Notorious B.I.G.

Last Night: Mos Def at Mezzanine

Club Night Review: Sucker-Punch @ The Transfer

Hey DJ! Friday Q&A: Rebel Girl's DJ China G

Samples

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, Cha ... More >>

Samples

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, Cha ... More >>

Biggie, Small

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

Rapper Buckshot thinks, talks, and records for success

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

Noise Pop Preview: Mountain Goats Delve into Divine Dread

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

Hyper! Norwegian! Electro! Dipteryx! Yay!

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

Oakland's rap jokesters Kirb & Chris bring ha ha's to Rickshaw

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

Boss S-O-V

Lady Sovereign conquers America, yeah?

Mixtape Shmixtape

Wherein we review Yay Area mixtapes of the day

Get Down With Dave

Chappelle returns with a raucous Block Party

Panthers

Things Are Strange

The Notorious B.I.G.

Ready to Die: The Remaster

Schizophonic Illness

Motion Man wants to be rap's mad clown prince

House of Tudor

A rap-war documentary, the old new wave, and Gypsy-fied French noir

Speak To Me

Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam brings hip hop home

Personality Crisis

As commercial hip hop radio becomes tired, turf wars flicker out, and the underground diversifies, does the Bay Area have its own identity anymore?

Reviews

As commercial hip hop radio becomes tired, turf wars flicker out, and the underground diversifies, does the Bay Area have its own identity anymore?

Stakes Is High

Bay Area hip-hop artists and the art of the hustle

Night+Day

Bay Area hip-hop artists and the art of the hustle

Recordings

Bay Area hip-hop artists and the art of the hustle

Samples

Bay Area hip-hop artists and the art of the hustle

Mix Masters

Inside the underground DJ mix-tape phenomenon

Jazzoetry

The return of the legendary Last Poets

What's Killing Hip Hop?

From the Western Addition to the East Bay, police and wary club owners have all but banished hip hop. Have the cops overreacted? Are the clubs at fault? Or have a few well-armed fans hijacked the positive vibe of the hip-hop nation?

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 A ... More >>

Fair Use

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 A ... More >>

Stretch Armstrong

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 A ... More >>

Erykah Badu

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 A ... More >>

Green Eyed Monster, a Tippler from Lafitte

Tamara Palmer​Lafitte is the new restaurant from "Dissident Chef" Russell Jackson, who most recently hosted underground meals under the Sub-Culture Dining banner. More than two years in the making, the waterfront, pirate-named spot opened its doors for dinner on April 6, and expects to begin l ... More >>

Why The Critics Are Wrong: Rap Albums You Probably Don't Know But Should, Part II

​Since many recent Next Big Things in rap have proven disappointing -- see Wale, Asher Roth and B.o.B. -- it might be time to consider the possibility that hip-hop tastemakers don't know what to look for in the first place. Here's an alternative to the critical consensus on rap. Yesterday, we ... More >>

Lil Kim to Perform at SF's Hotel Nikko July 12

​Prepare to hear lots of naughty words if you show up to this. The famously explicit, once-Notorious B.I.G.-endorsed Lil Kim will perform at the Rrazz Room at San Francisco's Hotel Nikko on July 12. The Brooklyn-born Lil' Kim (born Kimberly Jones) hasn't had a true hit in a while -- in fact she ha ... More >>

Exclusive: '90s R&B Mini-Mix by Debaser's Jamie Jams

Chris BrennanJamie Jams​One thing I've always greatly respected about Jamie Jams and the other fellas that run the 'SF Weekly Best of 2010' Debaser club is their unending wealth of knowledge about the music they love. Obviously, they know their way around '90s alt-rock hits, but it's a pleasant su ... More >>

Nas and Damian Marley show the wrong way to Africa

Chris BrennanJamie Jams​One thing I've always greatly respected about Jamie Jams and the other fellas that run the 'SF Weekly Best of 2010' Debaser club is their unending wealth of knowledge about the music they love. Obviously, they know their way around '90s alt-rock hits, but it's a pleasant su ... More >>

Turns Out Michael Chabon Is a Huge Hip-Hop Nerd

MIchael Chabon, wishing he was bangin' some Wu-Tang​If you haven't been obsessively up to date with the world of Internet news, Bay Area author Michael Chabon has been guest editing the culture section of The Atlantic's culture blog this week. The nifty gig also revealed perhaps one of the lesser ... More >>

The Tupac Shakur Biopic: Why You Should Be Skeptical

Not ready for the big screen yet?​After having a spat over legal rights with Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur's mom, Morgan Creek Productions has received her blessing to make a biopic about the slain N.Y./D.C./Bay Area rapper. And considering the exciting/troubled/contradictory life story of Tupac, the ... More >>

Rocky's Swag: Roach Gigz Rides His Cocky Charm Toward Rap's Big Ring

Not ready for the big screen yet?​After having a spat over legal rights with Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur's mom, Morgan Creek Productions has received her blessing to make a biopic about the slain N.Y./D.C./Bay Area rapper. And considering the exciting/troubled/contradictory life story of Tupac, the ... More >>

Remembering Biggie, Who Died 14 Years Ago Today

Happier times for the whole country​Christopher Wallace, better known to posterity as the Notorious B.I.G., died fourteen years ago today in Los Angeles. (Obligatory S.F. cameo: a few days before, he did a radio interview here on WiLD 107 where he said he'd hired a security detail because he feare ... More >>

Saturday Night: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Turn Yoshi's Into the Bone Thugs Club

Tamara PalmerBone Thugs-n-Harmony at Yoshi's.​Bone Thugs-n-Harmony March 12, 2011 @ Yoshi's S.F.Better than: Partying with tuneless gangsters. Yes, Thugs is part of this Ohio-born, multi-platinum selling group's name, but make no mistake: This is one of the most emotional acts in rap mu ... More >>

Girl Talk's Greg Gillis Says Irony Is a Waste

Tamara PalmerBone Thugs-n-Harmony at Yoshi's.​Bone Thugs-n-Harmony March 12, 2011 @ Yoshi's S.F.Better than: Partying with tuneless gangsters. Yes, Thugs is part of this Ohio-born, multi-platinum selling group's name, but make no mistake: This is one of the most emotional acts in rap mu ... More >>

In Print: Girl Talk vs. Irony and the Eagles, Warpaint's Fleet-Footed Psychodrama, and More

Girl Talk​Girl Talk: At the center of the stage is a sweaty dude leaning intently over a laptop. Surrounding him is a forest of half-naked young people writhing to a mix of Notorious B.I.G. rapping over Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." This is the spectacle at a Girl Talk show, where Pittsburgh native ... More >>

'Rapture Party' Planned for May 21

Time to party with the Whore of Bablyon​On May 21, fans of American hip hop music will have a chance to celebrate the birthday of the late Christopher George Latore Wallace, popularly known as Biggie Smalls. But those who don't like rap need not feel left out, because we all have a reason almost a ... More >>

"Everything Must Go": Will Ferrell Stops Mugging for Down-and-Out Drama

Time to party with the Whore of Bablyon​On May 21, fans of American hip hop music will have a chance to celebrate the birthday of the late Christopher George Latore Wallace, popularly known as Biggie Smalls. But those who don't like rap need not feel left out, because we all have a reason almost a ... More >>

KBLX Brings a Not So Quiet Storm to Sleep Train Pavilion

Charlie Wilson and his winged angel dancers.​KBLX Stone Soul Concert Sunday, May 29, 2011 @ Sleep Train Pavilion Better than: Not hollering and dancing for nine hours KBLX 102.9 FM has long been known as the "Quiet Storm," but until we attended the Stone Soul Concert on Sunday, we had no ide ... More >>

Cochon 555 Brings Porcine Pleasures to San Francisco

Jason HenryRavi Kapur's Game Plan includes chocolate blood cake.​On Sunday, June 5, a sold out crowd of pig enthusiasts descended upon Cochon 555 to enjoy upwards of 50 different dead pig preparations and crown S.F.'s Prince of Pork. Pig-shaped balloons led the way into the Julia Morgan Ballro ... More >>

The Cool Kids: Cool with Recording for Mountain Dew

Jason HenryRavi Kapur's Game Plan includes chocolate blood cake.​On Sunday, June 5, a sold out crowd of pig enthusiasts descended upon Cochon 555 to enjoy upwards of 50 different dead pig preparations and crown S.F.'s Prince of Pork. Pig-shaped balloons led the way into the Julia Morgan Ballro ... More >>

Consciousness vs. Sex: Jean Grae and the Plight of the Underground Female Rapper

Jean Grae​ Jean Grae, who performs tonight at the New Parish, is a very talented rapper. That's not just a very talented female rapper, but a very talented hip-hop artist who deserves to be considered on nothing more than her own lyrical merits, and shouldn't be given some sort of a rap pass d ... More >>