30 Years After its Founding, Youth Speaks to Host National Poetry Slam Competition
West African Flavors Do Battle as Jollof Festival Returns to Oakland
After 20 Years of Blaps, The Mekanix Thrive on Willpower and Alignment
Danny Glover Announces He Has Alzheimer’s
Christopher L. Thompson Wins the San Francisco Symphony’s Emerging Black Composers Project
For San José’s Kaleena Zanders, Dance Music Is ‘a Magical Experience’
Oakland Artist AroMa Isn’t Defined By Time
Oakland-Raised Satya Colors Her Past on Debut Album ‘Yellow House’
‘Saying What You Won’t’ Podcast Sparks Dating Debates and Breakthroughs
How an Old Friendship Brought Chaka Khan to an Oakland Stage
10 Favorite Benches, Overlooks and Sitting Spots in the Bay Area
With His Mother’s Support, A Young Oakland Boxer Carries on The Town's Deep Legacy
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"content": "\u003cp>Tears will fall, voices will raise and words will be cast to the ether like spells from the mouths of young magicians this week as \u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a>, the nation’s largest youth poetry slam, returns to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Starting Wednesday, young artists from across the country will recite poems, lyrics and limericks at workshops and performances, culminating on Saturday with the festival’s competitive poetry slam, an annual event that began nearly three decades ago. This year, the Bay Area team will defend its title after \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTKUn7ix7D4\">winning the 2025 slam\u003c/a> — its first victory since 2006.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg\" alt=\"Four poets making hand gestures while performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13991565\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The first Brave New Voices Poetry Slam took place in the Bay Area in 1997. This year, the nationwide competition is back at its place of origin. (Courtesy of Youth Speaks)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brave New Voices was founded in 1997 by local nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/\">Youth Speaks\u003c/a>, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary of promoting the power of the spoken word. Among the organization’s many alumni are Tony- and Grammy-winning actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/daveed-diggs\">Daveed Diggs\u003c/a>, filmmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13798311/women-to-watch-chinaka-hodge\">Chinaka Hodge\u003c/a> and actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rafael-casal\">Rafael Casal\u003c/a>. The larger network of Brave New Voices alums includes \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman\">Amanda Gorman\u003c/a>, who delivered a landmark poem at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEfZuSWiI_s\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 2026 Brave New Voices lineup is stacked with top-tier names in wordsmithing, says Brave New Voices executive co-producer \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/bijou-mcdaniel/\">Bijou McDaniel\u003c/a>. This Wednesday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">opening ceremony\u003c/a> features well-known poet and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ajamonet.com/\">aja monet\u003c/a>, immediately followed by a showcase called ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">All Power to the Poets\u003c/a>,’ the theme of this year’s festival.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s second showcase features\u003ca href=\"https://substack.com/@historyin3\"> Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a>, as well as artists who are part of Youth Speaks national poetry fellowship. The event is inspired by the Bay Area’s legacy of activism, including the Black Panther Party, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year\u003c/a>. The goal, McDaniel says, is to allow young poets to grow politically, and see “what happens when poets go beyond the page and the stage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second day of events brings people to San Francisco’s In Chan Kaajal Park for ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-2-tickets-1990211501175?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">Queeriosity in the Park\u003c/a>,’ a day of activities led by Youth Speaks’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Youth-Speaks-alum-Santiago-gives-back-6894186.php\">Brandon Santiago\u003c/a> and aja monet, with topics ranging from the politics of the hyphy movement to love as a personal and political practice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An opening plenary with aja monet, youth poet fellow \u003ca href=\"https://thewowfoundation.com/profile/aniya-butler/\">Aniya Butler\u003c/a> and DJ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djcharleshawthorne/\">Charles Hawthorne\u003c/a> will be moderated by podcast host \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13981680/stars-and-stars-with-isa-nakazawa-futuro-studios\">Isa Nakazawa\u003c/a> to discuss the intersection of art and activism. Live performances from the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.raestudios-sf.com/post/vogue-fem\">Soho Tisci Vogue Class\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/xiuhcoatldanza/?hl=en\">Azteca Dancers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaklandoriginalz/?hl=en\">Oakland Originalz\u003c/a> keep things lively, along with a drag story hour from San Francisco Drag Laureate \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/per_sia/?hl=en\">Per Sia\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554.jpg\" alt=\"A crowd erupting with an ovation after a poetry performance.\" class=\"wp-image-13991564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With the support of their peers in the audience, many young poets who participate in the Brave New Voices competition go on to impressive endeavors. (Courtesy of Youth Speaks)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Day three,” McDaniel exclaims, “is what everybody came for.” The semifinals of the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam, hosted at multiple venues across downtown Oakland, will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. That night brings two more events: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mc-olympics-ft-guapdad-4000-tickets-1990210660661?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">MC Olympics\u003c/a>,” guest-judged by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\">West Oakland rapper and entrepreneur Guapdad\u003c/a>, and a fundraiser at the Starline Social Club hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.shannonmatesky.com/\">Shannon Matesky\u003c/a> and showcasing the talents of Youth Speaks alums including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13979065/jwalt-love-myself-every-version-of-me-album-oakland\">Jwalt\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925905/tia-nomore-earth-mama-a24-savanah-leaf\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/twisted.cant.fix.it/\">Ajai Kasim\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/jada-imani\">Jada Imani\u003c/a>. “And,” McDaniel adds, “we have Tank from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/517688972/tank-and-the-bangas\">Tank and the Bangas\u003c/a> headlining that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The final day of the four-day series centers the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam finals at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. As the newest poet champions compete for this year’s crown, the evening includes performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911658/sf-poet-laureate-genny-lim-and-the-del-sol-quartets-new-performance-celebrates-asian-american-diaspora\">San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim\u003c/a> and singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/591500094/serpentwithfeet\">Serpentwithfeet\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know, that’s a lot,” says McDaniel preparing for the week ahead. “And next year we’re celebrating Brave New Voices’ 30th, which is crazy to think about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a> runs Wednesday, July 15, through Saturday, July 18 at various venues around the Bay Area. Most events are all-ages and free to attend. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/youth-speaks-319282441\">Tickets, RSVPs and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tears will fall, voices will raise and words will be cast to the ether like spells from the mouths of young magicians this week as \u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a>, the nation’s largest youth poetry slam, returns to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Starting Wednesday, young artists from across the country will recite poems, lyrics and limericks at workshops and performances, culminating on Saturday with the festival’s competitive poetry slam, an annual event that began nearly three decades ago. This year, the Bay Area team will defend its title after \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTKUn7ix7D4\">winning the 2025 slam\u003c/a> — its first victory since 2006.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Starting Wednesday, young artists from across the country will recite poems, lyrics and limericks at workshops and performances, culminating on Saturday with the festival’s competitive poetry slam, an annual event that began nearly three decades ago. This year, the Bay Area team will defend its title after \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTKUn7ix7D4\">winning the 2025 slam\u003c/a> — its first victory since 2006.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg\" alt=\"Four poets making hand gestures while performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13991565\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The first Brave New Voices Poetry Slam took place in the Bay Area in 1997. This year, the nationwide competition is back at its place of origin.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg\" alt=\"Four poets making hand gestures while performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13991565\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The first Brave New Voices Poetry Slam took place in the Bay Area in 1997. This year, the nationwide competition is back at its place of origin.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Brave New Voices was founded in 1997 by local nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/\">Youth Speaks\u003c/a>, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary of promoting the power of the spoken word. Among the organization’s many alumni are Tony- and Grammy-winning actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/daveed-diggs\">Daveed Diggs\u003c/a>, filmmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13798311/women-to-watch-chinaka-hodge\">Chinaka Hodge\u003c/a> and actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rafael-casal\">Rafael Casal\u003c/a>. The larger network of Brave New Voices alums includes \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman\">Amanda Gorman\u003c/a>, who delivered a landmark poem at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Brave New Voices was founded in 1997 by local nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/\">Youth Speaks\u003c/a>, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary of promoting the power of the spoken word. Among the organization’s many alumni are Tony- and Grammy-winning actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/daveed-diggs\">Daveed Diggs\u003c/a>, filmmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13798311/women-to-watch-chinaka-hodge\">Chinaka Hodge\u003c/a> and actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rafael-casal\">Rafael Casal\u003c/a>. The larger network of Brave New Voices alums includes \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman\">Amanda Gorman\u003c/a>, who delivered a landmark poem at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 2026 Brave New Voices lineup is stacked with top-tier names in wordsmithing, says Brave New Voices executive co-producer \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/bijou-mcdaniel/\">Bijou McDaniel\u003c/a>. This Wednesday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">opening ceremony\u003c/a> features well-known poet and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ajamonet.com/\">aja monet\u003c/a>, immediately followed by a showcase called ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">All Power to the Poets\u003c/a>,’ the theme of this year’s festival.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The 2026 Brave New Voices lineup is stacked with top-tier names in wordsmithing, says Brave New Voices executive co-producer \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/bijou-mcdaniel/\">Bijou McDaniel\u003c/a>. This Wednesday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">opening ceremony\u003c/a> features well-known poet and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ajamonet.com/\">aja monet\u003c/a>, immediately followed by a showcase called ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">All Power to the Poets\u003c/a>,’ the theme of this year’s festival.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s second showcase features\u003ca href=\"https://substack.com/@historyin3\"> Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a>, as well as artists who are part of Youth Speaks national poetry fellowship. The event is inspired by the Bay Area’s legacy of activism, including the Black Panther Party, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year\u003c/a>. The goal, McDaniel says, is to allow young poets to grow politically, and see “what happens when poets go beyond the page and the stage.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s second showcase features\u003ca href=\"https://substack.com/@historyin3\"> Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a>, as well as artists who are part of Youth Speaks national poetry fellowship. The event is inspired by the Bay Area’s legacy of activism, including the Black Panther Party, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year\u003c/a>. The goal, McDaniel says, is to allow young poets to grow politically, and see “what happens when poets go beyond the page and the stage.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The second day of events brings people to San Francisco’s In Chan Kaajal Park for ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-2-tickets-1990211501175?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">Queeriosity in the Park\u003c/a>,’ a day of activities led by Youth Speaks’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Youth-Speaks-alum-Santiago-gives-back-6894186.php\">Brandon Santiago\u003c/a> and aja monet, with topics ranging from the politics of the hyphy movement to love as a personal and political practice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An opening plenary with aja monet, youth poet fellow \u003ca href=\"https://thewowfoundation.com/profile/aniya-butler/\">Aniya Butler\u003c/a> and DJ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djcharleshawthorne/\">Charles Hawthorne\u003c/a> will be moderated by podcast host \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13981680/stars-and-stars-with-isa-nakazawa-futuro-studios\">Isa Nakazawa\u003c/a> to discuss the intersection of art and activism. Live performances from the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.raestudios-sf.com/post/vogue-fem\">Soho Tisci Vogue Class\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/xiuhcoatldanza/?hl=en\">Azteca Dancers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaklandoriginalz/?hl=en\">Oakland Originalz\u003c/a> keep things lively, along with a drag story hour from San Francisco Drag Laureate \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/per_sia/?hl=en\">Per Sia\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An opening plenary with aja monet, youth poet fellow \u003ca href=\"https://thewowfoundation.com/profile/aniya-butler/\">Aniya Butler\u003c/a> and DJ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djcharleshawthorne/\">Charles Hawthorne\u003c/a> will be moderated by podcast host \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13981680/stars-and-stars-with-isa-nakazawa-futuro-studios\">Isa Nakazawa\u003c/a> to discuss the intersection of art and activism. Live performances from the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.raestudios-sf.com/post/vogue-fem\">Soho Tisci Vogue Class\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/xiuhcoatldanza/?hl=en\">Azteca Dancers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaklandoriginalz/?hl=en\">Oakland Originalz\u003c/a> keep things lively, along with a drag story hour from San Francisco Drag Laureate \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/per_sia/?hl=en\">Per Sia\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Day three,” McDaniel exclaims, “is what everybody came for.” The semifinals of the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam, hosted at multiple venues across downtown Oakland, will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. That night brings two more events: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mc-olympics-ft-guapdad-4000-tickets-1990210660661?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">MC Olympics\u003c/a>,” guest-judged by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\">West Oakland rapper and entrepreneur Guapdad\u003c/a>, and a fundraiser at the Starline Social Club hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.shannonmatesky.com/\">Shannon Matesky\u003c/a> and showcasing the talents of Youth Speaks alums including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13979065/jwalt-love-myself-every-version-of-me-album-oakland\">Jwalt\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925905/tia-nomore-earth-mama-a24-savanah-leaf\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/twisted.cant.fix.it/\">Ajai Kasim\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/jada-imani\">Jada Imani\u003c/a>. “And,” McDaniel adds, “we have Tank from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/517688972/tank-and-the-bangas\">Tank and the Bangas\u003c/a> headlining that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The final day of the four-day series centers the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam finals at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. As the newest poet champions compete for this year’s crown, the evening includes performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911658/sf-poet-laureate-genny-lim-and-the-del-sol-quartets-new-performance-celebrates-asian-american-diaspora\">San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim\u003c/a> and singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/591500094/serpentwithfeet\">Serpentwithfeet\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know, that’s a lot,” says McDaniel preparing for the week ahead. “And next year we’re celebrating Brave New Voices’ 30th, which is crazy to think about.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a> runs Wednesday, July 15, through Saturday, July 18 at various venues around the Bay Area. Most events are all-ages and free to attend. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/youth-speaks-319282441\">Tickets, RSVPs and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a> runs Wednesday, July 15, through Saturday, July 18 at various venues around the Bay Area. Most events are all-ages and free to attend. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/youth-speaks-319282441\">Tickets, RSVPs and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The Bay Area nonprofit has championed the power of youth voices for three decades and counting.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Tears will fall, voices will raise and words will be cast to the ether like spells from the mouths of young magicians this week as \u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a>, the nation’s largest youth poetry slam, returns to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Starting Wednesday, young artists from across the country will recite poems, lyrics and limericks at workshops and performances, culminating on Saturday with the festival’s competitive poetry slam, an annual event that began nearly three decades ago. This year, the Bay Area team will defend its title after \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTKUn7ix7D4\">winning the 2025 slam\u003c/a> — its first victory since 2006.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg\" alt=\"Four poets making hand gestures while performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13991565\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/ceremony_bnv_gp-21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The first Brave New Voices Poetry Slam took place in the Bay Area in 1997. This year, the nationwide competition is back at its place of origin. (Courtesy of Youth Speaks)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brave New Voices was founded in 1997 by local nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/\">Youth Speaks\u003c/a>, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary of promoting the power of the spoken word. Among the organization’s many alumni are Tony- and Grammy-winning actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/daveed-diggs\">Daveed Diggs\u003c/a>, filmmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13798311/women-to-watch-chinaka-hodge\">Chinaka Hodge\u003c/a> and actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rafael-casal\">Rafael Casal\u003c/a>. The larger network of Brave New Voices alums includes \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman\">Amanda Gorman\u003c/a>, who delivered a landmark poem at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/EEfZuSWiI_s'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/EEfZuSWiI_s'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 2026 Brave New Voices lineup is stacked with top-tier names in wordsmithing, says Brave New Voices executive co-producer \u003ca href=\"https://youthspeaks.org/bijou-mcdaniel/\">Bijou McDaniel\u003c/a>. This Wednesday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">opening ceremony\u003c/a> features well-known poet and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ajamonet.com/\">aja monet\u003c/a>, immediately followed by a showcase called ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-1-feat-aja-monet-tickets-1990210972594?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">All Power to the Poets\u003c/a>,’ the theme of this year’s festival.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s second showcase features\u003ca href=\"https://substack.com/@historyin3\"> Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a>, as well as artists who are part of Youth Speaks national poetry fellowship. The event is inspired by the Bay Area’s legacy of activism, including the Black Panther Party, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year\u003c/a>. The goal, McDaniel says, is to allow young poets to grow politically, and see “what happens when poets go beyond the page and the stage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second day of events brings people to San Francisco’s In Chan Kaajal Park for ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brave-new-voices-festival-day-2-tickets-1990211501175?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">Queeriosity in the Park\u003c/a>,’ a day of activities led by Youth Speaks’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Youth-Speaks-alum-Santiago-gives-back-6894186.php\">Brandon Santiago\u003c/a> and aja monet, with topics ranging from the politics of the hyphy movement to love as a personal and political practice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An opening plenary with aja monet, youth poet fellow \u003ca href=\"https://thewowfoundation.com/profile/aniya-butler/\">Aniya Butler\u003c/a> and DJ \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djcharleshawthorne/\">Charles Hawthorne\u003c/a> will be moderated by podcast host \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13981680/stars-and-stars-with-isa-nakazawa-futuro-studios\">Isa Nakazawa\u003c/a> to discuss the intersection of art and activism. Live performances from the likes of \u003ca href=\"https://www.raestudios-sf.com/post/vogue-fem\">Soho Tisci Vogue Class\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/xiuhcoatldanza/?hl=en\">Azteca Dancers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaklandoriginalz/?hl=en\">Oakland Originalz\u003c/a> keep things lively, along with a drag story hour from San Francisco Drag Laureate \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/per_sia/?hl=en\">Per Sia\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554.jpg\" alt=\"A crowd erupting with an ovation after a poetry performance.\" class=\"wp-image-13991564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/BNV_2015-554-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With the support of their peers in the audience, many young poets who participate in the Brave New Voices competition go on to impressive endeavors. (Courtesy of Youth Speaks)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Day three,” McDaniel exclaims, “is what everybody came for.” The semifinals of the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam, hosted at multiple venues across downtown Oakland, will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. That night brings two more events: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mc-olympics-ft-guapdad-4000-tickets-1990210660661?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\">MC Olympics\u003c/a>,” guest-judged by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\">West Oakland rapper and entrepreneur Guapdad\u003c/a>, and a fundraiser at the Starline Social Club hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.shannonmatesky.com/\">Shannon Matesky\u003c/a> and showcasing the talents of Youth Speaks alums including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13979065/jwalt-love-myself-every-version-of-me-album-oakland\">Jwalt\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925905/tia-nomore-earth-mama-a24-savanah-leaf\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/twisted.cant.fix.it/\">Ajai Kasim\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/jada-imani\">Jada Imani\u003c/a>. “And,” McDaniel adds, “we have Tank from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/517688972/tank-and-the-bangas\">Tank and the Bangas\u003c/a> headlining that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The final day of the four-day series centers the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam finals at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. As the newest poet champions compete for this year’s crown, the evening includes performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911658/sf-poet-laureate-genny-lim-and-the-del-sol-quartets-new-performance-celebrates-asian-american-diaspora\">San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim\u003c/a> and singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/591500094/serpentwithfeet\">Serpentwithfeet\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know, that’s a lot,” says McDaniel preparing for the week ahead. “And next year we’re celebrating Brave New Voices’ 30th, which is crazy to think about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bravenewvoices.youthspeaks.org/\">Brave New Voices\u003c/a> runs Wednesday, July 15, through Saturday, July 18 at various venues around the Bay Area. Most events are all-ages and free to attend. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/youth-speaks-319282441\">Tickets, RSVPs and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "jollof-rice-festival-west-africa-oakland",
"title": "West African Flavors Do Battle as Jollof Festival Returns to Oakland",
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"headTitle": "West African Flavors Do Battle as Jollof Festival Returns to Oakland | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ishmael Osekre wanted to settle the debates once and for all. Amid the everlasting argument over which West African country makes the best Jollof rice, in 2017, Osekre launched a competition that involved actually tasting the food instead of “trying to insult each other’s mama,” he says today, with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Saturday, July 18, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190?gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ebps&utm_campaign=PSNB_CUAL_PMK_PDO_0_US_0_BAU_0_GA01-DSA-Page-Feed-High-Value&utm_term=&aff=ebmkmxperformance&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23357619767&gbraid=0AAAAAo0IdU2Z3ZGhY8ySz3F3yR2yhL_GG&gclid=Cj0KCQjwr4jSBhCSARIsAOX1E-I-xYqlUiipNLtcoIVbgoaCFh6rgODwElxLc_Ce1Kkw7h_rHuf_97waAtGbEALw_wcB\">Jollof Festival\u003c/a> returns to Oakland. Along with flavorful rice, the annual event includes live dance performances, an interactive kids zone, and handmade goods, in addition to the inevitable disputes about proper Jollof preparation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the inaugural Jollof Festival in Washington D.C. and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41053424\">a BBC article\u003c/a> that swirled around the internet, other regions demanded local iterations of the festival. The community interest, enthusiasm and passion behind the “Jollof wars,” Osekre says on a recent phone call, encouraged him to take the show on the road in hopes of “properly preventing the next world war.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"702\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1020x702.jpg\" alt=\"Customers eating jollof rice out of black plastic takeout containers.\" class=\"wp-image-13960583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1020x702.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1536x1057.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Customers with Jollof Kitchen’s Nigerian-style jollof rice. Owner Kemi Tijaniqudus won the Oakland edition of Jollof Festival in 2021 and 2023. (Courtesy of Jollof Kitchen)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In its most common form, Jollof rice is made with a combination of rice, meat, tomatoes and spices. Though said to \u003ca href=\"https://www.trtafrika.com/article/17657471?_rt=1\">originate in Senegal\u003c/a>, nearly every country in West Africa has its own variety. And here in the Bay Area, the African diaspora is steadfast about repping their homeland through food.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area shows its unapologetic appreciation, interest and curiosity of African culture, African food,” Osekre says. In one of the most diverse places on earth, it isn’t lost on Osekre that the Black community is deeply connected with their southern roots and African heritage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theesoulfulone/\">Quiana Webster\u003c/a>, co-producer of the festival, adds that “Oakland is the model.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Webster may be slightly biased — she’s an Oakland kid herself — but she’s done her homework, having traveled with the festival and witnessed it in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and other places.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In every state, no matter what, this rice is something that everybody wants,” she says. “They want to taste it, they want to vote about it, they want to argue and they want to come together.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2447\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt='A woman holding a yellow box of food that reads \"Jollof Festival\" on the top of it.' class=\"wp-image-13991492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-768x940.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-1255x1536.jpg 1255w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-1674x2048.jpg 1674w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jollof rice, from West Africa, is a precursor and cousin to jambalaya, from Louisiana. (Courtesy Jollof Festival)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Working the Jollof Festival helped Webster expand her resources and branch off into catering as the owner of local catering business \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/symplysoul_/\">Symply Soul\u003c/a>. It’s also pushed Osekre to grow as a student of the culinary arts. During the pandemic, he says, he spent his downtime learning to cook so he could better articulate the details of the dishes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The festival’s format will be similar to past years. The competition is a blind tasting with “one little twist,” says Osekre. “We are introducing software that will actually tie the ticket that you bought to your vote.” (While in the past, there had been issues with Google forms and QR codes, this development will ensure one person, per vote.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even still, despite Osekre’s mediation efforts, the debate is sure to continue. It’s a part of the culture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The 2026 \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190\">Jollof Festival\u003c/a> takes place Saturday, July 18, at 811 Oakland (811 Washington Street, Oakland). Admission is available in multiple tiers, including a non-voting general entry ticket and a five-country “sample pack” voting ticket. \u003ca href=\"http://eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190%20%E2%86%97\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Saturday, July 18, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190?gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ebps&utm_campaign=PSNB_CUAL_PMK_PDO_0_US_0_BAU_0_GA01-DSA-Page-Feed-High-Value&utm_term=&aff=ebmkmxperformance&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23357619767&gbraid=0AAAAAo0IdU2Z3ZGhY8ySz3F3yR2yhL_GG&gclid=Cj0KCQjwr4jSBhCSARIsAOX1E-I-xYqlUiipNLtcoIVbgoaCFh6rgODwElxLc_Ce1Kkw7h_rHuf_97waAtGbEALw_wcB\">Jollof Festival\u003c/a> returns to Oakland. Along with flavorful rice, the annual event includes live dance performances, an interactive kids zone, and handmade goods, in addition to the inevitable disputes about proper Jollof preparation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1020x702.jpg\" alt=\"Customers eating jollof rice out of black plastic takeout containers.\" class=\"wp-image-13960583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1020x702.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1536x1057.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Customers with Jollof Kitchen’s Nigerian-style jollof rice. Owner Kemi Tijaniqudus won the Oakland edition of Jollof Festival in 2021 and 2023.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area shows its unapologetic appreciation, interest and curiosity of African culture, African food,” Osekre says. In one of the most diverse places on earth, it isn’t lost on Osekre that the Black community is deeply connected with their southern roots and African heritage. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theesoulfulone/\">Quiana Webster\u003c/a>, co-producer of the festival, adds that “Oakland is the model.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Webster may be slightly biased — she’s an Oakland kid herself — but she’s done her homework, having traveled with the festival and witnessed it in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and other places.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In every state, no matter what, this rice is something that everybody wants,” she says. “They want to taste it, they want to vote about it, they want to argue and they want to come together.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holding a yellow box of food that reads "Jollof Festival" on the top of it.\" class=\"wp-image-13991492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-768x940.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-1255x1536.jpg 1255w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-1674x2048.jpg 1674w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jollof rice, from West Africa, is a precursor and cousin to jambalaya, from Louisiana. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Working the Jollof Festival helped Webster expand her resources and branch off into catering as the owner of local catering business \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/symplysoul_/\">Symply Soul\u003c/a>. It’s also pushed Osekre to grow as a student of the culinary arts. During the pandemic, he says, he spent his downtime learning to cook so he could better articulate the details of the dishes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The festival’s format will be similar to past years. The competition is a blind tasting with “one little twist,” says Osekre. “We are introducing software that will actually tie the ticket that you bought to your vote.” (While in the past, there had been issues with Google forms and QR codes, this development will ensure one person, per vote.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even still, despite Osekre’s mediation efforts, the debate is sure to continue. It’s a part of the culture.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The 2026 \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190\">Jollof Festival\u003c/a> takes place Saturday, July 18, at 811 Oakland (811 Washington Street, Oakland). Admission is available in multiple tiers, including a non-voting general entry ticket and a five-country “sample pack” voting ticket. \u003ca href=\"http://eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190 ↗\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Ishmael Osekre wanted to settle the debates once and for all. Amid the everlasting argument over which West African country makes the best Jollof rice, in 2017, Osekre launched a competition that involved actually tasting the food instead of “trying to insult each other’s mama,” he says today, with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Saturday, July 18, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190?gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ebps&utm_campaign=PSNB_CUAL_PMK_PDO_0_US_0_BAU_0_GA01-DSA-Page-Feed-High-Value&utm_term=&aff=ebmkmxperformance&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23357619767&gbraid=0AAAAAo0IdU2Z3ZGhY8ySz3F3yR2yhL_GG&gclid=Cj0KCQjwr4jSBhCSARIsAOX1E-I-xYqlUiipNLtcoIVbgoaCFh6rgODwElxLc_Ce1Kkw7h_rHuf_97waAtGbEALw_wcB\">Jollof Festival\u003c/a> returns to Oakland. Along with flavorful rice, the annual event includes live dance performances, an interactive kids zone, and handmade goods, in addition to the inevitable disputes about proper Jollof preparation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the inaugural Jollof Festival in Washington D.C. and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41053424\">a BBC article\u003c/a> that swirled around the internet, other regions demanded local iterations of the festival. The community interest, enthusiasm and passion behind the “Jollof wars,” Osekre says on a recent phone call, encouraged him to take the show on the road in hopes of “properly preventing the next world war.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"702\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1020x702.jpg\" alt=\"Customers eating jollof rice out of black plastic takeout containers.\" class=\"wp-image-13960583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1020x702.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop-1536x1057.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/jollof-kitchen-crop.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Customers with Jollof Kitchen’s Nigerian-style jollof rice. Owner Kemi Tijaniqudus won the Oakland edition of Jollof Festival in 2021 and 2023. (Courtesy of Jollof Kitchen)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In its most common form, Jollof rice is made with a combination of rice, meat, tomatoes and spices. Though said to \u003ca href=\"https://www.trtafrika.com/article/17657471?_rt=1\">originate in Senegal\u003c/a>, nearly every country in West Africa has its own variety. And here in the Bay Area, the African diaspora is steadfast about repping their homeland through food.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area shows its unapologetic appreciation, interest and curiosity of African culture, African food,” Osekre says. In one of the most diverse places on earth, it isn’t lost on Osekre that the Black community is deeply connected with their southern roots and African heritage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theesoulfulone/\">Quiana Webster\u003c/a>, co-producer of the festival, adds that “Oakland is the model.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Webster may be slightly biased — she’s an Oakland kid herself — but she’s done her homework, having traveled with the festival and witnessed it in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and other places.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In every state, no matter what, this rice is something that everybody wants,” she says. “They want to taste it, they want to vote about it, they want to argue and they want to come together.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2447\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt='A woman holding a yellow box of food that reads \"Jollof Festival\" on the top of it.' class=\"wp-image-13991492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-768x940.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-1255x1536.jpg 1255w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/unnamed-4-1674x2048.jpg 1674w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jollof rice, from West Africa, is a precursor and cousin to jambalaya, from Louisiana. (Courtesy Jollof Festival)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Working the Jollof Festival helped Webster expand her resources and branch off into catering as the owner of local catering business \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/symplysoul_/\">Symply Soul\u003c/a>. It’s also pushed Osekre to grow as a student of the culinary arts. During the pandemic, he says, he spent his downtime learning to cook so he could better articulate the details of the dishes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The festival’s format will be similar to past years. The competition is a blind tasting with “one little twist,” says Osekre. “We are introducing software that will actually tie the ticket that you bought to your vote.” (While in the past, there had been issues with Google forms and QR codes, this development will ensure one person, per vote.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even still, despite Osekre’s mediation efforts, the debate is sure to continue. It’s a part of the culture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The 2026 \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190\">Jollof Festival\u003c/a> takes place Saturday, July 18, at 811 Oakland (811 Washington Street, Oakland). Admission is available in multiple tiers, including a non-voting general entry ticket and a five-country “sample pack” voting ticket. \u003ca href=\"http://eventbrite.com/e/jollof-festival-oakland-26-tickets-1988023963190%20%E2%86%97\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "After 20 Years of Blaps, The Mekanix Thrive on Willpower and Alignment",
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"content": "\u003cp>The computer screen displays photos of rap luminaries. On a nearby wall hang news articles, vinyl records and memorabilia from the likes of Shock G and Tupac Shakur.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mentored by the best\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5vM4VSB3A\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"680\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Linking with J. Stalin in the 2000s\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/rZQmO20BSaw?si=ixsbvRdZ8-RCzy1V\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Everything got blurry’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"638\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg\" alt=\"Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. Shock G died Thursday at age 57.\" class=\"wp-image-13896258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep showing up \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m gonna go ahead and say it,” declares 4rAx, tipping his hand and showing the production duo’s cards. “One of our next projects is called \u003cem>Alignment\u003c/em>,” he says, noting how much of his life has been kismet. “I can’t make this shit up.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Mentored by the best",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5vM4VSB3A\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU5vM4VSB3A\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "‘Everything got blurry’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Keep showing up",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep showing up \u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m gonna go ahead and say it,” declares 4rAx, tipping his hand and showing the production duo’s cards. “One of our next projects is called \u003cem>Alignment\u003c/em>,” he says, noting how much of his life has been kismet. “I can’t make this shit up.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The computer screen displays photos of rap luminaries. On a nearby wall hang news articles, vinyl records and memorabilia from the likes of Shock G and Tupac Shakur.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is the East Oakland studio of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kennytweedofthemekanix/?hl=en\">Kenny Tweed \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/4rax_of_themekanix/?hl=en\">4Rax\u003c/a>, who during a recent visit sat in office chairs around a large, custom-made rug bearing the name of their production duo: \u003ca href=\"https://www.themekanix.com/\">The Mekanix\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It may seem like a humble setting for such an influential duo. For more than 20 years, The Mekanix have made blap after blap after blap, casting their name into the debate over the most prolific production team from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Summarizing their winning formula, 4rAx says, simply, “Everything is about alignment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Two men pose for a photo while sitting on bar stools in a music studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13991415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2164-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With more than 20 years of production credits to their name, The Mekanix are one of the most prolific production duos to ever come from the Bay Area. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout their career, despite health concerns, technological shifts and the ups-and-downs of the music industry, The Mekanix have maintained their sound and honed their craft. Driven by an ambition to see the Bay properly represented, they consistently show what can be done with the bare essentials of 808s and willpower.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been together for more than 20 years,” says 4rAx, laughing as he adds that such a milestone is rare for people in “regular relationships,” he says, “let alone business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mentored by the best\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed and 4rax may have come into the game from different angles, but they complimented one another immediately.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed is the son of jazz musician Kenny “Big Kenny” Tullis. A multitalented instrumentalist who focused mainly on the saxophone, he would gig around the Bay, and even did shows with Tower of Power. “He instilled music in me,” says Tweed of his father, who encouraged him to play the drums, piano and trumpet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweed was also childhood friends with Keak Da Sneak, and gravitated toward hip-hop. Spice 1 and RBL Posse spoke to his heart, but it was Too Short who really left his mark — until one day, when Tweed forgot to take a Short tape out of his dad’s cassette player.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[Pops] fully supported me in being a musician,” says Tweed, “but he just didn’t want that playing in his house.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/YU5vM4VSB3A'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YU5vM4VSB3A'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years later, Tweed’s residence would become a hit factory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you pulled up to High Street and Fairfax,” 4rAx says of Kenny’s home studio, “you would’ve thought somebody was out there selling bricks.” There were all kinds of cars and walks of life, a who’s-who of the Bay Area hip-hop scene, he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When me and Tweed hooked up,” 4rAx reflects, “I had the door open to the industry through Shock G and Money B,” the two Digital Underground founders he refers to as “ambassadors of hip-hop.” 4rAx, who came from a family of auto mechanics in Chicago, fell in love with hip-hop before moving to the Bay as a young teen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once he touched the soil, he explored every aspect of the culture. A visual artist and barber, he was also part of a duo named Funky From Birth. They soon crossed paths fellow dance duo Razzle Dazzle (who’d appeared in Digital Underground’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBsjggc5jHM\">Humpty Dance\u003c/a>” video), and 4rAx became a backup dancer for the late actor, rapper and former Digital Underground member \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13968340/saafir-dead-oakland-rapper-dies-at-54\">Saafir\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around the same time, 4rax befriended the late East Oakland rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQbRZIVAxuc\">Plan B\u003c/a> and legendary graffiti artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">Mike “Dream” Francisco\u003c/a>. They’d all hang out at the Shirtique store in the Hilltop Mall, where Dream airbrushed shirts. And “once or twice,” 4rAx recalls, “they had me DJ a backyard party for them, off cassettes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Matriculating through “the crazy labyrinth” that led to a career in music, 4rAx held tight to his ambition of becoming a DJ. Through Digital Underground, he was introduced to producers and audio equipment. “And now I’m around turntables,” he says, “and I’m nice!” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sure enough, when D.U.’s \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Fuze\">DJ Fuze\u003c/a> took some time away from the crew, 4rAx stepped up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"680\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13918716\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/The-Mekanix-perform-at-Hiero-Day-on-Monday-Sept.-6-2022.-001-Estefany-Gonzalez.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4rAx and Kenny Tweed of The Mekanix perform at Hiero Day on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Linking with J. Stalin in the 2000s\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kenny Tweed and 4rAx first combined forces at the turn of the millennium, working on a project for an artist named IRS and then later for the collective \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfzciL6b1bqjoRl8Sx0zhwWDSCXxpLO-\">Hittaz on the Payroll\u003c/a>. But it was the debut project for an artist from West Oakland that solidified them as a production duo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“One day,” says 4rAx, recalling a studio session at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegrillstudios.com/\">The Grill Studios\u003c/a> in Emeryville, “we were mixing on some shit, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/?hl=en\">J. Stalin\u003c/a> came in and heard us playing some beats.” Young, brash, still one foot in the streets and fresh off of a record deal that had fallen through, Stalin started rapping. “We stopped the session,” 4rAx exclaims. They left the studio where they were mixing, went to a different studio and made the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccVrkvUrdE\">So Cold\u003c/a>,” the first track for Stalin’s standout 2006 project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4bTvgOTzn4bUumADOocbPp\">On Behalf of The Streets\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a Toys R Us commercial,” says 4rAx of Stalin’s innocent-sounding tone that masked malicious lyrics. “He turned it into some street shit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/rZQmO20BSaw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/rZQmO20BSaw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to creating a staple sound with West Oakland’s Stalin, The Mekanix have produced tracks for local stars like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/philthyrichfod/?hl=en\">Philthy Rich\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/3rdworldlilblood/?hl=en\">Lil Blood\u003c/a>, as well as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Their latest project \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3hVMJZALxqruV9EeyERQ8W\">Under The Hood 2\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which dropped earlier this year, features Keak Da Sneak, Nef The Pharaoh, Kamaiyah and E-40, in addition to Devin The Dude, Icewear Vezzo, Suga Free, Mozzy and Scarface. (Years after his dad banned Too Short’s music from Tweed’s childhood home, the album also has — you guessed it — Too Short.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s this mix of names, nationally known artists and local hood legends alike, that exemplifies The Mekanix.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s intentional,” says Tweed. “We want to put together dope collaborations that haven’t been done before,” he says, “and we just want to keep making it better and better, and bigger and bigger.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That urgency is rooted in something that happened in 2019. Their most recent project, a follow-up to their 2016 album \u003cem>Under the Hood\u003c/em>, almost didn’t happen at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Everything got blurry’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything that went on with me,” 4rAx reflects, “they can’t even find it in my body no more. It was fucking the weirdest shit ever, bro.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019 4rAx found himself experiencing headaches and dizziness. Six months of doctor’s visits and lab tests yielded no results. “Then,” he says, “one day I was watching TV and my eyes… everything got blurry.” At the emergency room, medics found an immense amount of pressure on his brain. He wound up getting surgery — if he hadn’t, doctors told him, there was a chance he would have gone blind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The following year, as COVID-19 spread across the globe and 4rAx was reeling from his medical condition, Kenny Tweed’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Soon after, in spring of 2021, 4rAx’s mentor from Digital Underground \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896256/digital-undergrounds-shock-g-an-oakland-hip-hop-icon-dies-at-57\">Shock G passed\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"638\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg\" alt=\"Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. Shock G died Thursday at age 57.\" class=\"wp-image-13896258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1020x638.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ShockG.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shock G of Digital Underground performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010 in Atlanta. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A dark cloud fell over the production duo, recalls 4rAx. Then his immune system was compromised, and things only got worse. “I had to be intubated,” says 4rAx, who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He spent 26 days in a coma. When he emerged, he learned that Tweed’s father had succumbed to cancer. 4rAx left the hospital in shambles. “I lost all my muscle mass,” he recalls. “I couldn’t walk, so I’m on a walker, plus a breathing apparatus.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Worst of all, he says, is that through the whole ordeal, he never got a conclusive answer as to what caused his initial ailment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s 2026, and now I barely have any doctor appointments,” says 4rAx. “I’m not on any medicine. But they don’t know what the fuck happened, bro. And it doesn’t sit well with me because it could happen again.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep showing up \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>4rAx credits his workout routine for still being alive today, plus his belief in “staying ready before you have to get ready.” Both 4rAx and Tweed are brawny guys with regular workout schedules. Their devotion to health, making music and supporting the culture is almost spiritual.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"One man in a red shirt stands in the foreground while a man in a black shirt stands in the distance. \" class=\"wp-image-13991417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/IMG_2181-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kenny Tweed and 4rAx of The Mekanix in front of their East Oakland studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was a Christian Youth Fellowship president,” 4rAx says with a laugh, noting that it didn’t last long. Kenny Tweed adds that his father was also “heavy into The Word.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whatever seeds were sown in those early years, both producers took the morality of scripture and applied it to what they’re doing with music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving praise to the powers that be, 4rAx says, “It’s a bigger play going on that we have no idea about. … You just got to keep showing up, and trying to be your best self in the moment, so that eventually it grows and becomes exactly what it’s supposed to be.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The duo are currently at work on a documentary about the rich lineage of music producers from the Bay, in which they’ll be included. In addition to making more music, selling merch and beat kits, they’re also keen on teaching and mentoring the Bay Area’s next generation of music makers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m gonna go ahead and say it,” declares 4rAx, tipping his hand and showing the production duo’s cards. “One of our next projects is called \u003cem>Alignment\u003c/em>,” he says, noting how much of his life has been kismet. “I can’t make this shit up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "danny-glover-announces-he-has-alzheimers",
"title": "Danny Glover Announces He Has Alzheimer’s",
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"headTitle": "Danny Glover Announces He Has Alzheimer’s | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>On the TODAY show Wednesday morning, Danny Glover announced that he has Alzheimer’s disease. The San Francisco-based actor and activist said he was initially diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can live with it, in a sense,” Glover told NBC’s Lester Holt during an on-air interview. “I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now 79, the award-winning actor has etched an indelible legacy, known for roles in films like \u003cem>The Color Purple,\u003c/em> \u003cem>Lethal Weapon\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Angels in The Outfield\u003c/em>. Local productions he’s appeared in include \u003cem>Sorry to Bother You\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Last Black Man in San Francisco\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He has said his favorite film to work on was \u003cem>Places in the Heart\u003c/em>, and dedicated his performance to his mother, who was killed in a car accident on the day he was cast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"Actor Danny Glover speaks during a rally on jobs December 7, 2016 at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC to demand good jobs and workers' rights from the incoming President-elect Donald Trump administration.\" class=\"wp-image-13859513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Danny Glover speaks during a rally on jobs December 7, 2016 at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC to demand good jobs and workers’ rights from the incoming President-elect Donald Trump administration. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An activist before his acting career, Glover has remained involved in civic discourse. Since 2004, he’s been a \u003ca href=\"https://www.unicef.org/goodwill-ambassadors/danny-glover\">UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador\u003c/a>, in addition to sitting on the board of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackaids.org/\">Black AIDS Institute\u003c/a> and serving on the \u003ca href=\"https://ibw21.org/initiatives/national-african-american-reparations-commission/page/9/?ref=opendemocracy.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National African American Reparations Commission\u003c/a>. In 2010, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/danny-glover-11-others-arrested-during-protest/\">Glover and 11 others were arrested\u003c/a> for protesting what the SEIU alleged were “unfair and illegal treatment of workers” by Sodexo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, during the nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IXNRiIuWg\">Glover spoke to protesters\u003c/a> in Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza. “It’s not only taking back our democracy,” Glover told the audience, “we have to remake it, we have to transform it, we have to build something better than that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IXNRiIuWg\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Glover’s activism led to a career in acting. As a San Francisco State University student, he was involved in the historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968–1969 student-led strike\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/alumni/made-in-the-csu/san-francisco/Pages/glover.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco State University\u003c/a> (then San Francisco State College), which resulted in the establishment of the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13974210/revisiting-the-1968-sfsu-student-strike-while-trump-targets-campus-protesters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">College of Ethnic Studies\u003c/a>. It was then that a young Glover, as an organizer and protestor, crossed paths with well-known poet \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2014/01/09/261101520/amiri-baraka-poet-and-co-founder-of-black-arts-movement-dies-at-79\">Amiri Baraka\u003c/a> and was challenged to take his fight to the world of theatre.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During his interview on TODAY, Glover discussed the connection between art and activism. “We have challenges in the world,” he said, “and I think art becomes a reframe, a way of looking at that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover is now one of an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures\">7.4 million Americans over the age of 65\u003c/a> living with Alzheimer’s disease. The fifth leading cause of death among senior citizens, the disease disproportionately impacts African Americans. Older Black people are nearly twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older White Americans, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/\">Alzheimer’s Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now 79, the award-winning actor has etched an indelible legacy, known for roles in films like \u003cem>The Color Purple,\u003c/em> \u003cem>Lethal Weapon\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Angels in The Outfield\u003c/em>. Local productions he’s appeared in include \u003cem>Sorry to Bother You\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Last Black Man in San Francisco\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He has said his favorite film to work on was \u003cem>Places in the Heart\u003c/em>, and dedicated his performance to his mother, who was killed in a car accident on the day he was cast.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An activist before his acting career, Glover has remained involved in civic discourse. Since 2004, he’s been a \u003ca href=\"https://www.unicef.org/goodwill-ambassadors/danny-glover\">UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador\u003c/a>, in addition to sitting on the board of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackaids.org/\">Black AIDS Institute\u003c/a> and serving on the \u003ca href=\"https://ibw21.org/initiatives/national-african-american-reparations-commission/page/9/?ref=opendemocracy.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National African American Reparations Commission\u003c/a>. In 2010, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/danny-glover-11-others-arrested-during-protest/\">Glover and 11 others were arrested\u003c/a> for protesting what the SEIU alleged were “unfair and illegal treatment of workers” by Sodexo.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The following year, during the nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IXNRiIuWg\">Glover spoke to protesters\u003c/a> in Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza. “It’s not only taking back our democracy,” Glover told the audience, “we have to remake it, we have to transform it, we have to build something better than that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Glover’s activism led to a career in acting. As a San Francisco State University student, he was involved in the historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968–1969 student-led strike\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/alumni/made-in-the-csu/san-francisco/Pages/glover.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco State University\u003c/a> (then San Francisco State College), which resulted in the establishment of the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13974210/revisiting-the-1968-sfsu-student-strike-while-trump-targets-campus-protesters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">College of Ethnic Studies\u003c/a>. It was then that a young Glover, as an organizer and protestor, crossed paths with well-known poet \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2014/01/09/261101520/amiri-baraka-poet-and-co-founder-of-black-arts-movement-dies-at-79\">Amiri Baraka\u003c/a> and was challenged to take his fight to the world of theatre.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Glover is now one of an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures\">7.4 million Americans over the age of 65\u003c/a> living with Alzheimer’s disease. The fifth leading cause of death among senior citizens, the disease disproportionately impacts African Americans. Older Black people are nearly twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older White Americans, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/\">Alzheimer’s Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On the TODAY show Wednesday morning, Danny Glover announced that he has Alzheimer’s disease. The San Francisco-based actor and activist said he was initially diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can live with it, in a sense,” Glover told NBC’s Lester Holt during an on-air interview. “I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now 79, the award-winning actor has etched an indelible legacy, known for roles in films like \u003cem>The Color Purple,\u003c/em> \u003cem>Lethal Weapon\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Angels in The Outfield\u003c/em>. Local productions he’s appeared in include \u003cem>Sorry to Bother You\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Last Black Man in San Francisco\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He has said his favorite film to work on was \u003cem>Places in the Heart\u003c/em>, and dedicated his performance to his mother, who was killed in a car accident on the day he was cast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"Actor Danny Glover speaks during a rally on jobs December 7, 2016 at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC to demand good jobs and workers' rights from the incoming President-elect Donald Trump administration.\" class=\"wp-image-13859513\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/DannyGlover-featured.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Danny Glover speaks during a rally on jobs December 7, 2016 at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC to demand good jobs and workers’ rights from the incoming President-elect Donald Trump administration. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An activist before his acting career, Glover has remained involved in civic discourse. Since 2004, he’s been a \u003ca href=\"https://www.unicef.org/goodwill-ambassadors/danny-glover\">UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador\u003c/a>, in addition to sitting on the board of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackaids.org/\">Black AIDS Institute\u003c/a> and serving on the \u003ca href=\"https://ibw21.org/initiatives/national-african-american-reparations-commission/page/9/?ref=opendemocracy.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National African American Reparations Commission\u003c/a>. In 2010, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/danny-glover-11-others-arrested-during-protest/\">Glover and 11 others were arrested\u003c/a> for protesting what the SEIU alleged were “unfair and illegal treatment of workers” by Sodexo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following year, during the nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IXNRiIuWg\">Glover spoke to protesters\u003c/a> in Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza. “It’s not only taking back our democracy,” Glover told the audience, “we have to remake it, we have to transform it, we have to build something better than that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/50IXNRiIuWg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/50IXNRiIuWg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Glover’s activism led to a career in acting. As a San Francisco State University student, he was involved in the historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968–1969 student-led strike\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/alumni/made-in-the-csu/san-francisco/Pages/glover.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco State University\u003c/a> (then San Francisco State College), which resulted in the establishment of the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13974210/revisiting-the-1968-sfsu-student-strike-while-trump-targets-campus-protesters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">College of Ethnic Studies\u003c/a>. It was then that a young Glover, as an organizer and protestor, crossed paths with well-known poet \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2014/01/09/261101520/amiri-baraka-poet-and-co-founder-of-black-arts-movement-dies-at-79\">Amiri Baraka\u003c/a> and was challenged to take his fight to the world of theatre.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During his interview on TODAY, Glover discussed the connection between art and activism. “We have challenges in the world,” he said, “and I think art becomes a reframe, a way of looking at that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glover is now one of an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures\">7.4 million Americans over the age of 65\u003c/a> living with Alzheimer’s disease. The fifth leading cause of death among senior citizens, the disease disproportionately impacts African Americans. Older Black people are nearly twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older White Americans, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alz.org/\">Alzheimer’s Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Christopher L. Thompson Wins the San Francisco Symphony’s Emerging Black Composers Project",
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"content": "\u003cp>The San Francisco Symphony on Tuesday announced that the winner of its sixth annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/EmergingBlackComposers/ABOUT\">Emerging Black Composers Project\u003c/a> (EBCP): Christopher L. Thompson.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is always an amazing feeling to hear that others see and believe in your vision,” said Thompson in a release shared by the Symphony.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The award, made possible by the Symphony and the \u003ca href=\"https://sfcm.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (SFCM), comes with a $15,000 grant, mentorship from established composers and the opportunity to debut a commissioned piece at Davies Symphony Hall during the 2027-2028 season.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The EBCP is a competitive program launched in 2020 amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. The classical music repertory is well known to skew toward white male composers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[The] project is an attempt to address some of that, and to provide points of access to young people from a community that has often previously been denied access,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.danielbartholomewpoyser.com/bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser\u003c/a>, chair of the EBCP selection committee and the San Francisco Symphony’s resident conductor of engagement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13909289/emerging-black-composers-project-san-francisco-symphony-conservatory-music-trevor-weston\">told KQED in 2022\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a white suit with a brown tie plays the xylophone.\" class=\"wp-image-13991218\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Composer and percussionist Christopher L. Thompson, also known as ‘Master Christopher,’ is a proponent of blending musical genres and mixing traditional symphonic elements with notated raps. (Ricky A. Richardson)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson is a contemporary jazz musician and percussionist who blurs the lines between musical genres. By merging traditional symphonic elements with notated raps, he creates a new take on classical music. (His style is prominently shown on his debut album, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://masterchristopher.bandcamp.com/album/music-desegregation\">Music Desegregation\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, released in July of 2022.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t wait to explore the power of rap notation as a compositional force with the San Francisco Symphony in a way that is genuine and authentic, without sacrificing the ensemble’s classical identity and technical prowess,” said Thompson in a release.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Originally from North Carolina and currently based in Philadelphia, Thompson is a music lecturer at Kingsborough Community College in New York and a student at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree in music composition.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With an undergraduate degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Music, Thompson’s résumé also boasts performances at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues festival in North Carolina, the Eurovision Song Contest in Germany and other esteemed institutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQpCu2dlgX0\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Looking forward to his time with the San Francisco Symphony, and anticipating the relationships to come by working with “a high-class group of musicians,” Thompson said winning this award feels like a dream come true.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I am truly honored to be selected for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901635/michael-morgan-visionary-oakland-symphony-conductor-dies-at-age-63\">Michael Morgan\u003c/a> Prize,” he says of the award, which is named for the late longtime head of the Oakland Symphony. Thompson joins previous award winners \u003ca href=\"https://tylertaylorcomposer.com/about/\">Tyler Taylor,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.xaviermuzik.com/\">Xavier Muzik\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seattlechambermusic.org/composers/kyle-rivera/\">Kyle Rivera\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.jensibsen.com/\">Jen Ibsen\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.trevorweston.com/about\">Trevor Weston\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Christopher Thompson was the clear favorite among the jurors this year,” said Bartholomew-Poyser in a release from the Symphony, noting his compelling voice, memorable music and detailed scores.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Christopher is poised to take the orchestral world in new directions,” Bartholomew-Poyser said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is always an amazing feeling to hear that others see and believe in your vision,” said Thompson in a release shared by the Symphony.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The award, made possible by the Symphony and the \u003ca href=\"https://sfcm.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (SFCM), comes with a $15,000 grant, mentorship from established composers and the opportunity to debut a commissioned piece at Davies Symphony Hall during the 2027-2028 season.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The EBCP is a competitive program launched in 2020 amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. The classical music repertory is well known to skew toward white male composers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[The] project is an attempt to address some of that, and to provide points of access to young people from a community that has often previously been denied access,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.danielbartholomewpoyser.com/bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser\u003c/a>, chair of the EBCP selection committee and the San Francisco Symphony’s resident conductor of engagement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13909289/emerging-black-composers-project-san-francisco-symphony-conservatory-music-trevor-weston\">told KQED in 2022\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I can’t wait to explore the power of rap notation as a compositional force with the San Francisco Symphony in a way that is genuine and authentic, without sacrificing the ensemble’s classical identity and technical prowess,” said Thompson in a release.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Originally from North Carolina and currently based in Philadelphia, Thompson is a music lecturer at Kingsborough Community College in New York and a student at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree in music composition.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With an undergraduate degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Music, Thompson’s résumé also boasts performances at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues festival in North Carolina, the Eurovision Song Contest in Germany and other esteemed institutions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Christopher L. Thompson Wins the San Francisco Symphony’s Emerging Black Composers Project | KQED",
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"headline": "Christopher L. Thompson Wins the San Francisco Symphony’s Emerging Black Composers Project",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The San Francisco Symphony on Tuesday announced that the winner of its sixth annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/EmergingBlackComposers/ABOUT\">Emerging Black Composers Project\u003c/a> (EBCP): Christopher L. Thompson.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is always an amazing feeling to hear that others see and believe in your vision,” said Thompson in a release shared by the Symphony.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The award, made possible by the Symphony and the \u003ca href=\"https://sfcm.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (SFCM), comes with a $15,000 grant, mentorship from established composers and the opportunity to debut a commissioned piece at Davies Symphony Hall during the 2027-2028 season.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The EBCP is a competitive program launched in 2020 amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. The classical music repertory is well known to skew toward white male composers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[The] project is an attempt to address some of that, and to provide points of access to young people from a community that has often previously been denied access,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.danielbartholomewpoyser.com/bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser\u003c/a>, chair of the EBCP selection committee and the San Francisco Symphony’s resident conductor of engagement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13909289/emerging-black-composers-project-san-francisco-symphony-conservatory-music-trevor-weston\">told KQED in 2022\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a white suit with a brown tie plays the xylophone.\" class=\"wp-image-13991218\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/735111956_1955487798466459_3825383235520291372_n-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Composer and percussionist Christopher L. Thompson, also known as ‘Master Christopher,’ is a proponent of blending musical genres and mixing traditional symphonic elements with notated raps. (Ricky A. Richardson)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thompson is a contemporary jazz musician and percussionist who blurs the lines between musical genres. By merging traditional symphonic elements with notated raps, he creates a new take on classical music. (His style is prominently shown on his debut album, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://masterchristopher.bandcamp.com/album/music-desegregation\">Music Desegregation\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, released in July of 2022.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t wait to explore the power of rap notation as a compositional force with the San Francisco Symphony in a way that is genuine and authentic, without sacrificing the ensemble’s classical identity and technical prowess,” said Thompson in a release.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Originally from North Carolina and currently based in Philadelphia, Thompson is a music lecturer at Kingsborough Community College in New York and a student at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree in music composition.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With an undergraduate degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Music, Thompson’s résumé also boasts performances at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues festival in North Carolina, the Eurovision Song Contest in Germany and other esteemed institutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/SQpCu2dlgX0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/SQpCu2dlgX0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Looking forward to his time with the San Francisco Symphony, and anticipating the relationships to come by working with “a high-class group of musicians,” Thompson said winning this award feels like a dream come true.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I am truly honored to be selected for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13901635/michael-morgan-visionary-oakland-symphony-conductor-dies-at-age-63\">Michael Morgan\u003c/a> Prize,” he says of the award, which is named for the late longtime head of the Oakland Symphony. Thompson joins previous award winners \u003ca href=\"https://tylertaylorcomposer.com/about/\">Tyler Taylor,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.xaviermuzik.com/\">Xavier Muzik\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seattlechambermusic.org/composers/kyle-rivera/\">Kyle Rivera\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.jensibsen.com/\">Jen Ibsen\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.trevorweston.com/about\">Trevor Weston\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Christopher Thompson was the clear favorite among the jurors this year,” said Bartholomew-Poyser in a release from the Symphony, noting his compelling voice, memorable music and detailed scores.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Christopher is poised to take the orchestral world in new directions,” Bartholomew-Poyser said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "kaleena-zanders-san-jose-dance-music",
"title": "For San José’s Kaleena Zanders, Dance Music Is ‘a Magical Experience’",
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"headTitle": "For San José’s Kaleena Zanders, Dance Music Is ‘a Magical Experience’ | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kaleenazanders/?hl=en\">Kaleena Zanders\u003c/a>’ song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31i2vFa7r8s\">The Light\u003c/a>” blasted through my headphones, I pedaled faster.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Soundtracked by energetic hi-hats, symphonic strings, a bass line from the underworld and Zanders’ heavenly vocals, my bike ride became a spiritual experience. And I’m clearly not the only one moved by Zanders’ music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Zanders has played nightclubs and festivals, and even once had a song featured in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ispot.tv/ad/waIE/toyota-super-bowl-2018-good-odds-song-by-kaleena-zanders\">a Super Bowl Toyota commercial\u003c/a>. Her debut album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/0clTTK9wSXFKpTTtGq2sun\">Anything Goes\u003c/a>\u003c/em> dropped last month. It’s been highlighted by \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/up-coming-dance-artist-of-month-kaleena-zanders-april-2026-1236230807/\">Billboard\u003c/a>,\u003c/em> with two of its songs, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDfP41vP8dQ\">Stronger Than Machines\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1dPFBPt1_M\">Anything Goes\u003c/a>,” spotlighted by ESPN.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811.jpg\" alt=\"A person standing behind a DJ table at a crowded outdoors event.\" class=\"wp-image-13991110\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kaleena Zanders, pictured performing at Outside Lands in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 2024, grew up playing sports and frequenting Hot Topic in San José. (Harp Digital Media)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Zanders launches \u003ca href=\"https://www.kaleenazanders.com/tour\">a multiple-city tour\u003c/a> with stops across the United States and Canada, she gives credit to her upbringing in San José for making it possible.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emo fits and musical theater\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I ended up going to Independence High School,” Zanders tells me during a recent video call, “and I played a ton of sports.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a teenage basketball and rugby player, Zanders also got deep into her emo bag with fits from Hot Topic at Eastridge Mall, across the street from where she lived. While fashion and athletics were important, art proved significant in her upbringing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Musical theater was a huge part of my life,” says Zanders, who took classes at the \u003ca href=\"https://sanjoseacademyofmusic.com/san-jose-childrens-chorus/\">San Jose Children’s Choir \u003c/a>from the age of 8 to the age of 11. She had no problem singing to herself, but Zanders was a shy about appearing on stage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was really caught off guard that my mom would put me in these musical theater classes,” Zanders reflects. But it all makes sense now. “I remember coming alive on stage,” Zanders says. “I get it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mO0mYdan3w\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Having a musical outlet proved vital as she navigated her teenage years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Understanding that I’m queer,” says Zanders, “that was actually pretty hard for me in high school.” So she leaned into music, practicing on a piano in her mom’s garage, and eventually taking guitar lessons — which got her into rock music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In college, Zanders played in a band, Moulder’s Lounge, which she calls “the most euphoric, life-changing experience.” The band allowed her to combine musical theater, instrumentation and rock music, and would’ve been big, Zanders believes, if they’d stayed together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zanders eventually moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Musicians Institute. One day, while she was working at Trader Joe’s in Hollywood, a friend told her about a DJ who needed someone to provide vocals for an EDM track. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t the kind of kid that could go out and rave,” Zanders says with a laugh; her mother wouldn’t have allowed it. “I literally knew nothing of rave culture,” she says. But she quickly learned.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1.jpg\" alt=\"The crowd's view of a person standing behind the DJ tables.\" class=\"wp-image-13991111\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘I make music that’s rooted in love,’ says Kaleena Zanders, pictured performing in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park at Outside Lands in 2024. (Harp Digital Media)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Big diva vocals’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zanders now plays in nightclubs as well as sports arenas. They’re two very different settings, except that both are male-dominated. Simply by being present in those spaces, Zanders tells me, “as a woman, as a Black woman, as a queer woman, I naturally am gonna make some sort of statement. I don’t even need to say anything.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pivoting from writing verses and choruses of rock lyrics to short top-lines for dance anthems wasn’t easy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Simplifying her lyrics felt like “it was like a diss to the art,” Zanders says. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean you only need one or two lines?’” But after digging deeper into the history of dance, and the work of artists like \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_S.\">Robin S.\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonique_(musician)\">Sonique\u003c/a>, Zanders understood the power of “big diva vocals.” With only a few choice lyrics, Zanders affirms, one can “still very much understand, in a potent way, what the song is about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Featuring Shift K3Y, Bipolar Sunshine and Hayley May, each of the seven songs on \u003cem>Anything Goes\u003c/em> pack in a load of emotions and storytelling. Even the album name has multiple meanings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMl_XIjVAsg\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heartbroken after an acquaintance stole something of hers, it hit Zanders that life is a free-for-all with no rules, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Look at these motherfuckers, they’re out here just stealing shit,” she says. “Okay, fuck! Let me have the audacity to do what I wanna do, which is \u003cem>good\u003c/em> stuff. But let me not be afraid, because these people aren’t afraid.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A family lineage\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Anything Goes\u003c/em> could also describe Zanders herself. She’s an athletic pianist and former mohawked rocker who loves pop music and sings like gospel is in her blood. She also benefited from her mother’s guidance, inherited her’s father’s vocal abilities and stands on the shoulders of her grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She was a prolific piano player,” Zanders says of her grandmother, a choir director who died when Zanders was just an infant but who left behind a trove of archival recordings. “Hearing that,” Zanders explains, “made me think, ‘Oh, okay, this is where some of my musical abilities come from.'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zanders does not claim any one faith. But whether her music’s blasting through a sound system in a New York nightclub, playing at an outdoors festival in Canada or slapping in the headphones of a journalist riding a bike in California, the spiritual element is evident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Dance music,” Zanders professes, “it can be a magical experience.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kaleena Zanders performs Friday, July 17 as part of the three-day Dirtybird Cookout and Northern Nights musical festival in Piercy, California. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/northernnights/events/dirtybird-campout-x-northern-nights-music-festival-2026-160064\">Tickets and more details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Zanders has played nightclubs and festivals, and even once had a song featured in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ispot.tv/ad/waIE/toyota-super-bowl-2018-good-odds-song-by-kaleena-zanders\">a Super Bowl Toyota commercial\u003c/a>. Her debut album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/0clTTK9wSXFKpTTtGq2sun\">Anything Goes\u003c/a>\u003c/em> dropped last month. It’s been highlighted by \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/up-coming-dance-artist-of-month-kaleena-zanders-april-2026-1236230807/\">Billboard\u003c/a>,\u003c/em> with two of its songs, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDfP41vP8dQ\">Stronger Than Machines\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1dPFBPt1_M\">Anything Goes\u003c/a>,” spotlighted by ESPN.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811.jpg\" alt=\"A person standing behind a DJ table at a crowded outdoors event.\" class=\"wp-image-13991110\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kaleena Zanders, pictured performing at Outside Lands in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 2024, grew up playing sports and frequenting Hot Topic in San José.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I ended up going to Independence High School,” Zanders tells me during a recent video call, “and I played a ton of sports.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a teenage basketball and rugby player, Zanders also got deep into her emo bag with fits from Hot Topic at Eastridge Mall, across the street from where she lived. While fashion and athletics were important, art proved significant in her upbringing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Musical theater was a huge part of my life,” says Zanders, who took classes at the \u003ca href=\"https://sanjoseacademyofmusic.com/san-jose-childrens-chorus/\">San Jose Children’s Choir \u003c/a>from the age of 8 to the age of 11. She had no problem singing to herself, but Zanders was a shy about appearing on stage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was really caught off guard that my mom would put me in these musical theater classes,” Zanders reflects. But it all makes sense now. “I remember coming alive on stage,” Zanders says. “I get it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Understanding that I’m queer,” says Zanders, “that was actually pretty hard for me in high school.” So she leaned into music, practicing on a piano in her mom’s garage, and eventually taking guitar lessons — which got her into rock music.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Zanders eventually moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Musicians Institute. One day, while she was working at Trader Joe’s in Hollywood, a friend told her about a DJ who needed someone to provide vocals for an EDM track. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t the kind of kid that could go out and rave,” Zanders says with a laugh; her mother wouldn’t have allowed it. “I literally knew nothing of rave culture,” she says. But she quickly learned.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1.jpg\" alt=\"The crowd's view of a person standing behind the DJ tables.\" class=\"wp-image-13991111\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘I make music that’s rooted in love,’ says Kaleena Zanders, pictured performing in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park at Outside Lands in 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Zanders now plays in nightclubs as well as sports arenas. They’re two very different settings, except that both are male-dominated. Simply by being present in those spaces, Zanders tells me, “as a woman, as a Black woman, as a queer woman, I naturally am gonna make some sort of statement. I don’t even need to say anything.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pivoting from writing verses and choruses of rock lyrics to short top-lines for dance anthems wasn’t easy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Simplifying her lyrics felt like “it was like a diss to the art,” Zanders says. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean you only need one or two lines?’” But after digging deeper into the history of dance, and the work of artists like \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_S.\">Robin S.\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonique_(musician)\">Sonique\u003c/a>, Zanders understood the power of “big diva vocals.” With only a few choice lyrics, Zanders affirms, one can “still very much understand, in a potent way, what the song is about.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Simplifying her lyrics felt like “it was like a diss to the art,” Zanders says. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean you only need one or two lines?’” But after digging deeper into the history of dance, and the work of artists like \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_S.\">Robin S.\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonique_(musician)\">Sonique\u003c/a>, Zanders understood the power of “big diva vocals.” With only a few choice lyrics, Zanders affirms, one can “still very much understand, in a potent way, what the song is about.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Featuring Shift K3Y, Bipolar Sunshine and Hayley May, each of the seven songs on \u003cem>Anything Goes\u003c/em> pack in a load of emotions and storytelling. Even the album name has multiple meanings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Look at these motherfuckers, they’re out here just stealing shit,” she says. “Okay, fuck! Let me have the audacity to do what I wanna do, which is \u003cem>good\u003c/em> stuff. But let me not be afraid, because these people aren’t afraid.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Anything Goes\u003c/em> could also describe Zanders herself. She’s an athletic pianist and former mohawked rocker who loves pop music and sings like gospel is in her blood. She also benefited from her mother’s guidance, inherited her’s father’s vocal abilities and stands on the shoulders of her grandmother.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She was a prolific piano player,” Zanders says of her grandmother, a choir director who died when Zanders was just an infant but who left behind a trove of archival recordings. “Hearing that,” Zanders explains, “made me think, ‘Oh, okay, this is where some of my musical abilities come from.'”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Zanders does not claim any one faith. But whether her music’s blasting through a sound system in a New York nightclub, playing at an outdoors festival in Canada or slapping in the headphones of a journalist riding a bike in California, the spiritual element is evident.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kaleena Zanders performs Friday, July 17 as part of the three-day Dirtybird Cookout and Northern Nights musical festival in Piercy, California. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/northernnights/events/dirtybird-campout-x-northern-nights-music-festival-2026-160064\">Tickets and more details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kaleenazanders/?hl=en\">Kaleena Zanders\u003c/a>’ song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31i2vFa7r8s\">The Light\u003c/a>” blasted through my headphones, I pedaled faster.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Soundtracked by energetic hi-hats, symphonic strings, a bass line from the underworld and Zanders’ heavenly vocals, my bike ride became a spiritual experience. And I’m clearly not the only one moved by Zanders’ music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For more than a decade, Zanders has played nightclubs and festivals, and even once had a song featured in \u003ca href=\"https://www.ispot.tv/ad/waIE/toyota-super-bowl-2018-good-odds-song-by-kaleena-zanders\">a Super Bowl Toyota commercial\u003c/a>. Her debut album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/0clTTK9wSXFKpTTtGq2sun\">Anything Goes\u003c/a>\u003c/em> dropped last month. It’s been highlighted by \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/up-coming-dance-artist-of-month-kaleena-zanders-april-2026-1236230807/\">Billboard\u003c/a>,\u003c/em> with two of its songs, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDfP41vP8dQ\">Stronger Than Machines\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1dPFBPt1_M\">Anything Goes\u003c/a>,” spotlighted by ESPN.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811.jpg\" alt=\"A person standing behind a DJ table at a crowded outdoors event.\" class=\"wp-image-13991110\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125811-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kaleena Zanders, pictured performing at Outside Lands in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 2024, grew up playing sports and frequenting Hot Topic in San José. (Harp Digital Media)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Zanders launches \u003ca href=\"https://www.kaleenazanders.com/tour\">a multiple-city tour\u003c/a> with stops across the United States and Canada, she gives credit to her upbringing in San José for making it possible.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emo fits and musical theater\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I ended up going to Independence High School,” Zanders tells me during a recent video call, “and I played a ton of sports.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a teenage basketball and rugby player, Zanders also got deep into her emo bag with fits from Hot Topic at Eastridge Mall, across the street from where she lived. While fashion and athletics were important, art proved significant in her upbringing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Musical theater was a huge part of my life,” says Zanders, who took classes at the \u003ca href=\"https://sanjoseacademyofmusic.com/san-jose-childrens-chorus/\">San Jose Children’s Choir \u003c/a>from the age of 8 to the age of 11. She had no problem singing to herself, but Zanders was a shy about appearing on stage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was really caught off guard that my mom would put me in these musical theater classes,” Zanders reflects. But it all makes sense now. “I remember coming alive on stage,” Zanders says. “I get it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/0mO0mYdan3w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/0mO0mYdan3w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Having a musical outlet proved vital as she navigated her teenage years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Understanding that I’m queer,” says Zanders, “that was actually pretty hard for me in high school.” So she leaned into music, practicing on a piano in her mom’s garage, and eventually taking guitar lessons — which got her into rock music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In college, Zanders played in a band, Moulder’s Lounge, which she calls “the most euphoric, life-changing experience.” The band allowed her to combine musical theater, instrumentation and rock music, and would’ve been big, Zanders believes, if they’d stayed together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zanders eventually moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Musicians Institute. One day, while she was working at Trader Joe’s in Hollywood, a friend told her about a DJ who needed someone to provide vocals for an EDM track. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t the kind of kid that could go out and rave,” Zanders says with a laugh; her mother wouldn’t have allowed it. “I literally knew nothing of rave culture,” she says. But she quickly learned.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1.jpg\" alt=\"The crowd's view of a person standing behind the DJ tables.\" class=\"wp-image-13991111\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_20260625_125757-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘I make music that’s rooted in love,’ says Kaleena Zanders, pictured performing in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park at Outside Lands in 2024. (Harp Digital Media)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Big diva vocals’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zanders now plays in nightclubs as well as sports arenas. They’re two very different settings, except that both are male-dominated. Simply by being present in those spaces, Zanders tells me, “as a woman, as a Black woman, as a queer woman, I naturally am gonna make some sort of statement. I don’t even need to say anything.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pivoting from writing verses and choruses of rock lyrics to short top-lines for dance anthems wasn’t easy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Simplifying her lyrics felt like “it was like a diss to the art,” Zanders says. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean you only need one or two lines?’” But after digging deeper into the history of dance, and the work of artists like \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_S.\">Robin S.\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonique_(musician)\">Sonique\u003c/a>, Zanders understood the power of “big diva vocals.” With only a few choice lyrics, Zanders affirms, one can “still very much understand, in a potent way, what the song is about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Featuring Shift K3Y, Bipolar Sunshine and Hayley May, each of the seven songs on \u003cem>Anything Goes\u003c/em> pack in a load of emotions and storytelling. Even the album name has multiple meanings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/AMl_XIjVAsg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/AMl_XIjVAsg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heartbroken after an acquaintance stole something of hers, it hit Zanders that life is a free-for-all with no rules, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Look at these motherfuckers, they’re out here just stealing shit,” she says. “Okay, fuck! Let me have the audacity to do what I wanna do, which is \u003cem>good\u003c/em> stuff. But let me not be afraid, because these people aren’t afraid.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A family lineage\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Anything Goes\u003c/em> could also describe Zanders herself. She’s an athletic pianist and former mohawked rocker who loves pop music and sings like gospel is in her blood. She also benefited from her mother’s guidance, inherited her’s father’s vocal abilities and stands on the shoulders of her grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She was a prolific piano player,” Zanders says of her grandmother, a choir director who died when Zanders was just an infant but who left behind a trove of archival recordings. “Hearing that,” Zanders explains, “made me think, ‘Oh, okay, this is where some of my musical abilities come from.'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zanders does not claim any one faith. But whether her music’s blasting through a sound system in a New York nightclub, playing at an outdoors festival in Canada or slapping in the headphones of a journalist riding a bike in California, the spiritual element is evident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Dance music,” Zanders professes, “it can be a magical experience.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kaleena Zanders performs Friday, July 17 as part of the three-day Dirtybird Cookout and Northern Nights musical festival in Piercy, California. \u003ca href=\"https://www.tixr.com/groups/northernnights/events/dirtybird-campout-x-northern-nights-music-festival-2026-160064\">Tickets and more details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oakland-artist-aroma-isnt-defined-by-time",
"title": "Oakland Artist AroMa Isn’t Defined By Time",
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"content": "\u003cp>All of AroMa’s art, from the drip to the slap, hinges on a relationship with time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AroMa’s fashion pairs edginess with antiquity. Their film visuals are simultaneously classic and fresh. And their music combines crying alt-rock guitar riffs and big orchestral strings with R&B soul and introspective lyrics, creating a sound that spans decades.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“On the eve of my 10th birthday,” AroMa says, “I realized that when you go to double-digits, you never go back to single-digits.” The realization made it clear that certain things are finite. “And that terrified me,” AroMa admits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To combat that anxiety, AroMa began a process of either urgently “chasing time,” or completely running away from the construct, so as to not be “captive to the finite nature of temporal beings.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of a person dramatically performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13990963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“I love making music, and I love performing it live,” says AroMa. (Onome Uyovbievbo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On June 26 at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, AroMa will perform music from \u003ca href=\"https://aromamusic.bandcamp.com/album/smitten\">their latest EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, as well as pieces from their forthcoming project, on a lineup with the band \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/spa_band/\">Spa\u003c/a> and the duo \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closegood_/\">closegood\u003c/a> at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a>. Presented by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/transbayarea/\">Trans Bay\u003c/a> and hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/living4rayy/#\">RAY\u003c/a>, AroMa guarantees some refined fashion statements from artists and attendees alike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But AroMa has no idea what they plan on wearing yet. And that’s part of their stragey.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I honestly wait to the very last minute to pick a lot of my outfits,” says AroMa, for whom procrastination lights a fire.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I love the ‘grandma aesthetic’,” they tell me, crediting their Big Mama’s influence. “When I was a kid, I thought she was the coolest person,” says AroMa of their grandmother. “I was meant to be like her; I didn’t know that that meant eventually I also would have a wig collection.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNBsHZpeSxA\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with matching antique hairpieces, big black leather belts and fly feathered garments, the added element to AroMa’s sense of style is time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their first full-length project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://i-d.co/article/aroma-zoombug-queer-musical-short-film/\">ZoomBug\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “a radically queer musical about race cars and shitty exs,” was written in a bout of anxiety about time passing. When it dropped in 2018, the campy musical became something of a local cult classic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The film centers a fake band, played by real musicians. Oddly enough, it was that collective that catalyzed AroMa’s music career. “My first-ever live music performance was because somebody asked the \u003cem>ZoomBug\u003c/em> band to play a New Year’s Eve show,”AroMa tells me. “We weren’t even a real band.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That experience opened the door for more productions. AroMa was making music videos for other artists when they began working on another film, \u003cem>Moon Baby\u003c/em>. But when the pandemic stalled the production, AroMa fully turned to music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I low-key hate releasing music,” says AroMa. “But it needs to be done.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a black feathered top, big black belt and sunglasses poses in front of a flaming red background.\" class=\"wp-image-13990962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">AroMa. (Onome Uyovbievbo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The songs on their four-track EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em> were workshopped for months. Some marinated for years. Leadoff track “Goldmine” was written five years ago, when AroMa and their bandmates first got their studio space in downtown Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like, ‘okay, this space, in this moment, is the beginning of a big change,” recalls AroMa. With a desk, a basic sound system and furniture they’d repurposed, the venue allowed the collective to celebrate being chaotic; that sentiment is reflected in the song. “‘Goldmine’,” says AroMa, “was written at the start of something new. A big leap, the beginning of some significant evolution.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/CifBJ2OXC0I?si=klMOjei6mVrK1oLN\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creating the song “Territory” gave AroMa trouble, as the “character” in the song is an “overzealous, big-voiced, very brash” person trying something for the very first time. AroMa had to sound apprehensive, yet confident. After years of refining the track to show trepidation and also declare that they’re here to “embrace the fucking journey that’s ahead,” says AroMa, the song is all about “allowing yourself to feel, and be affected and be loved.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creating the track “Eyes” was about overcoming a different artistic hurdle: having your stuff stolen. Three years ago, thieves didn’t just steal their hard drive from their car — they stole the whole vehicle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Although we lost the track,” AroMa laments, “the live version of the song was developed so much by us just playing it over, and over, and over.” That’s the version that appears on the EP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Armageddon,” the final track on the project, also had to be re-recorded. Like “Territory,” the song is about trying something new for the first time, but in place of hesitation, “it’s like embracing the consequence in a rapturous way,” says AroMa. With an urgent, bold sound, the song is the EP’s crescendo, sending listeners off into the horizon. AroMa says it’s their way of saying “goodbye, traveler.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990988\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">AroMa performing live. (Onome Uyovbievbo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though there’s an air of “alternative rock soul” throughout \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>, AroMa’s music is less about genre and more about the “characters” that represent facets of who they were when they wrote the song.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As time passes, the version of AroMa who finishes a song is different from the one who started the creative process. And as they grow, their sound constantly changes (AroMa makes hip-hop music as well). But the way that AroMa tells stories in the music remains consistent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m not so interested in perfecting a formula, I’m not trying to create a new genre,” says AroMa. “I’ll flow in and out of whatever the fuck feels right.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>AroMa performs at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a> on Friday, June 26, at Eli’s Mile High Club (3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of a person dramatically performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13990963\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“I love making music, and I love performing it live,” says AroMa.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On June 26 at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, AroMa will perform music from \u003ca href=\"https://aromamusic.bandcamp.com/album/smitten\">their latest EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, as well as pieces from their forthcoming project, on a lineup with the band \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/spa_band/\">Spa\u003c/a> and the duo \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closegood_/\">closegood\u003c/a> at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a>. Presented by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/transbayarea/\">Trans Bay\u003c/a> and hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/living4rayy/#\">RAY\u003c/a>, AroMa guarantees some refined fashion statements from artists and attendees alike.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On June 26 at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, AroMa will perform music from \u003ca href=\"https://aromamusic.bandcamp.com/album/smitten\">their latest EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, as well as pieces from their forthcoming project, on a lineup with the band \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/spa_band/\">Spa\u003c/a> and the duo \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closegood_/\">closegood\u003c/a> at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a>. Presented by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/transbayarea/\">Trans Bay\u003c/a> and hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/living4rayy/#\">RAY\u003c/a>, AroMa guarantees some refined fashion statements from artists and attendees alike.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But AroMa has no idea what they plan on wearing yet. And that’s part of their stragey.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I honestly wait to the very last minute to pick a lot of my outfits,” says AroMa, for whom procrastination lights a fire.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I love the ‘grandma aesthetic’,” they tell me, crediting their Big Mama’s influence. “When I was a kid, I thought she was the coolest person,” says AroMa of their grandmother. “I was meant to be like her; I didn’t know that that meant eventually I also would have a wig collection.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I love the ‘grandma aesthetic’,” they tell me, crediting their Big Mama’s influence. “When I was a kid, I thought she was the coolest person,” says AroMa of their grandmother. “I was meant to be like her; I didn’t know that that meant eventually I also would have a wig collection.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Along with matching antique hairpieces, big black leather belts and fly feathered garments, the added element to AroMa’s sense of style is time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Their first full-length project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://i-d.co/article/aroma-zoombug-queer-musical-short-film/\">ZoomBug\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “a radically queer musical about race cars and shitty exs,” was written in a bout of anxiety about time passing. When it dropped in 2018, the campy musical became something of a local cult classic.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Their first full-length project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://i-d.co/article/aroma-zoombug-queer-musical-short-film/\">ZoomBug\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “a radically queer musical about race cars and shitty exs,” was written in a bout of anxiety about time passing. When it dropped in 2018, the campy musical became something of a local cult classic.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The film centers a fake band, played by real musicians. Oddly enough, it was that collective that catalyzed AroMa’s music career. “My first-ever live music performance was because somebody asked the \u003cem>ZoomBug\u003c/em> band to play a New Year’s Eve show,”AroMa tells me. “We weren’t even a real band.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That experience opened the door for more productions. AroMa was making music videos for other artists when they began working on another film, \u003cem>Moon Baby\u003c/em>. But when the pandemic stalled the production, AroMa fully turned to music.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That experience opened the door for more productions. AroMa was making music videos for other artists when they began working on another film, \u003cem>Moon Baby\u003c/em>. But when the pandemic stalled the production, AroMa fully turned to music.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The songs on their four-track EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em> were workshopped for months. Some marinated for years. Leadoff track “Goldmine” was written five years ago, when AroMa and their bandmates first got their studio space in downtown Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It felt like, ‘okay, this space, in this moment, is the beginning of a big change,” recalls AroMa. With a desk, a basic sound system and furniture they’d repurposed, the venue allowed the collective to celebrate being chaotic; that sentiment is reflected in the song. “‘Goldmine’,” says AroMa, “was written at the start of something new. A big leap, the beginning of some significant evolution.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It felt like, ‘okay, this space, in this moment, is the beginning of a big change,” recalls AroMa. With a desk, a basic sound system and furniture they’d repurposed, the venue allowed the collective to celebrate being chaotic; that sentiment is reflected in the song. “‘Goldmine’,” says AroMa, “was written at the start of something new. A big leap, the beginning of some significant evolution.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Creating the song “Territory” gave AroMa trouble, as the “character” in the song is an “overzealous, big-voiced, very brash” person trying something for the very first time. AroMa had to sound apprehensive, yet confident. After years of refining the track to show trepidation and also declare that they’re here to “embrace the fucking journey that’s ahead,” says AroMa, the song is all about “allowing yourself to feel, and be affected and be loved.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Creating the track “Eyes” was about overcoming a different artistic hurdle: having your stuff stolen. Three years ago, thieves didn’t just steal their hard drive from their car — they stole the whole vehicle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Creating the track “Eyes” was about overcoming a different artistic hurdle: having your stuff stolen. Three years ago, thieves didn’t just steal their hard drive from their car — they stole the whole vehicle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Although we lost the track,” AroMa laments, “the live version of the song was developed so much by us just playing it over, and over, and over.” That’s the version that appears on the EP.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Armageddon,” the final track on the project, also had to be re-recorded. Like “Territory,” the song is about trying something new for the first time, but in place of hesitation, “it’s like embracing the consequence in a rapturous way,” says AroMa. With an urgent, bold sound, the song is the EP’s crescendo, sending listeners off into the horizon. AroMa says it’s their way of saying “goodbye, traveler.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Armageddon,” the final track on the project, also had to be re-recorded. Like “Territory,” the song is about trying something new for the first time, but in place of hesitation, “it’s like embracing the consequence in a rapturous way,” says AroMa. With an urgent, bold sound, the song is the EP’s crescendo, sending listeners off into the horizon. AroMa says it’s their way of saying “goodbye, traveler.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though there’s an air of “alternative rock soul” throughout \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>, AroMa’s music is less about genre and more about the “characters” that represent facets of who they were when they wrote the song.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As time passes, the version of AroMa who finishes a song is different from the one who started the creative process. And as they grow, their sound constantly changes (AroMa makes hip-hop music as well). But the way that AroMa tells stories in the music remains consistent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m not so interested in perfecting a formula, I’m not trying to create a new genre,” says AroMa. “I’ll flow in and out of whatever the fuck feels right.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>AroMa performs at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a> on Friday, June 26, at Eli’s Mile High Club (3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>All of AroMa’s art, from the drip to the slap, hinges on a relationship with time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AroMa’s fashion pairs edginess with antiquity. Their film visuals are simultaneously classic and fresh. And their music combines crying alt-rock guitar riffs and big orchestral strings with R&B soul and introspective lyrics, creating a sound that spans decades.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“On the eve of my 10th birthday,” AroMa says, “I realized that when you go to double-digits, you never go back to single-digits.” The realization made it clear that certain things are finite. “And that terrified me,” AroMa admits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To combat that anxiety, AroMa began a process of either urgently “chasing time,” or completely running away from the construct, so as to not be “captive to the finite nature of temporal beings.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of a person dramatically performing on stage.\" class=\"wp-image-13990963\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“I love making music, and I love performing it live,” says AroMa. (Onome Uyovbievbo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On June 26 at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, AroMa will perform music from \u003ca href=\"https://aromamusic.bandcamp.com/album/smitten\">their latest EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, as well as pieces from their forthcoming project, on a lineup with the band \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/spa_band/\">Spa\u003c/a> and the duo \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/closegood_/\">closegood\u003c/a> at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a>. Presented by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/transbayarea/\">Trans Bay\u003c/a> and hosted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/living4rayy/#\">RAY\u003c/a>, AroMa guarantees some refined fashion statements from artists and attendees alike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But AroMa has no idea what they plan on wearing yet. And that’s part of their stragey.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I honestly wait to the very last minute to pick a lot of my outfits,” says AroMa, for whom procrastination lights a fire.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I love the ‘grandma aesthetic’,” they tell me, crediting their Big Mama’s influence. “When I was a kid, I thought she was the coolest person,” says AroMa of their grandmother. “I was meant to be like her; I didn’t know that that meant eventually I also would have a wig collection.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/cNBsHZpeSxA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/cNBsHZpeSxA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with matching antique hairpieces, big black leather belts and fly feathered garments, the added element to AroMa’s sense of style is time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Their first full-length project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://i-d.co/article/aroma-zoombug-queer-musical-short-film/\">ZoomBug\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “a radically queer musical about race cars and shitty exs,” was written in a bout of anxiety about time passing. When it dropped in 2018, the campy musical became something of a local cult classic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The film centers a fake band, played by real musicians. Oddly enough, it was that collective that catalyzed AroMa’s music career. “My first-ever live music performance was because somebody asked the \u003cem>ZoomBug\u003c/em> band to play a New Year’s Eve show,”AroMa tells me. “We weren’t even a real band.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That experience opened the door for more productions. AroMa was making music videos for other artists when they began working on another film, \u003cem>Moon Baby\u003c/em>. But when the pandemic stalled the production, AroMa fully turned to music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I low-key hate releasing music,” says AroMa. “But it needs to be done.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a black feathered top, big black belt and sunglasses poses in front of a flaming red background.\" class=\"wp-image-13990962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-5-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">AroMa. (Onome Uyovbievbo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The songs on their four-track EP \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em> were workshopped for months. Some marinated for years. Leadoff track “Goldmine” was written five years ago, when AroMa and their bandmates first got their studio space in downtown Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like, ‘okay, this space, in this moment, is the beginning of a big change,” recalls AroMa. With a desk, a basic sound system and furniture they’d repurposed, the venue allowed the collective to celebrate being chaotic; that sentiment is reflected in the song. “‘Goldmine’,” says AroMa, “was written at the start of something new. A big leap, the beginning of some significant evolution.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/CifBJ2OXC0I'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/CifBJ2OXC0I'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creating the song “Territory” gave AroMa trouble, as the “character” in the song is an “overzealous, big-voiced, very brash” person trying something for the very first time. AroMa had to sound apprehensive, yet confident. After years of refining the track to show trepidation and also declare that they’re here to “embrace the fucking journey that’s ahead,” says AroMa, the song is all about “allowing yourself to feel, and be affected and be loved.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Creating the track “Eyes” was about overcoming a different artistic hurdle: having your stuff stolen. Three years ago, thieves didn’t just steal their hard drive from their car — they stole the whole vehicle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Although we lost the track,” AroMa laments, “the live version of the song was developed so much by us just playing it over, and over, and over.” That’s the version that appears on the EP.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Armageddon,” the final track on the project, also had to be re-recorded. Like “Territory,” the song is about trying something new for the first time, but in place of hesitation, “it’s like embracing the consequence in a rapturous way,” says AroMa. With an urgent, bold sound, the song is the EP’s crescendo, sending listeners off into the horizon. AroMa says it’s their way of saying “goodbye, traveler.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990988\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/0-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">AroMa performing live. (Onome Uyovbievbo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though there’s an air of “alternative rock soul” throughout \u003cem>Smitten\u003c/em>, AroMa’s music is less about genre and more about the “characters” that represent facets of who they were when they wrote the song.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As time passes, the version of AroMa who finishes a song is different from the one who started the creative process. And as they grow, their sound constantly changes (AroMa makes hip-hop music as well). But the way that AroMa tells stories in the music remains consistent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m not so interested in perfecting a formula, I’m not trying to create a new genre,” says AroMa. “I’ll flow in and out of whatever the fuck feels right.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>AroMa performs at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">MASC4MASQUERADE BALL\u003c/a> on Friday, June 26, at Eli’s Mile High Club (3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://www.elismilehighclub.com/events/trans-bay-area-presents-masc4masquerade\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland-Raised Satya Colors Her Past on Debut Album ‘Yellow House’",
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"headTitle": "Oakland-Raised Satya Colors Her Past on Debut Album ‘Yellow House’ | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Oakland-raised singer Satya possesses a magnificently colorful voice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s a sultry deep-purple, interspersed with shades of bluegrass. Certain notes carry the worn-leather brown of a good country twang, and others are pure white robes of a full choir. Her lyrics paint a dark angsty hue of ’90s alternative R&B, rich with self-prescribed affirmations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And as the 25 year-old musician celebrates her debut album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://satsatmusic.com/\">Yellow House\u003c/a>\u003c/em> this week with a listening party at Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://bggh.shop/\">Blk Girls Green House\u003c/a>, she continues to fine-tune her sound.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As for that rich, multi-hued voice? “I’m still finding it,” Satya tells me.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Given that her album addresses maturation, healing and honoring the agency that comes along with adulthood, she’s finding her voice in more ways than one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoQTdypADXM\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An Oakland School of the Arts graduate who studied vocal arrangement, Satya also plays piano and guitar, and is learning the bass. She loves playing and singing with others, working on harmonies and making songs that have a “a full sound,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I grew up listening to Aretha Franklin,” Satya tells me, explaining a love for gospel music and “wide sounds.” Now, as she matures, she’s learning to experiment with lower and softer ranges, while still relishing in large soundscapes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yellow House\u003c/em> showcases her far-reaching vocal range, interwoven with the production of Nashville-based musician \u003ca href=\"https://colinlinden.net/\">Colin Linden\u003c/a>. Now based in Los Angeles, Satya recorded the entire album in Tennessee. Along the way, she made a stop in New Orleans for college — an experience that truly set her on her musical path.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While studying the music industry at Loyola University, the pandemic hit and school shut down. Uninspired by online classes, she dropped out. “And I just stayed in New Orleans,” she says. “And I fell in love with it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Through her circle of friends, Satya traveled the South. But the Crescent City had her heart.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She cut her teeth as a musician in the Big Easy, performing original music and gigging around town with a band. Looking back, “New Orleans shaped me so much as an artist and a musician,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years passed and she moved back to the west coast, landing in Southern California and chipping away at her first album. Though she eventually recorded it in Nashville, the songs on \u003cem>Yellow House\u003c/em> draw heavily on her experience growing up in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands inside of a house, against a wall and near a window, wearing a white shirt and khaki pants, as she looks into the camera.\" class=\"wp-image-13990392\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Satya’s album ‘Yellow House’ draws on her coming-of-age process, and is dedicated to her own transformation. (Lola Lankford)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The title track, “Yellow House,” is about the actual home she lived in as a kid.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the song, the guitar and drums are dark and heavy, and the lyrics pull from past trauma. But a tempo shift toward the end of the track connotes optimism; as the guitar strums build, Satya shares details of her house: “Yellow house, lemon trees, wooden floor, she laid face down / Yellow house, dead birds, pill bottles missing from the cabinet/ What if I say that I / Say that I’m done with all your madness?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In just under a minute, Satya juxtaposes dark grey memories with a slice of light. Sonically, it’s as if a character in a noir film walked into a scene wearing a canary-colored sundress.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Immediately following is “Circles,” the first song Satya wrote for the album, which starts with a dark simple guitar riff and builds to a crescendo of keys, drums and vocals. With lyrics like “I dream of the hallway,” the song references that same yellow house.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I was tracing feelings back and memories back,” Satya reflects, “I sometimes felt like my energy was in that house still.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990443\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The album cover art for Satya’s ‘Yellow House.’ (Giant Music)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Album closer “Cicadas” directly draws from Satya’s time in New Orleans, complete with the sound of raindrops falling. Two covers — the Grateful Dead’s “Box of Rain” and Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor” — show that she’s not limited by genre.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it’s in “Heaven’s Cry” where Satya speaks directly to her transformation process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over a bright melody, Satya sings, “Fell from the sky, don’t know how, don’t know why / Closing my eyes, take one step at a time.” As the track unfolds, she describes persevering through rough waters, guided by voices from heaven.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I grew up with a lot of imbalance,” she says. “A lot of open-endedness, a lot of loose ends.” Transitions and grief were a constant, she adds. “I really just had to make a decision to leave home because it didn’t feel safe anymore.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Satya’s goal now is to be the fullest form of herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to be expressive, and follow what really gives me joy,” Staya says. Living without fear and resetting her body are part of it. But ultimately, “it’s about knowing that I’m safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Satya’s ‘Yellow House’ is available June 5 on streaming platforms. She hosts a listening party at Blk Girls Green House on June 6. \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/yellow-house-album-release\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An Oakland School of the Arts graduate who studied vocal arrangement, Satya also plays piano and guitar, and is learning the bass. She loves playing and singing with others, working on harmonies and making songs that have a “a full sound,” she says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I grew up listening to Aretha Franklin,” Satya tells me, explaining a love for gospel music and “wide sounds.” Now, as she matures, she’s learning to experiment with lower and softer ranges, while still relishing in large soundscapes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yellow House\u003c/em> showcases her far-reaching vocal range, interwoven with the production of Nashville-based musician \u003ca href=\"https://colinlinden.net/\">Colin Linden\u003c/a>. Now based in Los Angeles, Satya recorded the entire album in Tennessee. Along the way, she made a stop in New Orleans for college — an experience that truly set her on her musical path.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While studying the music industry at Loyola University, the pandemic hit and school shut down. Uninspired by online classes, she dropped out. “And I just stayed in New Orleans,” she says. “And I fell in love with it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She cut her teeth as a musician in the Big Easy, performing original music and gigging around town with a band. Looking back, “New Orleans shaped me so much as an artist and a musician,” she says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Years passed and she moved back to the west coast, landing in Southern California and chipping away at her first album. Though she eventually recorded it in Nashville, the songs on \u003cem>Yellow House\u003c/em> draw heavily on her experience growing up in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands inside of a house, against a wall and near a window, wearing a white shirt and khaki pants, as she looks into the camera.\" class=\"wp-image-13990392\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Satya’s album ‘Yellow House’ draws on her coming-of-age process, and is dedicated to her own transformation.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the song, the guitar and drums are dark and heavy, and the lyrics pull from past trauma. But a tempo shift toward the end of the track connotes optimism; as the guitar strums build, Satya shares details of her house: “Yellow house, lemon trees, wooden floor, she laid face down / Yellow house, dead birds, pill bottles missing from the cabinet/ What if I say that I / Say that I’m done with all your madness?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In just under a minute, Satya juxtaposes dark grey memories with a slice of light. Sonically, it’s as if a character in a noir film walked into a scene wearing a canary-colored sundress.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Immediately following is “Circles,” the first song Satya wrote for the album, which starts with a dark simple guitar riff and builds to a crescendo of keys, drums and vocals. With lyrics like “I dream of the hallway,” the song references that same yellow house.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When I was tracing feelings back and memories back,” Satya reflects, “I sometimes felt like my energy was in that house still.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Album closer “Cicadas” directly draws from Satya’s time in New Orleans, complete with the sound of raindrops falling. Two covers — the Grateful Dead’s “Box of Rain” and Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor” — show that she’s not limited by genre.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But it’s in “Heaven’s Cry” where Satya speaks directly to her transformation process.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over a bright melody, Satya sings, “Fell from the sky, don’t know how, don’t know why / Closing my eyes, take one step at a time.” As the track unfolds, she describes persevering through rough waters, guided by voices from heaven.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I grew up with a lot of imbalance,” she says. “A lot of open-endedness, a lot of loose ends.” Transitions and grief were a constant, she adds. “I really just had to make a decision to leave home because it didn’t feel safe anymore.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I want to be expressive, and follow what really gives me joy,” Staya says. Living without fear and resetting her body are part of it. But ultimately, “it’s about knowing that I’m safe.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Satya’s ‘Yellow House’ is available June 5 on streaming platforms. She hosts a listening party at Blk Girls Green House on June 6. \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/yellow-house-album-release\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland-raised singer Satya possesses a magnificently colorful voice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s a sultry deep-purple, interspersed with shades of bluegrass. Certain notes carry the worn-leather brown of a good country twang, and others are pure white robes of a full choir. Her lyrics paint a dark angsty hue of ’90s alternative R&B, rich with self-prescribed affirmations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And as the 25 year-old musician celebrates her debut album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://satsatmusic.com/\">Yellow House\u003c/a>\u003c/em> this week with a listening party at Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://bggh.shop/\">Blk Girls Green House\u003c/a>, she continues to fine-tune her sound.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As for that rich, multi-hued voice? “I’m still finding it,” Satya tells me.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Given that her album addresses maturation, healing and honoring the agency that comes along with adulthood, she’s finding her voice in more ways than one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/YoQTdypADXM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YoQTdypADXM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An Oakland School of the Arts graduate who studied vocal arrangement, Satya also plays piano and guitar, and is learning the bass. She loves playing and singing with others, working on harmonies and making songs that have a “a full sound,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I grew up listening to Aretha Franklin,” Satya tells me, explaining a love for gospel music and “wide sounds.” Now, as she matures, she’s learning to experiment with lower and softer ranges, while still relishing in large soundscapes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yellow House\u003c/em> showcases her far-reaching vocal range, interwoven with the production of Nashville-based musician \u003ca href=\"https://colinlinden.net/\">Colin Linden\u003c/a>. Now based in Los Angeles, Satya recorded the entire album in Tennessee. Along the way, she made a stop in New Orleans for college — an experience that truly set her on her musical path.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While studying the music industry at Loyola University, the pandemic hit and school shut down. Uninspired by online classes, she dropped out. “And I just stayed in New Orleans,” she says. “And I fell in love with it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Through her circle of friends, Satya traveled the South. But the Crescent City had her heart.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She cut her teeth as a musician in the Big Easy, performing original music and gigging around town with a band. Looking back, “New Orleans shaped me so much as an artist and a musician,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years passed and she moved back to the west coast, landing in Southern California and chipping away at her first album. Though she eventually recorded it in Nashville, the songs on \u003cem>Yellow House\u003c/em> draw heavily on her experience growing up in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands inside of a house, against a wall and near a window, wearing a white shirt and khaki pants, as she looks into the camera.\" class=\"wp-image-13990392\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/jqfQvzpz-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Satya’s album ‘Yellow House’ draws on her coming-of-age process, and is dedicated to her own transformation. (Lola Lankford)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The title track, “Yellow House,” is about the actual home she lived in as a kid.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the song, the guitar and drums are dark and heavy, and the lyrics pull from past trauma. But a tempo shift toward the end of the track connotes optimism; as the guitar strums build, Satya shares details of her house: “Yellow house, lemon trees, wooden floor, she laid face down / Yellow house, dead birds, pill bottles missing from the cabinet/ What if I say that I / Say that I’m done with all your madness?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In just under a minute, Satya juxtaposes dark grey memories with a slice of light. Sonically, it’s as if a character in a noir film walked into a scene wearing a canary-colored sundress.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Immediately following is “Circles,” the first song Satya wrote for the album, which starts with a dark simple guitar riff and builds to a crescendo of keys, drums and vocals. With lyrics like “I dream of the hallway,” the song references that same yellow house.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I was tracing feelings back and memories back,” Satya reflects, “I sometimes felt like my energy was in that house still.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990443\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Satya-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The album cover art for Satya’s ‘Yellow House.’ (Giant Music)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Album closer “Cicadas” directly draws from Satya’s time in New Orleans, complete with the sound of raindrops falling. Two covers — the Grateful Dead’s “Box of Rain” and Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor” — show that she’s not limited by genre.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it’s in “Heaven’s Cry” where Satya speaks directly to her transformation process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over a bright melody, Satya sings, “Fell from the sky, don’t know how, don’t know why / Closing my eyes, take one step at a time.” As the track unfolds, she describes persevering through rough waters, guided by voices from heaven.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I grew up with a lot of imbalance,” she says. “A lot of open-endedness, a lot of loose ends.” Transitions and grief were a constant, she adds. “I really just had to make a decision to leave home because it didn’t feel safe anymore.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Satya’s goal now is to be the fullest form of herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to be expressive, and follow what really gives me joy,” Staya says. Living without fear and resetting her body are part of it. But ultimately, “it’s about knowing that I’m safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Satya’s ‘Yellow House’ is available June 5 on streaming platforms. She hosts a listening party at Blk Girls Green House on June 6. \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/yellow-house-album-release\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Saying What You Won’t’ Podcast Sparks Dating Debates and Breakthroughs",
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"content": "\u003cp>With candid conversations about sexual fantasies, celebrity crushes and scandalous confessions, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@Sayingwhatyouwontpodcast/videos\">\u003cem>Saying What You Won’t\u003c/em> \u003c/a>podcast has attracted a devout following.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, married hosts Monique and Alejandro “Baby Gas” Meraz are taking the show on the road with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/you-wont-say-it-tour-4838190\">California mini-tour\u003c/a> that kicks off its Bay Area portion in San José on June 13.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s some fun chaos,” Baby Gas says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1942\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two people hosting an event on stage\" class=\"wp-image-13990327\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-scaled.jpg 1942w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-160x211.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-768x1012.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-1165x1536.jpg 1165w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-1554x2048.jpg 1554w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1942px) 100vw, 1942px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The key to a healthy relationship? Transparency and feeling safe to express yourself, according to Monique and Baby Gas. (Sergio Robledo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saying What You Won’t\u003c/em> leans into the raunchy and explicit. In episodes, well-known entertainers detail their sex lives. And at live events, audience members share intimate details with complete strangers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You might leave more open-minded,” Monique says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monique and Baby Gas set the tone for transparency by talking about their particular style of non-monogamy, where they both date women outside their relationship. The judgement-free zone they’ve created offers a bit of a balm for a contentious topic: the Bay Area’s dirty dating scene.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It helps the general public by opening up conversations,” Baby Gas says. “Take one of our clips and show your partner. Spark that convo you’ve always wanted to spark.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since launching the show, first as an Instagram Live series during pandemic shutdowns, Monique and Baby Gas have covered a range of topics: favorite sexual positions, dreams about ex-lovers and even the art of feeding your blindfolded partner something random from your cabinet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you got some cumin in there, give her a spoonful of that,” Baby Gas jokes, referring to an earlier segment. And while there’s plenty of humor and a bit of shock value, there’s also some profound points about how we can all more genuinely relate to one another.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1706\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"People in a crowd, seated at an event. Laughing and smiling.\" class=\"wp-image-13990326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees at the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ live podcast event take the mic to ask questions and share stories with the crowd. (Joel Barba)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re living in a generation where the divorce rate is high as hell,” says Baby Gas. “\u003ca href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces\">Marriages are down\u003c/a>. Commitment? People are scared of commitment. Dating in the Bay Area? People have certain fears or PTSD.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baby Gas says this region “is super player,” and unfortunately the term has two definitions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You can either keep it player” or “be a player,” he says. Keeping it player refers to being transparent and putting all your cards on the table, letting your partner make an informed decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baby Gas puts it simply: “If you want to rock with me, you’re going to rock me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the other side of the coin, “being a player” alludes to a trickster — someone who uses their “mouthpiece” to mislead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s why people have insecurities,” he surmises, noting that dishonesty is not gender-specific. Having hard, transparent conversations in a safe place is the remedy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s not only the basis for the podcast, it’s the foundation for Monique and Baby Gas’ friendship, a bond that has grown into a uniquely Bay Area version of a healthy relationship.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just we talk a lot of shit to each other,” Monique says, reflecting on their union and the origins of the podcast. They regularly debate about aliens or the type of women she likes versus the type he likes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We started as friends first,” she adds, “and we’ve just always kept that, we still talk to each other like friends.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1R_8rLOTY&list=RDQH1R_8rLOTY&start_radio=1\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The husband and wife come from different backgrounds. Baby Gas is an outspoken lyricist from the hood, and Monique is a relatively shy creative from the suburbs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/babygas/\">Baby Gas\u003c/a> at one point held down the Oakland imprint of the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/jDPru1QVwyU?si=OsBMGhONVbtIiydJ&t=2887\">Thizz Latin label\u003c/a>. After releasing notable songs like 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mwpET_w28&list=RDf9mwpET_w28&start_radio=1\">30 On Me\u003c/a>” and 2019’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXDlgHiAXCE\">Life In The Ghetto\u003c/a>,” featuring E-40, he took a brief hiatus from music to focus on family. He returned to the scene at the top of 2026 with his album \u003cem>Ghetto Vato 2: Siempre Ghetto\u003c/em>, which features the anthem “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1R_8rLOTY&list=RDQH1R_8rLOTY&start_radio=1\">La Raza\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I definitely make sure that I utilize my platform for my people,” says Baby Gas, whose parents are from Mexico and El Salvador. Raised in East Oakland in a majority African American community, Baby Gas recalls performing tributes to Harriet Tubman and singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” as a kid. Those experiences still influence his art.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I speak for Black and Brown communities at the end of the day,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mrstraphours/\">Monique\u003c/a>, who is from Vacaville, was born to a Salvadorian mother and a Creole father whose roots go back five generations in Richmond. Growing up as a mixed kid, she says, came with its own particular set of challenges. “My school was predominantly either white or Hispanic, so sometimes it was hard for me to fit in,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Monique found solace in storytelling, and is now getting ready to publish\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/demohniasworld/\"> her first book\u003c/a> later this summer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have a character, it’s called Demohnia” she says, describing an animated being with horns and a halo, an ode to the duality of her Gemini astrological sign. Based in a dark fantasy, complete with metaphors and parallels to her own lived experience, Monique says creating this story has been a form of therapy for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not super bright rainbows,” she warns. Her world is murky with traces of light piercing through. “Demohnia was a character that just lingered in my head as a kid,” Monique explains. “She’s really like my alter ego.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1098\" height=\"1646\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538.jpg\" alt=\"Two people, a man and a woman, pose for a photo. The man sits with a piece of black tape on his mouth while the woman stands behind him.\" class=\"wp-image-13990323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538.jpg 1098w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1098px) 100vw, 1098px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Monique Meraz and Alejandro “Baby Gas” Meraz, hosts of the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ podcast. (Ricardo Escalera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While discussing the couple’s many creative pursuits, Baby Gas is clear: “Before the artistry, we’re parents.” They’re raising five children, which adds fodder to their podcast discussions. “We talk about kids, we talk about the struggles and the things that we run into while being a blended family,” Baby Gas says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Much like their relationship, there’s a certain balance to the podcast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In one episode, East Oakland standout rapper ALLBLACK shares that his idea of intimacy is “living” in his partner’s skin. And in another episode, Stockton rap star EBK Leebo opens up about growing past “thugging” and enjoying child-like joy with his friends.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the end, each conversation revolves around sharing tender truths.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everybody always says ‘communication is key,’ right?” Baby Gas says. “But we believe that \u003cem>transparency\u003c/em> is the key to it all.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It took growth to get to this level of understanding, the couple admits. “If I say how I really feel or my opinion on this, I feel safe having conversations even if he might disagree,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’ll drop her opinion, I’ll drop my opinion,” adds Baby Gas, “and then we talk about it there, or once the guest leaves and the cameras stop rolling.” Never straying too far from the origins of their connection, he says, they readily take time to ask each other the hard questions: “So, what do you \u003cem>really\u003c/em> think about that?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@Sayingwhatyouwontpodcast/videos\">Saying What You Won’t\u003c/a>’ podcast has live shows throughout June and July in San José, San Francisco, Modesto, Fresno and Los Angeles. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/you-wont-say-it-tour-4838190\">Event details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two people hosting an event on stage\" class=\"wp-image-13990327\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-scaled.jpg 1942w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-160x211.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-768x1012.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-1165x1536.jpg 1165w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-1554x2048.jpg 1554w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The key to a healthy relationship? Transparency and feeling safe to express yourself, according to Monique and Baby Gas.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saying What You Won’t\u003c/em> leans into the raunchy and explicit. In episodes, well-known entertainers detail their sex lives. And at live events, audience members share intimate details with complete strangers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You might leave more open-minded,” Monique says. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Monique and Baby Gas set the tone for transparency by talking about their particular style of non-monogamy, where they both date women outside their relationship. The judgement-free zone they’ve created offers a bit of a balm for a contentious topic: the Bay Area’s dirty dating scene.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Monique and Baby Gas set the tone for transparency by talking about their particular style of non-monogamy, where they both date women outside their relationship. The judgement-free zone they’ve created offers a bit of a balm for a contentious topic: the Bay Area’s dirty dating scene.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It helps the general public by opening up conversations,” Baby Gas says. “Take one of our clips and show your partner. Spark that convo you’ve always wanted to spark.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It helps the general public by opening up conversations,” Baby Gas says. “Take one of our clips and show your partner. Spark that convo you’ve always wanted to spark.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since launching the show, first as an Instagram Live series during pandemic shutdowns, Monique and Baby Gas have covered a range of topics: favorite sexual positions, dreams about ex-lovers and even the art of feeding your blindfolded partner something random from your cabinet. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since launching the show, first as an Instagram Live series during pandemic shutdowns, Monique and Baby Gas have covered a range of topics: favorite sexual positions, dreams about ex-lovers and even the art of feeding your blindfolded partner something random from your cabinet. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you got some cumin in there, give her a spoonful of that,” Baby Gas jokes, referring to an earlier segment. And while there’s plenty of humor and a bit of shock value, there’s also some profound points about how we can all more genuinely relate to one another.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you got some cumin in there, give her a spoonful of that,” Baby Gas jokes, referring to an earlier segment. And while there’s plenty of humor and a bit of shock value, there’s also some profound points about how we can all more genuinely relate to one another.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"People in a crowd, seated at an event. Laughing and smiling.\" class=\"wp-image-13990326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees at the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ live podcast event take the mic to ask questions and share stories with the crowd.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"People in a crowd, seated at an event. Laughing and smiling.\" class=\"wp-image-13990326\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees at the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ live podcast event take the mic to ask questions and share stories with the crowd.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re living in a generation where the divorce rate is high as hell,” says Baby Gas. “\u003ca href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces\">Marriages are down\u003c/a>. Commitment? People are scared of commitment. Dating in the Bay Area? People have certain fears or PTSD.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re living in a generation where the divorce rate is high as hell,” says Baby Gas. “\u003ca href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces\">Marriages are down\u003c/a>. Commitment? People are scared of commitment. Dating in the Bay Area? People have certain fears or PTSD.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Baby Gas says this region “is super player,” and unfortunately the term has two definitions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You can either keep it player” or “be a player,” he says. Keeping it player refers to being transparent and putting all your cards on the table, letting your partner make an informed decision. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You can either keep it player” or “be a player,” he says. Keeping it player refers to being transparent and putting all your cards on the table, letting your partner make an informed decision. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Baby Gas puts it simply: “If you want to rock with me, you’re going to rock me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Baby Gas puts it simply: “If you want to rock with me, you’re going to rock me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the other side of the coin, “being a player” alludes to a trickster — someone who uses their “mouthpiece” to mislead. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the other side of the coin, “being a player” alludes to a trickster — someone who uses their “mouthpiece” to mislead. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s why people have insecurities,” he surmises, noting that dishonesty is not gender-specific. Having hard, transparent conversations in a safe place is the remedy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That’s why people have insecurities,” he surmises, noting that dishonesty is not gender-specific. Having hard, transparent conversations in a safe place is the remedy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s not only the basis for the podcast, it’s the foundation for Monique and Baby Gas’ friendship, a bond that has grown into a uniquely Bay Area version of a healthy relationship.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s not only the basis for the podcast, it’s the foundation for Monique and Baby Gas’ friendship, a bond that has grown into a uniquely Bay Area version of a healthy relationship.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We just we talk a lot of shit to each other,” Monique says, reflecting on their union and the origins of the podcast. They regularly debate about aliens or the type of women she likes versus the type he likes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We just we talk a lot of shit to each other,” Monique says, reflecting on their union and the origins of the podcast. They regularly debate about aliens or the type of women she likes versus the type he likes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We started as friends first,” she adds, “and we’ve just always kept that, we still talk to each other like friends.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1R_8rLOTY&list=RDQH1R_8rLOTY&start_radio=1\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The husband and wife come from different backgrounds. Baby Gas is an outspoken lyricist from the hood, and Monique is a relatively shy creative from the suburbs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/babygas/\">Baby Gas\u003c/a> at one point held down the Oakland imprint of the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/jDPru1QVwyU?si=OsBMGhONVbtIiydJ&t=2887\">Thizz Latin label\u003c/a>. After releasing notable songs like 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mwpET_w28&list=RDf9mwpET_w28&start_radio=1\">30 On Me\u003c/a>” and 2019’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXDlgHiAXCE\">Life In The Ghetto\u003c/a>,” featuring E-40, he took a brief hiatus from music to focus on family. He returned to the scene at the top of 2026 with his album \u003cem>Ghetto Vato 2: Siempre Ghetto\u003c/em>, which features the anthem “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1R_8rLOTY&list=RDQH1R_8rLOTY&start_radio=1\">La Raza\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/babygas/\">Baby Gas\u003c/a> at one point held down the Oakland imprint of the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/jDPru1QVwyU?si=OsBMGhONVbtIiydJ&t=2887\">Thizz Latin label\u003c/a>. After releasing notable songs like 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mwpET_w28&list=RDf9mwpET_w28&start_radio=1\">30 On Me\u003c/a>” and 2019’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXDlgHiAXCE\">Life In The Ghetto\u003c/a>,” featuring E-40, he took a brief hiatus from music to focus on family. He returned to the scene at the top of 2026 with his album \u003cem>Ghetto Vato 2: Siempre Ghetto\u003c/em>, which features the anthem “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1R_8rLOTY&list=RDQH1R_8rLOTY&start_radio=1\">La Raza\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I definitely make sure that I utilize my platform for my people,” says Baby Gas, whose parents are from Mexico and El Salvador. Raised in East Oakland in a majority African American community, Baby Gas recalls performing tributes to Harriet Tubman and singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” as a kid. Those experiences still influence his art.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I definitely make sure that I utilize my platform for my people,” says Baby Gas, whose parents are from Mexico and El Salvador. Raised in East Oakland in a majority African American community, Baby Gas recalls performing tributes to Harriet Tubman and singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” as a kid. Those experiences still influence his art.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I speak for Black and Brown communities at the end of the day,” he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mrstraphours/\">Monique\u003c/a>, who is from Vacaville, was born to a Salvadorian mother and a Creole father whose roots go back five generations in Richmond. Growing up as a mixed kid, she says, came with its own particular set of challenges. “My school was predominantly either white or Hispanic, so sometimes it was hard for me to fit in,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mrstraphours/\">Monique\u003c/a>, who is from Vacaville, was born to a Salvadorian mother and a Creole father whose roots go back five generations in Richmond. Growing up as a mixed kid, she says, came with its own particular set of challenges. “My school was predominantly either white or Hispanic, so sometimes it was hard for me to fit in,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Monique found solace in storytelling, and is now getting ready to publish\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/demohniasworld/\"> her first book\u003c/a> later this summer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Monique found solace in storytelling, and is now getting ready to publish\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/demohniasworld/\"> her first book\u003c/a> later this summer.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have a character, it’s called Demohnia” she says, describing an animated being with horns and a halo, an ode to the duality of her Gemini astrological sign. Based in a dark fantasy, complete with metaphors and parallels to her own lived experience, Monique says creating this story has been a form of therapy for her. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I have a character, it’s called Demohnia” she says, describing an animated being with horns and a halo, an ode to the duality of her Gemini astrological sign. Based in a dark fantasy, complete with metaphors and parallels to her own lived experience, Monique says creating this story has been a form of therapy for her. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s not super bright rainbows,” she warns. Her world is murky with traces of light piercing through. “Demohnia was a character that just lingered in my head as a kid,” Monique explains. “She’s really like my alter ego.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s not super bright rainbows,” she warns. Her world is murky with traces of light piercing through. “Demohnia was a character that just lingered in my head as a kid,” Monique explains. “She’s really like my alter ego.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538.jpg\" alt=\"Two people, a man and a woman, pose for a photo. The man sits with a piece of black tape on his mouth while the woman stands behind him.\" class=\"wp-image-13990323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538.jpg 1098w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Monique Meraz and Alejandro “Baby Gas” Meraz, hosts of the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ podcast. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While discussing the couple’s many creative pursuits, Baby Gas is clear: “Before the artistry, we’re parents.” They’re raising five children, which adds fodder to their podcast discussions. “We talk about kids, we talk about the struggles and the things that we run into while being a blended family,” Baby Gas says. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Much like their relationship, there’s a certain balance to the podcast.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In one episode, East Oakland standout rapper ALLBLACK shares that his idea of intimacy is “living” in his partner’s skin. And in another episode, Stockton rap star EBK Leebo opens up about growing past “thugging” and enjoying child-like joy with his friends.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In one episode, East Oakland standout rapper ALLBLACK shares that his idea of intimacy is “living” in his partner’s skin. And in another episode, Stockton rap star EBK Leebo opens up about growing past “thugging” and enjoying child-like joy with his friends.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the end, each conversation revolves around sharing tender truths.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everybody always says ‘communication is key,’ right?” Baby Gas says. “But we believe that \u003cem>transparency\u003c/em> is the key to it all.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It took growth to get to this level of understanding, the couple admits. “If I say how I really feel or my opinion on this, I feel safe having conversations even if he might disagree,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She’ll drop her opinion, I’ll drop my opinion,” adds Baby Gas, “and then we talk about it there, or once the guest leaves and the cameras stop rolling.” Never straying too far from the origins of their connection, he says, they readily take time to ask each other the hard questions: “So, what do you \u003cem>really\u003c/em> think about that?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“She’ll drop her opinion, I’ll drop my opinion,” adds Baby Gas, “and then we talk about it there, or once the guest leaves and the cameras stop rolling.” Never straying too far from the origins of their connection, he says, they readily take time to ask each other the hard questions: “So, what do you \u003cem>really\u003c/em> think about that?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With candid conversations about sexual fantasies, celebrity crushes and scandalous confessions, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@Sayingwhatyouwontpodcast/videos\">\u003cem>Saying What You Won’t\u003c/em> \u003c/a>podcast has attracted a devout following.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, married hosts Monique and Alejandro “Baby Gas” Meraz are taking the show on the road with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/you-wont-say-it-tour-4838190\">California mini-tour\u003c/a> that kicks off its Bay Area portion in San José on June 13.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s some fun chaos,” Baby Gas says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1942\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two people hosting an event on stage\" class=\"wp-image-13990327\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-scaled.jpg 1942w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-160x211.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-768x1012.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-1165x1536.jpg 1165w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05767-1554x2048.jpg 1554w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1942px) 100vw, 1942px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The key to a healthy relationship? Transparency and feeling safe to express yourself, according to Monique and Baby Gas. (Sergio Robledo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Saying What You Won’t\u003c/em> leans into the raunchy and explicit. In episodes, well-known entertainers detail their sex lives. And at live events, audience members share intimate details with complete strangers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You might leave more open-minded,” Monique says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monique and Baby Gas set the tone for transparency by talking about their particular style of non-monogamy, where they both date women outside their relationship. The judgement-free zone they’ve created offers a bit of a balm for a contentious topic: the Bay Area’s dirty dating scene.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It helps the general public by opening up conversations,” Baby Gas says. “Take one of our clips and show your partner. Spark that convo you’ve always wanted to spark.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since launching the show, first as an Instagram Live series during pandemic shutdowns, Monique and Baby Gas have covered a range of topics: favorite sexual positions, dreams about ex-lovers and even the art of feeding your blindfolded partner something random from your cabinet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you got some cumin in there, give her a spoonful of that,” Baby Gas jokes, referring to an earlier segment. And while there’s plenty of humor and a bit of shock value, there’s also some profound points about how we can all more genuinely relate to one another.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1706\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"People in a crowd, seated at an event. Laughing and smiling.\" class=\"wp-image-13990326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/DSC05799-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees at the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ live podcast event take the mic to ask questions and share stories with the crowd. (Joel Barba)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re living in a generation where the divorce rate is high as hell,” says Baby Gas. “\u003ca href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces\">Marriages are down\u003c/a>. Commitment? People are scared of commitment. Dating in the Bay Area? People have certain fears or PTSD.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baby Gas says this region “is super player,” and unfortunately the term has two definitions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You can either keep it player” or “be a player,” he says. Keeping it player refers to being transparent and putting all your cards on the table, letting your partner make an informed decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baby Gas puts it simply: “If you want to rock with me, you’re going to rock me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the other side of the coin, “being a player” alludes to a trickster — someone who uses their “mouthpiece” to mislead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s why people have insecurities,” he surmises, noting that dishonesty is not gender-specific. Having hard, transparent conversations in a safe place is the remedy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s not only the basis for the podcast, it’s the foundation for Monique and Baby Gas’ friendship, a bond that has grown into a uniquely Bay Area version of a healthy relationship.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just we talk a lot of shit to each other,” Monique says, reflecting on their union and the origins of the podcast. They regularly debate about aliens or the type of women she likes versus the type he likes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We started as friends first,” she adds, “and we’ve just always kept that, we still talk to each other like friends.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/QH1R_8rLOTY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/QH1R_8rLOTY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The husband and wife come from different backgrounds. Baby Gas is an outspoken lyricist from the hood, and Monique is a relatively shy creative from the suburbs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/babygas/\">Baby Gas\u003c/a> at one point held down the Oakland imprint of the \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/jDPru1QVwyU?si=OsBMGhONVbtIiydJ&t=2887\">Thizz Latin label\u003c/a>. After releasing notable songs like 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mwpET_w28&list=RDf9mwpET_w28&start_radio=1\">30 On Me\u003c/a>” and 2019’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXDlgHiAXCE\">Life In The Ghetto\u003c/a>,” featuring E-40, he took a brief hiatus from music to focus on family. He returned to the scene at the top of 2026 with his album \u003cem>Ghetto Vato 2: Siempre Ghetto\u003c/em>, which features the anthem “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1R_8rLOTY&list=RDQH1R_8rLOTY&start_radio=1\">La Raza\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I definitely make sure that I utilize my platform for my people,” says Baby Gas, whose parents are from Mexico and El Salvador. Raised in East Oakland in a majority African American community, Baby Gas recalls performing tributes to Harriet Tubman and singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” as a kid. Those experiences still influence his art.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I speak for Black and Brown communities at the end of the day,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mrstraphours/\">Monique\u003c/a>, who is from Vacaville, was born to a Salvadorian mother and a Creole father whose roots go back five generations in Richmond. Growing up as a mixed kid, she says, came with its own particular set of challenges. “My school was predominantly either white or Hispanic, so sometimes it was hard for me to fit in,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Monique found solace in storytelling, and is now getting ready to publish\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/demohniasworld/\"> her first book\u003c/a> later this summer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have a character, it’s called Demohnia” she says, describing an animated being with horns and a halo, an ode to the duality of her Gemini astrological sign. Based in a dark fantasy, complete with metaphors and parallels to her own lived experience, Monique says creating this story has been a form of therapy for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not super bright rainbows,” she warns. Her world is murky with traces of light piercing through. “Demohnia was a character that just lingered in my head as a kid,” Monique explains. “She’s really like my alter ego.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1098\" height=\"1646\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538.jpg\" alt=\"Two people, a man and a woman, pose for a photo. The man sits with a piece of black tape on his mouth while the woman stands behind him.\" class=\"wp-image-13990323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538.jpg 1098w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/IMG_3538-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1098px) 100vw, 1098px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Monique Meraz and Alejandro “Baby Gas” Meraz, hosts of the ‘Saying What You Won’t’ podcast. (Ricardo Escalera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While discussing the couple’s many creative pursuits, Baby Gas is clear: “Before the artistry, we’re parents.” They’re raising five children, which adds fodder to their podcast discussions. “We talk about kids, we talk about the struggles and the things that we run into while being a blended family,” Baby Gas says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Much like their relationship, there’s a certain balance to the podcast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In one episode, East Oakland standout rapper ALLBLACK shares that his idea of intimacy is “living” in his partner’s skin. And in another episode, Stockton rap star EBK Leebo opens up about growing past “thugging” and enjoying child-like joy with his friends.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the end, each conversation revolves around sharing tender truths.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everybody always says ‘communication is key,’ right?” Baby Gas says. “But we believe that \u003cem>transparency\u003c/em> is the key to it all.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It took growth to get to this level of understanding, the couple admits. “If I say how I really feel or my opinion on this, I feel safe having conversations even if he might disagree,” Monique says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’ll drop her opinion, I’ll drop my opinion,” adds Baby Gas, “and then we talk about it there, or once the guest leaves and the cameras stop rolling.” Never straying too far from the origins of their connection, he says, they readily take time to ask each other the hard questions: “So, what do you \u003cem>really\u003c/em> think about that?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@Sayingwhatyouwontpodcast/videos\">Saying What You Won’t\u003c/a>’ podcast has live shows throughout June and July in San José, San Francisco, Modesto, Fresno and Los Angeles. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/you-wont-say-it-tour-4838190\">Event details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "How an Old Friendship Brought Chaka Khan to an Oakland Stage",
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"content": "\u003cp>Last Wednesday night, as Chaka Khan’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RecY5iZn6B0\">Like Sugar\u003c/a>” blasted over the sound system at the Calvin Simmons Theatre at Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, rows of folks in fly attire stood and danced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On stage, wearing an all-black ensemble complete with golden rings on her fingers, her trademark auburn-colored hair flowing beyond her shoulders, 10-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Chaka Khan danced as well.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The crowd had just taken in a fireside chat that covered a range of topics from Khan’s career: Sarah Vaughan’s influence; her experience with the group Rufus; raising children while traveling and performing; and the feeling of owning 80 acres of land in Georgia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Khan opened up about her time as a member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Chicago, where she was a friend of the late Chairman Fred Hampton. And she took questions from the crowd; at one point she got an aspiring singer to perform on the spot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the event, Khan also sang, performing the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEHkZi5m8dI\">Destiny\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdDQPPhHzg\">Alfie\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyLKYWiUMxs\">I Love You Porgy\u003c/a>,” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVI2I9m7ybM\">Love Me Still\u003c/a>” to thunderous applause.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Black woman and Black man stride across stage in front of large audience\" class=\"wp-image-13990153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chaka Khan and host Chann Berry walk onto the stage at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The flowing performance and intimate conversation was a product of the renowned artist’s relationship to the host, filmmaker and longtime friend of Chaka Khan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/d.channsinberry/\">D. Channsin “Chann” Berry\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re spiritually aligned,” Berry tells me while discussing their friendship. “And have been for many, many, many years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ahead of the event, while sitting in a dressing room with white walls and a soft evening light coming through a western-facing window, Berry tells me all about his connection with Khan and why he chose to kick off his \u003cem>Conversations in Music\u003c/em> live podcast series in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A musician and filmmaker himself, known for producing and directing \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1966396/\">Dark Girls\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2011) and\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11951482/\">\u003cem>Dark Girls \u003c/em>2\u003c/a> (2020), as well as \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924207/\">The Black Line\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2013) and\u003ca href=\"https://chicagodefender.com/149951/\"> \u003cem>The Church House… Sexuality In The Black Church\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (2015), Berry is originally from New Jersey. After attending Rutgers University he launched his career by taking a cross-country leap. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And it was where God wanted me to be,” Berry says, discussing his move to Oakland in the 1980s. “There’s something magical and special for a young Black man coming from New Jersey or New York, and landing in the Bay.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As an artist, he found this region nurturing. “It was just positive energy that came to me and from everybody,” says Berry, “whether I’m in Oakland or I’m in San Francisco, or I’m in Sausalito, Marin or Tiburon.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Filmmaker and talk show host Chann Berry poses backstage before ‘Conversations in Music’ with special guest Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He harnessed that positive energy and support, and over the span of a decade he produced his first film, titled \u003cem>My Father’s Music… Jazz\u003c/em>. The documentary featured Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Mary Stallings, Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, Chaka Khan and Carlos Santana.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It premiered at the Castro in San Francisco to a packed audience,” says Berry, who at the time was terrified because he pieced the whole film together with pocket money earned while working multiple media-related jobs, including as a jock on 102.9 KBLX. “I saved up my coins — and a lot of people helped me out as well — and did my first film.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Berry later moved to Los Angeles. For eight years he worked in development for feature films at Disney, delivering million dollar checks and learning how the industry works. “I got a chance to find out what the business was all about from the mouse,” Berry says with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A filmmaker and songwriter, his career has included collaborations with the likes of Bill Duke, Oprah and Prince. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wrote a song for Rosie Gaines,” Berry says, referring to the singer from Pittsburg known for her hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlBXdjG-Z8\">Closer than Close\u003c/a>,” and her duet with Tevin Campbell from the film\u003cem> A Goofy Movie,\u003c/em> “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4asUD0Ip5c\">I2I\u003c/a>” (Eye to Eye). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gaines, a member of Prince’s New Power Generation group, worked with Prince to “Pain,” a song Berry wrote. Then she called Berry. “She told me to sit down,” says Berry. “Prince gets on the phone, and then he’s like ‘Nice to meet you. Funky song, man. I hope you like what I did to it.’” The musicians then played the song over the phone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was just laid out, man!” Berry exclaims, eyes growing wide behind his glasses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990156\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audience members arrive and gather in the lobby before ‘Conversations in Music’ featuring Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Due to Prince’s conflict with Warner Bros. at the time, their version of the song was never released. Berry took it back and Chaka Khan later recorded it. “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YKl25pRHlY\">Pain\u003c/a>” appeared on the soundtrack for the hit TV show \u003cem>Living Single.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But his connection with Khan goes back far before that track, and prior to Berry’s first film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was like 16, she was 21,” Berry says, discussing their first interaction. “She was with Rufus, and they had come to North New Jersey, to Symphony Hall, to do a concert. And I was a fan.” He met her backstage and their friendship developed from there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Berry worked, he learned to navigate “the system” by retaining independence as a film producer. He locked in on telling stories that center Black women, tailoring his works for Black audiences. And at the same time, Khan’s career progressed profoundly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, after numerous hit songs and dealing with the highs and lows of stardom, Khan is a member of the Rock & Roll of Fame. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her music has influenced generations, and her songs have been widely sampled. One of Kanye West’s first hits, “Through The Wire” was pulled from Khan’s 1985 groove “Through the Fire.” And Mac Dre’s classic “Too Hard for The F*ckin Radio,” which was recently interpolated by Drake, was built on a sample from Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” (which was written by Stevie Wonder).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audience members listen as Chaka Khan speaks during ‘Conversations in Music’ at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When asked why he’d start his series of live podcast events by interviewing Chaka Khan, Berry simply retorts, “Because she’s an icon.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He adds that Khan is one of “the last great vocalists of our time.” He puts her alongside Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson and Barbra Streisand as voices we’ll never hear again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite the lofty admiration, their close relationship was on display all evening. The audience laughed and made comments as the duo talked like two old friends having a phone conversation. And at the end of the event, they showed just how in-step they are.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As “Like Sugar” played over the sound system and the audience got up to dance, Khan’s old friend was the first one two-stepping alongside her.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday night, as Chaka Khan’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RecY5iZn6B0\">Like Sugar\u003c/a>” blasted over the sound system at the Calvin Simmons Theatre at Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, rows of folks in fly attire stood and danced.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On stage, wearing an all-black ensemble complete with golden rings on her fingers, her trademark auburn-colored hair flowing beyond her shoulders, 10-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Chaka Khan danced as well.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The crowd had just taken in a fireside chat that covered a range of topics from Khan’s career: Sarah Vaughan’s influence; her experience with the group Rufus; raising children while traveling and performing; and the feeling of owning 80 acres of land in Georgia.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Khan opened up about her time as a member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Chicago, where she was a friend of the late Chairman Fred Hampton. And she took questions from the crowd; at one point she got an aspiring singer to perform on the spot.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the event, Khan also sang, performing the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEHkZi5m8dI\">Destiny\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdDQPPhHzg\">Alfie\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyLKYWiUMxs\">I Love You Porgy\u003c/a>,” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVI2I9m7ybM\">Love Me Still\u003c/a>” to thunderous applause.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the event, Khan also sang, performing the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEHkZi5m8dI\">Destiny\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdDQPPhHzg\">Alfie\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyLKYWiUMxs\">I Love You Porgy\u003c/a>,” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVI2I9m7ybM\">Love Me Still\u003c/a>” to thunderous applause.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Black woman and Black man stride across stage in front of large audience\" class=\"wp-image-13990153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chaka Khan and host Chann Berry walk onto the stage at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The flowing performance and intimate conversation was a product of the renowned artist’s relationship to the host, filmmaker and longtime friend of Chaka Khan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/d.channsinberry/\">D. Channsin “Chann” Berry\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The flowing performance and intimate conversation was a product of the renowned artist’s relationship to the host, filmmaker and longtime friend of Chaka Khan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/d.channsinberry/\">D. Channsin “Chann” Berry\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re spiritually aligned,” Berry tells me while discussing their friendship. “And have been for many, many, many years.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re spiritually aligned,” Berry tells me while discussing their friendship. “And have been for many, many, many years.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ahead of the event, while sitting in a dressing room with white walls and a soft evening light coming through a western-facing window, Berry tells me all about his connection with Khan and why he chose to kick off his \u003cem>Conversations in Music\u003c/em> live podcast series in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ahead of the event, while sitting in a dressing room with white walls and a soft evening light coming through a western-facing window, Berry tells me all about his connection with Khan and why he chose to kick off his \u003cem>Conversations in Music\u003c/em> live podcast series in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A musician and filmmaker himself, known for producing and directing \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1966396/\">Dark Girls\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2011) and\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11951482/\">\u003cem>Dark Girls \u003c/em>2\u003c/a> (2020), as well as \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924207/\">The Black Line\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2013) and\u003ca href=\"https://chicagodefender.com/149951/\"> \u003cem>The Church House… Sexuality In The Black Church\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (2015), Berry is originally from New Jersey. After attending Rutgers University he launched his career by taking a cross-country leap. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A musician and filmmaker himself, known for producing and directing \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1966396/\">Dark Girls\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2011) and\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11951482/\">\u003cem>Dark Girls \u003c/em>2\u003c/a> (2020), as well as \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924207/\">The Black Line\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2013) and\u003ca href=\"https://chicagodefender.com/149951/\"> \u003cem>The Church House… Sexuality In The Black Church\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (2015), Berry is originally from New Jersey. After attending Rutgers University he launched his career by taking a cross-country leap. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And it was where God wanted me to be,” Berry says, discussing his move to Oakland in the 1980s. “There’s something magical and special for a young Black man coming from New Jersey or New York, and landing in the Bay.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And it was where God wanted me to be,” Berry says, discussing his move to Oakland in the 1980s. “There’s something magical and special for a young Black man coming from New Jersey or New York, and landing in the Bay.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As an artist, he found this region nurturing. “It was just positive energy that came to me and from everybody,” says Berry, “whether I’m in Oakland or I’m in San Francisco, or I’m in Sausalito, Marin or Tiburon.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As an artist, he found this region nurturing. “It was just positive energy that came to me and from everybody,” says Berry, “whether I’m in Oakland or I’m in San Francisco, or I’m in Sausalito, Marin or Tiburon.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Filmmaker and talk show host Chann Berry poses backstage before ‘Conversations in Music’ with special guest Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990152\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Filmmaker and talk show host Chann Berry poses backstage before ‘Conversations in Music’ with special guest Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He harnessed that positive energy and support, and over the span of a decade he produced his first film, titled \u003cem>My Father’s Music… Jazz\u003c/em>. The documentary featured Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Mary Stallings, Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, Chaka Khan and Carlos Santana.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He harnessed that positive energy and support, and over the span of a decade he produced his first film, titled \u003cem>My Father’s Music… Jazz\u003c/em>. The documentary featured Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Mary Stallings, Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, Chaka Khan and Carlos Santana.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It premiered at the Castro in San Francisco to a packed audience,” says Berry, who at the time was terrified because he pieced the whole film together with pocket money earned while working multiple media-related jobs, including as a jock on 102.9 KBLX. “I saved up my coins — and a lot of people helped me out as well — and did my first film.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It premiered at the Castro in San Francisco to a packed audience,” says Berry, who at the time was terrified because he pieced the whole film together with pocket money earned while working multiple media-related jobs, including as a jock on 102.9 KBLX. “I saved up my coins — and a lot of people helped me out as well — and did my first film.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Berry later moved to Los Angeles. For eight years he worked in development for feature films at Disney, delivering million dollar checks and learning how the industry works. “I got a chance to find out what the business was all about from the mouse,” Berry says with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I wrote a song for Rosie Gaines,” Berry says, referring to the singer from Pittsburg known for her hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlBXdjG-Z8\">Closer than Close\u003c/a>,” and her duet with Tevin Campbell from the film\u003cem> A Goofy Movie,\u003c/em> “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4asUD0Ip5c\">I2I\u003c/a>” (Eye to Eye). \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I wrote a song for Rosie Gaines,” Berry says, referring to the singer from Pittsburg known for her hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlBXdjG-Z8\">Closer than Close\u003c/a>,” and her duet with Tevin Campbell from the film\u003cem> A Goofy Movie,\u003c/em> “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4asUD0Ip5c\">I2I\u003c/a>” (Eye to Eye). \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gaines, a member of Prince’s New Power Generation group, worked with Prince to “Pain,” a song Berry wrote. Then she called Berry. “She told me to sit down,” says Berry. “Prince gets on the phone, and then he’s like ‘Nice to meet you. Funky song, man. I hope you like what I did to it.’” The musicians then played the song over the phone. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Gaines, a member of Prince’s New Power Generation group, worked with Prince to “Pain,” a song Berry wrote. Then she called Berry. “She told me to sit down,” says Berry. “Prince gets on the phone, and then he’s like ‘Nice to meet you. Funky song, man. I hope you like what I did to it.’” The musicians then played the song over the phone. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was just laid out, man!” Berry exclaims, eyes growing wide behind his glasses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990156\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audience members arrive and gather in the lobby before ‘Conversations in Music’ featuring Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Due to Prince’s conflict with Warner Bros. at the time, their version of the song was never released. Berry took it back and Chaka Khan later recorded it. “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YKl25pRHlY\">Pain\u003c/a>” appeared on the soundtrack for the hit TV show \u003cem>Living Single.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Due to Prince’s conflict with Warner Bros. at the time, their version of the song was never released. Berry took it back and Chaka Khan later recorded it. “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YKl25pRHlY\">Pain\u003c/a>” appeared on the soundtrack for the hit TV show \u003cem>Living Single.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But his connection with Khan goes back far before that track, and prior to Berry’s first film.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was like 16, she was 21,” Berry says, discussing their first interaction. “She was with Rufus, and they had come to North New Jersey, to Symphony Hall, to do a concert. And I was a fan.” He met her backstage and their friendship developed from there.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was like 16, she was 21,” Berry says, discussing their first interaction. “She was with Rufus, and they had come to North New Jersey, to Symphony Hall, to do a concert. And I was a fan.” He met her backstage and their friendship developed from there.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As Berry worked, he learned to navigate “the system” by retaining independence as a film producer. He locked in on telling stories that center Black women, tailoring his works for Black audiences. And at the same time, Khan’s career progressed profoundly.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As Berry worked, he learned to navigate “the system” by retaining independence as a film producer. He locked in on telling stories that center Black women, tailoring his works for Black audiences. And at the same time, Khan’s career progressed profoundly.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, after numerous hit songs and dealing with the highs and lows of stardom, Khan is a member of the Rock & Roll of Fame. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her music has influenced generations, and her songs have been widely sampled. One of Kanye West’s first hits, “Through The Wire” was pulled from Khan’s 1985 groove “Through the Fire.” And Mac Dre’s classic “Too Hard for The F*ckin Radio,” which was recently interpolated by Drake, was built on a sample from Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” (which was written by Stevie Wonder).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Her music has influenced generations, and her songs have been widely sampled. One of Kanye West’s first hits, “Through The Wire” was pulled from Khan’s 1985 groove “Through the Fire.” And Mac Dre’s classic “Too Hard for The F*ckin Radio,” which was recently interpolated by Drake, was built on a sample from Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” (which was written by Stevie Wonder).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When asked why he’d start his series of live podcast events by interviewing Chaka Khan, Berry simply retorts, “Because she’s an icon.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He adds that Khan is one of “the last great vocalists of our time.” He puts her alongside Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson and Barbra Streisand as voices we’ll never hear again. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite the lofty admiration, their close relationship was on display all evening. The audience laughed and made comments as the duo talked like two old friends having a phone conversation. And at the end of the event, they showed just how in-step they are.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Despite the lofty admiration, their close relationship was on display all evening. The audience laughed and made comments as the duo talked like two old friends having a phone conversation. And at the end of the event, they showed just how in-step they are.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As “Like Sugar” played over the sound system and the audience got up to dance, Khan’s old friend was the first one two-stepping alongside her.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Filmmaker Chann Berry chatted with the legendary vocalist at the Henry J. Kaiser Theatre on May 20.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last Wednesday night, as Chaka Khan’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RecY5iZn6B0\">Like Sugar\u003c/a>” blasted over the sound system at the Calvin Simmons Theatre at Oakland’s Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, rows of folks in fly attire stood and danced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On stage, wearing an all-black ensemble complete with golden rings on her fingers, her trademark auburn-colored hair flowing beyond her shoulders, 10-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Chaka Khan danced as well.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The crowd had just taken in a fireside chat that covered a range of topics from Khan’s career: Sarah Vaughan’s influence; her experience with the group Rufus; raising children while traveling and performing; and the feeling of owning 80 acres of land in Georgia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Khan opened up about her time as a member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Chicago, where she was a friend of the late Chairman Fred Hampton. And she took questions from the crowd; at one point she got an aspiring singer to perform on the spot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the event, Khan also sang, performing the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEHkZi5m8dI\">Destiny\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCdDQPPhHzg\">Alfie\u003c/a>,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyLKYWiUMxs\">I Love You Porgy\u003c/a>,” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVI2I9m7ybM\">Love Me Still\u003c/a>” to thunderous applause.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Black woman and Black man stride across stage in front of large audience\" class=\"wp-image-13990153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_008-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chaka Khan and host Chann Berry walk onto the stage at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The flowing performance and intimate conversation was a product of the renowned artist’s relationship to the host, filmmaker and longtime friend of Chaka Khan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/d.channsinberry/\">D. Channsin “Chann” Berry\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re spiritually aligned,” Berry tells me while discussing their friendship. “And have been for many, many, many years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ahead of the event, while sitting in a dressing room with white walls and a soft evening light coming through a western-facing window, Berry tells me all about his connection with Khan and why he chose to kick off his \u003cem>Conversations in Music\u003c/em> live podcast series in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A musician and filmmaker himself, known for producing and directing \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1966396/\">Dark Girls\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2011) and\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11951482/\">\u003cem>Dark Girls \u003c/em>2\u003c/a> (2020), as well as \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924207/\">The Black Line\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (2013) and\u003ca href=\"https://chicagodefender.com/149951/\"> \u003cem>The Church House… Sexuality In The Black Church\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (2015), Berry is originally from New Jersey. After attending Rutgers University he launched his career by taking a cross-country leap. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And it was where God wanted me to be,” Berry says, discussing his move to Oakland in the 1980s. “There’s something magical and special for a young Black man coming from New Jersey or New York, and landing in the Bay.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As an artist, he found this region nurturing. “It was just positive energy that came to me and from everybody,” says Berry, “whether I’m in Oakland or I’m in San Francisco, or I’m in Sausalito, Marin or Tiburon.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_003-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Filmmaker and talk show host Chann Berry poses backstage before ‘Conversations in Music’ with special guest Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He harnessed that positive energy and support, and over the span of a decade he produced his first film, titled \u003cem>My Father’s Music… Jazz\u003c/em>. The documentary featured Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Mary Stallings, Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, Chaka Khan and Carlos Santana.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It premiered at the Castro in San Francisco to a packed audience,” says Berry, who at the time was terrified because he pieced the whole film together with pocket money earned while working multiple media-related jobs, including as a jock on 102.9 KBLX. “I saved up my coins — and a lot of people helped me out as well — and did my first film.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Berry later moved to Los Angeles. For eight years he worked in development for feature films at Disney, delivering million dollar checks and learning how the industry works. “I got a chance to find out what the business was all about from the mouse,” Berry says with a laugh.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A filmmaker and songwriter, his career has included collaborations with the likes of Bill Duke, Oprah and Prince. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wrote a song for Rosie Gaines,” Berry says, referring to the singer from Pittsburg known for her hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlBXdjG-Z8\">Closer than Close\u003c/a>,” and her duet with Tevin Campbell from the film\u003cem> A Goofy Movie,\u003c/em> “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4asUD0Ip5c\">I2I\u003c/a>” (Eye to Eye). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gaines, a member of Prince’s New Power Generation group, worked with Prince to “Pain,” a song Berry wrote. Then she called Berry. “She told me to sit down,” says Berry. “Prince gets on the phone, and then he’s like ‘Nice to meet you. Funky song, man. I hope you like what I did to it.’” The musicians then played the song over the phone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was just laid out, man!” Berry exclaims, eyes growing wide behind his glasses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990156\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audience members arrive and gather in the lobby before ‘Conversations in Music’ featuring Chaka Khan at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Due to Prince’s conflict with Warner Bros. at the time, their version of the song was never released. Berry took it back and Chaka Khan later recorded it. “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YKl25pRHlY\">Pain\u003c/a>” appeared on the soundtrack for the hit TV show \u003cem>Living Single.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But his connection with Khan goes back far before that track, and prior to Berry’s first film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was like 16, she was 21,” Berry says, discussing their first interaction. “She was with Rufus, and they had come to North New Jersey, to Symphony Hall, to do a concert. And I was a fan.” He met her backstage and their friendship developed from there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Berry worked, he learned to navigate “the system” by retaining independence as a film producer. He locked in on telling stories that center Black women, tailoring his works for Black audiences. And at the same time, Khan’s career progressed profoundly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, after numerous hit songs and dealing with the highs and lows of stardom, Khan is a member of the Rock & Roll of Fame. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her music has influenced generations, and her songs have been widely sampled. One of Kanye West’s first hits, “Through The Wire” was pulled from Khan’s 1985 groove “Through the Fire.” And Mac Dre’s classic “Too Hard for The F*ckin Radio,” which was recently interpolated by Drake, was built on a sample from Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” (which was written by Stevie Wonder).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/052026CHAKA-KHAN_GH_009-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audience members listen as Chaka Khan speaks during ‘Conversations in Music’ at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on May 20, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When asked why he’d start his series of live podcast events by interviewing Chaka Khan, Berry simply retorts, “Because she’s an icon.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He adds that Khan is one of “the last great vocalists of our time.” He puts her alongside Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson and Barbra Streisand as voices we’ll never hear again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite the lofty admiration, their close relationship was on display all evening. The audience laughed and made comments as the duo talked like two old friends having a phone conversation. And at the end of the event, they showed just how in-step they are.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As “Like Sugar” played over the sound system and the audience got up to dance, Khan’s old friend was the first one two-stepping alongside her.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "10 Favorite Benches, Overlooks and Sitting Spots in the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026\">2026 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has a remarkable track record when it comes to sitting. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s where Otis Redding famously sung about sitting on the dock, watching the tide roll away. It’s the home of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/504-protest-disability-community-and-civil-rights.htm\">504 Disability Rights sit-in\u003c/a> of 1977. Hell, this is the place where \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#e-40-films-tell-me-when-to-go-video\">E-40 sat in his scraper watchin’ \u003cem>Oakland Gone Wild\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003cem>Ta-dow\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve long traveled this region in search of the most prominent perches to park my posterior, from benches along bumpy Bayshore Road on the backside of Benicia to the barracks at the old naval air station in Alameda. I’ve watched the ground squirrels dart across the grassy terrain while relaxing at Bedwell Bay Park in Atherton. And I’ve stretched out while witnessing flocks of birds fly over the muddy shores of Suisun City’s Montezuma Slough. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below are my favorite benches, views and overlooks, drawn from years of exploring the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990010\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the end of Wharf Road in Bolinas sits a bench that feels as if it’s at the end of the Earth. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Wharf Road in Bolinas\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Just behind a seawall that stands about a dozen feet tall, there’s a bench at the end of Wharf Road, and it’s calling your name. One sit on it and your mind will flow out into the Pacific Ocean, sinking into a current of thoughts and reflections. Meditation? Nope, this is traveling space and time, all because of a seaside bench.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990009\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paths and benches at San José’s Alviso Marina County Park provide views of the sunken bay.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Alviso Marina County Park\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Let’s take a trip to a subterranean seat. On the other side of the Bay Area is San José’s Alviso Marina County Park, situated 13 feet below sea level. The views from the park, meanwhile, place the bay’s southern coast in full context, allowing you to see from Fremont to Palo Alto on a clear day. Leaning on a railing or sitting off a boat dock both encouraged. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990006\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990006\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Battery Mendell overlooks the Pacific Ocean from high in the Marin Headlands. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Battery Mendell at the Marin Headlands\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Now let’s head to the high cliffs of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11753198/nuclear-missiles-in-marin-oh-yeah-in-fact-all-around-the-bay-at-one-time-2\">Marin Headlands\u003c/a>, where the natural landscape and military bunkers create a unique mix of Bay Area history. With over 2,000 acres of hillsides and beaches to explore, it’s hard to choose one spot. But at the end of Mendell Road, just past Battery Mendell, you’ll find an old military bunker that faces the ocean. What was once the site of a high-level defense apparatus is now an optimal place for sitting. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990005\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990005\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Spirit Ship on Mare Island in Vallejo. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Spirit Ship at Mare Island, Vallejo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another remnant of the Bay Area’s military history is Mare Island. The former Naval shipyard is home to some of the most unique views in the region, including the convergence of the Sacramento River, Napa River and San Pablo Bay. Just past the island’s military cemetery and up a wide trail stands a huge metal sculpture in the shape of a ship. It’s adorned with thin metal pieces inscribed with names and uplifting messages. Dedicated to the shipyard workers, the piece was erected after the island was decommissioned and reopened for public use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990004\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990004\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The swing at the Albany Bulb. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Albany Bulb, and specifically the swing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many know about Albany Bulb, one of the coolest landfill sights in the world. It’s an open-air museum. It’s a dog park. It’s an exhibit of political messages wrapped up in a piece of land that juts out from Albany like a miniature peninsula. And between the industrial ruins, leftovers from encampments and graffiti marking two teens’ undying love for one another, there’s a swing. And it’s a really good swing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990003\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990003\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Atop Training Hill on the Western States Trail. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Training Hill near Cool, Calif.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking to get a little further out into the greater Northern Californian region, there’s this place called Cool, California, just outside of Auburn. At the intersection of the North Fork America River and the Middle Fork American River lies the Western States Trail. There are a number of paths to take, some calm paths through woodland, others rocky riverside walkways. And then there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/training-hill-loop-via-rim-trail-and-olmstead-loop\">Training Hill\u003c/a>. It’s a beast. A 14-mile loop that takes an average of six hours to complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And at the top of that trek, there’s a magnificent bench. Donated by a local Boy Scout troop, the polished slab of wood is a beacon for hikers who’ve just traversed the tumultuous terrain. As you sit and take in some fresh air, you might even realize that you can see the Sierra Mountains from there.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Briefly noted\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Stones Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Elk Grove\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Looking to take a day trip, get out of the Bay and see a place off the beaten path in the Central Valley? May I present to you: Stones Lake National Wildlife Refuge. It’s quaint, not much to it. A walking path and an amphitheater. There’s a cool directional sign that marks how far you are from San Francisco (as well as \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelican_Island_(Texas)\">Pelican Island\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/kauai\">Kauai\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/refuge/moosehorn\">Moosehorn)\u003c/a>. And there’s wildlife: birds, rabbits and even an occasional lizard. Most importantly, there are some really peaceful places to sit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BIG ART at Point San Pablo in Richmond\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If public art and nature are your jam, look no further than Point San Pablo in Richmond. It’s tough to get to — one missed exit and you’re in Marin County. But if you’re leaving Richmond, and you take the last exit before the Richmond Bridge, after about a 10 minute drive down a windy road you’ll find one of the best kept secrets in the Bay Area. A huge bumble bee, an ancient sculpture. A stage. Goats. A small restaurant and even a handful of house boats. This place has it all. It even has a few benches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alameda Creek Overlook (Little Yosemite), Livermore\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enjoy big historic pieces of nature, but need to save on gas? Alameda Creek Overlook in Livermore is often called “little Yosemite,” and guess what? It isn’t Yosemite. But if you squint… it’s still not Yosemite. But it’s nice! There’s hiking paths, a creek, plants, birds, horses and huge boulders that one can climb to check out the entire overlook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>USS San Francisco Memorial overlooking Battery Lobos\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge at the northwestern edge of San Francisco is Lands End, home to the USS San Francisco Memorial. Walk through the parking lot down a set of stairs (or you can get there by taking the trail), and there’s a bench where you can sit and watch the pelicans fly by at eye-level. On certain days, the fog rolls in all around you.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "10 Favorite Benches, Overlooks and Sitting Spots in the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2026\">2026 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has a remarkable track record when it comes to sitting. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s where Otis Redding famously sung about sitting on the dock, watching the tide roll away. It’s the home of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/504-protest-disability-community-and-civil-rights.htm\">504 Disability Rights sit-in\u003c/a> of 1977. Hell, this is the place where \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#e-40-films-tell-me-when-to-go-video\">E-40 sat in his scraper watchin’ \u003cem>Oakland Gone Wild\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003cem>Ta-dow\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve long traveled this region in search of the most prominent perches to park my posterior, from benches along bumpy Bayshore Road on the backside of Benicia to the barracks at the old naval air station in Alameda. I’ve watched the ground squirrels dart across the grassy terrain while relaxing at Bedwell Bay Park in Atherton. And I’ve stretched out while witnessing flocks of birds fly over the muddy shores of Suisun City’s Montezuma Slough. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below are my favorite benches, views and overlooks, drawn from years of exploring the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990010\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_7686-scaled-1-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the end of Wharf Road in Bolinas sits a bench that feels as if it’s at the end of the Earth. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Wharf Road in Bolinas\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Just behind a seawall that stands about a dozen feet tall, there’s a bench at the end of Wharf Road, and it’s calling your name. One sit on it and your mind will flow out into the Pacific Ocean, sinking into a current of thoughts and reflections. Meditation? Nope, this is traveling space and time, all because of a seaside bench.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990009\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3076-scaled-1-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paths and benches at San José’s Alviso Marina County Park provide views of the sunken bay.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Alviso Marina County Park\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Let’s take a trip to a subterranean seat. On the other side of the Bay Area is San José’s Alviso Marina County Park, situated 13 feet below sea level. The views from the park, meanwhile, place the bay’s southern coast in full context, allowing you to see from Fremont to Palo Alto on a clear day. Leaning on a railing or sitting off a boat dock both encouraged. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990006\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990006\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_5788-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Battery Mendell overlooks the Pacific Ocean from high in the Marin Headlands. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Battery Mendell at the Marin Headlands\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Now let’s head to the high cliffs of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11753198/nuclear-missiles-in-marin-oh-yeah-in-fact-all-around-the-bay-at-one-time-2\">Marin Headlands\u003c/a>, where the natural landscape and military bunkers create a unique mix of Bay Area history. With over 2,000 acres of hillsides and beaches to explore, it’s hard to choose one spot. But at the end of Mendell Road, just past Battery Mendell, you’ll find an old military bunker that faces the ocean. What was once the site of a high-level defense apparatus is now an optimal place for sitting. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990005\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990005\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_6267-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Spirit Ship on Mare Island in Vallejo. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Spirit Ship at Mare Island, Vallejo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Another remnant of the Bay Area’s military history is Mare Island. The former Naval shipyard is home to some of the most unique views in the region, including the convergence of the Sacramento River, Napa River and San Pablo Bay. Just past the island’s military cemetery and up a wide trail stands a huge metal sculpture in the shape of a ship. It’s adorned with thin metal pieces inscribed with names and uplifting messages. Dedicated to the shipyard workers, the piece was erected after the island was decommissioned and reopened for public use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990004\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990004\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2152-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The swing at the Albany Bulb. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Albany Bulb, and specifically the swing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Many know about Albany Bulb, one of the coolest landfill sights in the world. It’s an open-air museum. It’s a dog park. It’s an exhibit of political messages wrapped up in a piece of land that juts out from Albany like a miniature peninsula. And between the industrial ruins, leftovers from encampments and graffiti marking two teens’ undying love for one another, there’s a swing. And it’s a really good swing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13990003\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13990003\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_2683-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Atop Training Hill on the Western States Trail. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Training Hill near Cool, Calif.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking to get a little further out into the greater Northern Californian region, there’s this place called Cool, California, just outside of Auburn. At the intersection of the North Fork America River and the Middle Fork American River lies the Western States Trail. There are a number of paths to take, some calm paths through woodland, others rocky riverside walkways. And then there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/training-hill-loop-via-rim-trail-and-olmstead-loop\">Training Hill\u003c/a>. It’s a beast. A 14-mile loop that takes an average of six hours to complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And at the top of that trek, there’s a magnificent bench. Donated by a local Boy Scout troop, the polished slab of wood is a beacon for hikers who’ve just traversed the tumultuous terrain. As you sit and take in some fresh air, you might even realize that you can see the Sierra Mountains from there.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Briefly noted\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Stones Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Elk Grove\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Looking to take a day trip, get out of the Bay and see a place off the beaten path in the Central Valley? May I present to you: Stones Lake National Wildlife Refuge. It’s quaint, not much to it. A walking path and an amphitheater. There’s a cool directional sign that marks how far you are from San Francisco (as well as \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelican_Island_(Texas)\">Pelican Island\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/kauai\">Kauai\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/refuge/moosehorn\">Moosehorn)\u003c/a>. And there’s wildlife: birds, rabbits and even an occasional lizard. Most importantly, there are some really peaceful places to sit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BIG ART at Point San Pablo in Richmond\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If public art and nature are your jam, look no further than Point San Pablo in Richmond. It’s tough to get to — one missed exit and you’re in Marin County. But if you’re leaving Richmond, and you take the last exit before the Richmond Bridge, after about a 10 minute drive down a windy road you’ll find one of the best kept secrets in the Bay Area. A huge bumble bee, an ancient sculpture. A stage. Goats. A small restaurant and even a handful of house boats. This place has it all. It even has a few benches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alameda Creek Overlook (Little Yosemite), Livermore\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enjoy big historic pieces of nature, but need to save on gas? Alameda Creek Overlook in Livermore is often called “little Yosemite,” and guess what? It isn’t Yosemite. But if you squint… it’s still not Yosemite. But it’s nice! There’s hiking paths, a creek, plants, birds, horses and huge boulders that one can climb to check out the entire overlook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>USS San Francisco Memorial overlooking Battery Lobos\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge at the northwestern edge of San Francisco is Lands End, home to the USS San Francisco Memorial. Walk through the parking lot down a set of stairs (or you can get there by taking the trail), and there’s a bench where you can sit and watch the pelicans fly by at eye-level. On certain days, the fog rolls in all around you.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oakland-boxing-thomas-mcelroy-lightnings-gym-documentary",
"title": "With His Mother’s Support, A Young Oakland Boxer Carries on The Town's Deep Legacy",
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"headTitle": "With His Mother’s Support, A Young Oakland Boxer Carries on The Town’s Deep Legacy | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/oakland-lightning-boxing-car-crash/4006888/\">a car smashed through the front doors\u003c/a> of Lightning’s Boxing Club in East Oakland this past New Year’s Eve, the young fighters who’d found sanctuary at the facility went looking for a new home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That explains why there’s currently a boxing ring inside downtown Oakland’s landmark nightclub \u003ca href=\"https://geoffreyslive.com/\">Geoffery’s Inner Circle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Up two flights of stairs, past framed images of superstars who’ve performed on the Geoffrey’s stage, there’s all the amenities of a boxing gym. Punching bags suspended from the ceiling. Weights stacked near a bench press.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a recent visit, a boxer jumps rope in the mirror on the far side, while another gets lessons from the gym’s owner, coach Kris “Lightning” Lopez. In the center of the room is a traditional boxing ring, and shadowboxing in the middle of it is a determined young man named Thomas McElroy Jr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989346\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989346 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189.jpg\" alt=\"A young African American man shadowboxing in a boxing ring. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. and his friends train daily in downtown Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A nationally top-ranked amateur fighter with medal-wining bouts behind him and miles of potential in front of him, McElroy Jr. and his circle of boxing friends represent the next wave of boxers carrying the baton for the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His story, along with other rising fighters, is illuminated in the new four-part documentary series \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sonsofthesweetscience.com/\">Sons of the Sweet Science\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of great fighters from this gym, and all around Oakland,” McElroy Jr. tells me. At 19 years old, he’s fully aware of the legacy of this soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Retired Olympic gold medalist \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/281958\">Andre Ward\u003c/a> and current World Boxing Organization welterweight champion \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/741718\">Devin Haney\u003c/a> both started in the Town. Notable fighters like \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/100759\">Bilal Mahasin\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/873678\">Amari Jones\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/853206\">Anthony Garnica\u003c/a> learned the ropes here, as did \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/048243\">Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/25178\">Juaquin “Killer” Gallardo\u003c/a>, a 1996 U.S. Olympic team alternate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first African American fighter to win the Light Heavyweight title, \u003ca href=\"https://www.britishvintageboxing.com/blogs/news/john-henry-lewis-sensationally-humble\">John Henry Lewis\u003c/a>, spent his adult years in the East Bay, running a gym with his brothers. (He was also the father of \u003ca href=\"https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/joan-tarika-lewis\">Joan Tarika Lewis\u003c/a>, the first woman to join the Black Panther Party.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on the Town’s lineage, McElroy says, “I’m just adding the cherry on top.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989368 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white image of a young African American man wearing multiple medals around his neck. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1-1536x1001.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. has accomplished a lot as an amateur fighter. Now, he’s looking to turn pro. \u003ccite>(Renée Moncada-McElroy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Formerly ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 143-pound weight class, McElroy recently moved up to the 154-pound division, where he’s ranked No. 6. Fresh from winning an exhibition fight by unanimous decision in Las Vegas this past weekend, McElroy Jr. is preparing for the Junior Olympics in June — which he predicts will be his last tournament before turning pro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with that, he’ll start the next chapter of a story he started as a baby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a picture of him with his big old boxing gloves on,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/renee_electronika/\">Renée Moncada-McElroy\u003c/a>. “He’s literally been doing this all his life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989355\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989355 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738.jpg\" alt=\"An African American toddler wearing boxing gloves and kicking a punching bag. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As a toddler, Thomas McElroy Jr. put on his first pair of boxing gloves — and he hasn’t stopped fighting since. \u003ccite>(Renée Moncada-McElroy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘It’s not just about boxing’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Moncada-McElroy, McElroy Jr.’s mother, is also the creator of the documentary series \u003cem>Sons of the Sweet Science\u003c/em>; the latest production credit on her already stacked résumé.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s worked as a producer for the reality show \u003cem>Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce\u003c/em> and the nature show \u003cem>Man vs. Fish\u003c/em>. She also directed on the series \u003cem>Chain Gang Girls\u003c/em> and was the force behind a documentary about Oakland rap legend Too Short, \u003cem>Life Is: The Life and Times of Todd Shaw\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this one is different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just about boxing,” says Moncada-McElroy, explaining her goal to show the ring as a rite of passage. “Coming of age under pressure,” as she calls it, “\u003cem>and\u003c/em> it’s connected to real-world stakes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989364\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989364 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242.jpg\" alt=\"A young African American man wears boxing gloves as he poses for a photo next to his mother and father. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. and his parents, Renée Moncada-McElroy and Thomas McElroy.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The series was filmed around 2021, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and numerous other high-profile extrajudicial murders of Black people. “The gym was a safe space for them during that time,” says the filmmaker, recognizing the pressure that her son and his friends faced as teenage Black men in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She credits coaches Kris Lopez and Abe Morones for creating a place for young people to fully express themselves. “The gyms are social service agencies,” asserts Moncada-McElroy. “They’re an alternative to the streets for a lot of these boys.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even in finding a bit of escape, the influence of the Town isn’t far behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Oakland style of boxing,” says coach Kris Lopez, “is an intellectual style of boxing.” The best fighters from the region, he says, have a great understanding of distance, and of keeping their front guard hand up at a 45-degree angle. They also make tremendous use of the jab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a balanced style that doesn’t rely on power punching, but instead focuses on rhythm, good fundamentals, sharp lines and timing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re not going to catch an Oakland fighter sitting in the shell too long,” says Lopez. “They’re going to dictate the fight with the jab and be more like a sniper, landing clean shots.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989365\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989365 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183.jpg\" alt=\"A coach and young boxer secure gloves and get ready to train. \" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coach Kris “Lightning” Lopez secures the gloves on a young boxer’s hands before a training session. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In addition to the technical aspects of the sport, the community safety net and coming-of-age experience, the series centers fatherhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rattling off a list of great boxers, male and female, Moncada-McElroy notes how deeply their fathers (or father figures) were involved in their upbringing. Thomas McElroy Jr. is no different.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A mother’s love, a father’s guidance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“I love that my son is achieving all that he wants to achieve so far in boxing,” says the elder Thomas McElroy. “There’s so much you can learn from boxing that doesn’t have anything to do with punching and not getting punched.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McElroy, as one half of the acclaimed music production team \u003ca href=\"https://www.allmusic.com/artist/thomas-mcelroy-mn0000488357#songs\">Foster and McElroy\u003c/a>, has produced hits for legendary groups En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Toné!, as well as Timex Social Club and Club Nouveau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s also a longtime Muay Thai kickboxer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989372 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733.jpg\" alt=\"A boy stands in a boxing ring, as his father stands outside of the ring looking on in admiration. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"2507\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-160x201.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-768x963.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-1225x1536.jpg 1225w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-1634x2048.jpg 1634w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. has been training with his father all his life. \u003ccite>(Renée Moncada-McElroy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Boxing is a beautiful art, it’s a craft,” says McElroy, describing the lessons his son is gleaning in the ring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes a certain type of person to want to become a boxer, McElroy says. Most folks avoid conflict. “They don’t want to get in the ring and fight, they’d rather run,” he says. “And then some people run toward the flame, you know? They don’t mind getting burned. They don’t mind getting heated up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McElroy says, “They just add to the flame when they get there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McElroy Jr. maintains a healthy relationship with his father, somebody he says he can talk to any time. “He’s a very cool dude,” adds the young boxer, referring to him as a coach, trainer and an all-around person in his corner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I look at my dad,” McElroy Jr. says, “as more than just a father.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Oakland boxing is different\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The importance of family support, the intricate mindset of a young boxer and the texture of the Town are all prominent in the first episode of \u003cem>Sons of the Sweet Science\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one scene, fathers deescalate a potentially bad situation where a boxer doesn’t have proper equipment. In another brief clip, Moncada-McElroy holds her son close as he processes emotions after a rough fight. And in yet another scene, McElroy Jr. and his friends smile wide as they jump into a swimming pool, evidence that they retain their childlike joy in the midst of constantly training for battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989370 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220.jpg\" alt=\"A silhouette of a boxer swinging at a suspended weight bag.\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to boxing, Thomas McElroy Jr. is a visual artist, musician and craftsman. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By fusing narrative storytelling with a very intentional soundtrack, Moncada-McElroy guides the viewers through the emotions that come with fighting — both inside and outside the ring. In the end, for an activity that involves getting punched in the face, she creates a language that expresses the \u003cem>poetry\u003c/em> of the sport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s strategy, it’s precision, timing and control,” she says. “And so I wanted to make sure that I used certain tools or certain formats to communicate the language that boxing has.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moncada-McElroy breaks that language down into a bit of a paradox, one that parallels the knotty nature of Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s complicated,” she says, comparing the Town to the sport. “You have opportunities, but you also have limitations. There’s community, but there’s also isolation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within Oakland’s style of boxing, she sees a deeper dichotomy: “There’s a sort of lightheartedness,” Moncada-McElroy says of the boxers she watches, “but they do take care of business when they get in the ring … They may not start it, but they’re gonna finish it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the existential questions that the boxing gym currently faces illustrate a duality. It’s unfortunate that a stolen car busted through the gym’s front wall six months ago. It’s also truly beautiful that a storied nightclub and cultural hub would open up its space and allow its young athletes to continue to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out that the secrets to being an incredible city and a respected fighter are one and the same: support from community, a bit of conflict, and a confident jab. And balance — always maintain your balance.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The first episode of ‘Sons of the Sweet Science’ is available to watch now. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonsofthesweetscience.com/\">Check the series site for upcoming episodes and more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/oakland-lightning-boxing-car-crash/4006888/\">a car smashed through the front doors\u003c/a> of Lightning’s Boxing Club in East Oakland this past New Year’s Eve, the young fighters who’d found sanctuary at the facility went looking for a new home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That explains why there’s currently a boxing ring inside downtown Oakland’s landmark nightclub \u003ca href=\"https://geoffreyslive.com/\">Geoffery’s Inner Circle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Up two flights of stairs, past framed images of superstars who’ve performed on the Geoffrey’s stage, there’s all the amenities of a boxing gym. Punching bags suspended from the ceiling. Weights stacked near a bench press.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a recent visit, a boxer jumps rope in the mirror on the far side, while another gets lessons from the gym’s owner, coach Kris “Lightning” Lopez. In the center of the room is a traditional boxing ring, and shadowboxing in the middle of it is a determined young man named Thomas McElroy Jr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989346\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989346 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189.jpg\" alt=\"A young African American man shadowboxing in a boxing ring. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01189-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. and his friends train daily in downtown Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A nationally top-ranked amateur fighter with medal-wining bouts behind him and miles of potential in front of him, McElroy Jr. and his circle of boxing friends represent the next wave of boxers carrying the baton for the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His story, along with other rising fighters, is illuminated in the new four-part documentary series \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sonsofthesweetscience.com/\">Sons of the Sweet Science\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of great fighters from this gym, and all around Oakland,” McElroy Jr. tells me. At 19 years old, he’s fully aware of the legacy of this soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Retired Olympic gold medalist \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/281958\">Andre Ward\u003c/a> and current World Boxing Organization welterweight champion \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/741718\">Devin Haney\u003c/a> both started in the Town. Notable fighters like \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/100759\">Bilal Mahasin\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/873678\">Amari Jones\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/853206\">Anthony Garnica\u003c/a> learned the ropes here, as did \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/048243\">Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/25178\">Juaquin “Killer” Gallardo\u003c/a>, a 1996 U.S. Olympic team alternate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first African American fighter to win the Light Heavyweight title, \u003ca href=\"https://www.britishvintageboxing.com/blogs/news/john-henry-lewis-sensationally-humble\">John Henry Lewis\u003c/a>, spent his adult years in the East Bay, running a gym with his brothers. (He was also the father of \u003ca href=\"https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/joan-tarika-lewis\">Joan Tarika Lewis\u003c/a>, the first woman to join the Black Panther Party.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on the Town’s lineage, McElroy says, “I’m just adding the cherry on top.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989368 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white image of a young African American man wearing multiple medals around his neck. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/image1-1536x1001.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. has accomplished a lot as an amateur fighter. Now, he’s looking to turn pro. \u003ccite>(Renée Moncada-McElroy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Formerly ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 143-pound weight class, McElroy recently moved up to the 154-pound division, where he’s ranked No. 6. Fresh from winning an exhibition fight by unanimous decision in Las Vegas this past weekend, McElroy Jr. is preparing for the Junior Olympics in June — which he predicts will be his last tournament before turning pro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with that, he’ll start the next chapter of a story he started as a baby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a picture of him with his big old boxing gloves on,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/renee_electronika/\">Renée Moncada-McElroy\u003c/a>. “He’s literally been doing this all his life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989355\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989355 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738.jpg\" alt=\"An African American toddler wearing boxing gloves and kicking a punching bag. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3738-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">As a toddler, Thomas McElroy Jr. put on his first pair of boxing gloves — and he hasn’t stopped fighting since. \u003ccite>(Renée Moncada-McElroy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘It’s not just about boxing’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Moncada-McElroy, McElroy Jr.’s mother, is also the creator of the documentary series \u003cem>Sons of the Sweet Science\u003c/em>; the latest production credit on her already stacked résumé.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s worked as a producer for the reality show \u003cem>Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce\u003c/em> and the nature show \u003cem>Man vs. Fish\u003c/em>. She also directed on the series \u003cem>Chain Gang Girls\u003c/em> and was the force behind a documentary about Oakland rap legend Too Short, \u003cem>Life Is: The Life and Times of Todd Shaw\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this one is different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just about boxing,” says Moncada-McElroy, explaining her goal to show the ring as a rite of passage. “Coming of age under pressure,” as she calls it, “\u003cem>and\u003c/em> it’s connected to real-world stakes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989364\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989364 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242.jpg\" alt=\"A young African American man wears boxing gloves as he poses for a photo next to his mother and father. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01242-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. and his parents, Renée Moncada-McElroy and Thomas McElroy.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The series was filmed around 2021, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and numerous other high-profile extrajudicial murders of Black people. “The gym was a safe space for them during that time,” says the filmmaker, recognizing the pressure that her son and his friends faced as teenage Black men in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She credits coaches Kris Lopez and Abe Morones for creating a place for young people to fully express themselves. “The gyms are social service agencies,” asserts Moncada-McElroy. “They’re an alternative to the streets for a lot of these boys.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even in finding a bit of escape, the influence of the Town isn’t far behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Oakland style of boxing,” says coach Kris Lopez, “is an intellectual style of boxing.” The best fighters from the region, he says, have a great understanding of distance, and of keeping their front guard hand up at a 45-degree angle. They also make tremendous use of the jab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a balanced style that doesn’t rely on power punching, but instead focuses on rhythm, good fundamentals, sharp lines and timing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re not going to catch an Oakland fighter sitting in the shell too long,” says Lopez. “They’re going to dictate the fight with the jab and be more like a sniper, landing clean shots.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989365\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989365 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183.jpg\" alt=\"A coach and young boxer secure gloves and get ready to train. \" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01183-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coach Kris “Lightning” Lopez secures the gloves on a young boxer’s hands before a training session. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In addition to the technical aspects of the sport, the community safety net and coming-of-age experience, the series centers fatherhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rattling off a list of great boxers, male and female, Moncada-McElroy notes how deeply their fathers (or father figures) were involved in their upbringing. Thomas McElroy Jr. is no different.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A mother’s love, a father’s guidance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“I love that my son is achieving all that he wants to achieve so far in boxing,” says the elder Thomas McElroy. “There’s so much you can learn from boxing that doesn’t have anything to do with punching and not getting punched.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McElroy, as one half of the acclaimed music production team \u003ca href=\"https://www.allmusic.com/artist/thomas-mcelroy-mn0000488357#songs\">Foster and McElroy\u003c/a>, has produced hits for legendary groups En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Toné!, as well as Timex Social Club and Club Nouveau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s also a longtime Muay Thai kickboxer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989372 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733.jpg\" alt=\"A boy stands in a boxing ring, as his father stands outside of the ring looking on in admiration. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"2507\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-160x201.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-768x963.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-1225x1536.jpg 1225w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_3733-1634x2048.jpg 1634w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas McElroy Jr. has been training with his father all his life. \u003ccite>(Renée Moncada-McElroy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Boxing is a beautiful art, it’s a craft,” says McElroy, describing the lessons his son is gleaning in the ring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes a certain type of person to want to become a boxer, McElroy says. Most folks avoid conflict. “They don’t want to get in the ring and fight, they’d rather run,” he says. “And then some people run toward the flame, you know? They don’t mind getting burned. They don’t mind getting heated up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McElroy says, “They just add to the flame when they get there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McElroy Jr. maintains a healthy relationship with his father, somebody he says he can talk to any time. “He’s a very cool dude,” adds the young boxer, referring to him as a coach, trainer and an all-around person in his corner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I look at my dad,” McElroy Jr. says, “as more than just a father.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Oakland boxing is different\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The importance of family support, the intricate mindset of a young boxer and the texture of the Town are all prominent in the first episode of \u003cem>Sons of the Sweet Science\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one scene, fathers deescalate a potentially bad situation where a boxer doesn’t have proper equipment. In another brief clip, Moncada-McElroy holds her son close as he processes emotions after a rough fight. And in yet another scene, McElroy Jr. and his friends smile wide as they jump into a swimming pool, evidence that they retain their childlike joy in the midst of constantly training for battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13989370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13989370 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220.jpg\" alt=\"A silhouette of a boxer swinging at a suspended weight bag.\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/DSC01220-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to boxing, Thomas McElroy Jr. is a visual artist, musician and craftsman. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By fusing narrative storytelling with a very intentional soundtrack, Moncada-McElroy guides the viewers through the emotions that come with fighting — both inside and outside the ring. In the end, for an activity that involves getting punched in the face, she creates a language that expresses the \u003cem>poetry\u003c/em> of the sport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s strategy, it’s precision, timing and control,” she says. “And so I wanted to make sure that I used certain tools or certain formats to communicate the language that boxing has.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moncada-McElroy breaks that language down into a bit of a paradox, one that parallels the knotty nature of Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s complicated,” she says, comparing the Town to the sport. “You have opportunities, but you also have limitations. There’s community, but there’s also isolation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within Oakland’s style of boxing, she sees a deeper dichotomy: “There’s a sort of lightheartedness,” Moncada-McElroy says of the boxers she watches, “but they do take care of business when they get in the ring … They may not start it, but they’re gonna finish it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the existential questions that the boxing gym currently faces illustrate a duality. It’s unfortunate that a stolen car busted through the gym’s front wall six months ago. It’s also truly beautiful that a storied nightclub and cultural hub would open up its space and allow its young athletes to continue to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out that the secrets to being an incredible city and a respected fighter are one and the same: support from community, a bit of conflict, and a confident jab. And balance — always maintain your balance.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The first episode of ‘Sons of the Sweet Science’ is available to watch now. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonsofthesweetscience.com/\">Check the series site for upcoming episodes and more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"order": 9
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 18
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"source": "American Public Media"
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"order": 11
},
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"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
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"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
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"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
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