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An Exploration of Bay Area Hip-Hop History

A black-and-white photo of Shock G performing, wearing a fur hat over a zebra-print hat, a patterned blazer and a fake nose. He holds a champagne bottle as he raps into the mic.

Digital Underground’s MC Was Secretly a Genius Illustrator

Shock G, aka Humpty Hump, created countless brilliant drawings — many unseen — under a pseudonym.
Two Black men, one in white with dreadlocks and one in brown and bald, embrace and smile for the camera

‘Blow the Whistle’ is 20 Years Old — and Keeps Going On and On

Tamara Palmer recalls Too Short's video shoot in Oakland, and the makings of a Bay Area classic.
A black-and-white photo of Shock G performing, wearing a fur hat over a zebra-print hat, a patterned blazer and a fake nose. He holds a champagne bottle as he raps into the mic.

Digital Underground’s MC Was Secretly a Genius Illustrator

Shock G, aka Humpty Hump, created countless brilliant drawings — many unseen — under a pseudonym.
four figures on a purple background
Timeline

Explore 5 Decades of Bay Area Hip-Hop

A twentysomething Black man in a light blue collared shirt, gold chain and sunglasses on top of his head looks upward and to the left

The Bay Showed Love to Messy Marv in 2025

This year, the outpouring of love for the San Francisco rapper was a beautiful thing, writes Pendarvis Harshaw.

Unsigned and Hella Broke: The East Bay’s Dirt-Hustling 1990s Hip-Hop Subculture

How a movement made of homemade cassette tapes and independent hustle changed Bay Area hip-hop history.

How Turf Dancing Came to Define Oakland Street Dance

Hyphy videos, youth centers and street battles all propelled Oakland's 'street ballet' of turfing, now known around the world.
A Black man in a yellow printed tank top and headband sits looking off to the left

Spice 1 Talks Growing Up in Hayward, Running From Cops and Breakin’ at the Mall

‘Those years, everything was a learning experience,’ the Bay Area rap legend says.

Remembering Anticon and Hip-Hop’s Reckoning With Weirdness

The dizzying Bay Area collective forced listeners to hear differently, even within a burgeoning ‘indie rap’ scene.
Against a red background, a young man with short hair in a white T-shirt beneath a patterned collared shirt holds his arms up and to each side, looking into the camera.

What Woodie’s Brutally Honest Rap Meant for Antioch

Despite a troubled past and Latino gang ties, the white rapper forged Antioch’s hip-hop identity and built a platform for local talent.
A Black man in glasses and a roll-up beanie smiles and gestures in front of a cluttered bookshelf

E-40’s Tiny Desk Concert Is Here

With an eight-piece live band, the Bay ambassador dropped by NPR for a tightly rehearsed 11-song set.

After 100 Episodes, ‘History of the Bay’ Expands Its Horizons

With a new studio and broader focus, Dregs One is committed to bringing Bay Area street culture to the world.
Green lightning strikes from above onto a collage of rappers, punk rockers and basketball players.

The Real-Life Tales Behind ‘Freaky Tales’

A Nazi beatdown, an Oakland rap battle, a hoops miracle — the new Pedro Pascal movie is based on actual people and events.
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