Subject: Hip-Hop and Rap

• Last Night: The Roots at Davies Symphony Hall

  The RootsDavies Symphony HallBetter than: Sitting still for an orchestraLocal music history was made last night as the Roots performed the first-ever hip-hop concert at Davies Symphony Hall as part of SFJAZZ's Spring season. The Philadelphia-bred, Grammy Award-winning group plays in your living room almost every day if you own a television set; they're the house band for the new Late Night With Jimmy Fallon program, which airs five nights a week on NBC. It's a hardcore commitment for the Roots,

  May 31, 2009

• MP3 of the Day: E-40

  (Photo from E-40's MySpace page)E-40 is no stranger to clever puns, and the title of the Vallejo heavy's latest release, The Ball Street Journal, shows the rapper isn't slowing down the slang any time soon. The album,  featuring 40's signature rubber tongue alongside guests like Snoop Dogg, Bun B, Game, Akon and T-Pain, drops two years after the Ambassador of the Yay put this area on the map in a big way with My Ghetto Report Card. Check out the original (and remix) version of Ball Street'

  December 1, 2008

• Hey DJ! Friday Q&A: Mr. E

  One of the most respected DJs to grace the Bay Area, Miguel Escobedo has been manning the decks for over two decades. The resident DJ for San Francisco's Rock the Bells tour stop, he's one of the most sought out vinyl spinners when national artists are looking for local support. Coming up in the game with fellow homeboys the Beat Junkies and Sake 1 at hip hop's peak in the 1990's, Mr. E, as he's known, recently sat down for a Q&A session at his restaurant, Papalote (the man can make bomb M

  December 5, 2008

• Busted Rhymes: The Top 10 Most Preposterous Rap Songs of 2008

  By Ben Westhoff Hip-hop A-listers including Rick Ross, Akon and Plies were caught grossly exaggerating their gangster credentials this year. (Turns out they were painfully law-abiding. The horror!) But even if your favorite rapper wasn't caught in a lie, you can bet he or she put out a hilariously absurd record or two in 2008. Here are the most preposterous rap songs of 2008. RICK ROSS, FEATURING T-PAIN "The Boss" (Def Jam) Though Rick Ross claimed on his debut album, Port of Miami, to know

  December 16, 2008

• The Year in Music: 2008's Top Ten Pop Songs

  By Annie ZaleskiPop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles saturated the Top 40 -- or what passes for hit-oriented radio in this topsy-turvy musical climate -- while proving that accessibility doesn't necessarily preclude creativity. CHRIS

  December 17, 2008

• Top Ten Hip-Hop Albums Of 2008

  By Dan Leroy A couple of weeks ago, an expert on the Harry Potter series told an audience of high school kids how lucky they were to have this Big Shared Experience--these seven books and 41,000 words in common. What does Harry Potter have to do with hip-hop in 2008? In an age when many year-end lists should be subtitled "Ten More Albums You've Never Heard of and Will Never, Ever Hear," plenty. Technology has made the world smaller, and in response, we've found smaller and smaller worlds to

  December 29, 2008

• Hitsville: The Year in Music, by the Numbers

  By Randall Roberts You don't need a half-wit music critic to tell you it's been a remarkable year for America, one historians will be discussing and researching for centuries to come. War, financial collapse, politics, technology: All have been dinner-table topics for many Americans. Racial barriers in 2008 were demolished by a Midwestern black man, and gender barriers were hurdled by an Arkansan and an Alaskan.Democracy has a few awesome new dance moves rolling into the Obama presidency, and i

  December 31, 2008

• Obama and Hip-hop: Better than "Beef"?

  EKAphotography copyright 2007. all rights reservedOur shoulder-brushin', fist-bumpin' POTUS in Oakland, 2007 For a long time, hip hop debates have tended toward the tawdry and tabloidesque--i.e., Is Kanye Gay?; Is Alicia Keys creepin' with Swizz Beats?; Joe Budden vs. Saigon, T.I. vs. Mysonne, Charli Baltimore vs. Lil' Kim, Lil Kim vs. Faith Evans, 50 Cent vs Everybody; Is LL Cool J Gay?; Stop Snitching: pro or con?; Are Video Vixens Hip-Hop's 5th Element?; Is Busta Rhymes Gay?, etc. While we'

  February 3, 2009

• More Lady Sov in SF News: Trainwreck Show, Trashed Green Room

  Lady Sovereign: Smelt it, dealt it, one stinker of a showWe posted the video from Lady Sovereign's performance at Rickshaw Stop on May 24, but for those who want to skip to the highlights (or lowlights, as it were), she performed a whopping three songs, total. She stopped her set two songs in to go on a rant about the sound, qualifying her harsh words by saying "I'm not being an asshole, I'm just honest." She then dragged out her complaints, adding, "I will never play here again, I swear that.

  June 4, 2009

• 10 Music Stars Who'd Make Great Soap Stars

  Paula AbdulAs people turn away from soap operas in droves, daytime television continues to pull out the dramatic stops in order to keep afloat in the recession. But if Days of Our Lives or All My Children wants a bit of a buzzy boost that a fictional transsexual rock star just cannot provide, the producers should consider hiring one of these music stars, who all seem to have the soap opera mentality coursing through them: 10. Paula Abdul The pop star turned American Idol judge began her aspiring

  March 26, 2009

• Dem Hoodstarz' Rapper Charged in Gang Sweep

  Busted: Dem HoodstarzAs the Chronicle reported on Sunday, 42 members of a South Bay gang known as "the Taliban" have been arrested following a joint task force raid conducted in 14 Bay Area cities Friday night and Saturday morning. The suspected Taliban members--who have no religious affiliation, according to police--have been charged with various crimes ranging from homicide to robbery to selling everything from ecstasy and marijuana to guns; $240,000 in cash, automatic weapons, and large qua

  March 9, 2009

• Hip Hop Chess Federation Presents "Mind Over Matter II"

  EKAphotographyHip to be Square: RZA vs. CasualIf you thought chess was a game for old dudes with goiters, Market Street hustlers, and nerdy four-eyes kids, think again. The South Bay-based Hip Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) has completely redefined the image chess by making it a kid-friendly, urban art form emphasizing life skills. Thanks to the HHC, chess is suddenly cool; they've brought a whole new dimension to the classic game of mathematic strategy. Past HHCF events have featured hip-hop lumin

  February 26, 2009

• Tastes So Good Straight From the Hood: Bay Area Rap Energy Drinks Pt. 1 (the Mac Dre Battle)

  There is vibrant life beyond Red Bull in the energy drink market, and the Bay Area rap music scene in particular has inspired several of these beverages. In fact, two local brands offer cans inspired by the same beloved rapper, the late Mac Dre of Vallejo, whose life was tragically cut short in a drive-by shooting in Kansas City, MO in 2004. Oakland company 100 Racks Inc. (aka Hunid Racks) has "Mac Dre Feel'N Myself," while Fairfield's Hyphydration Beverage Co. offers "Thizz Juice." The stu

  March 31, 2009

• PST Anniversary Party Tonight @ 330 Ritch

  EKAphotographyDJ, DeeJay: Sake One and Willie Maize Has it been four years of DJ Sake One's "Pacific Standard Time" already? Apparently, time flies when you're spinning dope tunes--both classic and soon-to-be classic--and hosting legendary guest DJs, up-and-coming live acts, and otherwise putting the "flavor" in the expression "local flavor." PST's anniversary happens tonight at 330 Ritch, and, just to make the event extra-memorable, the featured DJ will be none other than (808 drum roll plea

  March 10, 2009

• SMC and Thizz Ent. Team Launch Town Thizzness

  Thizznessman: Eddi Projex Local indie turf rap outlets SMC Recordings and Thizz Entertainment (a label founded by the late Mac Dre) have teamed up to create a subsidiary label, Town Thizzness, combining SMC's distribution and promotional networks with Thizz' street credibility and word-of-mouth buzz. The label began with two well-received releases in '08: Beeda Weeda's Tha Thizzness and J-Stalin's Gas Nation, which may not have resurrected the hyphy movement so much as hinted that the s

  April 2, 2009

• Rock the Bells Announces Lineup

  EKAphotography Not to be outdone by the massive, monumental Outside Lands lineup, hip-hop's annual extravaganza Rock the Bells has announced its lineup as well: Nas & Damian "Jr Gong" Marley,The Roots, Common, Big Boi, KRS-One, House of Pain featuring La Coka Nostra, Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek), Tech N9ne, K'Naan, RZA, Raekwon, Sage Francis, MOP, Slaughterhouse, Eyedea & Abilities, Necro, Slum Village, Evidence & Alchemist, Chali 2na, Psycho Realm, Mystic Journeyman

  April 14, 2009

• Mos Def gets jazzy at Yoshi's

  April 8, 2009

• Adam Theis' symphony of jazz, funk, and hip-hop

  April 15, 2009

• Zion I

  February 11, 2009

• Rappers with low self-esteem: Bragging about going broke

  January 21, 2009

• Biggie, Small

  Notorious B.I.G., made B.L.A.N.D.

  January 14, 2009

• Black electronic acts break beats and assumptions

  December 17, 2008

• Sweatshop Funk

  December 17, 2008

• E-40

  The Ball Street Journal (Reprise/BME Recordings)

  December 10, 2008

• Fresh Herbs

  November 26, 2008

• Wu-Tang Inc.

  November 26, 2008

• Hard Truth Soldiers Tour Takes Over SF, Major American Cities

  dead prezGenerally, when ASD receives a press release boasting about a show with "arguably the strongest lineup of socially-aware, hardcore hip-hop talent in recent memory," we just shrug it off as pure hyperbole (and yes, to paraphrase Harry Allen, we normally don't believe the hyperbole). But holy fucking guano, Batman! Guerilla Funk's Hard Truth Soldiers Tour --which lands at Mezzanine May 2 with all the force of an anti-pirate sniper shot--can actually make such a claim and come off as credi

  April 16, 2009

• Cov Records Makes Earth Day Crowd Cringe

  EKAphotographyTurf Unity? Earth Day is supposed to be a day of getting closer to nature, honoring ecology, respecting the planet and each other. But a crowd of community members--many of them parents with children attending this year's Earth Day celebration at Oakland's Woodland Elementary School got a rather rude awakening instead. During a performance by Cov Records - a record label which works with at-risk youth and the non-profit groups Silence the Violence and Green For All - the peaceful c

  April 27, 2009

• Free Hip-Hop in People's Park Tomorrow

  Living Color: Blu The 13th annual installment of Hip-Hop in the Park happens tomorrow, May 2nd, at People's Park on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. The free afternoon event, organized by Students for Hip-Hop, is a throwback in many ways: it's reminiscent of both the the Free Speech Movement era (not surprising, since that period is when the park was given its moniker), and the old-school days of hip-hop in the Bronx, when park parties and block parties were common occurrences. As always, Hip-Ho

  May 1, 2009

• The Roots discuss hip-hop’s second jazz age

  May 27, 2009

• Lyricist Lounge Hits Mighty

    Western Conference: Pacific Division If you were an East Coast head who listened to underground hip-hop in the '90s, you're probably familiar with the Lyricist Lounge. The open mic/live performance event, which began in a small apartment on the Lower East Side, introduced folks to such artists as Saul Williams, Talib Kweli, and Jurassic 5, becoming forever immortalized in hip-hop lore. Since then, the LL has spread across the Atlantic, inspired an MTV series, and released seve

  May 29, 2009

• Rock the Bells Announces Bay Area Dates

  Rock the Bells 2007, San Francisco America's premier (and possibly only major) hip-hop touring festival, Rock the Bells, has announced the date and venue for the 2009 edition: August 9, at the Shoreline Auditorium in Mountain View. While ASD much prefers the parking lot of the stadium where the Giants play, we'll take our live hip-hop extravaganzas anywhere we can. Scheduled RtB performers this year include NAS & Damian Marley, The Roots, Common, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, KRS-One, House of Pa

  June 8, 2009

• The Jacka reprises hyphy with a gangsta twist

  June 10, 2009

• Ten Known (and Little-Known) Facts About Tupac

  Thug Immortal: Tupac Shakur 10. Pac was born June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, NYC. He also lived in Baltimore, Marin City, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. 9. The name Tupac Amaru is a reference to the last indigenous Inca ruler of Peru, who died in 1572. Amaru's name was later adopted by Tupac Amaru II , the leader of an 18th-century uprising against Spanish colonialists and by the Tupac Amaru rebels , a Communist anti-government group which formed in 1984. Clearly, the name Tupac Amaru is n

  June 16, 2009

• “I Wanna Get Famous"

  July 1, 2009

• Sayonara, Vibe

  Shawn MortensenVibe's First Cover Hang on to those back issues of Vibe, folks. As of today, they're officially collectors items. As reported by Daily Finance, the New York Times, and RapRadar, Vibe is ceasing publication effective June 30. According to a letter from Vibe CEO Steve Aaron, the magazine is shutting down because of the following factors: "the collapse of the capital markets" (translation: we're in debt big-time); "the print advertising collapse" (translation: fashion companies and c

  July 1, 2009

• De La Soul

  July 22, 2009

• Bobby Ray’s alter egos duke it out

  July 22, 2009

• NPR: Rap as Geopolitics

  Il(l) like Kim Jong: Lil' Wayne National Public Radio has an interesting take  on beef in the rap world: it's essentially a mirror of global politics, according to Marc Lynch, a professor at George Washington University and the director of the Institute of Middle East Studies. ""The way that rappers compete with each other -- this is soft power," Lynch is quoted as saying. "This is the way you try and make a reputation, try and get what you want, and you have to do it through this very in

  July 22, 2009

• Rock the Bells

  August 5, 2009

• Method Man vs. Redman: tale of the tape

  August 12, 2009

• Rafael Casal and Mistah F.A.B. give props to modern Yay Area communication

  August 12, 2009

• Last Night: Method Man/Redman, Ghostface Killah at Mezzanine

  ​ Method Man/Red ManAugust 16th, 2009 Mezzanine By Noah Sanders Better than: Watching How High sober. Last night's Method Man/Redman show could've been swiped directly from the two veteran rapper's significant mid to late-nineties heyday. Everything was there: the clouds of weed smoke funneling upwards from the crowd, the bass-heavy party raps about chronic smoke and gettin' down, and, of course, the two massively blunted emcees commanding the stage. With one of the shoddiest light show

  August 17, 2009

• F.N.M At We All We Got Tonight

  www.OneShotMediaProductions.comHe'll Slapp You: Traxxamillion​​ South Bay producer Traxamillion was arguably as big a force in the hyphy movement as any artist. His hot-shit beats backed everyone from Keak Da Sneak to Mistah F.A.B. to Dem Hoodstarz to Too $hort to 41Fever. He even produced MC Lars' "White Kids Aren't Hyphy." And he has the distinction of having a PSP app, the Traxxpad Portable Studio, named after him. Traxx's newest project is F.N.M. (Fly N*gga Movement), a group with fel

  September 11, 2009

• Hammer, from the waist down

  September 23, 2009

• Kid Koala reimagines heavy rock with the Slew

  September 23, 2009

• Music Awards Program Guide

  October 14, 2009

• Music Awards: Crown City Rockers

  October 14, 2009

• Music Awards: Lazer Sword

  October 14, 2009

• Track of the Day: Jern Eye

  Jern Eye​San Francisco's BOAC has a number of notable remixes and tracks that he's produced on his Web site. He's tackled hip-hop's titans (his version of Eminem's "Crack a Bottle" sounds so much fiercer than the original) and worked with indie faves (Sunspot Jonz and Luckyiam). I'm really digging BOAC's remix of Oakland rapper Jern Eye, though. Jern's new album Vision is out now, and he teamed with the local producer to spin off a fresh version of "Get Down." The single has BOAC playing piano

  October 29, 2009