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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980160\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980160\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man wearing a deep blue suit holds a tan horse by the reins and looks up toward the sky, wearing sunglasses\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_-768x559.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_-1536x1119.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Rhythm is a feeling of total alignment with yourself and everything around you, because you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing,” says Rexx Life Raj, the Berkeley-raised artist, about his new album ‘In Rhythm.’ \u003ccite>(Marco Alexander)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or over a decade, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rexx-life-raj\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>’s music has been a beacon of refreshing lyricism and intricate musicianship. His expansive catalog includes collaborations with Goapele, Mozzy, Russ, Wale, Terrace Martin, ALLBLACK, Larry June, Kehlani, Dame Lillard and Fireboy DML.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while guest appearances are impressive, what sets Raj apart is his ability to create music about the universe within himself, in all its forms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He drops comical bars about psilocybin one minute, and makes astute observations from his perspective as a Black man in the U.S. the next. He raps and sings over melodic bass-heavy tracks, while penning personal stories that invite his listeners to connect more deeply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the artist behind the \u003cem>Father Figure\u003c/em> and \u003cem>California Poppy\u003c/em> series of EPs is at a critical career juncture. Raj’s new album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9tY0BWXOZFt5me9LPhdwlUWA0rJh2P-D\">In Rhythm\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, released by San Francisco label EMPIRE and celebrated at a \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/in-rhythm-album-release-party?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeNMa8rYhdJhhzZ3I-vwSrJeGBYuXivKRVtu9SQtOi5el-ujQDzKT8PbKk_eQ_aem_hJ2PwxPXqhm_UnB9R9VMHQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">listening party this Sunday in Oakland\u003c/a>, shows the Berkeley-raised artist stepping out from under a heavy cloud of blue to enter a whole new chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979982\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979982\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211.jpg\" alt=\"A silhouette of a man raising his right arm on stage while holding a mic with his right arm. \" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rexx Life Raj says he’s out of rhythm when he’s not praying, meditating, eating, working out, and tapping in with his loved ones like he’s supposed to. And it shows through his mind, body and spirit being off. \u003c/span>\u003c/i> \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Out of The Blue\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 2023, after touring for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915940/rexx-life-raj-the-blue-hour-empire\">\u003cem>The Blue Hour\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, an album Raj made after losing both his parents, he sat in their house, cleaning it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He came across family photo albums, his father’s record collection and his mother’s Bible, with her notes in the margins. Raj, a clever lyricist known for exercising his poetic isms, wrote a few bars in the simplest language he could muster: “I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss my nigga Greg / ‘I love you brother’ was the last thing you ever said.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resulting song, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPnCu-9arPw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“Somewhere” (feat. Joy Oladokun)\u003c/a>, is a centerpiece of \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>. On a recent phone call, Raj says, “I literally wrote that in my parents house, right before I came to Los Angeles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after standing in grief, his new album finds him emerging from the blues. At 35 years old, Raj is finding a new healthy cadence. He lives in L.A. now. He even has a fresh new haircut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1523px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979985\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174.jpg\" alt=\"A man on stage wearing all black and sunglasses while holding a microphone.\" width=\"1523\" height=\"1472\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174.jpg 1523w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174-160x155.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174-768x742.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1523px) 100vw, 1523px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rexx Life Raj performs an intimate set as part of the SF Hip-Hop Festival on July 19, 2025 at the Midway in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’d been wanting to cut my hair for a while,” he says. He first considered it after his parents passed, but was too attached to his locs, which he’d grown since 2009. “My hair was just such a big part of me, such a part of my identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then the treatment for a music video of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBaQGJD59Wg\">Narrated By Me\u003c/a>,” the first single off \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>, called for a scene of him cutting his long locs. And Raj wasn’t about to fake it for the camera. “If I do a video that’s around the idea of me cutting my hair,” he says, “we’re actually going to cut my hair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It exemplified his transitionary phase, of stepping into the new person he’s becoming and letting go of the past, he says — a maturation that’s echoed in his music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBaQGJD59Wg\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Faraji’s Evolution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While there’s always room for party songs, Raj says, at this age, establishing a sincere relationship with his audience and making music to help others heal are his top priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s super important for my fans and listeners to connect with me on that level,” he says. At his shows, he sees crowds of adults “dealing with real-life shit in that moment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In turn, his new album is steeped in ideas of resilience, like the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkxQW-8NLxo\">Dim My Light\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5qEtD4-4Jw\">Already Mine\u003c/a>,” the latter of which is a soundtrack for stuntin’ on haters whilst reciting your daily affirmations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13915940']The responsibility Raj feels to his fans extends to other artists, who may be watching how he handles his career. While he still experiments with his music, freestyles during shows and even \u003ca href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/rexxliferaj/videos?filter=clips&range=7d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cats off from time to time on Twitch\u003c/a>, he knows there are limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could go viral at any moment if I wanted to just be an idiot,” Raj says, reflecting on his livestream content. Instead, he strives for showing his comedic side without “looking like a goofy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m getting to the space where I feel I’m starting to become an O.G. at this shit,” he says, with a certain heft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That self-assured mindset of an elder statesman shows up throughout the album, notably in the song \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkK6pdwDQxs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“That’s Not Your Path” (with Babyface Ray and Sango)\u003c/a> — and even more explicitly in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34exQaoiCIg\">“I’m Not An Apprentice.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breaking down the origins of the track, Raj explains how a studio session with another artist and their manager had gone awry, “and it just rubbed me the wrong way,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he hit the studio, thinking about the sweat equity he’s put into his craft over the past decade-plus, and wrote: “Send a budget, I mean, business is business / I put in 10,000 hours, bruh I’m not an apprentice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That concept transcends music; it applies to anyone who’s put in the necessary amount of time and focus, says Raj. It’s not about a sense of entitlement, he adds, but a sense of “bro, stop playing with me; I’ve put in the hours and deserve a certain level of respect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34exQaoiCIg\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>RexxGod Versus Himself\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another song on \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dgx7QXrC9c\">Better Man\u003c/a>,” contains what are arguably the hardest bars on the album:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I keep my momma’s Bible by the bed, I look at what she wrote\u003cbr>\nWhen this life start taking a toll, that shit gives me hope\u003cbr>\nRexxGod, I got superpowers, I should wear a cloak\u003cbr>\nI done kept it solid so long, that it’s set in stone\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The final double-entendre causes Raj to respond to his own words — in the background, he can be heard whistling an ad-lib, as if to say, \u003cem>whew, that’s real\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s something he does throughout the album when heavier bars, or “gems,” are dropped. Raj can’t explain where the whistling came from; it just happens after something he finds profound or prolific. A whistle — not meant as hubris, or cockiness — just “locks it in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surpassing his apprentice years. Still growing while grieving. Raj admits he’s far from having it all figured out. But that whistle is his sign that he’s headed in the right direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dgx7QXrC9c\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>11,000 Silent Steps\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A cerebral person who often pulls ideas from conversations with friends, Raj says as of late he’s been focused on long walks alone. “I’m trying to do like 11,000 steps a day,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By turning off his headphones and walking around downtown Los Angeles for an hour in the morning, he diminishes the mental noise, and ideas come to him. He keeps them in a running journal on his phone called “Life Notes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ensuing clarity informs \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>, which in addition to its themes of moving forward and finding the right pace, is also about not allowing one’s life to be dictated by others’ thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980169\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1471px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980169\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1471\" height=\"2183\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy.jpg 1471w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-160x237.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-768x1140.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-1035x1536.jpg 1035w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-1380x2048.jpg 1380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1471px) 100vw, 1471px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rexx Life Raj. \u003ccite>(Marco Alexander)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Too often, Raj laments, opinions of family members, teachers and coaches steer our decisions, and influence how we move through the world. And distinguishing your true voice from the influence of others is a task within itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Digging through the minutiae isn’t easy, but it starts with a realization similar to the one Raj has on the song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBaQGJD59Wg\">Narrated By Me\u003c/a>“: “I’m the author, I’m the writer, huh? / I’m the poet, I’m the rhymer, huh? / I can build a castle out of dust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That last point, Raj says, is about clearing all distractions so you can “paint your own story through life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, bro,” he says, “the voice in your head is the only voice that matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Rexx Life Raj’s ‘In Rhythm’ listening party takes place Sunday, Aug. 17, at ArtHaus Works (2744 E. 11th St., Oakland) from 4–6 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/in-rhythm-album-release-party\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Berkeley-raised singer and rapper enters a new life chapter with ‘In Rhythm,’ his latest album.",
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"title": "Rexx Life Raj Emerges from Grief and Finds a New Rhythm | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980160\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980160\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_.jpg\" alt=\"A young Black man wearing a deep blue suit holds a tan horse by the reins and looks up toward the sky, wearing sunglasses\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_-768x559.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.InRhythm.Detail.MAIN_-1536x1119.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Rhythm is a feeling of total alignment with yourself and everything around you, because you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing,” says Rexx Life Raj, the Berkeley-raised artist, about his new album ‘In Rhythm.’ \u003ccite>(Marco Alexander)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">F\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>or over a decade, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rexx-life-raj\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>’s music has been a beacon of refreshing lyricism and intricate musicianship. His expansive catalog includes collaborations with Goapele, Mozzy, Russ, Wale, Terrace Martin, ALLBLACK, Larry June, Kehlani, Dame Lillard and Fireboy DML.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while guest appearances are impressive, what sets Raj apart is his ability to create music about the universe within himself, in all its forms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He drops comical bars about psilocybin one minute, and makes astute observations from his perspective as a Black man in the U.S. the next. He raps and sings over melodic bass-heavy tracks, while penning personal stories that invite his listeners to connect more deeply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the artist behind the \u003cem>Father Figure\u003c/em> and \u003cem>California Poppy\u003c/em> series of EPs is at a critical career juncture. Raj’s new album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9tY0BWXOZFt5me9LPhdwlUWA0rJh2P-D\">In Rhythm\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, released by San Francisco label EMPIRE and celebrated at a \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/in-rhythm-album-release-party?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeNMa8rYhdJhhzZ3I-vwSrJeGBYuXivKRVtu9SQtOi5el-ujQDzKT8PbKk_eQ_aem_hJ2PwxPXqhm_UnB9R9VMHQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">listening party this Sunday in Oakland\u003c/a>, shows the Berkeley-raised artist stepping out from under a heavy cloud of blue to enter a whole new chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979982\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979982\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211.jpg\" alt=\"A silhouette of a man raising his right arm on stage while holding a mic with his right arm. \" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/dsc00211-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rexx Life Raj says he’s out of rhythm when he’s not praying, meditating, eating, working out, and tapping in with his loved ones like he’s supposed to. And it shows through his mind, body and spirit being off. \u003c/span>\u003c/i> \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Out of The Blue\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 2023, after touring for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915940/rexx-life-raj-the-blue-hour-empire\">\u003cem>The Blue Hour\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, an album Raj made after losing both his parents, he sat in their house, cleaning it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He came across family photo albums, his father’s record collection and his mother’s Bible, with her notes in the margins. Raj, a clever lyricist known for exercising his poetic isms, wrote a few bars in the simplest language he could muster: “I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss my nigga Greg / ‘I love you brother’ was the last thing you ever said.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resulting song, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPnCu-9arPw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“Somewhere” (feat. Joy Oladokun)\u003c/a>, is a centerpiece of \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>. On a recent phone call, Raj says, “I literally wrote that in my parents house, right before I came to Los Angeles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after standing in grief, his new album finds him emerging from the blues. At 35 years old, Raj is finding a new healthy cadence. He lives in L.A. now. He even has a fresh new haircut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1523px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979985\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174.jpg\" alt=\"A man on stage wearing all black and sunglasses while holding a microphone.\" width=\"1523\" height=\"1472\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174.jpg 1523w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174-160x155.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/img_5115-scaled-e1755023228174-768x742.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1523px) 100vw, 1523px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rexx Life Raj performs an intimate set as part of the SF Hip-Hop Festival on July 19, 2025 at the Midway in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I’d been wanting to cut my hair for a while,” he says. He first considered it after his parents passed, but was too attached to his locs, which he’d grown since 2009. “My hair was just such a big part of me, such a part of my identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then the treatment for a music video of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBaQGJD59Wg\">Narrated By Me\u003c/a>,” the first single off \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>, called for a scene of him cutting his long locs. And Raj wasn’t about to fake it for the camera. “If I do a video that’s around the idea of me cutting my hair,” he says, “we’re actually going to cut my hair.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It exemplified his transitionary phase, of stepping into the new person he’s becoming and letting go of the past, he says — a maturation that’s echoed in his music.\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/tBaQGJD59Wg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/tBaQGJD59Wg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>Faraji’s Evolution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While there’s always room for party songs, Raj says, at this age, establishing a sincere relationship with his audience and making music to help others heal are his top priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s super important for my fans and listeners to connect with me on that level,” he says. At his shows, he sees crowds of adults “dealing with real-life shit in that moment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In turn, his new album is steeped in ideas of resilience, like the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkxQW-8NLxo\">Dim My Light\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5qEtD4-4Jw\">Already Mine\u003c/a>,” the latter of which is a soundtrack for stuntin’ on haters whilst reciting your daily affirmations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The responsibility Raj feels to his fans extends to other artists, who may be watching how he handles his career. While he still experiments with his music, freestyles during shows and even \u003ca href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/rexxliferaj/videos?filter=clips&range=7d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cats off from time to time on Twitch\u003c/a>, he knows there are limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could go viral at any moment if I wanted to just be an idiot,” Raj says, reflecting on his livestream content. Instead, he strives for showing his comedic side without “looking like a goofy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m getting to the space where I feel I’m starting to become an O.G. at this shit,” he says, with a certain heft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That self-assured mindset of an elder statesman shows up throughout the album, notably in the song \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkK6pdwDQxs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">“That’s Not Your Path” (with Babyface Ray and Sango)\u003c/a> — and even more explicitly in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34exQaoiCIg\">“I’m Not An Apprentice.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breaking down the origins of the track, Raj explains how a studio session with another artist and their manager had gone awry, “and it just rubbed me the wrong way,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he hit the studio, thinking about the sweat equity he’s put into his craft over the past decade-plus, and wrote: “Send a budget, I mean, business is business / I put in 10,000 hours, bruh I’m not an apprentice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That concept transcends music; it applies to anyone who’s put in the necessary amount of time and focus, says Raj. It’s not about a sense of entitlement, he adds, but a sense of “bro, stop playing with me; I’ve put in the hours and deserve a certain level of respect.”\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/34exQaoiCIg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/34exQaoiCIg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>RexxGod Versus Himself\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another song on \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dgx7QXrC9c\">Better Man\u003c/a>,” contains what are arguably the hardest bars on the album:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I keep my momma’s Bible by the bed, I look at what she wrote\u003cbr>\nWhen this life start taking a toll, that shit gives me hope\u003cbr>\nRexxGod, I got superpowers, I should wear a cloak\u003cbr>\nI done kept it solid so long, that it’s set in stone\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The final double-entendre causes Raj to respond to his own words — in the background, he can be heard whistling an ad-lib, as if to say, \u003cem>whew, that’s real\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s something he does throughout the album when heavier bars, or “gems,” are dropped. Raj can’t explain where the whistling came from; it just happens after something he finds profound or prolific. A whistle — not meant as hubris, or cockiness — just “locks it in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surpassing his apprentice years. Still growing while grieving. Raj admits he’s far from having it all figured out. But that whistle is his sign that he’s headed in the right direction.\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/3dgx7QXrC9c'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/3dgx7QXrC9c'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>11,000 Silent Steps\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A cerebral person who often pulls ideas from conversations with friends, Raj says as of late he’s been focused on long walks alone. “I’m trying to do like 11,000 steps a day,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By turning off his headphones and walking around downtown Los Angeles for an hour in the morning, he diminishes the mental noise, and ideas come to him. He keeps them in a running journal on his phone called “Life Notes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ensuing clarity informs \u003cem>In Rhythm\u003c/em>, which in addition to its themes of moving forward and finding the right pace, is also about not allowing one’s life to be dictated by others’ thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980169\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1471px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980169\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1471\" height=\"2183\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy.jpg 1471w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-160x237.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-768x1140.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-1035x1536.jpg 1035w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/RexxLifeRaj.Horse_.vertical.Courtesy-1380x2048.jpg 1380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1471px) 100vw, 1471px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rexx Life Raj. \u003ccite>(Marco Alexander)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Too often, Raj laments, opinions of family members, teachers and coaches steer our decisions, and influence how we move through the world. And distinguishing your true voice from the influence of others is a task within itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Digging through the minutiae isn’t easy, but it starts with a realization similar to the one Raj has on the song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBaQGJD59Wg\">Narrated By Me\u003c/a>“: “I’m the author, I’m the writer, huh? / I’m the poet, I’m the rhymer, huh? / I can build a castle out of dust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That last point, Raj says, is about clearing all distractions so you can “paint your own story through life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, bro,” he says, “the voice in your head is the only voice that matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Rexx Life Raj’s ‘In Rhythm’ listening party takes place Sunday, Aug. 17, at ArtHaus Works (2744 E. 11th St., Oakland) from 4–6 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/in-rhythm-album-release-party\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj Provides Medicine for the Soul on 'California Poppy 3'",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s always a bright moment in the Bay Area whenever \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/?hl=en\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> — Berkeley’s ascendant, bluesy rapper — drops a new album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, Raj has been on a dynastic run of spiritual music-making. With each release, he’s built a trademark sound as an introspective, emotionally charged lyricist who can shift seamlessly from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGa1Gbt3ElA\">bragging about owning Teslas\u003c/a> to deeply \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915940/rexx-life-raj-the-blue-hour-empire\">mourning the loss of his parents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, he returns with \u003ci>California Poppy 3\u003c/i>, the third installment in an ongoing series. The \u003ci>California Poppy\u003c/i> triumvirate spans more than six years of Raj’s life, and maintains a unifying sound and theme that feel like one endlessly expansive album, with each installment arriving a few years apart. With messages about self-love and coping through trauma, his music has become a sort of audio medicine for fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Featuring local rap stars with epic statures of their own like Kamaiyah, Damian Lillard and LaRussell, \u003cem>California Poppy 3\u003c/em> is as soulful and summery as Raj’s previous explorations on joyful West Coast living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsU51o2zyys\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singles like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opij5eEKNBM\">Dandelion Root\u003c/a>” exemplify the rapper’s sense of intentional living and aphoristic wisdom. Over an acoustic-washed instrumental, he scorns his generation’s addiction to lustful attention-seeking: “Slow motion better than no motion, gradual ascension… I can’t trust no [man] that free his morals to grab attention / After you done hoeing yourself out, what you gon’ tell your children?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the album, Raj — a former football player — is like a sage village elder rhapsodizing about his mistakes, his accomplishments, and his aspirations for a brighter outcome. With a subdued style in contrast to the typical frequency of aggressively cocky rap, he’s carved out a clear and necessary lane in an overcrowded genre. Rather than overpowering the listener with empty production or unchecked egoism, his toned-down vocals are refreshing, uplifting and soul-repairing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the thing about Raj is that he knows how to flex, too. In the saucy video for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8fURKT_yE\">Backslide\u003c/a>,” he rides around Barcelona in foreign machinery while wearing a handwoven tie-dye hat and Makaveli T-shirt, displaying a hard-earned, lavish lifestyle. For a kid from Telegraph Avenue who just a few years ago rapped “Look, I ain’t never had shit / I always wanted more, though,” he’s certainly made it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a few days ago, Rexx posted that “i’ve always had an idealized version of myself in my mind. life is the never ending journey to reach him.” In \u003cem>California Poppy 3\u003c/em>, he’s one step closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Rexx Life Raj’s release party for ‘California Poppy 3’ is on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Victory Hall (360 Ritch St., San Francisco) from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://partiful.com/e/gG7dUmvHnsRlDApLO7pw\">Details and RSVP here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s always a bright moment in the Bay Area whenever \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/?hl=en\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> — Berkeley’s ascendant, bluesy rapper — drops a new album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past decade, Raj has been on a dynastic run of spiritual music-making. With each release, he’s built a trademark sound as an introspective, emotionally charged lyricist who can shift seamlessly from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGa1Gbt3ElA\">bragging about owning Teslas\u003c/a> to deeply \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915940/rexx-life-raj-the-blue-hour-empire\">mourning the loss of his parents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, he returns with \u003ci>California Poppy 3\u003c/i>, the third installment in an ongoing series. The \u003ci>California Poppy\u003c/i> triumvirate spans more than six years of Raj’s life, and maintains a unifying sound and theme that feel like one endlessly expansive album, with each installment arriving a few years apart. With messages about self-love and coping through trauma, his music has become a sort of audio medicine for fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Featuring local rap stars with epic statures of their own like Kamaiyah, Damian Lillard and LaRussell, \u003cem>California Poppy 3\u003c/em> is as soulful and summery as Raj’s previous explorations on joyful West Coast living.\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/IsU51o2zyys'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/IsU51o2zyys'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singles like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opij5eEKNBM\">Dandelion Root\u003c/a>” exemplify the rapper’s sense of intentional living and aphoristic wisdom. Over an acoustic-washed instrumental, he scorns his generation’s addiction to lustful attention-seeking: “Slow motion better than no motion, gradual ascension… I can’t trust no [man] that free his morals to grab attention / After you done hoeing yourself out, what you gon’ tell your children?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the album, Raj — a former football player — is like a sage village elder rhapsodizing about his mistakes, his accomplishments, and his aspirations for a brighter outcome. With a subdued style in contrast to the typical frequency of aggressively cocky rap, he’s carved out a clear and necessary lane in an overcrowded genre. Rather than overpowering the listener with empty production or unchecked egoism, his toned-down vocals are refreshing, uplifting and soul-repairing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the thing about Raj is that he knows how to flex, too. In the saucy video for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8fURKT_yE\">Backslide\u003c/a>,” he rides around Barcelona in foreign machinery while wearing a handwoven tie-dye hat and Makaveli T-shirt, displaying a hard-earned, lavish lifestyle. For a kid from Telegraph Avenue who just a few years ago rapped “Look, I ain’t never had shit / I always wanted more, though,” he’s certainly made it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a few days ago, Rexx posted that “i’ve always had an idealized version of myself in my mind. life is the never ending journey to reach him.” In \u003cem>California Poppy 3\u003c/em>, he’s one step closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Rexx Life Raj’s release party for ‘California Poppy 3’ is on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Victory Hall (360 Ritch St., San Francisco) from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://partiful.com/e/gG7dUmvHnsRlDApLO7pw\">Details and RSVP here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The 20 Best Bay Area Albums of 2022",
"headTitle": "The 20 Best Bay Area Albums of 2022 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Though the music industry has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/19/1122947022/tour-canceled-covid-safety-concerts-masks\">incredibly challenging for independent artists\u003c/a> since the start of the pandemic, the Bay Area brought it in 2022. Throughout the year, veteran artists and newcomers alike set new bars for ingenuity and excellence. They invited us to have fun and get inspired, but they also offered opportunities for catharsis, for processing global events and personal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without further ado, these are KQED Arts & Culture’s favorite albums of the year, in no particular order. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2KvfsMy0IQ2XRd5Rh7Ur2Q?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Zyah Belle, \u003cem>Yam Grier\u003c/em> (Guin Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Zyah Belle has range. On her most confident album yet, the Vallejo-raised singer delves into the many emotional shades of love, using them as a catalyst for growth and self-mastery. On the opening track, “Ready Or Not,” Belle arrives, heart bursting, approaching a new love as if it were a magical gateway to another realm. Her silky mezzo-soprano voice, honed in church choir, makes her rapture contagious. But passions cool on “Holding On,” a low-key disco track with lyrics about not wanting to accept that a relationship is past its expiration date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We see Belle embrace her sexuality on “Back to Back,” a smoldering duet with Jordan Hawkins, where the singers yearn for a hookup too good not to pursue. And with standout track “Cold Blooded,” Belle shifts beyond pretty and embodies a darker persona — one who learned the game from Too $hort, who gets name-dropped in the track. The minimalist guitar strum of “Healing” offers a tender moment of reprieve, offering affirmations for anyone recovering from a setback. A solid companion piece to grown-woman R&B albums like Jazmine Sullivan’s \u003cem>Heaux Tales\u003c/em> and Ari Lennox’s \u003cem>Shea Butter Baby\u003c/em>, Belle’s \u003cem>Yam Grier\u003c/em> is emotionally honest, and full of sumptuous textures and smart storytelling. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5E5phS3ZeUFwzrDMqqQiwx?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mistah F.A.B., \u003cem>Black Designer\u003c/em> (Faeva Afta)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t take long for Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B. to articulate why \u003cem>Black Designer\u003c/em> is being called his “mature” album: just 22 seconds into its eponymous kickoff track, he raps, “Busy as hell but always answer when my daughter calls / Present when my son took his first steps.” Other song titles reference Black cultural icons — among them Duke Ellington, Dorothy Dandridge, Mansa Musa, and W.E.B. Du Bois. “George Washington Carver” could have easily been titled “Flower Shop” — it’s more about props than crops — but artistic license appears to be a by-product of F.A.B. owning his own masters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>F.A.B. has added adulting to a skillset that already included evocative imagery and nimble, punchline-laden flows. High-flying tales of lavish international trips fluidly contrast with socially conscious and inspirational messages: “I grew up poor, who ashamed of that? Not me / It’s just evidence that can’t nothing in life stop me,” he raps. \u003cem>Black Designer\u003c/em>’s 22 tracks, spanning over 80 minutes, run lyrical circles around 95% of rappers alive. Though rooted in boastfulness, the use of patterns, alliteration, slang and metaphors overflow with creative mojo and a newfound sense of purpose. The album eschews trap or drill beats, instead offering up lush beds of jazzy, soulful loops more consistent with hip-hop’s history than its present state. The result is one of the best Bay Area hip-hop albums in recent memory, one that knows the world is bigger than the block. \u003cem>—\u003c/em>\u003cem> Eric Arnold\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4DTVVsFW3Jhi4Jw8flTAGR?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Rexx Life Raj, \u003cem>The Blue Hour\u003c/em> (Rexx Life/EMPIRE)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After the recent passing of his mother and father, Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj took time to pour his pain into a work of art, \u003cem>The Blue Hour\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 12-track album, named after the time of the day just before dawn, takes listeners through some of the darkest moments in Raj’s life. And still, between intimate details of grief, he finds space to slide in slices of levity, clever lyrics and a player lifestyle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Beauty in The Madness,” featuring Wale and Fireboy DML, is a club-ready track for those who like to dance. “Scared Money” is a raw display of real rapper bars over a beat that’s an audible punch in the face. “Jerry Curl,” featuring Larry June, is the soundtrack to smoke and ride to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s the song “Save Yourself” that’s arguably the most important song to come out of the region this year. Raj opens his first verse by rapping, “When I was down bad / Looked in the mirror and realized I was all that I had / Had fam and the gang is the landing pad / But if I don’t steer the plane, then it’ll still crash.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a Sunday morning sermon about self-reliance while riding a bass-heavy beat. It taps directly into the cerebral cortex and pushes listeners to enter a transcendent state where pain and love merge in this thing we know as music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s art at its highest form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To mourn in public is to show the world your full humanity. To create art and invite others to share in the grieving process pushes all of us to be more fully human. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4C87UAmhJ3nhATyp9nCI4i?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fantastic Negrito, \u003cem>White Jesus Black Problems\u003c/em> (Storefront Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Liberated from the show-business pressures he encountered in the 1990s, when he was a young R&B singer with a major-label deal, Oakland’s Fantastic Negrito has earned a national following in recent years. The inaugural winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, and a three-time Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album, he’s emphasized honesty and a pursuit of self that honors his roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Fantastic Negrito’s latest album, \u003cem>White Jesus Black Problems\u003c/em>, the angelically psychedelic chorus of opening track “Venomous Dogma” enraptures you and doesn’t let go. Another track, “You Don’t Belong Here,” is a sound-rich window into the realities of oppression and otherness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fantastic Negrito released \u003cem>White Jesus Black Problems\u003c/em> with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGOBdCscvgo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">short film of the same title\u003c/a>. As he narrates in the introduction, it’s “a love story” — one that he lays bare on “Virginia Soil,” the last track on the album. It situates the listener in Oakland and Virginia at the same time, and honors Fantastic Negrito’s 18th-century ancestors. His white Scottish grandmother, Gallamore, and his enslaved African American grandfather — whom Negrito calls Courage — lived in defiance of the racist social order of their time. “Freedom will come,” Fantastic Negrito sings triumphantly on the track. As listeners, we’re better for his prophetic nudges towards liberty. \u003cem>— Camilo Garzón\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3iIQrRl8NG7AgSJlStJdQw?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>mxmtoon, \u003cem>rising\u003c/em> (AWAL Recordings America)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Maia — known as mxmtoon — was 17, she wrote “prom dress,” a sad yet upbeat anthem for lost teenagers overwhelmed by doubt and confusion. Now, four years later, the Oakland-born singer-songwriter reflects on how life has changed and her evolution in her latest album, \u003cem>rising\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like much of mxmtoon’s discography, \u003cem>rising\u003c/em> features tender, heartfelt lyrics and dreamy pop instrumentals delivered with high, soft vocals. Many songs on the album tackle aging, nostalgia, the pressures of societal expectations and what it means to look forward as you let go of your younger self. In “victim of nostalgia,” a track fit for a coming-of-age film, mxmtoon sings: “It’s the panic of growing up / It’s the fear of fallin’ down,” illustrating her unsteadiness as she enters her early 20s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this doubt is balanced by songs like “kaleidoscope,” where she accepts that the chaos the unknown is where she can truly grow. “Count all of my colors, but you’ll never know,” she sings, boldly accepting that this new era she enters is one of many to come. \u003cem>— Kristie Song\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2855467910/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Toro Y Moi, \u003cem>Mahal\u003c/em> (Dead Oceans)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every single one of my teenage years was spent in the 1990s. While a lot of people look back on their formative years and cringe, I never have. I loved everything about that decade — the fashion, the music, the creative communities, the attitude. The current ’90s revival then, has been filling me with joy all year — and Toro Y Moi’s chillwave has proven to be the perfect soundtrack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Mahal\u003c/em>, the Oakland artist and producer (real name: Chaz Bear) mashes a plethora of ’90s trends seamlessly into one expansive, alluring mirage. Combining dreamy soundscapes, fuzzy indie-rock guitars, hip-hop beats (that occasionally nod in the direction of drum and bass) and the same ’70s funk sensibilities we embraced in the ’90s, Toro Y Moi is so retro, he’s entirely of the moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To me, \u003cem>Mahal\u003c/em> sounds like seven people smoking weed in a tiny dorm room, backpacks and skateboards piled up in the corner. It sounds like making out under the stars on the walk home. It sounds like dancing with your friends in a sweaty basement. It sounds like living, and it’s beautiful. \u003cem>— Rae Alexandra\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3I7zgqesHxrk9YQ5ZrHz3v?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Various Artists, \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> (Tales of the Town)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s been a tremendously exciting year for Bay Area rap and R&B, and \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> is the natural culmination. With a who’s-who of the region’s rich talent (including Guap, ShooterGang Kony, G-Eazy, P-Lo, Jane Handcock, Koran Streets, Pallaví, Shy’An G, Ian Kelly, ALLBLACK, Kevin Allen and others), the compilation isn’t a sampler so much as a statement of purpose. Concurrent with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13921254/introducing-tales-of-the-town-by-hella-black-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">podcast of the same name\u003c/a> (presented by activist organization People’s Programs), \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> addresses Oakland history, sports, police brutality, gentrification and the housing crisis — all while proving the case for Oakland as a center of Black Excellence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The multigenerational result is verses from veterans like J Stalin, who addresses Oscar Grant (“Three years for a Black life / And they want you to praise Christ?”), and newcomers like LaRussell, who takes on police and environmental racism (“How they build a hood and a power plant adjacent?”). With spoken-word segues from Town figures like Tupac Shakur and an overarching trajectory toward making Oakland a more equitable city, \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> is 2022’s sharpest musical snapshot of the Bay Area right now. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=370607175/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Samora Pinderhughes, \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> (Stretch Music/Ropeadope)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area got a deep look into the research that inspired Berkeley-reared pianist, songwriter and vocalist Samora Pinderhughes’ album \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> last spring with \u003cem>The Healing Project\u003c/em>, a multimedia installation at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts produced by Anna Deavere Smith, Glenn Ligon and Vijay Iyer. A cool-toned but scorching \u003cem>cri de coeur\u003c/em> revealing the costs of mass incarceration, \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> peels back the mounting losses one devastating track at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like on the title song, with its sinuous, whispered refrain of “death is much worse for the ones left behind,” the project’s inviting melodic hooks and luscious production generate crackling tension with the abject content. Spiritually charged but utterly grounded, the songs don’t attempt to put pieces back together as much as honor the wounds, hinting at avenues toward healing. Joined by a superlative ensemble featuring drummer Marcus Gilmore, electric bassist Boom Bishop, double bassist Clovis Nicolas, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino and vocalists Nio Levon and Jehbreal Jackson — as well Samora’s younger sister Elena Pinderhughes on flute — \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> marks Pinderhughes’ transformation from promising jazz pianist to visionary songwriter and producer with a rarified skillset and prophetic agenda. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1475871226&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hokage Simon, \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em> (self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Vallejo artist Hokage Simon has had an eventful year. He’s been handling his business, playing keys for rising artists like LaRussell and Elujay, and even walking in the 2022 TOMBOGO fashion show. He dropped his seven-song album \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em> this summer, following up on the joint album he released with LaRussell, \u003cem>For What It’s Worth\u003c/em>, in March. Simon wrote \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em> while battling cancer, and he released it on the one-year anniversary of his recovery. On the summery song “Enough,” featuring Tomas Jordan, Simon fuses an R&B two-step with a funky undertone and light vocals. This album spotlights Simon’s expansive synth playing, traversing R&B, psychedelic pop, jazz and boogie. On another standout song, “Gullible,” Simon sings about being sprung over someone, taking the listener back to the nostalgia of early crushes. With \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em>, Simon took a dark moment in his life and made something luminous. \u003cem>— Nia Coats\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/13EB3cUBrQNqkBZCUgCawi?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kamaiyah, \u003cem>DIVINE TIMING (DELUXE)\u003c/em> (KEEP IT LIT ENT.)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since her 2016 debut, \u003cem>A Good Night in the Ghetto\u003c/em>, Kamaiyah has asserted her way to the top of the hip-hop food chain, claiming a 2017 \u003ci>XXL\u003c/i> Freshman title and collabing with rap’s biggest trendsetters, including Drake, YG, Lil Yachty and G-Eazy. This year, the Oakland star returned with a refined version of her trademark vibe on \u003cem>DIVINE TIMING (DELUXE)\u003c/em>. Her second studio album, this project is made for the slappaholics, hustlers and smooth talkers. It’s a soundtrack for those who yearn for G-funk’s synth and bass on songs like “WHEN I SWANG.” Then there are the drippy bells and relentless tales of braggadocio on “Play Too Much,” featuring Cash Kidd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Oakland’s rap queen, it’s not just about flexing lyrical muscle over West Coast house party beats. She’s also here to share knowledge and intimate memories from her journey. On the album’s only interlude, “Brenda Talks From Heaven,” an audio recording plays a distorted voice message from a departed loved one. The humanity of the artist sharing a tender moment in a time of pain provides a moment of transcendence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>DIVINE TIMING (DELUXE)\u003c/em> is laced with a generous but not-overly-saturated number of guest features, including Vallejo’s Da Boii, Detroit’s Sada Baby and Dej Loaf, and the late Stockton rapper Young Slo-Be. With twice as many tracks included on this deluxe version as the original release, Kamaiyah reminds us why her flow is limitless — and divinely timed for Bay Area fans. \u003cem>— Alan Chazaro\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3201079726/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Brijean, \u003cem>Angelo\u003c/em> (Ghostly International)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the dance floor, we typically hear songs about love and desire, but disco-house duo Brijean offers an invitation to move our bodies as a form of release from pain. Their EP \u003ci>Angelo\u003c/i> opens with the echoes of singer-percussionist Brijean Murphy beckoning, “Which way to the club?” as if inviting us down an enchanted rabbit hole. But subtly and masterfully, the project weaves in themes of grief. Murphy and her musical and life partner, bassist-producer Doug Stuart, both lost parents over the past two years. The memory of Brijean’s father, Latin jazz percussionist Patrick Murphy, is embedded in \u003ci>Angelo\u003c/i>’s DNA through her dexterous conga rhythms, which the bandleader has referred to as family heirlooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shy Guy” and “Ooh La La” conjure a technicolor party somewhere balmy and tropical. But \u003ci>Angelo\u003c/i> comes to a more contemplative moment on the title track, named after the car in which Murphy and Stuart drove away from the Bay Area, first to care for ailing family members, and then to relocate to Los Angeles. That feeling of longing for loved ones, whether separated by distance or on another plane, comes into full view on “Caldwell’s Way,” a wistful, downtempo pop track with a keyboard solo that invites you to stare out the window in contemplation. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2eR6L5nfTqjp97Kty4fCgs?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Elujay, \u003cem>Circmvnt\u003c/em> (OneTime!)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Elujay’s track “Ratrace” set the tone for 2022. The refreshing percussion, light keys and bright synths combine to create a head-nodding beat, over which the Oakland-raised artist floats lyrics about yearning to be removed from our fast-paced society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is easier to disassociate / Forget the race, rat race/ I’d risk it for you,” sings Elujay over production by Chris Palowitch, Hokage Simon and Anthony Shogun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ratrace” is the first single off Elujay’s January 2022 release, \u003cem>Circmvnt\u003c/em>, a project full of delightful harmonies and heavy lyrics. On “Pandemia,” for example, he writes about the dangers of overconsumption and critiques the notion of sending children to school in the middle of the pandemic. But the song is so chill that the magnitude of the lyrics might escape you if you don’t read along as Elujay sings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album isn’t solely deep meditations about existential crises and the ills of society. On “Luvaroq,” which features serpantwithfeet, Elujay brings fans into his version of a lovers’ rock track. And on “1080p” (with HXNS), Elujay gives listeners music to break a sweat on the dancefloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Circmvnt\u003c/em> is both a soundtrack for the cool kids who have 1980s nostalgia and the philosophers who contemplate the future of humankind. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2944541219/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Dregs One, \u003cem>Sucka Repellent\u003c/em> (Audio Vandals)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Anyone who follows Dregs One on TikTok already knows: the man is a well of Bay Area hip-hop culture, broadcasting his mini-histories of legends like Mac Dre, Ill Mannered Playas, Hieroglyphics and RBL Posse to 41,000 followers. What’s not so widely known is Dregs’ own deep rap career — the latest installment of which, \u003cem>Sucka Repellent\u003c/em>, rolls up 30-plus years of Bay Area hip-hop history into 16 streetwise tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dregs nods to the bassline of Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” in “28 Dubs”; the DJ Fresh-produced “Bobby Brown” calls for unity and blessings from “Frisco to San Jo, represent the Town bizness / Vallejo, Sacramento, Palo Alto, Richmond”; and guests like Husalah (“Geeked Up”), Cellski (“City Life”) and add an indelible Bay Area stamp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But perhaps the most vivid encapsulation of Dregs’ own story comes on “Rap Cats.” In one succinct verse, Dregs recounts his aspirations as a hungry kid growing up in Lakeview: listening to \u003cem>The Wake Up Show\u003c/em>, wanting to sound like Tupac, digging in the crates, watching graffiti in the tunnels from the bus, selling albums on consignment and rocking house parties. With a guest verse from the one and only Spice 1, \u003cem>Sucka Repellent\u003c/em> comes full circle to an abiding truth: Frisco dreams really can come true. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=306833697/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>spacemoth, \u003cem>No Past No Future\u003c/em> (Wax Nine/Carpark Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s an album that opens with an unflinching question — “When is this shit gonna end?” — and closes with a wholly depressing answer: “No future here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>No Past No Future\u003c/em> is the disillusioned brainchild of Maryam Qudus, a studio engineer and producer that Bay Area locals might recognize from Women’s Audio Mission or Tiny Telephone studios. Qudus sounds like Stereolab’s cooler sister after spending an evening with Kathleen Hanna’s \u003cem>Julie Ruin\u003c/em> album, combining dreamy soundscapes, thoroughly dystopian lyrics and irresistibly lo-fi dance moments. (“Pipe and Pistol” and “Noise of Everyday Life” are upbeat highlights.) In between, Qudus touches on the racism she deals with because of her Afghan heritage (“L.O.T.F”) and offers a cleverly constructed critique of sexual harassment (“Asking for You”) that would’ve been at home on the \u003cem>Promising Young Woman\u003c/em> soundtrack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seamlessly combining sounds of the future with the persistent idea that there won’t be one isn’t a recipe that should work, but it is surprisingly satisfying in Qudus’ capable hands. Stash a copy in your doomsday bunker immediately. —\u003cem> Rae Alexandra\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1909652176/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mystic, \u003cem>Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved Sparklers\u003c/em> (Beautifull Soundworks)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Mystic’s long-awaited third album arrived in August, two decades after her now-classic \u003cem>Cuts For Luck and Scars For Freedom\u003c/em>. In that time, she’s become an educator and healer, working in youth development. The Oakland MC brings that perspective to \u003cem>Dreaming In Cursive\u003c/em>, along with her own lived experiences, resulting in that rare hip-hop album that grounds itself in love and revels in wisdom. The album overflows with positive affirmations, cognizant of human struggle, but aspirational in nature and spiritual in tone. Mystic promises to “show you magic,” yet her invocations have more to do with uplifting souls than occult sorcery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mystic has always been a unicorn, talented at rapping, singing and spoken word, while being both socially conscious and street-savvy. \u003cem>Dreaming In Cursive\u003c/em> trades some of the edginess of her debut for a mellower overall vibe, complete with tasteful keyboards and poetic interludes. Boom-bap beats don’t dominate every track, but when they do surface, as on the anthemic single “We Are the People,” they bring a strident urgency without overshadowing her lyrical message. Which is, simply, that love is a revolutionary, transformative act that is foundational to liberation. Loving unapologetically — the album’s preeminent theme — requires having faith, vulnerability and intentional openness. This isn’t what we normally hear from rappers, but it’s perhaps what we need to hear more often. \u003cem>— Eric Arnold\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=670857443/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Try the Pie, \u003cem>A Widening Burst of Forever\u003c/em> (Get Better Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Equal parts cathartic and tender, Try the Pie’s \u003cem>A Widening Burst of Forever\u003c/em> features nine tracks that bounce between wistful and slow, loud and grungy. In “Asleep on the Lawn,” San Jose-raised singer-songwriter Bean Tupou’s clear and high vocals pierce the heavy reverberations of a simple guitar melody. “I didn’t see it like you,” they sing, soft and melancholic. Then, in “Last of You,” Tupou pivots into something grittier — with a more urgent vocal delivery and faster, cranked-up guitar riffs that collide into something worth headbanging to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album’s raw instrumentals are often paired with heartfelt lyrics. In “Awful Moon,” Tupou sings, “I’m just a fern below the dirt / unemerged,” confessing to an unnamed person that they are still delicate, still burgeoning, still growing into an unknown. \u003cem>— Kristie Song\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1815539143/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spote Breeze, \u003cem>Cascade Viewing\u003c/em> (Hot Record Societe)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Spote Breeze is one the best-kept secrets of the Bay Area’s hip-hop scene. He’s usually hiding behind glasses and a hoodie, and rarely does he promote himself. But his music for self-described introverts shows that the quiet ones, the people who sit back and observe, often have the wisest things to say. On \u003ci>Cascade Viewing\u003c/i>, airy jazz- and soul-inflected beats by OG Jarin crackle with the sound of a vintage record player. With this vibe of an intimate listening session, the production gives the Oakland MC space to explore his inner world, as if writing diary entries in the blank pages of a notebook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spote’s story-rich verses ruminate on hard life experiences, eventually pulling out kernels of wisdom about friendship, personal growth and spirituality. Like the title \u003ci>Cascade Viewing\u003c/i> suggests (it’s an almost-homonym for “casket viewing”), brushes with death haunt the album’s 13 tracks. But even amid grim reminders of our mortality, Spote builds a more hopeful future, and his intricate rhymes are the foundation. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0BAcSuVdtXejNW6zQsIlJa?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Nate Curry and YMTK, \u003cem>By Design\u003c/em> (Self-Released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In February, Oakland’s YMTK and Sacramento’s Nate Curry dropped \u003cem>By Design\u003c/em>, a nine-track project that fuses modern R&B with touches of trip-hop, heavy basslines and a dash pop flare. It’s the definition of eclectic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album begins with a mellow title track, about the perseverance it takes to achieve your goals, and takes listeners through a journey of physical attraction, the pursuit of love and the process of healing from love lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The house-influenced “Miss That” is a feel-good song about a relationship ending — somewhat of a contradictory notion, but it works really well for the healing process. It’s followed by “Silence,” where Jay Anthony joins YMTK and Nate Curry on a beat with a blappin’, mobb music bassline. The album features Bay Area standouts Guap, P-Lo and Symba — and a rare verse from Lil B — as well as Los Angeles’ Iman Europe and Phabo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sonic diversity in this album is a nod to the talent of Nate Curry and YMTK, who’ve figured out ways to work with a wide range of artists from the region. When Northern Californian artists join to create quality work, it does wonders for all of us. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3Z9uDO0cSfAgKDhwHHh2mQ?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Calvin Keys, \u003cem>Blue Keys\u003c/em> (Wide Hive Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the cusp of his 80th birthday, Calvin Keys sounds as lean and potent as ever. The Oakland guitarist has been at the center of the Bay Area jazz since the mid-1970s, and his new album \u003cem>Blue Keys\u003c/em> finds him keeping company with a bevy of similarly distinguished masters, including former Bay Area-based percussionist Babatunde Lea, bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, alto saxophonist Gary Bartz and trombonist Steve Turre (who also contributes on conch shells). As with many releases on Berkeley’s Wide Hive Records, label owner Gregory Howe is in the thick of the action as a pianist, organist, composer and overall sound designer. Rather than a late-career valedictory statement, Keys’ fourth release on Wide Hive is the work of an artist who still sounds hungry to extend his creative purview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keys is best known for his understated eloquence in straight-ahead jazz settings, placing each note for maximum rhythmic and emotional impact. Blue Keys surrounds him with thickly textured horns, kicking off with “Peregrines Dive.” Laced with the woozily surging opening refrain from Horace Silver’s hard-bop classic “Nutville,” the tune gains momentum and heft until the horns give way, and Keys resets the stage with a sharply etched, telegraphic solo. Turre’s gorgeous conch solo on “Ck 22” provides a striking tonal contrast to Keys’ stinging phrasing while the second half “At Arrival” opens up into a delicate Keys and Bartz duet that’s worth the price of admission alone. Smart, soulful and pleasingly concise, Keys is an improviser in his prime. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1280115653/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Richie Cunning, \u003cem>Big Deal\u003c/em> (Son of the City)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Rappers often shout out Frank Sinatra for his style, his underworld ties and his attitude. But let’s face it: musically, the two are worlds apart. Pop-vocal easy listening from the 1950s mixed with today’s hip-hop? The idea sounds preposterous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enter San Francisco rapper Richie Cunning and his latest album, \u003cem>Big Deal\u003c/em>, filled with lush strings, muted trumpet, walking bass and tinkling piano. While Cunning raps with smooth ease, the voices of Sammy Davis Jr. and Bobby Darin weave in and out, and the whole thing is structured and paced to resemble a boom-bap microphone fiend time-traveling to a midnight set at an Eisenhower-era supper club.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Weirdly, it works. Cunning obviously cares about his source material and hip-hop in equal measure, and even seems to acknowledge the illusory myth that the 1950s provided (“Here’s to everybody hopin’ to escape their ghosts”). Each time I hear \u003cem>Big Deal\u003c/em>, I think the same thing: someone better book him at Yoshi’s soon. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Though the music industry has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/19/1122947022/tour-canceled-covid-safety-concerts-masks\">incredibly challenging for independent artists\u003c/a> since the start of the pandemic, the Bay Area brought it in 2022. Throughout the year, veteran artists and newcomers alike set new bars for ingenuity and excellence. They invited us to have fun and get inspired, but they also offered opportunities for catharsis, for processing global events and personal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without further ado, these are KQED Arts & Culture’s favorite albums of the year, in no particular order. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2KvfsMy0IQ2XRd5Rh7Ur2Q?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Zyah Belle, \u003cem>Yam Grier\u003c/em> (Guin Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Zyah Belle has range. On her most confident album yet, the Vallejo-raised singer delves into the many emotional shades of love, using them as a catalyst for growth and self-mastery. On the opening track, “Ready Or Not,” Belle arrives, heart bursting, approaching a new love as if it were a magical gateway to another realm. Her silky mezzo-soprano voice, honed in church choir, makes her rapture contagious. But passions cool on “Holding On,” a low-key disco track with lyrics about not wanting to accept that a relationship is past its expiration date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We see Belle embrace her sexuality on “Back to Back,” a smoldering duet with Jordan Hawkins, where the singers yearn for a hookup too good not to pursue. And with standout track “Cold Blooded,” Belle shifts beyond pretty and embodies a darker persona — one who learned the game from Too $hort, who gets name-dropped in the track. The minimalist guitar strum of “Healing” offers a tender moment of reprieve, offering affirmations for anyone recovering from a setback. A solid companion piece to grown-woman R&B albums like Jazmine Sullivan’s \u003cem>Heaux Tales\u003c/em> and Ari Lennox’s \u003cem>Shea Butter Baby\u003c/em>, Belle’s \u003cem>Yam Grier\u003c/em> is emotionally honest, and full of sumptuous textures and smart storytelling. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5E5phS3ZeUFwzrDMqqQiwx?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mistah F.A.B., \u003cem>Black Designer\u003c/em> (Faeva Afta)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t take long for Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B. to articulate why \u003cem>Black Designer\u003c/em> is being called his “mature” album: just 22 seconds into its eponymous kickoff track, he raps, “Busy as hell but always answer when my daughter calls / Present when my son took his first steps.” Other song titles reference Black cultural icons — among them Duke Ellington, Dorothy Dandridge, Mansa Musa, and W.E.B. Du Bois. “George Washington Carver” could have easily been titled “Flower Shop” — it’s more about props than crops — but artistic license appears to be a by-product of F.A.B. owning his own masters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>F.A.B. has added adulting to a skillset that already included evocative imagery and nimble, punchline-laden flows. High-flying tales of lavish international trips fluidly contrast with socially conscious and inspirational messages: “I grew up poor, who ashamed of that? Not me / It’s just evidence that can’t nothing in life stop me,” he raps. \u003cem>Black Designer\u003c/em>’s 22 tracks, spanning over 80 minutes, run lyrical circles around 95% of rappers alive. Though rooted in boastfulness, the use of patterns, alliteration, slang and metaphors overflow with creative mojo and a newfound sense of purpose. The album eschews trap or drill beats, instead offering up lush beds of jazzy, soulful loops more consistent with hip-hop’s history than its present state. The result is one of the best Bay Area hip-hop albums in recent memory, one that knows the world is bigger than the block. \u003cem>—\u003c/em>\u003cem> Eric Arnold\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4DTVVsFW3Jhi4Jw8flTAGR?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Rexx Life Raj, \u003cem>The Blue Hour\u003c/em> (Rexx Life/EMPIRE)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After the recent passing of his mother and father, Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj took time to pour his pain into a work of art, \u003cem>The Blue Hour\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 12-track album, named after the time of the day just before dawn, takes listeners through some of the darkest moments in Raj’s life. And still, between intimate details of grief, he finds space to slide in slices of levity, clever lyrics and a player lifestyle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Beauty in The Madness,” featuring Wale and Fireboy DML, is a club-ready track for those who like to dance. “Scared Money” is a raw display of real rapper bars over a beat that’s an audible punch in the face. “Jerry Curl,” featuring Larry June, is the soundtrack to smoke and ride to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s the song “Save Yourself” that’s arguably the most important song to come out of the region this year. Raj opens his first verse by rapping, “When I was down bad / Looked in the mirror and realized I was all that I had / Had fam and the gang is the landing pad / But if I don’t steer the plane, then it’ll still crash.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a Sunday morning sermon about self-reliance while riding a bass-heavy beat. It taps directly into the cerebral cortex and pushes listeners to enter a transcendent state where pain and love merge in this thing we know as music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s art at its highest form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To mourn in public is to show the world your full humanity. To create art and invite others to share in the grieving process pushes all of us to be more fully human. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4C87UAmhJ3nhATyp9nCI4i?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fantastic Negrito, \u003cem>White Jesus Black Problems\u003c/em> (Storefront Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Liberated from the show-business pressures he encountered in the 1990s, when he was a young R&B singer with a major-label deal, Oakland’s Fantastic Negrito has earned a national following in recent years. The inaugural winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, and a three-time Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album, he’s emphasized honesty and a pursuit of self that honors his roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Fantastic Negrito’s latest album, \u003cem>White Jesus Black Problems\u003c/em>, the angelically psychedelic chorus of opening track “Venomous Dogma” enraptures you and doesn’t let go. Another track, “You Don’t Belong Here,” is a sound-rich window into the realities of oppression and otherness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fantastic Negrito released \u003cem>White Jesus Black Problems\u003c/em> with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGOBdCscvgo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">short film of the same title\u003c/a>. As he narrates in the introduction, it’s “a love story” — one that he lays bare on “Virginia Soil,” the last track on the album. It situates the listener in Oakland and Virginia at the same time, and honors Fantastic Negrito’s 18th-century ancestors. His white Scottish grandmother, Gallamore, and his enslaved African American grandfather — whom Negrito calls Courage — lived in defiance of the racist social order of their time. “Freedom will come,” Fantastic Negrito sings triumphantly on the track. As listeners, we’re better for his prophetic nudges towards liberty. \u003cem>— Camilo Garzón\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3iIQrRl8NG7AgSJlStJdQw?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>mxmtoon, \u003cem>rising\u003c/em> (AWAL Recordings America)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Maia — known as mxmtoon — was 17, she wrote “prom dress,” a sad yet upbeat anthem for lost teenagers overwhelmed by doubt and confusion. Now, four years later, the Oakland-born singer-songwriter reflects on how life has changed and her evolution in her latest album, \u003cem>rising\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like much of mxmtoon’s discography, \u003cem>rising\u003c/em> features tender, heartfelt lyrics and dreamy pop instrumentals delivered with high, soft vocals. Many songs on the album tackle aging, nostalgia, the pressures of societal expectations and what it means to look forward as you let go of your younger self. In “victim of nostalgia,” a track fit for a coming-of-age film, mxmtoon sings: “It’s the panic of growing up / It’s the fear of fallin’ down,” illustrating her unsteadiness as she enters her early 20s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this doubt is balanced by songs like “kaleidoscope,” where she accepts that the chaos the unknown is where she can truly grow. “Count all of my colors, but you’ll never know,” she sings, boldly accepting that this new era she enters is one of many to come. \u003cem>— Kristie Song\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2855467910/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Toro Y Moi, \u003cem>Mahal\u003c/em> (Dead Oceans)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every single one of my teenage years was spent in the 1990s. While a lot of people look back on their formative years and cringe, I never have. I loved everything about that decade — the fashion, the music, the creative communities, the attitude. The current ’90s revival then, has been filling me with joy all year — and Toro Y Moi’s chillwave has proven to be the perfect soundtrack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Mahal\u003c/em>, the Oakland artist and producer (real name: Chaz Bear) mashes a plethora of ’90s trends seamlessly into one expansive, alluring mirage. Combining dreamy soundscapes, fuzzy indie-rock guitars, hip-hop beats (that occasionally nod in the direction of drum and bass) and the same ’70s funk sensibilities we embraced in the ’90s, Toro Y Moi is so retro, he’s entirely of the moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To me, \u003cem>Mahal\u003c/em> sounds like seven people smoking weed in a tiny dorm room, backpacks and skateboards piled up in the corner. It sounds like making out under the stars on the walk home. It sounds like dancing with your friends in a sweaty basement. It sounds like living, and it’s beautiful. \u003cem>— Rae Alexandra\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3I7zgqesHxrk9YQ5ZrHz3v?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Various Artists, \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> (Tales of the Town)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s been a tremendously exciting year for Bay Area rap and R&B, and \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> is the natural culmination. With a who’s-who of the region’s rich talent (including Guap, ShooterGang Kony, G-Eazy, P-Lo, Jane Handcock, Koran Streets, Pallaví, Shy’An G, Ian Kelly, ALLBLACK, Kevin Allen and others), the compilation isn’t a sampler so much as a statement of purpose. Concurrent with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13921254/introducing-tales-of-the-town-by-hella-black-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">podcast of the same name\u003c/a> (presented by activist organization People’s Programs), \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> addresses Oakland history, sports, police brutality, gentrification and the housing crisis — all while proving the case for Oakland as a center of Black Excellence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The multigenerational result is verses from veterans like J Stalin, who addresses Oscar Grant (“Three years for a Black life / And they want you to praise Christ?”), and newcomers like LaRussell, who takes on police and environmental racism (“How they build a hood and a power plant adjacent?”). With spoken-word segues from Town figures like Tupac Shakur and an overarching trajectory toward making Oakland a more equitable city, \u003cem>Tales of the Town\u003c/em> is 2022’s sharpest musical snapshot of the Bay Area right now. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=370607175/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Samora Pinderhughes, \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> (Stretch Music/Ropeadope)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area got a deep look into the research that inspired Berkeley-reared pianist, songwriter and vocalist Samora Pinderhughes’ album \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> last spring with \u003cem>The Healing Project\u003c/em>, a multimedia installation at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts produced by Anna Deavere Smith, Glenn Ligon and Vijay Iyer. A cool-toned but scorching \u003cem>cri de coeur\u003c/em> revealing the costs of mass incarceration, \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> peels back the mounting losses one devastating track at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like on the title song, with its sinuous, whispered refrain of “death is much worse for the ones left behind,” the project’s inviting melodic hooks and luscious production generate crackling tension with the abject content. Spiritually charged but utterly grounded, the songs don’t attempt to put pieces back together as much as honor the wounds, hinting at avenues toward healing. Joined by a superlative ensemble featuring drummer Marcus Gilmore, electric bassist Boom Bishop, double bassist Clovis Nicolas, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino and vocalists Nio Levon and Jehbreal Jackson — as well Samora’s younger sister Elena Pinderhughes on flute — \u003cem>GRIEF\u003c/em> marks Pinderhughes’ transformation from promising jazz pianist to visionary songwriter and producer with a rarified skillset and prophetic agenda. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1475871226&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hokage Simon, \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em> (self-released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Vallejo artist Hokage Simon has had an eventful year. He’s been handling his business, playing keys for rising artists like LaRussell and Elujay, and even walking in the 2022 TOMBOGO fashion show. He dropped his seven-song album \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em> this summer, following up on the joint album he released with LaRussell, \u003cem>For What It’s Worth\u003c/em>, in March. Simon wrote \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em> while battling cancer, and he released it on the one-year anniversary of his recovery. On the summery song “Enough,” featuring Tomas Jordan, Simon fuses an R&B two-step with a funky undertone and light vocals. This album spotlights Simon’s expansive synth playing, traversing R&B, psychedelic pop, jazz and boogie. On another standout song, “Gullible,” Simon sings about being sprung over someone, taking the listener back to the nostalgia of early crushes. With \u003cem>Neon Noir\u003c/em>, Simon took a dark moment in his life and made something luminous. \u003cem>— Nia Coats\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/13EB3cUBrQNqkBZCUgCawi?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Kamaiyah, \u003cem>DIVINE TIMING (DELUXE)\u003c/em> (KEEP IT LIT ENT.)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since her 2016 debut, \u003cem>A Good Night in the Ghetto\u003c/em>, Kamaiyah has asserted her way to the top of the hip-hop food chain, claiming a 2017 \u003ci>XXL\u003c/i> Freshman title and collabing with rap’s biggest trendsetters, including Drake, YG, Lil Yachty and G-Eazy. This year, the Oakland star returned with a refined version of her trademark vibe on \u003cem>DIVINE TIMING (DELUXE)\u003c/em>. Her second studio album, this project is made for the slappaholics, hustlers and smooth talkers. It’s a soundtrack for those who yearn for G-funk’s synth and bass on songs like “WHEN I SWANG.” Then there are the drippy bells and relentless tales of braggadocio on “Play Too Much,” featuring Cash Kidd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Oakland’s rap queen, it’s not just about flexing lyrical muscle over West Coast house party beats. She’s also here to share knowledge and intimate memories from her journey. On the album’s only interlude, “Brenda Talks From Heaven,” an audio recording plays a distorted voice message from a departed loved one. The humanity of the artist sharing a tender moment in a time of pain provides a moment of transcendence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>DIVINE TIMING (DELUXE)\u003c/em> is laced with a generous but not-overly-saturated number of guest features, including Vallejo’s Da Boii, Detroit’s Sada Baby and Dej Loaf, and the late Stockton rapper Young Slo-Be. With twice as many tracks included on this deluxe version as the original release, Kamaiyah reminds us why her flow is limitless — and divinely timed for Bay Area fans. \u003cem>— Alan Chazaro\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3201079726/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Brijean, \u003cem>Angelo\u003c/em> (Ghostly International)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the dance floor, we typically hear songs about love and desire, but disco-house duo Brijean offers an invitation to move our bodies as a form of release from pain. Their EP \u003ci>Angelo\u003c/i> opens with the echoes of singer-percussionist Brijean Murphy beckoning, “Which way to the club?” as if inviting us down an enchanted rabbit hole. But subtly and masterfully, the project weaves in themes of grief. Murphy and her musical and life partner, bassist-producer Doug Stuart, both lost parents over the past two years. The memory of Brijean’s father, Latin jazz percussionist Patrick Murphy, is embedded in \u003ci>Angelo\u003c/i>’s DNA through her dexterous conga rhythms, which the bandleader has referred to as family heirlooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shy Guy” and “Ooh La La” conjure a technicolor party somewhere balmy and tropical. But \u003ci>Angelo\u003c/i> comes to a more contemplative moment on the title track, named after the car in which Murphy and Stuart drove away from the Bay Area, first to care for ailing family members, and then to relocate to Los Angeles. That feeling of longing for loved ones, whether separated by distance or on another plane, comes into full view on “Caldwell’s Way,” a wistful, downtempo pop track with a keyboard solo that invites you to stare out the window in contemplation. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2eR6L5nfTqjp97Kty4fCgs?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Elujay, \u003cem>Circmvnt\u003c/em> (OneTime!)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Elujay’s track “Ratrace” set the tone for 2022. The refreshing percussion, light keys and bright synths combine to create a head-nodding beat, over which the Oakland-raised artist floats lyrics about yearning to be removed from our fast-paced society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is easier to disassociate / Forget the race, rat race/ I’d risk it for you,” sings Elujay over production by Chris Palowitch, Hokage Simon and Anthony Shogun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ratrace” is the first single off Elujay’s January 2022 release, \u003cem>Circmvnt\u003c/em>, a project full of delightful harmonies and heavy lyrics. On “Pandemia,” for example, he writes about the dangers of overconsumption and critiques the notion of sending children to school in the middle of the pandemic. But the song is so chill that the magnitude of the lyrics might escape you if you don’t read along as Elujay sings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album isn’t solely deep meditations about existential crises and the ills of society. On “Luvaroq,” which features serpantwithfeet, Elujay brings fans into his version of a lovers’ rock track. And on “1080p” (with HXNS), Elujay gives listeners music to break a sweat on the dancefloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Circmvnt\u003c/em> is both a soundtrack for the cool kids who have 1980s nostalgia and the philosophers who contemplate the future of humankind. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2944541219/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Dregs One, \u003cem>Sucka Repellent\u003c/em> (Audio Vandals)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Anyone who follows Dregs One on TikTok already knows: the man is a well of Bay Area hip-hop culture, broadcasting his mini-histories of legends like Mac Dre, Ill Mannered Playas, Hieroglyphics and RBL Posse to 41,000 followers. What’s not so widely known is Dregs’ own deep rap career — the latest installment of which, \u003cem>Sucka Repellent\u003c/em>, rolls up 30-plus years of Bay Area hip-hop history into 16 streetwise tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dregs nods to the bassline of Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” in “28 Dubs”; the DJ Fresh-produced “Bobby Brown” calls for unity and blessings from “Frisco to San Jo, represent the Town bizness / Vallejo, Sacramento, Palo Alto, Richmond”; and guests like Husalah (“Geeked Up”), Cellski (“City Life”) and add an indelible Bay Area stamp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But perhaps the most vivid encapsulation of Dregs’ own story comes on “Rap Cats.” In one succinct verse, Dregs recounts his aspirations as a hungry kid growing up in Lakeview: listening to \u003cem>The Wake Up Show\u003c/em>, wanting to sound like Tupac, digging in the crates, watching graffiti in the tunnels from the bus, selling albums on consignment and rocking house parties. With a guest verse from the one and only Spice 1, \u003cem>Sucka Repellent\u003c/em> comes full circle to an abiding truth: Frisco dreams really can come true. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=306833697/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>spacemoth, \u003cem>No Past No Future\u003c/em> (Wax Nine/Carpark Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s an album that opens with an unflinching question — “When is this shit gonna end?” — and closes with a wholly depressing answer: “No future here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>No Past No Future\u003c/em> is the disillusioned brainchild of Maryam Qudus, a studio engineer and producer that Bay Area locals might recognize from Women’s Audio Mission or Tiny Telephone studios. Qudus sounds like Stereolab’s cooler sister after spending an evening with Kathleen Hanna’s \u003cem>Julie Ruin\u003c/em> album, combining dreamy soundscapes, thoroughly dystopian lyrics and irresistibly lo-fi dance moments. (“Pipe and Pistol” and “Noise of Everyday Life” are upbeat highlights.) In between, Qudus touches on the racism she deals with because of her Afghan heritage (“L.O.T.F”) and offers a cleverly constructed critique of sexual harassment (“Asking for You”) that would’ve been at home on the \u003cem>Promising Young Woman\u003c/em> soundtrack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seamlessly combining sounds of the future with the persistent idea that there won’t be one isn’t a recipe that should work, but it is surprisingly satisfying in Qudus’ capable hands. Stash a copy in your doomsday bunker immediately. —\u003cem> Rae Alexandra\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1909652176/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mystic, \u003cem>Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved Sparklers\u003c/em> (Beautifull Soundworks)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Mystic’s long-awaited third album arrived in August, two decades after her now-classic \u003cem>Cuts For Luck and Scars For Freedom\u003c/em>. In that time, she’s become an educator and healer, working in youth development. The Oakland MC brings that perspective to \u003cem>Dreaming In Cursive\u003c/em>, along with her own lived experiences, resulting in that rare hip-hop album that grounds itself in love and revels in wisdom. The album overflows with positive affirmations, cognizant of human struggle, but aspirational in nature and spiritual in tone. Mystic promises to “show you magic,” yet her invocations have more to do with uplifting souls than occult sorcery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mystic has always been a unicorn, talented at rapping, singing and spoken word, while being both socially conscious and street-savvy. \u003cem>Dreaming In Cursive\u003c/em> trades some of the edginess of her debut for a mellower overall vibe, complete with tasteful keyboards and poetic interludes. Boom-bap beats don’t dominate every track, but when they do surface, as on the anthemic single “We Are the People,” they bring a strident urgency without overshadowing her lyrical message. Which is, simply, that love is a revolutionary, transformative act that is foundational to liberation. Loving unapologetically — the album’s preeminent theme — requires having faith, vulnerability and intentional openness. This isn’t what we normally hear from rappers, but it’s perhaps what we need to hear more often. \u003cem>— Eric Arnold\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=670857443/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Try the Pie, \u003cem>A Widening Burst of Forever\u003c/em> (Get Better Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Equal parts cathartic and tender, Try the Pie’s \u003cem>A Widening Burst of Forever\u003c/em> features nine tracks that bounce between wistful and slow, loud and grungy. In “Asleep on the Lawn,” San Jose-raised singer-songwriter Bean Tupou’s clear and high vocals pierce the heavy reverberations of a simple guitar melody. “I didn’t see it like you,” they sing, soft and melancholic. Then, in “Last of You,” Tupou pivots into something grittier — with a more urgent vocal delivery and faster, cranked-up guitar riffs that collide into something worth headbanging to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album’s raw instrumentals are often paired with heartfelt lyrics. In “Awful Moon,” Tupou sings, “I’m just a fern below the dirt / unemerged,” confessing to an unnamed person that they are still delicate, still burgeoning, still growing into an unknown. \u003cem>— Kristie Song\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1815539143/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Spote Breeze, \u003cem>Cascade Viewing\u003c/em> (Hot Record Societe)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Spote Breeze is one the best-kept secrets of the Bay Area’s hip-hop scene. He’s usually hiding behind glasses and a hoodie, and rarely does he promote himself. But his music for self-described introverts shows that the quiet ones, the people who sit back and observe, often have the wisest things to say. On \u003ci>Cascade Viewing\u003c/i>, airy jazz- and soul-inflected beats by OG Jarin crackle with the sound of a vintage record player. With this vibe of an intimate listening session, the production gives the Oakland MC space to explore his inner world, as if writing diary entries in the blank pages of a notebook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spote’s story-rich verses ruminate on hard life experiences, eventually pulling out kernels of wisdom about friendship, personal growth and spirituality. Like the title \u003ci>Cascade Viewing\u003c/i> suggests (it’s an almost-homonym for “casket viewing”), brushes with death haunt the album’s 13 tracks. But even amid grim reminders of our mortality, Spote builds a more hopeful future, and his intricate rhymes are the foundation. \u003cem>— Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0BAcSuVdtXejNW6zQsIlJa?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Nate Curry and YMTK, \u003cem>By Design\u003c/em> (Self-Released)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In February, Oakland’s YMTK and Sacramento’s Nate Curry dropped \u003cem>By Design\u003c/em>, a nine-track project that fuses modern R&B with touches of trip-hop, heavy basslines and a dash pop flare. It’s the definition of eclectic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album begins with a mellow title track, about the perseverance it takes to achieve your goals, and takes listeners through a journey of physical attraction, the pursuit of love and the process of healing from love lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The house-influenced “Miss That” is a feel-good song about a relationship ending — somewhat of a contradictory notion, but it works really well for the healing process. It’s followed by “Silence,” where Jay Anthony joins YMTK and Nate Curry on a beat with a blappin’, mobb music bassline. The album features Bay Area standouts Guap, P-Lo and Symba — and a rare verse from Lil B — as well as Los Angeles’ Iman Europe and Phabo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sonic diversity in this album is a nod to the talent of Nate Curry and YMTK, who’ve figured out ways to work with a wide range of artists from the region. When Northern Californian artists join to create quality work, it does wonders for all of us. \u003cem>— Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3Z9uDO0cSfAgKDhwHHh2mQ?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Calvin Keys, \u003cem>Blue Keys\u003c/em> (Wide Hive Records)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the cusp of his 80th birthday, Calvin Keys sounds as lean and potent as ever. The Oakland guitarist has been at the center of the Bay Area jazz since the mid-1970s, and his new album \u003cem>Blue Keys\u003c/em> finds him keeping company with a bevy of similarly distinguished masters, including former Bay Area-based percussionist Babatunde Lea, bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, alto saxophonist Gary Bartz and trombonist Steve Turre (who also contributes on conch shells). As with many releases on Berkeley’s Wide Hive Records, label owner Gregory Howe is in the thick of the action as a pianist, organist, composer and overall sound designer. Rather than a late-career valedictory statement, Keys’ fourth release on Wide Hive is the work of an artist who still sounds hungry to extend his creative purview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keys is best known for his understated eloquence in straight-ahead jazz settings, placing each note for maximum rhythmic and emotional impact. Blue Keys surrounds him with thickly textured horns, kicking off with “Peregrines Dive.” Laced with the woozily surging opening refrain from Horace Silver’s hard-bop classic “Nutville,” the tune gains momentum and heft until the horns give way, and Keys resets the stage with a sharply etched, telegraphic solo. Turre’s gorgeous conch solo on “Ck 22” provides a striking tonal contrast to Keys’ stinging phrasing while the second half “At Arrival” opens up into a delicate Keys and Bartz duet that’s worth the price of admission alone. Smart, soulful and pleasingly concise, Keys is an improviser in his prime. \u003cem>— Andrew Gilbert\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1280115653/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Richie Cunning, \u003cem>Big Deal\u003c/em> (Son of the City)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Rappers often shout out Frank Sinatra for his style, his underworld ties and his attitude. But let’s face it: musically, the two are worlds apart. Pop-vocal easy listening from the 1950s mixed with today’s hip-hop? The idea sounds preposterous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enter San Francisco rapper Richie Cunning and his latest album, \u003cem>Big Deal\u003c/em>, filled with lush strings, muted trumpet, walking bass and tinkling piano. While Cunning raps with smooth ease, the voices of Sammy Davis Jr. and Bobby Darin weave in and out, and the whole thing is structured and paced to resemble a boom-bap microphone fiend time-traveling to a midnight set at an Eisenhower-era supper club.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Weirdly, it works. Cunning obviously cares about his source material and hip-hop in equal measure, and even seems to acknowledge the illusory myth that the 1950s provided (“Here’s to everybody hopin’ to escape their ghosts”). Each time I hear \u003cem>Big Deal\u003c/em>, I think the same thing: someone better book him at Yoshi’s soon. \u003cem>— Gabe Meline\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "10 Must-See Concerts in the Bay Area This Fall",
"headTitle": "10 Must-See Concerts in the Bay Area This Fall | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fallarts2022\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Find more of KQED’s picks for the best Fall 2022 events here\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re looking to see local talent in an intimate club, experience a chart-topping pop star in an arena or dance at an outdoor festival, there are plenty of concerts to look forward to in the Bay Area this fall. KQED has you covered with 10 must-see shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And please remember, as joyous as it is to gather with strangers to see live music, the pandemic isn’t over, and artists are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13912324/mask-requirements-touring-musicians-covid-tsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">touring at great personal and financial risk\u003c/a>. Be mindful and mask up, and spend your dollars at the merch booth if you can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902527\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902527\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big Freedia backstage at BottleRock Napa Valley festival on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://pridefestoakland.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pridefest Oakland: Big Freedia, Crystal Waters, Madame Gandhi\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>20th & Broadway, Oakland\u003cbr>\nSept. 11, 11am-6pm\u003cbr>\nFree\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Pride gets all the glory, but we get to celebrate LGBTQ+ identity all over again three months later across the Bay Bridge. The smaller but mighty Pridefest Oakland features some musical heavy hitters. This year’s headliner is the queen of New Orleans bounce music herself, Big Freedia. After grinding it out on the queer party circuit for years, she’s recently risen to mainstream prominence thanks to Beyoncé, who featured her on “Formation” and then again on this year’s song of the summer, “Break My Soul.” She’s joined by Crystal Waters, whose iconic ’90s house tracks “Gypsy Woman” and “100% Pure Love” continue to light up dance floors at queer parties worldwide. Percussionist, singer and electronic producer Madame Gandhi will perform her liberatory pop as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917879\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917879\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-800x570.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-800x570.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-1020x726.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-768x547.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa-Kainde and Naomi Diaz of Ibeyi perform on day three of the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park on July 21, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. \u003ccite>( Michael Hickey/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theregencyballroom.com/events/detail/428812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ibeyi\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Madison McFerrin\u003cbr>\nThe Regency Ballroom\u003cbr>\nSept. 17, doors: 7:30pm, show: 8:30pm\u003cbr>\n$32.50-$45\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hailing from France and drawing on their Afro-Cuban heritage, twin sisters Ibeyi make a deeply spiritual form of electronic pop that pays homage to the West African Yoruba faith they were raised in. Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz sing in French, Spanish, Yoruba and English about magic, healing, miracles, blood ties and spiritual bonds. At Regency Ballroom, they perform with Madison McFerrin, a graceful neo-soul vocalist and daughter of musical wizard and NEA Jazz Master Bobby McFerrin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13863766\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13863766\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Toro y Moi performs at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, Aug. 11, 2019.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toro y Moi performs at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, Aug. 11, 2019. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://portolamusicfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Portola Festival: Flume, The Chemical Brothers and more\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Pier 80, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 24 and 25\u003cbr>\nSingle day: $199.99+, weekend pass: $399.99+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new music festival Portola brings together OG stars of electronic music with new chart-toppers and standout indie favorites. The Chemical Brothers and Flume are the headliners, and the rest of the bill features a well-curated, diverse lineup. There are ultra-hip house music DJs and producers like Peggy Gou, Kaytranada, Yaeji and Channel Tres; cult pop stars M.I.A., Caroline Polachek, Charlie XCX and PinkPantheress; genre-bending singer-songwriters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13912444/toro-y-moi-new-album-mahal-bay-area-filipino\">Toro y Moi\u003c/a>, Arca, James Blake and Yves Tumor; hip-hop innovator (and San Jose native) DJ Shadow and too many other artists to list. There’s no big, mainstream EDM at Portola—it celebrates the more alternative and experimental side of DJ and electronic music culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917880\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Musicians Daoud Popal (L) and Ryu Kurosawa of Kikagaku Moyo perform onstage during Levitation at Barracuda on November 07, 2019 in Austin, Texas. \u003ccite>(Rick Kern/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thewarfieldtheatre.com/events/detail/443539\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kikagaku Moyo\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Briana Marela\u003cbr>\nThe Warfield\u003cbr>\nSept. 25, doors: 6:30pm, show: 8pm\u003cbr>\n$45-$65\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Japanese psych-rock band Kikagaku Moyo make perfect road trip music. Their guitar solos shimmer, chimes add a celestial glow and the occasion sitar or wah pedal swirls through the composition. Singing softly in Japanese, the group evokes a more amped-up version of the Beatles in their acid trip era, when George Harrison traveled to India to study transcendental meditation. Kikagaku Moyo’s profile has risen amid a psychedelic renaissance led Stateside by their Texan peers Khruangbin. Sadly, the group recently announced \u003ca href=\"https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/kikagaku-moyo-albums-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an amicable breakup\u003c/a> as they go on to pursue other projects. Their show at the Warfield might be the last time they play San Francisco in this incarnation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905597\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905597\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehlani performs at Outside Lands on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theoaklandarena.com/events/detail/kehlani-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kehlani\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Rico Nasty, Destin Conrad\u003cbr>\nOakland Arena, Oakland\u003cbr>\nSept. 30, 8pm\u003cbr>\n$49.50+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always a treat to see Kehlani at a hometown show, where fans who’ve been following the singer’s career since their days at Oakland School for the Arts sing along to every word. The Oakland-raised R&B star has spent the past few years maturing as a lyricist, and they’ve described their latest album, \u003ci>blue water road\u003c/i>, as a return to \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/mnlBRAV01C4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">making the kind of music they want to listen to\u003c/a> instead of satisfying the demands of the market. The more honest approach works. With understated, moody production and an emphasis on Kehlani’s gently raspy voice, \u003ci>blue water road\u003c/i> captivates with its vivid vignettes of “it’s complicated” situationships, queer desire, questionable decisions and budding romance. Even at a big arena show, Kehlani has a gift for connecting with their audience heart-to-heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917881\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-800x513.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-800x513.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-1020x654.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-768x493.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colombian band Bomba Estereo perform during the ‘Jungla’ Tour at The Plaza Live on August 10, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. \u003ccite>(Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://thegreekberkeley.com/events/bomba-estereo-221001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bomba Estéreo\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Greek Theatre, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nOct. 1, doors: 5:30pm, show: 7pm\u003cbr>\n$49.50+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mainstream music world recently got acquainted with Bomba Estéreo’s glittering, neon-lit pop when they featured on Bad Bunny’s new album, \u003ci>Un Verano Sin Ti\u003c/i>. The Colombian duo helped the Puerto Rican reggaeton star land a softer sound on “Ojitos Lindos,” but they’ve been combining indie pop with global rhythms since their debut in 2006. Their latest album, \u003ci>Deja\u003c/i>, mixes elements of salsa, cumbia and folk music with bright synths and propulsive grooves. Their Greek Theatre show promises a tropical dance party under the Northern California redwoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917882\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The English indie pop band Superorganism performs live at Circolo Magnolia Segrate in Milan, Italy on 15 November 2018. \u003ccite>(Roberto Finizio/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ticketweb.com/event/superorganism-the-ritz-tickets/11871255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Superorganism\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Ritz, San Jose\u003cbr>\nOct. 19, 7pm\u003cbr>\n$20+\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nSuperorganism’s songs bounce around with a hyperactive, childlike energy that unlocks listeners’ inner desire to play. (Case in point, their \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K49QKVR0p0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR Tiny Desk Concert\u003c/a> from back in 2018 included a band member whose job it was to blow bubbles and make splashing sounds in a bucket of water.) On their newest album, \u003ci>World Wide Pop\u003c/i>, the band takes on human unity in the face of alien invaders, space travel and more mundane topics like not fitting in with the latest trends. Their show at the Ritz should be a silly, good time that encourages us to expand our imaginations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917883\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917883\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-800x522.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-800x522.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-1020x665.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-768x501.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The War On Drugs performing during the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park in London on June 25, 2022. \u003ccite>(Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.soundsummit.net/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sound Summit: The War On Drugs, Faye Webster and More\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mountain Theater, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Mill Valley\u003cbr>\nOct. 22\u003cbr>\n$120+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area music fans are lucky to have so many gorgeous parks that double as venues for live music. One of the lesser-known destinations is the summit of Mount Tam, a uniquely gorgeous, lush oasis with epic views of the Pacific Ocean and the entire Bay Area. Once a year, Sound Summit invites fans to enjoy some mellow indie rock on the peak as part of a fundraiser for Roots & Branches Conservancy, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation of natural gems like Mount Tam. This year’s headliners include The War On Drugs, alternative country singer Faye Webster, folk act Fruit Bats and Americana-soul sextet Wreckless Strangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13870600\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13870600\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"EMPIRE artist Rexx Life Raj.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rexx Life Raj. \u003ccite>(Nastia Voynovskaya/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ticketweb.com/event/rexx-life-raj-travis-thompson-august-hall-tickets/12233945?pl=august&edpPlParam=%3Fpl%3Daugust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Travis Thompson\u003cbr>\nAugust Hall, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nNov. 4, 7pm\u003cbr>\n$30+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After two years of pandemic living and too many national crises to count, everyone is tired of pretending to be OK. Ever the savvy songwriter, Rexx Life Raj gives voice to the many messy stages of grief on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915940/rexx-life-raj-the-blue-hour-empire\">his latest album, \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. The Berkeley-raised rap star penned it after he tragically lost both of his parents to health issues in 2021. As he began to open up about his grieving process, he received an outpouring of support from fans who also had something or someone to mourn—which, after the last two years, is a lot of us. The project illuminates one of Raj’s greatest strengths: finding life lessons in even the biggest difficulties and giving his listeners the motivation to keep pushing. His August Hall show is the last one of his \u003ci>Blue Hour\u003c/i> tour, and it should be a cathartic homecoming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905555\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905555\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizzo Performs at Outside Lands on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chasecenter.com/events/lizzo-20221112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lizzo\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Latto\u003cbr>\nChase Center, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nNov. 12, doors: 7pm\u003cbr>\n$282+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hit play on Lizzo’s latest album, \u003ci>Special\u003c/i>, (or any of her projects, really), and you’ll instantly feel like you’re a part of her fun, free-spirited girl squad, ready to take on the world. Her danceable, expansive pop brims with an infectious confidence, and champions female friendship rather than competition. Not to mention she puts on a killer show—few in entertainment can say they have the ability to twerk while playing the flute, or belt out soulful vocal runs while performing athletic choreography. Her Chase Center show should be a blast, and support from high-femme Atlanta rap star Latto will make it that much better.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Whether you're looking to see local acts or chart-topping pop stars, we have you covered. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fallarts2022\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Find more of KQED’s picks for the best Fall 2022 events here\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re looking to see local talent in an intimate club, experience a chart-topping pop star in an arena or dance at an outdoor festival, there are plenty of concerts to look forward to in the Bay Area this fall. KQED has you covered with 10 must-see shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And please remember, as joyous as it is to gather with strangers to see live music, the pandemic isn’t over, and artists are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13912324/mask-requirements-touring-musicians-covid-tsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">touring at great personal and financial risk\u003c/a>. Be mindful and mask up, and spend your dollars at the merch booth if you can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902527\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902527\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/D7A1503-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big Freedia backstage at BottleRock Napa Valley festival on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://pridefestoakland.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pridefest Oakland: Big Freedia, Crystal Waters, Madame Gandhi\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>20th & Broadway, Oakland\u003cbr>\nSept. 11, 11am-6pm\u003cbr>\nFree\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Pride gets all the glory, but we get to celebrate LGBTQ+ identity all over again three months later across the Bay Bridge. The smaller but mighty Pridefest Oakland features some musical heavy hitters. This year’s headliner is the queen of New Orleans bounce music herself, Big Freedia. After grinding it out on the queer party circuit for years, she’s recently risen to mainstream prominence thanks to Beyoncé, who featured her on “Formation” and then again on this year’s song of the summer, “Break My Soul.” She’s joined by Crystal Waters, whose iconic ’90s house tracks “Gypsy Woman” and “100% Pure Love” continue to light up dance floors at queer parties worldwide. Percussionist, singer and electronic producer Madame Gandhi will perform her liberatory pop as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917879\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917879\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-800x570.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-800x570.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-1020x726.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866-768x547.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1157222866.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa-Kainde and Naomi Diaz of Ibeyi perform on day three of the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park on July 21, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. \u003ccite>( Michael Hickey/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theregencyballroom.com/events/detail/428812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ibeyi\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Madison McFerrin\u003cbr>\nThe Regency Ballroom\u003cbr>\nSept. 17, doors: 7:30pm, show: 8:30pm\u003cbr>\n$32.50-$45\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hailing from France and drawing on their Afro-Cuban heritage, twin sisters Ibeyi make a deeply spiritual form of electronic pop that pays homage to the West African Yoruba faith they were raised in. Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz sing in French, Spanish, Yoruba and English about magic, healing, miracles, blood ties and spiritual bonds. At Regency Ballroom, they perform with Madison McFerrin, a graceful neo-soul vocalist and daughter of musical wizard and NEA Jazz Master Bobby McFerrin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13863766\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13863766\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Toro y Moi performs at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, Aug. 11, 2019.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/08/MG_7206-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toro y Moi performs at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, Aug. 11, 2019. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://portolamusicfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Portola Festival: Flume, The Chemical Brothers and more\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Pier 80, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 24 and 25\u003cbr>\nSingle day: $199.99+, weekend pass: $399.99+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new music festival Portola brings together OG stars of electronic music with new chart-toppers and standout indie favorites. The Chemical Brothers and Flume are the headliners, and the rest of the bill features a well-curated, diverse lineup. There are ultra-hip house music DJs and producers like Peggy Gou, Kaytranada, Yaeji and Channel Tres; cult pop stars M.I.A., Caroline Polachek, Charlie XCX and PinkPantheress; genre-bending singer-songwriters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13912444/toro-y-moi-new-album-mahal-bay-area-filipino\">Toro y Moi\u003c/a>, Arca, James Blake and Yves Tumor; hip-hop innovator (and San Jose native) DJ Shadow and too many other artists to list. There’s no big, mainstream EDM at Portola—it celebrates the more alternative and experimental side of DJ and electronic music culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917880\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1186416847.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Musicians Daoud Popal (L) and Ryu Kurosawa of Kikagaku Moyo perform onstage during Levitation at Barracuda on November 07, 2019 in Austin, Texas. \u003ccite>(Rick Kern/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thewarfieldtheatre.com/events/detail/443539\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kikagaku Moyo\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Briana Marela\u003cbr>\nThe Warfield\u003cbr>\nSept. 25, doors: 6:30pm, show: 8pm\u003cbr>\n$45-$65\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Japanese psych-rock band Kikagaku Moyo make perfect road trip music. Their guitar solos shimmer, chimes add a celestial glow and the occasion sitar or wah pedal swirls through the composition. Singing softly in Japanese, the group evokes a more amped-up version of the Beatles in their acid trip era, when George Harrison traveled to India to study transcendental meditation. Kikagaku Moyo’s profile has risen amid a psychedelic renaissance led Stateside by their Texan peers Khruangbin. Sadly, the group recently announced \u003ca href=\"https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/kikagaku-moyo-albums-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an amicable breakup\u003c/a> as they go on to pursue other projects. Their show at the Warfield might be the last time they play San Francisco in this incarnation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905597\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905597\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Kehlani-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Sunday-Oct.-31-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehlani performs at Outside Lands on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theoaklandarena.com/events/detail/kehlani-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kehlani\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Rico Nasty, Destin Conrad\u003cbr>\nOakland Arena, Oakland\u003cbr>\nSept. 30, 8pm\u003cbr>\n$49.50+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always a treat to see Kehlani at a hometown show, where fans who’ve been following the singer’s career since their days at Oakland School for the Arts sing along to every word. The Oakland-raised R&B star has spent the past few years maturing as a lyricist, and they’ve described their latest album, \u003ci>blue water road\u003c/i>, as a return to \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/mnlBRAV01C4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">making the kind of music they want to listen to\u003c/a> instead of satisfying the demands of the market. The more honest approach works. With understated, moody production and an emphasis on Kehlani’s gently raspy voice, \u003ci>blue water road\u003c/i> captivates with its vivid vignettes of “it’s complicated” situationships, queer desire, questionable decisions and budding romance. Even at a big arena show, Kehlani has a gift for connecting with their audience heart-to-heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917881\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-800x513.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-800x513.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-1020x654.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694-768x493.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1014882694.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colombian band Bomba Estereo perform during the ‘Jungla’ Tour at The Plaza Live on August 10, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. \u003ccite>(Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://thegreekberkeley.com/events/bomba-estereo-221001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bomba Estéreo\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Greek Theatre, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nOct. 1, doors: 5:30pm, show: 7pm\u003cbr>\n$49.50+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mainstream music world recently got acquainted with Bomba Estéreo’s glittering, neon-lit pop when they featured on Bad Bunny’s new album, \u003ci>Un Verano Sin Ti\u003c/i>. The Colombian duo helped the Puerto Rican reggaeton star land a softer sound on “Ojitos Lindos,” but they’ve been combining indie pop with global rhythms since their debut in 2006. Their latest album, \u003ci>Deja\u003c/i>, mixes elements of salsa, cumbia and folk music with bright synths and propulsive grooves. Their Greek Theatre show promises a tropical dance party under the Northern California redwoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917882\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1062821540.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The English indie pop band Superorganism performs live at Circolo Magnolia Segrate in Milan, Italy on 15 November 2018. \u003ccite>(Roberto Finizio/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ticketweb.com/event/superorganism-the-ritz-tickets/11871255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Superorganism\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Ritz, San Jose\u003cbr>\nOct. 19, 7pm\u003cbr>\n$20+\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nSuperorganism’s songs bounce around with a hyperactive, childlike energy that unlocks listeners’ inner desire to play. (Case in point, their \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K49QKVR0p0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR Tiny Desk Concert\u003c/a> from back in 2018 included a band member whose job it was to blow bubbles and make splashing sounds in a bucket of water.) On their newest album, \u003ci>World Wide Pop\u003c/i>, the band takes on human unity in the face of alien invaders, space travel and more mundane topics like not fitting in with the latest trends. Their show at the Ritz should be a silly, good time that encourages us to expand our imaginations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917883\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917883\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-800x522.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-800x522.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-1020x665.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079-768x501.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1241526079.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The War On Drugs performing during the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park in London on June 25, 2022. \u003ccite>(Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.soundsummit.net/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sound Summit: The War On Drugs, Faye Webster and More\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mountain Theater, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Mill Valley\u003cbr>\nOct. 22\u003cbr>\n$120+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area music fans are lucky to have so many gorgeous parks that double as venues for live music. One of the lesser-known destinations is the summit of Mount Tam, a uniquely gorgeous, lush oasis with epic views of the Pacific Ocean and the entire Bay Area. Once a year, Sound Summit invites fans to enjoy some mellow indie rock on the peak as part of a fundraiser for Roots & Branches Conservancy, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation of natural gems like Mount Tam. This year’s headliners include The War On Drugs, alternative country singer Faye Webster, folk act Fruit Bats and Americana-soul sextet Wreckless Strangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13870600\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13870600\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"EMPIRE artist Rexx Life Raj.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/Rexx-Life-Raj-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rexx Life Raj. \u003ccite>(Nastia Voynovskaya/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ticketweb.com/event/rexx-life-raj-travis-thompson-august-hall-tickets/12233945?pl=august&edpPlParam=%3Fpl%3Daugust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Travis Thompson\u003cbr>\nAugust Hall, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nNov. 4, 7pm\u003cbr>\n$30+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After two years of pandemic living and too many national crises to count, everyone is tired of pretending to be OK. Ever the savvy songwriter, Rexx Life Raj gives voice to the many messy stages of grief on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915940/rexx-life-raj-the-blue-hour-empire\">his latest album, \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>\u003c/a>. The Berkeley-raised rap star penned it after he tragically lost both of his parents to health issues in 2021. As he began to open up about his grieving process, he received an outpouring of support from fans who also had something or someone to mourn—which, after the last two years, is a lot of us. The project illuminates one of Raj’s greatest strengths: finding life lessons in even the biggest difficulties and giving his listeners the motivation to keep pushing. His August Hall show is the last one of his \u003ci>Blue Hour\u003c/i> tour, and it should be a cathartic homecoming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905555\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905555\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Lizzo-Performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Saturday-Oct.-30-2-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizzo Performs at Outside Lands on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chasecenter.com/events/lizzo-20221112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lizzo\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>With Latto\u003cbr>\nChase Center, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nNov. 12, doors: 7pm\u003cbr>\n$282+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hit play on Lizzo’s latest album, \u003ci>Special\u003c/i>, (or any of her projects, really), and you’ll instantly feel like you’re a part of her fun, free-spirited girl squad, ready to take on the world. Her danceable, expansive pop brims with an infectious confidence, and champions female friendship rather than competition. Not to mention she puts on a killer show—few in entertainment can say they have the ability to twerk while playing the flute, or belt out soulful vocal runs while performing athletic choreography. Her Chase Center show should be a blast, and support from high-femme Atlanta rap star Latto will make it that much better.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]R[/dropcap]exx Life Raj’s sensitive storytelling has made him one of the Bay Area’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13869513/rexx-life-raj-father-figure-3-empire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">brightest rap talents in recent years\u003c/a>. And throughout his discography, his parents have been spiritual anchors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That will make your audience bigger and more in tune to you, because you got substance,” says his dad, Otis Wright, in the intro of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPZKxZ4YIkI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paradise\u003c/a>” on 2017’s \u003ci>Father Figure 2: Flourish\u003c/i>, an album sprinkled with snippets of Otis’ sage advice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Raj’s 2019 follow-up, \u003ci>Father Figure 3: Somewhere Out There\u003c/i>, his mom, Linda Wright, comes in during “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLwoPAVhUuY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Flowers.\u003c/a>” Raj calls her up and asks her to sing a song from church, Rev. Paul Jones’ “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCLgFFJt8D4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I Won’t Complain\u003c/a>.” She obliges warmly with a radiant vibrato that seems to energize Raj, who then delivers some of the most animated lines on the project: “Blessings rain down on me, woo, showers / I can’t complain, I won’t complain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s this on-record history of \u003ca href=\"https://www.rexxliferaj.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>’s parents’ love and support that makes his new album especially heartbreaking and resonant. \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i> (out July 15 via EMPIRE) gives a glimpse into a time period when Raj faced incalculable loss: both of his parents passed away within months of each other in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/Q7tMq07XQ78\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]D[/dropcap]uring the pandemic, Raj had been living with his parents in Vallejo, where they’d relocated from Berkeley when he was a teenager. In 2020, he started to notice that his mom would stumble and lose her balance on their regular walks. Eventually, she went to the hospital and was diagnosed with brain cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom just really instilled faith in me, in any situation,” says Raj, whose real name is Faraji Wright. “And I feel like she really displayed it when she got cancer and she was sick.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Linda was rushed into radiation treatment three days after the diagnosis. As her condition worsened, Raj became the caregiver for both of his parents. Prior to getting sick, Linda took care of Otis, who had diabetes and kidney failure, and was on dialysis. She also ran their family shipping business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once I had to start doing it, it made me really be like, ‘Wow, she’s so strong. She has so much stuff going on,’” he says. “It was so many times that I felt like I can’t even do this anymore. And she was already doing that every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CdMvVZyLH-K/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raj was so overwhelmed with responsibilities that he didn’t have time for any sort of emotional release. “I felt like if I broke down, everything would break down,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Music became a crucial outlet. He started jotting down notes about important moments and feelings in his phone’s notes app. When his mom dialed into his family’s weekly prayer call, Raj, who identifies as spiritual but not religious, hit record. Linda’s prayers for healing and strength, and for protection for Raj, weave together the tracks on \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>, where Raj oscillates between hope, sadness, anger, acceptance and longing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/S0tmwailW_4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I understand the power in just telling my story and how that can help people dealing with the same thing or going through grief,” he says. “It’s something that I had to do that was on my heart. … In those moments where I questioned it, it was like my heart was telling me, ‘You’re doing the right thing.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tragically, Linda passed away in the spring of 2021. In the months afterward, Raj wrote most of the songs on \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i> in his parents’ old computer room—where he made some of his first songs as a teenager on the family PC. He continued to care for Otis, who passed away from his health issues later that summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]T[/dropcap]\u003ci>he Blue Hour\u003c/i> isn’t the first time Raj has processed loss through music. \u003ci>Father Figure 3\u003c/i> contemplated the absence of two of his closest childhood friends, one of whom was killed as a bystander in a shooting, one of whom is currently incarcerated for unrelated reasons. But caring for and then losing his parents was a more intimate experience. At times, Raj felt self-conscious about putting so much vulnerability into the music. But he stayed motivated by the idea of helping others by giving voice to their pain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HkZCOsXBTY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People [are] in my DMs who relate to just feeling grief, harboring it and not being able to express it—preparing theyself for grief, you know, because they have sick parents or grandparents,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, over three years into the pandemic, the United States is overdue for a reckoning with grief. Over a million Americans have died from COVID-19. There’s been no national day of mourning, no break from capitalism’s demands. And as millennials like Raj, who is 32 years old, get older, many in our generation are facing the realities of caring for aging and sick parents for the first time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The thing about grief is that it just stays with you,” Raj says. “So you have these people who’ve been in this constant state of grief that have been wanting to get these things off their chest. But they can’t. They don’t because they don’t want to be too heavy or they don’t want to be a Debbie Downer. I don’t want to constantly bring down the mood. So I find myself in these long, long conversations with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That feeling of ongoing grief is palpable on “new normal + mom,” where Raj softly sings about still feeling his mom’s spirit to the gentle thrum of an acoustic guitar. “Hands and Knees” plunges into the depths of anxiety and anger as Raj questions the loyalty of friends and family members who didn’t show up for him in this difficult period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>’s singles are more radio friendly, with sleek, bass-heavy production, but the pain is still audible as Raj reaches for stability and clarity on “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syNoPjCXrFc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Balance\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKjUothPREI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beauty in the Madness\u003c/a>,” featuring Wale and Fireboy DML. “Save Yourself,” with its somber take on a funky bass line with a Bay Area knock, speaks to the isolation of having no one to rely on but yourself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Raj worked on \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>, music brought him back to friendship and community. He rented a house in Los Angeles and invited some of his closest collaborators, including P-Lo, YMTK and Ekzakt, to work with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making music with friends was comforting, but as Raj prepares to let the \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i> into the world, he’s faced with the feeling that the people he most wants to share his success with won’t be there. “One of the biggest things that grief has taught me is that a lot of this shit that I was doing was really for validation from my parents,” he says, recalling how he’d FaceTime his mom from a tour in London or from the stage at a sold-out show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As hard as things have been, the prospect of helping others with his music has kept Raj going. “It’s easy to get caught in the hype train, like, ‘Oh, I should make a trap song, or something for TikTok, or something for the radio.’ But that’s not my purpose,” he says. “My purpose is to take these life lessons and put them into music that, in whatever way or another, helps somebody.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">R\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>exx Life Raj’s sensitive storytelling has made him one of the Bay Area’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13869513/rexx-life-raj-father-figure-3-empire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">brightest rap talents in recent years\u003c/a>. And throughout his discography, his parents have been spiritual anchors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That will make your audience bigger and more in tune to you, because you got substance,” says his dad, Otis Wright, in the intro of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPZKxZ4YIkI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paradise\u003c/a>” on 2017’s \u003ci>Father Figure 2: Flourish\u003c/i>, an album sprinkled with snippets of Otis’ sage advice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Raj’s 2019 follow-up, \u003ci>Father Figure 3: Somewhere Out There\u003c/i>, his mom, Linda Wright, comes in during “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLwoPAVhUuY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Flowers.\u003c/a>” Raj calls her up and asks her to sing a song from church, Rev. Paul Jones’ “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCLgFFJt8D4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I Won’t Complain\u003c/a>.” She obliges warmly with a radiant vibrato that seems to energize Raj, who then delivers some of the most animated lines on the project: “Blessings rain down on me, woo, showers / I can’t complain, I won’t complain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s this on-record history of \u003ca href=\"https://www.rexxliferaj.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>’s parents’ love and support that makes his new album especially heartbreaking and resonant. \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i> (out July 15 via EMPIRE) gives a glimpse into a time period when Raj faced incalculable loss: both of his parents passed away within months of each other in 2021.\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/Q7tMq07XQ78'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Q7tMq07XQ78'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">D\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>uring the pandemic, Raj had been living with his parents in Vallejo, where they’d relocated from Berkeley when he was a teenager. In 2020, he started to notice that his mom would stumble and lose her balance on their regular walks. Eventually, she went to the hospital and was diagnosed with brain cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom just really instilled faith in me, in any situation,” says Raj, whose real name is Faraji Wright. “And I feel like she really displayed it when she got cancer and she was sick.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Linda was rushed into radiation treatment three days after the diagnosis. As her condition worsened, Raj became the caregiver for both of his parents. Prior to getting sick, Linda took care of Otis, who had diabetes and kidney failure, and was on dialysis. She also ran their family shipping business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once I had to start doing it, it made me really be like, ‘Wow, she’s so strong. She has so much stuff going on,’” he says. “It was so many times that I felt like I can’t even do this anymore. And she was already doing that every day.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Raj was so overwhelmed with responsibilities that he didn’t have time for any sort of emotional release. “I felt like if I broke down, everything would break down,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Music became a crucial outlet. He started jotting down notes about important moments and feelings in his phone’s notes app. When his mom dialed into his family’s weekly prayer call, Raj, who identifies as spiritual but not religious, hit record. Linda’s prayers for healing and strength, and for protection for Raj, weave together the tracks on \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>, where Raj oscillates between hope, sadness, anger, acceptance and longing.\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/S0tmwailW_4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/S0tmwailW_4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“I understand the power in just telling my story and how that can help people dealing with the same thing or going through grief,” he says. “It’s something that I had to do that was on my heart. … In those moments where I questioned it, it was like my heart was telling me, ‘You’re doing the right thing.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tragically, Linda passed away in the spring of 2021. In the months afterward, Raj wrote most of the songs on \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i> in his parents’ old computer room—where he made some of his first songs as a teenager on the family PC. He continued to care for Otis, who passed away from his health issues later that summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ci>he Blue Hour\u003c/i> isn’t the first time Raj has processed loss through music. \u003ci>Father Figure 3\u003c/i> contemplated the absence of two of his closest childhood friends, one of whom was killed as a bystander in a shooting, one of whom is currently incarcerated for unrelated reasons. But caring for and then losing his parents was a more intimate experience. At times, Raj felt self-conscious about putting so much vulnerability into the music. But he stayed motivated by the idea of helping others by giving voice to their pain.\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/_HkZCOsXBTY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/_HkZCOsXBTY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“People [are] in my DMs who relate to just feeling grief, harboring it and not being able to express it—preparing theyself for grief, you know, because they have sick parents or grandparents,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, over three years into the pandemic, the United States is overdue for a reckoning with grief. Over a million Americans have died from COVID-19. There’s been no national day of mourning, no break from capitalism’s demands. And as millennials like Raj, who is 32 years old, get older, many in our generation are facing the realities of caring for aging and sick parents for the first time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The thing about grief is that it just stays with you,” Raj says. “So you have these people who’ve been in this constant state of grief that have been wanting to get these things off their chest. But they can’t. They don’t because they don’t want to be too heavy or they don’t want to be a Debbie Downer. I don’t want to constantly bring down the mood. So I find myself in these long, long conversations with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That feeling of ongoing grief is palpable on “new normal + mom,” where Raj softly sings about still feeling his mom’s spirit to the gentle thrum of an acoustic guitar. “Hands and Knees” plunges into the depths of anxiety and anger as Raj questions the loyalty of friends and family members who didn’t show up for him in this difficult period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>’s singles are more radio friendly, with sleek, bass-heavy production, but the pain is still audible as Raj reaches for stability and clarity on “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syNoPjCXrFc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Balance\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKjUothPREI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beauty in the Madness\u003c/a>,” featuring Wale and Fireboy DML. “Save Yourself,” with its somber take on a funky bass line with a Bay Area knock, speaks to the isolation of having no one to rely on but yourself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Raj worked on \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i>, music brought him back to friendship and community. He rented a house in Los Angeles and invited some of his closest collaborators, including P-Lo, YMTK and Ekzakt, to work with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making music with friends was comforting, but as Raj prepares to let the \u003ci>The Blue Hour\u003c/i> into the world, he’s faced with the feeling that the people he most wants to share his success with won’t be there. “One of the biggest things that grief has taught me is that a lot of this shit that I was doing was really for validation from my parents,” he says, recalling how he’d FaceTime his mom from a tour in London or from the stage at a sold-out show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As hard as things have been, the prospect of helping others with his music has kept Raj going. “It’s easy to get caught in the hype train, like, ‘Oh, I should make a trap song, or something for TikTok, or something for the radio.’ But that’s not my purpose,” he says. “My purpose is to take these life lessons and put them into music that, in whatever way or another, helps somebody.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "dj-shellheart-bugzy-rexx-life-raj-dj",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910987\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910987\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-800x800.jpeg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart wears sunglasses as she poses next to a huge car rim of a classic car.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-1020x1020.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-1920x1920.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart wears sunglasses as she poses next to a huge car rim of a classic car. \u003ccite>(@mattsdemise)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>eing “outside” has grown into a term that signifies the amount of work put in, the battles you’ve survived and the love you’ve received. It’s a badge of honor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I think about people who’ve \u003cem>really been outside\u003c/em>, I think of folks who’ve turned human interaction into a lucrative business model and some sort of spiritual exchange. People like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ ShellHeart\u003c/a>.\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\">Last week, she hosted a birthday party for East Oakland lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/whoisallblack/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ALLBLACK\u003c/a>. A few days prior, I saw her dancing in the booth while DJing an event with visual artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yanory_norwood/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yanory Norwood.\u003c/a> Last month I spotted her cutting up and spinning records with a bunch of fly sisters on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tiptopshape_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tip Top Shape\u003c/a> float at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackjoyparade/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Black Joy Parade\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this Friday, March 25, ShellHeart DJs at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/turfinc/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Turf Inc.\u003c/a>-hosted “Dance Your Style 2022” battle; she’s joined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djladyryan/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Lady Ryan\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djumami/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Umami\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djredcorvette/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Red Corvette\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmujie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Mujie\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As if that’s not enough, the next day, Saturday, March 26, Shell appears at the cannabis-themed brunch \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/welcome-to-the-blunch-tickets-269092662397\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blunch\u003c/a>, organized and hosted by Oakland emcee and entrepreneur \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CbY0hrILEue/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ally Cocaine\u003c/a> and her sister. And on Sunday, March 27, she’s at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-announce-womens-empowerment-month-celebrations-20220307\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thrive City Women’s Small Business Market\u003c/a> at the Chase Center, as part of the Golden State Warriors’ Women’s History Month festivities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m laying out her itinerary to show you that’s she’s not only outside—pardon me, \u003cem>been outside\u003c/em>—but that’s it’s clearly paying off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910988\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13910988\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1020x1020.jpeg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart in front of the 16th Street Station in West Oakland. \" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1020x1020.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1920x1920.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart in front of the 16th Street Station in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(@mattsdemise)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">“I\u003c/span> been on the gas, OG Penn!” DJ ShellHeart tells me during a phone call last week, speaking in an audible smile as she runs down her current schedule, starting with her event series called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/good_times_party/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Good Times\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every first Sunday, ShellHeart along with other DJs host the day party that’s simply about coming together to appreciate each other. “A lot of people don’t get their flowers,” Shell says, in a tone that’s a 180-degree difference from how the call started. “A lot of people from where I’m from don’t get flowers until somebody is dead.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, before the event, Shell buys eight bouquets and passes individual flowers out to people “during the lit hours.” Shell says, “I pass them out to everybody, man or woman. That’s one thing that has been big for me for 2022: making sure people get their flowers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of this writing, they’ve only thrown a few Good Times events. But each one has brought out hundreds of attendees. Now, they’re even considering a larger venue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910991\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910991\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-800x910.png\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart holds a bouquet of flowers as she embraces rapper and entrepreneur Ally Cocaine.\" width=\"600\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-800x910.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-160x182.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-768x873.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM.png 978w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart holds a bouquet of flowers as she embraces rapper and entrepreneur Ally Cocaine. \u003ccite>(@tiz_og)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the past two years the Bay Area has undergone some major nightlife shifts, but ShellHeart isn’t concerned. “It’s a lot of clubs that are closing,” says Shell. “But there are so many that are opening. And they’re willing to be open for the young DJs to throw parties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She credits \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mrbadelle/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brett Badelle\u003c/a>, owner of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thegalleryartbar/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gallery Art Bar\u003c/a>, as well as venues like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/crybabyoakland/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CryBaby Oakland\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zanzioakland/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zanzi\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/811parliament/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parliament\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/halftimesportsbar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Halftime Sports Bar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/m2oak/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">M2\u003c/a> as places where she can shine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a big difference from a few months ago, when her holiday DJ gig, Rexx Life Raj’s “Rexxmas,” was cancelled due to the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant–a wave that brought Shell back to the first shutdown in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the pandemic came, I felt like I lost everything. Well, I did. I didn’t have a booking in sight,” ShellHeart says, reminiscing on recent history. But that period gave her time to plan. “And now I’m doing it, and it’s amazing,” she adds, audibly smiling again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in San Francisco and raised in South Richmond, ShellHeart, given name Michelle Miller, is truly from the soil. She attended school in Berkeley, and church in Vallejo. But it was her time spent in Sacramento that set her on her path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After relocating to the 916 for a job at Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home in 2014, she decided to fill her idle time with a new hobby. So she purchased a mini DJ controller that she could attach to an iPad. It wasn’t her first rodeo: when she was in high school, her dad gave her some turntables, but it didn’t stick—Shell was too focused on running track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little older and a little deeper into music, it was time. She got connected with Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmelimel_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Meli Mel\u003c/a>, who gave Shell a real controller, a Numark NS7. “It was hella heavy!” Shell exclaims. “But I was like, ‘\u003cem>This\u003c/em> \u003cem>is what I want to do\u003c/em>.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So she did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910984\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"RBC Bugzy and DJ ShellHeart pose for a photo in 2018 in Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RBC Bugzy and DJ ShellHeart pose for a photo in 2018 in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Courtesy DJ ShellHeart)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>ack home in Richmond, an artist by the name of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rbcbugzy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RBC Bugzy\u003c/a> was on the rise, having released his first mixtape, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thizzler.com/blog/2014/12/16/rbc-bugzy-richmen-mixtape.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Richmen\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. After a year in Sacramento, ShellHeart moved back to the Bay, living in Vallejo. That’s when she and Bugzy connected. “And we just kicked it off,” says Shell, matter-of-factly. “We already knew each other because we were both from Richmond, but once I became his DJ, we became a lot closer. That actually kicked off my DJ career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bugzy was a goofy dude, Shell tells me. A happy family man who loved hard. They’d exchange early morning phone calls to check in, and often ride out together, driving around the Bay selling Bugzy’s RICHMEN line of shirts out of his trunk while playing his music and seeing people in traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bugzy was shot and killed in Georgia in late 2019, along with Atlanta’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hip-hopvibe.com/news/rip-tuc-dolla-and-rbc-bugzy-twitter-mourns-the-loss-of-atl-figure-tucdolla-and-rapper-rbc-bugzy-who-were-killed-last-night-bugzy-was-the-brother-of-cj-anderson-of-the-denver-broncos/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tuc Dolla\u003c/a>. After his death, Bugzy’s brother, the retired NFL running back and current college coach \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/cjandersonb22/status/1212096306933579776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">C.J. Anderson\u003c/a>, made it clear that Bugzy was a stage name: “His name was Bryon Edwards,” he tweeted. “Today we lost my brother Bryon Edwards.” He was a real person who was taken from this world too soon, leaving behind family, friends, and fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plenty of photos exist of ShellHeart performing in a baseball cap with “Bugzy” embroidered on the side. But the image that really speaks to their connection is one she keeps at the crib. “I have this picture of [Bugzy] and my mom in my room, and I look at it every morning,” Shell says, once again in a tone absent of a smile. “When I go outside, it’s for him, it’s for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart and Rexx Life Raj are caught off guard ahead of a performance in Los Angeles. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart and Rexx Life Raj are caught off guard ahead of a performance in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Marco Alexander)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">W\u003c/span>hen she’s outside, it’s not just in the Bay; in 2018, ShellHeart began touring as Rexx Life Raj’s DJ across the United States and Europe, hitting London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shell and Raj have known each other since their days at Berkeley High, back when Raj was a part of a group called the Goon Squad. “Me and Raj been connected, that’s what a lot of people don’t know,” Shell says, audible smile present again. “That’s really my friend. So, he just made me his DJ. And man, we been killing it… He changed my life, for real. He and Bugzy changed my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she’s at a point where she can support herself by doing what she loves. On any given night, you might catch her Milly Rocking in the DJ booth while giving shoutouts over the club’s sound system. She has events lined up for the summer. She released a line of hats last fall and has more clothing dropping in the coming months. That’s in addition to throwing parties, hosting events, going on tour again and possibly putting out her own music with some well-known Bay Area artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13910986\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1020x1529.jpeg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart doing her thing on tour with Russ at a the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.\" width=\"640\" height=\"959\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1020x1529.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-800x1199.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-768x1151.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1025x1536.jpeg 1025w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1366x2048.jpeg 1366w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1920x2879.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-scaled.jpeg 1708w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart doing her thing on tour with Russ at a the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. \u003ccite>(Courtesy DJ ShellHeart)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s been a long journey from when she started, back when she was hitting events and shaking people’s hands, hoping to get to know them and to make sure they got to know her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from DJ Backside and the late Pam The Funkstress, ShellHeart says that in those early days of DJing, she didn’t see many women behind the boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And being a gay female, it felt like a lot of people didn’t know how to approach me,” Shell explains. “I’d get a lot of brushed-off shoulders. But I made sure to go shake those hands: I don’t know you, you don’t know me, but imma make sure you remember me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked what it feels like to have this kind of momentum, DJ ShellHeart answers with a rhetorical question of her own: “Why am I outside on a fucking Monday?” she laughs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It trips me out: \u003cem>Damn, I’m outside again?\u003c/em>” she says. “But this is my job. This is my career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Keep up with DJ ShellHeart on her \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Instagram\u003c/a> and learn more at her \u003ca href=\"https://www.djshellheart.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The Richmond-raised DJ for Rexx Life Raj and the late RBC Bugzy is all gas, ensuring people get their flowers.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910987\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910987\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-800x800.jpeg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart wears sunglasses as she poses next to a huge car rim of a classic car.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-1020x1020.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1797-1920x1920.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart wears sunglasses as she poses next to a huge car rim of a classic car. \u003ccite>(@mattsdemise)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>eing “outside” has grown into a term that signifies the amount of work put in, the battles you’ve survived and the love you’ve received. It’s a badge of honor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I think about people who’ve \u003cem>really been outside\u003c/em>, I think of folks who’ve turned human interaction into a lucrative business model and some sort of spiritual exchange. People like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ ShellHeart\u003c/a>.\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\">Last week, she hosted a birthday party for East Oakland lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/whoisallblack/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ALLBLACK\u003c/a>. A few days prior, I saw her dancing in the booth while DJing an event with visual artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yanory_norwood/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yanory Norwood.\u003c/a> Last month I spotted her cutting up and spinning records with a bunch of fly sisters on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tiptopshape_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tip Top Shape\u003c/a> float at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blackjoyparade/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Black Joy Parade\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this Friday, March 25, ShellHeart DJs at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/turfinc/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Turf Inc.\u003c/a>-hosted “Dance Your Style 2022” battle; she’s joined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djladyryan/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Lady Ryan\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djumami/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Umami\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djredcorvette/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Red Corvette\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmujie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Mujie\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As if that’s not enough, the next day, Saturday, March 26, Shell appears at the cannabis-themed brunch \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/welcome-to-the-blunch-tickets-269092662397\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blunch\u003c/a>, organized and hosted by Oakland emcee and entrepreneur \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CbY0hrILEue/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ally Cocaine\u003c/a> and her sister. And on Sunday, March 27, she’s at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-announce-womens-empowerment-month-celebrations-20220307\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thrive City Women’s Small Business Market\u003c/a> at the Chase Center, as part of the Golden State Warriors’ Women’s History Month festivities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m laying out her itinerary to show you that’s she’s not only outside—pardon me, \u003cem>been outside\u003c/em>—but that’s it’s clearly paying off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910988\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13910988\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1020x1020.jpeg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart in front of the 16th Street Station in West Oakland. \" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1020x1020.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/DSCF1803-1920x1920.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart in front of the 16th Street Station in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(@mattsdemise)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">“I\u003c/span> been on the gas, OG Penn!” DJ ShellHeart tells me during a phone call last week, speaking in an audible smile as she runs down her current schedule, starting with her event series called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/good_times_party/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Good Times\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every first Sunday, ShellHeart along with other DJs host the day party that’s simply about coming together to appreciate each other. “A lot of people don’t get their flowers,” Shell says, in a tone that’s a 180-degree difference from how the call started. “A lot of people from where I’m from don’t get flowers until somebody is dead.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, before the event, Shell buys eight bouquets and passes individual flowers out to people “during the lit hours.” Shell says, “I pass them out to everybody, man or woman. That’s one thing that has been big for me for 2022: making sure people get their flowers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of this writing, they’ve only thrown a few Good Times events. But each one has brought out hundreds of attendees. Now, they’re even considering a larger venue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910991\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910991\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-800x910.png\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart holds a bouquet of flowers as she embraces rapper and entrepreneur Ally Cocaine.\" width=\"600\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-800x910.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-160x182.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM-768x873.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-24-at-1.25.44-AM.png 978w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart holds a bouquet of flowers as she embraces rapper and entrepreneur Ally Cocaine. \u003ccite>(@tiz_og)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the past two years the Bay Area has undergone some major nightlife shifts, but ShellHeart isn’t concerned. “It’s a lot of clubs that are closing,” says Shell. “But there are so many that are opening. And they’re willing to be open for the young DJs to throw parties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She credits \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mrbadelle/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brett Badelle\u003c/a>, owner of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thegalleryartbar/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gallery Art Bar\u003c/a>, as well as venues like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/crybabyoakland/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CryBaby Oakland\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zanzioakland/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zanzi\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/811parliament/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parliament\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/halftimesportsbar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Halftime Sports Bar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/m2oak/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">M2\u003c/a> as places where she can shine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a big difference from a few months ago, when her holiday DJ gig, Rexx Life Raj’s “Rexxmas,” was cancelled due to the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant–a wave that brought Shell back to the first shutdown in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the pandemic came, I felt like I lost everything. Well, I did. I didn’t have a booking in sight,” ShellHeart says, reminiscing on recent history. But that period gave her time to plan. “And now I’m doing it, and it’s amazing,” she adds, audibly smiling again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in San Francisco and raised in South Richmond, ShellHeart, given name Michelle Miller, is truly from the soil. She attended school in Berkeley, and church in Vallejo. But it was her time spent in Sacramento that set her on her path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After relocating to the 916 for a job at Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home in 2014, she decided to fill her idle time with a new hobby. So she purchased a mini DJ controller that she could attach to an iPad. It wasn’t her first rodeo: when she was in high school, her dad gave her some turntables, but it didn’t stick—Shell was too focused on running track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little older and a little deeper into music, it was time. She got connected with Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmelimel_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Meli Mel\u003c/a>, who gave Shell a real controller, a Numark NS7. “It was hella heavy!” Shell exclaims. “But I was like, ‘\u003cem>This\u003c/em> \u003cem>is what I want to do\u003c/em>.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So she did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910984\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"RBC Bugzy and DJ ShellHeart pose for a photo in 2018 in Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_0389-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RBC Bugzy and DJ ShellHeart pose for a photo in 2018 in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Courtesy DJ ShellHeart)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>ack home in Richmond, an artist by the name of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rbcbugzy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RBC Bugzy\u003c/a> was on the rise, having released his first mixtape, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thizzler.com/blog/2014/12/16/rbc-bugzy-richmen-mixtape.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Richmen\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. After a year in Sacramento, ShellHeart moved back to the Bay, living in Vallejo. That’s when she and Bugzy connected. “And we just kicked it off,” says Shell, matter-of-factly. “We already knew each other because we were both from Richmond, but once I became his DJ, we became a lot closer. That actually kicked off my DJ career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bugzy was a goofy dude, Shell tells me. A happy family man who loved hard. They’d exchange early morning phone calls to check in, and often ride out together, driving around the Bay selling Bugzy’s RICHMEN line of shirts out of his trunk while playing his music and seeing people in traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bugzy was shot and killed in Georgia in late 2019, along with Atlanta’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hip-hopvibe.com/news/rip-tuc-dolla-and-rbc-bugzy-twitter-mourns-the-loss-of-atl-figure-tucdolla-and-rapper-rbc-bugzy-who-were-killed-last-night-bugzy-was-the-brother-of-cj-anderson-of-the-denver-broncos/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tuc Dolla\u003c/a>. After his death, Bugzy’s brother, the retired NFL running back and current college coach \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/cjandersonb22/status/1212096306933579776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">C.J. Anderson\u003c/a>, made it clear that Bugzy was a stage name: “His name was Bryon Edwards,” he tweeted. “Today we lost my brother Bryon Edwards.” He was a real person who was taken from this world too soon, leaving behind family, friends, and fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plenty of photos exist of ShellHeart performing in a baseball cap with “Bugzy” embroidered on the side. But the image that really speaks to their connection is one she keeps at the crib. “I have this picture of [Bugzy] and my mom in my room, and I look at it every morning,” Shell says, once again in a tone absent of a smile. “When I go outside, it’s for him, it’s for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13910985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart and Rexx Life Raj are caught off guard ahead of a performance in Los Angeles. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_1036.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart and Rexx Life Raj are caught off guard ahead of a performance in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Marco Alexander)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">W\u003c/span>hen she’s outside, it’s not just in the Bay; in 2018, ShellHeart began touring as Rexx Life Raj’s DJ across the United States and Europe, hitting London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shell and Raj have known each other since their days at Berkeley High, back when Raj was a part of a group called the Goon Squad. “Me and Raj been connected, that’s what a lot of people don’t know,” Shell says, audible smile present again. “That’s really my friend. So, he just made me his DJ. And man, we been killing it… He changed my life, for real. He and Bugzy changed my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she’s at a point where she can support herself by doing what she loves. On any given night, you might catch her Milly Rocking in the DJ booth while giving shoutouts over the club’s sound system. She has events lined up for the summer. She released a line of hats last fall and has more clothing dropping in the coming months. That’s in addition to throwing parties, hosting events, going on tour again and possibly putting out her own music with some well-known Bay Area artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13910986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13910986\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1020x1529.jpeg\" alt=\"DJ ShellHeart doing her thing on tour with Russ at a the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.\" width=\"640\" height=\"959\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1020x1529.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-800x1199.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-768x1151.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1025x1536.jpeg 1025w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1366x2048.jpeg 1366w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-1920x2879.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/IMG_9137-scaled.jpeg 1708w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ ShellHeart doing her thing on tour with Russ at a the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. \u003ccite>(Courtesy DJ ShellHeart)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s been a long journey from when she started, back when she was hitting events and shaking people’s hands, hoping to get to know them and to make sure they got to know her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from DJ Backside and the late Pam The Funkstress, ShellHeart says that in those early days of DJing, she didn’t see many women behind the boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And being a gay female, it felt like a lot of people didn’t know how to approach me,” Shell explains. “I’d get a lot of brushed-off shoulders. But I made sure to go shake those hands: I don’t know you, you don’t know me, but imma make sure you remember me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked what it feels like to have this kind of momentum, DJ ShellHeart answers with a rhetorical question of her own: “Why am I outside on a fucking Monday?” she laughs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It trips me out: \u003cem>Damn, I’m outside again?\u003c/em>” she says. “But this is my job. This is my career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Keep up with DJ ShellHeart on her \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Instagram\u003c/a> and learn more at her \u003ca href=\"https://www.djshellheart.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "a-month-in-pursuit-of-freedom",
"title": "A Month in Pursuit of Freedom",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">A\u003c/span>ugust 2021 was a lot. The return to in-class learning. The COVID vaccine debates. The massive fires, big earthquakes and huge storms. And the music. Thank the powers that be for the music.\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\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kendrick Lamar dropped one verse and smoked your top five rappers, Kanye West took off that goofy red hat and dropped an album, Aaliyah’s discography finally became available on streaming platforms, and The Lox got their flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, meanwhile, music headlines were overshadowed by the unexplained series of events that led to the death of\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901310/baba-zumbi-zion-i-dies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Zion I’s Baba Zumbi\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I tested positive for COVID on the same day that Zumbi, a talented artist and friend who I’d seen two months prior at my best friend’s birthday party, was involved in a mysterious conflict at Alta Bates Hospital. While overcoming a case of COVID, Zumbi reportedly became involved in a physical altercation with hospital staff. Berkeley police responded. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901310/baba-zumbi-zion-i-dies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zumbi ended up dead\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spent a week-plus quarantining and staring at my phone—scrolling, contemplating current events and critically thinking about what it all means—you know, in the larger context of this “freedom” we’re all inherently pursuing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Again, thank God for music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All my time has been focused on my freedom now,” says Ms. Lauryn Hill, opening her verse on the track “Nobody” from Nas’ latest project \u003ci>King’s Disease II\u003c/i>. The album, a follow up to Nas’ 2020 Grammy-winning \u003ci>King’s Disease\u003c/i>, dropped the first week of the month and quickly topped Billboard’s hip-hop charts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ms. Hill’s extended barrage of bars on “Nobody” are packed with quotable lines, but nothing spoke to me like the idea of spending every second engaged in the process of emancipation. “Focused on my freedom now.” What an idea. Now I can’t stop thinking: \u003ci>shit, I wanna spend my time focusing on my freedom, too\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, in a lot of ways, my time is spent indirectly paying for continued oppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=234OiGtOvII\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">E\u003c/span>xactly 20 years ago, Nas was in a dispute with Jay-Z that would be well-documented in a Summer Jam performance, multiple interviews, and of course music—starting with Jay’s “The Takeover,” featured on Jay-Z’s album \u003ci>The Blueprint\u003c/i>, which dropped Sept. 11, 2001. We all know what else happened that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was a first-year high school student, living in a small apartment in South Berkeley and attending the Athenian College Preparatory School, 45 minutes away in the town of Danville. A scholarship offered to me through the \u003ca href=\"https://www.abetterchance.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Better Chance\u003c/a> program landed me at school in one of the wealthiest places in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every morning I’d get on a big ‘ole Twinkie bus at Berkeley BART and pursue a \u003ci>better chance\u003c/i> of getting out of the hood, going to college, and eventually finding freedom. Between my taped-up Sony headphones and beneath my tightly wrapped durag, my big head bobbled on the back of the bus—I don’t know what I was bumping, but I can tell you that my brain was already brewing up ways to break bondage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wanted freedom. Economic freedom, specifically. I was told that academia was the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That first month of school, I got real familiar with the connection between my oppression locally and the oppression of people around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13901531']In response to how our friends and neighbors with roots in the Middle East were being treated post-9/11, I worked with my schoolmates, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/amis_umi/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Agzja Carey\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/norah-alyami-5a385511/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norah Alyami\u003c/a>, to organize a rally in front of Oakland’s City Hall. The keynote speaker was \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Davey D\u003c/a>, a journalist I knew from his KMEL days, and who I’d grow to admire and even mimic in his ability to mix hip-hop, politics, and the fight for freedom into one conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two decades later, life has evolved. Davey is a person I can call with hard journalism questions—I literally did just a few days ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nas is seeing great success as of late; he even has a classic instrumental in a\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzRrJQHnQ0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Tiffany and Co. advertisement\u003c/a>… but he’s still overshadowed (for better \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901650/that-beyonce-jay-z-and-basquiat-ad-for-tiffanys-does-have-some-upsides-you-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">or for worse\u003c/a>) by Jay-Z, who along with Beyoncé was also featured by the same high-end jewelry company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And earlier this month, as the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, and Al Qaeda forces gained control of Kabul, it became clear that our 20-year war effort, launched after 9/11, had failed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I watched the news clips of people running toward large moving jets, even clinging on as the planes took off—just to fall to their deaths. It was reported that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/human-remains-plane-departing-afghanistan/#:~:text=Human%20remains%20were%20found%20in,clamoring%20to%20get%20on%20board.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">human remains were found\u003c/a> in the wheel well of one of the airplanes. For me, it was further clarification of what had been long suspected: this country’s “war on terrorism,” its sacrifice of both civilians and civil liberties, had been pointless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I broke from my anger-inducing news intake to experiment with my COVID-driven lack of taste. I ate cloves of garlic whole and lemons with the rind still on, just for kicks. I couldn’t read my books, so I balanced my intake of important headlines with clips of crate-mountain conquerors falling to their doom for the whole internet to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when all else failed, I revisited classic hip-hop albums as an escape. Scarface’s \u003ci>The Fix\u003c/i>, Snoop Dogg’s \u003ci>The Last Meal\u003c/i>, tracks from Foxy Brown’s \u003ci>Broken Silence\u003c/i> and Curren$y’s \u003ci>Pilot Talk\u003c/i> trilogy. I dug up the lesser-known Nas and Lauryn Hill track, “It Wasn’t You,” as well as the staple “If I Ruled The World”—another song about the pursuit of freedom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlp-IIG9ApU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The alone time ate at me. How confined am I? Is my freedom found solely in music? Even then, I pay streaming services or take in unwanted advertisements to taste my source of liberation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How has my push toward freedom led to further oppression? How much have I given to big business? How much revenue have I generated for millionaires with adverse views? Hell, how much have I personally contributed to this country’s war efforts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was in high school when our government started the longest war in this nation’s history. I entered the workforce shortly thereafter. Every legal dollar I’ve ever earned has been taxed and, in one way or another, used as fuel in this war machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How many guns have I indirectly purchased? How many were distributed in Black and brown communities overseas? How many have ended up back in my own neighborhood?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How many cops’ salaries have I contributed to? How many of those cops have harassed me, pulled over people I know for no reason, or killed someone who looks like me?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are the unforeseen byproducts of working toward what I perceive as financial freedom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CPBy3rqh3z0/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>his is far from a complaint. I know the significance of being an African American person who gets paid to read and write. I write about artists, creators of color, working-class folks, and disenfranchised Black Americans who have whole bloodlines full of family who were deemed unworthy of the right to read, write, and pursue freedom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I write about them; I write about us. But I’m still not free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“… focused on my freedom now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>August, Black August, is a time we look to honor those who’ve radically committed themselves to the pursuit of freedom. It encompasses Marcus Garvey’s birthdate, Nat Turner’s rebellion, The Haitian Revolution, and George Jackson’s death, as well as the date that Dr. Huey P. Newton was killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On that day, Aug. 22, the site where Dr. Newton is set to be honored with a bust created by Dana King \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS676K9r03y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">was defaced.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no freedom, not even in death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This August has been rough. There have been a couple of deaths in my inner circle and some unnecessary family drama. I’ve spent ample time reflecting on the nonsense I’ve traversed in my pursuit of freedom. And I’ve gotten wrapped in the pessimism that comes with the potential of dealing with COVID-19 and its variants for another six months, another year, maybe more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My hope for economic, political, or any other substantive form of freedom has turned bleak. I don’t think it’s coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But more music is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Thursday I look forward to new music dropping. After a week of working and inching slowly forward without finding the freedom I’d been told about, at least there’s music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I celebrated every track \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> dropped this summer, got juiced when I saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS5e3UFlBfz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ruby Ibarra\u003c/a> in the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, and while I despise the NFL, I love that \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTLhzBtlEhm/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stunnaman 02\u003c/a> is \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS5Mpt5p8K_/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">providing the soundtrack\u003c/a> for the region’s remaining pro football team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The closest I’ve ever been to liberation is within the confines of my headphones. I choose what music I’m going to ride to before I put on my seatbelt. There’s hardly a moment where my house is silent, even if it’s just some instrumentals playing softly in the other room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I need music all the time. Every moment is focused on my freedom.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">A\u003c/span>ugust 2021 was a lot. The return to in-class learning. The COVID vaccine debates. The massive fires, big earthquakes and huge storms. And the music. Thank the powers that be for the music.\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\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kendrick Lamar dropped one verse and smoked your top five rappers, Kanye West took off that goofy red hat and dropped an album, Aaliyah’s discography finally became available on streaming platforms, and The Lox got their flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, meanwhile, music headlines were overshadowed by the unexplained series of events that led to the death of\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901310/baba-zumbi-zion-i-dies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Zion I’s Baba Zumbi\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I tested positive for COVID on the same day that Zumbi, a talented artist and friend who I’d seen two months prior at my best friend’s birthday party, was involved in a mysterious conflict at Alta Bates Hospital. While overcoming a case of COVID, Zumbi reportedly became involved in a physical altercation with hospital staff. Berkeley police responded. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901310/baba-zumbi-zion-i-dies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zumbi ended up dead\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spent a week-plus quarantining and staring at my phone—scrolling, contemplating current events and critically thinking about what it all means—you know, in the larger context of this “freedom” we’re all inherently pursuing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Again, thank God for music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All my time has been focused on my freedom now,” says Ms. Lauryn Hill, opening her verse on the track “Nobody” from Nas’ latest project \u003ci>King’s Disease II\u003c/i>. The album, a follow up to Nas’ 2020 Grammy-winning \u003ci>King’s Disease\u003c/i>, dropped the first week of the month and quickly topped Billboard’s hip-hop charts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ms. Hill’s extended barrage of bars on “Nobody” are packed with quotable lines, but nothing spoke to me like the idea of spending every second engaged in the process of emancipation. “Focused on my freedom now.” What an idea. Now I can’t stop thinking: \u003ci>shit, I wanna spend my time focusing on my freedom, too\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, in a lot of ways, my time is spent indirectly paying for continued oppression.\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/234OiGtOvII'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/234OiGtOvII'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">E\u003c/span>xactly 20 years ago, Nas was in a dispute with Jay-Z that would be well-documented in a Summer Jam performance, multiple interviews, and of course music—starting with Jay’s “The Takeover,” featured on Jay-Z’s album \u003ci>The Blueprint\u003c/i>, which dropped Sept. 11, 2001. We all know what else happened that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was a first-year high school student, living in a small apartment in South Berkeley and attending the Athenian College Preparatory School, 45 minutes away in the town of Danville. A scholarship offered to me through the \u003ca href=\"https://www.abetterchance.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Better Chance\u003c/a> program landed me at school in one of the wealthiest places in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every morning I’d get on a big ‘ole Twinkie bus at Berkeley BART and pursue a \u003ci>better chance\u003c/i> of getting out of the hood, going to college, and eventually finding freedom. Between my taped-up Sony headphones and beneath my tightly wrapped durag, my big head bobbled on the back of the bus—I don’t know what I was bumping, but I can tell you that my brain was already brewing up ways to break bondage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wanted freedom. Economic freedom, specifically. I was told that academia was the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That first month of school, I got real familiar with the connection between my oppression locally and the oppression of people around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In response to how our friends and neighbors with roots in the Middle East were being treated post-9/11, I worked with my schoolmates, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/amis_umi/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Agzja Carey\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/norah-alyami-5a385511/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Norah Alyami\u003c/a>, to organize a rally in front of Oakland’s City Hall. The keynote speaker was \u003ca href=\"https://www.daveyd.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Davey D\u003c/a>, a journalist I knew from his KMEL days, and who I’d grow to admire and even mimic in his ability to mix hip-hop, politics, and the fight for freedom into one conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two decades later, life has evolved. Davey is a person I can call with hard journalism questions—I literally did just a few days ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nas is seeing great success as of late; he even has a classic instrumental in a\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzRrJQHnQ0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Tiffany and Co. advertisement\u003c/a>… but he’s still overshadowed (for better \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901650/that-beyonce-jay-z-and-basquiat-ad-for-tiffanys-does-have-some-upsides-you-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">or for worse\u003c/a>) by Jay-Z, who along with Beyoncé was also featured by the same high-end jewelry company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And earlier this month, as the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, and Al Qaeda forces gained control of Kabul, it became clear that our 20-year war effort, launched after 9/11, had failed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I watched the news clips of people running toward large moving jets, even clinging on as the planes took off—just to fall to their deaths. It was reported that \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/human-remains-plane-departing-afghanistan/#:~:text=Human%20remains%20were%20found%20in,clamoring%20to%20get%20on%20board.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">human remains were found\u003c/a> in the wheel well of one of the airplanes. For me, it was further clarification of what had been long suspected: this country’s “war on terrorism,” its sacrifice of both civilians and civil liberties, had been pointless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I broke from my anger-inducing news intake to experiment with my COVID-driven lack of taste. I ate cloves of garlic whole and lemons with the rind still on, just for kicks. I couldn’t read my books, so I balanced my intake of important headlines with clips of crate-mountain conquerors falling to their doom for the whole internet to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when all else failed, I revisited classic hip-hop albums as an escape. Scarface’s \u003ci>The Fix\u003c/i>, Snoop Dogg’s \u003ci>The Last Meal\u003c/i>, tracks from Foxy Brown’s \u003ci>Broken Silence\u003c/i> and Curren$y’s \u003ci>Pilot Talk\u003c/i> trilogy. I dug up the lesser-known Nas and Lauryn Hill track, “It Wasn’t You,” as well as the staple “If I Ruled The World”—another song about the pursuit of freedom.\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/mlp-IIG9ApU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/mlp-IIG9ApU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The alone time ate at me. How confined am I? Is my freedom found solely in music? Even then, I pay streaming services or take in unwanted advertisements to taste my source of liberation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How has my push toward freedom led to further oppression? How much have I given to big business? How much revenue have I generated for millionaires with adverse views? Hell, how much have I personally contributed to this country’s war efforts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was in high school when our government started the longest war in this nation’s history. I entered the workforce shortly thereafter. Every legal dollar I’ve ever earned has been taxed and, in one way or another, used as fuel in this war machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How many guns have I indirectly purchased? How many were distributed in Black and brown communities overseas? How many have ended up back in my own neighborhood?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How many cops’ salaries have I contributed to? How many of those cops have harassed me, pulled over people I know for no reason, or killed someone who looks like me?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are the unforeseen byproducts of working toward what I perceive as financial freedom.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>his is far from a complaint. I know the significance of being an African American person who gets paid to read and write. I write about artists, creators of color, working-class folks, and disenfranchised Black Americans who have whole bloodlines full of family who were deemed unworthy of the right to read, write, and pursue freedom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I write about them; I write about us. But I’m still not free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“… focused on my freedom now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>August, Black August, is a time we look to honor those who’ve radically committed themselves to the pursuit of freedom. It encompasses Marcus Garvey’s birthdate, Nat Turner’s rebellion, The Haitian Revolution, and George Jackson’s death, as well as the date that Dr. Huey P. Newton was killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On that day, Aug. 22, the site where Dr. Newton is set to be honored with a bust created by Dana King \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS676K9r03y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">was defaced.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no freedom, not even in death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This August has been rough. There have been a couple of deaths in my inner circle and some unnecessary family drama. I’ve spent ample time reflecting on the nonsense I’ve traversed in my pursuit of freedom. And I’ve gotten wrapped in the pessimism that comes with the potential of dealing with COVID-19 and its variants for another six months, another year, maybe more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My hope for economic, political, or any other substantive form of freedom has turned bleak. I don’t think it’s coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But more music is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Thursday I look forward to new music dropping. After a week of working and inching slowly forward without finding the freedom I’d been told about, at least there’s music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I celebrated every track \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> dropped this summer, got juiced when I saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS5e3UFlBfz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ruby Ibarra\u003c/a> in the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, and while I despise the NFL, I love that \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTLhzBtlEhm/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stunnaman 02\u003c/a> is \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CS5Mpt5p8K_/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">providing the soundtrack\u003c/a> for the region’s remaining pro football team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The closest I’ve ever been to liberation is within the confines of my headphones. I choose what music I’m going to ride to before I put on my seatbelt. There’s hardly a moment where my house is silent, even if it’s just some instrumentals playing softly in the other room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I need music all the time. Every moment is focused on my freedom.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "No Graves, Only Gardens: On Juneteenth in Oakland",
"headTitle": "No Graves, Only Gardens: On Juneteenth in Oakland | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he wide spectrum of experiences that encompass being Black in America were centerstage this past Saturday, and I was there with my camera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The god-like gorgeousness. The impressive use of innovation. The disgust of danger actualizing in the form of death. The different skin tones and distinct accents. The variation of clothing styles, representative of religious affiliations or neighborhood and individual claims.\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\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I saw so much Black life through my camera during the day, I’m lightweight embarrassed to say that I was oblivious to what I observed until later that night. That’s when a few choice words made it all click.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That evening, the Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland hosted their first Grooves From the Green House event, with performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msjanehandcock/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jane Handcock\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/vadiahub/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vadia\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/masego/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Masego\u003c/a>. The plant nursery had been converted into an intimate venue where potted pothos plants hung over the heads of 60 to 70 attendees vibing to the music in their seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899119\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899119\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Masego plays the saxophone in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A.jpg 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Masego plays the saxophone in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For many, the show was the first live performance “since the pandemic ended”—or rather, since Governor Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868240/newsom-announces-plan-to-open-up-business-as-usual-in-california-by-june-15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lifted the requirement\u003c/a> for people to wear masks in public places. It was also just a few days after President Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recognized by the government or not, Juneteenth was being celebrated all over: inside of that greenhouse, in cities around the country, and on the eastern side of Lake Merritt—where I had been earlier in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899121\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899121\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Zakiya smiles as she adorns a tree with sunflowers and a red, black and green cloth, as a part of a photo booth installation\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zakiya smiles as she adorns a tree with sunflowers and a red, black and green cloth, as a part of a photo booth installation. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span> got to the lake just before noon, dropping my stuff with some friends at the grassy area across from the Cleveland Cascade staircase. From there I walked south, down Lakeshore Avenue, stopping at the event at Pine Knoll Park on Hanover Avenue, before continuing to the amphitheater on the far southern end of the lake. And then I walked back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I did that loop three times, and the whole time I was taking photos and giving hugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I saw a newborn child in the arms of its parent, the hands of young a man holding a blunt and gigging, a woman with fingernail polish on her cuticles that perfectly coordinated with her outfit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tire smoke was being sent from dirt bikes to the clouds, and hands were holding red cups toward the heavens as if trying to cheers with angels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those are just the photo opportunities that I passed up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899122\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899122\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a mask hits a wheelie on an ATV near Lake Merritt over the weekend\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person in a mask hits a wheelie on an ATV near Lake Merritt over the weekend. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At one point, inside my head, I played a little game where I tried to see how many seconds I could go without seeing something beautiful. I never made it to double digits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A friend and I tried to estimate how many people were at the lake. We concluded that the official count was somewhere between 5,000 heads and “hella mutha-f…” (reports say 10,000 people were there).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s common to say it was a “sea of folks,” but to me it was more like a pasture full of people who were planted on this planet and all happened to be in one place. It was a Black garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People were getting their sun and water, feet planted in healthy soil and exchanging loving communication. That’s how plants grow, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But despite the nurturing environment, spots of tension arose as the afternoon went on. A round of firecrackers made the crowd jump at one point. At another location, a little later, a fistfight was filmed. At a third spot, a phone call for someone to “air this shit out” was overheard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I walked back to the car, I heard the gunshots that left \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/One-dead-three-injured-in-shooting-on-Lakeshore-16260117.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a reported\u003c/a> six people injured and one person dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899123\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Leila Williams, Calvin Williams and their son Malik stop for a photo while standing in front of a sign that reads, "we are each other's medicine."\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leila Williams, Calvin Williams and their son Malik stop for a photo. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">A\u003c/span>n hour or so later, I sat in the Blk Girls Green House, waiting for the R&B show to start, scrolling through my phone, reading social media posts and reports from news organizations about what happened by the lake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I sent a text asking for updates from a close friend whose cousin was shot, but in stable condition. During a phone call a few minutes prior, when my friend told me the news, I told him to let me know if there was anything I could do—knowing damn well that there was nothing I could do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899118\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899118\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Jane Handcock raises her left arm as she vibes to her music while performing at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jane Handcock vibes to her music while performing at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As I wiggled in my greenhouse seat to tuck my phone into my pocket, I grabbed my camera and focused on the first act, Jane Handcock. She performed a couple of songs, moving the crowd with her original songs, plus her track “Baby,” which is a remake of Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name” and the Main Ingredient’s “Let Me Prove My Love to You.” Her cold vocals, fly hair and “don’t be shy, we came here to have a good time” attitude laid the foundation for the night of performances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I turned back to my phone. No text back yet. Damn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what I’ve come to understand as the full spectrum of the Black experience in America. I’m used to going from celebrating to mourning, and back again. I know that high-powered love and high-powered weapons are both present in my community, and it’s almost a regular occurrence for life and death to simultaneously occupy the same space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899124\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A barbecue grill is engulfed in flames near Lake Merritt as people celebrate Juneteenth in Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A barbecue grill is engulfed in flames near Lake Merritt as people celebrate Juneteenth in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">H\u003c/span>ow’d our community grow to be so rife with extreme examples of love and violence? There’s a lot of layers, but the seed was planted by the same heinous American institution that we abolished 150 years ago, and that we just made a holiday about, honoring the delayed message that it had ended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To think: that institution left my great-great aunties and great-great uncles to feed on unwanted scraps. Scraps that they then turned into soul food, a cuisine that’s loved and served at celebrations, despite being tied to heart disease, the leading cause of death amongst Black folks. Violence and love, death and life, all in one meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899125\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"DJ Mujie on the 1s and 2s\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ Mujie on the ones and twos. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At stage right in the greenhouse, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmujie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Mujie\u003c/a> stood behind a laptop and some digital turntables as she spun hits that got people up and dancing. I mingled a bit, cracked some jokes, and checked my phone again—no response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The event continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Headliner Masego ended the show by singing, playing the keys, and blowing the saxophone; in addition to exercising his sense of humor. He roasted a member of his crew for wearing a durag, something the guy evidently never does. “A black one at that?” Masego asked. “Because it’s Juneteenth, huh?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13832886']Prior to Masego’s music and comedy, Rexx Life Raj performed songs like “Handheld GPS” and “Tesla in a Pandemic,” and also shared some jokes with folks. An artist who was raised in Berkeley and has performed at huge venues around the world, Raj said that he almost “boo-boo’ed” on himself backstage when he realized how intimate the greenhouse venue was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But of all of the words spoken that evening, nothing moved me like the lyrics to Vadia’s hymn-like song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKmhEzpzgSs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">No Graves\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Death does not become me / it don’t rest easy on me / it was never meant for me / it’s not my destiny / always overcoming / there will be no graves,” she sang as she donned black, brown and gold beaded braids as long as the roots of a South African wild fig tree. “No graves, only gardens,” said Vadia to the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Vadia sings in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vadia sings in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he juxtaposition of death and life, or love and violence, isn’t a new concept. But I’d never heard it referred to as graves and gardens. And to imagine a day where there are only gardens—places where people can grow, like plants in a greenhouse—that’s a fascinating idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I took my phone out and put those words in a digital note, and then checked my messages again for an update on the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next morning my friend posted in an Instagram story that her cousin survived and was at home. The bullet was still in her body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were given another opportunity for growing in the garden, but it comes with a constant reminder of the grave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Pendarvis Harshaw on celebrating, mourning, and the full spectrum of the Black experience in America.",
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"description": "Pendarvis Harshaw on celebrating, mourning, and the full spectrum of the Black experience in America.",
"title": "No Graves, Only Gardens: On Juneteenth in Oakland | KQED",
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"headline": "No Graves, Only Gardens: On Juneteenth in Oakland",
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"subhead": "The beauty of Juneteenth in Oakland and a live musical performance, coupled with community violence. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he wide spectrum of experiences that encompass being Black in America were centerstage this past Saturday, and I was there with my camera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The god-like gorgeousness. The impressive use of innovation. The disgust of danger actualizing in the form of death. The different skin tones and distinct accents. The variation of clothing styles, representative of religious affiliations or neighborhood and individual claims.\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\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I saw so much Black life through my camera during the day, I’m lightweight embarrassed to say that I was oblivious to what I observed until later that night. That’s when a few choice words made it all click.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That evening, the Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland hosted their first Grooves From the Green House event, with performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msjanehandcock/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jane Handcock\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/vadiahub/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vadia\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/masego/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Masego\u003c/a>. The plant nursery had been converted into an intimate venue where potted pothos plants hung over the heads of 60 to 70 attendees vibing to the music in their seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899119\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899119\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Masego plays the saxophone in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/6C855327-CF65-4AC1-B3B0-819234905F1A.jpg 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Masego plays the saxophone in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For many, the show was the first live performance “since the pandemic ended”—or rather, since Governor Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868240/newsom-announces-plan-to-open-up-business-as-usual-in-california-by-june-15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lifted the requirement\u003c/a> for people to wear masks in public places. It was also just a few days after President Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recognized by the government or not, Juneteenth was being celebrated all over: inside of that greenhouse, in cities around the country, and on the eastern side of Lake Merritt—where I had been earlier in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899121\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899121\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Zakiya smiles as she adorns a tree with sunflowers and a red, black and green cloth, as a part of a photo booth installation\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/7153D232-9DF6-45DE-A467-431CC9F865FC.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zakiya smiles as she adorns a tree with sunflowers and a red, black and green cloth, as a part of a photo booth installation. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span> got to the lake just before noon, dropping my stuff with some friends at the grassy area across from the Cleveland Cascade staircase. From there I walked south, down Lakeshore Avenue, stopping at the event at Pine Knoll Park on Hanover Avenue, before continuing to the amphitheater on the far southern end of the lake. And then I walked back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I did that loop three times, and the whole time I was taking photos and giving hugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I saw a newborn child in the arms of its parent, the hands of young a man holding a blunt and gigging, a woman with fingernail polish on her cuticles that perfectly coordinated with her outfit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tire smoke was being sent from dirt bikes to the clouds, and hands were holding red cups toward the heavens as if trying to cheers with angels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those are just the photo opportunities that I passed up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899122\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899122\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a mask hits a wheelie on an ATV near Lake Merritt over the weekend\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/52B9D433-7DB9-40FE-A7F5-04AA7A5E0C2B.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person in a mask hits a wheelie on an ATV near Lake Merritt over the weekend. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At one point, inside my head, I played a little game where I tried to see how many seconds I could go without seeing something beautiful. I never made it to double digits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A friend and I tried to estimate how many people were at the lake. We concluded that the official count was somewhere between 5,000 heads and “hella mutha-f…” (reports say 10,000 people were there).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s common to say it was a “sea of folks,” but to me it was more like a pasture full of people who were planted on this planet and all happened to be in one place. It was a Black garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People were getting their sun and water, feet planted in healthy soil and exchanging loving communication. That’s how plants grow, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But despite the nurturing environment, spots of tension arose as the afternoon went on. A round of firecrackers made the crowd jump at one point. At another location, a little later, a fistfight was filmed. At a third spot, a phone call for someone to “air this shit out” was overheard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As I walked back to the car, I heard the gunshots that left \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/One-dead-three-injured-in-shooting-on-Lakeshore-16260117.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a reported\u003c/a> six people injured and one person dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899123\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Leila Williams, Calvin Williams and their son Malik stop for a photo while standing in front of a sign that reads, "we are each other's medicine."\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/AB4B458E-4E7D-42F7-BAA9-A3FF66BEC3D3.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leila Williams, Calvin Williams and their son Malik stop for a photo. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">A\u003c/span>n hour or so later, I sat in the Blk Girls Green House, waiting for the R&B show to start, scrolling through my phone, reading social media posts and reports from news organizations about what happened by the lake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I sent a text asking for updates from a close friend whose cousin was shot, but in stable condition. During a phone call a few minutes prior, when my friend told me the news, I told him to let me know if there was anything I could do—knowing damn well that there was nothing I could do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899118\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899118\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Jane Handcock raises her left arm as she vibes to her music while performing at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC01133.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jane Handcock vibes to her music while performing at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As I wiggled in my greenhouse seat to tuck my phone into my pocket, I grabbed my camera and focused on the first act, Jane Handcock. She performed a couple of songs, moving the crowd with her original songs, plus her track “Baby,” which is a remake of Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name” and the Main Ingredient’s “Let Me Prove My Love to You.” Her cold vocals, fly hair and “don’t be shy, we came here to have a good time” attitude laid the foundation for the night of performances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I turned back to my phone. No text back yet. Damn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what I’ve come to understand as the full spectrum of the Black experience in America. I’m used to going from celebrating to mourning, and back again. I know that high-powered love and high-powered weapons are both present in my community, and it’s almost a regular occurrence for life and death to simultaneously occupy the same space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899124\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A barbecue grill is engulfed in flames near Lake Merritt as people celebrate Juneteenth in Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/DSC00992.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A barbecue grill is engulfed in flames near Lake Merritt as people celebrate Juneteenth in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">H\u003c/span>ow’d our community grow to be so rife with extreme examples of love and violence? There’s a lot of layers, but the seed was planted by the same heinous American institution that we abolished 150 years ago, and that we just made a holiday about, honoring the delayed message that it had ended.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To think: that institution left my great-great aunties and great-great uncles to feed on unwanted scraps. Scraps that they then turned into soul food, a cuisine that’s loved and served at celebrations, despite being tied to heart disease, the leading cause of death amongst Black folks. Violence and love, death and life, all in one meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899125\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"DJ Mujie on the 1s and 2s\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/A59DA034-1B8D-45C2-B11D-3195DB18710C.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DJ Mujie on the ones and twos. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At stage right in the greenhouse, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmujie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Mujie\u003c/a> stood behind a laptop and some digital turntables as she spun hits that got people up and dancing. I mingled a bit, cracked some jokes, and checked my phone again—no response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The event continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Headliner Masego ended the show by singing, playing the keys, and blowing the saxophone; in addition to exercising his sense of humor. He roasted a member of his crew for wearing a durag, something the guy evidently never does. “A black one at that?” Masego asked. “Because it’s Juneteenth, huh?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Prior to Masego’s music and comedy, Rexx Life Raj performed songs like “Handheld GPS” and “Tesla in a Pandemic,” and also shared some jokes with folks. An artist who was raised in Berkeley and has performed at huge venues around the world, Raj said that he almost “boo-boo’ed” on himself backstage when he realized how intimate the greenhouse venue was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But of all of the words spoken that evening, nothing moved me like the lyrics to Vadia’s hymn-like song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKmhEzpzgSs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">No Graves\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Death does not become me / it don’t rest easy on me / it was never meant for me / it’s not my destiny / always overcoming / there will be no graves,” she sang as she donned black, brown and gold beaded braids as long as the roots of a South African wild fig tree. “No graves, only gardens,” said Vadia to the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13899126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13899126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Vadia sings in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/194FF7EF-E1CD-49DB-B9B2-1C9E74D33A51.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vadia sings in front of a live audience at Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he juxtaposition of death and life, or love and violence, isn’t a new concept. But I’d never heard it referred to as graves and gardens. And to imagine a day where there are only gardens—places where people can grow, like plants in a greenhouse—that’s a fascinating idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I took my phone out and put those words in a digital note, and then checked my messages again for an update on the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next morning my friend posted in an Instagram story that her cousin survived and was at home. The bullet was still in her body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were given another opportunity for growing in the garden, but it comes with a constant reminder of the grave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Masego, Rexx Life Raj, Vadia, Jane Handcock Bring Live Music to Blk Girls Green House",
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"content": "\u003cp>Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blkgirls_greenhouse/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blk Girls Green House\u003c/a> is putting on its first live performance since the plant nursery and event space opened its doors in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13885663/blk-girls-green-house-cultivates-a-plant-sanctuary-in-west-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 2020\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grooves-from-the-greenhouse-tickets-158321234073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grooves From The Green House\u003c/a>,” a series where talented musicians perform in front of an intimate gathering of folks, is scheduled to start promptly at 8pm on June 19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first show in this series features a lineup of forward-thinking hip-hop and R&B artists with thoughtful lyrics and a soulful vibe: \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msjanehandcock/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jane Handcock\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/vadiahub/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vadia\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/masego/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Masego\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmujie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Mujie\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The evening honors Juneteenth—Freedom Day, which marks the anniversary of enslaved Africans in Texas receiving notification that slavery had been abolished two and a half years earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898604\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13898604\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-800x1200.jpg\" alt='Co-founders of Blk Gilrs Green House, Kalkidan (\"Kalu\") Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne, stand next to each other as they pose for a photo.' width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Co-founders of Blk Gilrs Green House, Kalkidan (“Kalu”) Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne, stand next to each other as they pose for a photo. \u003ccite>(Samantha Tyler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The owners of Blk Girls Green House see significance in hosting their first concert on Juneteenth. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/by_kalu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kalkidan “Kalu” Gebreyohannes\u003c/a>, who co-owns the shop with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jmaicaroxanne/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J’Maica Roxanne\u003c/a>, says, “It honors our ancestors who fought and endured suffering, it honors our community who yearn for healing, joy and celebration, and most importantly it unifies all those who stand for equality and justice and continue to fight for freedom.” [aside postid='arts_13885663']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the concert inside the shop is already sold out, there’ll be a simultaneous community screening at Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.7thwest.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">7th West\u003c/a>, where a $20 ticket will give attendees room to groove with their friends and a live set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sake1derful/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Sake1\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The show will also be streamed online for those who want to watch from the comfort of their homes, a link will be sent via email to people who \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grooves-from-the-greenhouse-tickets-158321234073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">register on the waitlist ahead of time\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898603\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13898603\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"The view inside of Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view inside of Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Samantha Tyler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The evening’s affair is backed by \u003ca href=\"https://sff.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The San Francisco Foundation\u003c/a>, as well as Washington D.C.-based health and entertainment group \u003ca href=\"https://www.broccolicity.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Broccoli City.\u003c/a> Support from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.empowerinitiative.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Empower Initiative\u003c/a> will come in the form of an educational session about Juneteenth, and the event has additional backing from \u003ca href=\"https://www.endeavors-oakland.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Endeavors Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gebreyohannes says the assistance of the organizations listed above is key to the overall goal of this series. “We’re planning on doing this quarterly,” says Gebreyohannes, “and we want to have [Blk Girls Green House] recognized as a space for community and arts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More information about the show can be found \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grooves-from-the-greenhouse-tickets-158321234073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blkgirls_greenhouse/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blk Girls Green House\u003c/a> is putting on its first live performance since the plant nursery and event space opened its doors in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13885663/blk-girls-green-house-cultivates-a-plant-sanctuary-in-west-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 2020\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grooves-from-the-greenhouse-tickets-158321234073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grooves From The Green House\u003c/a>,” a series where talented musicians perform in front of an intimate gathering of folks, is scheduled to start promptly at 8pm on June 19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first show in this series features a lineup of forward-thinking hip-hop and R&B artists with thoughtful lyrics and a soulful vibe: \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msjanehandcock/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jane Handcock\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/vadiahub/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vadia\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/masego/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Masego\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djmujie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Mujie\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The evening honors Juneteenth—Freedom Day, which marks the anniversary of enslaved Africans in Texas receiving notification that slavery had been abolished two and a half years earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898604\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13898604\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-800x1200.jpg\" alt='Co-founders of Blk Gilrs Green House, Kalkidan (\"Kalu\") Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne, stand next to each other as they pose for a photo.' width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6909-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Co-founders of Blk Gilrs Green House, Kalkidan (“Kalu”) Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne, stand next to each other as they pose for a photo. \u003ccite>(Samantha Tyler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The owners of Blk Girls Green House see significance in hosting their first concert on Juneteenth. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/by_kalu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kalkidan “Kalu” Gebreyohannes\u003c/a>, who co-owns the shop with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jmaicaroxanne/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J’Maica Roxanne\u003c/a>, says, “It honors our ancestors who fought and endured suffering, it honors our community who yearn for healing, joy and celebration, and most importantly it unifies all those who stand for equality and justice and continue to fight for freedom.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the concert inside the shop is already sold out, there’ll be a simultaneous community screening at Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.7thwest.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">7th West\u003c/a>, where a $20 ticket will give attendees room to groove with their friends and a live set from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sake1derful/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ Sake1\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The show will also be streamed online for those who want to watch from the comfort of their homes, a link will be sent via email to people who \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grooves-from-the-greenhouse-tickets-158321234073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">register on the waitlist ahead of time\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898603\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13898603\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"The view inside of Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/IMG_6907-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view inside of Blk Girls Green House in West Oakland. \u003ccite>(Samantha Tyler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The evening’s affair is backed by \u003ca href=\"https://sff.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The San Francisco Foundation\u003c/a>, as well as Washington D.C.-based health and entertainment group \u003ca href=\"https://www.broccolicity.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Broccoli City.\u003c/a> Support from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.empowerinitiative.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Empower Initiative\u003c/a> will come in the form of an educational session about Juneteenth, and the event has additional backing from \u003ca href=\"https://www.endeavors-oakland.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Endeavors Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gebreyohannes says the assistance of the organizations listed above is key to the overall goal of this series. “We’re planning on doing this quarterly,” says Gebreyohannes, “and we want to have [Blk Girls Green House] recognized as a space for community and arts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More information about the show can be found \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grooves-from-the-greenhouse-tickets-158321234073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"soldout": {
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