De La Soul

Weekend Parties: Hype Williams at Public Works, NYC house takeover at Mighty, Deniz Kurtel at Monarch, and More

[Editor's note: SF Weekly nightlife writer Derek Opperman had to take a break over the last two weeks to wrap up some academic projects. He's back in action now, thankfully -- so expect our usual slate of weekend dancefloor advice every Thursday, and the Lost in the Night party review column every M ... More >>

Celebrate Four Years of Debaser With This Exclusive Boyz n the Hood-Themed Mix

Editor's note: Ahead of the four-year anniversary of beloved '90s party Debaser, we invited party DJs Jamie Jams and Stab Master Arson to make a mix of some of the songs we can expect to hear at Saturday's party. What follows is their mix and commentary. By JAMIE GUZZI Hip-hop historians note that ... More >>

R.I.P. Solomon Kahn, DJ for the Golden State Warriors, 1977-2012

Solomon Kahn, a beloved local DJ who performed at such diverse venues as Oracle Arena, AT&T Park, and every major club in San Francisco, was tragically killed Tuesday, Jan. 31, in Bangkok, Thailand, in a car accident. He was 34. Kahn, known to clubgoers as DJ Solomon, was in Thailand as a part of a ... More >>

Weekend Parties: Patrice Scott, Alan Braxe, Wonder-Full, and More

DJ Spinna plays Wonder-Full this Saturday at Mezzanine​ Following in the fashion of every other weekend for the past couple months, this weekend offers a diverse and excellent grouping of parties that ought to cater to just about everyone's tastes. Read on, your weekend awaits. Friday, Dec. ... More >>

Distortion 2 Static's Top Five Celebrity Guests

During its 10-year run, the Distortion 2 Static hip-hop TV show graduated from profiling local upcoming artists to chatting it up with rap superstars. Started by Prince Aries, Ariel Nuñez and DJ Haylow, the show signed off on its broadcast run back in September; a farewell shindig will be going dow ... More >>

Souls of Mischief's A-Plus Reviews His Own Discography

A-Plus​As part of the mighty Souls of Mischief crew, A-Plus ushered in a new style of Bay Area rap with the group's breezy and effortless "'93 'Til Infinity" anthem. Also a mainstay in the Hieroglyphics movement, the rapper and producer has been involved with releases from Del, Pep Love, and C ... More >>

DJ Shadow's The Less You Know The Better: A First Listen

Let's get this out of the way right from the off: DJ Shadow's fourth solo studio album, The Less You Know The Better, won't finally stop long-time fans from requesting that he makes a true sequel to 1996's Endtroducing. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. (I usually don't have the patience to l ... More >>

DJ Shadow Reviews His Own Discography

DJ Shadow​This week, DJ Shadow released his fourth solo studio album, The Less You Know, The Better. Featuring cameos from Little Dragon, De La Soul, Talib Kweli and Tom Vek, Shadow insists that the album isn't just a snapshot of where he's at as a musician in 2011, but also something that wil ... More >>

The Antidote to Watch The Throne: Why We Need Chuck D's "Notice -- Know This"

Public Enemy's Chuck D​ The luxurious sheen of Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne has beamed brilliant over the last couple of weeks of the hip-hop hype cycle. But amongst the chatter marveling at the upscale audacity of it all, there came a sobering and grounded moment just before the al ... More >>

J Dilla's 10 Greatest Remixes

J Dilla​ Deceased hip-hop producer J Dilla, née Jay Dee, first asserted himself on the rap radar with his group Slum Village. Lauded by luminaries Q-Tip and ?uestlove, the Detroit-based trio of Dilla, T3, and Baatin (also sadly deceased) are held in cult esteem today, and tonight, remaining g ... More >>

Hip-Hop Legend Grand Wizard Theodore on His Three Favorite DJs

Grand Wizard Theodore​Friday night, old school hip-hop legend Grand Wizard Theodore will team up with one-time De La Soul producer Prince Paul for a night of grand grooves laced with a playful dose of turntable trickery at 330 Ritch. The Bronx-born and based Theodore's pioneering contribution ... More >>

R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron 1949-2011

Adam Turner/WikimediaGil Scott-Heron at SF's Regency Ballroom in 2009​ Poet, author, proto-rapper and political soul/jazz singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron died Friday, May 27 at the age of 62. The cause of death has not been confirmed as of press time, but the BBC has reported that he had fal ... More >>

Common: Five More Reasons for Talk Radio Conservatives to Hate Him

This man is dangerous!​Turns out, we were wrong. For all these years, we considered Chicago rapper/romantic comedy star Common just a hair more hardcore than Jamiroquai. We thought of him as a somewhat conscious MC boasting a warm baritone, some strong tracks, and the allegiance of white guys who ... More >>

The Top 10 Best Big Concerts I Saw in 2010, with Gaga, Green Day, Sir Paul, Pavement, and LCD Soundsystem

It just didn't seem right to lump in Oracle Arena and HP Pavilion fare with the cozy goings-on at S.F. dens like Bottom of the Hill and even Great American Music Hall. So, in search of an even comparison, I'm breaking it up: Today, here are the best concerts I saw with more than 5,000 of my fellow h ... More >>

Saturday Night: Gorillaz Drag Out De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Little Dragon, and More for a Cartoonishly Fun Halloween

Calibree Photography​GorillazN*E*R*DOctober 30, 2010Oracle ArenaBetter than: Vomiting up a one-eyed octopus; also, seeing Gorillaz on not-Halloween.What are you supposed to look at during a Gorillaz performance? Do you look at the band onstage, where a  group of humans -- including Damon ... More >>

A Night of J Dilla Featuring ISM and the Fan-Tas-Tics at Madrone Art Bar

Hiroshi Okun​A Night of J Dillafeaturing ISM and The Fan-tas-tics @ Madrone Art Bar July 28, 2010 Better than: A night of Steve Milla.James Yancey, a.k.a. Jay Dee, a.k.a. J Dilla, is somewhere between 2Pac and Pimp C in the running for the title of hip-hop's hardest-working dead guy. His death of ... More >>

Hey DJ! Friday Q&A w/ DJ Platurn (Oakland Faders)

​Plenty of turntable junkies claim DJing is in their blood. But DJ Platurn's love for the dancefloor actually was passed down through family lines. The Icelandic music head grew up the son of a DJ, so by the time he moved to Oakland he was ready to spin on his own. He's been a regular at Luka's Ta ... More >>

Video of the Day: Preview the New J. Dilla Doc

J. Dilla was unquestionably one of the most respected, if not constantly referenced, hip-hop producers of the past decade. Born James Yancey in his hometown of Detroit, Dilla was a prolific, inspired artist dedicated to the craft of classic, sample-based hip-hop, which he made for the likes of De ... More >>

Gone Clubbin' at Debaser: Blunts and Broads in Dive Bars

Matthew Davis​You could blame Debaser's recent run-in with Internet flame wars (pt. 1 and pt. 2) for the massive line that stretched outside during the '90s club night at The Knockout on Saturday. But the truth is that people really like to dance to classic hip-hop on the weekends, and when Debase ... More >>

What To Do? Thursday's Pick: Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief

Souls of Mischief​Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief @ MezzanineOakland rap quartet Souls of Mischief is most fondly remembered for a 1993 hit. Prince Paul is a legendary oddball production Svengali from Long Island who also goes by the aliases Chest Rockwell and Filthy Pablo. The idea of holing them ... More >>

Chela Simone Tonight at Levende

Back to Burn: Chela SimoneLevende Lounge's weekly emerging talent showcase "We All We Got" heats up tonight with an appearance by Chela Simone, one of the Bay Area's rawest female emcees. Imagine the lyrical finesse of MC Lyte with the revolutionary intellectualism of Sister Souljah--but coming fr ... More >>

Saturday Night: Afrotek Festival at the Dark Room

Afrotek Festival The Dark Room December 20, 2008 Review by Eric K. Arnold; Photos by EKAphotography Better Than: A typically clichéd hip-hop club. Arriving at Club Six's "Dark Room" at around 11 p.m., I overhear a group of about seven people with Eastern European accents. Where are they from, I ... More >>

Ghostface Killa and Rakim in SF: Gold Chains and Wallabees are a Must

LastNight: Menomena at the Independent Friday, June 8, 2007

Regional Rhyme Scheme

MassLine Media takes Seattle's hip-hop hopes on the road

Cardinal Sin

DJ Kevvy Kev hosts the longest-running hip hop radio show in the world on Stanford's KZSU -- sans recognition

Rock, The Boat

Art and music o'er the waves

The Talented Mr. Madlib

Hip hop sensation Otis Jackson Jr. has more personalities than albums (well, almost)

Get a Pop Life

The Grey Album made everyone forget about Danger Mouse and Jemini's Ghetto Pop Life. It's time to remember.

House of Tudor

The godfather of hip hop graces S.F. with his presence, as do some Filthy Thieving Bastards

Hear This

Aceyalone and Prince Paul "Love & Hate the Business" of hip hop

Booty-Trapped

The legendary Jungle Brothers have returned. Why doesn't the hip hop world give a damn?

Expensive Tastes

Rap duo Zion I can't stop being innovative, no matter what the costs

Letters to the Editor

Week of May 22, 2002

Brooklyn Prophet

Mos Def adds positive new dimensions to hip hop

Porn to Sell

Product placement comes to adult videos...hey, watch where you put that thing!

Quannum Leap

Growing out of Oakland's Solesides label, the rappers and producers of Quannum Projects look to expand even further

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