restaurant, wants to see new shiny things,” he says.\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/rLprO6K7KEw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/rLprO6K7KEw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In seeing how people have flocked to the business since its soft launch, whether to enjoy the food or \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprO6K7KEw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">film music videos\u003c/a> at the establishment, Guap notes that there’s value in making something presentable for the community. But it has to be bigger than doing it for clicks and shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“\u003c/i>I want people to Instagram some quality,” he says, alluding to it being deeper than social media. “I want to bring actual value to the real estate in the community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not an easy process. In the six months since its soft launch, the business has experienced employee turnover, isn’t yet on the delivery service apps and hasn’t opened its drive-thru window. But with the impending launch of a second location on 98th in Deep East Oakland, Guap says what they’re really celebrating on Saturday is the baby steps of a burgeoning business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been crazy to have that line of people” says Guap. “It is a blessing though. It’s a great problem to have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution, he says — for his team or any other business in their position — is to do research, work with the City and find a team of people who have the same “motion as you.” Ultimately, Guap says, it’s about working with “your innermost community and pooling your resources” to create something that benefits the larger collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland’s Hyphy Burger celebrates its grand opening all day Saturday, August 2, at 898 West Grand Ave. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check the restaurant’s IG page for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "seiji-oda-ethereal-blap-cupcake-no-fillin-human-nature",
"title": "On ‘Human + Nature,’ Seiji Oda Spreads Peace, Love and Ethereal Blap",
"publishDate": 1748021405,
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"headTitle": "On ‘Human + Nature,’ Seiji Oda Spreads Peace, Love and Ethereal Blap | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>While filming the video for his update of the classic Bay Area love song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNlDgSQuLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cupcake No Fillin\u003c/a>,” rapper, singer and producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957194/seiji-oda-bay-area-rap-lo-fi-minimalist-hyphy\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a> stood in East Oakland’s Dimond Park, wearing a white T-shirt of a pink cupcake crossed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The creators of the original anti-cupcaking anthem,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thejankgod/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> B*Janky\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fathajefe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">F.A. Tha Jefe\u003c/a> of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialtrunkboiz/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trunk Boiz\u003c/a>, stood nearby, surrounded by over two dozen people — musicians, dancers and community members. Some held cupcakes, others held scraper bikes; all of them chanted the song’s hook: \u003cem>Cupcake no fillin’ / I ain’t got time, ’cause I got a lot of women\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda took out his phone and started recording.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_HkJhiULLU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to capture that energy,” he says during a recent phone call. He then added that audio to “no fillins²,” a standout track from his latest album, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4nEuPqxYGQt3FLw8sOk6sQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Seiji Oda burst into national consciousness last year with his lo-fi hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxxSi8-Q-E\">a gentle gigg\u003c/a>,” which tamed the chaos of hyphy in favor of centered, Zen-like atmospherics. Fans dubbed it “therapeutic thizzing”; on its viral journey, it was reposted widely, including by SZA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13957194']For his follow-up, the 27-year-old of Japanese-Irish-Panamanian descent coalesced the sounds of Japanese babbling brooks and warbler birds, as well as Brazilian baile funk and Bay Area blap. \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em> has pop rifts and 808 kicks, a smattering of top-tier Bay Area features and philosophical bars about love. There’s his grandmother’s piano, tranquil harmonizing and player lines like “Good hygiene / baby I stay flossing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And most of it started with voice notes. His field recordings of birdsong or the ocean would serve as a starting point for a song. “And then,” he says, “I’d kind of see where that takes me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976660 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"People gathered at a park\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ‘gentle gigg’ general himself, Seiji Oda (A’s hat, center) among people gathered at Dimond Park for the video shoot of ‘no fillins².’ \u003ccite>(Kenny Ko)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the song “a leaf is a lung,” he recorded the sound of waves crashing, matched the soundscape with chords played on a keyboard and then imagined what sort of lyrics he’d spit if he were in that environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just made me feel kind of tropical,” he says, “so I sang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda laid down lead and background vocals, then sampled himself and sang over it again. He then added some “mobby drums,” providing the combination of aggressive bass-heavy percussion and airy-melodic vocals that’s a staple in his music, he calls it “ethereal blap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His love for hard-hitting drums is evident in the lead single “peaceful³,” featuring Vallejo’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> LaRussell\u003c/a>. On \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>, Seiji Oda changes up the drums on the second verse to sound like Mac Dre’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7N0J7o0z7U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boss Tycoon\u003c/a>,” underscoring LaRussell’s Furly Ghost-like flow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFUOi6fEEq8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda refers to “peaceful³” as the heartbeat of the album, a song that segues seamlessly into the following track “Bossa Nova,” which illustrates his influences beyond the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been listening to so much baile funk,” says Seiji Oda, discussing the track he co-produced with Kiron KP and Quinn Carroll. Steeped in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira since a kid, Seiji Oda notes that “Brazilian music– baile funk and bossa nova– they’re all kind of intertwined. So, I’ve been super inspired by that music lately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976661 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dancer and social media influencer Junebug pulled up to Seiji Oda’s ‘no fillins²’ video shoot in a huge Hyphy 101 t-shirt. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On “green tea,” featuring Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialkiyomi/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kiyomi\u003c/a>, a seemingly normal pop song packs a punch as the duo floats over their shared love of Bay Area bass. While making “ahead of myself” with Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/natecurry_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nate Curry\u003c/a>, Seiji Oda was inspired by his guest’s alien-like way of freely layering harmonies on a track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s “MOBBY MIYAZAKI,” with San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari\u003c/a>, in which Seiji Oda pulls from another Bay Area classic — \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/youngbari/so-mobby-feat-fillmoe-rocky-prod-tfdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari’s “So Mobby”\u003c/a> — and pairs it with a flip of Joe Hisaishi’s music from Studio Ghibli films directed by legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda even returned to his grandmother’s house in Japan for a spark of creativity. Her voice is layered into the mix of the minute-long interlude “yaki yasai (obaachan’s piano),” recorded while she was cooking. “I just wanted to capture that moment,” he says, “it just felt really intimate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And on “BEMYLIGHT” with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>, he brings back the blap based on a voice memo of an uguisu bird, also known as a Japanese bush warbler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976663 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vallejo’s 9-year-old rising rap star Ave Rose Haro makes a cameo in Seiji Oda’s music video, filmed at Dimond Park in East Oakland. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, Seiji Oda sometimes starts recording a voice memo as soon as he wakes up. “I call it ‘meditation on the mic,'” he says, sometimes taking 20 or 30 minutes of his day to document his waking thoughts. On “time is a spiral, i think,” Seiji Oda convenes two different morning meditations into one philosophical track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My overarching goal with music,” says Seiji Oda, “is to bring myself more peace, and then to share that with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By documenting the sounds of the natural world, adding some drums and sharing it with the people, he’s achieving his goal — one ethereal blap at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seiji Oda’s ‘Human + Nature’ is \u003ca href=\"https://seijioda.bandcamp.com/album/human-nature\">out now\u003c/a>. He also appears live and on stage multiple times later in the year, at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7TSIkSaER/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SF Hip-Hop Festival\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://fairyland.org/event-calendar/fairyland-for-grownups-with-oaklandish/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fairyland for Grownups\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hiero Day\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Ocean waves, birdsong and a remake of ’Cupcake No FIllin‘ accentuate the album's hushed-hyphy vibe.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>While filming the video for his update of the classic Bay Area love song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNlDgSQuLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cupcake No Fillin\u003c/a>,” rapper, singer and producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957194/seiji-oda-bay-area-rap-lo-fi-minimalist-hyphy\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a> stood in East Oakland’s Dimond Park, wearing a white T-shirt of a pink cupcake crossed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The creators of the original anti-cupcaking anthem,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thejankgod/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> B*Janky\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fathajefe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">F.A. Tha Jefe\u003c/a> of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialtrunkboiz/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trunk Boiz\u003c/a>, stood nearby, surrounded by over two dozen people — musicians, dancers and community members. Some held cupcakes, others held scraper bikes; all of them chanted the song’s hook: \u003cem>Cupcake no fillin’ / I ain’t got time, ’cause I got a lot of women\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda took out his phone and started recording.\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/C_HkJhiULLU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/C_HkJhiULLU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“I wanted to capture that energy,” he says during a recent phone call. He then added that audio to “no fillins²,” a standout track from his latest album, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4nEuPqxYGQt3FLw8sOk6sQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Seiji Oda burst into national consciousness last year with his lo-fi hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxxSi8-Q-E\">a gentle gigg\u003c/a>,” which tamed the chaos of hyphy in favor of centered, Zen-like atmospherics. Fans dubbed it “therapeutic thizzing”; on its viral journey, it was reposted widely, including by SZA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For his follow-up, the 27-year-old of Japanese-Irish-Panamanian descent coalesced the sounds of Japanese babbling brooks and warbler birds, as well as Brazilian baile funk and Bay Area blap. \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em> has pop rifts and 808 kicks, a smattering of top-tier Bay Area features and philosophical bars about love. There’s his grandmother’s piano, tranquil harmonizing and player lines like “Good hygiene / baby I stay flossing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And most of it started with voice notes. His field recordings of birdsong or the ocean would serve as a starting point for a song. “And then,” he says, “I’d kind of see where that takes me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976660 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"People gathered at a park\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ‘gentle gigg’ general himself, Seiji Oda (A’s hat, center) among people gathered at Dimond Park for the video shoot of ‘no fillins².’ \u003ccite>(Kenny Ko)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the song “a leaf is a lung,” he recorded the sound of waves crashing, matched the soundscape with chords played on a keyboard and then imagined what sort of lyrics he’d spit if he were in that environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just made me feel kind of tropical,” he says, “so I sang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda laid down lead and background vocals, then sampled himself and sang over it again. He then added some “mobby drums,” providing the combination of aggressive bass-heavy percussion and airy-melodic vocals that’s a staple in his music, he calls it “ethereal blap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His love for hard-hitting drums is evident in the lead single “peaceful³,” featuring Vallejo’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> LaRussell\u003c/a>. On \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>, Seiji Oda changes up the drums on the second verse to sound like Mac Dre’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7N0J7o0z7U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boss Tycoon\u003c/a>,” underscoring LaRussell’s Furly Ghost-like flow.\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/BFUOi6fEEq8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/BFUOi6fEEq8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Seiji Oda refers to “peaceful³” as the heartbeat of the album, a song that segues seamlessly into the following track “Bossa Nova,” which illustrates his influences beyond the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been listening to so much baile funk,” says Seiji Oda, discussing the track he co-produced with Kiron KP and Quinn Carroll. Steeped in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira since a kid, Seiji Oda notes that “Brazilian music– baile funk and bossa nova– they’re all kind of intertwined. So, I’ve been super inspired by that music lately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976661 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dancer and social media influencer Junebug pulled up to Seiji Oda’s ‘no fillins²’ video shoot in a huge Hyphy 101 t-shirt. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On “green tea,” featuring Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialkiyomi/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kiyomi\u003c/a>, a seemingly normal pop song packs a punch as the duo floats over their shared love of Bay Area bass. While making “ahead of myself” with Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/natecurry_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nate Curry\u003c/a>, Seiji Oda was inspired by his guest’s alien-like way of freely layering harmonies on a track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s “MOBBY MIYAZAKI,” with San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari\u003c/a>, in which Seiji Oda pulls from another Bay Area classic — \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/youngbari/so-mobby-feat-fillmoe-rocky-prod-tfdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari’s “So Mobby”\u003c/a> — and pairs it with a flip of Joe Hisaishi’s music from Studio Ghibli films directed by legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda even returned to his grandmother’s house in Japan for a spark of creativity. Her voice is layered into the mix of the minute-long interlude “yaki yasai (obaachan’s piano),” recorded while she was cooking. “I just wanted to capture that moment,” he says, “it just felt really intimate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And on “BEMYLIGHT” with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>, he brings back the blap based on a voice memo of an uguisu bird, also known as a Japanese bush warbler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976663 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vallejo’s 9-year-old rising rap star Ave Rose Haro makes a cameo in Seiji Oda’s music video, filmed at Dimond Park in East Oakland. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, Seiji Oda sometimes starts recording a voice memo as soon as he wakes up. “I call it ‘meditation on the mic,'” he says, sometimes taking 20 or 30 minutes of his day to document his waking thoughts. On “time is a spiral, i think,” Seiji Oda convenes two different morning meditations into one philosophical track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My overarching goal with music,” says Seiji Oda, “is to bring myself more peace, and then to share that with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By documenting the sounds of the natural world, adding some drums and sharing it with the people, he’s achieving his goal — one ethereal blap at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seiji Oda’s ‘Human + Nature’ is \u003ca href=\"https://seijioda.bandcamp.com/album/human-nature\">out now\u003c/a>. He also appears live and on stage multiple times later in the year, at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7TSIkSaER/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SF Hip-Hop Festival\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://fairyland.org/event-calendar/fairyland-for-grownups-with-oaklandish/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fairyland for Grownups\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hiero Day\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\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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"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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"content": "\u003cp>As summertime’s slow, relaxing pace descend upon us, one Filipino American rapper is here to remind us that sunny days are meant for partying — and ice cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ceo_nump_beastmobile/?hl=en\">Nump\u003c/a>, the East Bay rapper of “I Gott Grapes” fame \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924042/nump-hyphy-i-gott-grapes-interview\">who also engineered some of hyphy music’s biggest hits\u003c/a>, has mastered the art of riling others up with both his thumping basslines and romanticizing of purple-colored foods. The man who refers to himself as Manny Snackquiao delivers once again with his freshest single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7NvFfpNy2c/\">Halo Halo\u003c/a>” — named after the Filipino cold treat that typically includes crushed ice, condensed milk, ube ice cream, leche flan and other sweet toppings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rapper’s latest effort, which features another Bay Area hyphy legend in Vallejo’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/babybash/?hl=en\">Baby Bash\u003c/a> and production from Houston’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/imixbrucebang/?hl=en\">Bruce Bang\u003c/a>, is adding an extra scoop of sweetness with a release party this Friday at the Union City Filipino-owned cafe \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macs.by.icky/?hl=en\">Macs By Ickys\u003c/a> — equally cult-favored for its creation of the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929263/ube-choco-taco-macs-by-icky-filipino-union-city\"> ube choco taco ice cream sandwich\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@jessehperez1/video/7367190323035950378\" data-video-id=\"7367190323035950378\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@jessehperez1\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@jessehperez1?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@jessehperez1\u003c/a> New music May 24 – Halo Halo by Nump featuring Baby Bash. \u003ca title=\"halohalo\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/halohalo?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#halohalo\u003c/a> @Baby Bash \u003ca title=\"nump\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nump?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#Nump\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"filipino\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/filipino?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#filipino\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ original sound - JPerez\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7367190355119115051?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ original sound – JPerez\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Nump’s appearance at the cafe, attendees can get a taste of halo halo soft serve, an original Macs By Icky flavor that is essentially a frozen swirl of halo halo goodness in a cup. If that’s not enough to make this the official Bay Area Filipino event of the summer, Nump will also give those in attendance a chance to appear in the official music video for his newest blap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13940127,arts_13924042']\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/span>Leading up to the song’s release, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7DgCrmt5iA/?hl=en\">Nump has been touring different dessert shops in search of halo halo\u003c/a>, going as far as Hawaii. His partnership with Macs By Icky formed organically when \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6rYXaLPFyx/?hl=en&img_index=1\">Nump posted on his Instagram page asking, “Who got the best halo halo?”\u003c/a> The masses responded by tagging Union City’s Filipino dessert destination. From there, the well-known lyricist reached out to the local business and quarterbacked the play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The snippet of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C69FL3npGmW/\">Halo Halo\u003c/a>” that can be heard on Nump’s page has a chill island love song vibe, and one can only assume that the entire song will be as sugary and delicious as the dessert itself. Consider this the kick-off anthem to start your “Hot Halo Halo Summer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Nump’s “Halo Halo” release party will be hosted at Macs By Icky (3900 Smith St., Union City) on Fri., May 24 at 5 p.m. The music video filming will start at 6 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As summertime’s slow, relaxing pace descend upon us, one Filipino American rapper is here to remind us that sunny days are meant for partying — and ice cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ceo_nump_beastmobile/?hl=en\">Nump\u003c/a>, the East Bay rapper of “I Gott Grapes” fame \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924042/nump-hyphy-i-gott-grapes-interview\">who also engineered some of hyphy music’s biggest hits\u003c/a>, has mastered the art of riling others up with both his thumping basslines and romanticizing of purple-colored foods. The man who refers to himself as Manny Snackquiao delivers once again with his freshest single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7NvFfpNy2c/\">Halo Halo\u003c/a>” — named after the Filipino cold treat that typically includes crushed ice, condensed milk, ube ice cream, leche flan and other sweet toppings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rapper’s latest effort, which features another Bay Area hyphy legend in Vallejo’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/babybash/?hl=en\">Baby Bash\u003c/a> and production from Houston’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/imixbrucebang/?hl=en\">Bruce Bang\u003c/a>, is adding an extra scoop of sweetness with a release party this Friday at the Union City Filipino-owned cafe \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macs.by.icky/?hl=en\">Macs By Ickys\u003c/a> — equally cult-favored for its creation of the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929263/ube-choco-taco-macs-by-icky-filipino-union-city\"> ube choco taco ice cream sandwich\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@jessehperez1/video/7367190323035950378\" data-video-id=\"7367190323035950378\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@jessehperez1\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@jessehperez1?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@jessehperez1\u003c/a> New music May 24 – Halo Halo by Nump featuring Baby Bash. \u003ca title=\"halohalo\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/halohalo?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#halohalo\u003c/a> @Baby Bash \u003ca title=\"nump\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nump?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#Nump\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"filipino\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/filipino?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#filipino\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ original sound - JPerez\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7367190355119115051?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ original sound – JPerez\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Nump’s appearance at the cafe, attendees can get a taste of halo halo soft serve, an original Macs By Icky flavor that is essentially a frozen swirl of halo halo goodness in a cup. If that’s not enough to make this the official Bay Area Filipino event of the summer, Nump will also give those in attendance a chance to appear in the official music video for his newest blap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/span>Leading up to the song’s release, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C7DgCrmt5iA/?hl=en\">Nump has been touring different dessert shops in search of halo halo\u003c/a>, going as far as Hawaii. His partnership with Macs By Icky formed organically when \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6rYXaLPFyx/?hl=en&img_index=1\">Nump posted on his Instagram page asking, “Who got the best halo halo?”\u003c/a> The masses responded by tagging Union City’s Filipino dessert destination. From there, the well-known lyricist reached out to the local business and quarterbacked the play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The snippet of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C69FL3npGmW/\">Halo Halo\u003c/a>” that can be heard on Nump’s page has a chill island love song vibe, and one can only assume that the entire song will be as sugary and delicious as the dessert itself. Consider this the kick-off anthem to start your “Hot Halo Halo Summer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Nump’s “Halo Halo” release party will be hosted at Macs By Icky (3900 Smith St., Union City) on Fri., May 24 at 5 p.m. The music video filming will start at 6 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seijioda/?hl=en\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a> is adept at remixing the energy around him. Over the past few years, the Oakland-raised artist — who is of Japanese, Irish and Panamanian heritage — has been at the forefront of pushing a new kind of Bay Area sound, a saucy combination of Northern California rap, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924014/seiji-odas-anri-city-pop-003-celebrates-lunar-new-year-with-a-ride-through-japantown\">Japanese City Pop\u003c/a> and free-flowing jazz. He’s dubbed it “lofi // HYPHY.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On social media, he’s gone viral for \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C0-E7hTSazq/?hl=en\">popping his collar while sitting on a tree branch\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6b8tBJPs0c/?hl=en\">dancing in a Japanese garden\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6NoYJLL2uE/?hl=en\">going stupid beneath a waterfall\u003c/a> — all while his raps casually slap in the background. In each clip, he summons the holy spirit of a mid-aughts hyphy ghost while somehow remaining as chill as \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f932UdEg4p8\">Lofi Girl studying at a desk\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13955802']His music is a bottled-up version of big Bay Area energy, taking the form of a peaceful bonsai tree. There isn’t really a category to describe Seiji Oda’s vibe, either. Hyphy heart whispering? Gentle gigging? Serene smeezing? Acoustic turfing? Going dumb in acapella? Therapeutic thizzing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Growing up, I was listening to Bay music,” he says. “Mac Dre, that type of shit. But when I got into making music, it was the more melodic stuff like jazz. That kind of sparked my interest in melding that with Bay music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda’s latest track, “a gentle gigg,” delivers exactly that: a cool minimalism and tranquility distilled into lo-fi hyphy. The Jake Chapman-produced single — which has already accumulated thousands of views, and been shared by SZA, G-Eazy and SiR — evokes E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” while floating over a soundscape of gentle bells and flutes, stripped-down drums and a hint of mobb music bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwFJ4cH51-s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like much of Seiji Oda’s output, the track blends the Bay’s famously uptempo street ethos alongside elements of nature and gratitude. His lyrics underscore the Bay’s contrasting discrepancies, too: “I got friends who went to Berklee School of Music / I got friends who let that glock spill on you for talking stupid / I got homies that’s hella hyphy born after the hyphy movement / I got OGs who teach peace and started revolutions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s audio proof that Seiji Oda has been quietly nurturing his aura, and he supplies it in abundance — a playerish kind of positivity inspired by anime, international travel, vintage clothing, retro Japanese vocals, Oakland sideshows and much more. Now, others seem to be catching on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13953009']“I feel like the reason I make art is to give people an oasis in the world,” he says. “I really want to create a soundscape; that’s the goal. I’m always positive, and very simply myself. I’m not trying to be anything other than that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The industry tries to lump Asian artists into one vague genre, [but] we’re not all gonna fit on the Jasmine or Tapioca playlist,” he continues. “I wanna show the young life we can do anything, not just what people expect of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s certainly on his way to doing that, and is currently establishing himself as one of the region’s most promising, original talents. As he sagely reminds us on his latest track: “We all got game, so each one teach one / we all different.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/seijioda/?hl=en\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a> is adept at remixing the energy around him. Over the past few years, the Oakland-raised artist — who is of Japanese, Irish and Panamanian heritage — has been at the forefront of pushing a new kind of Bay Area sound, a saucy combination of Northern California rap, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924014/seiji-odas-anri-city-pop-003-celebrates-lunar-new-year-with-a-ride-through-japantown\">Japanese City Pop\u003c/a> and free-flowing jazz. He’s dubbed it “lofi // HYPHY.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On social media, he’s gone viral for \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C0-E7hTSazq/?hl=en\">popping his collar while sitting on a tree branch\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6b8tBJPs0c/?hl=en\">dancing in a Japanese garden\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6NoYJLL2uE/?hl=en\">going stupid beneath a waterfall\u003c/a> — all while his raps casually slap in the background. In each clip, he summons the holy spirit of a mid-aughts hyphy ghost while somehow remaining as chill as \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f932UdEg4p8\">Lofi Girl studying at a desk\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>His music is a bottled-up version of big Bay Area energy, taking the form of a peaceful bonsai tree. There isn’t really a category to describe Seiji Oda’s vibe, either. Hyphy heart whispering? Gentle gigging? Serene smeezing? Acoustic turfing? Going dumb in acapella? Therapeutic thizzing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Growing up, I was listening to Bay music,” he says. “Mac Dre, that type of shit. But when I got into making music, it was the more melodic stuff like jazz. That kind of sparked my interest in melding that with Bay music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda’s latest track, “a gentle gigg,” delivers exactly that: a cool minimalism and tranquility distilled into lo-fi hyphy. The Jake Chapman-produced single — which has already accumulated thousands of views, and been shared by SZA, G-Eazy and SiR — evokes E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” while floating over a soundscape of gentle bells and flutes, stripped-down drums and a hint of mobb music bass.\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/KwFJ4cH51-s'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/KwFJ4cH51-s'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Like much of Seiji Oda’s output, the track blends the Bay’s famously uptempo street ethos alongside elements of nature and gratitude. His lyrics underscore the Bay’s contrasting discrepancies, too: “I got friends who went to Berklee School of Music / I got friends who let that glock spill on you for talking stupid / I got homies that’s hella hyphy born after the hyphy movement / I got OGs who teach peace and started revolutions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s audio proof that Seiji Oda has been quietly nurturing his aura, and he supplies it in abundance — a playerish kind of positivity inspired by anime, international travel, vintage clothing, retro Japanese vocals, Oakland sideshows and much more. Now, others seem to be catching on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I feel like the reason I make art is to give people an oasis in the world,” he says. “I really want to create a soundscape; that’s the goal. I’m always positive, and very simply myself. I’m not trying to be anything other than that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The industry tries to lump Asian artists into one vague genre, [but] we’re not all gonna fit on the Jasmine or Tapioca playlist,” he continues. “I wanna show the young life we can do anything, not just what people expect of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s certainly on his way to doing that, and is currently establishing himself as one of the region’s most promising, original talents. As he sagely reminds us on his latest track: “We all got game, so each one teach one / we all different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "d-ray-bay-area-hip-hop-photographer",
"title": "D-Ray’s Photo Archive is West Coast Hip-Hop Gold",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s note\u003c/strong>: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s story series on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>D-Ray’s photographs are full of bright, lively images of MCs you know by just one name. Kendrick. Jeezy. Even nicknames: Weezy. Anytime she and Drake cross paths, they take selfies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The late Nipsey Hussle not only knew \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/isawdray/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D-Ray\u003c/a>, he would request that she be present at his Bay Area events. She served as official photographer for the late great Mac Dre’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930686/thizz-entertainment-dj-mix-mac-dre-vallejo-rap-hyphy\">Thizz Nation\u003c/a> label. And her work documenting Bay Area hip-hop culture has been featured in many documentaries and print media, including \u003ca href=\"https://issuu.com/ozonemag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Ozone\u003c/em>\u003c/a> magazine, where she worked as West Coast editor, and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://issuu.com/mrshowcase2022\">Showcase\u003c/a>\u003c/em> magazine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13931800\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13931800\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a durag and football jersey holds his arms spread, with friends in the background\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jacka, who D-Ray photographed abundantly. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This week, a special corner of D-Ray’s extensive archive — her images of the iconic late Pittsburg rapper The Jacka — go on public display. They’ll be surrounded by drawings, recordings, and other forms of art at \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/dreammoviellc/1101191\">The Jacka Art Experience\u003c/a>, running Jan. 31–Feb. 3 at The Loom in Oakland. [aside postid='arts_13951091']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>D-Ray’s photography documented the life of not only the artist known as The Jacka, but the human being, Shaheed Akbar, who was murdered on Feb. 2, 2015. D-Ray was there for his vibrant life as well as his memorial. She was also present for E-40 and Keak da Sneak’s “Tell Me When To Go” video shoot, Mistah F.A.B.’s rise to fame, turf dance battles at Youth Uprising and many other flashpoints of Bay Area culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to think, this West Coast cultural historian could’ve been a cake decorator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to take pictures of my cakes,” D-Ray tells me during a phone call, emphasizing the amount of energy she put into perfecting each pastry. “I spent all the time doing this and these people are going to eat my fucking cake?!” D-Ray says, recalling her frustration. “That’s how I started taking pictures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13935137\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13935137\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"(L–R) Keak da Sneak and E-40 on the set of the music video for 'Tell Me When To Go' in 2006.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Keak da Sneak and E-40 on the set of the music video for ‘Tell Me When To Go’ in 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Growing up in Hayward, D-Ray was first introduced to the camera by her grandfather. She worked a few gigs, from cake decorator to doing fashion and retail, and a stint as manager at the Picture People photo studio in Alameda’s South Shore Shopping Center. She eventually came back to decorating cakes, until her husband, hip-hop manager \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pCb3Inh-TA\">Gary Archer\u003c/a>, asked her a profound question: “How many angles of that cake are you going to take pictures of?’” [aside postID='arts_13932030']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary, who bought D-Ray a camera at the turn of the millennium so the couple could document their family, began working in partnership with D-Ray — she took photos of the artists he managed, like Mistah F.A.B. He also introduced her to the late \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/isawdray/p/CFCy3Xlst1c/?img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frank Herrera\u003c/a>, head of \u003cem>Showcase\u003c/em> magazine, the first publication to feature D-Ray’s work on the front cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13935138\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13935138\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A scraper bike on the set of E-40's music video 'Tell Me When to Go' in 2006.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1700\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-1020x677.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-2048x1360.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-1920x1275.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the set of E-40’s music video ‘Tell Me When to Go’ in 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before her photography career took off, D-Ray tells me, she used to go through a process of decorating cakes: making one, not liking its appearance, scraping it off and then redecorating it. “In photography you can’t do that,” she tells me. “You come home, you’re looking at a set of pictures and you’re like, ‘I could’ve did that better.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13934874']So she learned how to do it well the first time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, after more than two decades documenting the culture, she reflects on her work with pride. “I really have a thing about telling the story through my photos about our culture,” she says, “and I feel like I’ve captured \u003cem>everything\u003c/em> through the years, and did it the best way possible, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below is just a small sample of D-Ray’s photos, some never before seen, and her comments about each, edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951134\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-800x530.png\" alt=\"Legendary late Pittsburg rapper, The Jacka, cracking jokes with Oakland community pillar and lyrical monster, Mistah F.A.B. at Moses Music in East Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-800x530.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-1020x676.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-768x509.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-1536x1018.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-2048x1357.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-1920x1272.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Legendary late Pittsburg rapper, The Jacka, cracking jokes with Oakland community pillar and lyrical monster Mistah F.A.B. at Moses Music in East Oakland in 2004. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>D-Ray:\u003c/b> So this was me just looking around the room and seeing these two knuckleheads laugh. You know what I mean? Just seeing them crack jokes there. They’re probably just roasting each other like no tomorrow. If you see Jacka, you can almost hear him laughing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This picture right here shows Stan and Jack’s relationship. A lot of people might not realize that F.A.B. and Jack are actually close, you know, like friendship-wise, more than just music. But this right here, this is Ramadan. So Jack was definitely fasting that day, and they were probably cracking a joke on how he wanted to eat or something, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951129\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-800x529.png\" alt=\"Host Sway Calloway and East Oakland MC Keak Da Sneak chop it up while filming an episode of the show 'My Block' for MTV.\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-800x529.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-1020x675.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-768x508.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-1536x1016.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-2048x1354.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-1920x1270.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Host Sway Calloway and East Oakland’s Keak Da Sneak chop it up while filming an episode of the show ‘My Block’ for MTV in 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> This is at Keak’s house in the 70s in East Oakland, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGoUezD5CxE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MTV’s \u003cem>My Block\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. History was being made and I decided to document it. To see them both sitting on a porch in East Oakland, it meant a lot to me. When Sway came to the Town it brought a lot of people out; it showed the love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951128\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png\" alt=\"Fillmore raised MC, San Francisco rap star Messy Marv poses for a photo.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-1020x1357.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-160x213.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-768x1022.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3.png 1108w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco rap star Messy Marv poses for a photo. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> So \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMR8X5NHk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Messy (Marv)\u003c/a> got the cover of \u003cem>Showcase\u003c/em> magazine; that was actually shot behind Showcase’s office in San Leandro, off East 14th. It’s my very first cover shot. Frank Herrera was like, “D-Ray, you think you can do it?” I was like, “Hell yeah.” Mind you, this was film. You couldn’t see what you were taking pictures of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This shot ended up in \u003cem>The Source\u003c/em> magazine, \u003cem>XXL\u003c/em>, this is what got me exposure in the world. Messy Marv welcomed me into the world. Also, Kilo Curt, Mac Dre and Miami The Most showed up to go talk to Gary and Frank because they were working Mac Dre’s record at the time. They saw me doing Messy Marv’s photoshoot, and that’s what got me adopted into Thizz — because Dre was like, “Oh, we need a female photographer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951131\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-800x536.png\" alt=\"A candid shot of one of the many dance battles held at Youth Uprising in deep East Oakland, circa 2006.\" width=\"800\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-800x536.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-1020x683.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-768x514.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-1536x1029.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-2048x1371.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-1920x1286.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A candid shot of one of the many dance battles held at Youth Uprising in deep East Oakland, circa 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> We used to have dance battles at Youth Uprising, it was a safe haven. Kids from East Oakland, their parents, folks who weren’t a part of the youth center would come, it was something to do on a Friday night. Those kids, look at them, those kids in the middle row are the only kids that probably go to Youth Uprising. Those other kids are family and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951132\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951132\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-800x529.png\" alt='The ambassador of the Bay, E-40, sitting on his scraper watching Oakland going wild while on the set of the video for the hit song \"Tell Me When To Go\".' width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-800x529.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-1020x674.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-768x508.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-1536x1015.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-2048x1354.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-1920x1269.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ambassador of the Bay, E-40, sitting on his scraper watching Oakland going wild on the set of the video for the hit song ‘Tell Me When To Go.’ \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> It’s showing East Oakland and both sides of Vallejo. Do you know what I’m talking about? Because I am the official Thizz photographer, and I still have a relationship with people like 40.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I saw it, I took it. I saw the T go up, and it automatically happens. I’ve just got to keep it real. As soon as the T goes up, it just happens. It’s just the way my mental is trained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951133\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951133\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-800x534.png\" alt=\"Well-known rapper and proud representative of Pittsburg's El Pueblo Projects, The Husalah, posing for a photo while sitting in a cherry red drop top car.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-768x512.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-2048x1367.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-1920x1281.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Well-known rapper and proud representative of Pittsburg’s El Pueblo Projects, Husalah. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>D-Ray:\u003c/b> I spent like two weeks with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/golasoaso/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Husalah\u003c/a> before he turned himself in, and we wanted to get all of his stages, like all of his looks. I mean, he changed his clothes multiple times. We went to the projects, we did all types of stuff, just to make sure he had content while he was in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCLlU-8HsNE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When he was in prison\u003c/a>, I made sure that he was still kept alive. Like, I had good pictures of him. I had press packets. I had whatever we needed. It was a sad situation. I’ll never forget it was like those two weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951130\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951130\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-800x528.png\" alt=\"The late MC, The Jacka, and well-known turf dancer, Ice Cold 3000, pose for a photo at Youth Uprising.\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-800x528.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-1020x674.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-768x507.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-1536x1014.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-2048x1352.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-1920x1268.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jacka and turf dancer Ice Cold 3000 pose for a photo at Youth Uprising. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> This is at Youth Uprising (YU). The Jacka would show up anytime I asked Jack to show up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a thing with YU, those are all my kids. I don’t know him as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/icecold3000/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ice Cold,\u003c/a>” I know him as Gary. You get what I’m saying? Today, knowing his name is Ice Cold, I’ve had to get used to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a bunch of kids at YU, and I just felt like I had to make sure (Gary) had a picture with my brother and he had that kind of love that my brother could pass off to him… And I just remember, because they were all excited to see Jack there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jack would get me in trouble tho, because he would come through smelling like OH MY GOD. Olis Simmons (the former head of YU) would say, “D-Ray, take him outside and spray him down before he comes in here.” I’d be like, “Why Jack, why?” But then, you couldn’t hold that against him. The kids would love him because he’d come in and he’d be himself. Jack would inspire those kids, and bring shirts and talk to them. I think that’s what gave Gary — Ice Cold — so much hope. He makes me very proud. Ice Cold makes me very, very, very proud. To see him glowing in this picture like he is, that’s why I pulled this picture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-400x30.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-768x58.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Jacka Art Experience runs Wednesday–Saturday, Jan. 31–Feb. 3, at the Loom in Oakland. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/dreammoviellc/1101191\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Jacka. Nipsey. FAB. 40. Drake. Keak. Wayne. You name 'em, they've probably been photographed by D-Ray.",
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"title": "D-Ray’s Photo Archive is West Coast Hip-Hop Gold | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s note\u003c/strong>: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s story series on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>D-Ray’s photographs are full of bright, lively images of MCs you know by just one name. Kendrick. Jeezy. Even nicknames: Weezy. Anytime she and Drake cross paths, they take selfies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The late Nipsey Hussle not only knew \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/isawdray/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D-Ray\u003c/a>, he would request that she be present at his Bay Area events. She served as official photographer for the late great Mac Dre’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930686/thizz-entertainment-dj-mix-mac-dre-vallejo-rap-hyphy\">Thizz Nation\u003c/a> label. And her work documenting Bay Area hip-hop culture has been featured in many documentaries and print media, including \u003ca href=\"https://issuu.com/ozonemag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Ozone\u003c/em>\u003c/a> magazine, where she worked as West Coast editor, and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://issuu.com/mrshowcase2022\">Showcase\u003c/a>\u003c/em> magazine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13931800\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13931800\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a durag and football jersey holds his arms spread, with friends in the background\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Hus-Jack-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jacka, who D-Ray photographed abundantly. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This week, a special corner of D-Ray’s extensive archive — her images of the iconic late Pittsburg rapper The Jacka — go on public display. They’ll be surrounded by drawings, recordings, and other forms of art at \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/dreammoviellc/1101191\">The Jacka Art Experience\u003c/a>, running Jan. 31–Feb. 3 at The Loom in Oakland. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>D-Ray’s photography documented the life of not only the artist known as The Jacka, but the human being, Shaheed Akbar, who was murdered on Feb. 2, 2015. D-Ray was there for his vibrant life as well as his memorial. She was also present for E-40 and Keak da Sneak’s “Tell Me When To Go” video shoot, Mistah F.A.B.’s rise to fame, turf dance battles at Youth Uprising and many other flashpoints of Bay Area culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to think, this West Coast cultural historian could’ve been a cake decorator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to take pictures of my cakes,” D-Ray tells me during a phone call, emphasizing the amount of energy she put into perfecting each pastry. “I spent all the time doing this and these people are going to eat my fucking cake?!” D-Ray says, recalling her frustration. “That’s how I started taking pictures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13935137\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13935137\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"(L–R) Keak da Sneak and E-40 on the set of the music video for 'Tell Me When To Go' in 2006.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/e-40_video_photo_s_by_dray_keak_da_sneak___e-40-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Keak da Sneak and E-40 on the set of the music video for ‘Tell Me When To Go’ in 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Growing up in Hayward, D-Ray was first introduced to the camera by her grandfather. She worked a few gigs, from cake decorator to doing fashion and retail, and a stint as manager at the Picture People photo studio in Alameda’s South Shore Shopping Center. She eventually came back to decorating cakes, until her husband, hip-hop manager \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pCb3Inh-TA\">Gary Archer\u003c/a>, asked her a profound question: “How many angles of that cake are you going to take pictures of?’” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary, who bought D-Ray a camera at the turn of the millennium so the couple could document their family, began working in partnership with D-Ray — she took photos of the artists he managed, like Mistah F.A.B. He also introduced her to the late \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/isawdray/p/CFCy3Xlst1c/?img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Frank Herrera\u003c/a>, head of \u003cem>Showcase\u003c/em> magazine, the first publication to feature D-Ray’s work on the front cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13935138\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13935138\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A scraper bike on the set of E-40's music video 'Tell Me When to Go' in 2006.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1700\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-1020x677.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-2048x1360.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/FabVideoShoot.Scraper.Dray_-1920x1275.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the set of E-40’s music video ‘Tell Me When to Go’ in 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before her photography career took off, D-Ray tells me, she used to go through a process of decorating cakes: making one, not liking its appearance, scraping it off and then redecorating it. “In photography you can’t do that,” she tells me. “You come home, you’re looking at a set of pictures and you’re like, ‘I could’ve did that better.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>So she learned how to do it well the first time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, after more than two decades documenting the culture, she reflects on her work with pride. “I really have a thing about telling the story through my photos about our culture,” she says, “and I feel like I’ve captured \u003cem>everything\u003c/em> through the years, and did it the best way possible, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below is just a small sample of D-Ray’s photos, some never before seen, and her comments about each, edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951134\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-800x530.png\" alt=\"Legendary late Pittsburg rapper, The Jacka, cracking jokes with Oakland community pillar and lyrical monster, Mistah F.A.B. at Moses Music in East Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-800x530.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-1020x676.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-768x509.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-1536x1018.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-2048x1357.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/9-1920x1272.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Legendary late Pittsburg rapper, The Jacka, cracking jokes with Oakland community pillar and lyrical monster Mistah F.A.B. at Moses Music in East Oakland in 2004. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>D-Ray:\u003c/b> So this was me just looking around the room and seeing these two knuckleheads laugh. You know what I mean? Just seeing them crack jokes there. They’re probably just roasting each other like no tomorrow. If you see Jacka, you can almost hear him laughing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This picture right here shows Stan and Jack’s relationship. A lot of people might not realize that F.A.B. and Jack are actually close, you know, like friendship-wise, more than just music. But this right here, this is Ramadan. So Jack was definitely fasting that day, and they were probably cracking a joke on how he wanted to eat or something, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951129\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-800x529.png\" alt=\"Host Sway Calloway and East Oakland MC Keak Da Sneak chop it up while filming an episode of the show 'My Block' for MTV.\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-800x529.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-1020x675.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-768x508.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-1536x1016.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-2048x1354.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/4-1920x1270.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Host Sway Calloway and East Oakland’s Keak Da Sneak chop it up while filming an episode of the show ‘My Block’ for MTV in 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> This is at Keak’s house in the 70s in East Oakland, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGoUezD5CxE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MTV’s \u003cem>My Block\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. History was being made and I decided to document it. To see them both sitting on a porch in East Oakland, it meant a lot to me. When Sway came to the Town it brought a lot of people out; it showed the love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951128\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png\" alt=\"Fillmore raised MC, San Francisco rap star Messy Marv poses for a photo.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-800x1064.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-1020x1357.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-160x213.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3-768x1022.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3.png 1108w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco rap star Messy Marv poses for a photo. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> So \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhMR8X5NHk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Messy (Marv)\u003c/a> got the cover of \u003cem>Showcase\u003c/em> magazine; that was actually shot behind Showcase’s office in San Leandro, off East 14th. It’s my very first cover shot. Frank Herrera was like, “D-Ray, you think you can do it?” I was like, “Hell yeah.” Mind you, this was film. You couldn’t see what you were taking pictures of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This shot ended up in \u003cem>The Source\u003c/em> magazine, \u003cem>XXL\u003c/em>, this is what got me exposure in the world. Messy Marv welcomed me into the world. Also, Kilo Curt, Mac Dre and Miami The Most showed up to go talk to Gary and Frank because they were working Mac Dre’s record at the time. They saw me doing Messy Marv’s photoshoot, and that’s what got me adopted into Thizz — because Dre was like, “Oh, we need a female photographer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951131\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-800x536.png\" alt=\"A candid shot of one of the many dance battles held at Youth Uprising in deep East Oakland, circa 2006.\" width=\"800\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-800x536.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-1020x683.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-768x514.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-1536x1029.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-2048x1371.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/6-1920x1286.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A candid shot of one of the many dance battles held at Youth Uprising in deep East Oakland, circa 2006. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> We used to have dance battles at Youth Uprising, it was a safe haven. Kids from East Oakland, their parents, folks who weren’t a part of the youth center would come, it was something to do on a Friday night. Those kids, look at them, those kids in the middle row are the only kids that probably go to Youth Uprising. Those other kids are family and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951132\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951132\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-800x529.png\" alt='The ambassador of the Bay, E-40, sitting on his scraper watching Oakland going wild while on the set of the video for the hit song \"Tell Me When To Go\".' width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-800x529.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-1020x674.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-768x508.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-1536x1015.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-2048x1354.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/7-1920x1269.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ambassador of the Bay, E-40, sitting on his scraper watching Oakland going wild on the set of the video for the hit song ‘Tell Me When To Go.’ \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> It’s showing East Oakland and both sides of Vallejo. Do you know what I’m talking about? Because I am the official Thizz photographer, and I still have a relationship with people like 40.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I saw it, I took it. I saw the T go up, and it automatically happens. I’ve just got to keep it real. As soon as the T goes up, it just happens. It’s just the way my mental is trained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951133\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951133\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-800x534.png\" alt=\"Well-known rapper and proud representative of Pittsburg's El Pueblo Projects, The Husalah, posing for a photo while sitting in a cherry red drop top car.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-768x512.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-1536x1025.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-2048x1367.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/8-1920x1281.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Well-known rapper and proud representative of Pittsburg’s El Pueblo Projects, Husalah. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>D-Ray:\u003c/b> I spent like two weeks with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/golasoaso/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Husalah\u003c/a> before he turned himself in, and we wanted to get all of his stages, like all of his looks. I mean, he changed his clothes multiple times. We went to the projects, we did all types of stuff, just to make sure he had content while he was in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCLlU-8HsNE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When he was in prison\u003c/a>, I made sure that he was still kept alive. Like, I had good pictures of him. I had press packets. I had whatever we needed. It was a sad situation. I’ll never forget it was like those two weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951130\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13951130\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-800x528.png\" alt=\"The late MC, The Jacka, and well-known turf dancer, Ice Cold 3000, pose for a photo at Youth Uprising.\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-800x528.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-1020x674.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-768x507.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-1536x1014.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-2048x1352.png 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/5-1920x1268.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jacka and turf dancer Ice Cold 3000 pose for a photo at Youth Uprising. \u003ccite>(D-Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>D-Ray:\u003c/strong> This is at Youth Uprising (YU). The Jacka would show up anytime I asked Jack to show up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a thing with YU, those are all my kids. I don’t know him as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/icecold3000/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ice Cold,\u003c/a>” I know him as Gary. You get what I’m saying? Today, knowing his name is Ice Cold, I’ve had to get used to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a bunch of kids at YU, and I just felt like I had to make sure (Gary) had a picture with my brother and he had that kind of love that my brother could pass off to him… And I just remember, because they were all excited to see Jack there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jack would get me in trouble tho, because he would come through smelling like OH MY GOD. Olis Simmons (the former head of YU) would say, “D-Ray, take him outside and spray him down before he comes in here.” I’d be like, “Why Jack, why?” But then, you couldn’t hold that against him. The kids would love him because he’d come in and he’d be himself. Jack would inspire those kids, and bring shirts and talk to them. I think that’s what gave Gary — Ice Cold — so much hope. He makes me very proud. Ice Cold makes me very, very, very proud. To see him glowing in this picture like he is, that’s why I pulled this picture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11687704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-400x30.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Turntable.Break_-768x58.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Jacka Art Experience runs Wednesday–Saturday, Jan. 31–Feb. 3, at the Loom in Oakland. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/dreammoviellc/1101191\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“T\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">urfin’ is a way of life for me,” says \u003c/span>Telice Summerfield, a dancer who has the ability turn a BART platform into a stage where she can glide, tut, bend and bone break on beat. She exchanges energy with onlookers; they get entertained and she gets empowered. The dance is an art. It’s also a political act, as she takes up space at will.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Turf, \u003c/a>an acronym that stands for “taking up room on the floor,” is a style of dance that’s native to Oakland. During the hyphy movement of the early 2000s, the moves people were doing at house parties and in music videos left an indelible impression on Telice, as a youngster growing up in South Sacramento. When she was a teenager, her mother would drive her to functions in the Bay Area so she could be a part of the action. And as a young adult attending UC Berkeley, Telice found a home in Oakland’s turf dancing community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13940115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13940115 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Telice Summerfield's hair swings as she gigs in the center of a crowd during a recent battle.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Telice Summerfield’s hair swings as she gigs in the center of a crowd during a recent battle. \u003ccite>(Amy Marie Elmer / Artful Eye Studios)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Through this community, Telice has built a career in dance. Last year alone she hosted the 2023 Red Bull Dance Your Style Competition, taught turf dancing to young folks at an elementary school in West Oakland, and led lessons on dance at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today we discuss how the hyphy movement opened her eyes to the arts as a child, how her experience at UC Berkeley exposed her to inequalities on campus as a young adult, and what dancing on BART has taught her about sociology. Now that Telice is a known name in the dancing world, she also gives us some insight on her plans to take the culture even further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClfT3U6Dw3_/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC7950103605&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw, host:\u003c/strong> Hey, what’s up family, welcome to Rightnowish. I’m your host, Pendarvis Harshaw, sliding in the studio to bring you a story that’s for sure going to get you moving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re an avid BART rider, chances are you’ve seen folks dancing on the train to make a lil change. The style of dance most people do on BART is T.U.R.F. Dancing, a type of dance that emerged from Oakland in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was popularized during the hyphy movement, and in many ways it carried the culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than just going dumb, T.U.R.F. Dancing is about the smooth footwork, pantomiming and making facial expressions. It’s about the bone-breaking, tutting, and pop-locking. It’s storytelling on beat, and being player about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week we’re talking to Telice Summerfield, a T.U.R.F. dancer who takes the meaning behind the acronym T.U.R.F.– taking up room on the floor– seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Originally from South Sacramento, Telice was a kid when the hyphy movement kicked off. But she took note of it all: the good, the bad, and the dance moves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And since then she’s gone on to teach dance classes in schools, host events at the Oakland Museum of California, and shine on stage at Red Bull’s Dance Your Style competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re lucky enough to get on the right BART train, you’ll find Telice going from station to station, giggin’, doing bone-breaking contortions, and acrobatic moves as she performs on public transit. It’s because of this work ethic and talent that Telice’s name now rings bells in the Bay and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today on Rightnowish, Telice shares a bit about her upbringing in Sacramento, her affection for the Town and how she’s T.U.R.F. danced all over Northern California– carrying the hyphy flag with her, and keeping the culture lit for the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of that and more, right after this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s your earliest memory of turf dancing, when was the first time you saw it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> So when I was 11, my.. I want to call her my cousin, but she really like my little brother’s auntie. She were not, like, blood re-. Anyways, she threw a party. I want to say she was like a junior or senior in high school, and she threw a big ass party right there in Meadowview and it was so lit. It was like my first function. And in there they was fuckin wit’ it they was turfin’. And Iike it just was… it so lit. It was like one of the most hyphiest young moments of my life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By, like, my junior year of high school, I was like ditching school to go to the battles or I would like, leave whatever school event. I was into extracurriculars, very studious, very smart. But I would be leaving the school shit to go dance because that’s really where my heart was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> During that time period, we have this thing called the hyphy movement. And through that, it furthered the cultural identity of Northern California hip hop. And it spoke to you in Sacramento. You latched on to it. What was it about the hyphy movement that spoke to you?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Oh, my goodness. I felt a sense of like, ‘ooh, that’s me.’ Like, it was just like a sense of resonance, you know? Um, it allowed me to be free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the hyphy movement and with hyphy culture and like just the energy behind it, there’s a sense of like, relief and freedom and like, “Oh, you don’t actually got to sit like this and eat like this and do this.” And there’s no supposed to. You know, you could just like fuck with it, you feel me. And like it was very electric for me. Like I will always turn up. The Federation was my favorite. And whenever I felt constrained by rules or by circumstance or by um, obstacles, I could always turn on some hyphy slaps and it would just be lit like, I just would feel better, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> Something that I really wanted to touch on, is the fact that your mother would drive you and sometimes even your siblings to functions in Oakland so that you could dance. What did her belief in you do for you as a burgeoning dancer?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> She would do all of that sacrificing, and mind you she was like… the battles back in the day was like 25 dollars, maybe 20, 25 dollars. And she couldn’t afford to get us all if she would drive all the way from Sac, maybe with my siblings in a car, if they was around, if not, they was at home or whatever. But they would all wait outside for me and she would pay for me to get into battles and wait hours, hours for me to just be exposed, like maybe, maybe not cypher, maybe, maybe not meet a few people. You know what I mean?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like, I was a lot more reserved and a lot less confident at the time, and so she would go the extra mile just for me to have the exposure to what I love most. And for me, like, especially in hindsight, I can never pay her back for that. You know, it’s like an investment that, like, she really believes in me and it’s paid off. You know, I’m able to pay my bills now off of dance, just off of me being who I am. And like, that’s a blessing. That is… that’s irreplaceable. You know, you can’t put a price tag on that. So, her investment in me way back when just showed me that she believed in whatever I decide to do, she gon’ stand ten toes behind me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> That’s beautiful. As a parent I know that that’s something that, yeah, you kind of live through your child in a lot of ways. And… and so seeing you pursue your dreams and be successful, I’m sure she’s proud of you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something I got to get here because this is an important part of your story. You get into UC Berkeley, you move to the Bay Area. You study social welfare as well as Spanish, and at the same time you weren’t all the way feeling what UC Berkeley was in terms of the social life on campus. So you ended up in Oakland. What did Oakland provide for you as an outlet during that time period?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Oakland provided a sense of like home. Like it didn’t feel like there were as many social expectations or regulations. Racism wasn’t as heavy as it was in Berkeley. My craft held more weight in Oakland, you know, like I feel like my… I could take my craft to Oakland anywhere, you know, especially on the trains. Well, like, anywhere really and be recognized for what I do and, like, really be affirmed in what I do. Whereas like in Berkeley, it just was like, “Oh, that’s cool,” you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> Very much so. I went to Berkeley for grad school. Similar situation where on Fridays I would drop my backpack off and just be in the town and I… It was a release, I could breathe again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> And that’s a lot of the reason why I would either if I was in Berkeley, I was either at home, in class, or on my way to the BART.\u003cem> [chuckles]\u003c/em> Like, I was never really kickin’ it in Berkeley. I never really was fucking with the parties like that, like none of that, because I didn’t feel a sense of belonging. I didn’t feel like there was room for, like, real black girls, like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley is well known for its political activism, its progressive activism, but there also still exists a lot of hegemony and hierarchy in that arena just to even have access to it, you know. So I felt that a lot and just Oakland gave me an escape. It gave me access to myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> That makes perfect sense then. And that investment in yourself paid dividends. You furthered your community. You met folks who were into dance just like you were. You met my best friend in the world, Jesus.. Zeus El, who’s a legendary turf dancer. And so I’ve known Zeus since seventh grade, and I’ve seen him develop this turf dance family kind of from the outside. You know, I know a lot of the people, but I’m not a dancer, so I’m not in it. And so I’m wondering, what is it like being inside of that turf dancing family?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> First of all, shout out to Zeus. I love him so much. That’s big bro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s incredible. He takes everybody in with open arms. And that’s not the case for all the turfers. And that’s not… that’s not our general standard of embracing people. You know, a lot of times people have to earn it. But he just like, welcomed me and I just- I’m so grateful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Being inside of that family is like it’s very nuanced. Like there’s very, very high highs and the lows really kick you in your ass and there’s a lot of politics too, that are not easily, uh, legible to an onlooker, right or somebody who just whose perspective is from the outside in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s very critical that we stay connected, even if we don’t see eye to eye or even if we don’t agree on a topic. Being in that family is not easy, but Zeus made it a lot easier. Like I met, he was one of the first people I met in my first, like, day of being in Berkeley by myself without my family, you know. Like I went to the gym and I went to go flip with him. And that also gave me a sense of myself because I’ve been an athlete for a long time. And it just reminded me like, there’s not… you don’t have to separate your identity into categories, like they can all blend and serve your purpose for who you are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> You came out and you stole the show at a KQED event. We were honoring dancers from… basically 100 years worth of dancing told through this show. And toward the end, we invited folks to come up on stage and start hittin it, and you came out there, giggin, you knew a little bit of everybody and folks knew you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Being integral to what I love most has earned me the opportunity of getting to be who I am authentically, everywhere I go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you see me interacting with people and you see me like…. Like you said, I knew a little bit of everybody. Someone that I met from years ago in school could be at a KQED event and remember me or recognize me. Right. Or someone that I met through a village auntie can be at another event and remember me. You know what I mean? And so I think just like, developing authentic relationships and being authentic to who I am has allowed me to earn my name and earn like the…honor behind it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> You mentioned dancing in different places and people knowing you from the different hats that you wear. Do you have a different approach when you’re dancing on big stages or community events or even on BART?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Dancing on big stages is really fun. It’s really fun because the support is for the most part, it’s overwhelming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> It allows me to expose the culture to a larger amount of people and the way that I do it, is unique because I wasn’t here, you know, I wasn’t in the Town in 2006, 2007, 2008, right? So the way that I do it has to be genuine to who I am.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It feels empowering to dance on BART because I know that I can always feed myself off my craft, you know? But there’s… there’s, like, nuances, right? Like, there’s the good with the bad. Like, BART is not the cleanest place to be hustling. It’s not the cleanest place to be dancing, you know? So I don’t sit down when I’m dancing on BART. Like I don’t sit down on BART, period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people who see dancers on BART, they rarely see girls. They rarely see girls who are raw. I don’t know, I don’t even really see girls like that and I be out there! So, like…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turfing in itself is taken up from on a floor, right? And it’s like radical, it’s political. It’s not- it’s not just dance moves Like you can feel it, it pierces you, you know, And whether I’m dancing on BART, whether I’m dancing in a battle, whether I’m dancing at first Friday, whether I’m dancing at a music festival, like people can feel that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> That’s dope, Okay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> And, in terms of that validity in developing community and reaching folks during the pandemic, BART ridership took a dive. You pivoted and started doing work online. You developed a dance club called “Pussy Power Dance” and it became popular. Why do you think folks latched onto it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Well, I created Pussy Power out of a deficit of platform, right. Each month I would host a IG live session and it would last for about an hour and I would invite girls to come and perform on Pussy Power and, um, they would take 3 to 5 minutes to dance and they would just showcase. And I made it a showcase on purpose so that it was more open to all level styles, backgrounds, like I didn’t want it to feel like a competition or like a battle or like you’re going against all these girls in the live, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I think that people latched on to it because they probably felt the same way and also because they saw how unifying it was from like, the barriers of time, space, language, level of dance, and any other constraints that could keep us away from each other, they- those obstacles didn’t limit us when we were on pussy power. So like, every episode was so inspiring, and all the girls were like, ‘oh my goodness!’ It was just so cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To me, giving back is a part of why I do everything that I do. Like I want everyone to walk away with something, even if it’s inspiration or hopefully it’s tangible. And so through Pussy Power, even though there was all these dimensions that kept us apart, I still was able to give back in tangible ways and that made it more popular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> It’s something, you seem like you’ve etched out a career path. Now you’re working in education as well, teaching young folks dance in West Oakland. Tell me more about your day job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> My day job is teaching dance at an elementary school in West Oakland. And I teach from preschool up until fourth grade. Basically, there’s two classes of each grade and each class like, circulates through my class,\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my class we do, like it’s not elite dancing at all, you know, it’s not like it’s not “traditional” what traditional dance classes would look like, where like they’re learning a choreography and then they’re doing the choreography, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s more of like embracing movement as a creative expression of empowerment. You know, it’s like confidence building. It’s like them embracing that dance culture is really fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What I do, like, my role is to, like, uplift them and empower them and like, show them like, even if you don’t feel like the best dancer in the world, you can still come touch the stage and show some poses. And, you know, you can walk down a Soul Train line like the queen that you are. And so that allows them to share information of movement with each other, um, back and forth and just like embrace each other, you know, really see each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> And then beyond that, you also do workshops with folks of all ages through the Oakland Museum of California. What’s that experience been like?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> The Oakland Museum, shout out to them. I love them so much. The workshop that I taught recently, it did have a diverse age group and I’m grateful for that because the movement and the information that I have to offer. I do want it to be accessible to everyone. And so I hosted a dance workshop on the front steps in the front patio of the Oakland Museum. And at first it was like only a few people. And like, there was some people who were feeling shy so they just wanted to watch. And then there are some people who are like, “Yeah, I’ll do it..I come fuck with y’all.” But by the end of the class it was like a good 15, 20 people and they all like, “Yeah!” You know, they’re all really excited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I like to end with uh, activities, games, you know, dance circles, things like that, because it… it’s not so like… accomplished-based. It’s actually about how you feel because it’s not just a dance move. It’s not just a dance style. It’s like a… It’s a feeling, you know what I mean? It’s like a… it’s like a radical act, it’s a radical practice. So people feel that when they’re in my classes, in my space, learning from me, they always leave with smiles. And that just makes me feel like, oh my goodness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> You’re doing the work. You’re doing the work. And it’s, I mean, the smiles and also like having income based on it, being able to make a living off of dance, that’s a sign that you’re on the right path. With that said, why do you personally think it’s important to pass down these lessons to the next generation?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Several reasons, I really in my heart, I know that if we don’t pay it forward, the culture will die, like, just period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> You know, and so, I really, as someone who’s really passionate about it and who cares about this a lot and like who makes a living and defines my path with this turfin’ shit, like turfing is a way of life for me. And as someone who uses this practice as a way of life, it’s critical to pass it down. It’s critical to pay it forward. So that way I’m not always… the burden isn’t always on me to keep this alive. Like, you know, it’s not just on any of us. Like we have a whole ‘nother generation of people who are emerging and maybe they can do a little bit more with this practice, with this community than we were able to do. You know, maybe they can reach farther than we were able to reach, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like there’s a lot of people around the world who want to learn turfing, you know, and we have it. It’s not like we’re not capable. There’s just some disconnects that I want to, like, connect so that not only I can get paid boucou money to travel the world, to teach and learn turfing. But my peers and my… my youngins can also do the same and see tangible opportunity from this, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> Everybody eats, B.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Everybody eats. Everybody walks away with something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> I want to give a huge shoutout to Telice Summerfield. You’ve found your path, and you’ve simultaneously carried the culture with you! Thank you. Thank you for taking it even further!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You all can follow her on Instagram at tuuhleacee spelled T-U-U-H-L-E-A-C-E-E. And that’s the best way to stay updated on Telice’s upcoming performances, classes and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This episode was hosted by me, Pendarvis Harshaw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was produced by Marisol Medina-Cadena and Sheree Bishop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Hambrick is our editor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christopher Beale is our engineer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additional support provided by Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldaña, Ugur Dursun and Holly Kernan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend, or write a review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps more people find us. Thanks y’all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rightnowish is a KQED Production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Rightnowish is an arts and culture podcast produced at KQED. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or click the play button at the top of this page and subscribe to the show on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish\">NPR One\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I\">Spotify\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/Rightnowish-p1258245/\">TuneIn\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish\">Stitcher\u003c/a> or wherever you get your podcasts. \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]=\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Telice Summerfield discusses the hyphy movement and her plans to take turf dancing culture even further.",
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"title": "From Buskin’ on BART to Teaching Turfin’ | KQED",
"description": ""Turfin' is a way of life for me," says Telice Summerfield, a dancer who has the ability turn a BART platform into a stage where she can glide, tut, bend and bone break on beat. She exchanges energy with onlookers; they get entertained and she gets empowered. The dance is an art. It's also a political act, as she takes up space at will.",
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"socialDescription": ""Turfin' is a way of life for me," says Telice Summerfield, a dancer who has the ability turn a BART platform into a stage where she can glide, tut, bend and bone break on beat. She exchanges energy with onlookers; they get entertained and she gets empowered. The dance is an art. It's also a political act, as she takes up space at will.",
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"headline": "From Buskin’ on BART to Teaching Turfin’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“T\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">urfin’ is a way of life for me,” says \u003c/span>Telice Summerfield, a dancer who has the ability turn a BART platform into a stage where she can glide, tut, bend and bone break on beat. She exchanges energy with onlookers; they get entertained and she gets empowered. The dance is an art. It’s also a political act, as she takes up space at will.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Turf, \u003c/a>an acronym that stands for “taking up room on the floor,” is a style of dance that’s native to Oakland. During the hyphy movement of the early 2000s, the moves people were doing at house parties and in music videos left an indelible impression on Telice, as a youngster growing up in South Sacramento. When she was a teenager, her mother would drive her to functions in the Bay Area so she could be a part of the action. And as a young adult attending UC Berkeley, Telice found a home in Oakland’s turf dancing community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13940115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13940115 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Telice Summerfield's hair swings as she gigs in the center of a crowd during a recent battle.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/1-3.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Telice Summerfield’s hair swings as she gigs in the center of a crowd during a recent battle. \u003ccite>(Amy Marie Elmer / Artful Eye Studios)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Through this community, Telice has built a career in dance. Last year alone she hosted the 2023 Red Bull Dance Your Style Competition, taught turf dancing to young folks at an elementary school in West Oakland, and led lessons on dance at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today we discuss how the hyphy movement opened her eyes to the arts as a child, how her experience at UC Berkeley exposed her to inequalities on campus as a young adult, and what dancing on BART has taught her about sociology. Now that Telice is a known name in the dancing world, she also gives us some insight on her plans to take the culture even further.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw, host:\u003c/strong> Hey, what’s up family, welcome to Rightnowish. I’m your host, Pendarvis Harshaw, sliding in the studio to bring you a story that’s for sure going to get you moving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re an avid BART rider, chances are you’ve seen folks dancing on the train to make a lil change. The style of dance most people do on BART is T.U.R.F. Dancing, a type of dance that emerged from Oakland in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was popularized during the hyphy movement, and in many ways it carried the culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than just going dumb, T.U.R.F. Dancing is about the smooth footwork, pantomiming and making facial expressions. It’s about the bone-breaking, tutting, and pop-locking. It’s storytelling on beat, and being player about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week we’re talking to Telice Summerfield, a T.U.R.F. dancer who takes the meaning behind the acronym T.U.R.F.– taking up room on the floor– seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Originally from South Sacramento, Telice was a kid when the hyphy movement kicked off. But she took note of it all: the good, the bad, and the dance moves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And since then she’s gone on to teach dance classes in schools, host events at the Oakland Museum of California, and shine on stage at Red Bull’s Dance Your Style competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re lucky enough to get on the right BART train, you’ll find Telice going from station to station, giggin’, doing bone-breaking contortions, and acrobatic moves as she performs on public transit. It’s because of this work ethic and talent that Telice’s name now rings bells in the Bay and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today on Rightnowish, Telice shares a bit about her upbringing in Sacramento, her affection for the Town and how she’s T.U.R.F. danced all over Northern California– carrying the hyphy flag with her, and keeping the culture lit for the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of that and more, right after this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s your earliest memory of turf dancing, when was the first time you saw it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> So when I was 11, my.. I want to call her my cousin, but she really like my little brother’s auntie. She were not, like, blood re-. Anyways, she threw a party. I want to say she was like a junior or senior in high school, and she threw a big ass party right there in Meadowview and it was so lit. It was like my first function. And in there they was fuckin wit’ it they was turfin’. And Iike it just was… it so lit. It was like one of the most hyphiest young moments of my life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By, like, my junior year of high school, I was like ditching school to go to the battles or I would like, leave whatever school event. I was into extracurriculars, very studious, very smart. But I would be leaving the school shit to go dance because that’s really where my heart was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> During that time period, we have this thing called the hyphy movement. And through that, it furthered the cultural identity of Northern California hip hop. And it spoke to you in Sacramento. You latched on to it. What was it about the hyphy movement that spoke to you?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Oh, my goodness. I felt a sense of like, ‘ooh, that’s me.’ Like, it was just like a sense of resonance, you know? Um, it allowed me to be free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the hyphy movement and with hyphy culture and like just the energy behind it, there’s a sense of like, relief and freedom and like, “Oh, you don’t actually got to sit like this and eat like this and do this.” And there’s no supposed to. You know, you could just like fuck with it, you feel me. And like it was very electric for me. Like I will always turn up. The Federation was my favorite. And whenever I felt constrained by rules or by circumstance or by um, obstacles, I could always turn on some hyphy slaps and it would just be lit like, I just would feel better, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> Something that I really wanted to touch on, is the fact that your mother would drive you and sometimes even your siblings to functions in Oakland so that you could dance. What did her belief in you do for you as a burgeoning dancer?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> She would do all of that sacrificing, and mind you she was like… the battles back in the day was like 25 dollars, maybe 20, 25 dollars. And she couldn’t afford to get us all if she would drive all the way from Sac, maybe with my siblings in a car, if they was around, if not, they was at home or whatever. But they would all wait outside for me and she would pay for me to get into battles and wait hours, hours for me to just be exposed, like maybe, maybe not cypher, maybe, maybe not meet a few people. You know what I mean?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like, I was a lot more reserved and a lot less confident at the time, and so she would go the extra mile just for me to have the exposure to what I love most. And for me, like, especially in hindsight, I can never pay her back for that. You know, it’s like an investment that, like, she really believes in me and it’s paid off. You know, I’m able to pay my bills now off of dance, just off of me being who I am. And like, that’s a blessing. That is… that’s irreplaceable. You know, you can’t put a price tag on that. So, her investment in me way back when just showed me that she believed in whatever I decide to do, she gon’ stand ten toes behind me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> That’s beautiful. As a parent I know that that’s something that, yeah, you kind of live through your child in a lot of ways. And… and so seeing you pursue your dreams and be successful, I’m sure she’s proud of you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something I got to get here because this is an important part of your story. You get into UC Berkeley, you move to the Bay Area. You study social welfare as well as Spanish, and at the same time you weren’t all the way feeling what UC Berkeley was in terms of the social life on campus. So you ended up in Oakland. What did Oakland provide for you as an outlet during that time period?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Oakland provided a sense of like home. Like it didn’t feel like there were as many social expectations or regulations. Racism wasn’t as heavy as it was in Berkeley. My craft held more weight in Oakland, you know, like I feel like my… I could take my craft to Oakland anywhere, you know, especially on the trains. Well, like, anywhere really and be recognized for what I do and, like, really be affirmed in what I do. Whereas like in Berkeley, it just was like, “Oh, that’s cool,” you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> Very much so. I went to Berkeley for grad school. Similar situation where on Fridays I would drop my backpack off and just be in the town and I… It was a release, I could breathe again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> And that’s a lot of the reason why I would either if I was in Berkeley, I was either at home, in class, or on my way to the BART.\u003cem> [chuckles]\u003c/em> Like, I was never really kickin’ it in Berkeley. I never really was fucking with the parties like that, like none of that, because I didn’t feel a sense of belonging. I didn’t feel like there was room for, like, real black girls, like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley is well known for its political activism, its progressive activism, but there also still exists a lot of hegemony and hierarchy in that arena just to even have access to it, you know. So I felt that a lot and just Oakland gave me an escape. It gave me access to myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> That makes perfect sense then. And that investment in yourself paid dividends. You furthered your community. You met folks who were into dance just like you were. You met my best friend in the world, Jesus.. Zeus El, who’s a legendary turf dancer. And so I’ve known Zeus since seventh grade, and I’ve seen him develop this turf dance family kind of from the outside. You know, I know a lot of the people, but I’m not a dancer, so I’m not in it. And so I’m wondering, what is it like being inside of that turf dancing family?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> First of all, shout out to Zeus. I love him so much. That’s big bro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s incredible. He takes everybody in with open arms. And that’s not the case for all the turfers. And that’s not… that’s not our general standard of embracing people. You know, a lot of times people have to earn it. But he just like, welcomed me and I just- I’m so grateful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Being inside of that family is like it’s very nuanced. Like there’s very, very high highs and the lows really kick you in your ass and there’s a lot of politics too, that are not easily, uh, legible to an onlooker, right or somebody who just whose perspective is from the outside in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s very critical that we stay connected, even if we don’t see eye to eye or even if we don’t agree on a topic. Being in that family is not easy, but Zeus made it a lot easier. Like I met, he was one of the first people I met in my first, like, day of being in Berkeley by myself without my family, you know. Like I went to the gym and I went to go flip with him. And that also gave me a sense of myself because I’ve been an athlete for a long time. And it just reminded me like, there’s not… you don’t have to separate your identity into categories, like they can all blend and serve your purpose for who you are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> You came out and you stole the show at a KQED event. We were honoring dancers from… basically 100 years worth of dancing told through this show. And toward the end, we invited folks to come up on stage and start hittin it, and you came out there, giggin, you knew a little bit of everybody and folks knew you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Being integral to what I love most has earned me the opportunity of getting to be who I am authentically, everywhere I go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you see me interacting with people and you see me like…. Like you said, I knew a little bit of everybody. Someone that I met from years ago in school could be at a KQED event and remember me or recognize me. Right. Or someone that I met through a village auntie can be at another event and remember me. You know what I mean? And so I think just like, developing authentic relationships and being authentic to who I am has allowed me to earn my name and earn like the…honor behind it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> You mentioned dancing in different places and people knowing you from the different hats that you wear. Do you have a different approach when you’re dancing on big stages or community events or even on BART?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Dancing on big stages is really fun. It’s really fun because the support is for the most part, it’s overwhelming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> It allows me to expose the culture to a larger amount of people and the way that I do it, is unique because I wasn’t here, you know, I wasn’t in the Town in 2006, 2007, 2008, right? So the way that I do it has to be genuine to who I am.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It feels empowering to dance on BART because I know that I can always feed myself off my craft, you know? But there’s… there’s, like, nuances, right? Like, there’s the good with the bad. Like, BART is not the cleanest place to be hustling. It’s not the cleanest place to be dancing, you know? So I don’t sit down when I’m dancing on BART. Like I don’t sit down on BART, period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most people who see dancers on BART, they rarely see girls. They rarely see girls who are raw. I don’t know, I don’t even really see girls like that and I be out there! So, like…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turfing in itself is taken up from on a floor, right? And it’s like radical, it’s political. It’s not- it’s not just dance moves Like you can feel it, it pierces you, you know, And whether I’m dancing on BART, whether I’m dancing in a battle, whether I’m dancing at first Friday, whether I’m dancing at a music festival, like people can feel that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> That’s dope, Okay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> And, in terms of that validity in developing community and reaching folks during the pandemic, BART ridership took a dive. You pivoted and started doing work online. You developed a dance club called “Pussy Power Dance” and it became popular. Why do you think folks latched onto it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Well, I created Pussy Power out of a deficit of platform, right. Each month I would host a IG live session and it would last for about an hour and I would invite girls to come and perform on Pussy Power and, um, they would take 3 to 5 minutes to dance and they would just showcase. And I made it a showcase on purpose so that it was more open to all level styles, backgrounds, like I didn’t want it to feel like a competition or like a battle or like you’re going against all these girls in the live, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I think that people latched on to it because they probably felt the same way and also because they saw how unifying it was from like, the barriers of time, space, language, level of dance, and any other constraints that could keep us away from each other, they- those obstacles didn’t limit us when we were on pussy power. So like, every episode was so inspiring, and all the girls were like, ‘oh my goodness!’ It was just so cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To me, giving back is a part of why I do everything that I do. Like I want everyone to walk away with something, even if it’s inspiration or hopefully it’s tangible. And so through Pussy Power, even though there was all these dimensions that kept us apart, I still was able to give back in tangible ways and that made it more popular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> It’s something, you seem like you’ve etched out a career path. Now you’re working in education as well, teaching young folks dance in West Oakland. Tell me more about your day job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> My day job is teaching dance at an elementary school in West Oakland. And I teach from preschool up until fourth grade. Basically, there’s two classes of each grade and each class like, circulates through my class,\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my class we do, like it’s not elite dancing at all, you know, it’s not like it’s not “traditional” what traditional dance classes would look like, where like they’re learning a choreography and then they’re doing the choreography, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s more of like embracing movement as a creative expression of empowerment. You know, it’s like confidence building. It’s like them embracing that dance culture is really fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What I do, like, my role is to, like, uplift them and empower them and like, show them like, even if you don’t feel like the best dancer in the world, you can still come touch the stage and show some poses. And, you know, you can walk down a Soul Train line like the queen that you are. And so that allows them to share information of movement with each other, um, back and forth and just like embrace each other, you know, really see each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> And then beyond that, you also do workshops with folks of all ages through the Oakland Museum of California. What’s that experience been like?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> The Oakland Museum, shout out to them. I love them so much. The workshop that I taught recently, it did have a diverse age group and I’m grateful for that because the movement and the information that I have to offer. I do want it to be accessible to everyone. And so I hosted a dance workshop on the front steps in the front patio of the Oakland Museum. And at first it was like only a few people. And like, there was some people who were feeling shy so they just wanted to watch. And then there are some people who are like, “Yeah, I’ll do it..I come fuck with y’all.” But by the end of the class it was like a good 15, 20 people and they all like, “Yeah!” You know, they’re all really excited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And I like to end with uh, activities, games, you know, dance circles, things like that, because it… it’s not so like… accomplished-based. It’s actually about how you feel because it’s not just a dance move. It’s not just a dance style. It’s like a… It’s a feeling, you know what I mean? It’s like a… it’s like a radical act, it’s a radical practice. So people feel that when they’re in my classes, in my space, learning from me, they always leave with smiles. And that just makes me feel like, oh my goodness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> You’re doing the work. You’re doing the work. And it’s, I mean, the smiles and also like having income based on it, being able to make a living off of dance, that’s a sign that you’re on the right path. With that said, why do you personally think it’s important to pass down these lessons to the next generation?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Several reasons, I really in my heart, I know that if we don’t pay it forward, the culture will die, like, just period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> You know, and so, I really, as someone who’s really passionate about it and who cares about this a lot and like who makes a living and defines my path with this turfin’ shit, like turfing is a way of life for me. And as someone who uses this practice as a way of life, it’s critical to pass it down. It’s critical to pay it forward. So that way I’m not always… the burden isn’t always on me to keep this alive. Like, you know, it’s not just on any of us. Like we have a whole ‘nother generation of people who are emerging and maybe they can do a little bit more with this practice, with this community than we were able to do. You know, maybe they can reach farther than we were able to reach, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like there’s a lot of people around the world who want to learn turfing, you know, and we have it. It’s not like we’re not capable. There’s just some disconnects that I want to, like, connect so that not only I can get paid boucou money to travel the world, to teach and learn turfing. But my peers and my… my youngins can also do the same and see tangible opportunity from this, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> Everybody eats, B.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Telice Summerfield:\u003c/strong> Everybody eats. Everybody walks away with something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>[Music]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pendarvis Harshaw:\u003c/strong> I want to give a huge shoutout to Telice Summerfield. You’ve found your path, and you’ve simultaneously carried the culture with you! Thank you. Thank you for taking it even further!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You all can follow her on Instagram at tuuhleacee spelled T-U-U-H-L-E-A-C-E-E. And that’s the best way to stay updated on Telice’s upcoming performances, classes and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This episode was hosted by me, Pendarvis Harshaw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was produced by Marisol Medina-Cadena and Sheree Bishop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Hambrick is our editor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christopher Beale is our engineer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additional support provided by Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldaña, Ugur Dursun and Holly Kernan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend, or write a review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps more people find us. Thanks y’all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rightnowish is a KQED Production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Rightnowish is an arts and culture podcast produced at KQED. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or click the play button at the top of this page and subscribe to the show on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish\">NPR One\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I\">Spotify\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/Rightnowish-p1258245/\">TuneIn\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish\">Stitcher\u003c/a> or wherever you get your podcasts. \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>=\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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