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"slug": "chantel-brooks-benefit-concert-vallejo",
"title": "In Vallejo, a Benefit Concert Raises Funds for the Missing Sister of an SF Rapper",
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"headTitle": "In Vallejo, a Benefit Concert Raises Funds for the Missing Sister of an SF Rapper | KQED",
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"content": "\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/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG\" alt=\"An African American woman smiling as she poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995388\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-600x600.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco’s Chantel Brooks has been missing since July 2026. Her family is working diligently to find more information about her disappearance. (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chantel Brooks has been missing for four months.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brooks, 37, was last seen on surveillance footage getting into her car in the parking lot of a Fairfield CVS in the early morning hours of July 17. Since her disappearance, her family has worked relentlessly to keep her story at the forefront of people’s minds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ve been trying to make sure that her face just stays everywhere,” says Brooks’ older brother Kevin Robinson. “Billboards, posters, flyers, private investigators, whatever it takes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1548\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man in a blue suit and a woman in a black outfit pose for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-scaled.jpeg 1548w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-160x265.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-768x1270.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-929x1536.jpeg 929w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-1239x2048.jpeg 1239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1548px) 100vw, 1548px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kevin ‘Footz the Beast’ Robinson has organized a benefit concert on Sunday, Nov. 8, to raise funds and spread awareness of his missing sister Chantel Brooks. (Kevin Robinson)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sunday, Robinson, who raps under the name \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz The Beast,\u003c/a> is bringing even more attention to his sister’s story with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Bring Chantel Home Benefit Concert.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fabbydavisjr1/\">Mistah F.A.B\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/\">J. Stalin\u003c/a>,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yunglott_flood/\"> Yung Lott\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz\u003c/a> himself, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jourdanjade/\">Jourdan Jade\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/comptonav/\">Compton AV\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nefthepharaoh/\">Nef The Pharaoh\u003c/a> and more, Vallejo’s Noble Cinema Studios will be converted into a hub for advocacy and civic engagement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, Robinson says, that community support is needed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While authorities report that Brooks disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and suspect foul play, they have so far identified no suspect or person of interest. Currently, the family is trying to get a $50,000 reward approved by Governor Newsom for information regarding Brooks’ disappearance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I had a meeting with the mayor of Fairfield and the chief of police the week before last, because I didn’t think the case is moving fast enough,” says Robinson, adding that the family has hired a private investigator. They’re also considering the services of a dive team and cadaver dogs. “I’m doing all this just to help the police with their investigation,” he adds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Family members have also recently scoured Fairfield’s Lagoon Valley Regional Park, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/vacaville-lagoon-valley-park-search-for-chantel-brooks/74085662\">Brooks’ phone was traced\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exhausting all available resources has taken a toll on Robinson, who’s lost both sleep and his appetite since his sister’s disappearance. When he does sleep, he does so with his phone on his chest, periodically checking it for news and updates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m just praying and hoping for the best,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1438\" height=\"1650\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg\" alt=\"A billboard with information regarding a missing woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13995391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg 1438w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-160x184.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-768x881.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-1339x1536.jpeg 1339w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1438px) 100vw, 1438px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chantel Brooks’ family has purchased billboards and hired private investigators in search of information regarding her disappearance. (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During this trying time, a shining light for Robinson has been the response from those who’ve known him for years — namely other rappers. During a recent D-Lo and Nef The Pharaoh show, Nef spotted Robinson in the crowd. “He pulled me backstage and told me how much he loved me,” says Robinson, “that he’s there for me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interaction is a reminder that behind the music, there’s humanity that runs deep. It also runs counter to a disrespectful narrative that often comes with Bay Area hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Rappers are just regular people that rap,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inventor-success-story-aisha-mccain-9uote/\">Aisha McCain\u003c/a>, an advocate who’s been working with Robinson. “They have families, they have daughters, they have wives, they have sisters. They have compassion, they care, they’re just normal human beings that are gifted with music, so they make music,” says McCain. “Why be concerned about a missing woman? Like, of course they would.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McCain knows firsthand the importance of supporting family during the heaviest of times. “I’ve become an advocate ever since my brother died at a shelter run by the HomeRise nonprofit in San Francisco,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last fall, McCain’s brother \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/at-a-model-s-f-complex-for-the-formerly-homeless-a-man-lay-dead-for-days-unnoticed/\">Eric McCain was found in a shelter\u003c/a> days after his death; his body was decomposing and surrounded by bugs. HomeRise was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-as-homerise-winds-down-san-francisco-announces-plan-to-protect-residents-ensure-orderly-transition\">shut down\u003c/a> last month, and McCain learned how much power there is in organizing people and amplifying a collection of voices.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“If we use them the right way,” she tells me during a phone call, “and we focus on things, we can change them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Chantel Brooks’ story has been covered by \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/08/san-francisco-fairfield-missing-persons-chantel-brooks/\">local\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/chantel-brooks-brothers-determined-to-find-her-after-she-went-missing-3-months-ago-bay-area-12188931\">national\u003c/a> media outlets, her \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-the-effort-to-find-chantel-brooks\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> has only raised around $4,000. Her story speaks directly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.hamilton.edu/about/diversity/dmc/newsletter/articles/p/black-women-betrayed-missing-black-women-in-america/view\">the discrepancy in numbers of missing African American women\u003c/a>, as Black girls and women make up 14% of the total U.S. female population but 40% of missing female cases.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Had [Chantel Brooks] been possibly another race,” says McCain, “we know, statistically, more money would have been raised and more resources would have be given.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunday’s performance, adds McCain, gives audiences an opportunity to “feel the music and the movement, and not just see a social media post and then scroll on to the next crisis that’s happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader goal, Robinson tells me, is to inform more people not just about his sister, but a larger issue. “Since my sister’s been missing,” Robinson says, “I learned that there’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Crime-Prevention/Missing-Persons\">an epidemic of missing girls in the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, and just the Bay Area, period.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue isn’t unique to the Bay, either. Two years ago, the State of California launched the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chp.ca.gov/news-alerts/alerts/Ebony-Alert/\">Ebony Alert system\u003c/a> for missing African American girls. That same year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/archive/safe-communities/inside-perspectives/shining-light-on-the-crisis-of-missing-or-murdered-black-women-and-girls-in-the-united-states\">the Department of Justice noted that nationwide\u003c/a>, “Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, trafficking, and systemic neglect, leading to high rates of their disappearance.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pounding the pavement in his search for answers has put Robinson in communication with organizations that focus on this line of work. He’s also been contacted by mothers looking for assistance in finding their daughters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“On the side, I’ve been helping a lot other families with their missing loved ones,” says Robinson, noting that his platform as a rapper has given him notoriety that he’s been able to leverage. “I’m just providing them with the little resources that I have,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Bring Chantel Home Benefit Concert \u003c/a>takes place Sunday, Nov. 8, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Noble Cinema Studios (1509 Solano Ave, Vallejo). \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/em>\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/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG\" alt=\"An African American woman smiling as she poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995388\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-600x600.png 600w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco’s Chantel Brooks has been missing since July 2026. Her family is working diligently to find more information about her disappearance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG\" alt=\"An African American woman smiling as she poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995388\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco’s Chantel Brooks has been missing since July 2026. Her family is working diligently to find more information about her disappearance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Brooks, 37, was last seen on surveillance footage getting into her car in the parking lot of a Fairfield CVS in the early morning hours of July 17. Since her disappearance, her family has worked relentlessly to keep her story at the forefront of people’s minds.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Brooks, 37, was last seen on surveillance footage getting into her car in the parking lot of a Fairfield CVS in the early morning hours of July 17. Since her disappearance, her family has worked relentlessly to keep her story at the forefront of people’s minds.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve been trying to make sure that her face just stays everywhere,” says Brooks’ older brother Kevin Robinson. “Billboards, posters, flyers, private investigators, whatever it takes.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ve been trying to make sure that her face just stays everywhere,” says Brooks’ older brother Kevin Robinson. “Billboards, posters, flyers, private investigators, whatever it takes.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Sunday, Robinson, who raps under the name \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz The Beast,\u003c/a> is bringing even more attention to his sister’s story with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Bring Chantel Home Benefit Concert.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fabbydavisjr1/\">Mistah F.A.B\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/\">J. Stalin\u003c/a>,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yunglott_flood/\"> Yung Lott\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz\u003c/a> himself, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jourdanjade/\">Jourdan Jade\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/comptonav/\">Compton AV\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nefthepharaoh/\">Nef The Pharaoh\u003c/a> and more, Vallejo’s Noble Cinema Studios will be converted into a hub for advocacy and civic engagement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fabbydavisjr1/\">Mistah F.A.B\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/\">J. Stalin\u003c/a>,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yunglott_flood/\"> Yung Lott\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz\u003c/a> himself, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jourdanjade/\">Jourdan Jade\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/comptonav/\">Compton AV\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nefthepharaoh/\">Nef The Pharaoh\u003c/a> and more, Vallejo’s Noble Cinema Studios will be converted into a hub for advocacy and civic engagement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Right now, Robinson says, that community support is needed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While authorities report that Brooks disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and suspect foul play, they have so far identified no suspect or person of interest. Currently, the family is trying to get a $50,000 reward approved by Governor Newsom for information regarding Brooks’ disappearance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While authorities report that Brooks disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and suspect foul play, they have so far identified no suspect or person of interest. Currently, the family is trying to get a $50,000 reward approved by Governor Newsom for information regarding Brooks’ disappearance.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I had a meeting with the mayor of Fairfield and the chief of police the week before last, because I didn’t think the case is moving fast enough,” says Robinson, adding that the family has hired a private investigator. They’re also considering the services of a dive team and cadaver dogs. “I’m doing all this just to help the police with their investigation,” he adds. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I had a meeting with the mayor of Fairfield and the chief of police the week before last, because I didn’t think the case is moving fast enough,” says Robinson, adding that the family has hired a private investigator. They’re also considering the services of a dive team and cadaver dogs. “I’m doing all this just to help the police with their investigation,” he adds. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Family members have also recently scoured Fairfield’s Lagoon Valley Regional Park, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/vacaville-lagoon-valley-park-search-for-chantel-brooks/74085662\">Brooks’ phone was traced\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Family members have also recently scoured Fairfield’s Lagoon Valley Regional Park, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/vacaville-lagoon-valley-park-search-for-chantel-brooks/74085662\">Brooks’ phone was traced\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Exhausting all available resources has taken a toll on Robinson, who’s lost both sleep and his appetite since his sister’s disappearance. When he does sleep, he does so with his phone on his chest, periodically checking it for news and updates.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Exhausting all available resources has taken a toll on Robinson, who’s lost both sleep and his appetite since his sister’s disappearance. When he does sleep, he does so with his phone on his chest, periodically checking it for news and updates.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m just praying and hoping for the best,” he says.\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/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg\" alt=\"A billboard with information regarding a missing woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13995391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg 1438w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-160x184.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-768x881.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-1339x1536.jpeg 1339w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chantel Brooks’ family has purchased billboards and hired private investigators in search of information regarding her disappearance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg\" alt=\"A billboard with information regarding a missing woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13995391\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chantel Brooks’ family has purchased billboards and hired private investigators in search of information regarding her disappearance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During this trying time, a shining light for Robinson has been the response from those who’ve known him for years — namely other rappers. During a recent D-Lo and Nef The Pharaoh show, Nef spotted Robinson in the crowd. “He pulled me backstage and told me how much he loved me,” says Robinson, “that he’s there for me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During this trying time, a shining light for Robinson has been the response from those who’ve known him for years — namely other rappers. During a recent D-Lo and Nef The Pharaoh show, Nef spotted Robinson in the crowd. “He pulled me backstage and told me how much he loved me,” says Robinson, “that he’s there for me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The interaction is a reminder that behind the music, there’s humanity that runs deep. It also runs counter to a disrespectful narrative that often comes with Bay Area hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The interaction is a reminder that behind the music, there’s humanity that runs deep. It also runs counter to a disrespectful narrative that often comes with Bay Area hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Rappers are just regular people that rap,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inventor-success-story-aisha-mccain-9uote/\">Aisha McCain\u003c/a>, an advocate who’s been working with Robinson. “They have families, they have daughters, they have wives, they have sisters. They have compassion, they care, they’re just normal human beings that are gifted with music, so they make music,” says McCain. “Why be concerned about a missing woman? Like, of course they would.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Rappers are just regular people that rap,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inventor-success-story-aisha-mccain-9uote/\">Aisha McCain\u003c/a>, an advocate who’s been working with Robinson. “They have families, they have daughters, they have wives, they have sisters. They have compassion, they care, they’re just normal human beings that are gifted with music, so they make music,” says McCain. “Why be concerned about a missing woman? Like, of course they would.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McCain knows firsthand the importance of supporting family during the heaviest of times. “I’ve become an advocate ever since my brother died at a shelter run by the HomeRise nonprofit in San Francisco,” she says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Chantel Brooks’ story has been covered by \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/08/san-francisco-fairfield-missing-persons-chantel-brooks/\">local\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/chantel-brooks-brothers-determined-to-find-her-after-she-went-missing-3-months-ago-bay-area-12188931\">national\u003c/a> media outlets, her \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-the-effort-to-find-chantel-brooks\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> has only raised around $4,000. Her story speaks directly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.hamilton.edu/about/diversity/dmc/newsletter/articles/p/black-women-betrayed-missing-black-women-in-america/view\">the discrepancy in numbers of missing African American women\u003c/a>, as Black girls and women make up 14% of the total U.S. female population but 40% of missing female cases.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While Chantel Brooks’ story has been covered by \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/08/san-francisco-fairfield-missing-persons-chantel-brooks/\">local\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/chantel-brooks-brothers-determined-to-find-her-after-she-went-missing-3-months-ago-bay-area-12188931\">national\u003c/a> media outlets, her \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-the-effort-to-find-chantel-brooks\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> has only raised around $4,000. Her story speaks directly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.hamilton.edu/about/diversity/dmc/newsletter/articles/p/black-women-betrayed-missing-black-women-in-america/view\">the discrepancy in numbers of missing African American women\u003c/a>, as Black girls and women make up 14% of the total U.S. female population but 40% of missing female cases.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Had [Chantel Brooks] been possibly another race,” says McCain, “we know, statistically, more money would have been raised and more resources would have be given.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Had [Chantel Brooks] been possibly another race,” says McCain, “we know, statistically, more money would have been raised and more resources would have be given.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sunday’s performance, adds McCain, gives audiences an opportunity to “feel the music and the movement, and not just see a social media post and then scroll on to the next crisis that’s happening.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The broader goal, Robinson tells me, is to inform more people not just about his sister, but a larger issue. “Since my sister’s been missing,” Robinson says, “I learned that there’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Crime-Prevention/Missing-Persons\">an epidemic of missing girls in the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, and just the Bay Area, period.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The broader goal, Robinson tells me, is to inform more people not just about his sister, but a larger issue. “Since my sister’s been missing,” Robinson says, “I learned that there’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Crime-Prevention/Missing-Persons\">an epidemic of missing girls in the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, and just the Bay Area, period.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The issue isn’t unique to the Bay, either. Two years ago, the State of California launched the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chp.ca.gov/news-alerts/alerts/Ebony-Alert/\">Ebony Alert system\u003c/a> for missing African American girls. That same year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/archive/safe-communities/inside-perspectives/shining-light-on-the-crisis-of-missing-or-murdered-black-women-and-girls-in-the-united-states\">the Department of Justice noted that nationwide\u003c/a>, “Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, trafficking, and systemic neglect, leading to high rates of their disappearance.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The issue isn’t unique to the Bay, either. Two years ago, the State of California launched the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chp.ca.gov/news-alerts/alerts/Ebony-Alert/\">Ebony Alert system\u003c/a> for missing African American girls. That same year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/archive/safe-communities/inside-perspectives/shining-light-on-the-crisis-of-missing-or-murdered-black-women-and-girls-in-the-united-states\">the Department of Justice noted that nationwide\u003c/a>, “Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, trafficking, and systemic neglect, leading to high rates of their disappearance.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pounding the pavement in his search for answers has put Robinson in communication with organizations that focus on this line of work. He’s also been contacted by mothers looking for assistance in finding their daughters.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pounding the pavement in his search for answers has put Robinson in communication with organizations that focus on this line of work. He’s also been contacted by mothers looking for assistance in finding their daughters.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“On the side, I’ve been helping a lot other families with their missing loved ones,” says Robinson, noting that his platform as a rapper has given him notoriety that he’s been able to leverage. “I’m just providing them with the little resources that I have,” he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“On the side, I’ve been helping a lot other families with their missing loved ones,” says Robinson, noting that his platform as a rapper has given him notoriety that he’s been able to leverage. “I’m just providing them with the little resources that I have,” he says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Bring Chantel Home Benefit Concert \u003c/a>takes place Sunday, Nov. 8, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Noble Cinema Studios (1509 Solano Ave, Vallejo). \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Local hip-hop stars show up for Kevin Robinson as he searches for his missing sister, Chantel Brooks.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\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/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG\" alt=\"An African American woman smiling as she poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995388\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5.PNG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/385161A0-E90A-4F17-8D0E-2FF054460B64-16c3c0f5-600x600.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco’s Chantel Brooks has been missing since July 2026. Her family is working diligently to find more information about her disappearance. (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chantel Brooks has been missing for four months.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brooks, 37, was last seen on surveillance footage getting into her car in the parking lot of a Fairfield CVS in the early morning hours of July 17. Since her disappearance, her family has worked relentlessly to keep her story at the forefront of people’s minds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ve been trying to make sure that her face just stays everywhere,” says Brooks’ older brother Kevin Robinson. “Billboards, posters, flyers, private investigators, whatever it takes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1548\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man in a blue suit and a woman in a black outfit pose for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-scaled.jpeg 1548w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-160x265.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-768x1270.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-929x1536.jpeg 929w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/IMG_5602-5ec0a2ef-1239x2048.jpeg 1239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1548px) 100vw, 1548px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kevin ‘Footz the Beast’ Robinson has organized a benefit concert on Sunday, Nov. 8, to raise funds and spread awareness of his missing sister Chantel Brooks. (Kevin Robinson)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sunday, Robinson, who raps under the name \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz The Beast,\u003c/a> is bringing even more attention to his sister’s story with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Bring Chantel Home Benefit Concert.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With performances by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fabbydavisjr1/\">Mistah F.A.B\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jstalinlivewire/\">J. Stalin\u003c/a>,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yunglott_flood/\"> Yung Lott\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/footz_livewire/\">Footz\u003c/a> himself, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jourdanjade/\">Jourdan Jade\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/comptonav/\">Compton AV\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nefthepharaoh/\">Nef The Pharaoh\u003c/a> and more, Vallejo’s Noble Cinema Studios will be converted into a hub for advocacy and civic engagement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, Robinson says, that community support is needed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While authorities report that Brooks disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and suspect foul play, they have so far identified no suspect or person of interest. Currently, the family is trying to get a $50,000 reward approved by Governor Newsom for information regarding Brooks’ disappearance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I had a meeting with the mayor of Fairfield and the chief of police the week before last, because I didn’t think the case is moving fast enough,” says Robinson, adding that the family has hired a private investigator. They’re also considering the services of a dive team and cadaver dogs. “I’m doing all this just to help the police with their investigation,” he adds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Family members have also recently scoured Fairfield’s Lagoon Valley Regional Park, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/vacaville-lagoon-valley-park-search-for-chantel-brooks/74085662\">Brooks’ phone was traced\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exhausting all available resources has taken a toll on Robinson, who’s lost both sleep and his appetite since his sister’s disappearance. When he does sleep, he does so with his phone on his chest, periodically checking it for news and updates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m just praying and hoping for the best,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1438\" height=\"1650\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg\" alt=\"A billboard with information regarding a missing woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13995391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162.jpeg 1438w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-160x184.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-768x881.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/17709-5b8b4d5f-scaled-e1793986232162-1339x1536.jpeg 1339w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1438px) 100vw, 1438px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chantel Brooks’ family has purchased billboards and hired private investigators in search of information regarding her disappearance. (Courtesy of Chantel Brooks’ family)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During this trying time, a shining light for Robinson has been the response from those who’ve known him for years — namely other rappers. During a recent D-Lo and Nef The Pharaoh show, Nef spotted Robinson in the crowd. “He pulled me backstage and told me how much he loved me,” says Robinson, “that he’s there for me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interaction is a reminder that behind the music, there’s humanity that runs deep. It also runs counter to a disrespectful narrative that often comes with Bay Area hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Rappers are just regular people that rap,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inventor-success-story-aisha-mccain-9uote/\">Aisha McCain\u003c/a>, an advocate who’s been working with Robinson. “They have families, they have daughters, they have wives, they have sisters. They have compassion, they care, they’re just normal human beings that are gifted with music, so they make music,” says McCain. “Why be concerned about a missing woman? Like, of course they would.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McCain knows firsthand the importance of supporting family during the heaviest of times. “I’ve become an advocate ever since my brother died at a shelter run by the HomeRise nonprofit in San Francisco,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last fall, McCain’s brother \u003ca href=\"https://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/at-a-model-s-f-complex-for-the-formerly-homeless-a-man-lay-dead-for-days-unnoticed/\">Eric McCain was found in a shelter\u003c/a> days after his death; his body was decomposing and surrounded by bugs. HomeRise was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-as-homerise-winds-down-san-francisco-announces-plan-to-protect-residents-ensure-orderly-transition\">shut down\u003c/a> last month, and McCain learned how much power there is in organizing people and amplifying a collection of voices.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“If we use them the right way,” she tells me during a phone call, “and we focus on things, we can change them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Chantel Brooks’ story has been covered by \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/08/san-francisco-fairfield-missing-persons-chantel-brooks/\">local\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/chantel-brooks-brothers-determined-to-find-her-after-she-went-missing-3-months-ago-bay-area-12188931\">national\u003c/a> media outlets, her \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-the-effort-to-find-chantel-brooks\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> has only raised around $4,000. Her story speaks directly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.hamilton.edu/about/diversity/dmc/newsletter/articles/p/black-women-betrayed-missing-black-women-in-america/view\">the discrepancy in numbers of missing African American women\u003c/a>, as Black girls and women make up 14% of the total U.S. female population but 40% of missing female cases.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Had [Chantel Brooks] been possibly another race,” says McCain, “we know, statistically, more money would have been raised and more resources would have be given.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunday’s performance, adds McCain, gives audiences an opportunity to “feel the music and the movement, and not just see a social media post and then scroll on to the next crisis that’s happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader goal, Robinson tells me, is to inform more people not just about his sister, but a larger issue. “Since my sister’s been missing,” Robinson says, “I learned that there’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Crime-Prevention/Missing-Persons\">an epidemic of missing girls in the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, and just the Bay Area, period.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue isn’t unique to the Bay, either. Two years ago, the State of California launched the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chp.ca.gov/news-alerts/alerts/Ebony-Alert/\">Ebony Alert system\u003c/a> for missing African American girls. That same year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/archive/safe-communities/inside-perspectives/shining-light-on-the-crisis-of-missing-or-murdered-black-women-and-girls-in-the-united-states\">the Department of Justice noted that nationwide\u003c/a>, “Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, trafficking, and systemic neglect, leading to high rates of their disappearance.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pounding the pavement in his search for answers has put Robinson in communication with organizations that focus on this line of work. He’s also been contacted by mothers looking for assistance in finding their daughters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“On the side, I’ve been helping a lot other families with their missing loved ones,” says Robinson, noting that his platform as a rapper has given him notoriety that he’s been able to leverage. “I’m just providing them with the little resources that I have,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Bring Chantel Home Benefit Concert \u003c/a>takes place Sunday, Nov. 8, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Noble Cinema Studios (1509 Solano Ave, Vallejo). \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bring-chantel-home-benefit-concert-tickets-2003227578613?utm_source=chatgpt.com&keep_tld=true\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "lalo-guerrero-father-of-chicano-music-freight-berkeley",
"title": "Celebrating the ‘Father of Chicano Music’",
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"headTitle": "Celebrating the ‘Father of Chicano Music’ | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/eduardo-lalo-guerrero\">Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero Jr.\u003c/a> was a songwriter who knew no bounds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K552jPZxik\">Los Chucos Suaves\u003c/a>,” he dropped a zoot suit anthem. Through “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Marihuana\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Boogie\u003c/a>,” he paid homage to the counterculture of the time. He crafted comedic parodies in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZo42AczmY\">There’s No Tortillas\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmmKxHrAYw\">Pancho López\u003c/a>,” and on recordings like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u7v0-FL-ng\">Mi Ranchito\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvD_QJHBDa4\">El Chicle\u003c/a>,” he composed high-pitched songs voiced by his “ardillitas” that reached generations of children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guerrero, who died in 2005, is widely regarded as “the father of Chicano music.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You can’t get more precise than that,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.pcmunoz.com/\">PC Muñoz\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man in black glasses and a black shirt poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995287\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PC Muñoz, a musician and the director of programming at The Freight in Berkeley, is a the co-organizer of this weekend’s Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival. (Courtesy of PC Muñoz)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an organizer of this weekend’s two-day \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival\u003c/a> at the Freight in Berkeley, Muñoz says Guerrero deserves more recognition. Guerrero was a 1991 \u003ca href=\"https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/eduardo-lalo-guerrero\">NEA Arts National Heritage Fellow\u003c/a>, received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, and has had \u003ca href=\"https://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/cema/guerrero\">streets and schools named for him\u003c/a>. But Muñoz says that only begins to honor the musician’s influence and stature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Everything that came after Guerrero,” argues Muñoz, “owes a debt to him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This weekend’s festival will offer “a nice balance of O.G. stuff,” says Muñoz, referring to acts on the lineup like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934296/8-over-80-jose-cuellar-dr-loco\">Rockin’ Jalapeño Band\u003c/a>, Jerry Salas of El Chicano and Lalo Guerrero’s son, \u003ca href=\"https://markguerrero.com/index.php\">Mark Guerrero\u003c/a>. “And then we have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/la-dona\">La Doña\u003c/a>,” Muñoz says, adding that the award-winning artist from the Mission District is “part of the lineage, and she’s off doing different things with that flavor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2044\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995299\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-768x785.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-1503x1536.jpg 1503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of Lalo Guerrero’s many albums, circa 1960s. (Colonial Records)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hosted by KCSM’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcsm.org/people/jesse-chuy-varela\">Jesse “Chuy” Varela\u003c/a>, the event will also feature workshops and panel discussions. Musician and actor Carlos “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/emceeinfinite/?hl=en\">Emcee Infinite\u003c/a>” Aguirre will be in the building with his trademark “Pachuco flavored-flips” of Lalo Guerrero songs, merging them with a hip-hop set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A public ofrenda will be available for photos and small tokens to help guide loved ones home. “Mark Guerrero is coming up from Southern California,” says Muñoz, “and he’s gonna bring some actual possessions of his dad’s to add to the ofrenda.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muñoz, director of programming of The Freight, is a musician who earlier this year dropped a spoken word album titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://pcmunoz.bandcamp.com/album/little-ransoms\">Little Ransoms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Through music, he’s known Mark Guerrero for over 20 years; the two connected via that “artist-to-artist thing.” On Saturday, they’ll share a stage for the day’s closing panel, where they’ll discuss the backstory of their friendship and how they worked together to create the festival.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m going to sneak in just some questions about his incredible career,” reveals Muñoz, noting that Mark’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDEJ-hxB5U\">I’m Brown\u003c/a>” was featured in the Grammy Museum. “He has a significant voice in his own right,” says Muñoz of Mark Guerrero.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1EEKuJSYNI&t=587s\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years ago, while working as a house producer at a now-defunct label in San Francisco, Muñoz and Mark planned a tribute album for Lalo Guerrero, but budgetary limitations got in the way. “It was something that Mark and I always felt disappointed about,” Muñoz admits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Intent on revisiting the general concept, Muñoz asked Mark if anyone had done a proper festival for his dad. There’d been tribute concerts in his hometown of Tucson, as well as shows honoring him in Los Angeles. But no one had done an actual festival before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this weekend’s event is, in some ways, an extension of the initial tribute album that never came to be, it’s also a perfect fit for what The Freight has created through their series of Legacy Festivals, which started in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re in a unique position at The Freight,” says Muñoz of the 58 year-old music institution that prides itself on being “a home of global root song.” Because of that ethos, he adds, they have the ability to jump from genre to genre and highlight a wide range of musicians.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re really trying to illuminate the careers of these different artists that may not be known to everybody,” says Muñoz.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>The Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival takes place Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 at The Freight (2020 Addison St., Berkeley). \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K552jPZxik\">Los Chucos Suaves\u003c/a>,” he dropped a zoot suit anthem. Through “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Marihuana\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Boogie\u003c/a>,” he paid homage to the counterculture of the time. He crafted comedic parodies in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZo42AczmY\">There’s No Tortillas\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmmKxHrAYw\">Pancho López\u003c/a>,” and on recordings like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u7v0-FL-ng\">Mi Ranchito\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvD_QJHBDa4\">El Chicle\u003c/a>,” he composed high-pitched songs voiced by his “ardillitas” that reached generations of children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K552jPZxik\">Los Chucos Suaves\u003c/a>,” he dropped a zoot suit anthem. Through “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Marihuana\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Boogie\u003c/a>,” he paid homage to the counterculture of the time. He crafted comedic parodies in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZo42AczmY\">There’s No Tortillas\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmmKxHrAYw\">Pancho López\u003c/a>,” and on recordings like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u7v0-FL-ng\">Mi Ranchito\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvD_QJHBDa4\">El Chicle\u003c/a>,” he composed high-pitched songs voiced by his “ardillitas” that reached generations of children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guerrero, who died in 2005, is widely regarded as “the father of Chicano music.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You can’t get more precise than that,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.pcmunoz.com/\">PC Muñoz\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You can’t get more precise than that,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.pcmunoz.com/\">PC Muñoz\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man in black glasses and a black shirt poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995287\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PC Muñoz, a musician and the director of programming at The Freight in Berkeley, is a the co-organizer of this weekend’s Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of PC Muñoz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man in black glasses and a black shirt poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995287\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PC Muñoz, a musician and the director of programming at The Freight in Berkeley, is a the co-organizer of this weekend’s Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of PC Muñoz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As an organizer of this weekend’s two-day \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival\u003c/a> at the Freight in Berkeley, Muñoz says Guerrero deserves more recognition. Guerrero was a 1991 \u003ca href=\"https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/eduardo-lalo-guerrero\">NEA Arts National Heritage Fellow\u003c/a>, received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, and has had \u003ca href=\"https://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/cema/guerrero\">streets and schools named for him\u003c/a>. But Muñoz says that only begins to honor the musician’s influence and stature.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As an organizer of this weekend’s two-day \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival\u003c/a> at the Freight in Berkeley, Muñoz says Guerrero deserves more recognition. Guerrero was a 1991 \u003ca href=\"https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/eduardo-lalo-guerrero\">NEA Arts National Heritage Fellow\u003c/a>, received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, and has had \u003ca href=\"https://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/cema/guerrero\">streets and schools named for him\u003c/a>. But Muñoz says that only begins to honor the musician’s influence and stature.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everything that came after Guerrero,” argues Muñoz, “owes a debt to him.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This weekend’s festival will offer “a nice balance of O.G. stuff,” says Muñoz, referring to acts on the lineup like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934296/8-over-80-jose-cuellar-dr-loco\">Rockin’ Jalapeño Band\u003c/a>, Jerry Salas of El Chicano and Lalo Guerrero’s son, \u003ca href=\"https://markguerrero.com/index.php\">Mark Guerrero\u003c/a>. “And then we have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/la-dona\">La Doña\u003c/a>,” Muñoz says, adding that the award-winning artist from the Mission District is “part of the lineage, and she’s off doing different things with that flavor.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This weekend’s festival will offer “a nice balance of O.G. stuff,” says Muñoz, referring to acts on the lineup like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934296/8-over-80-jose-cuellar-dr-loco\">Rockin’ Jalapeño Band\u003c/a>, Jerry Salas of El Chicano and Lalo Guerrero’s son, \u003ca href=\"https://markguerrero.com/index.php\">Mark Guerrero\u003c/a>. “And then we have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/la-dona\">La Doña\u003c/a>,” Muñoz says, adding that the award-winning artist from the Mission District is “part of the lineage, and she’s off doing different things with that flavor.”\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/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995299\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-768x785.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-1503x1536.jpg 1503w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of Lalo Guerrero’s many albums, circa 1960s.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Colonial Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hosted by KCSM’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcsm.org/people/jesse-chuy-varela\">Jesse “Chuy” Varela\u003c/a>, the event will also feature workshops and panel discussions. Musician and actor Carlos “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/emceeinfinite/?hl=en\">Emcee Infinite\u003c/a>” Aguirre will be in the building with his trademark “Pachuco flavored-flips” of Lalo Guerrero songs, merging them with a hip-hop set.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hosted by KCSM’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcsm.org/people/jesse-chuy-varela\">Jesse “Chuy” Varela\u003c/a>, the event will also feature workshops and panel discussions. Musician and actor Carlos “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/emceeinfinite/?hl=en\">Emcee Infinite\u003c/a>” Aguirre will be in the building with his trademark “Pachuco flavored-flips” of Lalo Guerrero songs, merging them with a hip-hop set.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A public ofrenda will be available for photos and small tokens to help guide loved ones home. “Mark Guerrero is coming up from Southern California,” says Muñoz, “and he’s gonna bring some actual possessions of his dad’s to add to the ofrenda.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A public ofrenda will be available for photos and small tokens to help guide loved ones home. “Mark Guerrero is coming up from Southern California,” says Muñoz, “and he’s gonna bring some actual possessions of his dad’s to add to the ofrenda.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Muñoz, director of programming of The Freight, is a musician who earlier this year dropped a spoken word album titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://pcmunoz.bandcamp.com/album/little-ransoms\">Little Ransoms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Through music, he’s known Mark Guerrero for over 20 years; the two connected via that “artist-to-artist thing.” On Saturday, they’ll share a stage for the day’s closing panel, where they’ll discuss the backstory of their friendship and how they worked together to create the festival.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Muñoz, director of programming of The Freight, is a musician who earlier this year dropped a spoken word album titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://pcmunoz.bandcamp.com/album/little-ransoms\">Little Ransoms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Through music, he’s known Mark Guerrero for over 20 years; the two connected via that “artist-to-artist thing.” On Saturday, they’ll share a stage for the day’s closing panel, where they’ll discuss the backstory of their friendship and how they worked together to create the festival.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m going to sneak in just some questions about his incredible career,” reveals Muñoz, noting that Mark’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDEJ-hxB5U\">I’m Brown\u003c/a>” was featured in the Grammy Museum. “He has a significant voice in his own right,” says Muñoz of Mark Guerrero.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’m going to sneak in just some questions about his incredible career,” reveals Muñoz, noting that Mark’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDEJ-hxB5U\">I’m Brown\u003c/a>” was featured in the Grammy Museum. “He has a significant voice in his own right,” says Muñoz of Mark Guerrero.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Years ago, while working as a house producer at a now-defunct label in San Francisco, Muñoz and Mark planned a tribute album for Lalo Guerrero, but budgetary limitations got in the way. “It was something that Mark and I always felt disappointed about,” Muñoz admits.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Years ago, while working as a house producer at a now-defunct label in San Francisco, Muñoz and Mark planned a tribute album for Lalo Guerrero, but budgetary limitations got in the way. “It was something that Mark and I always felt disappointed about,” Muñoz admits.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Intent on revisiting the general concept, Muñoz asked Mark if anyone had done a proper festival for his dad. There’d been tribute concerts in his hometown of Tucson, as well as shows honoring him in Los Angeles. But no one had done an actual festival before.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Intent on revisiting the general concept, Muñoz asked Mark if anyone had done a proper festival for his dad. There’d been tribute concerts in his hometown of Tucson, as well as shows honoring him in Los Angeles. But no one had done an actual festival before.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While this weekend’s event is, in some ways, an extension of the initial tribute album that never came to be, it’s also a perfect fit for what The Freight has created through their series of Legacy Festivals, which started in 2024.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While this weekend’s event is, in some ways, an extension of the initial tribute album that never came to be, it’s also a perfect fit for what The Freight has created through their series of Legacy Festivals, which started in 2024.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re in a unique position at The Freight,” says Muñoz of the 58 year-old music institution that prides itself on being “a home of global root song.” Because of that ethos, he adds, they have the ability to jump from genre to genre and highlight a wide range of musicians.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re in a unique position at The Freight,” says Muñoz of the 58 year-old music institution that prides itself on being “a home of global root song.” Because of that ethos, he adds, they have the ability to jump from genre to genre and highlight a wide range of musicians.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re really trying to illuminate the careers of these different artists that may not be known to everybody,” says Muñoz.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival takes place Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 at The Freight (2020 Addison St., Berkeley). \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In Berkeley, Lalo Guerrero’s fans, family and artistic descendants pay homage to his enduring influence.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/eduardo-lalo-guerrero\">Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero Jr.\u003c/a> was a songwriter who knew no bounds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K552jPZxik\">Los Chucos Suaves\u003c/a>,” he dropped a zoot suit anthem. Through “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Marihuana\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBKVkaOoY0\">Boogie\u003c/a>,” he paid homage to the counterculture of the time. He crafted comedic parodies in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZo42AczmY\">There’s No Tortillas\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmmKxHrAYw\">Pancho López\u003c/a>,” and on recordings like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u7v0-FL-ng\">Mi Ranchito\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvD_QJHBDa4\">El Chicle\u003c/a>,” he composed high-pitched songs voiced by his “ardillitas” that reached generations of children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guerrero, who died in 2005, is widely regarded as “the father of Chicano music.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You can’t get more precise than that,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.pcmunoz.com/\">PC Muñoz\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man in black glasses and a black shirt poses for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13995287\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/0-1-f8b44c52-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PC Muñoz, a musician and the director of programming at The Freight in Berkeley, is a the co-organizer of this weekend’s Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival. (Courtesy of PC Muñoz)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an organizer of this weekend’s two-day \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival\u003c/a> at the Freight in Berkeley, Muñoz says Guerrero deserves more recognition. Guerrero was a 1991 \u003ca href=\"https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/eduardo-lalo-guerrero\">NEA Arts National Heritage Fellow\u003c/a>, received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, and has had \u003ca href=\"https://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/cema/guerrero\">streets and schools named for him\u003c/a>. But Muñoz says that only begins to honor the musician’s influence and stature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Everything that came after Guerrero,” argues Muñoz, “owes a debt to him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This weekend’s festival will offer “a nice balance of O.G. stuff,” says Muñoz, referring to acts on the lineup like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934296/8-over-80-jose-cuellar-dr-loco\">Rockin’ Jalapeño Band\u003c/a>, Jerry Salas of El Chicano and Lalo Guerrero’s son, \u003ca href=\"https://markguerrero.com/index.php\">Mark Guerrero\u003c/a>. “And then we have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/la-dona\">La Doña\u003c/a>,” Muñoz says, adding that the award-winning artist from the Mission District is “part of the lineage, and she’s off doing different things with that flavor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2044\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995299\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-768x785.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Lalo_Guerrero_5-9465e0a2-1503x1536.jpg 1503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of Lalo Guerrero’s many albums, circa 1960s. (Colonial Records)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hosted by KCSM’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcsm.org/people/jesse-chuy-varela\">Jesse “Chuy” Varela\u003c/a>, the event will also feature workshops and panel discussions. Musician and actor Carlos “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/emceeinfinite/?hl=en\">Emcee Infinite\u003c/a>” Aguirre will be in the building with his trademark “Pachuco flavored-flips” of Lalo Guerrero songs, merging them with a hip-hop set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A public ofrenda will be available for photos and small tokens to help guide loved ones home. “Mark Guerrero is coming up from Southern California,” says Muñoz, “and he’s gonna bring some actual possessions of his dad’s to add to the ofrenda.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muñoz, director of programming of The Freight, is a musician who earlier this year dropped a spoken word album titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://pcmunoz.bandcamp.com/album/little-ransoms\">Little Ransoms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Through music, he’s known Mark Guerrero for over 20 years; the two connected via that “artist-to-artist thing.” On Saturday, they’ll share a stage for the day’s closing panel, where they’ll discuss the backstory of their friendship and how they worked together to create the festival.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m going to sneak in just some questions about his incredible career,” reveals Muñoz, noting that Mark’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDEJ-hxB5U\">I’m Brown\u003c/a>” was featured in the Grammy Museum. “He has a significant voice in his own right,” says Muñoz of Mark Guerrero.\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/N1EEKuJSYNI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/N1EEKuJSYNI'\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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years ago, while working as a house producer at a now-defunct label in San Francisco, Muñoz and Mark planned a tribute album for Lalo Guerrero, but budgetary limitations got in the way. “It was something that Mark and I always felt disappointed about,” Muñoz admits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Intent on revisiting the general concept, Muñoz asked Mark if anyone had done a proper festival for his dad. There’d been tribute concerts in his hometown of Tucson, as well as shows honoring him in Los Angeles. But no one had done an actual festival before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this weekend’s event is, in some ways, an extension of the initial tribute album that never came to be, it’s also a perfect fit for what The Freight has created through their series of Legacy Festivals, which started in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re in a unique position at The Freight,” says Muñoz of the 58 year-old music institution that prides itself on being “a home of global root song.” Because of that ethos, he adds, they have the ability to jump from genre to genre and highlight a wide range of musicians.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re really trying to illuminate the careers of these different artists that may not be known to everybody,” says Muñoz.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>The Lalo Guerrero Legacy Festival takes place Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 at The Freight (2020 Addison St., Berkeley). \u003ca href=\"https://thefreight.org/lalo/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "This R&B Singer’s Next Act: A One-Woman Show",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a singer, R&B artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13864299/after-leaving-behind-a-record-deal-netta-brielle-rediscovers-her-motivation\">Netta Brielle\u003c/a> has told her story through music for over a decade. With lyrics inspired by lived experiences, she’s cloaked it all in clever poetry, soothing harmonies and electric vocal runs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, she’s bringing her life story to the theater with a new one-woman show, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/untitled-campaign-g0023l\">One Shot\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. With intimate aspects of her career and personal life, she says, the stage play contains details that even people who’ve known her for years aren’t going to believe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You really rapped for Tupac?” I blurt out during a recent phone call. “Yes!” she responds, “Crazy, right?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Netta was just a 6th grader when her sister took her to a studio in East Oakland to kick some rhymes for the late thug poet. “I never talk about it,” Netta concedes, “because I don’t have the picture. It almost feels like it never happened.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2369\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81.jpeg\" alt=\"An African-American woman and a young girl pose for photo while sitting on wooden stairs.\" class=\"wp-image-13995235\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-160x190.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-768x910.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-1297x1536.jpeg 1297w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-1729x2048.jpeg 1729w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In Netta Brielle’s ‘One Shot,’ stage play, Crystal Corcuchia briefly portrays a young version of Netta Brielle. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tired of belittling the biggest moments of her life, she’s now sharing the tales that she’s glossed over or tucked away. “I’m trying to embrace that in this story,” she says of the show. A multitalented artist who’s seen highs and lows, Netta is the amalgamation of these anecdotes. “It is a big part of who I am, and why I see things the way I do,” she tells me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Netta will perform the “musical memoir” in front of a small studio audience in the Bay Area in November. She’ll also film it, and release it later this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The production charts Netta’s path as a lifelong entertainer. As a kid, she performed at Oakland’s Fruitvale Playhouse, Berkeley’s Black Repertory Group Theater and San Francisco’s ACT. She later studied art at San Jose State, where she earned her degree after taking a break to pursue music. During that hiatus, she was singed to Atlantic Records, where she worked directly with music mogul Andre Harrell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5JQ3KKIW5g\">made songs with stars like T.I.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That all seems like a lifetime ago to Netta now. She’s currently in her final semester of a graduate program at Cal State Los Angeles, where she’s focused on the theater arts and retracing her love of storytelling in all its forms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I used to be into Shakespeare really deeply,” Netta reflects. But “every time I tried to go back to it, it always felt like the Bible. I wanted to understand, but a lot of the language was a little confusing for me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lately she’s had to revisit Shakespeare, specifically \u003cem>The Winter’s Tale\u003c/em>. “It was one of the pieces that I performed in one of my classes,” says Netta, “and it went over really well.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story of a queen who needs to convince her romantic partner that she’s worthy of love resonated with Netta’s own experiences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m always having to plead and show why I’m deserving, why I am committed and loyal,” she laments, noting that this time around, Shakespeare’s language spoke to her. Netta even references Queen Hermione’s monologue in her own play. “I figured I would add that in,” Netta says, of her writing process, “just to show that \u003cem>I do this for real.\u003c/em>“\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1492\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e.jpeg\" alt=\"A girl and a woman in a studio, rehearing for a play.\" class=\"wp-image-13995237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e-160x119.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e-768x573.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e-1536x1146.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crystal Corcuchia and Netta Brielle rehearsing for the stage play, ‘One Shot.’ \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of Netta’s monologue, there’s humorous observations alongside the trauma of losing multiple family members and seeing loved ones subjected to domestic violence. “There’s a lot of people from the Bay Area,” says Netta, “who have shared a lot of similarities with my story.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The title of the play, \u003cem>One Shot\u003c/em>, is born from the misleading idea that artists, and humans in general, only have one shot to achieve their dream.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But “everybody’s journey doesn’t look the same,” Netta attests. “Just because this works for me this way, doesn’t mean that it could for someone else, or vice versa.” What’s actually important in life, she says, is “taking a chance at something that terrifies you. And if it doesn’t work, it’s okay.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlearning that notion, of there being one and one chance only to reach a goal, has been an exercise in real time for the entertainer. “But the truth of the matter is,” she says, “there’s so many opportunities and shots you can take.” Pivoting is necessary for success, she says — it’s just not often talked about broadly. “And I think that we need to see more of \u003cem>those\u003c/em> stories.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of the play, Netta is joined on stage by a young actress, Crystal Corcuchia, who plays a young version of the R&B singer and playwright. On stage, the child asks Netta questions about success. “Are we famous?” the girl asks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Sometimes,” Netta responds. “We learned to stop waiting for the applause … We are everything we want to be, just not exactly how you imagined it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Netta Brielle’s ‘One Shot’ performance will be filmed in front of a small Bay Area audience in November. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nettabrielle/?hl=en\">More information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tired of belittling the biggest moments of her life, she’s now sharing the tales that she’s glossed over or tucked away. “I’m trying to embrace that in this story,” she says of the show. A multitalented artist who’s seen highs and lows, Netta is the amalgamation of these anecdotes. “It is a big part of who I am, and why I see things the way I do,” she tells me. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tired of belittling the biggest moments of her life, she’s now sharing the tales that she’s glossed over or tucked away. “I’m trying to embrace that in this story,” she says of the show. A multitalented artist who’s seen highs and lows, Netta is the amalgamation of these anecdotes. “It is a big part of who I am, and why I see things the way I do,” she tells me. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Netta will perform the “musical memoir” in front of a small studio audience in the Bay Area in November. She’ll also film it, and release it later this year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The production charts Netta’s path as a lifelong entertainer. As a kid, she performed at Oakland’s Fruitvale Playhouse, Berkeley’s Black Repertory Group Theater and San Francisco’s ACT. She later studied art at San Jose State, where she earned her degree after taking a break to pursue music. During that hiatus, she was singed to Atlantic Records, where she worked directly with music mogul Andre Harrell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5JQ3KKIW5g\">made songs with stars like T.I.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The production charts Netta’s path as a lifelong entertainer. As a kid, she performed at Oakland’s Fruitvale Playhouse, Berkeley’s Black Repertory Group Theater and San Francisco’s ACT. She later studied art at San Jose State, where she earned her degree after taking a break to pursue music. During that hiatus, she was singed to Atlantic Records, where she worked directly with music mogul Andre Harrell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5JQ3KKIW5g\">made songs with stars like T.I.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That all seems like a lifetime ago to Netta now. She’s currently in her final semester of a graduate program at Cal State Los Angeles, where she’s focused on the theater arts and retracing her love of storytelling in all its forms.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That all seems like a lifetime ago to Netta now. She’s currently in her final semester of a graduate program at Cal State Los Angeles, where she’s focused on the theater arts and retracing her love of storytelling in all its forms.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I used to be into Shakespeare really deeply,” Netta reflects. But “every time I tried to go back to it, it always felt like the Bible. I wanted to understand, but a lot of the language was a little confusing for me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I used to be into Shakespeare really deeply,” Netta reflects. But “every time I tried to go back to it, it always felt like the Bible. I wanted to understand, but a lot of the language was a little confusing for me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lately she’s had to revisit Shakespeare, specifically \u003cem>The Winter’s Tale\u003c/em>. “It was one of the pieces that I performed in one of my classes,” says Netta, “and it went over really well.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Lately she’s had to revisit Shakespeare, specifically \u003cem>The Winter’s Tale\u003c/em>. “It was one of the pieces that I performed in one of my classes,” says Netta, “and it went over really well.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The story of a queen who needs to convince her romantic partner that she’s worthy of love resonated with Netta’s own experiences.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m always having to plead and show why I’m deserving, why I am committed and loyal,” she laments, noting that this time around, Shakespeare’s language spoke to her. Netta even references Queen Hermione’s monologue in her own play. “I figured I would add that in,” Netta says, of her writing process, “just to show that \u003cem>I do this for real.\u003c/em>“\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’m always having to plead and show why I’m deserving, why I am committed and loyal,” she laments, noting that this time around, Shakespeare’s language spoke to her. Netta even references Queen Hermione’s monologue in her own play. “I figured I would add that in,” Netta says, of her writing process, “just to show that \u003cem>I do this for real.\u003c/em>“\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the course of Netta’s monologue, there’s humorous observations alongside the trauma of losing multiple family members and seeing loved ones subjected to domestic violence. “There’s a lot of people from the Bay Area,” says Netta, “who have shared a lot of similarities with my story.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The title of the play, \u003cem>One Shot\u003c/em>, is born from the misleading idea that artists, and humans in general, only have one shot to achieve their dream.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The title of the play, \u003cem>One Shot\u003c/em>, is born from the misleading idea that artists, and humans in general, only have one shot to achieve their dream.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But “everybody’s journey doesn’t look the same,” Netta attests. “Just because this works for me this way, doesn’t mean that it could for someone else, or vice versa.” What’s actually important in life, she says, is “taking a chance at something that terrifies you. And if it doesn’t work, it’s okay.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But “everybody’s journey doesn’t look the same,” Netta attests. “Just because this works for me this way, doesn’t mean that it could for someone else, or vice versa.” What’s actually important in life, she says, is “taking a chance at something that terrifies you. And if it doesn’t work, it’s okay.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unlearning that notion, of there being one and one chance only to reach a goal, has been an exercise in real time for the entertainer. “But the truth of the matter is,” she says, “there’s so many opportunities and shots you can take.” Pivoting is necessary for success, she says — it’s just not often talked about broadly. “And I think that we need to see more of \u003cem>those\u003c/em> stories.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Unlearning that notion, of there being one and one chance only to reach a goal, has been an exercise in real time for the entertainer. “But the truth of the matter is,” she says, “there’s so many opportunities and shots you can take.” Pivoting is necessary for success, she says — it’s just not often talked about broadly. “And I think that we need to see more of \u003cem>those\u003c/em> stories.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the end of the play, Netta is joined on stage by a young actress, Crystal Corcuchia, who plays a young version of the R&B singer and playwright. On stage, the child asks Netta questions about success. “Are we famous?” the girl asks.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the end of the play, Netta is joined on stage by a young actress, Crystal Corcuchia, who plays a young version of the R&B singer and playwright. On stage, the child asks Netta questions about success. “Are we famous?” the girl asks.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Sometimes,” Netta responds. “We learned to stop waiting for the applause … We are everything we want to be, just not exactly how you imagined it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Sometimes,” Netta responds. “We learned to stop waiting for the applause … We are everything we want to be, just not exactly how you imagined it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Netta Brielle’s ‘One Shot’ performance will be filmed in front of a small Bay Area audience in November. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nettabrielle/?hl=en\">More information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Netta Brielle’s ‘One Shot’ performance will be filmed in front of a small Bay Area audience in November. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nettabrielle/?hl=en\">More information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Netta Brielle tells her life story in a new, intimate stage play about pursuing one's dreams.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a singer, R&B artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13864299/after-leaving-behind-a-record-deal-netta-brielle-rediscovers-her-motivation\">Netta Brielle\u003c/a> has told her story through music for over a decade. With lyrics inspired by lived experiences, she’s cloaked it all in clever poetry, soothing harmonies and electric vocal runs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, she’s bringing her life story to the theater with a new one-woman show, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/untitled-campaign-g0023l\">One Shot\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. With intimate aspects of her career and personal life, she says, the stage play contains details that even people who’ve known her for years aren’t going to believe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You really rapped for Tupac?” I blurt out during a recent phone call. “Yes!” she responds, “Crazy, right?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Netta was just a 6th grader when her sister took her to a studio in East Oakland to kick some rhymes for the late thug poet. “I never talk about it,” Netta concedes, “because I don’t have the picture. It almost feels like it never happened.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2369\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81.jpeg\" alt=\"An African-American woman and a young girl pose for photo while sitting on wooden stairs.\" class=\"wp-image-13995235\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-160x190.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-768x910.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-1297x1536.jpeg 1297w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3390-02e1b7a6-edited-b3bedc81-1729x2048.jpeg 1729w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In Netta Brielle’s ‘One Shot,’ stage play, Crystal Corcuchia briefly portrays a young version of Netta Brielle. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tired of belittling the biggest moments of her life, she’s now sharing the tales that she’s glossed over or tucked away. “I’m trying to embrace that in this story,” she says of the show. A multitalented artist who’s seen highs and lows, Netta is the amalgamation of these anecdotes. “It is a big part of who I am, and why I see things the way I do,” she tells me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Netta will perform the “musical memoir” in front of a small studio audience in the Bay Area in November. She’ll also film it, and release it later this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The production charts Netta’s path as a lifelong entertainer. As a kid, she performed at Oakland’s Fruitvale Playhouse, Berkeley’s Black Repertory Group Theater and San Francisco’s ACT. She later studied art at San Jose State, where she earned her degree after taking a break to pursue music. During that hiatus, she was singed to Atlantic Records, where she worked directly with music mogul Andre Harrell and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5JQ3KKIW5g\">made songs with stars like T.I.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That all seems like a lifetime ago to Netta now. She’s currently in her final semester of a graduate program at Cal State Los Angeles, where she’s focused on the theater arts and retracing her love of storytelling in all its forms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I used to be into Shakespeare really deeply,” Netta reflects. But “every time I tried to go back to it, it always felt like the Bible. I wanted to understand, but a lot of the language was a little confusing for me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lately she’s had to revisit Shakespeare, specifically \u003cem>The Winter’s Tale\u003c/em>. “It was one of the pieces that I performed in one of my classes,” says Netta, “and it went over really well.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story of a queen who needs to convince her romantic partner that she’s worthy of love resonated with Netta’s own experiences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m always having to plead and show why I’m deserving, why I am committed and loyal,” she laments, noting that this time around, Shakespeare’s language spoke to her. Netta even references Queen Hermione’s monologue in her own play. “I figured I would add that in,” Netta says, of her writing process, “just to show that \u003cem>I do this for real.\u003c/em>“\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1492\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e.jpeg\" alt=\"A girl and a woman in a studio, rehearing for a play.\" class=\"wp-image-13995237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e-160x119.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e-768x573.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_3360-e5794bfc-edited-7788c79e-1536x1146.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crystal Corcuchia and Netta Brielle rehearsing for the stage play, ‘One Shot.’ \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of Netta’s monologue, there’s humorous observations alongside the trauma of losing multiple family members and seeing loved ones subjected to domestic violence. “There’s a lot of people from the Bay Area,” says Netta, “who have shared a lot of similarities with my story.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The title of the play, \u003cem>One Shot\u003c/em>, is born from the misleading idea that artists, and humans in general, only have one shot to achieve their dream.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But “everybody’s journey doesn’t look the same,” Netta attests. “Just because this works for me this way, doesn’t mean that it could for someone else, or vice versa.” What’s actually important in life, she says, is “taking a chance at something that terrifies you. And if it doesn’t work, it’s okay.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlearning that notion, of there being one and one chance only to reach a goal, has been an exercise in real time for the entertainer. “But the truth of the matter is,” she says, “there’s so many opportunities and shots you can take.” Pivoting is necessary for success, she says — it’s just not often talked about broadly. “And I think that we need to see more of \u003cem>those\u003c/em> stories.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of the play, Netta is joined on stage by a young actress, Crystal Corcuchia, who plays a young version of the R&B singer and playwright. On stage, the child asks Netta questions about success. “Are we famous?” the girl asks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Sometimes,” Netta responds. “We learned to stop waiting for the applause … We are everything we want to be, just not exactly how you imagined it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Netta Brielle’s ‘One Shot’ performance will be filmed in front of a small Bay Area audience in November. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nettabrielle/?hl=en\">More information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-party-1972-liani-david-greaves",
"title": "Incredible Footage of a World-Class Party at Duke Ellington’s Apartment, Released 54 Years Later",
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"headTitle": "Incredible Footage of a World-Class Party at Duke Ellington’s Apartment, Released 54 Years Later | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s an August night in 1972, and inside of Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse, there’s a cocktail party full of cultural giants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Artists who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most significant artistic movements in U.S. history, sip drinks and swap stories. Photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/james-van-der-zee\">James Van Der Zee\u003c/a>, painter \u003ca href=\"https://beardenfoundation.org/romare-bearden/\">Romare Bearden\u003c/a> and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ue.berkeley.edu/projects-initiatives/guide-150-years-women-uc-berkeley-mural/louise-alone-thompson-patterson\">Louise Alone Thompson Patterson\u003c/a> are present. They’re joined by the likes of scholar \u003ca href=\"https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/john-henrik-clarke-born/\">John Henrik Clarke\u003c/a>, music composer \u003ca href=\"https://www.operabaltimore.org/eubie-blake\">Eubie Blake\u003c/a> and others, as the group discusses big questions. Namely, \u003cem>What was the Harlem Renaissance?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This gathering forms the basis for the new documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESnX3LQbCVI\">Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which is part national treasure, part family heirloom, all wrapped up in a 100-minute film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2308\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0.jpg\" alt=\"Two people, an older African American man and a middle aged African American woman, sit on a couch and pose for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13994983\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-160x185.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-768x886.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-1331x1536.jpg 1331w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-1775x2048.jpg 1775w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Greaves and Liani Greaves, pictured in Mill Valley, are the father-daughter duo behind the film ‘Once Upon A Time in Harlem,’ currently showing at select theaters. (Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> comes to the Bay Area this weekend at screenings in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland, each accompanied by a Q&A with the filmmaking daughter-father duo of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lianigreaves/?hl=en\">Liani Greaves\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sundance.org/blogs/give-me-the-backstory-get-to-know-david-greaves-the-co-director-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem/\">David Greaves\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before a screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival earlier this month, Liani and David shared a green room couch as they explained that the production of \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> actually spans three generations. The original 1972 footage was orchestrated by David’s late father, the filmmaker \u003ca href=\"http://www.williamgreaves.com/\">William Greaves\u003c/a>, who also organized the party in the film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William, a member of the Black Filmmaker’s Hall of Fame, is most widely recognized for the landmark experimental film \u003cem>Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968\u003c/em>). But David says his father did much more. He did communications for the United Nations and acted alongside Sidney Poitier, he made films about historical figures and documented the times — specifically Black America in the mid-1900s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“He has a whole body of work,” David says of his father’s vast catalog. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-1536x1037.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">William Greaves on the set of ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem,’ with son David Greaves holding a camera. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liani adds that her grandfather made over 79 films and worked on 200 others, but he always considered the footage that came to be \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> “the most important event that he’d ever put on film.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The subject matter certainly helped. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was a period of high art, fly fashion, political astuteness and intellectual prowess. In the film, writer George Schuyler characterizes the period as “an awakening of people who wrote and thought,” while poet Arna Bontemps praises its “prism reflecting all of the Black experience, from the beginnings to the present.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William died in 2014, and both David and Liani credit William’s widow, Louise Archambault Greaves, for preserving the footage and encouraging them to pursue the project. (Louise herself died in 2023.) Once in possession of the reels, the duo worked with editors to restore William’s footage of the salon-style gathering from over 50 years ago, pulling the most moving clips from over 60,000 feet worth of 16mm film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You just sit down and go through it,” David tells me with a laugh, reflecting on the filmmaking process. “It’s just a matter of looking at it all.” As a young adult, he was actually one of the cameramen present that day, but David says he doesn’t clearly recall the shoot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-1536x1037.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Leigh Whipper, featured in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the editing process, Liani noticed that of the artists in the film who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, “many of them say they didn’t know that \u003cem>that’s\u003c/em> what they were doing,” she says. “They were just being artists.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liani, who earlier in her career worked on cult classics \u003cem>I Like It Like That\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Above The Rim,\u003c/em> says that in making \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em>, she saw the importance of “paying attention to your now,” because “this is history being made, this is the legacy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the course of conversing, some elders recite full poems and monologues from memory. “That’s who they were,” David Greaves tells me. “The poetry of the time was \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>much\u003c/em> of an event, and \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>geared\u003c/em> into what was happening,” he says, referencing pieces like Claude McKay’s “If I Must Die” and Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I think about how hip-hop too, has a place in telling the times,” says Liani. “That’s what the poetry was.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also credits the lack of modern technology for the elders’ ability to recite lines from 50 years prior. “That is what your brain would look like without being on cell phones,” Liani says. Being in your 80s with a keen mind, she adds, is the product of regularly reading and writing things out by hand. “And it’s pretty amazing.”\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=ESnX3LQbCVI\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At points, the film shows contention between attendees, as the the cross-room discussion turns into a sparring match about the significance of certain historical figures and works of art. “Not everybody agreed with everyone else across the board,” Liani says. “But much of the Renaissance is about that — it’s about them getting together anyhow.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also important were the spaces where all that getting together took place, including the public library. “They were very much the nucleus for so many of the artists,” says Liani of the library branches. “The librarians were that first stop, they were the ones that were introducing people to each other.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After closing time, librarians would invite people into their private residences to continue the conversations. In the film, librarian Regina Anderson Andrews reflects on how Langston Hughes might be writing a poem in one corner while Aaron Douglas sketched in another. “It’s exciting to think about that,” says Liani, “and to think about it now — could that happen now? Those are the things that would need to be happening. The artist would need to be\u003cem> really\u003c/em> in that space.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"968\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995099\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b-768x581.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Journalist Gerri Major featured in a scene from ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The documentary is dense, and almost calls for a notepad to write down the names of historical figures who deserve more fanfare, like the successful businesswoman A’Leila Walker or the multitalented performing artist Florence Mills.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout, the audience is subtly reminded this was a group of people from the African Diaspora — some one generation removed from U.S. slavery, others children of immigrants, but all immersed in the pursuit of intellectual growth and artistic expression.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And beyond the narrative onscreen is the story of a family working together, and allowing viewers to soak up a slice of history, with a side of spiritual stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1563\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An African-American man and woman pose for a photo outside, on a walkway in a tree-lined area.\" class=\"wp-image-13994984\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-scaled.jpg 1563w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-160x262.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-768x1258.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-938x1536.jpg 938w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-1250x2048.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1563px) 100vw, 1563px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Greaves and Liani Greaves at the 2026 Mill Valley Film Festival before a screening of their documentary, ‘Once Upon A Time in Harlem.’ (Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Well, it certainly wasn’t planned,” says Liani about working with her father. The two share a birthday of Oct. 2 and a love of laughter, the latter of which was key to the filmmaking process. “Humor is important,” she says, sitting next to her dad. “We don’t take anybody too seriously.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there’s balance, as they both know how important this work is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s so precious,” Liani clarifies, adding that the combination of care and joy are the key ingredients. “We wanted for this to be a really beautiful experience because we knew the creation of it would honor my grandparents, and also those ancestors that are in the film.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem screens at San Francisco’s AMC Kabuki 8 on Friday, Oct. 30; Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood on Saturday, Oct. 31; and Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater on Sunday, Nov. 1. Filmmakers Liani Greaves and David Greaves will be present for each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Artists who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most significant artistic movements in U.S. history, sip drinks and swap stories. Photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/james-van-der-zee\">James Van Der Zee\u003c/a>, painter \u003ca href=\"https://beardenfoundation.org/romare-bearden/\">Romare Bearden\u003c/a> and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ue.berkeley.edu/projects-initiatives/guide-150-years-women-uc-berkeley-mural/louise-alone-thompson-patterson\">Louise Alone Thompson Patterson\u003c/a> are present. They’re joined by the likes of scholar \u003ca href=\"https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/john-henrik-clarke-born/\">John Henrik Clarke\u003c/a>, music composer \u003ca href=\"https://www.operabaltimore.org/eubie-blake\">Eubie Blake\u003c/a> and others, as the group discusses big questions. Namely, \u003cem>What was the Harlem Renaissance?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0.jpg\" alt=\"Two people, an older African American man and a middle aged African American woman, sit on a couch and pose for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13994983\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-160x185.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-768x886.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-1331x1536.jpg 1331w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-1775x2048.jpg 1775w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Greaves and Liani Greaves, pictured in Mill Valley, are the father-daughter duo behind the film ‘Once Upon A Time in Harlem,’ currently showing at select theaters. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> comes to the Bay Area this weekend at screenings in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland, each accompanied by a Q&A with the filmmaking daughter-father duo of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lianigreaves/?hl=en\">Liani Greaves\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sundance.org/blogs/give-me-the-backstory-get-to-know-david-greaves-the-co-director-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem/\">David Greaves\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before a screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival earlier this month, Liani and David shared a green room couch as they explained that the production of \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> actually spans three generations. The original 1972 footage was orchestrated by David’s late father, the filmmaker \u003ca href=\"http://www.williamgreaves.com/\">William Greaves\u003c/a>, who also organized the party in the film.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Before a screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival earlier this month, Liani and David shared a green room couch as they explained that the production of \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> actually spans three generations. The original 1972 footage was orchestrated by David’s late father, the filmmaker \u003ca href=\"http://www.williamgreaves.com/\">William Greaves\u003c/a>, who also organized the party in the film.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>William, a member of the Black Filmmaker’s Hall of Fame, is most widely recognized for the landmark experimental film \u003cem>Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968\u003c/em>). But David says his father did much more. He did communications for the United Nations and acted alongside Sidney Poitier, he made films about historical figures and documented the times — specifically Black America in the mid-1900s.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>William, a member of the Black Filmmaker’s Hall of Fame, is most widely recognized for the landmark experimental film \u003cem>Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968\u003c/em>). But David says his father did much more. He did communications for the United Nations and acted alongside Sidney Poitier, he made films about historical figures and documented the times — specifically Black America in the mid-1900s.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He has a whole body of work,” David says of his father’s vast catalog. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-1536x1037.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">William Greaves on the set of ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem,’ with son David Greaves holding a camera.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Liani adds that her grandfather made over 79 films and worked on 200 others, but he always considered the footage that came to be \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> “the most important event that he’d ever put on film.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The subject matter certainly helped. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was a period of high art, fly fashion, political astuteness and intellectual prowess. In the film, writer George Schuyler characterizes the period as “an awakening of people who wrote and thought,” while poet Arna Bontemps praises its “prism reflecting all of the Black experience, from the beginnings to the present.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>William died in 2014, and both David and Liani credit William’s widow, Louise Archambault Greaves, for preserving the footage and encouraging them to pursue the project. (Louise herself died in 2023.) Once in possession of the reels, the duo worked with editors to restore William’s footage of the salon-style gathering from over 50 years ago, pulling the most moving clips from over 60,000 feet worth of 16mm film.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>William died in 2014, and both David and Liani credit William’s widow, Louise Archambault Greaves, for preserving the footage and encouraging them to pursue the project. (Louise herself died in 2023.) Once in possession of the reels, the duo worked with editors to restore William’s footage of the salon-style gathering from over 50 years ago, pulling the most moving clips from over 60,000 feet worth of 16mm film.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You just sit down and go through it,” David tells me with a laugh, reflecting on the filmmaking process. “It’s just a matter of looking at it all.” As a young adult, he was actually one of the cameramen present that day, but David says he doesn’t clearly recall the shoot.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You just sit down and go through it,” David tells me with a laugh, reflecting on the filmmaking process. “It’s just a matter of looking at it all.” As a young adult, he was actually one of the cameramen present that day, but David says he doesn’t clearly recall the shoot.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-1536x1037.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Leigh Whipper, featured in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the editing process, Liani noticed that of the artists in the film who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, “many of them say they didn’t know that \u003cem>that’s\u003c/em> what they were doing,” she says. “They were just being artists.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Liani, who earlier in her career worked on cult classics \u003cem>I Like It Like That\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Above The Rim,\u003c/em> says that in making \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em>, she saw the importance of “paying attention to your now,” because “this is history being made, this is the legacy.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the course of conversing, some elders recite full poems and monologues from memory. “That’s who they were,” David Greaves tells me. “The poetry of the time was \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>much\u003c/em> of an event, and \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>geared\u003c/em> into what was happening,” he says, referencing pieces like Claude McKay’s “If I Must Die” and Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the course of conversing, some elders recite full poems and monologues from memory. “That’s who they were,” David Greaves tells me. “The poetry of the time was \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>much\u003c/em> of an event, and \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>geared\u003c/em> into what was happening,” he says, referencing pieces like Claude McKay’s “If I Must Die” and Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think about how hip-hop too, has a place in telling the times,” says Liani. “That’s what the poetry was.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She also credits the lack of modern technology for the elders’ ability to recite lines from 50 years prior. “That is what your brain would look like without being on cell phones,” Liani says. Being in your 80s with a keen mind, she adds, is the product of regularly reading and writing things out by hand. “And it’s pretty amazing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At points, the film shows contention between attendees, as the the cross-room discussion turns into a sparring match about the significance of certain historical figures and works of art. “Not everybody agreed with everyone else across the board,” Liani says. “But much of the Renaissance is about that — it’s about them getting together anyhow.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Also important were the spaces where all that getting together took place, including the public library. “They were very much the nucleus for so many of the artists,” says Liani of the library branches. “The librarians were that first stop, they were the ones that were introducing people to each other.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After closing time, librarians would invite people into their private residences to continue the conversations. In the film, librarian Regina Anderson Andrews reflects on how Langston Hughes might be writing a poem in one corner while Aaron Douglas sketched in another. “It’s exciting to think about that,” says Liani, “and to think about it now — could that happen now? Those are the things that would need to be happening. The artist would need to be\u003cem> really\u003c/em> in that space.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The documentary is dense, and almost calls for a notepad to write down the names of historical figures who deserve more fanfare, like the successful businesswoman A’Leila Walker or the multitalented performing artist Florence Mills.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Throughout, the audience is subtly reminded this was a group of people from the African Diaspora — some one generation removed from U.S. slavery, others children of immigrants, but all immersed in the pursuit of intellectual growth and artistic expression.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And beyond the narrative onscreen is the story of a family working together, and allowing viewers to soak up a slice of history, with a side of spiritual stewardship.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Well, it certainly wasn’t planned,” says Liani about working with her father. The two share a birthday of Oct. 2 and a love of laughter, the latter of which was key to the filmmaking process. “Humor is important,” she says, sitting next to her dad. “We don’t take anybody too seriously.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s so precious,” Liani clarifies, adding that the combination of care and joy are the key ingredients. “We wanted for this to be a really beautiful experience because we knew the creation of it would honor my grandparents, and also those ancestors that are in the film.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem screens at San Francisco’s AMC Kabuki 8 on Friday, Oct. 30; Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood on Saturday, Oct. 31; and Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater on Sunday, Nov. 1. Filmmakers Liani Greaves and David Greaves will be present for each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem screens at San Francisco’s AMC Kabuki 8 on Friday, Oct. 30; Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood on Saturday, Oct. 31; and Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater on Sunday, Nov. 1. Filmmakers Liani Greaves and David Greaves will be present for each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ captures a historic salon-style artists' gathering in 1972. ",
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"title": "Incredible Footage of a World-Class Party at Duke Ellington’s Apartment, Released 54 Years Later | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s an August night in 1972, and inside of Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse, there’s a cocktail party full of cultural giants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Artists who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most significant artistic movements in U.S. history, sip drinks and swap stories. Photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/james-van-der-zee\">James Van Der Zee\u003c/a>, painter \u003ca href=\"https://beardenfoundation.org/romare-bearden/\">Romare Bearden\u003c/a> and activist \u003ca href=\"https://ue.berkeley.edu/projects-initiatives/guide-150-years-women-uc-berkeley-mural/louise-alone-thompson-patterson\">Louise Alone Thompson Patterson\u003c/a> are present. They’re joined by the likes of scholar \u003ca href=\"https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/john-henrik-clarke-born/\">John Henrik Clarke\u003c/a>, music composer \u003ca href=\"https://www.operabaltimore.org/eubie-blake\">Eubie Blake\u003c/a> and others, as the group discusses big questions. Namely, \u003cem>What was the Harlem Renaissance?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This gathering forms the basis for the new documentary \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESnX3LQbCVI\">Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which is part national treasure, part family heirloom, all wrapped up in a 100-minute film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2308\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0.jpg\" alt=\"Two people, an older African American man and a middle aged African American woman, sit on a couch and pose for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13994983\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-160x185.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-768x886.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-1331x1536.jpg 1331w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DavidLianiGreaves-00b25fd0-1775x2048.jpg 1775w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Greaves and Liani Greaves, pictured in Mill Valley, are the father-daughter duo behind the film ‘Once Upon A Time in Harlem,’ currently showing at select theaters. (Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> comes to the Bay Area this weekend at screenings in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland, each accompanied by a Q&A with the filmmaking daughter-father duo of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lianigreaves/?hl=en\">Liani Greaves\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sundance.org/blogs/give-me-the-backstory-get-to-know-david-greaves-the-co-director-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem/\">David Greaves\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before a screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival earlier this month, Liani and David shared a green room couch as they explained that the production of \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> actually spans three generations. The original 1972 footage was orchestrated by David’s late father, the filmmaker \u003ca href=\"http://www.williamgreaves.com/\">William Greaves\u003c/a>, who also organized the party in the film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William, a member of the Black Filmmaker’s Hall of Fame, is most widely recognized for the landmark experimental film \u003cem>Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968\u003c/em>). But David says his father did much more. He did communications for the United Nations and acted alongside Sidney Poitier, he made films about historical figures and documented the times — specifically Black America in the mid-1900s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“He has a whole body of work,” David says of his father’s vast catalog. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/william-greaves-on-the-set-of-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-26989cbe-1536x1037.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">William Greaves on the set of ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem,’ with son David Greaves holding a camera. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liani adds that her grandfather made over 79 films and worked on 200 others, but he always considered the footage that came to be \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em> “the most important event that he’d ever put on film.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The subject matter certainly helped. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was a period of high art, fly fashion, political astuteness and intellectual prowess. In the film, writer George Schuyler characterizes the period as “an awakening of people who wrote and thought,” while poet Arna Bontemps praises its “prism reflecting all of the Black experience, from the beginnings to the present.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William died in 2014, and both David and Liani credit William’s widow, Louise Archambault Greaves, for preserving the footage and encouraging them to pursue the project. (Louise herself died in 2023.) Once in possession of the reels, the duo worked with editors to restore William’s footage of the salon-style gathering from over 50 years ago, pulling the most moving clips from over 60,000 feet worth of 16mm film.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You just sit down and go through it,” David tells me with a laugh, reflecting on the filmmaking process. “It’s just a matter of looking at it all.” As a young adult, he was actually one of the cameramen present that day, but David says he doesn’t clearly recall the shoot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/leigh-whipper-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-fca60c28-1536x1037.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Leigh Whipper, featured in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the editing process, Liani noticed that of the artists in the film who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, “many of them say they didn’t know that \u003cem>that’s\u003c/em> what they were doing,” she says. “They were just being artists.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liani, who earlier in her career worked on cult classics \u003cem>I Like It Like That\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Above The Rim,\u003c/em> says that in making \u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem\u003c/em>, she saw the importance of “paying attention to your now,” because “this is history being made, this is the legacy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the course of conversing, some elders recite full poems and monologues from memory. “That’s who they were,” David Greaves tells me. “The poetry of the time was \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>much\u003c/em> of an event, and \u003cem>so\u003c/em> \u003cem>geared\u003c/em> into what was happening,” he says, referencing pieces like Claude McKay’s “If I Must Die” and Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I think about how hip-hop too, has a place in telling the times,” says Liani. “That’s what the poetry was.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also credits the lack of modern technology for the elders’ ability to recite lines from 50 years prior. “That is what your brain would look like without being on cell phones,” Liani says. Being in your 80s with a keen mind, she adds, is the product of regularly reading and writing things out by hand. “And it’s pretty amazing.”\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/ESnX3LQbCVI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ESnX3LQbCVI'\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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At points, the film shows contention between attendees, as the the cross-room discussion turns into a sparring match about the significance of certain historical figures and works of art. “Not everybody agreed with everyone else across the board,” Liani says. “But much of the Renaissance is about that — it’s about them getting together anyhow.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also important were the spaces where all that getting together took place, including the public library. “They were very much the nucleus for so many of the artists,” says Liani of the library branches. “The librarians were that first stop, they were the ones that were introducing people to each other.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After closing time, librarians would invite people into their private residences to continue the conversations. In the film, librarian Regina Anderson Andrews reflects on how Langston Hughes might be writing a poem in one corner while Aaron Douglas sketched in another. “It’s exciting to think about that,” says Liani, “and to think about it now — could that happen now? Those are the things that would need to be happening. The artist would need to be\u003cem> really\u003c/em> in that space.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"968\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995099\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/still-5-gerri-major-in-once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-courtesy-of-neon-1280x968-1-7894511b-768x581.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Journalist Gerri Major featured in a scene from ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The documentary is dense, and almost calls for a notepad to write down the names of historical figures who deserve more fanfare, like the successful businesswoman A’Leila Walker or the multitalented performing artist Florence Mills.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout, the audience is subtly reminded this was a group of people from the African Diaspora — some one generation removed from U.S. slavery, others children of immigrants, but all immersed in the pursuit of intellectual growth and artistic expression.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And beyond the narrative onscreen is the story of a family working together, and allowing viewers to soak up a slice of history, with a side of spiritual stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1563\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An African-American man and woman pose for a photo outside, on a walkway in a tree-lined area.\" class=\"wp-image-13994984\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-scaled.jpg 1563w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-160x262.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-768x1258.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-938x1536.jpg 938w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/David_Liani_Greaves-9eb399ac-1250x2048.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1563px) 100vw, 1563px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Greaves and Liani Greaves at the 2026 Mill Valley Film Festival before a screening of their documentary, ‘Once Upon A Time in Harlem.’ (Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Well, it certainly wasn’t planned,” says Liani about working with her father. The two share a birthday of Oct. 2 and a love of laughter, the latter of which was key to the filmmaking process. “Humor is important,” she says, sitting next to her dad. “We don’t take anybody too seriously.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there’s balance, as they both know how important this work is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s so precious,” Liani clarifies, adding that the combination of care and joy are the key ingredients. “We wanted for this to be a really beautiful experience because we knew the creation of it would honor my grandparents, and also those ancestors that are in the film.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Once Upon a Time in Harlem screens at San Francisco’s AMC Kabuki 8 on Friday, Oct. 30; Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood on Saturday, Oct. 31; and Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater on Sunday, Nov. 1. Filmmakers Liani Greaves and David Greaves will be present for each screening.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "ras-ceylon-oasis-tea-party-lama-shack-oakland-killah-priest",
"title": "At Ras Ceylon’s Upcoming Show, Bars Come With a Cup of Tea",
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"content": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1570\" height=\"2223\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg\" alt=\"A man in sunglasses, black shirt and multicolored pants posing for a photo near a lake.\" class=\"wp-image-13994893\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg 1570w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-160x227.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-768x1087.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-1085x1536.jpg 1085w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-1446x2048.jpg 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1570px) 100vw, 1570px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ras Ceylon, an Oakland-based MC and educator, recently dropped an album titled ‘Scrollz of Lion Rock.’ The project was executive produced by the late Oliver ‘Power’ Grant (co-founder of Wu-Tang Clan/founder of Wu Wear), Ras Ceylon made the album to honor Grant. (TKL Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As lyricists spit hot bars and attendees sip warm drinks on Oct. 24 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelamashack.com/\">the LAMA Shack\u003c/a> in Oakland, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rasceylon/\">Ras Ceylon\u003c/a> wants to move the crowd with what he calls “hip-hop with a purpose.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ve been trained in the craft of MCing, so I take it very seriously,” Ceylon tells KQED during a recent phone call. “And the stage show is a major part of that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This Saturday’s event, the Oasis Tea Party, is part tea ceremony and part cypher. Wu-Tang’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/realkillahpriest/\">Killah Priest\u003c/a> is set to headline, and his touring soirée features a slate of bar spitters, including Ras Ceylon, Fresno’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/planetasiamedallions/\">Planet Asia\u003c/a> and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/casualrapgod/\">Casual\u003c/a> (of Hieroglyphics).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“And the sound system is clean,” Ras Ceylon adds, describing the LAMA Shack. “It’s got a little pond with a beautiful stage; it’s a really great way to enjoy music and be together in community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1682\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994894\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg 1682w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-160x244.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-768x1169.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-1009x1536.jpg 1009w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-1346x2048.jpg 1346w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1682px) 100vw, 1682px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As October is Black Panther History Month, Ras Ceylon says it’s important to remind artists to make relevant music and stay involved politically. (TKL Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A veteran MC, Ras Ceylon is familiar with all parties involved: he’s performed at the LAMA Shack and rocked shows with Killah Priest. Ceylon’s latest project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://rasceylon.bandcamp.com/album/scrollz-of-lion-rock\">Scrollz of Lion Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, features Wu-Tang Clan member \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialcappadonna/?hl=en\">Cappadonna \u003c/a>and Planet Asia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’ve been really pushing the physical release,” Ceylon tells me, breaking down his album distribution strategy. He’s printed three different vinyl variants, as well as CDs and cassette tapes. And he’s been moving them like it’s the late 1900s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“While the average person, right now, consumes music primarily through streaming,” he says, “there is an emerging rebirth of supporters of the music investing in the physical product.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His point is backed by data. In 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162568704/vinyl-outsells-cds-first-time-since-1987-records\">vinyl outsold CDs\u003c/a> for the first time since 1987. Last year \u003ca href=\"https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/\">the RIAA reported\u003c/a> that vinyl sales generated over $1.04 billion dollars. For some artists, \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewleimkuehler/2026/03/16/vinyl-sales-surpassed-1-billion-in-2025-report/\">pressing albums\u003c/a> is as lucrative as it was 40 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The audience is starting to realize that the artists are not making money off of [streaming],” Ceylon says. “It’s a collector’s item as well,” he adds. “We’re making art, and then we’re preserving it in an actual art form.”\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=e7PesPjsaPY&list=RDe7PesPjsaPY&start_radio=1\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With copies of his music in tow, Ceylon has pounded the pavement since his album dropped. He’s recorded multiple music videos for the project, and he’s hosted listening experience events in Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland, New York and Kingston, Jamaica.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s always a pilgrimage returning to the roots of the culture,” he says, reflecting on his New York trip. A regular in the five boroughs, the artist says teaming up with Queensbridge’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tragedy252/?hl=en\">Tragedy Khadafi\u003c/a> on the 2018 album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://blackstoneofmecca.bandcamp.com/album/full-medal-jacket\">Full Medal Jacket\u003c/a>\u003c/em> solidified his connections to the Big Apple. And becoming affiliated with Wu-Tang has only reinforced that bond. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That’s super inspirational,” Ceylon says, “being able to not only visit [New York], but also get accepted as a West Coast lyricist.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California-born with Sri Lankan roots, Ceylon brings his heritage and diverse influences into his latest project. A practitioner of technical rhyming, or what he once called “orthodox hip-hop,” his candid delivery shows through on tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbcxvcPfIXk&list=RDrbcxvcPfIXk&start_radio=1\">Land Grab\u003c/a>,” which explicitly addresses the impact of gentrification. On the track “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvA7ZHZeRNU\">Heart Muscle\u003c/a>,” the MC opens up about his shortcomings in the search for a stable romantic relationship. And on “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpRLdxQHOFw&list=RDgpRLdxQHOFw&start_radio=1\">River 2 Sea\u003c/a>,” featuring Solomon Childs, he raps about Israel, Gaza and oppressive systems here and abroad; the song echoes a sentiment he’s been pushing for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I had a song in 2002 called ‘Decolonize,'” he says, explaining that he originally wrote it as an assignment while he was a student at San Francisco State University. “Whether it’s music, education or organizing, a decolonized approach is the only way we could do things. That framework gives us a context for everything we’re seeing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bandcamp wp-block-embed-bandcamp\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://rasceylon.bandcamp.com/album/scrollz-of-lion-rock\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that spirit, Ras Ceylon has created his own label, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rasceylon.org/\">Still Decolonizing Music\u003c/a>. “It helps to unify struggles across the globe in terms of Indigenous, original people and resistance to neocolonialism, which is imperialism,” Ceylon says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the album’s standout tracks is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzaoi2h2Czk&list=RDmzaoi2h2Czk&start_radio=1\">Ancestorz\u003c/a>,” which features East Bay vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/karasmusica/?hl=en\">Ka’ra Kersey\u003c/a> and Los Angeles lyrical titan \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ras_kass/?hl=en\">Ras Kass\u003c/a>. Produced by San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/monk_hts/?hl=en\">Monk HTS\u003c/a>, the song is an anthem for anyone who is both tapping into their history and pushing forward in pursuit of spiritual growth.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That song was actually charting in Sri Lanka on a commercial radio countdown,” Ceylon says. The track marks a return for the rapper, who visited the island nation last year for the first time in over a decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He visited throughout his childhood, and returned as an adult after the end of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/18/sri-lanka-conflict\">Sri Lankan civil war\u003c/a>, a conflict between the predominantly Sinhalese government and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/srilanka/thestory.html\">Tamil Tigers\u003c/a> that lasted from 1983 to 2009. The ethnic conflict was largely brought about by postcolonial instability after the end of British rule.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2012, Ceylon went back to do post-civil war reconciliation work with young people by “applying a lot of the same restorative justice and nonviolent communication principles that I’ve worked on here in Oakland,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work went well but the problem was his music, namely his song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQiryIS5Bfo&list=RDJQiryIS5Bfo&start_radio=1\">Heal Lanka\u003c/a>.” A post-civil war peace anthem, the track was banned by the government at the time, Ceylon says. Now, a dozen years later, his music can be heard on the airwaves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With East Coast guests and international influences, Ras Ceylon still makes space for a truly West Coast track or two on the album. The song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1oRvMQi0tI&list=RDW1oRvMQi0tI&start_radio=1\">Uprising\u003c/a>,” produced by Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aka1frank/?hl=en\">akaFrank\u003c/a>, the track undeniably echoes the sound of the soil. “That’s almost like a Bay anthem,” Ceylon says; he shouts out cities throughout the region on the track. Sonically, the song is “modern hyphy,” he says. “But always keeping the substance in there, too.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ever the lyricist, he packs in a message about the importance of resisting oppression, no matter the beat’s tempo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Ras Ceylon, Planet Asia, Casual, Killah Priest and more perform at the Oasis Tea Party event on Oct. 24 at the LAMA Shack in Oakland. For more information \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thelamashack/2335195?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaeWy2arvKkIxTEVuL6LTNXLZccjw3R0FQir-oDz0ve3M7RTyhwn-jnf5JmyoQ_aem_s5M5KxTrLdOJWeacx-3lxw\">check here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg\" alt=\"A man in sunglasses, black shirt and multicolored pants posing for a photo near a lake.\" class=\"wp-image-13994893\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg 1570w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-160x227.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-768x1087.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-1085x1536.jpg 1085w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-1446x2048.jpg 1446w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ras Ceylon, an Oakland-based MC and educator, recently dropped an album titled ‘Scrollz of Lion Rock.’ The project was executive produced by the late Oliver ‘Power’ Grant (co-founder of Wu-Tang Clan/founder of Wu Wear), Ras Ceylon made the album to honor Grant.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (TKL Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg\" alt=\"A man in sunglasses, black shirt and multicolored pants posing for a photo near a lake.\" class=\"wp-image-13994893\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ras Ceylon, an Oakland-based MC and educator, recently dropped an album titled ‘Scrollz of Lion Rock.’ The project was executive produced by the late Oliver ‘Power’ Grant (co-founder of Wu-Tang Clan/founder of Wu Wear), Ras Ceylon made the album to honor Grant.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (TKL Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As lyricists spit hot bars and attendees sip warm drinks on Oct. 24 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelamashack.com/\">the LAMA Shack\u003c/a> in Oakland, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rasceylon/\">Ras Ceylon\u003c/a> wants to move the crowd with what he calls “hip-hop with a purpose.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve been trained in the craft of MCing, so I take it very seriously,” Ceylon tells KQED during a recent phone call. “And the stage show is a major part of that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ve been trained in the craft of MCing, so I take it very seriously,” Ceylon tells KQED during a recent phone call. “And the stage show is a major part of that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This Saturday’s event, the Oasis Tea Party, is part tea ceremony and part cypher. Wu-Tang’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/realkillahpriest/\">Killah Priest\u003c/a> is set to headline, and his touring soirée features a slate of bar spitters, including Ras Ceylon, Fresno’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/planetasiamedallions/\">Planet Asia\u003c/a> and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/casualrapgod/\">Casual\u003c/a> (of Hieroglyphics).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This Saturday’s event, the Oasis Tea Party, is part tea ceremony and part cypher. Wu-Tang’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/realkillahpriest/\">Killah Priest\u003c/a> is set to headline, and his touring soirée features a slate of bar spitters, including Ras Ceylon, Fresno’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/planetasiamedallions/\">Planet Asia\u003c/a> and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/casualrapgod/\">Casual\u003c/a> (of Hieroglyphics).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And the sound system is clean,” Ras Ceylon adds, describing the LAMA Shack. “It’s got a little pond with a beautiful stage; it’s a really great way to enjoy music and be together in community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994894\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg 1682w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-160x244.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-768x1169.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-1009x1536.jpg 1009w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-1346x2048.jpg 1346w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As October is Black Panther History Month, Ras Ceylon says it’s important to remind artists to make relevant music and stay involved politically.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (TKL Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994894\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As October is Black Panther History Month, Ras Ceylon says it’s important to remind artists to make relevant music and stay involved politically.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (TKL Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A veteran MC, Ras Ceylon is familiar with all parties involved: he’s performed at the LAMA Shack and rocked shows with Killah Priest. Ceylon’s latest project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://rasceylon.bandcamp.com/album/scrollz-of-lion-rock\">Scrollz of Lion Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, features Wu-Tang Clan member \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialcappadonna/?hl=en\">Cappadonna \u003c/a>and Planet Asia.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve been really pushing the physical release,” Ceylon tells me, breaking down his album distribution strategy. He’s printed three different vinyl variants, as well as CDs and cassette tapes. And he’s been moving them like it’s the late 1900s.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’ve been really pushing the physical release,” Ceylon tells me, breaking down his album distribution strategy. He’s printed three different vinyl variants, as well as CDs and cassette tapes. And he’s been moving them like it’s the late 1900s.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His point is backed by data. In 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162568704/vinyl-outsells-cds-first-time-since-1987-records\">vinyl outsold CDs\u003c/a> for the first time since 1987. Last year \u003ca href=\"https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/\">the RIAA reported\u003c/a> that vinyl sales generated over $1.04 billion dollars. For some artists, \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewleimkuehler/2026/03/16/vinyl-sales-surpassed-1-billion-in-2025-report/\">pressing albums\u003c/a> is as lucrative as it was 40 years ago.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>His point is backed by data. In 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162568704/vinyl-outsells-cds-first-time-since-1987-records\">vinyl outsold CDs\u003c/a> for the first time since 1987. Last year \u003ca href=\"https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/\">the RIAA reported\u003c/a> that vinyl sales generated over $1.04 billion dollars. For some artists, \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewleimkuehler/2026/03/16/vinyl-sales-surpassed-1-billion-in-2025-report/\">pressing albums\u003c/a> is as lucrative as it was 40 years ago.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The audience is starting to realize that the artists are not making money off of [streaming],” Ceylon says. “It’s a collector’s item as well,” he adds. “We’re making art, and then we’re preserving it in an actual art form.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The audience is starting to realize that the artists are not making money off of [streaming],” Ceylon says. “It’s a collector’s item as well,” he adds. “We’re making art, and then we’re preserving it in an actual art form.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With copies of his music in tow, Ceylon has pounded the pavement since his album dropped. He’s recorded multiple music videos for the project, and he’s hosted listening experience events in Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland, New York and Kingston, Jamaica.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With copies of his music in tow, Ceylon has pounded the pavement since his album dropped. He’s recorded multiple music videos for the project, and he’s hosted listening experience events in Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland, New York and Kingston, Jamaica.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s always a pilgrimage returning to the roots of the culture,” he says, reflecting on his New York trip. A regular in the five boroughs, the artist says teaming up with Queensbridge’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tragedy252/?hl=en\">Tragedy Khadafi\u003c/a> on the 2018 album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://blackstoneofmecca.bandcamp.com/album/full-medal-jacket\">Full Medal Jacket\u003c/a>\u003c/em> solidified his connections to the Big Apple. And becoming affiliated with Wu-Tang has only reinforced that bond. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s always a pilgrimage returning to the roots of the culture,” he says, reflecting on his New York trip. A regular in the five boroughs, the artist says teaming up with Queensbridge’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tragedy252/?hl=en\">Tragedy Khadafi\u003c/a> on the 2018 album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://blackstoneofmecca.bandcamp.com/album/full-medal-jacket\">Full Medal Jacket\u003c/a>\u003c/em> solidified his connections to the Big Apple. And becoming affiliated with Wu-Tang has only reinforced that bond. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s super inspirational,” Ceylon says, “being able to not only visit [New York], but also get accepted as a West Coast lyricist.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California-born with Sri Lankan roots, Ceylon brings his heritage and diverse influences into his latest project. A practitioner of technical rhyming, or what he once called “orthodox hip-hop,” his candid delivery shows through on tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbcxvcPfIXk&list=RDrbcxvcPfIXk&start_radio=1\">Land Grab\u003c/a>,” which explicitly addresses the impact of gentrification. On the track “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvA7ZHZeRNU\">Heart Muscle\u003c/a>,” the MC opens up about his shortcomings in the search for a stable romantic relationship. And on “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpRLdxQHOFw&list=RDgpRLdxQHOFw&start_radio=1\">River 2 Sea\u003c/a>,” featuring Solomon Childs, he raps about Israel, Gaza and oppressive systems here and abroad; the song echoes a sentiment he’s been pushing for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I had a song in 2002 called ‘Decolonize,'” he says, explaining that he originally wrote it as an assignment while he was a student at San Francisco State University. “Whether it’s music, education or organizing, a decolonized approach is the only way we could do things. That framework gives us a context for everything we’re seeing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I had a song in 2002 called ‘Decolonize,'” he says, explaining that he originally wrote it as an assignment while he was a student at San Francisco State University. “Whether it’s music, education or organizing, a decolonized approach is the only way we could do things. That framework gives us a context for everything we’re seeing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In that spirit, Ras Ceylon has created his own label, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rasceylon.org/\">Still Decolonizing Music\u003c/a>. “It helps to unify struggles across the globe in terms of Indigenous, original people and resistance to neocolonialism, which is imperialism,” Ceylon says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In that spirit, Ras Ceylon has created his own label, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rasceylon.org/\">Still Decolonizing Music\u003c/a>. “It helps to unify struggles across the globe in terms of Indigenous, original people and resistance to neocolonialism, which is imperialism,” Ceylon says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the album’s standout tracks is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzaoi2h2Czk&list=RDmzaoi2h2Czk&start_radio=1\">Ancestorz\u003c/a>,” which features East Bay vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/karasmusica/?hl=en\">Ka’ra Kersey\u003c/a> and Los Angeles lyrical titan \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ras_kass/?hl=en\">Ras Kass\u003c/a>. Produced by San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/monk_hts/?hl=en\">Monk HTS\u003c/a>, the song is an anthem for anyone who is both tapping into their history and pushing forward in pursuit of spiritual growth.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That song was actually charting in Sri Lanka on a commercial radio countdown,” Ceylon says. The track marks a return for the rapper, who visited the island nation last year for the first time in over a decade.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He visited throughout his childhood, and returned as an adult after the end of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/18/sri-lanka-conflict\">Sri Lankan civil war\u003c/a>, a conflict between the predominantly Sinhalese government and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/srilanka/thestory.html\">Tamil Tigers\u003c/a> that lasted from 1983 to 2009. The ethnic conflict was largely brought about by postcolonial instability after the end of British rule.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The work went well but the problem was his music, namely his song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQiryIS5Bfo&list=RDJQiryIS5Bfo&start_radio=1\">Heal Lanka\u003c/a>.” A post-civil war peace anthem, the track was banned by the government at the time, Ceylon says. Now, a dozen years later, his music can be heard on the airwaves.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With East Coast guests and international influences, Ras Ceylon still makes space for a truly West Coast track or two on the album. The song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1oRvMQi0tI&list=RDW1oRvMQi0tI&start_radio=1\">Uprising\u003c/a>,” produced by Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aka1frank/?hl=en\">akaFrank\u003c/a>, the track undeniably echoes the sound of the soil. “That’s almost like a Bay anthem,” Ceylon says; he shouts out cities throughout the region on the track. Sonically, the song is “modern hyphy,” he says. “But always keeping the substance in there, too.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With East Coast guests and international influences, Ras Ceylon still makes space for a truly West Coast track or two on the album. The song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1oRvMQi0tI&list=RDW1oRvMQi0tI&start_radio=1\">Uprising\u003c/a>,” produced by Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aka1frank/?hl=en\">akaFrank\u003c/a>, the track undeniably echoes the sound of the soil. “That’s almost like a Bay anthem,” Ceylon says; he shouts out cities throughout the region on the track. Sonically, the song is “modern hyphy,” he says. “But always keeping the substance in there, too.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ras Ceylon, Planet Asia, Casual, Killah Priest and more perform at the Oasis Tea Party event on Oct. 24 at the LAMA Shack in Oakland. For more information \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thelamashack/2335195?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaeWy2arvKkIxTEVuL6LTNXLZccjw3R0FQir-oDz0ve3M7RTyhwn-jnf5JmyoQ_aem_s5M5KxTrLdOJWeacx-3lxw\">check here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ras Ceylon, Planet Asia, Casual, Killah Priest and more perform at the Oasis Tea Party event on Oct. 24 at the LAMA Shack in Oakland. For more information \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thelamashack/2335195?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaeWy2arvKkIxTEVuL6LTNXLZccjw3R0FQir-oDz0ve3M7RTyhwn-jnf5JmyoQ_aem_s5M5KxTrLdOJWeacx-3lxw\">check here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Killah Priest, Planet Asia and Casual perform at the Oasis Tea Party, Oct. 24 at Oakland’s LAMA Shack.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1570\" height=\"2223\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg\" alt=\"A man in sunglasses, black shirt and multicolored pants posing for a photo near a lake.\" class=\"wp-image-13994893\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666.jpg 1570w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-160x227.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-768x1087.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-1085x1536.jpg 1085w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-1-163441f5-scaled-e1792517665666-1446x2048.jpg 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1570px) 100vw, 1570px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ras Ceylon, an Oakland-based MC and educator, recently dropped an album titled ‘Scrollz of Lion Rock.’ The project was executive produced by the late Oliver ‘Power’ Grant (co-founder of Wu-Tang Clan/founder of Wu Wear), Ras Ceylon made the album to honor Grant. (TKL Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As lyricists spit hot bars and attendees sip warm drinks on Oct. 24 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelamashack.com/\">the LAMA Shack\u003c/a> in Oakland, rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rasceylon/\">Ras Ceylon\u003c/a> wants to move the crowd with what he calls “hip-hop with a purpose.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ve been trained in the craft of MCing, so I take it very seriously,” Ceylon tells KQED during a recent phone call. “And the stage show is a major part of that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This Saturday’s event, the Oasis Tea Party, is part tea ceremony and part cypher. Wu-Tang’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/realkillahpriest/\">Killah Priest\u003c/a> is set to headline, and his touring soirée features a slate of bar spitters, including Ras Ceylon, Fresno’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/planetasiamedallions/\">Planet Asia\u003c/a> and Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/casualrapgod/\">Casual\u003c/a> (of Hieroglyphics).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“And the sound system is clean,” Ras Ceylon adds, describing the LAMA Shack. “It’s got a little pond with a beautiful stage; it’s a really great way to enjoy music and be together in community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1682\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994894\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-scaled.jpg 1682w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-160x244.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-768x1169.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-1009x1536.jpg 1009w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/0-2-ad87c7b0-1346x2048.jpg 1346w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1682px) 100vw, 1682px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As October is Black Panther History Month, Ras Ceylon says it’s important to remind artists to make relevant music and stay involved politically. (TKL Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A veteran MC, Ras Ceylon is familiar with all parties involved: he’s performed at the LAMA Shack and rocked shows with Killah Priest. Ceylon’s latest project, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://rasceylon.bandcamp.com/album/scrollz-of-lion-rock\">Scrollz of Lion Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, features Wu-Tang Clan member \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialcappadonna/?hl=en\">Cappadonna \u003c/a>and Planet Asia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’ve been really pushing the physical release,” Ceylon tells me, breaking down his album distribution strategy. He’s printed three different vinyl variants, as well as CDs and cassette tapes. And he’s been moving them like it’s the late 1900s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“While the average person, right now, consumes music primarily through streaming,” he says, “there is an emerging rebirth of supporters of the music investing in the physical product.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His point is backed by data. In 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162568704/vinyl-outsells-cds-first-time-since-1987-records\">vinyl outsold CDs\u003c/a> for the first time since 1987. Last year \u003ca href=\"https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/\">the RIAA reported\u003c/a> that vinyl sales generated over $1.04 billion dollars. For some artists, \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewleimkuehler/2026/03/16/vinyl-sales-surpassed-1-billion-in-2025-report/\">pressing albums\u003c/a> is as lucrative as it was 40 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The audience is starting to realize that the artists are not making money off of [streaming],” Ceylon says. “It’s a collector’s item as well,” he adds. “We’re making art, and then we’re preserving it in an actual art form.”\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/e7PesPjsaPY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/e7PesPjsaPY'\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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With copies of his music in tow, Ceylon has pounded the pavement since his album dropped. He’s recorded multiple music videos for the project, and he’s hosted listening experience events in Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland, New York and Kingston, Jamaica.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s always a pilgrimage returning to the roots of the culture,” he says, reflecting on his New York trip. A regular in the five boroughs, the artist says teaming up with Queensbridge’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tragedy252/?hl=en\">Tragedy Khadafi\u003c/a> on the 2018 album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://blackstoneofmecca.bandcamp.com/album/full-medal-jacket\">Full Medal Jacket\u003c/a>\u003c/em> solidified his connections to the Big Apple. And becoming affiliated with Wu-Tang has only reinforced that bond. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That’s super inspirational,” Ceylon says, “being able to not only visit [New York], but also get accepted as a West Coast lyricist.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California-born with Sri Lankan roots, Ceylon brings his heritage and diverse influences into his latest project. A practitioner of technical rhyming, or what he once called “orthodox hip-hop,” his candid delivery shows through on tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbcxvcPfIXk&list=RDrbcxvcPfIXk&start_radio=1\">Land Grab\u003c/a>,” which explicitly addresses the impact of gentrification. On the track “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvA7ZHZeRNU\">Heart Muscle\u003c/a>,” the MC opens up about his shortcomings in the search for a stable romantic relationship. And on “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpRLdxQHOFw&list=RDgpRLdxQHOFw&start_radio=1\">River 2 Sea\u003c/a>,” featuring Solomon Childs, he raps about Israel, Gaza and oppressive systems here and abroad; the song echoes a sentiment he’s been pushing for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I had a song in 2002 called ‘Decolonize,'” he says, explaining that he originally wrote it as an assignment while he was a student at San Francisco State University. “Whether it’s music, education or organizing, a decolonized approach is the only way we could do things. That framework gives us a context for everything we’re seeing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bandcamp wp-block-embed-bandcamp\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://rasceylon.bandcamp.com/album/scrollz-of-lion-rock\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that spirit, Ras Ceylon has created his own label, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rasceylon.org/\">Still Decolonizing Music\u003c/a>. “It helps to unify struggles across the globe in terms of Indigenous, original people and resistance to neocolonialism, which is imperialism,” Ceylon says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the album’s standout tracks is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzaoi2h2Czk&list=RDmzaoi2h2Czk&start_radio=1\">Ancestorz\u003c/a>,” which features East Bay vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/karasmusica/?hl=en\">Ka’ra Kersey\u003c/a> and Los Angeles lyrical titan \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ras_kass/?hl=en\">Ras Kass\u003c/a>. Produced by San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/monk_hts/?hl=en\">Monk HTS\u003c/a>, the song is an anthem for anyone who is both tapping into their history and pushing forward in pursuit of spiritual growth.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That song was actually charting in Sri Lanka on a commercial radio countdown,” Ceylon says. The track marks a return for the rapper, who visited the island nation last year for the first time in over a decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He visited throughout his childhood, and returned as an adult after the end of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/18/sri-lanka-conflict\">Sri Lankan civil war\u003c/a>, a conflict between the predominantly Sinhalese government and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/srilanka/thestory.html\">Tamil Tigers\u003c/a> that lasted from 1983 to 2009. The ethnic conflict was largely brought about by postcolonial instability after the end of British rule.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2012, Ceylon went back to do post-civil war reconciliation work with young people by “applying a lot of the same restorative justice and nonviolent communication principles that I’ve worked on here in Oakland,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work went well but the problem was his music, namely his song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQiryIS5Bfo&list=RDJQiryIS5Bfo&start_radio=1\">Heal Lanka\u003c/a>.” A post-civil war peace anthem, the track was banned by the government at the time, Ceylon says. Now, a dozen years later, his music can be heard on the airwaves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With East Coast guests and international influences, Ras Ceylon still makes space for a truly West Coast track or two on the album. The song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1oRvMQi0tI&list=RDW1oRvMQi0tI&start_radio=1\">Uprising\u003c/a>,” produced by Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aka1frank/?hl=en\">akaFrank\u003c/a>, the track undeniably echoes the sound of the soil. “That’s almost like a Bay anthem,” Ceylon says; he shouts out cities throughout the region on the track. Sonically, the song is “modern hyphy,” he says. “But always keeping the substance in there, too.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ever the lyricist, he packs in a message about the importance of resisting oppression, no matter the beat’s tempo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Ras Ceylon, Planet Asia, Casual, Killah Priest and more perform at the Oasis Tea Party event on Oct. 24 at the LAMA Shack in Oakland. For more information \u003ca href=\"https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thelamashack/2335195?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaeWy2arvKkIxTEVuL6LTNXLZccjw3R0FQir-oDz0ve3M7RTyhwn-jnf5JmyoQ_aem_s5M5KxTrLdOJWeacx-3lxw\">check here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>It’s Halloween season, when some people dress up like skeletons, ghosts or witches. But when picking her costume, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930747/liner-notes-dr-angela-wellman-and-music-of-the-highest-order\">Dr. Angela Wellman\u003c/a> isn’t like most people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She knows one thing, though: while fun, the costume invitation is also an extension of OPC’s ethos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1706\" height=\"2560\" data-id=\"13994406\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994406\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman, founder and CEO of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. (Courtesy Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"809\" height=\"794\" data-id=\"13930819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Angela Wellman looks directly into the camera as she plays her trombone.\" class=\"wp-image-13930819\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg 809w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-800x785.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-160x157.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-768x754.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman plays her trombone. (Via Dr. Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman and Steve Turre, center, pose with students at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 10th’s anniversary gala. (Courtesy OPC)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The anniversary event will also be a chance to ruminate on the larger context of Black music in this country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music trains new generations of musicians in downtown Oakland.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>It’s Halloween season, when some people dress up like skeletons, ghosts or witches. But when picking her costume, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930747/liner-notes-dr-angela-wellman-and-music-of-the-highest-order\">Dr. Angela Wellman\u003c/a> isn’t like most people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She knows one thing, though: while fun, the costume invitation is also an extension of OPC’s ethos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1706\" height=\"2560\" data-id=\"13994406\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994406\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman, founder and CEO of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. (Courtesy Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"809\" height=\"794\" data-id=\"13930819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Angela Wellman looks directly into the camera as she plays her trombone.\" class=\"wp-image-13930819\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg 809w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-800x785.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-160x157.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-768x754.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman plays her trombone. (Via Dr. Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman and Steve Turre, center, pose with students at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 10th’s anniversary gala. (Courtesy OPC)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The anniversary event will also be a chance to ruminate on the larger context of Black music in this country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In New Memoir, Lil Jon Salutes The Bay Area",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>So it’s 1999, right, and I’m a teenager at a sweaty house party on High Street in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">East Oakland\u003c/a>. There in the living room of the small apartment, kids in Carolina blue velour sweatsuits and grey Gap hoodies are dancing to CDs playing on a home stereo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b8kTV4VtKA\">Couldn’t Be a Better Player\u003c/a>” comes on, the room \u003cem>erupts\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/128417476/lil-jon\">Lil Jon\u003c/a> track, featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>, has strings that marinate with a menacing bass line, creating a beat that says “I’m cool but don’t test me” – the same edgy-player mentality is reflected in the lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> in its natural state, before it became the movement we know today. It might’ve been the first time I went dumb at a party.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It was definitely my first glimpse of what Lil Jon’s music can do to a function.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling Black man wearing sunglasses, a grey hoodie and blue jeans sits on a couch next to a black wall.\" class=\"wp-image-13932756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon backstage before a DJ set at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco, 2016. (Kelly Sullivan/ Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He bottled that influence in a sound that resonated well beyond Atlanta, and especially with teenagers in East Oakland. It even reached Oakland-born former Vice President Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1325\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg 1325w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-160x242.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1325px) 100vw, 1325px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon‘s ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’ (Simon and Schuster)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lil Jon’s resume is deep. He’s produced songs for the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Ciara and T-Pain. He’s made multi-platinum selling music with the likes of Los Angeles pop group LMFAO and Miami mega-star Pitbull. In 1996, he worked on the Ghost Town DJ’s classic contribution to the culture, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRiwnmYjMg\">My Boo\u003c/a>.” Thirty years later, he produced \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2Knrk6Q04i9itgxtTSguQN\">Something’s in the Water\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the recent album by Vallejo rapper LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what stands out, especially to the now-grown-up kid from that East Oakland house party, is Lil Jon’s intersection with the Bay Area titans E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2113\" height=\"2113\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13925972\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg 2113w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2113px) 100vw, 2113px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil’ Jon and E-40, pictured onstage together in 2006. From his home base in Atlanta, Lil Jon produced the hyphy era’s two biggest nationwide hits: E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” and Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” — just one of many close ties between Southern and Bay Area hip-hop. (John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Blow the Whistle” got a second life 10 years after its release when it was interpolated in 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6zD3L7H00&list=RD3W6zD3L7H00&start_radio=1\">For Free\u003c/a>” by DJ Khaled and Drake. It was revived again in 2020 when Saweetie sampled it for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qRc72BAjg\">Tap In\u003c/a>.” During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, the song became \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKY8MD7-ZHM\">their anthem\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Beyond its stories about the Bay Area, Lil Jon’s book is a turn of the millennium \u003cem>Forrest Gump\u003c/em>-esque tale of being just about everywhere and working with everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How does that happen?” Lil Jon writes in his book, bewilderedly reflecting on the their individual paths leading to a game show set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lil Jon’s memoir ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ is out Oct. 20, 2026. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> in its natural state, before it became the movement we know today. It might’ve been the first time I went dumb at a party.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It was definitely my first glimpse of what Lil Jon’s music can do to a function.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He bottled that influence in a sound that resonated well beyond Atlanta, and especially with teenagers in East Oakland. It even reached Oakland-born former Vice President Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg 1325w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-160x242.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon‘s ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Simon and Schuster)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lil Jon’s resume is deep. He’s produced songs for the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Ciara and T-Pain. He’s made multi-platinum selling music with the likes of Los Angeles pop group LMFAO and Miami mega-star Pitbull. In 1996, he worked on the Ghost Town DJ’s classic contribution to the culture, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRiwnmYjMg\">My Boo\u003c/a>.” Thirty years later, he produced \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2Knrk6Q04i9itgxtTSguQN\">Something’s in the Water\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the recent album by Vallejo rapper LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But what stands out, especially to the now-grown-up kid from that East Oakland house party, is Lil Jon’s intersection with the Bay Area titans E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13925972\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg 2113w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil’ Jon and E-40, pictured onstage together in 2006. From his home base in Atlanta, Lil Jon produced the hyphy era’s two biggest nationwide hits: E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” and Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” — just one of many close ties between Southern and Bay Area hip-hop. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Blow the Whistle” got a second life 10 years after its release when it was interpolated in 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6zD3L7H00&list=RD3W6zD3L7H00&start_radio=1\">For Free\u003c/a>” by DJ Khaled and Drake. It was revived again in 2020 when Saweetie sampled it for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qRc72BAjg\">Tap In\u003c/a>.” During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, the song became \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKY8MD7-ZHM\">their anthem\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Beyond its stories about the Bay Area, Lil Jon’s book is a turn of the millennium \u003cem>Forrest Gump\u003c/em>-esque tale of being just about everywhere and working with everyone.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“How does that happen?” Lil Jon writes in his book, bewilderedly reflecting on the their individual paths leading to a game show set.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lil Jon’s memoir ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ is out Oct. 20, 2026. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Atlanta rapper, producer and collaborator with Too Short and E-40 has a new memoir, ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’",
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"title": "In New Memoir, Lil Jon Salutes The Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>So it’s 1999, right, and I’m a teenager at a sweaty house party on High Street in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">East Oakland\u003c/a>. There in the living room of the small apartment, kids in Carolina blue velour sweatsuits and grey Gap hoodies are dancing to CDs playing on a home stereo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b8kTV4VtKA\">Couldn’t Be a Better Player\u003c/a>” comes on, the room \u003cem>erupts\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/artists/128417476/lil-jon\">Lil Jon\u003c/a> track, featuring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/too-short\">Too Short\u003c/a>, has strings that marinate with a menacing bass line, creating a beat that says “I’m cool but don’t test me” – the same edgy-player mentality is reflected in the lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the song rattles the living room, the kids in the center of the circle catch the beat, “hitting that shit,” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932887/turf-dancing-oakland-street-dance\">fuckin’ with it\u003c/a>.” All the other partygoers, myself included, bounce with a frenetic cadence. Heads turn and fingers twist in the air, as people rep their neighborhoods with exaggerated mean mugs on their faces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/hyphy\">hyphy\u003c/a> in its natural state, before it became the movement we know today. It might’ve been the first time I went dumb at a party.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It was definitely my first glimpse of what Lil Jon’s music can do to a function.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling Black man wearing sunglasses, a grey hoodie and blue jeans sits on a couch next to a black wall.\" class=\"wp-image-13932756\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/GettyImages-509006782-scaled-e1691444783893-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon backstage before a DJ set at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco, 2016. (Kelly Sullivan/ Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his new memoir, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Only-Shout-So-You-Can-Hear-Me/Lil-Jon/9781668061473\">I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing), Lil Jon stresses that understanding his music doesn’t come from simply listening. In order to truly appreciate his art, he insists that his hyperactive rhythmic chanting needs to be physically experienced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t rap,” writes the Grammy-award winning King of Crunk. Instead, Lil Jon says he and his collaborators the East Side Boyz brought people from all backgrounds into the the world of ATL nightlife. “You put on our music, you watch our videos, and you felt like you were right there in Atlanta, wilding the fuck out in the club.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-written by \u003ca href=\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Paul-Cantor/271704775\">Paul Cantor\u003c/a>, the book is a detailed account of Lil Jon’s middle-class upbringing in Southwest Atlanta and his years pounding the pavement while laying the foundation for his meteoric musical career. It also delves into Lil Jon’s spiritual side and the ways he’s navigated trauma, specifically the death of his son \u003ca href=\"https://www.wabe.org/body-believed-to-be-lil-jons-son-d-j-young-is-found-in-pond-near-atlanta/\">Nathan Smith\u003c/a>, who tragically drowned in February of this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born Jonathan Smith, the producer and entrepreneur grew up in the biggest house on his suburban cul-de-sac, where as a teen he threw raging parties. As he matured, he started hanging out in strip clubs. It was through the world of chicken wings and stripper poles, as well as the college students at the \u003ca href=\"https://discoveratlanta.com/stories/atlanta-university-center-the-epicenter-of-black-culture-and-academic-excellence/\">Atlanta University Center\u003c/a> and people attending \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jmE2J05OY\">Freaknik\u003c/a>, that Lil Jon found his target audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He bottled that influence in a sound that resonated well beyond Atlanta, and especially with teenagers in East Oakland. It even reached Oakland-born former Vice President Kamala Harris.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And seriously,” writes Lil Jon, “who would have thought that when we recorded “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg\">Get Low\u003c/a>” — a song that talks about skeeting — I’d be \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWPCFA6c6A\">performing it two decades later at the DNC\u003c/a>?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1325\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75.jpg 1325w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-160x242.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/i-only-shout-so-you-can-hear-me-9781668061473_hr-8e614e75-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1325px) 100vw, 1325px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil Jon‘s ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me.’ (Simon and Schuster)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lil Jon’s resume is deep. He’s produced songs for the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, Ciara and T-Pain. He’s made multi-platinum selling music with the likes of Los Angeles pop group LMFAO and Miami mega-star Pitbull. In 1996, he worked on the Ghost Town DJ’s classic contribution to the culture, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRiwnmYjMg\">My Boo\u003c/a>.” Thirty years later, he produced \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2Knrk6Q04i9itgxtTSguQN\">Something’s in the Water\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, the recent album by Vallejo rapper LaRussell.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The book takes readers deep into Lil Jon’s musical composition, be it revealing the origins of the repetitive squeak in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZd2MEOvdQ4\">Some Cut\u003c/a>” by Lil Scrappy and Trillville or the story behind the beat for what’s still his best-known song, Usher’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBSyx85Kp8\">Yeah!\u003c/a>“\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But what stands out, especially to the now-grown-up kid from that East Oakland house party, is Lil Jon’s intersection with the Bay Area titans E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Too Short must have believed in me,” writes Lil Jon, explaining that he and the East Side Boyz had just released their first song, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKy4LoslZPk\">Who You Wit\u003c/a>,” when they realized they’d signed a bad record deal. Enter Too Short. “He bought us out of that contract for $50,000,” Lil Jon recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Short signed Lil Jon to his own label, Dangerous Music, a subsidiary of Jive Records. (The first track they recorded? “Couldn’t Be a Better Player.”) Short also brought Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz on their first tour, where they started working on their next hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpZvVyQN5o&list=RDczpZvVyQN5o&start_radio=1\">Bia Bia\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, not wanting to hold Lil Jon and his crew back, Short offered to let them out of the contract. His only stipulation, writes Lil Jon, was repayment of the $50,000 Short paid for his first contract and “free beats for life.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>(Evidently, the deal is still on: Too Short dropped \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/5KkGgCCpS0Rz4mVlME9SKK\">Sir Too $hort, Vol. 2 (Drink & Smoke),\u003c/a>\u003c/em> with beats produced entirely by Lil Jon, this past July.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2113\" height=\"2113\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13925972\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square.jpg 2113w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/GettyImages-108987732-square-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2113px) 100vw, 2113px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lil’ Jon and E-40, pictured onstage together in 2006. From his home base in Atlanta, Lil Jon produced the hyphy era’s two biggest nationwide hits: E-40’s “Tell Me When To Go” and Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” — just one of many close ties between Southern and Bay Area hip-hop. (John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Short let him loose, Lil Jon launched his BME imprint under Warner Bros., which would soon pay dividends for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/e-40\">E-40\u003c/a>. The two had already worked together on the songs “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0MrehzJcLI&list=RDZ0MrehzJcLI&start_radio=1\">Rep Yo City\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f01LZ-KTd4&list=RD6f01LZ-KTd4&start_radio=1\">Anybody Can Get It\u003c/a>” when E-40 called Lil Jon, letting the producer know he was stepping away from Jive Records and interested in BME.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The decision was simple,” writes Lil Jon, “I was a fan of E-40.” The two began working on \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3VqKqWHOHYfZqttJ0WwQHl\">My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an album that would introduce hyphy to the mainstream, for better or for worse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had already sold the culture of the South to the world,” says Lil Jon. “That became the blueprint for what I did with E-40. It was the same shit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During one of the studio sessions, Lil Jon made a track with a bass line similar to Too Short’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>.” He intended to give the beat to 40, but Uncle Earl said it sounded too much like Short. So Lil Jon passed it along.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That song became “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJtzEKetBM\">Blow The Whistle\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The biggest commercial hit of Too Short’s career, “Blow the Whistle” was accompanied by an instant-classic \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13987115/too-short-blow-the-whistle-20-year-anniversary\">music video, filmed in Oakland\u003c/a>. Lil Jon agreed the track was good, but admits he didn’t foresee it becoming what it is today: a song readily played at pro sporting events all over the United States.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Blow the Whistle” got a second life 10 years after its release when it was interpolated in 2016’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6zD3L7H00&list=RD3W6zD3L7H00&start_radio=1\">For Free\u003c/a>” by DJ Khaled and Drake. It was revived again in 2020 when Saweetie sampled it for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9qRc72BAjg\">Tap In\u003c/a>.” During the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, the song became \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eKY8MD7-ZHM\">their anthem\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/rz6MrrVqUZE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/rz6MrrVqUZE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Beyond its stories about the Bay Area, Lil Jon’s book is a turn of the millennium \u003cem>Forrest Gump\u003c/em>-esque tale of being just about everywhere and working with everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was an A&R for So So Def and Jermaine Dupri in the ’90s, he made the \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/3BsR98sDCwtj85pILXfjDk\">Crunk Rock\u003c/a>\u003c/em> album in 2010, and he coined the defining phrase of 2014 with his vocal on DJ Snake’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU\">Turn Down for What.\u003c/a>” In 2008 he founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rapper-producer-lil-jon-starts-108532/\">a winery\u003c/a>, in 2024 he dropped a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606461/rap-artist-lil-jons-latest-album-is-a-guided-meditation\">set of meditative recordings\u003c/a> and last year he became \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/lil-jon-54-wins-3rd-place-in-muscle-beach-fitness-competition-11802475\">a competitive body builder\u003c/a>. He was a character on \u003cem>Chappelle’s Show\u003c/em> and he sat alongside Donald Trump on \u003cem>Celebrity Apprentice\u003c/em>. In Las Vegas, he’s both DJed major EDM events and performed with Usher at Super Bowl LVIII.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And last year, during \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6MrrVqUZE\">an episode of \u003cem>Celebrity Family Feud\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Lil Jon stood next to his chosen kin: E-40 and Too Short.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How does that happen?” Lil Jon writes in his book, bewilderedly reflecting on the their individual paths leading to a game show set.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was a kid from Southwest Atlanta who listened to Too Short in the 1980s and E-40 in the ’90s. He understood that they came from different backgrounds — Short a pimp rapper, E-40 a lyrical street hustler — but they combined forces and made timeless music.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To this day we remain a trinity of close friends,” Lil Jon reflects. “You can’t write that. You cannot. You cannot dream or even imagine that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lil Jon’s memoir ‘I Only Shout So You Can Hear Me’ is out Oct. 20, 2026. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Honoring the Black Panther Party on Its 60th Anniversary",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Six decades ago, a group of young Black activists in Oakland began policing the police. They fed schoolchildren, started medical clinics, created a multilevel grade school and published a newspaper that reached people around the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In leather jackets and berets, they reinvented the color black. And, through their collective willpower, they fanned the flame of self-determination that has long burned within the Black community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was one of the most important organizations of the 20th century. This month, as \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/index_PhotoGallery.html\">It’s About Time BPP \u003c/a>commemorate the vanguard organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">60th anniversary\u003c/a>, the Black Panthers will be honored with a gala, numerous workshops, a community day in West Oakland and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1343\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\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=D4JAcG-QHO8\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\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=QstJpRpp6FY\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1584\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And clearly, the work continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\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=D4JAcG-QHO8\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Six decades ago, a group of young Black activists in Oakland began policing the police. They fed schoolchildren, started medical clinics, created a multilevel grade school and published a newspaper that reached people around the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In leather jackets and berets, they reinvented the color black. And, through their collective willpower, they fanned the flame of self-determination that has long burned within the Black community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was one of the most important organizations of the 20th century. This month, as \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/index_PhotoGallery.html\">It’s About Time BPP \u003c/a>commemorate the vanguard organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">60th anniversary\u003c/a>, the Black Panthers will be honored with a gala, numerous workshops, a community day in West Oakland and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1343\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\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/D4JAcG-QHO8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/D4JAcG-QHO8'\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 next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\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/QstJpRpp6FY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/QstJpRpp6FY'\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>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1584\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And clearly, the work continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>At the main branch of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley\">Berkeley\u003c/a> Public Library sits a set of speakers that look like mountains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The pair of nearly nine-foot white triangular wooden blocks tower over \u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/tagged/the%20break%20room\">\u003cem>The Break Room\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which is less of a room and more of a nook off of the second floor’s main hallway. At the base of the speakers is a garden of faux plants, and archival posters of star-studded local events hang in the window behind them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the floor, separating the two mammoth speakers, a pair of long brown wooden blocks are laid horizontally and stacked on top of one another. Written on them in bold red letters are the words “\u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/\">Black American Sound System\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/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994361\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The towering John Henry Sound System is an artistic commentary on labor and culture, music and movements. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are 1984 Cerwin-Vegas,” says singer and sonic designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ddeonbrown/\">Derwin Deon Brown II\u003c/a>, describing the speakers. Brown calls it the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dd4rX4iykUM/\">John Henry Sound System\u003c/a>, named after the Black American folk hero.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brown and his towering sound system are the centerpiece of \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">In The Stax\u003c/a>, an annual series of music-related programs across the Berkeley Public Library system. The first performance in the series takes place Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Claremont Branch with instrumentalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/connoisseurrat/\">Connoisseur Rat\u003c/a>, and events continue through the second week of December.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since launching in 2022, the series has featured artists like Oakland punk band \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/5ra-3x0cNxQ?si=-_tfH-67cPYp_zuZ\">Skip the Needle\u003c/a> and soul singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkfX6lwXTHU\">Marisha Ashanti\u003c/a>. Berkeley Public Library Specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_readwatchlisten/\">Chinyere Keita\u003c/a>, who organizes the events, says the goal is to bring Black artists into the space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Oakland, Keita spent her teenage and young adult years at the Berkeley library, working there for the past 15 years. During that time, she’s noticed that younger folks and people of color will overlook the library as a welcoming third space, and assume that all it offers are books and free wi-fi.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just want to always remind people that our culture is here. Our history is here,” she tells me during a recent phone call. “And Derwin Deon Brown II had the exact kind of thing reflected in his artwork.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brown is In The Stax’s first artist-in-residence. Along with his John Henry Sound System, he’ll debut his forthcoming album (also titled \u003cem>John Henry\u003c/em>) later this fall. In the meantime, he’s been working with Keita to develop the event series. “And all the programming,” says Keita, “is around Black artists.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg\" alt=\"An African American man in a hat and brown jacket and a woman in a green shirt and large afro pose for a photo inside of a library.\" class=\"wp-image-13994358\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist Derwin Deon Brown II and library specialist Chinyere Keita have programmed a series of events this fall throughout the Berkeley Public Library system. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The series features performances from the likes of lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kayattamusic/\">Kayatta\u003c/a>, a panel discussion about the current state of Black radio, a Wild West Femme Cypher and a workshop where people can burn their own playlists to a CD and create collages as cover art. More than just listening to a lecture, Keita tells me, it’s about weaving new ideas into the culture of the library.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Yoga was actually our most popular program at the Oakland Public Library,” says Brown, referring to a workshop last spring where he collaborated with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blacktoyoga/\">Black to Yoga\u003c/a> and compiled a playlist of songs to center healing. “We’re gonna be doing the same thing at Berkeley Public Library,” he says, “but this time, live.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instruments and vocals, sound waves and varying vibrational energies are tools to help people center themselves. And ultimately the goal is to use those tools to get people to relax and recharge. \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/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In addition to being a musician and designing the mammoth John Henry Sound System, Derwin Deon Brown II is the youngest member of the \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandbca.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAadUF8JYpjlSY-QjJAHuM76e8nYpYMxezNfVQ0tBvJIS3oRxhGekji8j2xe-2A_aem_jNfBI64Zd3bz1zSSrO-zUQ\">Oakland Black Cowboy Association\u003c/a>. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And when we talk about ‘the break,’” Brown says, “we really want to embody all the definitions of that.” The “break” can be a rest, a dose of culture or a break from habits. It can even be breakbeats found in hip-hop. Ultimately, says Brown, it’s about convincing people to “integrate breaks into our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 27-year-old laments the amount of time that work has taken him away from his family. Originally from Pasadena, he moved to Oakland in his college years, attending San Francisco State University. “Oakland has raised me as a man,” he affirms, now a decade into his East Bay residency. A former legal aid and social worker, Brown admits the corporate ladder is deceiving.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m thinking I’m working my way up and really I’m just on a treadmill, like many people, chasing the next thing,” he tells me with an exhale. “Niggas was tired. You know, we’re working and doing too much shit, man.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>John Henry is an intentional name for Brown’s sound system and forthcoming album. In the folk tale, Henry, a broad-shouldered African-American blue-collar worker with a hammer, bore a hole through a mountain faster a machine, but collapsed and died soon after his victory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s an allegory for Black labor, and the limits of our labor,” Brown professes.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Looking out the window from inside of the Main branch of the Berkeley Public Library, as translucent concert posters adorn the windows.\" class=\"wp-image-13994357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As a part of ‘The Break Room,’ archival concert posters adorn the walls and windows of the Berkeley Public Library. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Brown, as a Black queer man in America, the “machine” he’s in competition with can take many forms, be it new predatory technology or old-fashioned racism. It can even show up internally, he says, clarifying that poor mental health, habitually people-pleasing or bouts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101892/is-it-love-or-limerence-why-intense-chemistry-can-be-misleading\">limerence\u003c/a> are “machines” of a different sort.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How do I temper those machines? How do I study them, observe them and conquer them?” asks the artist. “What would it be like if John Henry survived? That’s what this is about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the fifth floor of Berkeley’s main library is a multimedia station where people can \u003cem>take a break\u003c/em> and listen to a CD from Gucci Mane and read an article about John Coltrane, or slap a record by Santana and peruse a magazine with Steve Lacy on the cover.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And just a few floors below, encased in hand-cut wooden triangles, are a set of speakers unlike any other, as four 15-inch drivers, two tweeters and a midrange horn come together to sonically spread culture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re custom-made for pretty loud bass,” Brown says of his John Henry Sound System. Although they’re in a library, the speakers are on par with the ones you’d hear at concert halls, churches and clubs. “And that’s really the sound that I wanted to bring,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Events in the \u003c/em>‘\u003cem>In The Stax’ series run now through Dec. 12. \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">More details and information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These are 1984 Cerwin-Vegas,” says singer and sonic designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ddeonbrown/\">Derwin Deon Brown II\u003c/a>, describing the speakers. Brown calls it the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dd4rX4iykUM/\">John Henry Sound System\u003c/a>, named after the Black American folk hero.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Brown and his towering sound system are the centerpiece of \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">In The Stax\u003c/a>, an annual series of music-related programs across the Berkeley Public Library system. The first performance in the series takes place Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Claremont Branch with instrumentalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/connoisseurrat/\">Connoisseur Rat\u003c/a>, and events continue through the second week of December.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since launching in 2022, the series has featured artists like Oakland punk band \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/5ra-3x0cNxQ?si=-_tfH-67cPYp_zuZ\">Skip the Needle\u003c/a> and soul singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkfX6lwXTHU\">Marisha Ashanti\u003c/a>. Berkeley Public Library Specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_readwatchlisten/\">Chinyere Keita\u003c/a>, who organizes the events, says the goal is to bring Black artists into the space.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Oakland, Keita spent her teenage and young adult years at the Berkeley library, working there for the past 15 years. During that time, she’s noticed that younger folks and people of color will overlook the library as a welcoming third space, and assume that all it offers are books and free wi-fi.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Oakland, Keita spent her teenage and young adult years at the Berkeley library, working there for the past 15 years. During that time, she’s noticed that younger folks and people of color will overlook the library as a welcoming third space, and assume that all it offers are books and free wi-fi.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I just want to always remind people that our culture is here. Our history is here,” she tells me during a recent phone call. “And Derwin Deon Brown II had the exact kind of thing reflected in his artwork.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I just want to always remind people that our culture is here. Our history is here,” she tells me during a recent phone call. “And Derwin Deon Brown II had the exact kind of thing reflected in his artwork.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Brown is In The Stax’s first artist-in-residence. Along with his John Henry Sound System, he’ll debut his forthcoming album (also titled \u003cem>John Henry\u003c/em>) later this fall. In the meantime, he’s been working with Keita to develop the event series. “And all the programming,” says Keita, “is around Black artists.”\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/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg\" alt=\"An African American man in a hat and brown jacket and a woman in a green shirt and large afro pose for a photo inside of a library.\" class=\"wp-image-13994358\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist Derwin Deon Brown II and library specialist Chinyere Keita have programmed a series of events this fall throughout the Berkeley Public Library system.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg\" alt=\"An African American man in a hat and brown jacket and a woman in a green shirt and large afro pose for a photo inside of a library.\" class=\"wp-image-13994358\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist Derwin Deon Brown II and library specialist Chinyere Keita have programmed a series of events this fall throughout the Berkeley Public Library system.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The series features performances from the likes of lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kayattamusic/\">Kayatta\u003c/a>, a panel discussion about the current state of Black radio, a Wild West Femme Cypher and a workshop where people can burn their own playlists to a CD and create collages as cover art. More than just listening to a lecture, Keita tells me, it’s about weaving new ideas into the culture of the library.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The series features performances from the likes of lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kayattamusic/\">Kayatta\u003c/a>, a panel discussion about the current state of Black radio, a Wild West Femme Cypher and a workshop where people can burn their own playlists to a CD and create collages as cover art. More than just listening to a lecture, Keita tells me, it’s about weaving new ideas into the culture of the library.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Yoga was actually our most popular program at the Oakland Public Library,” says Brown, referring to a workshop last spring where he collaborated with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blacktoyoga/\">Black to Yoga\u003c/a> and compiled a playlist of songs to center healing. “We’re gonna be doing the same thing at Berkeley Public Library,” he says, “but this time, live.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Yoga was actually our most popular program at the Oakland Public Library,” says Brown, referring to a workshop last spring where he collaborated with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blacktoyoga/\">Black to Yoga\u003c/a> and compiled a playlist of songs to center healing. “We’re gonna be doing the same thing at Berkeley Public Library,” he says, “but this time, live.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instruments and vocals, sound waves and varying vibrational energies are tools to help people center themselves. And ultimately the goal is to use those tools to get people to relax and recharge. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Instruments and vocals, sound waves and varying vibrational energies are tools to help people center themselves. And ultimately the goal is to use those tools to get people to relax and recharge. \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/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In addition to being a musician and designing the mammoth John Henry Sound System, Derwin Deon Brown II is the youngest member of the \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandbca.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAadUF8JYpjlSY-QjJAHuM76e8nYpYMxezNfVQ0tBvJIS3oRxhGekji8j2xe-2A_aem_jNfBI64Zd3bz1zSSrO-zUQ\">Oakland Black Cowboy Association\u003c/a>.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994359\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In addition to being a musician and designing the mammoth John Henry Sound System, Derwin Deon Brown II is the youngest member of the \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandbca.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAadUF8JYpjlSY-QjJAHuM76e8nYpYMxezNfVQ0tBvJIS3oRxhGekji8j2xe-2A_aem_jNfBI64Zd3bz1zSSrO-zUQ\">Oakland Black Cowboy Association\u003c/a>.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And when we talk about ‘the break,’” Brown says, “we really want to embody all the definitions of that.” The “break” can be a rest, a dose of culture or a break from habits. It can even be breakbeats found in hip-hop. Ultimately, says Brown, it’s about convincing people to “integrate breaks into our lives.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And when we talk about ‘the break,’” Brown says, “we really want to embody all the definitions of that.” The “break” can be a rest, a dose of culture or a break from habits. It can even be breakbeats found in hip-hop. Ultimately, says Brown, it’s about convincing people to “integrate breaks into our lives.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 27-year-old laments the amount of time that work has taken him away from his family. Originally from Pasadena, he moved to Oakland in his college years, attending San Francisco State University. “Oakland has raised me as a man,” he affirms, now a decade into his East Bay residency. A former legal aid and social worker, Brown admits the corporate ladder is deceiving.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The 27-year-old laments the amount of time that work has taken him away from his family. Originally from Pasadena, he moved to Oakland in his college years, attending San Francisco State University. “Oakland has raised me as a man,” he affirms, now a decade into his East Bay residency. A former legal aid and social worker, Brown admits the corporate ladder is deceiving.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m thinking I’m working my way up and really I’m just on a treadmill, like many people, chasing the next thing,” he tells me with an exhale. “Niggas was tired. You know, we’re working and doing too much shit, man.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’m thinking I’m working my way up and really I’m just on a treadmill, like many people, chasing the next thing,” he tells me with an exhale. “Niggas was tired. You know, we’re working and doing too much shit, man.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>John Henry is an intentional name for Brown’s sound system and forthcoming album. In the folk tale, Henry, a broad-shouldered African-American blue-collar worker with a hammer, bore a hole through a mountain faster a machine, but collapsed and died soon after his victory.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>John Henry is an intentional name for Brown’s sound system and forthcoming album. In the folk tale, Henry, a broad-shouldered African-American blue-collar worker with a hammer, bore a hole through a mountain faster a machine, but collapsed and died soon after his victory.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s an allegory for Black labor, and the limits of our labor,” Brown professes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"alt": "Looking out the window from inside of the Main branch of the Berkeley Public Library, as translucent concert posters adorn the windows.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1536x2048.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/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Looking out the window from inside of the Main branch of the Berkeley Public Library, as translucent concert posters adorn the windows.\" class=\"wp-image-13994357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As a part of ‘The Break Room,’ archival concert posters adorn the walls and windows of the Berkeley Public Library.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Looking out the window from inside of the Main branch of the Berkeley Public Library, as translucent concert posters adorn the windows.\" class=\"wp-image-13994357\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As a part of ‘The Break Room,’ archival concert posters adorn the walls and windows of the Berkeley Public Library.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Brown, as a Black queer man in America, the “machine” he’s in competition with can take many forms, be it new predatory technology or old-fashioned racism. It can even show up internally, he says, clarifying that poor mental health, habitually people-pleasing or bouts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101892/is-it-love-or-limerence-why-intense-chemistry-can-be-misleading\">limerence\u003c/a> are “machines” of a different sort.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Brown, as a Black queer man in America, the “machine” he’s in competition with can take many forms, be it new predatory technology or old-fashioned racism. It can even show up internally, he says, clarifying that poor mental health, habitually people-pleasing or bouts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101892/is-it-love-or-limerence-why-intense-chemistry-can-be-misleading\">limerence\u003c/a> are “machines” of a different sort.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“How do I temper those machines? How do I study them, observe them and conquer them?” asks the artist. “What would it be like if John Henry survived? That’s what this is about.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“How do I temper those machines? How do I study them, observe them and conquer them?” asks the artist. “What would it be like if John Henry survived? That’s what this is about.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the fifth floor of Berkeley’s main library is a multimedia station where people can \u003cem>take a break\u003c/em> and listen to a CD from Gucci Mane and read an article about John Coltrane, or slap a record by Santana and peruse a magazine with Steve Lacy on the cover.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the fifth floor of Berkeley’s main library is a multimedia station where people can \u003cem>take a break\u003c/em> and listen to a CD from Gucci Mane and read an article about John Coltrane, or slap a record by Santana and peruse a magazine with Steve Lacy on the cover.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And just a few floors below, encased in hand-cut wooden triangles, are a set of speakers unlike any other, as four 15-inch drivers, two tweeters and a midrange horn come together to sonically spread culture.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And just a few floors below, encased in hand-cut wooden triangles, are a set of speakers unlike any other, as four 15-inch drivers, two tweeters and a midrange horn come together to sonically spread culture.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re custom-made for pretty loud bass,” Brown says of his John Henry Sound System. Although they’re in a library, the speakers are on par with the ones you’d hear at concert halls, churches and clubs. “And that’s really the sound that I wanted to bring,” he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They’re custom-made for pretty loud bass,” Brown says of his John Henry Sound System. Although they’re in a library, the speakers are on par with the ones you’d hear at concert halls, churches and clubs. “And that’s really the sound that I wanted to bring,” he says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Events in the \u003c/em>‘\u003cem>In The Stax’ series run now through Dec. 12. \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">More details and information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Events in the \u003c/em>‘\u003cem>In The Stax’ series run now through Dec. 12. \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">More details and information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Four 15s slappin' in... your local public library?!",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>At the main branch of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley\">Berkeley\u003c/a> Public Library sits a set of speakers that look like mountains.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The pair of nearly nine-foot white triangular wooden blocks tower over \u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/tagged/the%20break%20room\">\u003cem>The Break Room\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which is less of a room and more of a nook off of the second floor’s main hallway. At the base of the speakers is a garden of faux plants, and archival posters of star-studded local events hang in the window behind them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the floor, separating the two mammoth speakers, a pair of long brown wooden blocks are laid horizontally and stacked on top of one another. Written on them in bold red letters are the words “\u003ca href=\"https://blackamericansoundsystem.org/\">Black American Sound System\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/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994361\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4941-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The towering John Henry Sound System is an artistic commentary on labor and culture, music and movements. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These are 1984 Cerwin-Vegas,” says singer and sonic designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ddeonbrown/\">Derwin Deon Brown II\u003c/a>, describing the speakers. Brown calls it the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dd4rX4iykUM/\">John Henry Sound System\u003c/a>, named after the Black American folk hero.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brown and his towering sound system are the centerpiece of \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">In The Stax\u003c/a>, an annual series of music-related programs across the Berkeley Public Library system. The first performance in the series takes place Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Claremont Branch with instrumentalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/connoisseurrat/\">Connoisseur Rat\u003c/a>, and events continue through the second week of December.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since launching in 2022, the series has featured artists like Oakland punk band \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/5ra-3x0cNxQ?si=-_tfH-67cPYp_zuZ\">Skip the Needle\u003c/a> and soul singer \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkfX6lwXTHU\">Marisha Ashanti\u003c/a>. Berkeley Public Library Specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_readwatchlisten/\">Chinyere Keita\u003c/a>, who organizes the events, says the goal is to bring Black artists into the space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Oakland, Keita spent her teenage and young adult years at the Berkeley library, working there for the past 15 years. During that time, she’s noticed that younger folks and people of color will overlook the library as a welcoming third space, and assume that all it offers are books and free wi-fi.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just want to always remind people that our culture is here. Our history is here,” she tells me during a recent phone call. “And Derwin Deon Brown II had the exact kind of thing reflected in his artwork.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brown is In The Stax’s first artist-in-residence. Along with his John Henry Sound System, he’ll debut his forthcoming album (also titled \u003cem>John Henry\u003c/em>) later this fall. In the meantime, he’s been working with Keita to develop the event series. “And all the programming,” says Keita, “is around Black artists.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg\" alt=\"An African American man in a hat and brown jacket and a woman in a green shirt and large afro pose for a photo inside of a library.\" class=\"wp-image-13994358\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/DSC01545-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist Derwin Deon Brown II and library specialist Chinyere Keita have programmed a series of events this fall throughout the Berkeley Public Library system. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The series features performances from the likes of lyricist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kayattamusic/\">Kayatta\u003c/a>, a panel discussion about the current state of Black radio, a Wild West Femme Cypher and a workshop where people can burn their own playlists to a CD and create collages as cover art. More than just listening to a lecture, Keita tells me, it’s about weaving new ideas into the culture of the library.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Yoga was actually our most popular program at the Oakland Public Library,” says Brown, referring to a workshop last spring where he collaborated with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blacktoyoga/\">Black to Yoga\u003c/a> and compiled a playlist of songs to center healing. “We’re gonna be doing the same thing at Berkeley Public Library,” he says, “but this time, live.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Instruments and vocals, sound waves and varying vibrational energies are tools to help people center themselves. And ultimately the goal is to use those tools to get people to relax and recharge. \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/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4933-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In addition to being a musician and designing the mammoth John Henry Sound System, Derwin Deon Brown II is the youngest member of the \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandbca.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAadUF8JYpjlSY-QjJAHuM76e8nYpYMxezNfVQ0tBvJIS3oRxhGekji8j2xe-2A_aem_jNfBI64Zd3bz1zSSrO-zUQ\">Oakland Black Cowboy Association\u003c/a>. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And when we talk about ‘the break,’” Brown says, “we really want to embody all the definitions of that.” The “break” can be a rest, a dose of culture or a break from habits. It can even be breakbeats found in hip-hop. Ultimately, says Brown, it’s about convincing people to “integrate breaks into our lives.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 27-year-old laments the amount of time that work has taken him away from his family. Originally from Pasadena, he moved to Oakland in his college years, attending San Francisco State University. “Oakland has raised me as a man,” he affirms, now a decade into his East Bay residency. A former legal aid and social worker, Brown admits the corporate ladder is deceiving.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m thinking I’m working my way up and really I’m just on a treadmill, like many people, chasing the next thing,” he tells me with an exhale. “Niggas was tired. You know, we’re working and doing too much shit, man.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>John Henry is an intentional name for Brown’s sound system and forthcoming album. In the folk tale, Henry, a broad-shouldered African-American blue-collar worker with a hammer, bore a hole through a mountain faster a machine, but collapsed and died soon after his victory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s an allegory for Black labor, and the limits of our labor,” Brown professes.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Looking out the window from inside of the Main branch of the Berkeley Public Library, as translucent concert posters adorn the windows.\" class=\"wp-image-13994357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_4914-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">As a part of ‘The Break Room,’ archival concert posters adorn the walls and windows of the Berkeley Public Library. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Brown, as a Black queer man in America, the “machine” he’s in competition with can take many forms, be it new predatory technology or old-fashioned racism. It can even show up internally, he says, clarifying that poor mental health, habitually people-pleasing or bouts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101892/is-it-love-or-limerence-why-intense-chemistry-can-be-misleading\">limerence\u003c/a> are “machines” of a different sort.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How do I temper those machines? How do I study them, observe them and conquer them?” asks the artist. “What would it be like if John Henry survived? That’s what this is about.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the fifth floor of Berkeley’s main library is a multimedia station where people can \u003cem>take a break\u003c/em> and listen to a CD from Gucci Mane and read an article about John Coltrane, or slap a record by Santana and peruse a magazine with Steve Lacy on the cover.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And just a few floors below, encased in hand-cut wooden triangles, are a set of speakers unlike any other, as four 15-inch drivers, two tweeters and a midrange horn come together to sonically spread culture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re custom-made for pretty loud bass,” Brown says of his John Henry Sound System. Although they’re in a library, the speakers are on par with the ones you’d hear at concert halls, churches and clubs. “And that’s really the sound that I wanted to bring,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Events in the \u003c/em>‘\u003cem>In The Stax’ series run now through Dec. 12. \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/inthestax\">More details and information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "malik-seneferu-hunters-point-studio-painting-san-francisco",
"title": "In Hunters Point, Black History Comes Alive in Malik Seneferu’s Paintings",
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"headTitle": "In Hunters Point, Black History Comes Alive in Malik Seneferu’s Paintings | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Inside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maliksart/\">Malik Seneferu’s\u003c/a> arts studio, cultural movements take the form of paintings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Situated on the hallowed grounds of the Hunters Point Shipyard, the eggshell-colored room holds brightly painted canvases that illustrate the artist’s appreciation of history, connection to the soil and love for the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu paints portraits that pair elements of the African Diaspora with Bay Area culture under one common philosophy: “Remain creative.”\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/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But no matter where his work goes, he tells me, it never strays too far from where he started, or why.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu pushed his mother to pursue her art, but she was clear: Creating was \u003cem>his\u003c/em> thing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \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/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"An African American man in a brown outfit panting a giant colorful mural.\" class=\"wp-image-13994148\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist at work: a glimpse inside of Malik Seneferu’s studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He starts with 1933, when Marcus Garvey stopped publishing his newspaper, \u003cem>The Negro World\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\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/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The series encompasses many Seneferu trademarks; it encapsulates key aspects of 20th century Black history while illustrating instances that’ve informed his worldview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Having grown up with an artistic mother and a stepfather who was a gunnery sergeant in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he’s learned to speak through painting as a second artistic language. His first artistic language was hip-hop.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A table full of small painted art pieces.\" class=\"wp-image-13994289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A table full of Malike Seneferu’s work. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things I do are strictly from my imagination, because it’s really defiance,” Seneferu tells me. “To be creative is to defy annihilation. That’s why I’ll always remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Malik Seneferu will also participate in the Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios open studios event on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Hunters Point Shipyard (451 Galvez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124).\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipyard-open-studios-fall-2026-registration-1992234233221?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=6ebd4af823122ca2a076762936f3f5be642a0fc6087d942b690ea23370a12f69b0e61ce80cef0a8b67b1b3aba3869b58a11565fb11670033e88d4aa2a62d9df530fbd95445996d453ac082a7\">Check here for tickets and more information\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Inside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maliksart/\">Malik Seneferu’s\u003c/a> arts studio, cultural movements take the form of paintings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Situated on the hallowed grounds of the Hunters Point Shipyard, the eggshell-colored room holds brightly painted canvases that illustrate the artist’s appreciation of history, connection to the soil and love for the people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu paints portraits that pair elements of the African Diaspora with Bay Area culture under one common philosophy: “Remain creative.”\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/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But no matter where his work goes, he tells me, it never strays too far from where he started, or why.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu pushed his mother to pursue her art, but she was clear: Creating was \u003cem>his\u003c/em> thing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He starts with 1933, when Marcus Garvey stopped publishing his newspaper, \u003cem>The Negro World\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\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/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The series encompasses many Seneferu trademarks; it encapsulates key aspects of 20th century Black history while illustrating instances that’ve informed his worldview.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Having grown up with an artistic mother and a stepfather who was a gunnery sergeant in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he’s learned to speak through painting as a second artistic language. His first artistic language was hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things I do are strictly from my imagination, because it’s really defiance,” Seneferu tells me. “To be creative is to defy annihilation. That’s why I’ll always remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Malik Seneferu will also participate in the Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios open studios event on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Hunters Point Shipyard (451 Galvez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124).\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipyard-open-studios-fall-2026-registration-1992234233221?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=6ebd4af823122ca2a076762936f3f5be642a0fc6087d942b690ea23370a12f69b0e61ce80cef0a8b67b1b3aba3869b58a11565fb11670033e88d4aa2a62d9df530fbd95445996d453ac082a7\">Check here for tickets and more information\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Not far from where he grew up, Seneferu’s studio is a cultural lab guided by one motto: ‘Remain creative.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Inside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maliksart/\">Malik Seneferu’s\u003c/a> arts studio, cultural movements take the form of paintings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Situated on the hallowed grounds of the Hunters Point Shipyard, the eggshell-colored room holds brightly painted canvases that illustrate the artist’s appreciation of history, connection to the soil and love for the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu paints portraits that pair elements of the African Diaspora with Bay Area culture under one common philosophy: “Remain creative.”\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/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But no matter where his work goes, he tells me, it never strays too far from where he started, or why.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu pushed his mother to pursue her art, but she was clear: Creating was \u003cem>his\u003c/em> thing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \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/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"An African American man in a brown outfit panting a giant colorful mural.\" class=\"wp-image-13994148\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist at work: a glimpse inside of Malik Seneferu’s studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He starts with 1933, when Marcus Garvey stopped publishing his newspaper, \u003cem>The Negro World\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\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/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The series encompasses many Seneferu trademarks; it encapsulates key aspects of 20th century Black history while illustrating instances that’ve informed his worldview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Having grown up with an artistic mother and a stepfather who was a gunnery sergeant in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he’s learned to speak through painting as a second artistic language. His first artistic language was hip-hop.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A table full of small painted art pieces.\" class=\"wp-image-13994289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A table full of Malike Seneferu’s work. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things I do are strictly from my imagination, because it’s really defiance,” Seneferu tells me. “To be creative is to defy annihilation. That’s why I’ll always remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Malik Seneferu will also participate in the Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios open studios event on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Hunters Point Shipyard (451 Galvez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124).\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipyard-open-studios-fall-2026-registration-1992234233221?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=6ebd4af823122ca2a076762936f3f5be642a0fc6087d942b690ea23370a12f69b0e61ce80cef0a8b67b1b3aba3869b58a11565fb11670033e88d4aa2a62d9df530fbd95445996d453ac082a7\">Check here for tickets and more information\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "stained-glass-garden-berkeley-50-year-anniversary-party",
"title": "Berkeley’s Stained Glass Garden to Celebrate 50 Years of Art",
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"headTitle": "Berkeley’s Stained Glass Garden to Celebrate 50 Years of Art | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>West Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/\">Stained Glass Garden\u003c/a> is an active community hub built on artistic expression. Fifty years after opening its doors, in many ways, the glassmaking studio and gallery is a mosaic in and of itself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The venue rents studio space for making fused glass panels and glass lampshades. The organization sells supplies to artists, holds classes for students and, in their gallery, showcases the works of more than 100 local glassmakers. “Many of whom got their start in our classes at some point in time,” says Julie Orchard, Stained Glass Garden owner.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The space is open daily, welcoming seasoned professionals, recent retirees and new visitors influenced by Instagram. “There’s a whole new generation of young folks coming out and creating with glass,” says Orchard, who also hosts many longtime glassmakers. “An hour ago I was with a someone who has been our customer for all 50 years. It’s just a wonderful, unique place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The range of artists who find peace in glasswork will be present on Sunday, Sept. 20, as \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/blogs/news/50th\">Stained Glass Garden celebrates its 50th birthday\u003c/a> with a block party.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A display of items made of stained glass, including a colorful lamp.\" class=\"wp-image-13993958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stained glass lamp shades are one of many items artists create at Stained Glass Garden in Berkeley. (Kelly Sullivan)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The event, which includes a community mosaic project and works from students over the past half-century, will take place in Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.fourthstreet.com/alllist\">Fourth Street\u003c/a> shopping district. The organization has called the area home long before it turned into the bustling upscale neighborhood it is today, with a Sur la Table, Sephora and Herman Miller outlet all a short walk away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We were the first store down here,” says Orchard of what was then a small home-studio, founded in 1976 by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/glassartmosaics/\">Joan McLean\u003c/a>. Orchard first joined Stained Glass Garden in 2004 and soon “fell in love with glass and all of its aspects,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, her glasswork community extends far beyond the shop. “I actually had a student in the delivery room with me when I was having my first child,” Orchard tells me, “and a different student was the pediatrician the next day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The work itself extends beyond the shop’s walls as well, and can be seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcgqdR_IVQj/\">throughout the region\u003c/a>. One of the company’s instructors was a part of the team that recently restored the glass at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. In the Bay Area, “if you look at a stained glass window in somebody’s house,” she says, “it’s probably from Stained Glass Garden.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When McLean semi-retired in 2008, Orchard took over the store. “She just was a great mentor, and gave me complete freedom to build the store as I saw fit,” Orchard recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McLean is officially stepping away this year, making this weekend’s event a bit of a retirement party, as well as an opportunity to see Stained Glass Garden’s next chapter, says Orchard.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, the torch could get passed down in more ways than one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My 11-year-old daughter,” Orchard says, “just designed, cut, ground and soldered her very first stained glass panel just about two weeks ago.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Stained Glass Garden’s 50th anniversary party is Sunday Sept. 20 from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Stained Glass Garden (1800 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710). \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/blogs/news/50th\">Check here for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>West Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/\">Stained Glass Garden\u003c/a> is an active community hub built on artistic expression. Fifty years after opening its doors, in many ways, the glassmaking studio and gallery is a mosaic in and of itself.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The venue rents studio space for making fused glass panels and glass lampshades. The organization sells supplies to artists, holds classes for students and, in their gallery, showcases the works of more than 100 local glassmakers. “Many of whom got their start in our classes at some point in time,” says Julie Orchard, Stained Glass Garden owner.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The venue rents studio space for making fused glass panels and glass lampshades. The organization sells supplies to artists, holds classes for students and, in their gallery, showcases the works of more than 100 local glassmakers. “Many of whom got their start in our classes at some point in time,” says Julie Orchard, Stained Glass Garden owner.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The space is open daily, welcoming seasoned professionals, recent retirees and new visitors influenced by Instagram. “There’s a whole new generation of young folks coming out and creating with glass,” says Orchard, who also hosts many longtime glassmakers. “An hour ago I was with a someone who has been our customer for all 50 years. It’s just a wonderful, unique place.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The range of artists who find peace in glasswork will be present on Sunday, Sept. 20, as \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/blogs/news/50th\">Stained Glass Garden celebrates its 50th birthday\u003c/a> with a block party.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A display of items made of stained glass, including a colorful lamp.\" class=\"wp-image-13993958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stained glass lamp shades are one of many items artists create at Stained Glass Garden in Berkeley.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Kelly Sullivan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The event, which includes a community mosaic project and works from students over the past half-century, will take place in Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.fourthstreet.com/alllist\">Fourth Street\u003c/a> shopping district. The organization has called the area home long before it turned into the bustling upscale neighborhood it is today, with a Sur la Table, Sephora and Herman Miller outlet all a short walk away.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We were the first store down here,” says Orchard of what was then a small home-studio, founded in 1976 by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/glassartmosaics/\">Joan McLean\u003c/a>. Orchard first joined Stained Glass Garden in 2004 and soon “fell in love with glass and all of its aspects,” she says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, her glasswork community extends far beyond the shop. “I actually had a student in the delivery room with me when I was having my first child,” Orchard tells me, “and a different student was the pediatrician the next day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The work itself extends beyond the shop’s walls as well, and can be seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcgqdR_IVQj/\">throughout the region\u003c/a>. One of the company’s instructors was a part of the team that recently restored the glass at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. In the Bay Area, “if you look at a stained glass window in somebody’s house,” she says, “it’s probably from Stained Glass Garden.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When McLean semi-retired in 2008, Orchard took over the store. “She just was a great mentor, and gave me complete freedom to build the store as I saw fit,” Orchard recalls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McLean is officially stepping away this year, making this weekend’s event a bit of a retirement party, as well as an opportunity to see Stained Glass Garden’s next chapter, says Orchard.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eventually, the torch could get passed down in more ways than one.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My 11-year-old daughter,” Orchard says, “just designed, cut, ground and soldered her very first stained glass panel just about two weeks ago.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Stained Glass Garden’s 50th anniversary party is Sunday Sept. 20 from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Stained Glass Garden (1800 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710). \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/blogs/news/50th\">Check here for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Founded in 1976, the store and studio rental space celebrates its half-decade of glassmaking with a block party.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>West Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/\">Stained Glass Garden\u003c/a> is an active community hub built on artistic expression. Fifty years after opening its doors, in many ways, the glassmaking studio and gallery is a mosaic in and of itself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The venue rents studio space for making fused glass panels and glass lampshades. The organization sells supplies to artists, holds classes for students and, in their gallery, showcases the works of more than 100 local glassmakers. “Many of whom got their start in our classes at some point in time,” says Julie Orchard, Stained Glass Garden owner.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The space is open daily, welcoming seasoned professionals, recent retirees and new visitors influenced by Instagram. “There’s a whole new generation of young folks coming out and creating with glass,” says Orchard, who also hosts many longtime glassmakers. “An hour ago I was with a someone who has been our customer for all 50 years. It’s just a wonderful, unique place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The range of artists who find peace in glasswork will be present on Sunday, Sept. 20, as \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/blogs/news/50th\">Stained Glass Garden celebrates its 50th birthday\u003c/a> with a block party.\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/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A display of items made of stained glass, including a colorful lamp.\" class=\"wp-image-13993958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_0144-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stained glass lamp shades are one of many items artists create at Stained Glass Garden in Berkeley. (Kelly Sullivan)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The event, which includes a community mosaic project and works from students over the past half-century, will take place in Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.fourthstreet.com/alllist\">Fourth Street\u003c/a> shopping district. The organization has called the area home long before it turned into the bustling upscale neighborhood it is today, with a Sur la Table, Sephora and Herman Miller outlet all a short walk away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We were the first store down here,” says Orchard of what was then a small home-studio, founded in 1976 by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/glassartmosaics/\">Joan McLean\u003c/a>. Orchard first joined Stained Glass Garden in 2004 and soon “fell in love with glass and all of its aspects,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, her glasswork community extends far beyond the shop. “I actually had a student in the delivery room with me when I was having my first child,” Orchard tells me, “and a different student was the pediatrician the next day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The work itself extends beyond the shop’s walls as well, and can be seen \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcgqdR_IVQj/\">throughout the region\u003c/a>. One of the company’s instructors was a part of the team that recently restored the glass at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. In the Bay Area, “if you look at a stained glass window in somebody’s house,” she says, “it’s probably from Stained Glass Garden.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When McLean semi-retired in 2008, Orchard took over the store. “She just was a great mentor, and gave me complete freedom to build the store as I saw fit,” Orchard recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McLean is officially stepping away this year, making this weekend’s event a bit of a retirement party, as well as an opportunity to see Stained Glass Garden’s next chapter, says Orchard.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, the torch could get passed down in more ways than one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My 11-year-old daughter,” Orchard says, “just designed, cut, ground and soldered her very first stained glass panel just about two weeks ago.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Stained Glass Garden’s 50th anniversary party is Sunday Sept. 20 from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Stained Glass Garden (1800 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710). \u003ca href=\"https://stainedglassgarden.com/blogs/news/50th\">Check here for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "young-bari-bosslife-big-spence-thats-a-playa",
"title": "How Young Bari and BossLife Big Spence’s ‘That's a Playa’ Took Over the Bay",
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"headTitle": "How Young Bari and BossLife Big Spence’s ‘That’s a Playa’ Took Over the Bay | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Our current era is full of songs that become hits after going viral on TikTok. Meanwhile, since August of 2025, Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bosslifebigspence/\">BossLife Big Spence\u003c/a> and San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\">Young Bari\u003c/a> have worked their hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOg-IMiT-oU\">That’s a Playa\u003c/a>” like it’s the old days.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They’ve done local radio hits and traveled for features on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpHRNcxgBQM\">national video platforms\u003c/a>. They’ve made made guest appearances at major events, like E-40’s recent set at the Oakland Arena and a Levi’s Super Bowl event in February. They even tapped rap legends \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRtSJHRx1YE\">Richie Rich, Too Short and E-40\u003c/a> for a remix, extending the song’s longevity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, on Sept. 7, Spence and Bari are set to headline the second stage at the 14th annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13991284/hiero-day-2026-san-francisco-lineup-expansion-la-canada\">Hiero Day\u003c/a>, closing out a show with a lineup of talent that includes Mereba, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Killer Mike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While many artists typically drop songs and then pray the algorithm helps them catch a wave, Spence and Bari say taking a single track and going on a “campaign” with it is the reason for its success. They even got a special shout out from one of the most popular comedians of the past two decades, Mike Epps.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DXHe0AzgaVO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It all started with a video of Epps responding to a question about which artists he’s listening to right now. Between mentions of Kendrick Lamar and Fetty P. Franklin,”It’s a young dude out of the Bay right now named Young Bari,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/watch/mike-epps-odell-beckham-jr-kendrick-lamar-12-04-2025/\">Epps says\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I seen that,” Bari tells me, “I was like, ‘I gotta make a clip of this instantly and post it, so people can know we \u003cem>moving\u003c/em> right now!'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weeks later, when Epps was scheduled to come to the Bay for a show at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Concord with an afterparty at Oakland’s M2 lounge, he told Spence, “Bro, we finna go pull up on Mike.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not only did they meet the award-winning actor and former host of HBO’s \u003cem>Def Comedy Jam\u003c/em>, they performed that same night. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m talking about a real campaign, bro,” Bari says, explaining their grind over the past year. “We was running it up,” he exclaims. “Whatever we had to do to get the record out, we did 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=tOg-IMiT-oU\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Spence, who made the original version of the song while working with producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/payseanprod/\">PAY$EAN\u003c/a>, points out an important aspect of their promotion: it’s all been out of their own pockets. “We really put our all into the record,” says Spence, “and I think the results you see are the results of that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though they’re both Bay Area-raised students of hip-hop, the two artists come from different eras.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Spence, who started as a producer before stepping to the mic, has made his mark with tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brbOTU5TiKY\">The Deal\u003c/a>”by DaBoii (feat. Drakeo the Ruler) and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuHpLZRRYIk\">Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red\u003c/a>” by Too Short (feat. Larry June). “I had a little success with my first single that I ever dropped, ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5i4Sa2a7k4\">10K,\u003c/a>’” he says. “But the success of ‘That’s a Playa’ is totally different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That kind of success is a new experience for Spence. But Bari has been here before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a 10th grader at Berkeley High School, Spence saw Bari perform his classic track, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JjvzlpNiH0&list=RD8JjvzlpNiH0&start_radio=1\">So Mobby\u003c/a>.” At the time, Spence hadn’t been to many concerts, and “definitely no rap concerts,” he says. “So when [Bari] did that, I was just so impacted. I was like, ‘Man, one day I got to have it.'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recently shared \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcSB_hCt_d2/\">video of Bari performing in 2009 \u003c/a>shows just how lit audiences would get when “So Mobby” would come kabobulating through the speakers. Referenced in the 2012 \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iC-irllqY&list=RDg-iC-irllqY&start_radio=1\">E-40 track “Function”\u003c/a> (feat. YG, Problem and IamSu!), the song still holds its weight in the Bay Area hall of game. And Bari’s stage show is partially to credit for it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I grew up in the turf dancing era,” he says. “If you was in the party being a wallflower, you getting cooked, you feel me?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bari, who recently released the P-Lo-produced song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkejTZUV1-U\">IN TRAFFIC\u003c/a>” (feat. Keak Da Sneak and DB Tha General) as well as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPE-8ide9Ig\">MOBBY MIYAZAKI\u003c/a>” (a re-interpolation of “So Mobby” with Seiji Oda), possesses dance moves that entertain his peers and simultaneously pay homage to his Frisco roots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Get Low,” he says, “that’s a neighborhood dance. My uncle \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVMSAkfEn99/\">J.D. Walker made that dance\u003c/a>.” The key to hitting The Get Low, says Bari, is energy. “It’s a feeling.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And it’s that same energy that led him to working with Big Spence.\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/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three men in a recording studio, posing for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13993588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rapper Young Bari, producer Pay$ean and rapper-producer BossLife Big Spence pose for a photo at the On The Radar studio in New York. (Courtesy of BossLife Big Spence)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While visiting the producer and going through beats, Spence played an unfinished version of “That’s a Playa.” Bari instantly felt it. “I seen the vision,” he says. “I heard the energy of it and I was like this is \u003cem>that sound\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Between the mobby beat, Spence’s flossy lyrics and catchy hook, Bari could tell Spence was having fun in the studio. That’s the most important ingredient in making a song to dance to, Bari says: freeing yourself, and being unbothered by thoughts of going viral, or worry of any negative critiques. “You gotta cat off in the booth,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And, clearly, after you’re done having fun recording, you go to work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With 12 months under their belts of pushing the song, their Hiero Day performance is big. While Bari has rocked the festival’s stage multiple times, Spence has only done so as a DJ. And for him, this year’s show is deeper than rap, as his late father was a huge fan of Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everywhere I go I take him with me; every stage I’m on,” says Spence in respect to his father. “Plus I was born in ’93. So ‘93 ’til Infinity,’ that’s my jam.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>BossLife Big Spence and Young Bari perform Monday, Sept. 7, as part of Hiero Day at The Midway (900 Marin St, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Our current era is full of songs that become hits after going viral on TikTok. Meanwhile, since August of 2025, Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bosslifebigspence/\">BossLife Big Spence\u003c/a> and San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\">Young Bari\u003c/a> have worked their hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOg-IMiT-oU\">That’s a Playa\u003c/a>” like it’s the old days.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It all started with a video of Epps responding to a question about which artists he’s listening to right now. Between mentions of Kendrick Lamar and Fetty P. Franklin,”It’s a young dude out of the Bay right now named Young Bari,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/watch/mike-epps-odell-beckham-jr-kendrick-lamar-12-04-2025/\">Epps says\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When I seen that,” Bari tells me, “I was like, ‘I gotta make a clip of this instantly and post it, so people can know we \u003cem>moving\u003c/em> right now!'”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When I seen that,” Bari tells me, “I was like, ‘I gotta make a clip of this instantly and post it, so people can know we \u003cem>moving\u003c/em> right now!'”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Weeks later, when Epps was scheduled to come to the Bay for a show at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Concord with an afterparty at Oakland’s M2 lounge, he told Spence, “Bro, we finna go pull up on Mike.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Weeks later, when Epps was scheduled to come to the Bay for a show at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Concord with an afterparty at Oakland’s M2 lounge, he told Spence, “Bro, we finna go pull up on Mike.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Not only did they meet the award-winning actor and former host of HBO’s \u003cem>Def Comedy Jam\u003c/em>, they performed that same night. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m talking about a real campaign, bro,” Bari says, explaining their grind over the past year. “We was running it up,” he exclaims. “Whatever we had to do to get the record out, we did it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’m talking about a real campaign, bro,” Bari says, explaining their grind over the past year. “We was running it up,” he exclaims. “Whatever we had to do to get the record out, we did it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Spence, who made the original version of the song while working with producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/payseanprod/\">PAY$EAN\u003c/a>, points out an important aspect of their promotion: it’s all been out of their own pockets. “We really put our all into the record,” says Spence, “and I think the results you see are the results of that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Spence, who made the original version of the song while working with producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/payseanprod/\">PAY$EAN\u003c/a>, points out an important aspect of their promotion: it’s all been out of their own pockets. “We really put our all into the record,” says Spence, “and I think the results you see are the results of that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though they’re both Bay Area-raised students of hip-hop, the two artists come from different eras.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Spence, who started as a producer before stepping to the mic, has made his mark with tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brbOTU5TiKY\">The Deal\u003c/a>”by DaBoii (feat. Drakeo the Ruler) and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuHpLZRRYIk\">Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red\u003c/a>” by Too Short (feat. Larry June). “I had a little success with my first single that I ever dropped, ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5i4Sa2a7k4\">10K,\u003c/a>’” he says. “But the success of ‘That’s a Playa’ is totally different.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That kind of success is a new experience for Spence. But Bari has been here before.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a 10th grader at Berkeley High School, Spence saw Bari perform his classic track, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JjvzlpNiH0&list=RD8JjvzlpNiH0&start_radio=1\">So Mobby\u003c/a>.” At the time, Spence hadn’t been to many concerts, and “definitely no rap concerts,” he says. “So when [Bari] did that, I was just so impacted. I was like, ‘Man, one day I got to have it.'”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a 10th grader at Berkeley High School, Spence saw Bari perform his classic track, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JjvzlpNiH0&list=RD8JjvzlpNiH0&start_radio=1\">So Mobby\u003c/a>.” At the time, Spence hadn’t been to many concerts, and “definitely no rap concerts,” he says. “So when [Bari] did that, I was just so impacted. I was like, ‘Man, one day I got to have it.'”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A recently shared \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcSB_hCt_d2/\">video of Bari performing in 2009 \u003c/a>shows just how lit audiences would get when “So Mobby” would come kabobulating through the speakers. Referenced in the 2012 \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iC-irllqY&list=RDg-iC-irllqY&start_radio=1\">E-40 track “Function”\u003c/a> (feat. YG, Problem and IamSu!), the song still holds its weight in the Bay Area hall of game. And Bari’s stage show is partially to credit for it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A recently shared \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcSB_hCt_d2/\">video of Bari performing in 2009 \u003c/a>shows just how lit audiences would get when “So Mobby” would come kabobulating through the speakers. Referenced in the 2012 \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iC-irllqY&list=RDg-iC-irllqY&start_radio=1\">E-40 track “Function”\u003c/a> (feat. YG, Problem and IamSu!), the song still holds its weight in the Bay Area hall of game. And Bari’s stage show is partially to credit for it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I grew up in the turf dancing era,” he says. “If you was in the party being a wallflower, you getting cooked, you feel me?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bari, who recently released the P-Lo-produced song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkejTZUV1-U\">IN TRAFFIC\u003c/a>” (feat. Keak Da Sneak and DB Tha General) as well as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPE-8ide9Ig\">MOBBY MIYAZAKI\u003c/a>” (a re-interpolation of “So Mobby” with Seiji Oda), possesses dance moves that entertain his peers and simultaneously pay homage to his Frisco roots.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bari, who recently released the P-Lo-produced song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkejTZUV1-U\">IN TRAFFIC\u003c/a>” (feat. Keak Da Sneak and DB Tha General) as well as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPE-8ide9Ig\">MOBBY MIYAZAKI\u003c/a>” (a re-interpolation of “So Mobby” with Seiji Oda), possesses dance moves that entertain his peers and simultaneously pay homage to his Frisco roots.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Get Low,” he says, “that’s a neighborhood dance. My uncle \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVMSAkfEn99/\">J.D. Walker made that dance\u003c/a>.” The key to hitting The Get Low, says Bari, is energy. “It’s a feeling.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The Get Low,” he says, “that’s a neighborhood dance. My uncle \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVMSAkfEn99/\">J.D. Walker made that dance\u003c/a>.” The key to hitting The Get Low, says Bari, is energy. “It’s a feeling.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And it’s that same energy that led him to working with Big Spence.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While visiting the producer and going through beats, Spence played an unfinished version of “That’s a Playa.” Bari instantly felt it. “I seen the vision,” he says. “I heard the energy of it and I was like this is \u003cem>that sound\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Between the mobby beat, Spence’s flossy lyrics and catchy hook, Bari could tell Spence was having fun in the studio. That’s the most important ingredient in making a song to dance to, Bari says: freeing yourself, and being unbothered by thoughts of going viral, or worry of any negative critiques. “You gotta cat off in the booth,” he says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Between the mobby beat, Spence’s flossy lyrics and catchy hook, Bari could tell Spence was having fun in the studio. That’s the most important ingredient in making a song to dance to, Bari says: freeing yourself, and being unbothered by thoughts of going viral, or worry of any negative critiques. “You gotta cat off in the booth,” he says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And, clearly, after you’re done having fun recording, you go to work.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With 12 months under their belts of pushing the song, their Hiero Day performance is big. While Bari has rocked the festival’s stage multiple times, Spence has only done so as a DJ. And for him, this year’s show is deeper than rap, as his late father was a huge fan of Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With 12 months under their belts of pushing the song, their Hiero Day performance is big. While Bari has rocked the festival’s stage multiple times, Spence has only done so as a DJ. And for him, this year’s show is deeper than rap, as his late father was a huge fan of Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everywhere I go I take him with me; every stage I’m on,” says Spence in respect to his father. “Plus I was born in ’93. So ‘93 ’til Infinity,’ that’s my jam.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>BossLife Big Spence and Young Bari perform Monday, Sept. 7, as part of Hiero Day at The Midway (900 Marin St, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "After a 12-month campaign of working the song into a hit, the duo headlines the second stage at Hiero Day.",
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"title": "How Young Bari and BossLife Big Spence’s ‘That's a Playa’ Took Over the Bay | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Our current era is full of songs that become hits after going viral on TikTok. Meanwhile, since August of 2025, Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bosslifebigspence/\">BossLife Big Spence\u003c/a> and San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\">Young Bari\u003c/a> have worked their hit song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOg-IMiT-oU\">That’s a Playa\u003c/a>” like it’s the old days.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They’ve done local radio hits and traveled for features on \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpHRNcxgBQM\">national video platforms\u003c/a>. They’ve made made guest appearances at major events, like E-40’s recent set at the Oakland Arena and a Levi’s Super Bowl event in February. They even tapped rap legends \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRtSJHRx1YE\">Richie Rich, Too Short and E-40\u003c/a> for a remix, extending the song’s longevity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, on Sept. 7, Spence and Bari are set to headline the second stage at the 14th annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13991284/hiero-day-2026-san-francisco-lineup-expansion-la-canada\">Hiero Day\u003c/a>, closing out a show with a lineup of talent that includes Mereba, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Killer Mike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While many artists typically drop songs and then pray the algorithm helps them catch a wave, Spence and Bari say taking a single track and going on a “campaign” with it is the reason for its success. They even got a special shout out from one of the most popular comedians of the past two decades, Mike Epps.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It all started with a video of Epps responding to a question about which artists he’s listening to right now. Between mentions of Kendrick Lamar and Fetty P. Franklin,”It’s a young dude out of the Bay right now named Young Bari,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmz.com/watch/mike-epps-odell-beckham-jr-kendrick-lamar-12-04-2025/\">Epps says\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I seen that,” Bari tells me, “I was like, ‘I gotta make a clip of this instantly and post it, so people can know we \u003cem>moving\u003c/em> right now!'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weeks later, when Epps was scheduled to come to the Bay for a show at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Concord with an afterparty at Oakland’s M2 lounge, he told Spence, “Bro, we finna go pull up on Mike.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not only did they meet the award-winning actor and former host of HBO’s \u003cem>Def Comedy Jam\u003c/em>, they performed that same night. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m talking about a real campaign, bro,” Bari says, explaining their grind over the past year. “We was running it up,” he exclaims. “Whatever we had to do to get the record out, we did 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/tOg-IMiT-oU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/tOg-IMiT-oU'\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>Spence, who made the original version of the song while working with producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/payseanprod/\">PAY$EAN\u003c/a>, points out an important aspect of their promotion: it’s all been out of their own pockets. “We really put our all into the record,” says Spence, “and I think the results you see are the results of that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though they’re both Bay Area-raised students of hip-hop, the two artists come from different eras.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Spence, who started as a producer before stepping to the mic, has made his mark with tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brbOTU5TiKY\">The Deal\u003c/a>”by DaBoii (feat. Drakeo the Ruler) and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuHpLZRRYIk\">Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red\u003c/a>” by Too Short (feat. Larry June). “I had a little success with my first single that I ever dropped, ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5i4Sa2a7k4\">10K,\u003c/a>’” he says. “But the success of ‘That’s a Playa’ is totally different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That kind of success is a new experience for Spence. But Bari has been here before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a 10th grader at Berkeley High School, Spence saw Bari perform his classic track, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JjvzlpNiH0&list=RD8JjvzlpNiH0&start_radio=1\">So Mobby\u003c/a>.” At the time, Spence hadn’t been to many concerts, and “definitely no rap concerts,” he says. “So when [Bari] did that, I was just so impacted. I was like, ‘Man, one day I got to have it.'”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recently shared \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DcSB_hCt_d2/\">video of Bari performing in 2009 \u003c/a>shows just how lit audiences would get when “So Mobby” would come kabobulating through the speakers. Referenced in the 2012 \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iC-irllqY&list=RDg-iC-irllqY&start_radio=1\">E-40 track “Function”\u003c/a> (feat. YG, Problem and IamSu!), the song still holds its weight in the Bay Area hall of game. And Bari’s stage show is partially to credit for it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I grew up in the turf dancing era,” he says. “If you was in the party being a wallflower, you getting cooked, you feel me?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bari, who recently released the P-Lo-produced song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkejTZUV1-U\">IN TRAFFIC\u003c/a>” (feat. Keak Da Sneak and DB Tha General) as well as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPE-8ide9Ig\">MOBBY MIYAZAKI\u003c/a>” (a re-interpolation of “So Mobby” with Seiji Oda), possesses dance moves that entertain his peers and simultaneously pay homage to his Frisco roots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Get Low,” he says, “that’s a neighborhood dance. My uncle \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVMSAkfEn99/\">J.D. Walker made that dance\u003c/a>.” The key to hitting The Get Low, says Bari, is energy. “It’s a feeling.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And it’s that same energy that led him to working with Big Spence.\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/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three men in a recording studio, posing for a photo.\" class=\"wp-image-13993588\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Young-Bari-Payean-and-BossLife-Big-Spence-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rapper Young Bari, producer Pay$ean and rapper-producer BossLife Big Spence pose for a photo at the On The Radar studio in New York. (Courtesy of BossLife Big Spence)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While visiting the producer and going through beats, Spence played an unfinished version of “That’s a Playa.” Bari instantly felt it. “I seen the vision,” he says. “I heard the energy of it and I was like this is \u003cem>that sound\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Between the mobby beat, Spence’s flossy lyrics and catchy hook, Bari could tell Spence was having fun in the studio. That’s the most important ingredient in making a song to dance to, Bari says: freeing yourself, and being unbothered by thoughts of going viral, or worry of any negative critiques. “You gotta cat off in the booth,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And, clearly, after you’re done having fun recording, you go to work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With 12 months under their belts of pushing the song, their Hiero Day performance is big. While Bari has rocked the festival’s stage multiple times, Spence has only done so as a DJ. And for him, this year’s show is deeper than rap, as his late father was a huge fan of Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everywhere I go I take him with me; every stage I’m on,” says Spence in respect to his father. “Plus I was born in ’93. So ‘93 ’til Infinity,’ that’s my jam.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" />\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>BossLife Big Spence and Young Bari perform Monday, Sept. 7, as part of Hiero Day at The Midway (900 Marin St, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"radiolab": {
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"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
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