Editor’s note: This story is part of That’s My Word, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.
It’s a wintry January evening when Bas-1 brings me to Del the Funky Homosapien’s house in the East Bay. For much of the afternoon, Bas — the Oakland native who’s worked with Digital Underground and released his own solo records — has schooled me on the origins of the Bay Area hip-hop sound.
Bas lists numerous rappers from the ’80s, and not just Todd “Too Short” Shaw, the East Oakland rapper who famously hustled homemade cassette tapes. I’ve never heard most of the names Bas mentions: MC Chocolate Milk, Windell Baby Doll, Davy Def, Buddy Bean, Reggie Reg Rock Ski.ter, M.C. Tracy, Rock Master Fresh, Nic Nack, Kimmie Fresh, and the Acorn Crew with Grandmaster Fresh (a rapper later known as “DJ Daryl” Anderson, famed for producing tracks like 415’s “Side Show” and 2Pac’s “Keep Ya Head Up”).
Many of these early Bay Area rappers never put out a commercially available record. Instead, their work is mostly confined to locally distributed cassette tapes — collectors call them “gray tapes” — that are now nearly impossible to find. They publicly broadcasted these tapes throughout neighborhoods, utilizing boomboxes and car stereos as well as stereos at house parties. “None of them sound like Too Short,” says Bas. “Some of these people didn’t put out recordings, but they were known.”
Throughout the 1980s, Bay Area hip-hop was an artistic movement struggling for a distinct identity. The first half of the decade was defined by street dance and aerosol art as much as rap and DJing. But as local youth began to absorb the sounds emanating from national hotspots like New York, they created a distinctive style all their own — one that would make a global impact in the years to come.
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At Del’s house, Bas queues up an extraordinary live video clip of Mac Mill, Emperor E, and DJ Anthony “K-os” Bryant performing at Festival at the Lake, a now-defunct annual event held at Lake Merritt, in 1988. (Alex “Naru” Reece, who organized the showcase where Mac Mill performed, clarified in a follow-up conversation that it didn’t happen during Festival at the Lake. He also says the showcase was filmed in 1986 for a 1988 video compilation.)
Mac Mill and Emperor E go back and forth, trading sound effects and dense Oakland slang as K-os cuts and scratches copies of Long Island band Original Concept’s deathless bass classic, “Knowledge Me.” Bas praises Mac Mill’s unusual “Arabian” style, which the latter deployed nearly a decade later with the 1995 single “Arabian Hump.”
Then, Bas-1 calls Chris “CJ Flash” Jourdan, an OG who worked with Timex Social Club, the Berkeley teen band whose 1986 electro-funk classic, “Rumors,” represented the first national breakthrough for Bay Area hip-hop culture. As Bas broadcasts CJ Flash’s voice from his phone through Del’s stereo equipment, CJ Flash spends the next hour or so describing a fledging scene where poppers and boogaloo dancers, not rappers or DJs, were the prime attractions.
These ensembles drew from a street-dance tradition that dates back decades. Their kinetic performances ignited crowds at high schools, house parties, and public spaces like Justin Herman Plaza and Union Square in San Francisco and UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Battles even took place on the street, with crews traveling to different neighborhoods around the region to seek out rivals. “You could meet with people on their turf and get down, and hopefully not get thumped in the process,” says CJ Flash. Many Bay Area hip-hop pioneers got their start in dance crews, including Club Nouveau’s Jay King (who pop-locked with The Unknowns), DJ King Tech (who was known as Wizard, and danced with Master City Breakers), and Flash himself (who performed with UFO).
By contrast, rapping was a relatively new and undeveloped skill, the lowest element on the hip-hop totem pole. “Anybody could rap. Anybody could say a bunch of basic rhyme words with no style and flavor,” says Bas, noting as an aside that “most folks couldn’t understand the lyrics anyway.”
How is a discussion about street dancers connected to an exploration of the Bay Area hip-hop sound? It’s important to understand the conditions under which the genre emerged locally.
Turntables, Casios and Homemade Tapes
As KQED’s Eric Arnold explains in “The Bay Area Was Hip-Hop Before There Was Hip-Hop,” foundational elements such as spoken word, funk, and rhythm & blues existed locally well before New Jersey trio Sugarhill Gang arrived with “Rapper’s Delight” in the fall of 1979.
At the same time, the Bay Area was not the Bronx, where breakbeat culture catalyzed and fermented. Bronx DJs, MCs and B-boys like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Caz, the Rock Steady Crew and many others gained renown among mid-’70s New York youth long before “Rapper’s Delight.” By contrast, as CJ Flash explains, it took much of the 1980s for Bay Area youth to develop the cadences and rhythms we now associate with modern rap.
Back then, enterprising musicians couldn’t purchase studio software and distribute their own music on an internet platform like Soundcloud. Recording equipment was expensive. An unsigned artist needed the financial and business expertise to manufacture vinyl and cassettes with artwork, much less convince record stores like Leopold’s Records in Berkeley to carry them. (Recordable CD-Rs weren’t widely used until the 1990s.)
This helps explain why so many rappers utilized turntables and Casio keyboards, and then recorded their songs using the microphone input on relatively cheap stereo equipment. Captured on recordable cassettes like Maxell and TDK, some of these “gray tapes” simply had stickers with handwritten titles. More often, they weren’t labeled at all.
In those days, Too Short was an outlier, a Fremont High School student who canvassed East Oakland spots like Arroyo Park, selling copies of “Game Raps” at a few dollars a pop. Since Short was originally from Los Angeles, he relied on rap partner Tony “Freddy B” Adams to show him around the Town. The duo made customized tapes for local drug dealers and players in the city’s nightlife — now known as “special request” tapes — shouting out the customers’ names in their raps.
“Short was a hustler,” says CJ Flash. “He had a style of telling stories that was so outlandish and so funny that word got around.” Short and Freddy B developed the trademark “Biiiiitch!” catchphrase, and Short has often said that he and Freddy B intended to get famous together. Unfortunately, Freddy B was in prison when Short released his landmark “Freaky Tales” tape in 1987. (Adams is now a minister at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Fairfield.)
Others like Sir Quick Draw, Mac Mill, and Chief Naked Head (later known as Premo; he passed away in January of 2023) simply gave away their tapes or let friends copy or “dub” the originals. As Richmond rapper Magic Mike explained in a recent interview with Dregs One, dubs of his tracks circulated as widely as Germany. “It was more or less trying to make a name for yourself…you had to make a tape,” adds CJ Flash.
Most importantly, Bay Area hip-hop in the ’80s was a primordial soup of youngsters figuring out what the local sound would be. The answers wouldn’t arrive until near the end of the decade. “The Bay Area was behind,” says CJ Flash, comparing it to more advanced regions like Los Angeles, South Florida, and New York. “We never thought about radio.”
‘A Pivotal Moment’
Alex “Naru Kwina” Hence remembers the first time he heard the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” as a 14-year-old preparing to attend Oakland High School. “When the song went off, everybody ran outside, like, ‘Did you hear that song?!” he laughs, calling it one of the best moments of his life. “It was a pivotal moment, bro. We literally started rapping the song and trying to remember it.”
Naru called himself Sir Quick Draw, an alias inspired by Hanna-Barbera cartoon Quick Draw McGraw as well as the fact that, as a runner, “I was hella fast.” He took inspiration from Kurtis Blow, the Harlem rapper who scored major hits like 1980’s “The Breaks.” And Naru almost immediately began recording his voice on tape. His first original song was “The Caveman Rap,” which was inspired by Brooklyn rapper Jimmy Spicer’s 1980 single “Adventures of Super Rhyme.” Naru can still recite those verses from memory: Now people come and take a trip in time with me / Back to that sweet year one million B.C.
“I still got that old-school flavor, man,” he admits. “Hip-hop was more fun for me back then.”
But rap in the Bay Area didn’t take off right away. “Most people would rap other people’s songs. They’d just repeat what they heard on the radio,” says Naru. Aspiring MCs honed their craft by congregating at Eastmont Mall, “trying to impress the girls, and getting our names on our derby jackets.” And when Tom Tom Club’s 1981 hit “Genius of Love” dropped? “Everybody rapped over that joint, man. Too many people.”
It’s worth remembering that hip-hop was a phenomenon developed essentially by Black and Brown children. Rapping, pop-locking, spray-painting aerosol art on neighborhood walls, even DJing: These were youthful forms of play and creative expression.
Bas, who grew up in North Oakland, remembers popping and “roboting” at Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf in the late ’70s as a child. “You have people like Ben [James] from Live Incorporated doing pantomime and roboting,” he says, noting one of the better-known dance crews. Dancers competed for attention and tips that they could spend on Snickers bars and arcade games. “Battle-wise, you had to have skill and talent to a certain caliber in order to truly be out on the Wharf or on Market [and Powell] in front of the cable cars,” he says.
Local newspaper stories focused on the emergence of hip-hop as a youth obsession. Enterprising teachers incorporated it into their lesson plans. On high-school campuses, fledgling DJs like Joseph Thomas “G.I. Joe” Simms Jr. at El Cerrito High School and groups like the Devastating Four proliferated. At house parties, mobile DJ crews spun the latest electro, boogie-funk, and rap hits.
Gatherings at schools, churches, and community centers typically reserved a few minutes for fledgling local rap and dance crews to perform. This was also the era of the Reagan Administration’s “Just Say No” campaign, and kids were often asked to help spread an anti-drug message through raps. “Inspired by rapping groups such as Sugar Hill, Run DMC, Jeckyl and Hyde and Mell (sic) and the Furious Five, teen-agers create their own raps mostly for fun and to bring attention to themselves,” read a June 29, 1985, story in the San Francisco Examiner.
In the first half of the decade, street dance remained a focal point. Double Dutch jump-rope competitions sponsored by McDonald’s drew thousands to Lincoln Square Center in Oakland. The San Francisco Street Breakers held a fundraising benefit, “Super Break Sunday,” at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts in 1985.
Ironically, street dance “got played out” after the success of Hollywood movies like Beat Street and Breakin’, and rap music moved to the center of hip-hop culture. Quickening the process were concerts by Black music stars like the Fresh Festival, the first national hip-hop tour, with headliners Run-DMC at the Oakland Coliseum. Local radio tentatively began to experiment with rap, notably KMEL-FM and its mix DJs such as Michael Erickson and the late Cameron Paul.
“By 1985, there was this incredible scene in the South Bay,” says Adisa “The Bishop” Banjoko. As a teen DJ in San Bruno “who looked like Urkel,” he remembers traveling far and wide to buy records, from Creative Music Emporium in San Francisco to T’s Wauzi in Oakland. Meanwhile, nightclubs like Mothers and Studio 47 brought a fusion of hip-hop, freestyle and techno. “San Jose had underage hip-hop teenage clubs, and no other city had those,” he says. (Banjoko later became a rapper, a journalist, and now promotes jiu-jitsu, meditation and chess with his company 64 Blocks.)
Back in Oakland, Naru continued making tapes. “I come from a musical family. My cousin’s the Maestro” — a.k.a. producer Keenan Foster, who has worked with Too Short, Dru Down, and Askari X — “and a lot of my family sings. I got a drum machine, a little Yamaha keyboard. I would play my bass lines. We had double-cassette decks.” He collaborated with Taj “Turntable T” Tilghman, “who was dope on the turntables.” Turntable T eventually bought a Roland TR-808 drum machine, the instrument du jour for def beat MCs. “When that 808 came, that was it. Everyone loved that deck. Boom!”
“Gray tapes” that circulated weren’t the EP and album-length releases we’re familiar with today. Some tapes only had one song per side; or maybe just one song on one side, period. Artists were judged not only by their ability to rap engagingly for several minutes, but also to chop up a familiar beat like Whodini’s “Friends,” transforming it into something fresh and original; or even make rudimentary 808 beats. For example, Too Short drew attention for “rapping the longest,” as Bas explains, leading to songs that lasted eight or nine minutes.
“Those tapes were everywhere. Everyone was trying to see what was possible,” says Banjoko. In 1987, he began making raps under the name MC Most Ill. His first song was “Rhyme Junkie.” “The truth was, some of it was really cool but a lot of it actually also sucked, because [the art form] was brand new. … The quality control was not there.”
On August 18, 1984, the San Francisco Examiner published an article called “Rapping with Too-Short,” the first story on the 18-year-old prodigy. Pacific News Service journalist Anthony Adams called Short’s songs “preacher-like yarns over pre-recorded music,” and noted that one of them was about automaker John DeLorean, whose conviction for cocaine trafficking made national news. Short claimed he and his partner Freddy B sold over 2,000 tapes.
The Chronicle-Examiner also frequently interviewed Dominique “Lady D” DiPrima, a New York transplant and San Francisco State University student who rapped, sung, and organized events. DiPrima possessed a rich family pedigree — her father was the jazz writer Amiri Baraka, her mother the beat poet Diane DiPrima. In late 1984, KRON-TV recruited her to host Home Turf, a Saturday-afternoon program that became appointment viewing for local teens.
“Everyone had a crush on Dominique,” says Naru, giggling.
The First Bay Area Rap Record Opens the Floodgates
One of the under-acknowledged aspects of early hip-hop is the way elder Black musicians shepherded young artists into the recording industry.
The late Sylvia Robinson, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, initially emerged in the mid-’50s as one-half of Mickey & Sylvia, who scored a national hit with “Love Is Strange.” As a ’70s solo artist and producer, Robinson made slinky, Eartha Kitt-like erotic disco capers such as “Pillow Talk” and “Sweet Stuff.” After discovering hip-hop when she heard DJ Lovebug Starski at a party, Robinson formed Sugar Hill Records, and turned three rapping teens she found in New Jersey into its first act, the Sugarhill Gang.
This process of soul veterans working with young people resulted in independent 12” singles that mirrored — if not yet accurately capturing — the nascent rap sound at a time when big companies virtually ignored it. With his Mercury Records contract, Kurtis Blow was the only act with a major album deal. A handful of other pioneers like DJ Hollywood scored one-off 12” deals.
A similar process played out in the Bay Area.
The first Bay Area rap record is widely considered to be Phil “Motorcycle Mike” Lewis and the Rat Trap Band’s “Super Rat,” a 1981 boogie-funk single notoriously released by East Oakland heroin kingpin Milton “Mickey Mo” Moore’s Hodisk Records. The name “Hodisk” was a cheeky reference to his onetime side business as a pimp. (Moore has since reformed and is now a pastor in West Oakland.) In fact, Mickey Mo boasts in his 1996 autobiography The Man: The Life Story of a Drug Kingpin, “Hodisk Records became the first record company on the West Coast to release a rap record.” (The first L.A. rap record, Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp’s “The Gigolo Rapp,” was also released in 1981.)
Mickey Mo has another claim to rap lore: In 1980, he helped finance an Oakland Coliseum concert headlined by L.A. funk band War, with the Sugarhill Gang as a supporting act. Journalist Lee Hildebrand’s pre-concert interview with the Gang in the Oakland Tribune was the first mention of rap music in the local press. A second funk-rap novelty, Steve Walker’s “Tally Ho!,” also appeared in 1981. In 1983, San Francisco’s Debo & Brian released the electro-funk EP This Is It. The momentum had started.
“I had made this vow that I would never ever do anything having to do with rap,” laughs Claytoven Richardson. During his long career, the Berkeley-born, Oakland-raised Richardson worked with Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Whitney Houston, Elton John, and Celine Dion. But in the early ’80s, he was best known as a singer, producer, and arranger with hot dancefloor jazz-funk bands like Bill Summers & Summers’ Heat. His anti-rap stance reflected the music industry at large in the 1980s. “Nobody had the foresight to see that it would morph and change and do the things that it’s done,” he says.
Still, Richardson couldn’t avoid the increasingly popular genre when he scored a production deal at Fantasy Records, the onetime Berkeley jazz label also known for innovative acts like Sylvester and Cybotron, as well as one-off singles generated by a “throw it against the wall and see if it sticks” philosophy.
One of the records Richardson produced in that anything-goes environment was Mighty Mouth’s satirical complaint, “I’m All Rapped Out.” (He wasn’t the only one annoyed over rap; perhaps out of wishful thinking, a 1985 San Francisco Chronicle article referred to the “fast-fading hip-hop scene.”) A vocalist named Lawrence Pittman didn’t show up for the session, so Richardson performed the lyrics himself. However, Pittman showed up to rap on Mighty Mouth’s second single, “The Roaches,” which parodied Whodini’s electro hit, “Freaks Come Out at Night.”
Other scattered local raps appeared between 1985 and 1986. Former boogaloo dancer Jay King, just home from a stint in the Air Force and splitting time between Sacramento and Vallejo, formed a group called Frost and released “Battle Beat.” His friends Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy produced it, as well as another electro-rap track, Sorcerey’s “Woo Baby.” Pittsburg rapper James “Red Beat” Briggs issued “Freak City,” which was later remixed by N.W.A. co-founder Arabian Prince. And there was Rodney “Disco Alamo” Brown, from Richmond, whose 12” “The Task Force” is an early example of Bay Area rap chronicling street life.
Most importantly, Too Short’s rising buzz led to a deal with deep East Oakland entrepreneur Dean Hodges’ 75 Girls label. Released in 1985, the resulting Don’t Stop Rappin’ was the first official album by a local rapper. While fans of a certain age still treasure protean electro-funk tracks like “Girl” — which E-40 referenced on his 1998 hit, “Earl, That’s Yo Life” — the album couldn’t compare to his raunchy and wickedly hilarious “special request” tapes.
It was during this period that Naru finally got his chance in the studio. Since 1984, UC Berkeley station KALX-FM served as home to “Music for the People,” a Sunday-morning community affairs and music show hosted by the late Charles “Natty Prep” Douglass, as well as DJs like Billy “Jam” Kiernan (who also broadcast on San Francisco State University station KUSF-FM), David “Davey D” Cook, and funkster Rickey “The Uhuru Maggot” Vincent. When Naru won a 1986 rap contest hosted by Billy Jam on KALX, he earned a deal with Bay Wave Records, a local imprint distributed by Hollywood-based Macola Records. Richardson was hired to produce the session.
“[Quick Draw] was a great rapper. He had a lot of great lyrics and ideas,” says Richardson. On “Rapaholic,” Richardson and session engineer Michael Denten (who later worked with Spice 1 and E-40) accompanied Quick Draw’s dexterous and energetic raps with sharp-angled percussive edits and sound effects reminiscent of The Art of Noise and Mantronix.
“Respect to Claytoven,” says Naru, who not only continues to make music but also owns a company, Hip Learning, that promotes childhood education with rap. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with the “Rapaholic” experience: “They made the record sound hella more polished. It was [supposed to be] a little more underground than that.” However, he adds, “[Claytoven] taught us a lot in the studio about the mics they use and how to mix. It was a good experience.”
A Radio Breakthrough — And a Kid Named Hammer
As the trajectory of Bay Area hip-hop waxed and waned, three catalyzing moments brought the scene into focus.
The first was an R&B track. Timex Social Club’s “Rumors” captured the pulse of Bay Area youth culture, from Marcus Thompson and Alex Hill’s skittering electro-funk bass and drums to singer Michael Marshall’s distinctly regional accent and coy recitation of schoolyard gossip (“Did you hear the one about Michael? Some say he must be gay…”) Produced by Jay King and Denzil Foster and released on King’s Jay Records in February 1986, it mushroomed into a top ten Billboard pop hit and dominated radio all year.
But by the summer, Timex Social Club was falling apart and trading accusations with King over money and credit. The group’s only album Vicious Rumors — by that point it was just Michael Marshall — featured drum programming from CJ Flash and a shout-out to KALX’s Natty Prep, who helped break “Rumors” on his “Music and Life” show. Marshall retreated from the spotlight before re-emerging as the hook man on the Luniz’ 1995 smash “I Got 5 on It.”
After breaking with Timex Social Club, King formed a group called Jet Set and signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The group changed their name to Club Nouveau before debuting with the single “Jealousy.” A follow-up, the Bill Withers cover “Lean on Me,” went to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, while Club Nouveau’s debut album Life, Love & Pain went platinum.
King’s growing stardom rippled across the Bay and reached Felton Pilate, the Vallejo keyboardist, singer, and producer best known as a driving force in Bay Area funk stars Con Funk Shun. The two had already worked together on King’s onetime rap group Frost; Pilate engineered that record. Pilate soon added one of King’s projects, Sacramento R&B/rap group New Choice, to a growing slate of projects he produced and engineered at his Felstar Studios.
Felstar Studios was the culmination of work he had begun while not touring and rehearsing with Con Funk Shun. At his home studio on Sandpiper Drive in Vallejo, Pilate helped assemble records for fledgling local artists. “I never thought of myself as just a studio,” he says, where he simply records his clients. “I have a little experience here. I’ve got several gold albums. Here, let me pass on some of this knowledge.” When asked if he considered himself a mentor, he demurs, even though that’s arguably what he was.
When Pilate opened Felstar Studios on Sonoma Boulevard, his trusted associate was James Earley, a young engineer whom he credits for adding a more contemporary sensibility to the Studios’ output. Among the locals who came to them were M.V.P., a family trio consisting of Earl Stevens, Danell Stevens, and Brandt Jones. Their 1988 12”, The Kings Men, also included Tanina Stevens and Angela Pressley, who called themselves Sugar ‘N’ Spice. The members of M.V.P. updated their stage names to E-40, D-Shot and B-Legit, added Tanina as Suga T, and evolved into The Click, arguably becoming the most famous rap group to emerge from Vallejo.
In 1986, Pilate and Earley both had solo deals at Berkeley’s Fantasy Records. It was there that Pilate met a former Oakland A’s batboy named Stanley “Holyghost Boy” Burrell through Fantasy Records producer Fred L. Pittman. “Fred would often hire me to do keyboard arrangements for him,” says Pilate. When Pittman asked him to play keys for Holyghost Boy, Pilate responded, “Hey Fred, why don’t you let me take the reins on this?”
As a classically trained jazz and classical musician, Pilate didn’t think much of rap, even though Con Funk Shun not only included a rap verse on a 1982 single, “Ain’t Nobody Baby”; but also made “Electric Lady,” a 1985 hit produced by Larry Smith of Whodini fame that landed in the top five of Billboard’s Black Singles chart. “Musically, I wasn’t a fan, but as a producer, I said, ‘I can do this,’” he says. “Like everyone else, Con Funk Shun wanted to be relevant, and rap was all over the radio.”
The tracks Burrell brought to Pilate consisted of him rapping over sparse Yamaha RX5 drum-machine parts. Pilate responded by going into “study mode.” He listened to the rap stuff that was getting airplay like Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew. As a result, the skittering percussion on Burrell’s “Let’s Get It Started” is reminiscent of the go-go-inspired arrangements on Doug E. Fresh hits like “The Show” and “All the Way to Heaven.”
“My thing was to make it more music-driven than beat-driven,” says Pilate. In many cases, he simply “listened to what [Burrell] was talking about and wrote a straight R&B song underneath it.” He also gives credit to Earley, who helped refine the drum programming and brought “that younger ear” to the project. They incorporated stock horn stabs from a battery of Juno, Roland, and Yamaha drum machines. Meanwhile, Kent “The Lone Mixer” Wilson and Bryant “D.J. Redeemed” Marable added rhythmic scratches by cutting up Curtis Mayfield and Beastie Boys records.
After the demos were finished, Fantasy Records dropped Pilate, Earley and Burrell from their deals. “They weren’t really sure how to market any of us,” says Pilate. Then, he chuckles, “The next time I ran into the Holyghost Boy, he had changed his name to MC Hammer.” After forming Bustin’ Records in Fremont with financial help from Oakland A’s ballplayers like Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy, Hammer turned the Pilate demos into three 12”s — “Ring ’Em,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Let’s Get It Started” — and the 1987 album Feel My Power. “I was like, man, those were rough mixes! You were supposed to come back and let me fix that!” Pilate laughs.
Everyone involved in Bay Area hip-hop has vivid memories of MC Hammer blowing up. Near-mythical stories of his local takeover abound, like attending local concerts surrounded by a massive crew; or tearing up the dance floor at The Silks, a popular nightclub in Emeryville.
Today, it’s worth revisiting Feel My Power and 1988’s Let’s Get It Started. Released after Hammer signed with Capitol Records, Let’s Get It Started found Hammer and Pilate remixing those original demos while adding vital new tracks like “Pump It Up.” The results are bombastic and vibrant dance-floor jams as ecstatic as anything by Kid ‘n’ Play and Salt-n-Pepa. Hammer’s subsequent leap into pop superstardom with 1990’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em and the ubiquity of “U Can’t Touch This” obscure just how great those early tracks are.
Eight Woofers in the Trunk
MC Hammer’s major-label arrival in 1988 capped a year of Bay Area hip-hop on the cusp of national exposure.
After Too Short issued Born to Mack in the fall of 1987 on his Dangerous Music label, Jive Records picked it up. (Dangerous Music also issued Dangerous Crew, a compilation of vital Bay Area acts like Spice-1, Rappin’ 4-Tay, and the female duo Danger Zone.) Digital Underground’s playful and psychedelic “Underwater Rimes / Your Life’s a Cartoon” led to a deal with Tommy Boy. Local talent waited in the wings, including rapper/producer Paris (A.T.C.’s “Cisco Jam”), Sway & King Tech (Flynamic Force EP), Dangerous Dame (“The Power That’s Packed”), and MC Twist and the Def Squad (“Just Rock”). And the late Cameron Paul, known for his “Beats & Pieces” breakbeats, remixed Queens trio Salt-n-Pepa’s 1987 track “Push It” into a global phenomenon.
Incidentally, the first local group to score a major label deal wasn’t Hammer, but Surf MCs, a Berkeley group that Profile Records promoted as a Beastie Boys-like rap/rock crossover. Their 1987 album Surf or Die proved a flop.
Yet the third moment that catalyzed Bay Area hip-hop wasn’t a singular record like Timex Social Club’s “Rumors,” or an artist like Hammer and Short. It was the sound of walloping, all-enveloping bass.
Made for surgically enhanced car and jeep stereos, the bass colossus is as much a feature of hip-hop in the mid-’80s as the pounding Roland TR-808 machine, from Rick Rubin’s production on LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” and T La Rock’s “It’s Yours” to Rodney O and DJ Joe Cooley’s “Everlasting Bass” and Dr. Dre’s work on Eazy-E’s “The Boyz-N-The Hood.” It also mirrors the crack-cocaine epidemic that began to blight and distort communities across the country. As street life turned treacherous, the specter of the hustler, and whether to become one, cast a growing shadow.
“Then the new style came, the bass got deeper / You gave up the mike and bought you a beeper / Do you want to rap or sell coke? / Brothers like you ain’t never broke,” Too Short memorably rapped on his 1989 hit, “Life Is…Too Short.”
Banjoko recalls how the presence of gangs transformed local shows. “You would see a bunch of people dressed up together [in the same gear], and you might assume they were a rap or dance crew. They were young drug lords,” he says. “You could get trampled, beat up or robbed by any of them. I remember 69 Ville being massively deep at the Fresh Fest and the [Run-DMC] Raising Hell tour. They were terrifying, straight up. You were going to tuck your chain, you were going to take your Kangol off, or they were going to take it.”
Rap imagery became more honest and explicit. Some like Richmond rapper Magic Mike, San Francisco’s Hugh EMC (“It’s the Game”), and Oakland’s Hollywood (“Gangster Rap”) seemed to embrace the hustler ethos, while cautiously adding verses about the consequences of that lifestyle. Then there was Oakland rapper Morocco Moe, whose “Task” criticized how law enforcement brutalized communities in the War on Drugs: “Their intentions are good/But their actions are wrong.”
“Every Black neighborhood was infested” with crack, says Vallejo producer Khayree Shaheed. “There was an influx of money coming into young Black men, but there was also a lot of death occurring.” The epidemic also marked his entry into the world of rap.
As a descendant of the Bay Area’s vaunted funk tradition, Khayree spent the ’70s and early ’80s playing bass guitar for bands like Grand Larceny, Body Mind & Spirit and Touch of Class (with keyboardist Rosie Gaines, who later joined Prince & the New Power Generation). His travels took him across the U.S. and even to Japan, where Touch of Class lived and performed for several months. (Though his bands made demos, there are no official recordings to date.) When asked about the first time he heard rap, Khayree cites “jazzoetry” ensembles like The Last Poets, not the Sugarhill Gang. And as a youth growing up on Lofas Place in Vallejo, he spent plenty of time following Con Funk Shun, hoping to apprentice with the biggest band in the city.
Khayree was in his mid-20s when Rod “I.C.E.” Andrews and Dan “Luvva D” Morrison a.k.a. the Luvva Twins brought Khayree a demo they had made on a Casio keyboard, “Hubba Head.” The song title was slang for a crack addict, and the duo described the “hubba head’s” descent into addiction with charismatic punch. They arranged the music and rapped most of the lyrics, while Khayree dropped a short verse and added guitar.
Khayree had already spent time at Pilate’s home studio, honing his writing and production skills. (“I always enjoyed working with him,” says Pilate.) Now, he brought “Hubba Head” to Pilate, and the two prepared it for release. Setting up his own label, Big Bank Records, Khayree distributed two hundred copies of the 12” to DJs and influencers. “The record was super popular in the streets,” says Khayree.
After “Hubba Head,” Khayree began working with Jay King, a fellow graduate of Vallejo High School. The opportunity to write and produce New Choice’s 1987 single “Cold Stupid” and most of the quintet’s 1988 debut, At Last, gave him important experience on a major project and financial stability. By fusing bass, funky R&B and hip-hop breakbeats, New Choice reflected a parallel R&B movement that both influenced and was inspired by the hip-hop scene. Similar Bay Area acts included Oakland’s Tony! Toni! Toné!, who parlayed backing sessions for Sheila E. and Tramaine Hawkins into a major-label deal.
Flush from his experience with New Choice, Khayree was ready to start his own company. “I’m listening to EPMD’s Strictly Business,” he says, inspiring the name of his second label, Strictly Business Records. He knew that Mike “The Mac” Robinson, who also grew up on Lofas Place, was a rapper. Robinson hailed from a musical family: his uncle Steve “Silver” Scales was a well-traveled Vallejo funk percussionist who played with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and the B-52s. (Though it would be a delicious coincidence, Scales didn’t perform on “Genius of Love.”) Khayree encouraged Robinson to take music more seriously. Meanwhile, Robinson’s mother drew the memorable Strictly Business logo: an open briefcase, ready for business.
In 1988, Khayree released The Mac’s three-song EP, “I’m Ah Big Mac.” Heard now, what immediately stands out is the unique tone of the bass. “We used synthesizers that had dumb-fat bass lines,” explains Khayree in reference to himself and Too Short as well as future Bay Area colleagues like Ant Banks. By comparison, he says, other regional scenes relied on a “natural” bass guitar or samples from records. “You feel it through your whole body. … You can get it with a bass guitar, depending on how you EQ the bass and what you run your guitar through. But you’re never going to touch the subs and the depth of a Minimoog, of the Oberheim Ovx, or the Roland Juno 106.” The EP’s highlight is its B-side “The Game Is Thick,” which centers on a sample of Prince’s “D.M.S.R.”
In 1989, Khayree remixed and re-released “The Game Is Thick” as a standalone 12” with a memorable cover photo: Khayree looking super-clean in a grey suit, clasping a briefcase, with The Mac in a red-and-black bomber jacket. Khayree calls the style “pimping.” “We didn’t mean pimping so much as getting prostitutes to work,” he explains. “It’s an attitude, and it’s a musical style.” The “game” is a metaphor for life in the Black community. Street slang illustrated complex situations, whether it was dealing with the repercussions of a raging crack epidemic, or simply navigating the tensions of everyday living. Meanwhile, The Mac’s “cool, silky, pimpish” flow and Khayree’s synthesized bass production proved a clear predecessor to the ’90s mob-music sound that took over Bay Area rap.
Upon release, “The Game Is Thick” didn’t make a major impact, and most copies went to local DJ pools. “We promoted records out of the trunk,” says Khayree. “We went from Bobby G’s Soul Disco in San Francisco to [Rico Casanova’s record pool] The Pros in Oakland.” Still, “The Game Is Thick” remix received a mention in Davey “D” Cook’s April 7, 1989 “Beats & Breaks” column for BAM Magazine. “Let me tell you, it’s hyped to the max,” Davey D wrote.
With Khayree’s encouragement, the Mac taught himself how to produce music with synth keyboards. He also introduced Khayree to another Vallejo artist, Andre “Mac Dre” Hicks, who became Strictly Business’ second act. By the time The Mac was shot and killed on July 23, 1991 in what Khayree calls “a case of mistaken identity,” the two had recorded dozens of tracks and released a third and final 12” protesting police violence, 1990’s “Enuff of Tis Sh-t!” One of The Mac’s beats posthumously appeared on Mac Dre’s 1993 track, “The M.A.C. & Mac D.R.E.”
“Mike had a big, big loving heart,” remembers Khayree, sounding wistful. He emphasizes how The Mac left behind a daughter, “Mac” Reina Robinson, and a pregnant girlfriend who gave birth to his son, Mike. At one point, Khayree plays a voicemail of The Mac passionately singing a funky, swinging hook, as if to counteract the stereotype that rappers aren’t musicians. He talks about how The Mac’s way of playing simple, evocative keyboard notes for maximum effect echoes in the work of his famed protégé, Mac Dre. “I miss him,” he says.
Sponsored
Bay Area rap broke wide at the end of the decade, leading to a 1989 story in the New York Times, “Rap by the Bay: Oakland Emerges as a Force in Pop.” Not every local pioneer who laid the groundwork would enjoy the fruits of that success. But their stories are essential to understanding how local hip-hop came of age, and everything that came after.
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When he isn't writing or editing, you'll find him eating most everything he can get his hands on.","avatar":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d1ff591a3047b143a0e23cf7f28fcac0?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twitter":"theluketsai","facebook":null,"instagram":null,"linkedin":null,"sites":[{"site":"","roles":["editor"]},{"site":"arts","roles":["administrator"]},{"site":"bayareabites","roles":["editor"]},{"site":"food","roles":["editor"]}],"headData":{"title":"Luke Tsai | KQED","description":"Food Editor","ogImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d1ff591a3047b143a0e23cf7f28fcac0?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d1ff591a3047b143a0e23cf7f28fcac0?s=600&d=blank&r=g"},"isLoading":false,"link":"/author/ltsai"},"achazaro":{"type":"authors","id":"11748","meta":{"index":"authors_1591205172","id":"11748","found":true},"name":"Alan Chazaro","firstName":"Alan","lastName":"Chazaro","slug":"achazaro","email":"agchazaro@gmail.com","display_author_email":true,"staff_mastheads":["arts"],"title":"Food Writer and Reporter","bio":"Alan Chazaro is the author of \u003cem>This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album\u003c/em> (Black Lawrence Press, 2019), \u003cem>Piñata Theory\u003c/em> (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), and \u003cem>Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge\u003c/em> (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. He writes about sports, food, art, music, education, and culture while repping the Bay on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/alan_chazaro\">Twitter\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alan_chazaro/?hl=en\">Instagram\u003c/a> at @alan_chazaro.","avatar":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea8b6dd970fc5c29e7a188e7d5861df7?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twitter":"alan_chazaro","facebook":null,"instagram":null,"linkedin":null,"sites":[{"site":"arts","roles":["editor"]},{"site":"news","roles":["editor"]}],"headData":{"title":"Alan Chazaro | KQED","description":"Food Writer and Reporter","ogImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea8b6dd970fc5c29e7a188e7d5861df7?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea8b6dd970fc5c29e7a188e7d5861df7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"},"isLoading":false,"link":"/author/achazaro"},"djchavez":{"type":"authors","id":"11905","meta":{"index":"authors_1591205172","id":"11905","found":true},"name":"David John Chávez","firstName":"David John","lastName":"Chávez","slug":"djchavez","email":"theatrechavez@gmail.com","display_author_email":false,"staff_mastheads":[],"title":"KQED Contributor","bio":null,"avatar":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fabc2bc243ff109345d5c43867bc0b76?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twitter":null,"facebook":null,"instagram":null,"linkedin":null,"sites":[{"site":"arts","roles":["author"]}],"headData":{"title":"David John Chávez | KQED","description":"KQED Contributor","ogImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fabc2bc243ff109345d5c43867bc0b76?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fabc2bc243ff109345d5c43867bc0b76?s=600&d=blank&r=g"},"isLoading":false,"link":"/author/djchavez"},"mreeves":{"type":"authors","id":"11855","meta":{"index":"authors_1591205172","id":"11855","found":true},"name":"Mosi Reeves","firstName":"Mosi","lastName":"Reeves","slug":"mreeves","email":"infamous30@gmail.com","display_author_email":false,"staff_mastheads":[],"title":"KQED Contributor","bio":"Mosi Reeves is a journalist and cultural critic based in Oakland, California. 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One team representative described it as being “Warriors-inspired… \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790392163722772790\">a host of women warriors\u003c/a>.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fittingly, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/itszenakeita/status/1790439492991529276\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the team will be hosting a block party in front of Chase Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Saturday, May 18, from 2-6 p.m. with appearances from Kehlani, P-Lo and E-40. Team merchandise will already be available for the earliest diehard fans, as the Valkyries aren’t slated to play their first game until the 2025 season.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790376816840146993\">The Valkyries logo is minimalistic and clean\u003c/a>, with a violet crest anchored by the central tower of the Bay Bridge that flows into a winged V-shaped symbol. The bridge’s cables double as reinforced wings spreading outwards, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wnba.com/news/gs-valkyries-2025-identity\">the five spaces on each side represent a total of ten players facing off\u003c/a> against each other.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790376816840146993\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The announcement was made at 5:30 a.m., later accompanied by \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790360287725674855\">a Kehlani-narrated video\u003c/a> — in which a camera flies over the Bay and into San Francisco’s streets with the sound of wings flapping in the background, alluding to the flying Nordic warrior that is the Valkyries’ namesake.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“This is where legends take flight,” says Kehlani, the Oakland singer whose early mixtapes \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cloud 19 \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You Should Be Here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> evoke a similar vibe of high-flying, pink-clouded views overlooking San Francisco’s mighty skyline. “Our story has yet to be written,” she tells fans.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its recent growth in popularity, the WNBA hasn’t added a team since 2008, so anticipation has been high. (Team owner Joe Lacob previously invested in women’s basketball with the short-lived San Jose Lasers in 1996, as part of the now-defunct American Basketball League.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Responses to the Valkyries’ name and logo seem to be overwhelmingly positive up to this point. Warriors players \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/warriors/status/1790426521858937324\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis were shown repping their counterparts’ shirts\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the Chase Center, where the Valkyries will also play. Warriors head coach \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1790472288066011379\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Steve Kerr has also been spotted in the Dub’s practice facility rocking a Vs crewneck\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790360287725674855\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790402511368769841\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco-born Olympian and freestyle skier Eileen Gu\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> shared a message for fans. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Caltrain/status/1790396659945587148\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Caltrain tweeted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about going to Chase Center to watch the new team. Robin Roberts, who covered \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/RobinRoberts/status/1790350094463803854\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, held up a\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790382211965075680\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a Valkyries sweatshirt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on \u003cem>Good Morning America\u003c/em> after interviewing team president Jess Smith. And \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wnbastore.nba.com/golden-state-valkyries/unisex-golden-state-valkyries-playa-society-eclipse-black-premium-t-shirt/t-24961574+p-574467284513361+z-9-1951373147\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Playa Society, a niche, independent clothing brand focused on the WNBA\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that has earned respect within the women’s basketball community, has already released their debut Valkyries merch. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The few criticisms have come from a handful of fans who’ve pointed out that the Valkyries’ purple and black color scheme is weirdly reminiscent of the nearby Sacramento Kings, rather than the blue and yellow of the Golden State Warriors. Another commenter also made a reference to the Dallas Wings, an WNBA team that features a mythological winged logo that appears to be Pegasus. But the detractors are far and few between.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The only remaining element is to add worthy players to their roster and watch them ball out on the hardwood. With one of the highest picks in the upcoming draft to be awarded to Golden State, many fans are hoping that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/paigebueckers/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">University of Connecticut star Paige Bueckers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will land in the Bay Area. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As soon the Valkyries announced their name and logo, the young WNBA prospect declared that Golden State has \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/paigebueckers1/status/1790410960886227152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1790410960886227152%7Ctwgr%5E627c58dfb108a876f19909da1dc59f6ae19728c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsportsbayarea.com%2Fwnba%2Fpaige-bueckers-valkyries-design-color%2F1734864%2F\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the “prettiest colorway ever.”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/itszenakeita/status/1790439492991529276\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Golden State Valkyries will host a block party at Chase Center’s Thrive City\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Saturday, May 18, from 2-6 p.m. Free admission.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"The Bay Area’s newest sports franchise will host a free community event in front of Chase Center this weekend.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1715729282,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":15,"wordCount":679},"headData":{"title":"Kehlani, E-40, P-Lo to Celebrate Golden State Valkyries at SF Block Party | KQED","description":"The Bay Area’s newest sports franchise will host a free community event in front of Chase Center this weekend.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Kehlani, E-40, P-Lo to Celebrate Golden State Valkyries at SF Block Party","datePublished":"2024-05-14T16:28:02-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-14T16:28:02-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13957833","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13957833/golden-state-valkyries-chase-center-wnba-block-party-kehlani-e-40-p-lo","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the WNBA announced that the Bay Area would receive an expansion team last October, fans have clamored with excitement and speculation around what the team’s name would be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Tuesday, May 14, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the franchise’s identity was finally revealed\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: the Golden State Valkyries. One team representative described it as being “Warriors-inspired… \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790392163722772790\">a host of women warriors\u003c/a>.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fittingly, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/itszenakeita/status/1790439492991529276\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the team will be hosting a block party in front of Chase Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Saturday, May 18, from 2-6 p.m. with appearances from Kehlani, P-Lo and E-40. Team merchandise will already be available for the earliest diehard fans, as the Valkyries aren’t slated to play their first game until the 2025 season.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790376816840146993\">The Valkyries logo is minimalistic and clean\u003c/a>, with a violet crest anchored by the central tower of the Bay Bridge that flows into a winged V-shaped symbol. The bridge’s cables double as reinforced wings spreading outwards, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wnba.com/news/gs-valkyries-2025-identity\">the five spaces on each side represent a total of ten players facing off\u003c/a> against each other.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"singleTwitterStatus","attributes":{"named":{"id":"1790376816840146993"},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The announcement was made at 5:30 a.m., later accompanied by \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790360287725674855\">a Kehlani-narrated video\u003c/a> — in which a camera flies over the Bay and into San Francisco’s streets with the sound of wings flapping in the background, alluding to the flying Nordic warrior that is the Valkyries’ namesake.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“This is where legends take flight,” says Kehlani, the Oakland singer whose early mixtapes \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cloud 19 \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You Should Be Here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> evoke a similar vibe of high-flying, pink-clouded views overlooking San Francisco’s mighty skyline. “Our story has yet to be written,” she tells fans.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its recent growth in popularity, the WNBA hasn’t added a team since 2008, so anticipation has been high. (Team owner Joe Lacob previously invested in women’s basketball with the short-lived San Jose Lasers in 1996, as part of the now-defunct American Basketball League.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Responses to the Valkyries’ name and logo seem to be overwhelmingly positive up to this point. Warriors players \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/warriors/status/1790426521858937324\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis were shown repping their counterparts’ shirts\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the Chase Center, where the Valkyries will also play. Warriors head coach \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1790472288066011379\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Steve Kerr has also been spotted in the Dub’s practice facility rocking a Vs crewneck\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"singleTwitterStatus","attributes":{"named":{"id":"1790360287725674855"},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790402511368769841\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco-born Olympian and freestyle skier Eileen Gu\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> shared a message for fans. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Caltrain/status/1790396659945587148\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Caltrain tweeted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about going to Chase Center to watch the new team. Robin Roberts, who covered \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/RobinRoberts/status/1790350094463803854\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, held up a\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wnbagoldenstate/status/1790382211965075680\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a Valkyries sweatshirt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on \u003cem>Good Morning America\u003c/em> after interviewing team president Jess Smith. And \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wnbastore.nba.com/golden-state-valkyries/unisex-golden-state-valkyries-playa-society-eclipse-black-premium-t-shirt/t-24961574+p-574467284513361+z-9-1951373147\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Playa Society, a niche, independent clothing brand focused on the WNBA\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that has earned respect within the women’s basketball community, has already released their debut Valkyries merch. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The few criticisms have come from a handful of fans who’ve pointed out that the Valkyries’ purple and black color scheme is weirdly reminiscent of the nearby Sacramento Kings, rather than the blue and yellow of the Golden State Warriors. Another commenter also made a reference to the Dallas Wings, an WNBA team that features a mythological winged logo that appears to be Pegasus. But the detractors are far and few between.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The only remaining element is to add worthy players to their roster and watch them ball out on the hardwood. With one of the highest picks in the upcoming draft to be awarded to Golden State, many fans are hoping that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/paigebueckers/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">University of Connecticut star Paige Bueckers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will land in the Bay Area. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As soon the Valkyries announced their name and logo, the young WNBA prospect declared that Golden State has \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/paigebueckers1/status/1790410960886227152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1790410960886227152%7Ctwgr%5E627c58dfb108a876f19909da1dc59f6ae19728c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsportsbayarea.com%2Fwnba%2Fpaige-bueckers-valkyries-design-color%2F1734864%2F\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the “prettiest colorway ever.”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/itszenakeita/status/1790439492991529276\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Golden State Valkyries will host a block party at Chase Center’s Thrive City\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Saturday, May 18, from 2-6 p.m. Free admission.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13957833/golden-state-valkyries-chase-center-wnba-block-party-kehlani-e-40-p-lo","authors":["11748"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_835","arts_69"],"tags":["arts_5786","arts_6926","arts_1601","arts_22151","arts_9346","arts_1829","arts_681","arts_1803","arts_1146"],"featImg":"arts_13957856","label":"arts"},"arts_13957576":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13957576","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13957576","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"bay-area-free-concerts-summer-2024","title":"10 Free Concerts Not to Miss in the Bay Area This Summer","publishDate":1715878846,"format":"standard","headTitle":"10 Free Concerts Not to Miss in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cp>According to economist Thorstein Veblen, conspicuous consumption results in a counter-intuitive dynamic: Increasing a luxury item’s cost can actually lead to higher demand. But no social scientist has explained why the satisfaction of experiencing live music seems to rise as the price of admission approaches zero. My theory is that Veblen goods acquire cache due to the perception of exclusivity, while free concerts often foster a sense of welcoming solidarity, as newbie passersby mingle with devoted fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s multifarious free concert options may not provide an antidote to the region’s Veblen epidemic, but these sounds of summer are a celebration, and everyone’s invited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951313\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man in a cap and patterned blue shirt stands with a saxophone, with moving boxes and an organ in the background\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Howard Wiley in his Oakland studio. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sflivefest.com/sf-live-calendar/howardwiley-june1\">Howard Wiley’s SF Love: Playing For the People\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Golden Gate Park Bandshell, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 1, 2-6 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland saxophone great Howard Wiley presented his soul-powered love letter to California at the SFJAZZ Center last March, and he’s bringing the party to the Golden Gate Bandshell as part of the recently launched SF Live concert series. Wiley’s band shares the afternoon program with DJ Knowpa Slaps, MC Radioactive and Bayonics vocalist Jairo Vargas’s side project, Rojai and the Pocket. Drawing on hip-hop, funk, gospel, blues and bebop, Wiley has been devising outrageously creative mash-ups (think “Hotel California” meets “Californication”). Produced in partnership with Illuminate and Madrone Art Bar, where Wiley’s band Extra Nappy held down a weekly residency for years before the pandemic, the concert is part of \u003ca href=\"https://sflivefest.com/\">SF Live’s six-month series of free concerts.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957946\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957946\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-800x420.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-1020x536.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-768x403.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">South African musicians Steve and Bokani Dyer (right to left). \u003ccite>(Yerba Buena Gardens Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/dyertribe/\">Dyertribe: Steve & Bokani Dyer + Izithunywa featuring Nbado Zulu & Linda Sikhakhane\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 8, 1-3 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South African jazz musicians were in the forefront of the struggle against apartheid, and this double bill is part of a 30th-anniversary celebration of the country’s first free, multiracial election. One of South Africa’s leading improvisers, saxophonist Steve Dyer, came of age in the crucible of the anti-apartheid movement. He performs with Dyertribe, his duo with his son, pianist/composer Bokani Dyer. Offering another view of South Africa’s creative ferment, the group Izithunywa, featuring trumpeter Ndabo Zulu and saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane, draw deeply on traditional music from Botswana and the Zulu people. Co-presented with the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Bay Area residency includes a free talk and musical demonstration at MoAD on Friday, June 7, 6:30-8 p.m., “\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/event/discussion-demonstration-south-african-jazz-a-musical-journey-through-traditions-and-time\">South African Jazz: A Musical Journey Through Traditions and Time\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957949\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957949\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-800x640.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-1020x816.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American jazz duo Tuck and Patti, William Charles “Tuck” Andress and singer Patricia “Patti” Cathcart Andress perform during the Newport Folk Festival 2018 at Fort Adams State Park on July 27, 2018 in Newport, Rhode Island. \u003ccite>(Photo by Douglas Mason/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community-Services/Arts-Sciences/Palo-Alto-Childrens-Theatre/Twilight-Concert-Series\">Tuck & Patti\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Rinconada Park, Palo Alto\u003cbr>\nJune 8, 6:30 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Palo Alto’s long-running Twilight Concert Series opens with hometown heroes Tuck & Patti, a.k.a. guitar wizard Tuck Andress and bewitching vocalist Patti Cathcart. The couple has been performing as a self-contained duo for close to four decades, honing an expansive repertoire of gracefully reharmonized jazz, soul, R&B and pop tunes. Cathcart has also written emotionally bountiful originals that celebrate love and forgiveness. While they haven’t released a new album since 2007, a new generation of listeners have discovered Tuck & Patti via Andress’ niece St. Vincent, who traveled with the duo as a roadie and tour manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10678353\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10678353\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2257\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-400x564.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-425x600.jpg 425w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-837x1180.jpg 837w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-1180x1665.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-960x1354.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marcus Shelby. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://healdsburgjazz.org/festival-schedule/june-15/\">Healdsburg Jazz’s Juneteenth Celebration\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Downtown Healdsburg\u003cbr>\nJune 15, 2-8:30 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Healdsburg Jazz Festival (June 15-23), which has continued to punch well above its weight under the direction of San Francisco bass maestro Marcus Shelby, kicks off with a free, all-day Juneteenth celebration in the town’s picturesque plaza. It’s a musical triple bill headlined by the sextet of trombone star Steve Turre, the festival’s artist in residence. Saxophones are well represented by Person2Person, the quintet co-led by 89-year-old tenor great Houston Person and his younger colleague, fiery altoist Eric Person. And pianist Darrell Grant performs with his Modern Jazz Quartet-inspired chamber jazz band Darrell Grant and MJ New.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957952\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 970px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957952\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"970\" height=\"804\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78.png 970w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78-800x663.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78-160x133.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78-768x637.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pacific Mambo Orchestra. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artists)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sflivefest.com/sf-live-calendar/pacificmambo-june20\">Pacific Mambo Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Fulton Plaza, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 20, 4-7 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pacific Mambo Orchestra shocked the Latin music world with an upset victory at the 2014 Grammys, when the group’s eponymous crowd-funded release won Best Tropical Latin Album. Ever since, the East Bay big band has been a mainstay at festivals and nightclubs. Co-led by trumpeter Steffen Kuehn and pianist Christian Tumalan, the band is packed with top players and arrangers, like trombonist Mike Rinta and baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington. With Armando Cordoba, Christelle Durandy and Braulio Barrera providing an array of lead vocals, the PMO is designed to keep dance floors crowded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ26Z-vJftM\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cortemaderacommunityfoundation.org/corte-madera-summer-concerts\">Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Piccolo Pavilion in Menke Park, Corte Madera\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>June 23, 5-6:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guitarist Anthony Paule’s Soul Orchestra is a horn-powered combo devoted to swaggering, 1960s and ’70s blues and soul emanating from Detroit, Muscle Shoals and Los Angeles. The group has earned a devoted following through regular appearances at European music festivals, showcasing powerhouse vocalists like Terrie Odabi and Wee Willie Walker. For this concert, part of the Corte Madera Summer Concert series, the APSO is joined by Willy Jordan, a versatile singer (and drummer) who’s toured and recorded with John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite and Gator Beat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957954\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957954\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-800x588.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-1020x749.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-768x564.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Le Jazz Hot. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artists)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://jazzontheplazz.com/2024-concerts/\">Le Jazz Hot Quartet\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Los Gatos Town Plaza\u003cbr>\nJune 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A long-running mid-week concert series in Los Gatos, Jazz on the Plazz kicks off this year with the timeless swing of Le Jazz Hot Quartet. A distilled version of guitarist Paul Mehling’s Hot Club of San Francisco (the ensemble that spearheaded a North American revival of Django Reinhardt’s and Stéphane Grappelli’s ebullient 1930s sound), the quartet explores Reinhardt standards, Beatles tunes and numerous originals with the requisite rhythmic authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957955\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957955\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ana Tijoux performs on stage during Day 3 of the Womad Festival at Charlton Park on July 29, 2023 in Malmesbury, England. \u003ccite>(C Brandon/Redferns)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/ana-tijoux-j-noa/\">Ana Tijoux & J Noa\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 3, 1–3 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After her hit 2010 solo debut, \u003cem>1977\u003c/em>, French-born Chilean MC Ana Tijoux was dubbed “South America’s answer to Lauryn Hill: equally skillful at singing and rapping” by \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em>. In truth, she’s forged a highly personal sound, combining old-school hip-hop production with Latin American instrumentation. Her recent album, \u003cem>Vengo\u003c/em>, features some of her most appealing work, and she brings a full band to the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. With teenage Dominican rap sensation J Noa playing an opening set, this double bill is the city’s premier global hip-hop summer showcase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Monica_Salmaso_2015.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"897\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Monica_Salmaso_2015.jpg 672w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Monica_Salmaso_2015-160x214.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monica Salmaso. \u003ccite>(Roberto Filho/Divulgacão)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/brazil-in-the-gardens-2024/\">Brazil in the Gardens: Monica Salmaso, Guinga and Teca Cardoso\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 15, 12:30-1:30 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monica Salmaso made her mark with \u003cem>Afro-Sambas\u003c/em>, the classic 1997 album with guitarist Paulo Bellinati interpreting Baden Powell’s and Vinícius de Moraes’ incantatory song cycle. The São Paulo vocalist doesn’t make it to the Bay Area often, and this concert stems from California Brazil Camp, which sends a contingent of faculty every summer from the redwoods of Cazadero to San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens. She’s joined by Guinga, a master guitarist, vocalist and composer whose songs have been recorded by Brazilian legends such as Elis Regina, Clara Nunes and Miúcha; and multi-instrumentalist Teco Cardoso, a brilliant improviser on saxophones and flutes known for his work with Edu Lobo, Joyce, João Donato, Rosa Passos and Baden Powell himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13858024\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13858024\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p.jpeg\" alt=\"Meklit Hadero.\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p.jpeg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p-768x768.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meklit Hadero. \u003ccite>(Ronald Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/movement-immigrant-orchestra/\">Meklit’s Movement Immigrant Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 31, 1-2:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco-based Ethiopian American singer, songwriter and expert story wrangler Meklit manifests her multi-platform \u003ca href=\"https://www.meklitmusic.com/movement\">Movement\u003c/a> initiative at the Gardens with a dozen musicians hailing from 10 countries. Focusing on the experience of border-crossing artists, the production draws on her podcast, nationally syndicated public radio broadcast and stage production. Performers include Mexican singer-songwriter Diana Gameros, Iranian composer Sahba Aminikia, Italian percussionist extraordinaire Marco Peris, Malian virtuoso Mamadou Sidibé, Carnatic percussionist Rohan Krishnamurthy, Barrio Manouche guitarist Javi Jimenez, Iranian American bassist/composer Safa Shokrai and Meklit herself.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Free jazz, salsa and hip-hop shows abound in all corners of the Bay. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1715959641,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":24,"wordCount":1525},"headData":{"title":"10 Free Concerts Not to Miss in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED","description":"Free jazz, salsa and hip-hop shows abound in all corners of the Bay. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"10 Free Concerts Not to Miss in the Bay Area This Summer","datePublished":"2024-05-16T10:00:46-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-17T08:27:21-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"source":"Summer Guide 2024","sourceUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2024","sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13957576","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13957576/bay-area-free-concerts-summer-2024","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>According to economist Thorstein Veblen, conspicuous consumption results in a counter-intuitive dynamic: Increasing a luxury item’s cost can actually lead to higher demand. But no social scientist has explained why the satisfaction of experiencing live music seems to rise as the price of admission approaches zero. My theory is that Veblen goods acquire cache due to the perception of exclusivity, while free concerts often foster a sense of welcoming solidarity, as newbie passersby mingle with devoted fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s multifarious free concert options may not provide an antidote to the region’s Veblen epidemic, but these sounds of summer are a celebration, and everyone’s invited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951313\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man in a cap and patterned blue shirt stands with a saxophone, with moving boxes and an organ in the background\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/HowardWiley3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Howard Wiley in his Oakland studio. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sflivefest.com/sf-live-calendar/howardwiley-june1\">Howard Wiley’s SF Love: Playing For the People\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Golden Gate Park Bandshell, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 1, 2-6 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland saxophone great Howard Wiley presented his soul-powered love letter to California at the SFJAZZ Center last March, and he’s bringing the party to the Golden Gate Bandshell as part of the recently launched SF Live concert series. Wiley’s band shares the afternoon program with DJ Knowpa Slaps, MC Radioactive and Bayonics vocalist Jairo Vargas’s side project, Rojai and the Pocket. Drawing on hip-hop, funk, gospel, blues and bebop, Wiley has been devising outrageously creative mash-ups (think “Hotel California” meets “Californication”). Produced in partnership with Illuminate and Madrone Art Bar, where Wiley’s band Extra Nappy held down a weekly residency for years before the pandemic, the concert is part of \u003ca href=\"https://sflivefest.com/\">SF Live’s six-month series of free concerts.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957946\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957946\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-800x420.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-1020x536.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/060824_DYERTIBE_web3-768x403.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">South African musicians Steve and Bokani Dyer (right to left). \u003ccite>(Yerba Buena Gardens Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/dyertribe/\">Dyertribe: Steve & Bokani Dyer + Izithunywa featuring Nbado Zulu & Linda Sikhakhane\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 8, 1-3 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South African jazz musicians were in the forefront of the struggle against apartheid, and this double bill is part of a 30th-anniversary celebration of the country’s first free, multiracial election. One of South Africa’s leading improvisers, saxophonist Steve Dyer, came of age in the crucible of the anti-apartheid movement. He performs with Dyertribe, his duo with his son, pianist/composer Bokani Dyer. Offering another view of South Africa’s creative ferment, the group Izithunywa, featuring trumpeter Ndabo Zulu and saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane, draw deeply on traditional music from Botswana and the Zulu people. Co-presented with the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Bay Area residency includes a free talk and musical demonstration at MoAD on Friday, June 7, 6:30-8 p.m., “\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/event/discussion-demonstration-south-african-jazz-a-musical-journey-through-traditions-and-time\">South African Jazz: A Musical Journey Through Traditions and Time\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957949\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957949\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-800x640.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-1020x816.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1006707674-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American jazz duo Tuck and Patti, William Charles “Tuck” Andress and singer Patricia “Patti” Cathcart Andress perform during the Newport Folk Festival 2018 at Fort Adams State Park on July 27, 2018 in Newport, Rhode Island. \u003ccite>(Photo by Douglas Mason/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Community-Services/Arts-Sciences/Palo-Alto-Childrens-Theatre/Twilight-Concert-Series\">Tuck & Patti\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Rinconada Park, Palo Alto\u003cbr>\nJune 8, 6:30 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Palo Alto’s long-running Twilight Concert Series opens with hometown heroes Tuck & Patti, a.k.a. guitar wizard Tuck Andress and bewitching vocalist Patti Cathcart. The couple has been performing as a self-contained duo for close to four decades, honing an expansive repertoire of gracefully reharmonized jazz, soul, R&B and pop tunes. Cathcart has also written emotionally bountiful originals that celebrate love and forgiveness. While they haven’t released a new album since 2007, a new generation of listeners have discovered Tuck & Patti via Andress’ niece St. Vincent, who traveled with the duo as a roadie and tour manager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10678353\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10678353\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2257\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-400x564.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-425x600.jpg 425w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-837x1180.jpg 837w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-1180x1665.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/Marcus-Shelby-credit-Scott-Chernis-960x1354.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marcus Shelby. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://healdsburgjazz.org/festival-schedule/june-15/\">Healdsburg Jazz’s Juneteenth Celebration\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Downtown Healdsburg\u003cbr>\nJune 15, 2-8:30 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Healdsburg Jazz Festival (June 15-23), which has continued to punch well above its weight under the direction of San Francisco bass maestro Marcus Shelby, kicks off with a free, all-day Juneteenth celebration in the town’s picturesque plaza. It’s a musical triple bill headlined by the sextet of trombone star Steve Turre, the festival’s artist in residence. Saxophones are well represented by Person2Person, the quintet co-led by 89-year-old tenor great Houston Person and his younger colleague, fiery altoist Eric Person. And pianist Darrell Grant performs with his Modern Jazz Quartet-inspired chamber jazz band Darrell Grant and MJ New.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957952\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 970px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957952\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"970\" height=\"804\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78.png 970w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78-800x663.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78-160x133.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screenshot-78-768x637.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pacific Mambo Orchestra. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artists)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sflivefest.com/sf-live-calendar/pacificmambo-june20\">Pacific Mambo Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Fulton Plaza, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 20, 4-7 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pacific Mambo Orchestra shocked the Latin music world with an upset victory at the 2014 Grammys, when the group’s eponymous crowd-funded release won Best Tropical Latin Album. Ever since, the East Bay big band has been a mainstay at festivals and nightclubs. Co-led by trumpeter Steffen Kuehn and pianist Christian Tumalan, the band is packed with top players and arrangers, like trombonist Mike Rinta and baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington. With Armando Cordoba, Christelle Durandy and Braulio Barrera providing an array of lead vocals, the PMO is designed to keep dance floors crowded.\u003c/p>\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/vQ26Z-vJftM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/vQ26Z-vJftM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cortemaderacommunityfoundation.org/corte-madera-summer-concerts\">Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Piccolo Pavilion in Menke Park, Corte Madera\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>June 23, 5-6:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guitarist Anthony Paule’s Soul Orchestra is a horn-powered combo devoted to swaggering, 1960s and ’70s blues and soul emanating from Detroit, Muscle Shoals and Los Angeles. The group has earned a devoted following through regular appearances at European music festivals, showcasing powerhouse vocalists like Terrie Odabi and Wee Willie Walker. For this concert, part of the Corte Madera Summer Concert series, the APSO is joined by Willy Jordan, a versatile singer (and drummer) who’s toured and recorded with John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite and Gator Beat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957954\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957954\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-800x588.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-1020x749.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/la-jazz-2-768x564.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Le Jazz Hot. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artists)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://jazzontheplazz.com/2024-concerts/\">Le Jazz Hot Quartet\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Los Gatos Town Plaza\u003cbr>\nJune 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A long-running mid-week concert series in Los Gatos, Jazz on the Plazz kicks off this year with the timeless swing of Le Jazz Hot Quartet. A distilled version of guitarist Paul Mehling’s Hot Club of San Francisco (the ensemble that spearheaded a North American revival of Django Reinhardt’s and Stéphane Grappelli’s ebullient 1930s sound), the quartet explores Reinhardt standards, Beatles tunes and numerous originals with the requisite rhythmic authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957955\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957955\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1579253674-1-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ana Tijoux performs on stage during Day 3 of the Womad Festival at Charlton Park on July 29, 2023 in Malmesbury, England. \u003ccite>(C Brandon/Redferns)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/ana-tijoux-j-noa/\">Ana Tijoux & J Noa\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 3, 1–3 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After her hit 2010 solo debut, \u003cem>1977\u003c/em>, French-born Chilean MC Ana Tijoux was dubbed “South America’s answer to Lauryn Hill: equally skillful at singing and rapping” by \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em>. In truth, she’s forged a highly personal sound, combining old-school hip-hop production with Latin American instrumentation. Her recent album, \u003cem>Vengo\u003c/em>, features some of her most appealing work, and she brings a full band to the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. With teenage Dominican rap sensation J Noa playing an opening set, this double bill is the city’s premier global hip-hop summer showcase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Monica_Salmaso_2015.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"897\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Monica_Salmaso_2015.jpg 672w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Monica_Salmaso_2015-160x214.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monica Salmaso. \u003ccite>(Roberto Filho/Divulgacão)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/brazil-in-the-gardens-2024/\">Brazil in the Gardens: Monica Salmaso, Guinga and Teca Cardoso\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 15, 12:30-1:30 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monica Salmaso made her mark with \u003cem>Afro-Sambas\u003c/em>, the classic 1997 album with guitarist Paulo Bellinati interpreting Baden Powell’s and Vinícius de Moraes’ incantatory song cycle. The São Paulo vocalist doesn’t make it to the Bay Area often, and this concert stems from California Brazil Camp, which sends a contingent of faculty every summer from the redwoods of Cazadero to San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens. She’s joined by Guinga, a master guitarist, vocalist and composer whose songs have been recorded by Brazilian legends such as Elis Regina, Clara Nunes and Miúcha; and multi-instrumentalist Teco Cardoso, a brilliant improviser on saxophones and flutes known for his work with Edu Lobo, Joyce, João Donato, Rosa Passos and Baden Powell himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13858024\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 900px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13858024\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p.jpeg\" alt=\"Meklit Hadero.\" width=\"900\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p.jpeg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/oHZ-jH2p-768x768.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meklit Hadero. \u003ccite>(Ronald Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/event/movement-immigrant-orchestra/\">Meklit’s Movement Immigrant Orchestra\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 31, 1-2:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco-based Ethiopian American singer, songwriter and expert story wrangler Meklit manifests her multi-platform \u003ca href=\"https://www.meklitmusic.com/movement\">Movement\u003c/a> initiative at the Gardens with a dozen musicians hailing from 10 countries. Focusing on the experience of border-crossing artists, the production draws on her podcast, nationally syndicated public radio broadcast and stage production. Performers include Mexican singer-songwriter Diana Gameros, Iranian composer Sahba Aminikia, Italian percussionist extraordinaire Marco Peris, Malian virtuoso Mamadou Sidibé, Carnatic percussionist Rohan Krishnamurthy, Barrio Manouche guitarist Javi Jimenez, Iranian American bassist/composer Safa Shokrai and Meklit herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13957576/bay-area-free-concerts-summer-2024","authors":["86"],"programs":["arts_140"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_69"],"tags":["arts_10278","arts_22150","arts_585"],"featImg":"arts_13953527","label":"source_arts_13957576"},"arts_13958149":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13958149","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13958149","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"too-short-free-show-town-up-tuesday-lake-merritt","title":"Too Short Is Playing a Free Show Tuesday at the Lake","publishDate":1716234375,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Too Short Is Playing a Free Show Tuesday at the Lake | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":140,"site":"arts"},"content":"\u003cp>Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11690787/when-oakland-was-a-chocolate-city-a-brief-history-of-festival-at-the-lake\">Festival By the Lake\u003c/a> may be gone, but its spirit continues in the many free mini-festivals held around the shores of Lake Merritt. And an annual favorite, \u003ca href=\"https://urbanpeacemovement.org/event/town-up-tuesday-2024/\">Town Up Tuesday\u003c/a>, has booked its biggest headliner yet: Too Short. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How will a rap legend who routinely plays large arenas adapt to a lakeshore gazebo? It remains to be seen, but it’s completely free, so expect a huge crowd. Also performing are Town favorites \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">1100Himself\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925177/the-conscious-daughters-raps-sucka-free-thelma-and-louise-rewrote-the-rules\">Conscious Daughters\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNlDgSQuLg\">Trunk Boiz\u003c/a> — a formidable lineup in its own right — but Too Short all but guarantees the biggest Town Up Tuesday yet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='news_11690787']Produced by the Oakland nonprofit Urban Peace Movement, Town Up Tuesday was conceived as a way to bring people together after the pandemic while simultaneously engaging young people with civic issues and upcoming elections. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The main message is about getting involved and paying attention to local issues that impact the everyday lives of people in Oakland and the Bay Area,” says Urban Peace Movement’s Nicole Lee. “Obviously we have a consequential election coming up in November, and we want people to be informed, and to pay attention to that election, especially at the local level.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee herself grew up going to Festival By the Lake, and says she wants to help reinvigorate pride in Oakland — especially as San Francisco’s so-called doom-loop narrative migrates across the Bay to the Town. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it turns out, Too Short agreed to perform in part because he feels the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s expressed to some of our team that he’s felt disheartened by the narrative about Oakland,” says Lee, “and how there are negative perceptions about Oakland that sometimes overshadow all the culture, creativity, innovation and social activism that comes from Oakland, and has had national and global impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hosting Tuesday’s event are Mystic and DNas, and the rest of the lineup includes DJs Daghe & Emelle, plus Michael Sneed, 3Nise, the Animaniakz and Ms. Bria. (There’s two “surprise legendary artists” promised too.) There’s also double dutch sessions with Jump Squad 510, wellness services from Freedom Community Clinic, a kids’ area and more. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Town Up Tuesday is free, and takes place Tuesday, May 21, at the Edoff Memorial Bandstand on the northwestern shore of Lake Merritt. \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/urbanpeacemovement/posts/pfbid0WesdcR8QYmzriBXMM3FNZjYRzJzan8fERs7x2vUzJ2mLNWbJFzm1DboC7csW1HCnl\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"The free event, 'Town Up Tuesday,' also features 1100Himself, the Conscious Daughters and the Trunk Boiz.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1716244686,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":11,"wordCount":413},"headData":{"title":"Too Short Is Playing a Free Show Tuesday at the Lake | KQED","description":"The free event, 'Town Up Tuesday,' also features 1100Himself, the Conscious Daughters and the Trunk Boiz.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Too Short Is Playing a Free Show Tuesday at the Lake","datePublished":"2024-05-20T12:46:15-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-20T15:38:06-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13958149","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13958149/too-short-free-show-town-up-tuesday-lake-merritt","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11690787/when-oakland-was-a-chocolate-city-a-brief-history-of-festival-at-the-lake\">Festival By the Lake\u003c/a> may be gone, but its spirit continues in the many free mini-festivals held around the shores of Lake Merritt. And an annual favorite, \u003ca href=\"https://urbanpeacemovement.org/event/town-up-tuesday-2024/\">Town Up Tuesday\u003c/a>, has booked its biggest headliner yet: Too Short. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How will a rap legend who routinely plays large arenas adapt to a lakeshore gazebo? It remains to be seen, but it’s completely free, so expect a huge crowd. Also performing are Town favorites \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">1100Himself\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925177/the-conscious-daughters-raps-sucka-free-thelma-and-louise-rewrote-the-rules\">Conscious Daughters\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNlDgSQuLg\">Trunk Boiz\u003c/a> — a formidable lineup in its own right — but Too Short all but guarantees the biggest Town Up Tuesday yet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"news_11690787","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Produced by the Oakland nonprofit Urban Peace Movement, Town Up Tuesday was conceived as a way to bring people together after the pandemic while simultaneously engaging young people with civic issues and upcoming elections. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The main message is about getting involved and paying attention to local issues that impact the everyday lives of people in Oakland and the Bay Area,” says Urban Peace Movement’s Nicole Lee. “Obviously we have a consequential election coming up in November, and we want people to be informed, and to pay attention to that election, especially at the local level.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee herself grew up going to Festival By the Lake, and says she wants to help reinvigorate pride in Oakland — especially as San Francisco’s so-called doom-loop narrative migrates across the Bay to the Town. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it turns out, Too Short agreed to perform in part because he feels the same way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s expressed to some of our team that he’s felt disheartened by the narrative about Oakland,” says Lee, “and how there are negative perceptions about Oakland that sometimes overshadow all the culture, creativity, innovation and social activism that comes from Oakland, and has had national and global impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hosting Tuesday’s event are Mystic and DNas, and the rest of the lineup includes DJs Daghe & Emelle, plus Michael Sneed, 3Nise, the Animaniakz and Ms. Bria. (There’s two “surprise legendary artists” promised too.) There’s also double dutch sessions with Jump Squad 510, wellness services from Freedom Community Clinic, a kids’ area and more. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Town Up Tuesday is free, and takes place Tuesday, May 21, at the Edoff Memorial Bandstand on the northwestern shore of Lake Merritt. \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/urbanpeacemovement/posts/pfbid0WesdcR8QYmzriBXMM3FNZjYRzJzan8fERs7x2vUzJ2mLNWbJFzm1DboC7csW1HCnl\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13958149/too-short-free-show-town-up-tuesday-lake-merritt","authors":["185"],"programs":["arts_140"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_69"],"tags":["arts_20453","arts_831","arts_1785","arts_585","arts_3478"],"featImg":"arts_13922549","label":"arts_140"},"arts_13957666":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13957666","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13957666","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"best-boba-shops-bay-area-berkeley-cupertino-sf","title":"8 Refreshing Bay Area Boba Shops to Help Beat the Summer Heat","publishDate":1715720422,"format":"standard","headTitle":"8 Refreshing Bay Area Boba Shops to Help Beat the Summer Heat | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cp>We are living in a golden age of boba in the Bay Area. In certain swaths of Berkeley, San Jose and Cupertino, you can find a boba shop literally on every block, and the sheer variety of drinks — from the cheese foam–topped to the nitro-chilled — has never been more robust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, any true bubble tea connoisseur will tell you that beverage quality varies wildly from boba shop to boba shop — and, if I can say the quiet part out loud, the vast majority of Bay Area spots are mediocre at best. Unless you \u003ci>like\u003c/i> stale tapioca balls and excruciatingly sweet, watered-down tea made from powder mixes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But listen: Friends don’t let friends drink bad boba. And because I care about you, dear reader, I’ve decided to share my running list of the best the Bay Area has to offer. As the parched, sun-soaked days of summer draw near, these are the spots where I’ll be posting up to quench my thirst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957737\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957737\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea.jpg\" alt=\"Two boba drinks on a wooden table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1482\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-800x618.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-1020x787.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-768x593.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-1536x1186.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TP Tea is a good choice for boba drinkers who want to be able to taste the tea. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>TP Tea\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>2383 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s where I’ll remind you that the boba balls themselves are merely a \u003ci>topping\u003c/i>, and an optional one at that. A boba shop serving tea that doesn’t taste good on its own would never survive in Taiwan (or any serious tea-drinking country). And so the highest praise I can give to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tptea.california/\">TP Tea\u003c/a> is that it’s the kind of boba shop where you can order the most basic-sounding tea (say, the “Signature Black Tea”) with minimal (30%) sugar added and no toppings whatsoever — and the drink will taste good as hell. The tea drinks here actually taste like tea, including the elegantly smooth Tie Guan Yin milk tea, a contender for my favorite milk tea in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s for good reason, then, that TP’s UC Berkeley location is by far the busiest boba shop on a couple-block stretch of Telegraph Avenue packed with six or seven others. (Also, “Taiwan Professional Tea” is the best name for a boba chain, hands down.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Asha Tea House\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>2086 University Ave., Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/two-local-teashops-that-could-make-you-care-about-tea-1/\">As the story goes\u003c/a>, this Berkeley institution opened as a vehicle for evangelizing the pleasures of fine Asian teas, and offered a simple boba menu as just one part of that mission. But the boba drinks were so wildly popular, they quickly overshadowed all of the shop’s higher-end offerings. More than probably any other Bay Area boba shop, the focus at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ashateahouse/?hl=en\">Asha\u003c/a> rests squarely on the quality of the tea itself rather than on any bells and whistles. All of my favorites have been on the menu from day one: the potent, condensed milk–sweetened Hong Kong milk tea, which is delicious hot or cold, with or without boba. Or any of the seasonal fruit teas, which rely on no artificial flavorings. Instead, they’re just pure tea, supplemented with one of Asha’s pulpy housemade fruit purees. When available, the strawberry black tea and the Asian pear oolong are especially elite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957738\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957738\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango.jpg\" alt=\"A mango smoothie topped with whipped cream.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dek Doi sells standard boba drinks, but its boba-adjacent Thai beverages — like the “Mango Sunset” — are where the Piedmont Avenue shop really shines. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Dek Doi Cafe\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4125 Piedmont Ave., Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a testament to the beverage’s mainstream universal appeal these days that this little Thai cafe has a whole section of its menu dedicated to boba, which doesn’t have any traditional roots in Thailand. That said, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dekdoicafe/\">Dek Doi’s\u003c/a> boba drink selection is fairly basic, so you’d be better off choosing one of its boba-adjacent Thai drinks — like the “Mango Sunset,” which is just an S-tier exemplar of the kind of slushie mango smoothie that many shops sell. This version comes topped with whipped cream and crispy mung beans. Or try Thailand’s famous “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925310/dek-doi-cafe-pink-milk-thai-bl-oakland\">pink milk\u003c/a>,” or nom chompuu, which is made with red palm fruit syrup and resembles, and vaguely tastes similar to, a retro diner–style strawberry milk with tropical undertones. Note that the drinks here run sweet, but, like at any respectable boba shop, the sweetness level is customizable: For me, 50% was just right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957746\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957746\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee.jpg\" alt=\"A creamy boba drink sits on a table in front of a pillow.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The crème brûlée milk tea is one of Urban Ritual’s many excellent toppings-forward drinks. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Urban Ritual\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>488 Fell St., San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just when I got done saying boba isn’t all about all the toppings, here comes a boba shop that is, to a large extent, \u003ci>all about the toppings\u003c/i>. And yet I love it, unreservedly. Actually, the tea at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/urbanritualcafe/?hl=en\">Urban Ritual\u003c/a> tastes quite good, and the texture of the boba itself is unimpeachable. But what sets the shop apart is its next-generation approach to creative flavor and topping combinations. The most obvious example is its signature crème brûlée milk tea, which combines black tea, cream, tapioca balls and crème brûlée — both the eggy pudding and the crunchy-smoky torched sugar bits. This is Urban Ritual’s greatest innovation: the way it introduces textures other than the classic “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897410/taiwanese-food-texture-q-boba-love-boat\">QQ\u003c/a>” chew of the boba.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you want to tell me that some of these drinks are more of a dessert than a beverage? You would be correct — but who is going to complain as long as they know that going in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957748\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957748\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1.jpg\" alt=\"Two boba drinks — one green and fruity, the other one creamy — on a wooden picnic table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teaspoon’s Corte Madera location might be the best boba option in the North Bay. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Teaspoon\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>132 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915004,arts_13957599']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Marin County has long been a bit of a boba wasteland, as the big, trendy brands from Taiwan haven’t, to this point, seen the region’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11307601/why-is-marin-county-so-white\">small Asian population\u003c/a> as a worthwhile market. It was a happy day, then, when Teaspoon, one of the more well-regarded local (and now \u003ca href=\"https://order.teaspoonlife.com/\">national\u003c/a>) chains, opened a branch in a Corte Madera shopping plaza. Teaspoon’s offerings tend toward sweet and aesthetically pleasing, with creative flavor combinations that only occasionally veer into stunt beverage territory (there’s a line of Red Bull boba drinks??). They’re also undeniably tasty: The creamy, caramelly Black Sugar Assam is a well-executed take on the black sugar boba trend. And the “Grasshopper,” which combines lychee green tea and fresh cucumber juice, is fun and refreshing — a nod, perhaps, toward the kind of pepino agua fresca you might find at a local taqueria.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea \u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>34133 Fremont Blvd., Fremont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways this may feel like a basic pick: This Taiwanese chain has had a foothold in Northern California for years now, with more than a dozen locations, and it’s been a minute since the brand was super-relevant on the Taipei scene. But what \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yifang.cal/?hl=en\">Yifang\u003c/a> still does better than any other Bay Area chain is its fruit-flavored teas — whether it’s pineapple teas (made with housemade pineapple jam), old-school Taiwanese tastes like winter melon tea or lemon aiyu or, best of all, the shop’s signature Yifang Fruit Tea, which comes loaded fresh apple, orange and passion fruit, like a beverage and fruit salad all in one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is another spot where you’ll want to be careful about the sweetness levels, which vary widely from drink to drink. I’ve ordered the Yifang Fruit Tea at 0% sweetness and still found it to be plenty sweet enough!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957754\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957754\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of a man holding two boba drinks using boba totes made of twine.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chicha San Chen’s hallmark is that it brews the tea for each individual boba drink to order. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Chicha San Chen\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>20688 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904913,arts_13929494']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>This one is for the diehards — or at least for tea lovers who have about an hour to kill. The current title holder in the contest for buzziest Bay Area boba shop, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chichasanchen.norcal/?hl=en\">Chicha San Chen\u003c/a> touts its award-winning tea drinks, which are individually brewed to order using the company’s patented, very Third-Wave-esque “teaspresso” machines. Is it all a little bit precious? Sure. But it does make for tasty tea. Word to the wise: If you’re going to go through all the trouble of waiting in line for half an hour (and then \u003ci>another\u003c/i> half hour for them to make your drink), then you’d better be a person who appreciates the flavor of tea for tea’s sake — and you’d be well-advised to order one of the simpler drinks, so the taste of that tea actually shines through. I love the floral, slightly tannic, minimally sweetened honey osmanthus oolong in particular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonus points for packaging that’s cute \u003ci>and\u003c/i> convenient: Every cup comes with a disposable \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C13nPlqLXle/?hl=en\">boba tote\u003c/a> made of twine. But if you want to wait another six months for the hype to die down a bit, I wouldn’t blame you in the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957757\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful.jpg\" alt=\"A soy pudding drink with many colorful toppings.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-1536x1151.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The #8 combination at Soyful desserts is a hybrid of boba, soy pudding and chè. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Soyful Desserts\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>999 Story Rd., San Jose\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the joys of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13904913/vietnamese-drinks-boba-che-guide-san-jose\">San Jose’s vibrant, colorful drinks scene\u003c/a> is the way that Taiwanese, Chinese and Vietnamese influences have fused together to create their own unique, hybridized thing. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soyfuldesserts/\">Soyful Desserts\u003c/a> is probably the peak example of that synthesis, with its concise menu of Hong Kong-style milk teas, soy pudding drinks and shaved ice–laden Vietnamese chè. As the shop’s name indicates, the star here is the soy pudding (aka tofu pudding), a silky, refreshing treat equally beloved in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam. To experience this fusion in all its glory, try the #8 soy pudding combination, which comes filled to the brim with ginger syrup–soaked tofu pudding, shaved ice, basil seeds, pandan jelly, grass jelly, sweet red beans and probably a handful of other toppings I’m forgetting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m well aware that this is a “drink” that’s more solid than liquid — that it, in fact, constitutes a full meal in itself. But that doesn’t make it any less fun or delicious.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Because friends don’t let friends drink bad boba.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1716247299,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":26,"wordCount":1779},"headData":{"title":"The 8 Best Boba Shops in the Bay Area | KQED","description":"Because friends don’t let friends drink bad boba.","ogTitle":"8 Refreshing Bay Area Boba Shops to Help Beat the Summer Heat","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"8 Refreshing Bay Area Boba Shops to Help Beat the Summer Heat","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","socialTitle":"The 8 Best Boba Shops in the Bay Area%%page%% %%sep%% KQED","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"8 Refreshing Bay Area Boba Shops to Help Beat the Summer Heat","datePublished":"2024-05-14T14:00:22-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-20T16:21:39-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"source":"Summer Guide 2024","sourceUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2024","sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13957666","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13957666/best-boba-shops-bay-area-berkeley-cupertino-sf","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>We are living in a golden age of boba in the Bay Area. In certain swaths of Berkeley, San Jose and Cupertino, you can find a boba shop literally on every block, and the sheer variety of drinks — from the cheese foam–topped to the nitro-chilled — has never been more robust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, any true bubble tea connoisseur will tell you that beverage quality varies wildly from boba shop to boba shop — and, if I can say the quiet part out loud, the vast majority of Bay Area spots are mediocre at best. Unless you \u003ci>like\u003c/i> stale tapioca balls and excruciatingly sweet, watered-down tea made from powder mixes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But listen: Friends don’t let friends drink bad boba. And because I care about you, dear reader, I’ve decided to share my running list of the best the Bay Area has to offer. As the parched, sun-soaked days of summer draw near, these are the spots where I’ll be posting up to quench my thirst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957737\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957737\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea.jpg\" alt=\"Two boba drinks on a wooden table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1482\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-800x618.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-1020x787.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-768x593.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/tp-tea-1536x1186.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TP Tea is a good choice for boba drinkers who want to be able to taste the tea. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>TP Tea\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>2383 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s where I’ll remind you that the boba balls themselves are merely a \u003ci>topping\u003c/i>, and an optional one at that. A boba shop serving tea that doesn’t taste good on its own would never survive in Taiwan (or any serious tea-drinking country). And so the highest praise I can give to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tptea.california/\">TP Tea\u003c/a> is that it’s the kind of boba shop where you can order the most basic-sounding tea (say, the “Signature Black Tea”) with minimal (30%) sugar added and no toppings whatsoever — and the drink will taste good as hell. The tea drinks here actually taste like tea, including the elegantly smooth Tie Guan Yin milk tea, a contender for my favorite milk tea in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s for good reason, then, that TP’s UC Berkeley location is by far the busiest boba shop on a couple-block stretch of Telegraph Avenue packed with six or seven others. (Also, “Taiwan Professional Tea” is the best name for a boba chain, hands down.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Asha Tea House\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>2086 University Ave., Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/two-local-teashops-that-could-make-you-care-about-tea-1/\">As the story goes\u003c/a>, this Berkeley institution opened as a vehicle for evangelizing the pleasures of fine Asian teas, and offered a simple boba menu as just one part of that mission. But the boba drinks were so wildly popular, they quickly overshadowed all of the shop’s higher-end offerings. More than probably any other Bay Area boba shop, the focus at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ashateahouse/?hl=en\">Asha\u003c/a> rests squarely on the quality of the tea itself rather than on any bells and whistles. All of my favorites have been on the menu from day one: the potent, condensed milk–sweetened Hong Kong milk tea, which is delicious hot or cold, with or without boba. Or any of the seasonal fruit teas, which rely on no artificial flavorings. Instead, they’re just pure tea, supplemented with one of Asha’s pulpy housemade fruit purees. When available, the strawberry black tea and the Asian pear oolong are especially elite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957738\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957738\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango.jpg\" alt=\"A mango smoothie topped with whipped cream.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/dek-doi-mango-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dek Doi sells standard boba drinks, but its boba-adjacent Thai beverages — like the “Mango Sunset” — are where the Piedmont Avenue shop really shines. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Dek Doi Cafe\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4125 Piedmont Ave., Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a testament to the beverage’s mainstream universal appeal these days that this little Thai cafe has a whole section of its menu dedicated to boba, which doesn’t have any traditional roots in Thailand. That said, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dekdoicafe/\">Dek Doi’s\u003c/a> boba drink selection is fairly basic, so you’d be better off choosing one of its boba-adjacent Thai drinks — like the “Mango Sunset,” which is just an S-tier exemplar of the kind of slushie mango smoothie that many shops sell. This version comes topped with whipped cream and crispy mung beans. Or try Thailand’s famous “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925310/dek-doi-cafe-pink-milk-thai-bl-oakland\">pink milk\u003c/a>,” or nom chompuu, which is made with red palm fruit syrup and resembles, and vaguely tastes similar to, a retro diner–style strawberry milk with tropical undertones. Note that the drinks here run sweet, but, like at any respectable boba shop, the sweetness level is customizable: For me, 50% was just right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957746\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957746\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee.jpg\" alt=\"A creamy boba drink sits on a table in front of a pillow.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/urban-ritual-creme-brulee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The crème brûlée milk tea is one of Urban Ritual’s many excellent toppings-forward drinks. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Urban Ritual\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>488 Fell St., San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just when I got done saying boba isn’t all about all the toppings, here comes a boba shop that is, to a large extent, \u003ci>all about the toppings\u003c/i>. And yet I love it, unreservedly. Actually, the tea at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/urbanritualcafe/?hl=en\">Urban Ritual\u003c/a> tastes quite good, and the texture of the boba itself is unimpeachable. But what sets the shop apart is its next-generation approach to creative flavor and topping combinations. The most obvious example is its signature crème brûlée milk tea, which combines black tea, cream, tapioca balls and crème brûlée — both the eggy pudding and the crunchy-smoky torched sugar bits. This is Urban Ritual’s greatest innovation: the way it introduces textures other than the classic “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897410/taiwanese-food-texture-q-boba-love-boat\">QQ\u003c/a>” chew of the boba.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you want to tell me that some of these drinks are more of a dessert than a beverage? You would be correct — but who is going to complain as long as they know that going in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957748\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957748\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1.jpg\" alt=\"Two boba drinks — one green and fruity, the other one creamy — on a wooden picnic table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/teaspoon-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teaspoon’s Corte Madera location might be the best boba option in the North Bay. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Teaspoon\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>132 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13915004,arts_13957599","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Marin County has long been a bit of a boba wasteland, as the big, trendy brands from Taiwan haven’t, to this point, seen the region’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11307601/why-is-marin-county-so-white\">small Asian population\u003c/a> as a worthwhile market. It was a happy day, then, when Teaspoon, one of the more well-regarded local (and now \u003ca href=\"https://order.teaspoonlife.com/\">national\u003c/a>) chains, opened a branch in a Corte Madera shopping plaza. Teaspoon’s offerings tend toward sweet and aesthetically pleasing, with creative flavor combinations that only occasionally veer into stunt beverage territory (there’s a line of Red Bull boba drinks??). They’re also undeniably tasty: The creamy, caramelly Black Sugar Assam is a well-executed take on the black sugar boba trend. And the “Grasshopper,” which combines lychee green tea and fresh cucumber juice, is fun and refreshing — a nod, perhaps, toward the kind of pepino agua fresca you might find at a local taqueria.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea \u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>34133 Fremont Blvd., Fremont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways this may feel like a basic pick: This Taiwanese chain has had a foothold in Northern California for years now, with more than a dozen locations, and it’s been a minute since the brand was super-relevant on the Taipei scene. But what \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yifang.cal/?hl=en\">Yifang\u003c/a> still does better than any other Bay Area chain is its fruit-flavored teas — whether it’s pineapple teas (made with housemade pineapple jam), old-school Taiwanese tastes like winter melon tea or lemon aiyu or, best of all, the shop’s signature Yifang Fruit Tea, which comes loaded fresh apple, orange and passion fruit, like a beverage and fruit salad all in one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is another spot where you’ll want to be careful about the sweetness levels, which vary widely from drink to drink. I’ve ordered the Yifang Fruit Tea at 0% sweetness and still found it to be plenty sweet enough!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957754\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957754\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of a man holding two boba drinks using boba totes made of twine.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/chicha-san-chen_totes-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chicha San Chen’s hallmark is that it brews the tea for each individual boba drink to order. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Chicha San Chen\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>20688 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13904913,arts_13929494","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>This one is for the diehards — or at least for tea lovers who have about an hour to kill. The current title holder in the contest for buzziest Bay Area boba shop, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chichasanchen.norcal/?hl=en\">Chicha San Chen\u003c/a> touts its award-winning tea drinks, which are individually brewed to order using the company’s patented, very Third-Wave-esque “teaspresso” machines. Is it all a little bit precious? Sure. But it does make for tasty tea. Word to the wise: If you’re going to go through all the trouble of waiting in line for half an hour (and then \u003ci>another\u003c/i> half hour for them to make your drink), then you’d better be a person who appreciates the flavor of tea for tea’s sake — and you’d be well-advised to order one of the simpler drinks, so the taste of that tea actually shines through. I love the floral, slightly tannic, minimally sweetened honey osmanthus oolong in particular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonus points for packaging that’s cute \u003ci>and\u003c/i> convenient: Every cup comes with a disposable \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C13nPlqLXle/?hl=en\">boba tote\u003c/a> made of twine. But if you want to wait another six months for the hype to die down a bit, I wouldn’t blame you in the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957757\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful.jpg\" alt=\"A soy pudding drink with many colorful toppings.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/soyful-1536x1151.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The #8 combination at Soyful desserts is a hybrid of boba, soy pudding and chè. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Soyful Desserts\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>999 Story Rd., San Jose\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the joys of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13904913/vietnamese-drinks-boba-che-guide-san-jose\">San Jose’s vibrant, colorful drinks scene\u003c/a> is the way that Taiwanese, Chinese and Vietnamese influences have fused together to create their own unique, hybridized thing. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soyfuldesserts/\">Soyful Desserts\u003c/a> is probably the peak example of that synthesis, with its concise menu of Hong Kong-style milk teas, soy pudding drinks and shaved ice–laden Vietnamese chè. As the shop’s name indicates, the star here is the soy pudding (aka tofu pudding), a silky, refreshing treat equally beloved in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam. To experience this fusion in all its glory, try the #8 soy pudding combination, which comes filled to the brim with ginger syrup–soaked tofu pudding, shaved ice, basil seeds, pandan jelly, grass jelly, sweet red beans and probably a handful of other toppings I’m forgetting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m well aware that this is a “drink” that’s more solid than liquid — that it, in fact, constitutes a full meal in itself. But that doesn’t make it any less fun or delicious.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13957666/best-boba-shops-bay-area-berkeley-cupertino-sf","authors":["11743"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_12276"],"tags":["arts_1270","arts_14423","arts_6902","arts_22144","arts_10278","arts_1297","arts_1084","arts_22150","arts_22140"],"featImg":"arts_13957736","label":"source_arts_13957666"},"arts_13958082":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13958082","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13958082","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"galileo-review-theater-berkeley-rep","title":"A Battle Between Science and Religion, With Galileo Caught in the Middle","publishDate":1715972105,"format":"standard","headTitle":"A Battle Between Science and Religion, With Galileo Caught in the Middle | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":140,"site":"arts"},"content":"\u003cp>During the Renaissance era, the conflicting bedfellows of religion and science had clear delineations, dictated by Earth’s highest stewards to Heaven’s gates. “Science asks questions, but the Bible gives the answers,” thundered Pope Urban VIII, verbalizing the view of many in Europe’s 16th and 17th centuries. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Galileo Galilei fancied himself a strong purveyor of both the scientific and theological, his moral core of truth at the center of his existence faced a brutal reckoning — one that ultimately ripped both his body and soul to shreds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13957684']In the spellbinding yet problematic world premiere musical \u003cem>Galileo\u003c/em>, which opened May 15 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, discoveries made in both science and religion complicate matters. Its storyline is greatly informed by the modern-day war on truth, loaded with a ceaselessly high-octane rock music score exploited mightily by the wicked talents of director Michael Mayer. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Kushnier (Bishop Maffeo Barberini) and Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei) in the world premiere of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Galileo Galilei (Raúl Esparza) has taken root in his laboratory, a man of 45 who has trouble blindly accepting the religious view that Earth is the center of the universe. After all, that view had been challenged years prior by fellow polymath Nicolaus Copernicus in the famed heliocentric model, where Earth and other planets were shown to revolve around the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An affirmation of those teachings, thanks to Galileo’s enhancement of the telescope, has proved unsatisfactory to the dominant biblical divinity of Catholic doctrine, which citizens believe to be infallible. Yet Galileo still carries some support, despite the dominance of Cardinal Morosini (Javier Muñoz), who gives no space for what he perceives as anti-Bible sentiments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13957845']The support of Galileo’s close ally Bishop Barberini (Jeremy Kushnier) contributes greatly to his desire to continue locking horns with the Catholic establishment, and when Barberini is elevated as pontiff and becomes Pope Urban VIII, Galileo is poised to break through and declare truth the victor. Yet an effort by the pope to slow the public acceleration of Galileo’s scientific theories, introduced in Galileo’s book comparing the Copernican system with the accepted and less truthful Ptolemaic system, comes with an offensive slight, accelerating Galileo’s demise. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei, center) and the cast of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So many elements of spectacle allow the musical to brew and breathe within a white-hot fire, with music thrusting itself to the top of the ticket. Composers Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak unleash consecutive bangers, challenging their vocalists with vein-popping verve, melodies and divine harmonies as persistent as Galileo himself. Those compositions are nestled neatly inside Danny Strong’s book. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each challenge is accepted by the cast, led by Broadway stalwart Esparza, who digs mightily into every ounce of his scintillating, grizzled register. A delicious counterpoint to Esparza’s wide-ranging vocals is his commitment to Galileo’s painful and joyous discoveries. His eyes accentuate each arc in every moment, a broken and beaten man who is constantly reminded that power decides truth, not the other way around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christian Magby (Alessandro Tarantola) and Madalynn Mathews (Virginia Galilei) in the world premiere of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kushnier’s mellifluity lives within its own constellation, a buttery-smooth falsetto that spotlights tenderness and admiration for Galileo, especially in his solo “By Thy Light I See.” Muñoz, Esparza’s fellow Broadway star, commands respect as the uncompromising Morosini, and Madelynn Mathews as Galileo’s embattled daughter Virginia, whose illegitimacy thrusts her away from love and into a cloistered life, gives a master class in vocals and empathy. These four craft a narrative that elevates the entire company in a show that gets louder and louder as time passes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where the piece needs harnessing begins late in the second act, when a certain theme carries on much too long, ultimately diluting the critical nature of its voice. It’s as if the concept of truth and its virtues need constant repeating, which drags the entire narrative down. A piece that moves towards three hours needs to slap incessantly; this is not the case here. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958081\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei) and the cast of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, the show feels as if it’s hurtling somewhere with no expense spared, especially through the technical design. Scenic work by Tony Award winner Rachel Hauck pairs beautifully with Anita Yavich’s nuanced and sparkly costume plot. Jason H. Thompson, along with Kaitlyn Pietras, go all in on Christian symbolism through their passionate projection design, combined sharply with the lighting of Kevin Adams. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many morsels that challenge in Strong’s book, and a critical question is posed: “When does the truth cost too much?” Thankfully for Galileo, and in a lesson for the masses, a legacy and the truth are not for sale. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Galileo’ runs through June 23 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in downtown Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/galileo/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"The world premiere of 'Galileo' at Berkeley Rep is good, but long, and packed with rock music.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1715972175,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":15,"wordCount":896},"headData":{"title":"Review: 'Galileo' at Berkeley Rep Is a Long Battle of Science and Religion | KQED","description":"The world premiere of 'Galileo' at Berkeley Rep is good, but long, and packed with rock music.","ogTitle":"A Battle Between Science and Religion, With Galileo Caught in the Middle","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"A Battle Between Science and Religion, With Galileo Caught in the Middle","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","socialTitle":"Review: 'Galileo' at Berkeley Rep Is a Long Battle of Science and Religion %%page%% %%sep%% KQED","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"A Battle Between Science and Religion, With Galileo Caught in the Middle","datePublished":"2024-05-17T11:55:05-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-17T11:56:15-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13958082","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13958082/galileo-review-theater-berkeley-rep","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>During the Renaissance era, the conflicting bedfellows of religion and science had clear delineations, dictated by Earth’s highest stewards to Heaven’s gates. “Science asks questions, but the Bible gives the answers,” thundered Pope Urban VIII, verbalizing the view of many in Europe’s 16th and 17th centuries. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Galileo Galilei fancied himself a strong purveyor of both the scientific and theological, his moral core of truth at the center of his existence faced a brutal reckoning — one that ultimately ripped both his body and soul to shreds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13957684","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the spellbinding yet problematic world premiere musical \u003cem>Galileo\u003c/em>, which opened May 15 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, discoveries made in both science and religion complicate matters. Its storyline is greatly informed by the modern-day war on truth, loaded with a ceaselessly high-octane rock music score exploited mightily by the wicked talents of director Michael Mayer. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_147-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Kushnier (Bishop Maffeo Barberini) and Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei) in the world premiere of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Galileo Galilei (Raúl Esparza) has taken root in his laboratory, a man of 45 who has trouble blindly accepting the religious view that Earth is the center of the universe. After all, that view had been challenged years prior by fellow polymath Nicolaus Copernicus in the famed heliocentric model, where Earth and other planets were shown to revolve around the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An affirmation of those teachings, thanks to Galileo’s enhancement of the telescope, has proved unsatisfactory to the dominant biblical divinity of Catholic doctrine, which citizens believe to be infallible. Yet Galileo still carries some support, despite the dominance of Cardinal Morosini (Javier Muñoz), who gives no space for what he perceives as anti-Bible sentiments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13957845","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The support of Galileo’s close ally Bishop Barberini (Jeremy Kushnier) contributes greatly to his desire to continue locking horns with the Catholic establishment, and when Barberini is elevated as pontiff and becomes Pope Urban VIII, Galileo is poised to break through and declare truth the victor. Yet an effort by the pope to slow the public acceleration of Galileo’s scientific theories, introduced in Galileo’s book comparing the Copernican system with the accepted and less truthful Ptolemaic system, comes with an offensive slight, accelerating Galileo’s demise. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_060-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei, center) and the cast of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So many elements of spectacle allow the musical to brew and breathe within a white-hot fire, with music thrusting itself to the top of the ticket. Composers Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak unleash consecutive bangers, challenging their vocalists with vein-popping verve, melodies and divine harmonies as persistent as Galileo himself. Those compositions are nestled neatly inside Danny Strong’s book. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each challenge is accepted by the cast, led by Broadway stalwart Esparza, who digs mightily into every ounce of his scintillating, grizzled register. A delicious counterpoint to Esparza’s wide-ranging vocals is his commitment to Galileo’s painful and joyous discoveries. His eyes accentuate each arc in every moment, a broken and beaten man who is constantly reminded that power decides truth, not the other way around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_102-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christian Magby (Alessandro Tarantola) and Madalynn Mathews (Virginia Galilei) in the world premiere of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kushnier’s mellifluity lives within its own constellation, a buttery-smooth falsetto that spotlights tenderness and admiration for Galileo, especially in his solo “By Thy Light I See.” Muñoz, Esparza’s fellow Broadway star, commands respect as the uncompromising Morosini, and Madelynn Mathews as Galileo’s embattled daughter Virginia, whose illegitimacy thrusts her away from love and into a cloistered life, gives a master class in vocals and empathy. These four craft a narrative that elevates the entire company in a show that gets louder and louder as time passes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Where the piece needs harnessing begins late in the second act, when a certain theme carries on much too long, ultimately diluting the critical nature of its voice. It’s as if the concept of truth and its virtues need constant repeating, which drags the entire narrative down. A piece that moves towards three hours needs to slap incessantly; this is not the case here. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958081\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GLO_188-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raúl Esparza (Galileo Galilei) and the cast of ‘Galileo: A Rock Musical’ at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, the show feels as if it’s hurtling somewhere with no expense spared, especially through the technical design. Scenic work by Tony Award winner Rachel Hauck pairs beautifully with Anita Yavich’s nuanced and sparkly costume plot. Jason H. Thompson, along with Kaitlyn Pietras, go all in on Christian symbolism through their passionate projection design, combined sharply with the lighting of Kevin Adams. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many morsels that challenge in Strong’s book, and a critical question is posed: “When does the truth cost too much?” Thankfully for Galileo, and in a lesson for the masses, a legacy and the truth are not for sale. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Galileo’ runs through June 23 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in downtown Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/galileo/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13958082/galileo-review-theater-berkeley-rep","authors":["11905"],"programs":["arts_140"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_967"],"tags":["arts_1270","arts_1237","arts_769","arts_585"],"featImg":"arts_13958079","label":"arts_140"},"arts_13958007":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13958007","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13958007","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"ybca-new-interim-ceo-jim-rettew","title":"Amid Upheaval, a New CEO Steps in at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts","publishDate":1715897916,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Amid Upheaval, a New CEO Steps in at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | KQED","labelTerm":{"site":"arts"},"content":"\u003cp>A new CEO has stepped in to lead \u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a> (YBCA), the embattled San Francisco arts organization whose \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953653/ybca-ceo-resigns-after-pro-palestinian-protest-and-boycott\">previous interim CEO abruptly resigned\u003c/a> in March during the fallout of a pro-Palestinian protest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Rettew, the new interim CEO, has previously held five interim leadership roles at various nonprofits. His background as a crisis management expert will be put to the test at YBCA, which has been embroiled in controversy since a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952460/artists-deface-work-ybca-pro-palestine-protest\">Feb. 15 protest\u003c/a> during which eight artists spray painted and draped pro-Palestinian messages onto their own works in the \u003ci>Bay Area Now 9\u003c/i> exhibit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958014\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 906px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958014\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"906\" height=\"1155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew.jpg 906w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew-800x1020.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew-160x204.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew-768x979.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 906px) 100vw, 906px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jim Rettew is YBCA’s new interim CEO. \u003ccite>(Jim Rettew)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In response to the protest, former interim CEO Sara Fenske Bahat and the board closed the galleries, which remained shuttered for a month. In open letters, \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZAoljeQycemJrzYNDyVoSN0gc6ogp5B3jUzj77qua2g/edit\">artists\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLNnUvnx74rLWZKIJaHUsMt4qOogFrBZ2OIeUjKjM2gblk6Q/viewform\">staff\u003c/a> accused YBCA leaders of censorship. Bahat resigned on March 3, citing “antisemitic backlash” and “the actions of some of our own employees” in her letter to the board. (Staff and leadership denied each other’s allegations.) San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, meanwhile, voiced support for the artists, and proposed an examination of the city’s support of YBCA at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13952460,arts_13953653']YBCA reopened in mid-March, but the turmoil continued. At least nine staff members have resigned in protest, according to employee comments during a public meeting. And YBCA now faces scrutiny from San Francisco’s Director of Cultural Affairs, who has proposed changes that would drastically alter how YBCA operates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email interview, Rettew told KQED that he sees rebuilding public trust as one of YBCA’s biggest challenges, and that he’s spent his first few weeks on the job listening to employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m now using those essential conversations to work with our staff to help deliver on the promises and aspirations of our organization,” he wrote. “I think that in many ways, the protest on Feb. 15 was a reflection of people asking the question: what do people expect from a cultural institution in 2024? We are working tirelessly to try to answer that question, and to create a space that is authentic and valuable to the public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13954248\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13954248\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area Artists Against Genocide (B.A.A.A.G.) member Paz G displays design options at a screen-printing event artists organized outside of YBCA while the art center was closed in March 2024. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>An art center on taxpayer-funded property\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>YBCA is under particular scrutiny because the private nonprofit enjoys significant, taxpayer-funded subsidies from the City and County of San Francisco. It occupies a city-owned building, rent free, on public land under a contract that’s subject to renewal through 2094. YBCA has also received tens of millions in taxpayer dollars since its founding in 1993; according to its most recent financial report, for fiscal year 2023, about 6% of its revenue and support came from the City and County of San Francisco. [ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, another nonprofit, manages the YBCA property, acting as an intermediary between YBCA and the city. In exchange for financial support and subsidies, YBCA is contractually obligated to offer “high-quality artistic programming to San Francisco residents and visitors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Conservancy’s most recent public board meeting on April 10, San Francisco’s Director of Cultural Affairs, Ralph Remington, sharply criticized YBCA for what he considers its failure to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the level of subsidy YBCA receives … they should have been operating and maintaining the cultural facilities in a way that presents themselves as a world-class performing arts presenting, producing, exhibiting organization,” Remington said. “You’d have to go back into the distant past to see when that actually happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958015\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958015\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Director of Cultural Affairs Ralph Remington said YBCA needs to be ‘reined in’ at a recent board meeting. \u003ccite>(Aminda Villa)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Indeed, YBCA significantly reduced its film programming in 2018 after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13841205/curatorial-crisis-bay-area-art-institutions\">laying off the two-person department\u003c/a>. In 2020, it launched the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13880296/ybca-launches-artist-power-center-resource-for-financially-struggling-artists\">Artist Power Center\u003c/a>, an online platform meant to connect artists to grants and job opportunities; it has since sunsetted that project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It turned into some kind of weird thinktank that should’ve been out in the woods somewhere, maybe,” said Remington at the Conservancy board meeting. “But for the level of public subsidy in the middle of the city … YBCA, in my opinion, needs to be reined in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the board meeting, Remington contrasted YBCA with SOMArts, a significantly less resourced nonprofit that’s also located in a city-owned building. While YBCA enjoys a spacious, modern, centrally located facility, SOMArts needs significant seismic improvements, and is in a much less desirable location, below a freeway underpass and away from BART and downtown offices. [aside postid='arts_13955613']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would put on the table that we could move SOMArts into YBCA to share with SOMA Pilipinas,” said Remington, referring to another vibrant, less resourced arts organization, “and they could activate the building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a follow-up interview, Remington told KQED that these proposals are in their “embryonic” stages. He credited the Feb. 15 protesters, who now call themselves Bay Area Artists Against Genocide, with spurring important conversations about reforms at YBCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the activists ultimately were successful because they drew attention to the issues at YBCA; they drew attention to the issue that they were actually protesting about,” he said in a video call. “And they brought about ultimate change that will happen with that organization as a result of these bold actions. … This is why civil disobedience and protest and having your voice heard is so important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952464\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Demonstators chant during a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the show ‘Bay Area Now’ at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Staff members reveal a schism with leadership\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During the April 10 Conservancy board meeting, a handful of YBCA staff members spoke out during public comment, painting an image of broken trust between the art center’s leadership and YBCA workers. The employees said that, even amid leadership changes, they’ve spent years building relationships with artists and the public, and they now feel those relationships are in jeopardy due to the actions of the board and former CEO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rettew told KQED that he sees rebuilding trust with staff as one of his first priorities. (He declined to comment on recent staff resignations.) He also said that he’s working to make sure the art center fulfills its commitment to the city and its visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I cannot undo decisions that were made, or change what happened,” he said. “What I can do is help this organization move forward with integrity.” [aside postid='arts_13956575']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about issues raised in the Feb. 15 protest, Rettew said YBCA would not join the Palestinian Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), as artists demanded. (The boycott encourages international institutions to divest from Israeli institutions until Israel ends its siege and occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, among other conditions.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked if YBCA would take a different approach to political messages in artists’ work, Rettew didn’t specify any changes. But he said that the censorship allegations “remain one of the most challenging and contentious issues of the past few months,” and underscored the institutions’ need to balance artistic expression with curatorial context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953036\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953036\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut.jpg\" alt='A sign over a wool rug reads \"No More Blood Money - Ceasefire Now!\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign covers art by Tracy Ren during a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the show Bay Area Now at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rettew is now focused on YBCA’s upcoming programming. “I recognize that it is now our job to prove ourselves as a trustworthy partner to the community, and to artists, and the way that we will do that is by doubling down on our commitment to put on engaging and thought-provoking exhibitions, by filling our theater as many nights as possible, by putting together compelling public programs, and by working with our neighbors to continue the important work of bringing people downtown to the Yerba Buena District,” he wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>YBCA’s next exhibition, a \u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/ybca-announces-nick-dong-11-to-88-an-immersive-solo-exhibition/\">solo show by Oakland artist Nick Dong\u003c/a>, opens on June 6 and will be on view through Aug. 25. A spring dance festival presented by San Francisco Ballet School is slated for May 22-24; there’s also a free, all-ages art workshop scheduled for May 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Remington hopes the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy will arrive at a plan of action for YBCA by the fall. The proposed San Francisco Board of Supervisors public hearing on censorship allegations at YBCA has not been scheduled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Interim CEO Jim Rettew wants to rebuild public trust after the art center's censorship controversies. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1715980497,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":25,"wordCount":1524},"headData":{"title":"Amid Upheaval, a New CEO Steps in at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | KQED","description":"Interim CEO Jim Rettew wants to rebuild public trust after the art center's censorship controversies. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Amid Upheaval, a New CEO Steps in at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts","datePublished":"2024-05-16T15:18:36-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-17T14:14:57-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13958007","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13958007/ybca-new-interim-ceo-jim-rettew","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A new CEO has stepped in to lead \u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a> (YBCA), the embattled San Francisco arts organization whose \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953653/ybca-ceo-resigns-after-pro-palestinian-protest-and-boycott\">previous interim CEO abruptly resigned\u003c/a> in March during the fallout of a pro-Palestinian protest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Rettew, the new interim CEO, has previously held five interim leadership roles at various nonprofits. His background as a crisis management expert will be put to the test at YBCA, which has been embroiled in controversy since a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952460/artists-deface-work-ybca-pro-palestine-protest\">Feb. 15 protest\u003c/a> during which eight artists spray painted and draped pro-Palestinian messages onto their own works in the \u003ci>Bay Area Now 9\u003c/i> exhibit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958014\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 906px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958014\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"906\" height=\"1155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew.jpg 906w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew-800x1020.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew-160x204.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jim-Rettew-768x979.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 906px) 100vw, 906px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jim Rettew is YBCA’s new interim CEO. \u003ccite>(Jim Rettew)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In response to the protest, former interim CEO Sara Fenske Bahat and the board closed the galleries, which remained shuttered for a month. In open letters, \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZAoljeQycemJrzYNDyVoSN0gc6ogp5B3jUzj77qua2g/edit\">artists\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLNnUvnx74rLWZKIJaHUsMt4qOogFrBZ2OIeUjKjM2gblk6Q/viewform\">staff\u003c/a> accused YBCA leaders of censorship. Bahat resigned on March 3, citing “antisemitic backlash” and “the actions of some of our own employees” in her letter to the board. (Staff and leadership denied each other’s allegations.) San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, meanwhile, voiced support for the artists, and proposed an examination of the city’s support of YBCA at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13952460,arts_13953653","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>YBCA reopened in mid-March, but the turmoil continued. At least nine staff members have resigned in protest, according to employee comments during a public meeting. And YBCA now faces scrutiny from San Francisco’s Director of Cultural Affairs, who has proposed changes that would drastically alter how YBCA operates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email interview, Rettew told KQED that he sees rebuilding public trust as one of YBCA’s biggest challenges, and that he’s spent his first few weeks on the job listening to employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m now using those essential conversations to work with our staff to help deliver on the promises and aspirations of our organization,” he wrote. “I think that in many ways, the protest on Feb. 15 was a reflection of people asking the question: what do people expect from a cultural institution in 2024? We are working tirelessly to try to answer that question, and to create a space that is authentic and valuable to the public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13954248\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13954248\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/240313-YBCAARTISTS-JY-014-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area Artists Against Genocide (B.A.A.A.G.) member Paz G displays design options at a screen-printing event artists organized outside of YBCA while the art center was closed in March 2024. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>An art center on taxpayer-funded property\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>YBCA is under particular scrutiny because the private nonprofit enjoys significant, taxpayer-funded subsidies from the City and County of San Francisco. It occupies a city-owned building, rent free, on public land under a contract that’s subject to renewal through 2094. YBCA has also received tens of millions in taxpayer dollars since its founding in 1993; according to its most recent financial report, for fiscal year 2023, about 6% of its revenue and support came from the City and County of San Francisco. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, another nonprofit, manages the YBCA property, acting as an intermediary between YBCA and the city. In exchange for financial support and subsidies, YBCA is contractually obligated to offer “high-quality artistic programming to San Francisco residents and visitors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Conservancy’s most recent public board meeting on April 10, San Francisco’s Director of Cultural Affairs, Ralph Remington, sharply criticized YBCA for what he considers its failure to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the level of subsidy YBCA receives … they should have been operating and maintaining the cultural facilities in a way that presents themselves as a world-class performing arts presenting, producing, exhibiting organization,” Remington said. “You’d have to go back into the distant past to see when that actually happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958015\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958015\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ralph-Remington-3_Photo-Credit-Aminda-Villa_0-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Director of Cultural Affairs Ralph Remington said YBCA needs to be ‘reined in’ at a recent board meeting. \u003ccite>(Aminda Villa)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Indeed, YBCA significantly reduced its film programming in 2018 after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13841205/curatorial-crisis-bay-area-art-institutions\">laying off the two-person department\u003c/a>. In 2020, it launched the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13880296/ybca-launches-artist-power-center-resource-for-financially-struggling-artists\">Artist Power Center\u003c/a>, an online platform meant to connect artists to grants and job opportunities; it has since sunsetted that project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It turned into some kind of weird thinktank that should’ve been out in the woods somewhere, maybe,” said Remington at the Conservancy board meeting. “But for the level of public subsidy in the middle of the city … YBCA, in my opinion, needs to be reined in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the board meeting, Remington contrasted YBCA with SOMArts, a significantly less resourced nonprofit that’s also located in a city-owned building. While YBCA enjoys a spacious, modern, centrally located facility, SOMArts needs significant seismic improvements, and is in a much less desirable location, below a freeway underpass and away from BART and downtown offices. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13955613","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would put on the table that we could move SOMArts into YBCA to share with SOMA Pilipinas,” said Remington, referring to another vibrant, less resourced arts organization, “and they could activate the building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a follow-up interview, Remington told KQED that these proposals are in their “embryonic” stages. He credited the Feb. 15 protesters, who now call themselves Bay Area Artists Against Genocide, with spurring important conversations about reforms at YBCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the activists ultimately were successful because they drew attention to the issues at YBCA; they drew attention to the issue that they were actually protesting about,” he said in a video call. “And they brought about ultimate change that will happen with that organization as a result of these bold actions. … This is why civil disobedience and protest and having your voice heard is so important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952464\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-29-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Demonstators chant during a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the show ‘Bay Area Now’ at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Staff members reveal a schism with leadership\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During the April 10 Conservancy board meeting, a handful of YBCA staff members spoke out during public comment, painting an image of broken trust between the art center’s leadership and YBCA workers. The employees said that, even amid leadership changes, they’ve spent years building relationships with artists and the public, and they now feel those relationships are in jeopardy due to the actions of the board and former CEO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rettew told KQED that he sees rebuilding trust with staff as one of his first priorities. (He declined to comment on recent staff resignations.) He also said that he’s working to make sure the art center fulfills its commitment to the city and its visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I cannot undo decisions that were made, or change what happened,” he said. “What I can do is help this organization move forward with integrity.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13956575","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about issues raised in the Feb. 15 protest, Rettew said YBCA would not join the Palestinian Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), as artists demanded. (The boycott encourages international institutions to divest from Israeli institutions until Israel ends its siege and occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, among other conditions.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked if YBCA would take a different approach to political messages in artists’ work, Rettew didn’t specify any changes. But he said that the censorship allegations “remain one of the most challenging and contentious issues of the past few months,” and underscored the institutions’ need to balance artistic expression with curatorial context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953036\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953036\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut.jpg\" alt='A sign over a wool rug reads \"No More Blood Money - Ceasefire Now!\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/240215-YBCAGazaProtest-07-BL_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign covers art by Tracy Ren during a protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the show Bay Area Now at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rettew is now focused on YBCA’s upcoming programming. “I recognize that it is now our job to prove ourselves as a trustworthy partner to the community, and to artists, and the way that we will do that is by doubling down on our commitment to put on engaging and thought-provoking exhibitions, by filling our theater as many nights as possible, by putting together compelling public programs, and by working with our neighbors to continue the important work of bringing people downtown to the Yerba Buena District,” he wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>YBCA’s next exhibition, a \u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/ybca-announces-nick-dong-11-to-88-an-immersive-solo-exhibition/\">solo show by Oakland artist Nick Dong\u003c/a>, opens on June 6 and will be on view through Aug. 25. A spring dance festival presented by San Francisco Ballet School is slated for May 22-24; there’s also a free, all-ages art workshop scheduled for May 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Remington hopes the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy will arrive at a plan of action for YBCA by the fall. The proposed San Francisco Board of Supervisors public hearing on censorship allegations at YBCA has not been scheduled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13958007/ybca-new-interim-ceo-jim-rettew","authors":["11387"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_235"],"tags":["arts_10342","arts_10278","arts_3648","arts_1146","arts_1040","arts_1955"],"featImg":"arts_13954250","label":"arts"},"arts_13958114":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13958114","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13958114","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"todos-oakland-la-casita-comeback-menudo-pozole","title":"The Return of East Oakland’s Menudo King","publishDate":1716228789,"format":"standard","headTitle":"The Return of East Oakland’s Menudo King | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cp>In 2019, Nolberto Martinez, Jr. was already an East Oakland legend in the making. His little taqueria, La Casita, was \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/pozole-birria-and-more-homey-cooking-at-la-casita-2-1/\">routinely hailed\u003c/a> as one of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GXIfUlr7c4A3MSRv9hBxrXrfiLyyWMCldJos0/?img_index=6\">best restaurants\u003c/a> in Fruitvale — for its fat, hand-pressed tortillas, its habit-forming housemade salsas and, most of all, its homey, Jalisco-style soups, like pozole and menudo, which were some of the best I’d ever tasted. At the center of it all was Martinez himself, the Bay Area’s self-styled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk5XxFYnDH8Uz6YpKcgAiLNM2tScp6G3P0v3TQ0/\">menudo king\u003c/a>,” a boisterous presence who’d greet each guest with a plate of tortillas and cotija-dusted black beans and a booming, “What can I get for you, bro?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a dream come true for an East Oakland kid who grew up bussing tables at his grandmother’s Mexican restaurant on East 12th, hatching plans to someday open his own spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, a series of calamities: In May of 2019, Martinez’s father passed away from cancer, and before he’d even had a chance to process his grief, the pandemic hit the Bay Area in full force. “Nobody was coming to the Fruitvale,” Martinez recalls. “We were constantly in the news: ‘Don’t come to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/One-Oakland-neighborhood-has-seen-a-surge-in-15651955.php\">Fruitvale district because of COVID\u003c/a>.’ It was a ghost town.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Casita’s temporary closure quickly turned permanent, and then Martinez…kind of disappeared for four years. Not literally, of course. He still picked up catering gigs and did occasional pop-ups, slinging quesabirria in the park or at a local brewery. Once in a while he’d cook up a big batch of his excellent, sneakily spicy \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/12/8/22154347/holidays-shopping-gifts-san-francisco-oakland-food-restaurants\">orange salsa\u003c/a> and sell it to his \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CIeksGLF_kECYCtgJwTQjKxSLjKkpaUmcOsL7E0/?img_index=1\">Instagram\u003c/a> followers. But as far as running a restaurant? It seemed like he was out of the game for good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958128\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A chef uses tongs to turn ears of corn cooking on the grill inside a restaurant kitchen.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After a four-year hiatus, Martinez is back doing what he loves best: running a restaurant in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until a couple of months ago, that is. In March, Martinez started a new job as the general manager of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/todosmexican/?hl=en\">Todos\u003c/a>, a two-year-old Mexican restaurant in downtown Oakland where he does a little bit of everything — works front of house, oversees the kitchen crew, lends a hand at the bar, jumps on the line to grill up some elote. Slowly, too, he’s been tweaking the menu, and in the next couple of weeks, he’ll be rolling out some of the La Casita classics that made him a local legend: the birria, pozole and menudo. It’s an answer to so many soup lovers’ wistful prayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now firmly entrenched in his new gig, Martinez acknowledges that the past four years were a dark and difficult time. Losing his dad, Nolberto Sr. — himself a chef and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVYUeOAKy5vGAE1f33S8ohAtbvf2fYkSvzXwA0/\">longtime fixture in Oakland restaurant kitchens\u003c/a> — was a big blow to the entire family. Losing La Casita on top of that left Martinez feeling even more heartbroken and unmoored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All I ever wanted was to open my own restaurant,” he says. “I was really down, man. For a long time, I was pissed off at myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the midst of those difficult times, Martinez says he turned to his Oakland community for support. He worked for a coffee roaster and a moving company for a while, then found a job as a prep cook for a nonprofit that delivered meals to churches and convalescent homes. He started working on his mental health, too — joined a men’s healing group, stopped drinking, came to terms with his father’s death and just generally tried to take better care of himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957673\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957673\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt='Exterior of of a downtown restaurant. The sign reads, \"Todos Cantina + Cocina.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todos, a two-year-old Mexican restaurant in downtown Oakland, has given Martinez a fresh opportunity. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Around this time, one of his coworkers told him that the Todos ownership group — the team that operates \u003ca href=\"https://underdogstoo.com/\">Underdogs\u003c/a> in San Francisco and a handful of \u003ca href=\"https://elrestaurante.com/the-taco-syndicate-web-of-restaurants-keeps-taco-lovers-happ/\">other Mexican restaurants around the Bay\u003c/a> — was looking for someone to run their Oakland location. They wanted someone who loved Oakland and knew the Mexican food business. As it turns out, Martinez fit that description to a T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a trope in the food industry where a talented chef quits his cushy job working for a big, investor-driven restaurant in order to open his own little passion project, allowing him to finally find true fulfillment. On the face of it, anyway, Martinez’s path has had the reverse trajectory. But if anything, he seems humbled and grateful for the opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not too many people want to teach you something, let alone a guy from East Oakland,” Martinez says of his new employers. “I’m happy. I feel a lot better as a person. I feel like I have the weight on my shoulders [lifted].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957677\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957677\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quesabirria cook on the plancha. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, Martinez is learning the ins and outs of running a 90-seat restaurant — much, much larger than his tiny taqueria on Foothill Boulevard. He manages dozens of employees, handles a massive office catering operation and is taking online classes to acquire all of the deeper business knowledge he’d previously just had to pick up on the fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13955802,arts_13954112,arts_13931115']\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/span>For longtime fans of La Casita, the most exciting part is that he’s starting to put his own stamp on the menu. This week he’ll roll out his beef birria, which has already been on the menu in the form of his popular consomé-soaked quesabirria tacos. Now, Todos will serve birria in a variety of new formats — the traditional way, as a soup, with rice and beans on the side; as a street taco; and in the double-wrapped crispy tacos known as diablitos. “You can call Todos an Oakland birrieria now, I’m very proud to say,” Martinez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks he’ll also begin serving pozole and menudo on the weekends. Both are versions of recipes that Martinez inherited when he bought the Foothill Boulevard restaurant from Ana Maria Campos, who ran it under the name Taqueria Campos for more than 10 years before he took over the business. It’s for good reason that old customers still speak about those soups in hushed, reverent tones: In my memory, Martinez’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lacasitaeastoakland/\">red pork pozole\u003c/a> had the kind of heady, invigorating broth that warms you up from the inside, especially when doctored with a drizzle of the chef’s housemade chile de árbol chili oil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957678\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957678\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A sauce-drenched wet burrito on a plate.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The wet burrito at Todos. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And his menudo, that famous hangover cure, may have been the best I’ve ever tasted — the tripe and the jiggly beef trotter slow-simmered until they’re slurpably soft, the broth as clean and clarifying as you can imagine. During La Casita’s glory years, the restaurant was “like a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BksX-98HDv8HkCi5N3oYRFh-A0j-YL-HWb7rE80/\">hangover headquarters\u003c/a>,” Martinez recalls, as customers lined up for their morning menudo fix on Saturdays and Sundays — and even Mondays, when the really serious drinkers would call in sick. “I call it food for the soul, man,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After his long hiatus, Martinez says it means the world to him to bring these dishes back to Oakland now, at a restaurant with an even wider reach. He thinks about how important it is for him to carry on his family’s legacy — about how much he loved watching his dad cook and how his grandmother opened La Estrellita, one of Fruitvale’s first Mexican restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958129\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A chef puts plates of food that are ready to be served onto the pass inside a restaurant kitchen.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For Martinez, operating a restaurant in Oakland is a matter of family pride — and Town pride. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There is the matter, too, of repping his neighborhood and hometown. In the old La Casita days, in almost every photo of the restaurant that Martinez posted on social media, he’s posing next to the mural on the outside. It reads, in boldface lowrider-style lettering, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Wqnj_laPncUFgduyw_OWl0eoCNWkrXbwZVZk0/\">Oakland Over Everything\u003c/a>” — an encapsulation of the chef’s Town pride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Me being from the Fruitvale district here in East Oakland, it was rough growing up. A lot of us didn’t make it; a lot of us are not doing good,” Martinez says. “For me to be blessed like this, it means a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/todosmexican/\">\u003ci>Todos\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located at 2315 Valdez St. in Oakland.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"A beloved taquero reemerges at Oakland’s Todos after a four-year hiatus. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1716230784,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":21,"wordCount":1449},"headData":{"title":"Fruitvale's Best Menudo Makes a Comeback in Downtown Oakland | KQED","description":"A beloved taquero reemerges at Oakland’s Todos after a four-year hiatus. ","ogTitle":"The Return of East Oakland’s Menudo King","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"The Return of East Oakland’s Menudo King","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","socialTitle":"Fruitvale's Best Menudo Makes a Comeback in Downtown Oakland %%page%% %%sep%% KQED","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"The Return of East Oakland’s Menudo King","datePublished":"2024-05-20T11:13:09-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-20T11:46:24-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"source":"Food","sourceUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/food","sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13958114","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13958114/todos-oakland-la-casita-comeback-menudo-pozole","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2019, Nolberto Martinez, Jr. was already an East Oakland legend in the making. His little taqueria, La Casita, was \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/pozole-birria-and-more-homey-cooking-at-la-casita-2-1/\">routinely hailed\u003c/a> as one of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B6GXIfUlr7c4A3MSRv9hBxrXrfiLyyWMCldJos0/?img_index=6\">best restaurants\u003c/a> in Fruitvale — for its fat, hand-pressed tortillas, its habit-forming housemade salsas and, most of all, its homey, Jalisco-style soups, like pozole and menudo, which were some of the best I’d ever tasted. At the center of it all was Martinez himself, the Bay Area’s self-styled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk5XxFYnDH8Uz6YpKcgAiLNM2tScp6G3P0v3TQ0/\">menudo king\u003c/a>,” a boisterous presence who’d greet each guest with a plate of tortillas and cotija-dusted black beans and a booming, “What can I get for you, bro?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a dream come true for an East Oakland kid who grew up bussing tables at his grandmother’s Mexican restaurant on East 12th, hatching plans to someday open his own spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, a series of calamities: In May of 2019, Martinez’s father passed away from cancer, and before he’d even had a chance to process his grief, the pandemic hit the Bay Area in full force. “Nobody was coming to the Fruitvale,” Martinez recalls. “We were constantly in the news: ‘Don’t come to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/One-Oakland-neighborhood-has-seen-a-surge-in-15651955.php\">Fruitvale district because of COVID\u003c/a>.’ It was a ghost town.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Casita’s temporary closure quickly turned permanent, and then Martinez…kind of disappeared for four years. Not literally, of course. He still picked up catering gigs and did occasional pop-ups, slinging quesabirria in the park or at a local brewery. Once in a while he’d cook up a big batch of his excellent, sneakily spicy \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/12/8/22154347/holidays-shopping-gifts-san-francisco-oakland-food-restaurants\">orange salsa\u003c/a> and sell it to his \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CIeksGLF_kECYCtgJwTQjKxSLjKkpaUmcOsL7E0/?img_index=1\">Instagram\u003c/a> followers. But as far as running a restaurant? It seemed like he was out of the game for good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958128\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958128\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A chef uses tongs to turn ears of corn cooking on the grill inside a restaurant kitchen.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-03_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After a four-year hiatus, Martinez is back doing what he loves best: running a restaurant in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until a couple of months ago, that is. In March, Martinez started a new job as the general manager of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/todosmexican/?hl=en\">Todos\u003c/a>, a two-year-old Mexican restaurant in downtown Oakland where he does a little bit of everything — works front of house, oversees the kitchen crew, lends a hand at the bar, jumps on the line to grill up some elote. Slowly, too, he’s been tweaking the menu, and in the next couple of weeks, he’ll be rolling out some of the La Casita classics that made him a local legend: the birria, pozole and menudo. It’s an answer to so many soup lovers’ wistful prayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now firmly entrenched in his new gig, Martinez acknowledges that the past four years were a dark and difficult time. Losing his dad, Nolberto Sr. — himself a chef and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVYUeOAKy5vGAE1f33S8ohAtbvf2fYkSvzXwA0/\">longtime fixture in Oakland restaurant kitchens\u003c/a> — was a big blow to the entire family. Losing La Casita on top of that left Martinez feeling even more heartbroken and unmoored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All I ever wanted was to open my own restaurant,” he says. “I was really down, man. For a long time, I was pissed off at myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the midst of those difficult times, Martinez says he turned to his Oakland community for support. He worked for a coffee roaster and a moving company for a while, then found a job as a prep cook for a nonprofit that delivered meals to churches and convalescent homes. He started working on his mental health, too — joined a men’s healing group, stopped drinking, came to terms with his father’s death and just generally tried to take better care of himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957673\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957673\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt='Exterior of of a downtown restaurant. The sign reads, \"Todos Cantina + Cocina.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todos, a two-year-old Mexican restaurant in downtown Oakland, has given Martinez a fresh opportunity. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Around this time, one of his coworkers told him that the Todos ownership group — the team that operates \u003ca href=\"https://underdogstoo.com/\">Underdogs\u003c/a> in San Francisco and a handful of \u003ca href=\"https://elrestaurante.com/the-taco-syndicate-web-of-restaurants-keeps-taco-lovers-happ/\">other Mexican restaurants around the Bay\u003c/a> — was looking for someone to run their Oakland location. They wanted someone who loved Oakland and knew the Mexican food business. As it turns out, Martinez fit that description to a T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a trope in the food industry where a talented chef quits his cushy job working for a big, investor-driven restaurant in order to open his own little passion project, allowing him to finally find true fulfillment. On the face of it, anyway, Martinez’s path has had the reverse trajectory. But if anything, he seems humbled and grateful for the opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not too many people want to teach you something, let alone a guy from East Oakland,” Martinez says of his new employers. “I’m happy. I feel a lot better as a person. I feel like I have the weight on my shoulders [lifted].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957677\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957677\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quesabirria cook on the plancha. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, Martinez is learning the ins and outs of running a 90-seat restaurant — much, much larger than his tiny taqueria on Foothill Boulevard. He manages dozens of employees, handles a massive office catering operation and is taking online classes to acquire all of the deeper business knowledge he’d previously just had to pick up on the fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13955802,arts_13954112,arts_13931115","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/span>For longtime fans of La Casita, the most exciting part is that he’s starting to put his own stamp on the menu. This week he’ll roll out his beef birria, which has already been on the menu in the form of his popular consomé-soaked quesabirria tacos. Now, Todos will serve birria in a variety of new formats — the traditional way, as a soup, with rice and beans on the side; as a street taco; and in the double-wrapped crispy tacos known as diablitos. “You can call Todos an Oakland birrieria now, I’m very proud to say,” Martinez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks he’ll also begin serving pozole and menudo on the weekends. Both are versions of recipes that Martinez inherited when he bought the Foothill Boulevard restaurant from Ana Maria Campos, who ran it under the name Taqueria Campos for more than 10 years before he took over the business. It’s for good reason that old customers still speak about those soups in hushed, reverent tones: In my memory, Martinez’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lacasitaeastoakland/\">red pork pozole\u003c/a> had the kind of heady, invigorating broth that warms you up from the inside, especially when doctored with a drizzle of the chef’s housemade chile de árbol chili oil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957678\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957678\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A sauce-drenched wet burrito on a plate.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-07-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The wet burrito at Todos. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And his menudo, that famous hangover cure, may have been the best I’ve ever tasted — the tripe and the jiggly beef trotter slow-simmered until they’re slurpably soft, the broth as clean and clarifying as you can imagine. During La Casita’s glory years, the restaurant was “like a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BksX-98HDv8HkCi5N3oYRFh-A0j-YL-HWb7rE80/\">hangover headquarters\u003c/a>,” Martinez recalls, as customers lined up for their morning menudo fix on Saturdays and Sundays — and even Mondays, when the really serious drinkers would call in sick. “I call it food for the soul, man,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After his long hiatus, Martinez says it means the world to him to bring these dishes back to Oakland now, at a restaurant with an even wider reach. He thinks about how important it is for him to carry on his family’s legacy — about how much he loved watching his dad cook and how his grandmother opened La Estrellita, one of Fruitvale’s first Mexican restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958129\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A chef puts plates of food that are ready to be served onto the pass inside a restaurant kitchen.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/240509-MENUDO-KING-MD-04_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For Martinez, operating a restaurant in Oakland is a matter of family pride — and Town pride. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There is the matter, too, of repping his neighborhood and hometown. In the old La Casita days, in almost every photo of the restaurant that Martinez posted on social media, he’s posing next to the mural on the outside. It reads, in boldface lowrider-style lettering, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Wqnj_laPncUFgduyw_OWl0eoCNWkrXbwZVZk0/\">Oakland Over Everything\u003c/a>” — an encapsulation of the chef’s Town pride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Me being from the Fruitvale district here in East Oakland, it was rough growing up. A lot of us didn’t make it; a lot of us are not doing good,” Martinez says. “For me to be blessed like this, it means a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/todosmexican/\">\u003ci>Todos\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located at 2315 Valdez St. in Oakland.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13958114/todos-oakland-la-casita-comeback-menudo-pozole","authors":["11743"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_12276"],"tags":["arts_5016","arts_10278","arts_1297","arts_7944","arts_14985","arts_1143","arts_14062","arts_14984"],"featImg":"arts_13957679","label":"source_arts_13958114"},"arts_13957394":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13957394","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13957394","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"bay-area-music-festivals-outdoor-concerts-summer-2024","title":"Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts for Summer 2024","publishDate":1715791536,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts for Summer 2024 | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cp>There’s something magical about Bay Area summers, with our famously not-too-hot, not-too-cold weather, plus ample access to natural wonders and, of course, too many concerts to choose from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of these dozen outdoor concerts and festivals, some are in public transit-accessible parks; others require a drive up to wine country. Some are worth the splurge; others are free. The Bay Area is full of curious listeners with eclectic taste, and there’s something for everybody here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957398\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957398\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033.jpg\" alt=\"Blxst performs on stage wearing head-to-toe denim, in front of a backdrop with an image of an urban warehouse. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"702\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-800x548.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-1020x699.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-768x527.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blxst performs at the Outdoor Theatre during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 20, 2024 in Indio, California. \u003ccite>(Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.axs.com/events/538974/frost-music-arts-festival-with-blxst-tickets\">Blxst\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>May 18, 2024\u003cbr>\nFrost Amphitheater, Stanford\u003cbr>\n$25-$55\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blxst is the velvety-voiced R&B accompaniment to the big players in LA’s rap scene. On his recent Tupac-sampling single with Tyga and YG, “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/BNUi6botHmw?si=KOEIb233f9ohL_yn\">West Coast Weekend\u003c/a>,” he comes off as a modern-day Nate Dogg with a nostalgic, G-funk feel. He also regularly collaborates with Northern California artists, including Kehlani and Mozzy. Blxst headlines this year’s student-organized Frost Music & Arts Festival at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater. Joining him is singer-songwriter UMI, who often invites audiences to take a meditative pause in her uplifting live shows, and Alameda, whose eclectic sound blends R&B with indie rock and drum’n’bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13931358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13931358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The facial profile of a young Oakland rapper as he looks away from the camera\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area rapper Michael Sneed poses for a portrait in Oakland on June 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-up-tuesday-live-music-festival-tickets-880542274647\">Town Up Tuesday\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>May 21, 2024\u003cbr>\nLake Merritt Bandstand, Oakland\u003cbr>\nFree with RSVP\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Town Up Tuesday is a party with a purpose put on by Urban Peace Movement, a local nonprofit that fights mass incarceration. It seeks to uplift Oakland culture at a time when negative media narratives about the Town abound, and operates under the idea that music and culture can unite neighbors and make communities safer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s intergenerational lineup is full of heavy hitters, not least Too Short, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925177/the-conscious-daughters-raps-sucka-free-thelma-and-louise-rewrote-the-rules\">The Conscious Daughters\u003c/a> (Oakland’s premier ’90s female rap group) and a legendary surprise guest. Trunk Boiz (of “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/KCNlDgSQuLg?si=pQlkEdeR5Bpi9Ivq\">Cupcake No Fillin\u003c/a>” fame!) and dance crew Animaniakz will serve up hyphy movement nostalgia. Other artists on the bill represent the diverse sounds of today’s generation, notably the quirky, experimental and soulful Michael Sneed and the darker and more streetwise ALLBLACK and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">1100 Himself\u003c/a>, among others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13872413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13872413\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563.jpg\" alt=\"Inductee Stevie Nicks performs on stage at the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on March 29, 2019 in New York City.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inductee Stevie Nicks performs on stage at the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on March 29, 2019 in New York City. \u003ccite>(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com\">BottleRock\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>May 24–26, 2024\u003cbr>\nNapa Valley Expo, Napa\u003cbr>\nSingle-day GA: $243; three-day GA: sold out\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set in beautiful wine country, BottleRock is a festival with broad appeal. Not only does its lineup feature all-time musical greats like Oakland funk band Tower of Power and Stevie Nicks (who’s enjoying a Gen Z-fueled career resurgence), but it’s also a place to experience pop’s vanguard. That includes Kali Uchis, the bilingual singer-songwriter whose dreamy, Spanish-language 2024 album \u003ci>Orquídeas\u003c/i> envelops listeners in a romantic exaltation of love and beauty. Megan Thee Stallion — who has the hip-hop world watching her every move following her explosive track “Hiss,” dissing basically the entire industry — will also grace the stage amid her highly anticipated Hot Girl Summer tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957397\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957397\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925.jpg\" alt=\"A band performs on a brightly lit studio stage. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eslabon Armado band members Brian Tovar, Pedro Tovar, Damian Pacheco and Ulises González perform at “Despierta America” at Univision Studios on May 02, 2023 in Doral, Florida. \u003ccite>(John Parra/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com\">La Onda\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 1–2, 2024\u003cbr>\nNapa Valley Expo, Napa\u003cbr>\nSingle-day GA: sold out; two-day GA: $358\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you miss Maná’s set at BottleRock, the good news is that they’ll be back at the same Napa Valley fairgrounds one weekend later, this time headlining new Latin music festival La Onda. On its diverse lineup, you’ll find old-school rock en español acts like Mexican band \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13840289/mexican-rockers-cafe-tacvba-stand-in-solidarity-with-stateside-latinx-fans\">Cafe Tacvba\u003c/a>; Farruko, one of today’s hottest reggaetoneros; and rising young regional Mexican music stars Junior H, Fuerza Regida and Eslabón Armado, who combine styles as wide-ranging as trap and corridos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937341\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36.jpg\" alt=\"two young boys dance on a deck beneath a pergola while a 29-year-old rapper eggs them on\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell performs beneath the pergola in his backyard, with two young guests, on Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.whatstba.com/creator/Goodcompenny\">LaRussell’s Backyard Residency\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 2, July 7 and Aug. 4, 2024\u003cbr>\nThe Pergola, Vallejo\u003cbr>\nPay what you want\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LaRussell has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937331/larussell-vallejo-def-jam-record-deal\">done it his way\u003c/a> at every step of his career — notably, building a pergola and stage in his parents’ Vallejo backyard, which has allowed him to essentially bypass the corporate venue ecosystem that can be very \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/25/shocking-truth-money-bands-make-on-tour-taylor-swift\">disadvantageous to emerging artists\u003c/a>. These intimate shows truly feel like a family affair. When I checked one out last year, the audience was full of LaRussell diehards — even small children — rapping along enthusiastically to every bar. LaRussell’s team passed out ice packs and water bottles to protect fans from the heat. It really felt like a community. To get into one of these shows, you have to name your price for a ticket — and entry is not guaranteed. But that doesn’t mean tickets only go to the highest bidders, as LaRussell has said that he likes to keep his offerings accessible to fans of all income levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932533\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13932533\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Goapele performs at the Days With Zarah Getaway in Napa, May 2023. \u003ccite>(Eric Arnold/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/san-francisco-juneteenth-parade-tickets-895705117117?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl\">Larry June and Goapele at San Francisco Juneteenth\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 8, 2024\u003cbr>\nFulton Street Plaza, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nFree\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day of San Francisco’s Juneteenth Parade, there’s a free concert celebrating Black music and culture at Fulton Plaza. It stars Larry June, whose laidback, luxurious rhymes about real-estate deals and gourmet meals have put a spotlight back on San Francisco rap. He’ll be joined by angel-voiced R&B hitmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932465/goapele-closer-to-hip-hop\">Goapele\u003c/a>, whose classic song “Closer” continues to resonate with a new generation of Bay Area music lovers. \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/oJ8oXKYOYGE?si=tR5tLVb3_-96oWiZ\">Stunnaman02\u003c/a>, who’s currently on a major salad kick; Ronski, creator of the Fillmore anthem “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/g2J_xGPGHjI?si=sCyP82bsmo8-MRB9\">That Filthy\u003c/a>”; Zion I collaborator Dustin Sharpe; and DJs Big Von, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956839/dj-d-sharp\">D Sharp\u003c/a>, Red Corvette, Daghe and World Famous Rick and Russ Show will represent the Bay’s wide-ranging, active hip-hop scene. Hosted by KMEL’s Shay Diddy, the concert also offers much in the way of jazz, soul and gospel, including Martin Luther’s Rebel Soul House Party, The Glide Choir and Fillmore Jazz Ambassadors. SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin will read, and the young Feline Finesse Dance Group will show off their moves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13840060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13840060\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006.jpg\" alt=\"George Clinton performs at the 2017 SESAC Pop Awards on April 13, 2017 in New York City.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">George Clinton performs at the 2017 SESAC Pop Awards on April 13, 2017 in New York City. \u003ccite>(Theo Wargo/Getty Images for SESAC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.axs.com/events/534076/parliament-funkadelic-feat-george-clinton-tickets?skin=mountainwinery\">Parliament-Funkadelic featuring George Clinton\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jun 12, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Mountain Winery, Saratoga\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>$49.50–$89.50\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13839952/its-that-naughty-feeling-george-clinton-on-funks-enduring-appeal\">George Clinton\u003c/a> is a national treasure. In the ’70s, the funk father and his bands, Parliament and Funkadelic, made hits that altered the course of American popular music. They influenced monumental stars like Prince, and became some of the most sampled acts in hip-hop history, paving the way for ’90s groups like The Coup and Digital Underground as well as more recent artists like Childish Gambino. Clinton pushed Afrofuturism forward — so much so that P-Funk’s spaceship stage prop has been immortalized in the Smithsonian. Though Clinton, now 82 years old, talked about retiring years ago — he said he funked too hard for his pacemaker — he’s continued touring with a new lineup of younger musicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13916884\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13916884\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chaka Khan performs at Blue Note Jazz Festival in St. Helena on Friday, July 29, 2022. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sterngrove.org/\">Stern Grove\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sundays June 23-Aug. 25, 2024\u003cbr>\nSigmund Stern Recreation Grove, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nFree with RSVP\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Sunday this summer, there’s a free concert in the park at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957582/stern-grove-lineup-san-francisco-2024-free-concerts\">Stern Grove\u003c/a>. The series’ 87th season opens with a performance from queer indie rock duo Tegan and Sara on June 23. Other lineup highlights include psychedelic pop band Chicano Batman on June 30; R&B singer and saxophonist Masego on July 21; jazz-funk legend Herbie Hancock on Aug. 11 and a Big Picnic closer with queen of funk Chaka Khan on Aug. 25. But before you round up your friends and pack your cooler, make plans: RSVPs open a month before each concert date, and spots are limited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10820718\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10820718\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1.jpg\" alt=\"Garage punk band The Mummies headlined the July 4 lineup at Burger Boogaloo.\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mummies perform in Mosswood Park in 2015. \u003ccite>((Photo: Rebecca Bowe/KQED))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://wl.seetickets.us/event/Mosswood-Meltdown-2024/558489?afflky=MosswoodMeltdown\">Mosswood Meltdown\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 6–7, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Mosswood Park, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Single day: $99+; two-day: $159+\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Punk festival Mosswood Meltdown is truly a family affair: In addition to teenage, 20-something and 30-something-year-old punks, you might see punk grandparents holding punk babies. And that vibe is reflected in its intergenerational lineup of alternative acts. Day one of the festival features ’80s art pop mainstays the B-52’s, and celebrates queer culture with a drag contest hosted by Peaches Christ and sets from Pansy Division and Hunx and His Punx. Day two, with OG garage punks The Mummies headlining, leans into hip-hop culture with a DJ set from 808 mastermind Egyptian Lover and the queen of New Orleans bounce, Big Freedia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957500\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"779\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-800x609.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-1020x776.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-160x122.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-768x584.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tyla performs during the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2024 Celebration on December 31, 2023 in New York City. \u003ccite>(Noam Galai/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sfoutsidelands.com/\">Outside Lands\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Aug. 9–11, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Golden Gate Park, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Single-day GA: $199+, three-day pass: $449+\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can thank Beyoncé for the fact that Outside Lands is more country than ever this year: Post Malone and Shaboozey, both featured on Beyoncé’s \u003ci>Cowboy Carter\u003c/i>, are performing, and country hitmaker Sturgill Simpson is a headliner alongside Tyler, the Creator and the Killers. On the lineup you’ll also find buzzworthy breakout pop acts like Tyla, Renée Rapp and Victoria Monét. Outside Lands, which attracts tens of thousands of fans each day, prides itself on its wide appeal. In addition to its four main music stages, it features a queer performance zone called Dolores’, the open-air electronic music club SOMA and even a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956845/legal-weddings-married-outisde-lands-city-hall\">new wedding venue\u003c/a> — and that’s on top of its many culinary and cannabis offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905505\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khruangbin performs at Outside Lands on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://thegreekberkeley.com/events/khruangbin-240814\">Khruangbin\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Aug. 14–16, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Greek Theatre, Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>$69–$120\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No band better represents today’s psychedelic rock revival than Texan trio Khruangbin. Their vintage sound, recorded with warm fuzz as if on a reel-to-reel from the ’70s, combines global influences of Jamaican dub, Southeast Asian funk, surf rock and a country twang from their home state. The result is a soothing mélange that goes down slow — a perfect soundtrack for swaying under the night sky while slightly stoned, if that’s your persuasion. Celebrating their new, bilingual Spanish-English album \u003ci>A La Sala\u003c/i>, Khruangbin performs three nights in a row at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. The second two are sold out, but Aug. 14 still has tickets available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13932354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert Glasper performs at Blue Note Jazz Festival on Saturday, July 29, 2023. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bluenotejazz.com/black-radio-experience/\">The Black Radio Experience\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 30–Sept. 1, 2024\u003cbr>\nMeritage Resort & Spa, Napa\u003cbr>\nThree-day passes: $499+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For jazz, grown-and-sexy R&B, lyrical hip-hop and general musical excellence, the Black Radio Experience is a new, more intimate event from the producers of the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa, which is on hiatus until 2025. Jazz pianist and prolific hip-hop collaborator Robert Glasper curated the lineup, which includes John Legend, Jill Scott and Andre 3000 (with his \u003ca href=\"https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/why-andre-3000-stopped-rapping-1234880754/\">wooden flute\u003c/a>) as headliners. Also performing are Nile Rogers & Chic, Ledisi, Madlib, Andra Day, Christian McBride, Common and more, with Oakland-raised Sway Calloway as host.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"With big-ticket festivals and free events alike, there’s no shortage of live music options this summer. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1715797947,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":29,"wordCount":2050},"headData":{"title":"Summer 2024: Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts | KQED","description":"With big-ticket festivals and free events alike, there’s no shortage of live music options this summer. ","ogTitle":"10 Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts for Summer 2024","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"10 Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts for Summer 2024","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","socialTitle":"Summer 2024: Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts %%page%% %%sep%% KQED","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Bay Area Music Festivals and Outdoor Concerts for Summer 2024","datePublished":"2024-05-15T09:45:36-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-15T11:32:27-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"source":"Summer Guide 2024","sourceUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2024","sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13957394","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13957394/bay-area-music-festivals-outdoor-concerts-summer-2024","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>There’s something magical about Bay Area summers, with our famously not-too-hot, not-too-cold weather, plus ample access to natural wonders and, of course, too many concerts to choose from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of these dozen outdoor concerts and festivals, some are in public transit-accessible parks; others require a drive up to wine country. Some are worth the splurge; others are free. The Bay Area is full of curious listeners with eclectic taste, and there’s something for everybody here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957398\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957398\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033.jpg\" alt=\"Blxst performs on stage wearing head-to-toe denim, in front of a backdrop with an image of an urban warehouse. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"702\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-800x548.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-1020x699.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2149488033-768x527.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blxst performs at the Outdoor Theatre during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 20, 2024 in Indio, California. \u003ccite>(Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.axs.com/events/538974/frost-music-arts-festival-with-blxst-tickets\">Blxst\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>May 18, 2024\u003cbr>\nFrost Amphitheater, Stanford\u003cbr>\n$25-$55\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blxst is the velvety-voiced R&B accompaniment to the big players in LA’s rap scene. On his recent Tupac-sampling single with Tyga and YG, “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/BNUi6botHmw?si=KOEIb233f9ohL_yn\">West Coast Weekend\u003c/a>,” he comes off as a modern-day Nate Dogg with a nostalgic, G-funk feel. He also regularly collaborates with Northern California artists, including Kehlani and Mozzy. Blxst headlines this year’s student-organized Frost Music & Arts Festival at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater. Joining him is singer-songwriter UMI, who often invites audiences to take a meditative pause in her uplifting live shows, and Alameda, whose eclectic sound blends R&B with indie rock and drum’n’bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13931358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13931358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The facial profile of a young Oakland rapper as he looks away from the camera\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/michaelsneed_JY_014-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area rapper Michael Sneed poses for a portrait in Oakland on June 9, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-up-tuesday-live-music-festival-tickets-880542274647\">Town Up Tuesday\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>May 21, 2024\u003cbr>\nLake Merritt Bandstand, Oakland\u003cbr>\nFree with RSVP\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Town Up Tuesday is a party with a purpose put on by Urban Peace Movement, a local nonprofit that fights mass incarceration. It seeks to uplift Oakland culture at a time when negative media narratives about the Town abound, and operates under the idea that music and culture can unite neighbors and make communities safer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s intergenerational lineup is full of heavy hitters, not least Too Short, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925177/the-conscious-daughters-raps-sucka-free-thelma-and-louise-rewrote-the-rules\">The Conscious Daughters\u003c/a> (Oakland’s premier ’90s female rap group) and a legendary surprise guest. Trunk Boiz (of “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/KCNlDgSQuLg?si=pQlkEdeR5Bpi9Ivq\">Cupcake No Fillin\u003c/a>” fame!) and dance crew Animaniakz will serve up hyphy movement nostalgia. Other artists on the bill represent the diverse sounds of today’s generation, notably the quirky, experimental and soulful Michael Sneed and the darker and more streetwise ALLBLACK and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934803/1100-himself-oakland-rapper-thizzler\">1100 Himself\u003c/a>, among others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13872413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13872413\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563.jpg\" alt=\"Inductee Stevie Nicks performs on stage at the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on March 29, 2019 in New York City.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/GettyImages-1139194563-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inductee Stevie Nicks performs on stage at the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on March 29, 2019 in New York City. \u003ccite>(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com\">BottleRock\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>May 24–26, 2024\u003cbr>\nNapa Valley Expo, Napa\u003cbr>\nSingle-day GA: $243; three-day GA: sold out\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set in beautiful wine country, BottleRock is a festival with broad appeal. Not only does its lineup feature all-time musical greats like Oakland funk band Tower of Power and Stevie Nicks (who’s enjoying a Gen Z-fueled career resurgence), but it’s also a place to experience pop’s vanguard. That includes Kali Uchis, the bilingual singer-songwriter whose dreamy, Spanish-language 2024 album \u003ci>Orquídeas\u003c/i> envelops listeners in a romantic exaltation of love and beauty. Megan Thee Stallion — who has the hip-hop world watching her every move following her explosive track “Hiss,” dissing basically the entire industry — will also grace the stage amid her highly anticipated Hot Girl Summer tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957397\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957397\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925.jpg\" alt=\"A band performs on a brightly lit studio stage. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1487126925-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eslabon Armado band members Brian Tovar, Pedro Tovar, Damian Pacheco and Ulises González perform at “Despierta America” at Univision Studios on May 02, 2023 in Doral, Florida. \u003ccite>(John Parra/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.laondafest.com\">La Onda\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 1–2, 2024\u003cbr>\nNapa Valley Expo, Napa\u003cbr>\nSingle-day GA: sold out; two-day GA: $358\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you miss Maná’s set at BottleRock, the good news is that they’ll be back at the same Napa Valley fairgrounds one weekend later, this time headlining new Latin music festival La Onda. On its diverse lineup, you’ll find old-school rock en español acts like Mexican band \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13840289/mexican-rockers-cafe-tacvba-stand-in-solidarity-with-stateside-latinx-fans\">Cafe Tacvba\u003c/a>; Farruko, one of today’s hottest reggaetoneros; and rising young regional Mexican music stars Junior H, Fuerza Regida and Eslabón Armado, who combine styles as wide-ranging as trap and corridos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937341\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36.jpg\" alt=\"two young boys dance on a deck beneath a pergola while a 29-year-old rapper eggs them on\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/LaRussell-Backyard-Residency-Show-7-Best-36-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaRussell performs beneath the pergola in his backyard, with two young guests, on Oct. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Jason Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.whatstba.com/creator/Goodcompenny\">LaRussell’s Backyard Residency\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 2, July 7 and Aug. 4, 2024\u003cbr>\nThe Pergola, Vallejo\u003cbr>\nPay what you want\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LaRussell has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937331/larussell-vallejo-def-jam-record-deal\">done it his way\u003c/a> at every step of his career — notably, building a pergola and stage in his parents’ Vallejo backyard, which has allowed him to essentially bypass the corporate venue ecosystem that can be very \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/25/shocking-truth-money-bands-make-on-tour-taylor-swift\">disadvantageous to emerging artists\u003c/a>. These intimate shows truly feel like a family affair. When I checked one out last year, the audience was full of LaRussell diehards — even small children — rapping along enthusiastically to every bar. LaRussell’s team passed out ice packs and water bottles to protect fans from the heat. It really felt like a community. To get into one of these shows, you have to name your price for a ticket — and entry is not guaranteed. But that doesn’t mean tickets only go to the highest bidders, as LaRussell has said that he likes to keep his offerings accessible to fans of all income levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932533\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13932533\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Goapele.MAIN_.EKA_-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Goapele performs at the Days With Zarah Getaway in Napa, May 2023. \u003ccite>(Eric Arnold/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/san-francisco-juneteenth-parade-tickets-895705117117?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl\">Larry June and Goapele at San Francisco Juneteenth\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>June 8, 2024\u003cbr>\nFulton Street Plaza, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nFree\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day of San Francisco’s Juneteenth Parade, there’s a free concert celebrating Black music and culture at Fulton Plaza. It stars Larry June, whose laidback, luxurious rhymes about real-estate deals and gourmet meals have put a spotlight back on San Francisco rap. He’ll be joined by angel-voiced R&B hitmaker \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932465/goapele-closer-to-hip-hop\">Goapele\u003c/a>, whose classic song “Closer” continues to resonate with a new generation of Bay Area music lovers. \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/oJ8oXKYOYGE?si=tR5tLVb3_-96oWiZ\">Stunnaman02\u003c/a>, who’s currently on a major salad kick; Ronski, creator of the Fillmore anthem “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/g2J_xGPGHjI?si=sCyP82bsmo8-MRB9\">That Filthy\u003c/a>”; Zion I collaborator Dustin Sharpe; and DJs Big Von, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956839/dj-d-sharp\">D Sharp\u003c/a>, Red Corvette, Daghe and World Famous Rick and Russ Show will represent the Bay’s wide-ranging, active hip-hop scene. Hosted by KMEL’s Shay Diddy, the concert also offers much in the way of jazz, soul and gospel, including Martin Luther’s Rebel Soul House Party, The Glide Choir and Fillmore Jazz Ambassadors. SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin will read, and the young Feline Finesse Dance Group will show off their moves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13840060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13840060\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006.jpg\" alt=\"George Clinton performs at the 2017 SESAC Pop Awards on April 13, 2017 in New York City.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/GettyImages-668281006-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">George Clinton performs at the 2017 SESAC Pop Awards on April 13, 2017 in New York City. \u003ccite>(Theo Wargo/Getty Images for SESAC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.axs.com/events/534076/parliament-funkadelic-feat-george-clinton-tickets?skin=mountainwinery\">Parliament-Funkadelic featuring George Clinton\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jun 12, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Mountain Winery, Saratoga\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>$49.50–$89.50\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13839952/its-that-naughty-feeling-george-clinton-on-funks-enduring-appeal\">George Clinton\u003c/a> is a national treasure. In the ’70s, the funk father and his bands, Parliament and Funkadelic, made hits that altered the course of American popular music. They influenced monumental stars like Prince, and became some of the most sampled acts in hip-hop history, paving the way for ’90s groups like The Coup and Digital Underground as well as more recent artists like Childish Gambino. Clinton pushed Afrofuturism forward — so much so that P-Funk’s spaceship stage prop has been immortalized in the Smithsonian. Though Clinton, now 82 years old, talked about retiring years ago — he said he funked too hard for his pacemaker — he’s continued touring with a new lineup of younger musicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13916884\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13916884\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Chaka-Khan-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-in-St.-Helena-on-Friday-July-29-2022004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chaka Khan performs at Blue Note Jazz Festival in St. Helena on Friday, July 29, 2022. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sterngrove.org/\">Stern Grove\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sundays June 23-Aug. 25, 2024\u003cbr>\nSigmund Stern Recreation Grove, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nFree with RSVP\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every Sunday this summer, there’s a free concert in the park at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957582/stern-grove-lineup-san-francisco-2024-free-concerts\">Stern Grove\u003c/a>. The series’ 87th season opens with a performance from queer indie rock duo Tegan and Sara on June 23. Other lineup highlights include psychedelic pop band Chicano Batman on June 30; R&B singer and saxophonist Masego on July 21; jazz-funk legend Herbie Hancock on Aug. 11 and a Big Picnic closer with queen of funk Chaka Khan on Aug. 25. But before you round up your friends and pack your cooler, make plans: RSVPs open a month before each concert date, and spots are limited.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10820718\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10820718\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1.jpg\" alt=\"Garage punk band The Mummies headlined the July 4 lineup at Burger Boogaloo.\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/TheMummies1-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mummies perform in Mosswood Park in 2015. \u003ccite>((Photo: Rebecca Bowe/KQED))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://wl.seetickets.us/event/Mosswood-Meltdown-2024/558489?afflky=MosswoodMeltdown\">Mosswood Meltdown\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 6–7, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Mosswood Park, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Single day: $99+; two-day: $159+\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Punk festival Mosswood Meltdown is truly a family affair: In addition to teenage, 20-something and 30-something-year-old punks, you might see punk grandparents holding punk babies. And that vibe is reflected in its intergenerational lineup of alternative acts. Day one of the festival features ’80s art pop mainstays the B-52’s, and celebrates queer culture with a drag contest hosted by Peaches Christ and sets from Pansy Division and Hunx and His Punx. Day two, with OG garage punks The Mummies headlining, leans into hip-hop culture with a DJ set from 808 mastermind Egyptian Lover and the queen of New Orleans bounce, Big Freedia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957500\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"779\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-800x609.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-1020x776.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-160x122.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1898396915-768x584.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tyla performs during the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2024 Celebration on December 31, 2023 in New York City. \u003ccite>(Noam Galai/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://sfoutsidelands.com/\">Outside Lands\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Aug. 9–11, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Golden Gate Park, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Single-day GA: $199+, three-day pass: $449+\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can thank Beyoncé for the fact that Outside Lands is more country than ever this year: Post Malone and Shaboozey, both featured on Beyoncé’s \u003ci>Cowboy Carter\u003c/i>, are performing, and country hitmaker Sturgill Simpson is a headliner alongside Tyler, the Creator and the Killers. On the lineup you’ll also find buzzworthy breakout pop acts like Tyla, Renée Rapp and Victoria Monét. Outside Lands, which attracts tens of thousands of fans each day, prides itself on its wide appeal. In addition to its four main music stages, it features a queer performance zone called Dolores’, the open-air electronic music club SOMA and even a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956845/legal-weddings-married-outisde-lands-city-hall\">new wedding venue\u003c/a> — and that’s on top of its many culinary and cannabis offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905505\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Khruangbin-performs-at-Outside-Lands-on-Friday-Oct.-29-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khruangbin performs at Outside Lands on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://thegreekberkeley.com/events/khruangbin-240814\">Khruangbin\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Aug. 14–16, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Greek Theatre, Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>$69–$120\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No band better represents today’s psychedelic rock revival than Texan trio Khruangbin. Their vintage sound, recorded with warm fuzz as if on a reel-to-reel from the ’70s, combines global influences of Jamaican dub, Southeast Asian funk, surf rock and a country twang from their home state. The result is a soothing mélange that goes down slow — a perfect soundtrack for swaying under the night sky while slightly stoned, if that’s your persuasion. Celebrating their new, bilingual Spanish-English album \u003ci>A La Sala\u003c/i>, Khruangbin performs three nights in a row at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. The second two are sold out, but Aug. 14 still has tickets available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13932354\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Robert-Glasper-performs-at-Blue-Note-Jazz-Festival-on-Saturday-July-28-2023.-Estefany-Gonzalez-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert Glasper performs at Blue Note Jazz Festival on Saturday, July 29, 2023. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bluenotejazz.com/black-radio-experience/\">The Black Radio Experience\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Aug. 30–Sept. 1, 2024\u003cbr>\nMeritage Resort & Spa, Napa\u003cbr>\nThree-day passes: $499+\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For jazz, grown-and-sexy R&B, lyrical hip-hop and general musical excellence, the Black Radio Experience is a new, more intimate event from the producers of the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa, which is on hiatus until 2025. Jazz pianist and prolific hip-hop collaborator Robert Glasper curated the lineup, which includes John Legend, Jill Scott and Andre 3000 (with his \u003ca href=\"https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/why-andre-3000-stopped-rapping-1234880754/\">wooden flute\u003c/a>) as headliners. Also performing are Nile Rogers & Chic, Ledisi, Madlib, Andra Day, Christian McBride, Common and more, with Oakland-raised Sway Calloway as host.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13957394/bay-area-music-festivals-outdoor-concerts-summer-2024","authors":["11387"],"programs":["arts_140"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_69"],"tags":["arts_10278","arts_22150","arts_22140","arts_585"],"featImg":"arts_13938053","label":"source_arts_13957394"},"arts_13956635":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13956635","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13956635","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"bay-area-whale-watching-beekeeping-petting-zoo-horse-riding-goat-yoga","title":"8 Bay Area Animal Adventures to Make Your Summer More Wild","publishDate":1715702418,"format":"standard","headTitle":"8 Bay Area Animal Adventures to Make Your Summer More Wild | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cp>When it comes to the great outdoors, there are two kinds of humans: those who can get lost in the scenery, and those that are there purely to catch a glimpse of the beautiful animals in our midst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those in the latter camp, here are the best Bay Area activities to get outdoors and see something a little wild this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13956885\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1368px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13956885\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2.jpg\" alt=\"The front half of a whale's body emerges from water as a boat carrying passengers watches from a short distance.\" width=\"1368\" height=\"914\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2.jpg 1368w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1368px) 100vw, 1368px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Humpback whales are very active in San Francisco Bay during the summer months. \u003ccite>(Photo by Michael Pierson; Courtesy of San Francisco Whale Tours)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Whale watching\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://sanfranciscowhaletours.com/whale-watching/golden-gate-whale-watch/\">San Francisco Whale Tours\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Pier 39, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After spending the winter mating and calving off the coast of Mexico, humpback whales spend their summers in the San Francisco Bay. A great way to see these majestic mammals is to catch a ride with San Francisco Whale Tours. Every day, at noon and 3 p.m., the catamaran Kitty Kat sets sail from Pier 39 for a 2.5-hour tour that might also include sightings of harbor seals, dolphins and porpoises, plus a wide variety of sea bird colonies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every tour is a unique experience,” Kat Nazar, owner of San Francisco Whale Tours, told KQED Arts. “Many times we have intel from vessel traffic control that will tell us where other boaters have reported sightings around the bay so we head to that area. Other times we head out blind, generally towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We find whales on about 90% of our tours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you don’t see a whale on your tour? San Francisco Whale Tours will take you back out on the water for free. You can’t lose!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957307\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957307\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2148681554-scaled-e1715035097581.jpg\" alt=\"Three rabbit lie snuggled close together in a pen.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Who wouldn’t want a ‘Rabbit Rendezvous’? \u003ccite>(Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/ Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Learning about farmyard friends\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/visitor-centers/ardenwood\">\u003cem>Ardenwood Historic Farm\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the summer, kids (and their adults) can get up close to rabbits, poultry and goats at the visitor center of Ardenwood Historic Farm. Dedicated weekend events include “Rabbit Rendezvous,” “Meet the Chickens” and “Farmyard Story Time.” On select Sunday mornings, “Wake Up the Farm” gives kids the opportunity to meet sheep and goats and take part in feeding them. Plus, for children fascinated by creepy crawlies, “Garden Bug Safari” is a must-try, getting kids to look closer at the miniature worlds at their feet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ardenwood is dedicated to education, so short classes about bees, cows and other living things are also on offer. They offer a wholesome day that’s great for animal lovers of all ages — even if you’re pretending it’s just for the little ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957386\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1444px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM.png\" alt=\"An adult giraffe leans down and licks the ear of its smaller offspring.\" width=\"1444\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM.png 1444w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-800x521.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-1020x664.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-160x104.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-768x500.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two of Safari West’s resident giraffes. \u003ccite>(Sarah Jane Tarr/ Safari West)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Going on safari\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/\">\u003cem>Safari West\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>3115 Porter Creek Rd., Santa Rosa\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve always wanted to go on safari, the destination you have in mind is probably very much \u003cem>not\u003c/em> Santa Rosa. However, Safari West’s 400 acres and 900 animals work hard to bring the Serengeti to Sonoma County. Here, you can see giraffes, gazelles, hyenas, zebras and a \u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/wildlife/\">variety of other fascinating creatures\u003c/a> from the back or top of customized open-sided vehicles under the guidance of the park’s researchers and conservationists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even better? The wildlife park offers a range of special events and \u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/plan-your-visit/behind-the-scenes/\">behind the scenes\u003c/a> experiences to get you in touch with your own wild side. The truly committed can \u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/plan-your-visit/spend-the-night/\">stay in a luxury tent overnight\u003c/a> on the property, but day-trippers can sign up for special small-group experiences with the on-site rhinos, cheetahs and other animals. Hot tip for those visiting in adults-only groups: Safari West also hosts safari experiences that double as wine and beer tastings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957332\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957332\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM.png\" alt=\"A line of riders on horses walk down a beach in line.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"786\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-800x524.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-1020x668.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-768x503.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ocean View Stables offers horseback riding for beginners. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ocean View Stables)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Horseback riding\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oceanviewstables.com/\">Ocean View Stables\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>2152 Olympic Way, Daly City\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve recently lapsed into fullblown, Beyoncé-inspired \u003cem>Cowboy Carter\u003c/em> fantasies, Ocean View Stables is here to make all your horsey, trail-riding dreams come true. Whether you’re a beginner or already have some horseback experience, this Daly City stable has multiple options to make sure you get to ride ’em (cowboy) this summer. Probably the greatest summer option is an introductory lesson followed by a relaxing one-hour group ride on the beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If horses aren’t for you, but you’d like to turn the kids into young equestrians, there are also quick pony rides for the littles and a week-long horseback summer camp for children aged eight to 17.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957018\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1634px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957018\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM.png\" alt=\"A shorn sheep stands on a yoga mat with humans sat on the ground next to her.\" width=\"1634\" height=\"1076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM.png 1634w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-800x527.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-1020x672.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-768x506.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-1536x1011.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1634px) 100vw, 1634px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheep meditation and goat yoga are both on offer from Charlie’s Acres this summer. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Charlie's Acres)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Meditating with sheep\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.charliesacres.org/\">Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>3201 Napa Rd., Sonoma\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meeting farm animals is fantastic, but have you ever tried \u003ca href=\"https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/charliesacres/items/369712/calendar/2024/05/?flow=765589&full-items=yes\">meditating with sheep\u003c/a>? The animal lovers of Charlie’s Acres want to give you the opportunity to try both this summer. And, if you love those activities, why not sign up for some \u003ca href=\"https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/charliesacres/items/369683/calendar/2024/05/?flow=765589&full-items=yes\">goat yoga\u003c/a> while you’re at it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2016, Charlie’s Acres founder Tracy Vogt has been introducing the public to her menagerie of rescued farm animals in ever more creative ways. All year round, the non-profit offers farm tours, photoshoot opportunities, plant-based picnics and yes, sheep meditation and goat yoga. On June 21, 2024 though, everything is combining into one very \u003ca href=\"https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/charliesacres/items/538954/calendar/2024/06/?flow=717046&full-items=yes\">special retreat\u003c/a> to coincide with the summer solstice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sheep meditation is a really lovely experience,” Sanctuary director Kaleigh Rhoads told KQED Arts. “We work with instructors who use a collection of crystal singing bowls along with their meditation. It’s a great opportunity to have a peaceful experience with typically shy animals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the yoga, Charlie’s Acres goats are adults, so they don’t jump on class participants. “They just love having visitors,” Rhoads explained. “It’s pretty silly and definitely more about the goats than yoga.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957331\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1876px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957331\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals.jpeg\" alt=\"A black seal pup and a white seal pup nap on a floating platform.\" width=\"1876\" height=\"1229\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals.jpeg 1876w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-800x524.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-1020x668.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-160x105.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-768x503.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-1536x1006.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1876px) 100vw, 1876px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two young seals sun themselves on Sea Trek’s dock in Sausalito. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Laura Zulliger, Sea Trek)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Kayaking with seals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sea Trek\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>1120 Ballena Blvd., Suite 200, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/alameda-location/\">Alameda\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n2100 Bridgeway, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/\">Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sea Trek, a kayak rental and excursion company, is so perfectly positioned to see Bay Area wildlife, it’s not unusual for employees to show up to work and find newborns on their Sausalito dock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The seal pups are not only super cute, but you can see them learning with their moms how to do basic things, like wiggle up on the dock and nurse,” Sea Trek kayaking instructor Laura Zulliger noted. “You can see the baby seals being cute and curious all throughout the summer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sea Trek offers guided scenic tours from its \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-sausalito/#guided-tours\">Sausalito\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-alameda/#guided-tours\">Alameda\u003c/a> locations, both of which explore local sea and wildlife along the 2.5-hour paddle. During June, July and August, however, there are additional, summer-specific tours from both locations. Special Sausalito outings include monthly \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-sausalito/#guided-tours\">Angel Island Crossing\u003c/a> tours and bi-monthly \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-sausalito/#guided-tours\">Golden Gate Tours\u003c/a>. Both take kayakers in search of sea lions, porpoises, whales, birds and other wildlife. From Alameda, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/trips/sausalito-take-the-kids-kayak-tour/\">kid-friendly outing\u003c/a> is paired with a fun and interactive trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/visitor-centers/crab-cove\">Crab Cove’s Visitor Center\u003c/a>, while adult-specific scenic tours end in a visit to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.alamedaca.gov/RESIDENTS/Visiting-Alameda/Attractions-in-Alameda/Spirits-Alley\">Spirits Alley\u003c/a> brewery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sea Trek is dedicated to treating all wildlife and ecologies in the Bay with respect, while making their guided tours as fun and educational as possible. “We want to instill in paddlers that we need to give these animals space for their survival,” Zulliger emphasized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957380\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1648px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957380\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM.png\" alt=\"A group of people in beekeeping suits gather around a hive, as one beekeeper holds up part of a hive.\" width=\"1648\" height=\"1060\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM.png 1648w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-800x515.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-1020x656.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-160x103.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-768x494.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-1536x988.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students get a beekeeping 101 from the owner of San Francisco Honey & Pollen Company. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of San Francisco Honey & Pollen Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Beekeeping\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhoneyandpollen.com/\">San Francisco Honey & Pollen Company\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>1176 Shafter Ave., San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Bayview is probably not the first destination folks have in mind when they think about getting in touch with wildlife. But on select weekends this summer, lifelong beekeeper Christina McDonald will be teaching beginners how to start beekeeping in their own backyards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McDonald’s dad started beekeeping in the city 20 years ago, teaching her how to build and maintain hive boxes throughout her childhood. Her \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhoneyandpollen.com/classes/beginner-beekeeping/\">Introduction to Beekeeping\u003c/a> class gives visitors an insight into the importance of bees in our local environment and then assists them in exploring some of SF Honey & Pollen Co.’s apiaries. After hands-on training, each course culminates in a honey and pollen tasting session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the beginner class gives you the bug, you can return for McDonald’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhoneyandpollen.com/classes/advanced-beekeeping/\">advanced class\u003c/a>, where students learn how to extract honey from the hive and bottle it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Birdwatching\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957393\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957393\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1347414026-scaled-e1715123503905.jpg\" alt=\"A medium sized blue and white bird sits on a bare tree branch.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California Scrub-Jay — just one of the 414 species of birds spotted in Santa Clara County. \u003ccite>(Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/\">\u003cem>Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>22221 McClellan Rd., Cupertino\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The members of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society just want you to love birds as much as they do, so they offer a huge range of free resources to make that happen. The SCVAS website walks you through \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/self-guided-field-trips\">self-guided birding outings\u003c/a>, categorized by area and season, but also offers regular (and frequently free) group excursions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, SCVAS outings are planned in \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-sanborn-county-park-main-entrance-2-594tc\">Saratoga\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-charleston-slough-mountain-view\">Mountain View\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-lunchtime-birding-at-sunnyvale-water-pollution-control-plant-2-j36ts-d5y9a-z767y\">Sunnyvale\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-stanford-arboretum-and-cactus-garden-3-ybs3p\">Stanford\u003c/a> and even the \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/farallon-islands-pelagic-trip\">Farallon Islands\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On June 15, in a special celebration for Pride Month, the bird-lovers are also hosting a \u003cem>Queers of a Feather\u003c/em> field trip: a bird outing specifically for LGBTQ+ folks. \u003cem>Queers of a Feather\u003c/em> will be co-hosted by the \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/\">Peninsula Open Space Trust\u003c/a>. That’s fitting, given that POST is hosting an online event on June 5 titled \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/event/queer-is-natural-online-event/\">\u003cem>Queer Is Natural\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which will explore queerness in nature. Clearly everyone involved heartily believes in flocking together.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"In search of wildlife this summer? Where to find whales, seals, farmyard friends and even meditative sheep.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1715724732,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":35,"wordCount":1679},"headData":{"title":"Where to Find Seals, Whales and Other Wildlife in the Bay Area | KQE","description":"In search of wildlife this summer? Where to find whales, seals, farmyard friends and even meditative sheep.","ogTitle":"Get Wild With Bay Area Animal Adventures This Summer","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"Get Wild With Bay Area Animal Adventures This Summer","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","socialTitle":"Where to Find Seals, Whales and Other Wildlife in the Bay Area%%page%% %%sep%% KQE","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"8 Bay Area Animal Adventures to Make Your Summer More Wild","datePublished":"2024-05-14T09:00:18-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-14T15:12:12-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"source":"Summer Guide 2024","sourceUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2024","sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13956635","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13956635/bay-area-whale-watching-beekeeping-petting-zoo-horse-riding-goat-yoga","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When it comes to the great outdoors, there are two kinds of humans: those who can get lost in the scenery, and those that are there purely to catch a glimpse of the beautiful animals in our midst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those in the latter camp, here are the best Bay Area activities to get outdoors and see something a little wild this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13956885\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1368px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13956885\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2.jpg\" alt=\"The front half of a whale's body emerges from water as a boat carrying passengers watches from a short distance.\" width=\"1368\" height=\"914\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2.jpg 1368w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/image2-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1368px) 100vw, 1368px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Humpback whales are very active in San Francisco Bay during the summer months. \u003ccite>(Photo by Michael Pierson; Courtesy of San Francisco Whale Tours)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Whale watching\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://sanfranciscowhaletours.com/whale-watching/golden-gate-whale-watch/\">San Francisco Whale Tours\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Pier 39, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After spending the winter mating and calving off the coast of Mexico, humpback whales spend their summers in the San Francisco Bay. A great way to see these majestic mammals is to catch a ride with San Francisco Whale Tours. Every day, at noon and 3 p.m., the catamaran Kitty Kat sets sail from Pier 39 for a 2.5-hour tour that might also include sightings of harbor seals, dolphins and porpoises, plus a wide variety of sea bird colonies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every tour is a unique experience,” Kat Nazar, owner of San Francisco Whale Tours, told KQED Arts. “Many times we have intel from vessel traffic control that will tell us where other boaters have reported sightings around the bay so we head to that area. Other times we head out blind, generally towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We find whales on about 90% of our tours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you don’t see a whale on your tour? San Francisco Whale Tours will take you back out on the water for free. You can’t lose!\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957307\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957307\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-2148681554-scaled-e1715035097581.jpg\" alt=\"Three rabbit lie snuggled close together in a pen.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Who wouldn’t want a ‘Rabbit Rendezvous’? \u003ccite>(Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/ Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Learning about farmyard friends\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/visitor-centers/ardenwood\">\u003cem>Ardenwood Historic Farm\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the summer, kids (and their adults) can get up close to rabbits, poultry and goats at the visitor center of Ardenwood Historic Farm. Dedicated weekend events include “Rabbit Rendezvous,” “Meet the Chickens” and “Farmyard Story Time.” On select Sunday mornings, “Wake Up the Farm” gives kids the opportunity to meet sheep and goats and take part in feeding them. Plus, for children fascinated by creepy crawlies, “Garden Bug Safari” is a must-try, getting kids to look closer at the miniature worlds at their feet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ardenwood is dedicated to education, so short classes about bees, cows and other living things are also on offer. They offer a wholesome day that’s great for animal lovers of all ages — even if you’re pretending it’s just for the little ones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957386\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1444px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM.png\" alt=\"An adult giraffe leans down and licks the ear of its smaller offspring.\" width=\"1444\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM.png 1444w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-800x521.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-1020x664.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-160x104.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.48.29-PM-768x500.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two of Safari West’s resident giraffes. \u003ccite>(Sarah Jane Tarr/ Safari West)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Going on safari\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/\">\u003cem>Safari West\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>3115 Porter Creek Rd., Santa Rosa\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve always wanted to go on safari, the destination you have in mind is probably very much \u003cem>not\u003c/em> Santa Rosa. However, Safari West’s 400 acres and 900 animals work hard to bring the Serengeti to Sonoma County. Here, you can see giraffes, gazelles, hyenas, zebras and a \u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/wildlife/\">variety of other fascinating creatures\u003c/a> from the back or top of customized open-sided vehicles under the guidance of the park’s researchers and conservationists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even better? The wildlife park offers a range of special events and \u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/plan-your-visit/behind-the-scenes/\">behind the scenes\u003c/a> experiences to get you in touch with your own wild side. The truly committed can \u003ca href=\"https://safariwest.com/plan-your-visit/spend-the-night/\">stay in a luxury tent overnight\u003c/a> on the property, but day-trippers can sign up for special small-group experiences with the on-site rhinos, cheetahs and other animals. Hot tip for those visiting in adults-only groups: Safari West also hosts safari experiences that double as wine and beer tastings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957332\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957332\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM.png\" alt=\"A line of riders on horses walk down a beach in line.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"786\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-800x524.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-1020x668.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-06-at-11.29.57-PM-768x503.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ocean View Stables offers horseback riding for beginners. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ocean View Stables)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Horseback riding\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oceanviewstables.com/\">Ocean View Stables\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>2152 Olympic Way, Daly City\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve recently lapsed into fullblown, Beyoncé-inspired \u003cem>Cowboy Carter\u003c/em> fantasies, Ocean View Stables is here to make all your horsey, trail-riding dreams come true. Whether you’re a beginner or already have some horseback experience, this Daly City stable has multiple options to make sure you get to ride ’em (cowboy) this summer. Probably the greatest summer option is an introductory lesson followed by a relaxing one-hour group ride on the beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If horses aren’t for you, but you’d like to turn the kids into young equestrians, there are also quick pony rides for the littles and a week-long horseback summer camp for children aged eight to 17.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957018\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1634px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957018\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM.png\" alt=\"A shorn sheep stands on a yoga mat with humans sat on the ground next to her.\" width=\"1634\" height=\"1076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM.png 1634w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-800x527.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-1020x672.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-768x506.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-01-at-5.01.35-PM-1536x1011.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1634px) 100vw, 1634px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheep meditation and goat yoga are both on offer from Charlie’s Acres this summer. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Charlie's Acres)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Meditating with sheep\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.charliesacres.org/\">Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>3201 Napa Rd., Sonoma\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meeting farm animals is fantastic, but have you ever tried \u003ca href=\"https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/charliesacres/items/369712/calendar/2024/05/?flow=765589&full-items=yes\">meditating with sheep\u003c/a>? The animal lovers of Charlie’s Acres want to give you the opportunity to try both this summer. And, if you love those activities, why not sign up for some \u003ca href=\"https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/charliesacres/items/369683/calendar/2024/05/?flow=765589&full-items=yes\">goat yoga\u003c/a> while you’re at it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2016, Charlie’s Acres founder Tracy Vogt has been introducing the public to her menagerie of rescued farm animals in ever more creative ways. All year round, the non-profit offers farm tours, photoshoot opportunities, plant-based picnics and yes, sheep meditation and goat yoga. On June 21, 2024 though, everything is combining into one very \u003ca href=\"https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/charliesacres/items/538954/calendar/2024/06/?flow=717046&full-items=yes\">special retreat\u003c/a> to coincide with the summer solstice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sheep meditation is a really lovely experience,” Sanctuary director Kaleigh Rhoads told KQED Arts. “We work with instructors who use a collection of crystal singing bowls along with their meditation. It’s a great opportunity to have a peaceful experience with typically shy animals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the yoga, Charlie’s Acres goats are adults, so they don’t jump on class participants. “They just love having visitors,” Rhoads explained. “It’s pretty silly and definitely more about the goats than yoga.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957331\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1876px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957331\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals.jpeg\" alt=\"A black seal pup and a white seal pup nap on a floating platform.\" width=\"1876\" height=\"1229\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals.jpeg 1876w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-800x524.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-1020x668.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-160x105.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-768x503.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seals-1536x1006.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1876px) 100vw, 1876px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two young seals sun themselves on Sea Trek’s dock in Sausalito. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Laura Zulliger, Sea Trek)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Kayaking with seals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sea Trek\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>1120 Ballena Blvd., Suite 200, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/alameda-location/\">Alameda\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n2100 Bridgeway, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/\">Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sea Trek, a kayak rental and excursion company, is so perfectly positioned to see Bay Area wildlife, it’s not unusual for employees to show up to work and find newborns on their Sausalito dock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The seal pups are not only super cute, but you can see them learning with their moms how to do basic things, like wiggle up on the dock and nurse,” Sea Trek kayaking instructor Laura Zulliger noted. “You can see the baby seals being cute and curious all throughout the summer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sea Trek offers guided scenic tours from its \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-sausalito/#guided-tours\">Sausalito\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-alameda/#guided-tours\">Alameda\u003c/a> locations, both of which explore local sea and wildlife along the 2.5-hour paddle. During June, July and August, however, there are additional, summer-specific tours from both locations. Special Sausalito outings include monthly \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-sausalito/#guided-tours\">Angel Island Crossing\u003c/a> tours and bi-monthly \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/tours-sausalito/#guided-tours\">Golden Gate Tours\u003c/a>. Both take kayakers in search of sea lions, porpoises, whales, birds and other wildlife. From Alameda, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.seatrek.com/trips/sausalito-take-the-kids-kayak-tour/\">kid-friendly outing\u003c/a> is paired with a fun and interactive trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/visitor-centers/crab-cove\">Crab Cove’s Visitor Center\u003c/a>, while adult-specific scenic tours end in a visit to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.alamedaca.gov/RESIDENTS/Visiting-Alameda/Attractions-in-Alameda/Spirits-Alley\">Spirits Alley\u003c/a> brewery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sea Trek is dedicated to treating all wildlife and ecologies in the Bay with respect, while making their guided tours as fun and educational as possible. “We want to instill in paddlers that we need to give these animals space for their survival,” Zulliger emphasized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957380\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1648px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957380\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM.png\" alt=\"A group of people in beekeeping suits gather around a hive, as one beekeeper holds up part of a hive.\" width=\"1648\" height=\"1060\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM.png 1648w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-800x515.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-1020x656.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-160x103.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-768x494.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-07-at-12.26.05-PM-1536x988.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students get a beekeeping 101 from the owner of San Francisco Honey & Pollen Company. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of San Francisco Honey & Pollen Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Beekeeping\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhoneyandpollen.com/\">San Francisco Honey & Pollen Company\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>1176 Shafter Ave., San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Bayview is probably not the first destination folks have in mind when they think about getting in touch with wildlife. But on select weekends this summer, lifelong beekeeper Christina McDonald will be teaching beginners how to start beekeeping in their own backyards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McDonald’s dad started beekeeping in the city 20 years ago, teaching her how to build and maintain hive boxes throughout her childhood. Her \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhoneyandpollen.com/classes/beginner-beekeeping/\">Introduction to Beekeeping\u003c/a> class gives visitors an insight into the importance of bees in our local environment and then assists them in exploring some of SF Honey & Pollen Co.’s apiaries. After hands-on training, each course culminates in a honey and pollen tasting session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the beginner class gives you the bug, you can return for McDonald’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhoneyandpollen.com/classes/advanced-beekeeping/\">advanced class\u003c/a>, where students learn how to extract honey from the hive and bottle it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Birdwatching\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957393\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957393\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GettyImages-1347414026-scaled-e1715123503905.jpg\" alt=\"A medium sized blue and white bird sits on a bare tree branch.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California Scrub-Jay — just one of the 414 species of birds spotted in Santa Clara County. \u003ccite>(Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/\">\u003cem>Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>22221 McClellan Rd., Cupertino\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The members of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society just want you to love birds as much as they do, so they offer a huge range of free resources to make that happen. The SCVAS website walks you through \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/self-guided-field-trips\">self-guided birding outings\u003c/a>, categorized by area and season, but also offers regular (and frequently free) group excursions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer, SCVAS outings are planned in \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-sanborn-county-park-main-entrance-2-594tc\">Saratoga\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-charleston-slough-mountain-view\">Mountain View\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-lunchtime-birding-at-sunnyvale-water-pollution-control-plant-2-j36ts-d5y9a-z767y\">Sunnyvale\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/field-trip-stanford-arboretum-and-cactus-garden-3-ybs3p\">Stanford\u003c/a> and even the \u003ca href=\"https://scvas.org/event-calendar/farallon-islands-pelagic-trip\">Farallon Islands\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On June 15, in a special celebration for Pride Month, the bird-lovers are also hosting a \u003cem>Queers of a Feather\u003c/em> field trip: a bird outing specifically for LGBTQ+ folks. \u003cem>Queers of a Feather\u003c/em> will be co-hosted by the \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/\">Peninsula Open Space Trust\u003c/a>. That’s fitting, given that POST is hosting an online event on June 5 titled \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/event/queer-is-natural-online-event/\">\u003cem>Queer Is Natural\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which will explore queerness in nature. Clearly everyone involved heartily believes in flocking together.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13956635/bay-area-whale-watching-beekeeping-petting-zoo-horse-riding-goat-yoga","authors":["11242"],"programs":["arts_140"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_835","arts_11615"],"tags":["arts_9124","arts_10278","arts_2832","arts_22150","arts_585","arts_5878"],"featImg":"arts_13957013","label":"source_arts_13956635"},"arts_13958169":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13958169","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13958169","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"mill-valleys-sequoia-theatre-reopens-with-a-week-of-1-movies","title":"Mill Valley’s Sequoia Theatre Reopens With a Week of $1 Movies","publishDate":1716249776,"format":"standard","headTitle":"Mill Valley’s Sequoia Theatre Reopens With a Week of $1 Movies | KQED","labelTerm":{"term":140,"site":"arts"},"content":"\u003cp>The 95-year-old Sequoia Theatre in downtown Mill Valley reopened on Monday, May 20, marking a rare movie theater reopening amid a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893696/the-pandemic-took-a-number-of-bay-area-movie-theaters-whats-working-for-the-theaters-that-survived\">spate of closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The theater, built in 1929, has been dark since last October, when the lease held by the movie theater chain Cinemark ran out. Over the past six months, its owner and new operator, the California Film Institute, upgraded the projectors and sound equipment and refurbished the lobby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting May 20, the theater — newly christened as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sequoiafilm.org/\">Sequoia Cinema\u003c/a> — will celebrate by screening four days of classic films like \u003cem>Vertigo\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Wizard of Oz\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Back to the Future\u003c/em>, charging just $1 admission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='forum_2010101893696']The California Film Institute also runs the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An increasing number of Bay Area movie theaters have closed, including but not limited to the Century Cinema in Corte Madera, the Regency 6 in San Rafael, the Century Regency in San Rafael, the Albany Twin in Albany, Century Cinema in San Francisco, Embarcadero Cinema in San Francisco and the West Portal Theater in San Francisco. The Sequoia’s reopening, meanwhile, is a welcome outlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we do really great, unique programing, especially if there’s a local filmmaker or a local community partnership involved, people support it,” said Dan Zastrow, general manager of the Smith Rafael Film Center and Sequoia Cinema. “Every time I walk in the building, someone stops me to ask me about when we’re reopening. People are just excited about the cinema coming back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958182\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958182\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1582\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-800x659.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-1020x840.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-160x132.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-768x633.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-1536x1266.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sequoia Theater pictured in 1967. Eight years later, its main auditorium would be “twinned,” or split into two, as it is today. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Lucritia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many of the local movie theaters that have closed in the past few years, Zastrow observed, had been operated by large chains like Regency, AMC, Landmark, Century and Cinemark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And nothing against the big chain theaters, which I love,” Zastrow said, adding that the Sequoia will inevitably show some mainstream films often seen at the region’s megaplexes. “But it’s a different kind of exhibition animal; it’s the next-big-film in, and low-grosser out. What we do is more community-focused and filmmaker-focused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Film booking at the Sequoia will be handled by Jan Klingelhofer, who also books the Smith Rafael Film Center. On May 31, the theater opens \u003cem>Edge of Everything\u003c/em>, by filmmakers Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman. The film was inspired by the writer and directors’ teenage years growing up in Mill Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='news_11952358']The Sequoia Theater may eventually get a significant remodel. In 2022, the California Film Institute \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofmillvalley.org/966/Sequoia-Theater-Renovation-Plan\">filed plans with the city of Mill Valley\u003c/a> to dig out a lower ground floor and add a second story, increasing the number of auditoriums from two to four.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zastrow could not comment on the exact details of the plans, or where they stand. “We’ll see where we are in a couple of years,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But, as we raise funds and plan for a renovation, we couldn’t leave the building dark. We had to operate it, keep it open and run film,” he said. “It’s just this incredibly beloved community cinema.”\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"The 95-year-old movie theater reopened Monday, marking a rare success story amid a spate of closures.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1716266820,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":14,"wordCount":577},"headData":{"title":"Mill Valley’s Sequoia Theatre Reopens With a Week of $1 Movies | KQED","description":"The 95-year-old movie theater reopened Monday, marking a rare success story amid a spate of closures.","ogTitle":"Mill Valley’s Sequoia Theatre Reopens With a Week of $1 Movies","ogDescription":"The 95-year-old movie theater reopened Monday, marking a rare success story amid a spate of closures.","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"Mill Valley’s Sequoia Theatre Reopens With a Week of $1 Movies","twDescription":"The 95-year-old movie theater reopened Monday, marking a rare success story amid a spate of closures.","twImgId":"","socialDescription":"The 95-year-old movie theater reopened Monday, marking a rare success story amid a spate of closures.","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Mill Valley’s Sequoia Theatre Reopens With a Week of $1 Movies","datePublished":"2024-05-20T17:02:56-07:00","dateModified":"2024-05-20T21:47:00-07:00","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"sticky":false,"nprStoryId":"kqed-13958169","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13958169/mill-valleys-sequoia-theatre-reopens-with-a-week-of-1-movies","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The 95-year-old Sequoia Theatre in downtown Mill Valley reopened on Monday, May 20, marking a rare movie theater reopening amid a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893696/the-pandemic-took-a-number-of-bay-area-movie-theaters-whats-working-for-the-theaters-that-survived\">spate of closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The theater, built in 1929, has been dark since last October, when the lease held by the movie theater chain Cinemark ran out. Over the past six months, its owner and new operator, the California Film Institute, upgraded the projectors and sound equipment and refurbished the lobby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting May 20, the theater — newly christened as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sequoiafilm.org/\">Sequoia Cinema\u003c/a> — will celebrate by screening four days of classic films like \u003cem>Vertigo\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Wizard of Oz\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Back to the Future\u003c/em>, charging just $1 admission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"forum_2010101893696","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The California Film Institute also runs the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An increasing number of Bay Area movie theaters have closed, including but not limited to the Century Cinema in Corte Madera, the Regency 6 in San Rafael, the Century Regency in San Rafael, the Albany Twin in Albany, Century Cinema in San Francisco, Embarcadero Cinema in San Francisco and the West Portal Theater in San Francisco. The Sequoia’s reopening, meanwhile, is a welcome outlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we do really great, unique programing, especially if there’s a local filmmaker or a local community partnership involved, people support it,” said Dan Zastrow, general manager of the Smith Rafael Film Center and Sequoia Cinema. “Every time I walk in the building, someone stops me to ask me about when we’re reopening. People are just excited about the cinema coming back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958182\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958182\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1582\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-800x659.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-1020x840.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-160x132.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-768x633.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/seq_history_04-1536x1266.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sequoia Theater pictured in 1967. Eight years later, its main auditorium would be “twinned,” or split into two, as it is today. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Lucritia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many of the local movie theaters that have closed in the past few years, Zastrow observed, had been operated by large chains like Regency, AMC, Landmark, Century and Cinemark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And nothing against the big chain theaters, which I love,” Zastrow said, adding that the Sequoia will inevitably show some mainstream films often seen at the region’s megaplexes. “But it’s a different kind of exhibition animal; it’s the next-big-film in, and low-grosser out. What we do is more community-focused and filmmaker-focused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Film booking at the Sequoia will be handled by Jan Klingelhofer, who also books the Smith Rafael Film Center. On May 31, the theater opens \u003cem>Edge of Everything\u003c/em>, by filmmakers Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman. The film was inspired by the writer and directors’ teenage years growing up in Mill Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"news_11952358","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Sequoia Theater may eventually get a significant remodel. In 2022, the California Film Institute \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofmillvalley.org/966/Sequoia-Theater-Renovation-Plan\">filed plans with the city of Mill Valley\u003c/a> to dig out a lower ground floor and add a second story, increasing the number of auditoriums from two to four.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zastrow could not comment on the exact details of the plans, or where they stand. “We’ll see where we are in a couple of years,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But, as we raise funds and plan for a renovation, we couldn’t leave the building dark. We had to operate it, keep it open and run film,” he said. “It’s just this incredibly beloved community cinema.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13958169/mill-valleys-sequoia-theatre-reopens-with-a-week-of-1-movies","authors":["185"],"programs":["arts_140"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_74"],"tags":["arts_10331","arts_10278","arts_11661","arts_13077","arts_5544","arts_585"],"featImg":"arts_13958183","label":"arts_140"},"arts_13927349":{"type":"posts","id":"arts_13927349","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"arts","id":"13927349","found":true},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"bay-area-hip-hop-1980s","title":"How Bay Area Hip-Hop Found Its Sound in the 1980s","publishDate":1680722857,"format":"aside","headTitle":"How Bay Area Hip-Hop Found Its Sound in the 1980s | KQED","labelTerm":{},"content":"\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-800x450.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927363\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1020x574.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the mid-1980s, after years of street dance, DJing and graffiti sharing equal space, rapping took center stage. The Bay Area’s bass-heavy sound would arrive at the end of the decade. (Clockwise from top left: Too Short, MC Hammer, Dominique DiPrima, Club Nouveau, and Motorcycle Mike.) \u003ccite>(Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images; Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; SFSU Television Archives; Raymond Boyd/Getty Images; Hodisk Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s note\u003c/strong>: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span>t’s a wintry January evening when Bas-1 brings me to Del the Funky Homosapien’s house in the East Bay. For much of the afternoon, Bas — the \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/old-school-fool-1/\">Oakland native\u003c/a> who’s worked with Digital Underground and released \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bas-1+full+album+mentally+astute\">his own solo records\u003c/a> — has schooled me on the origins of the Bay Area hip-hop sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bas lists numerous rappers from the ’80s, and not just Todd “Too Short” Shaw, the East Oakland rapper who famously hustled homemade cassette tapes. I’ve never heard most of the names Bas mentions: MC Chocolate Milk, Windell Baby Doll, Davy Def, Buddy Bean, Reggie Reg Rock Ski.ter, M.C. Tracy, Rock Master Fresh, Nic Nack, Kimmie Fresh, and the Acorn Crew with Grandmaster Fresh (a rapper later known as “DJ Daryl” Anderson, famed for producing tracks like 415’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuZ6CAwZmys\">Side Show\u003c/a>” and 2Pac’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAJfDP3b5_U\">Keep Ya Head Up\u003c/a>”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13924126']Many of these early Bay Area rappers never put out a commercially available record. Instead, their work is mostly confined to locally distributed cassette tapes — collectors call them “gray tapes” — that are now nearly impossible to find. They publicly broadcasted these tapes throughout neighborhoods, utilizing boomboxes and car stereos as well as stereos at house parties. “None of them sound like Too Short,” says Bas. “Some of these people didn’t put out recordings, but they were known.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the 1980s, Bay Area hip-hop was an artistic movement struggling for a distinct identity. The first half of the decade was defined by street dance and aerosol art as much as rap and DJing. But as local youth began to absorb the sounds emanating from national hotspots like New York, they created a distinctive style all their own — one that would make a global impact in the years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Del’s house, Bas queues up an extraordinary live video clip of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u3eiG9BtdE\">Mac Mill, Emperor E, and DJ Anthony “K-os” Bryant\u003c/a> performing at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11690787/when-oakland-was-a-chocolate-city-a-brief-history-of-festival-at-the-lake\">Festival at the Lake\u003c/a>, a now-defunct annual event held at Lake Merritt, in 1988. (Alex “Naru” Reece, who organized the showcase where Mac Mill performed, clarified in a follow-up conversation that it didn’t happen during Festival at the Lake. He also says the showcase was filmed in 1986 for a 1988 video compilation.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mac Mill and Emperor E go back and forth, trading sound effects and dense Oakland slang as K-os cuts and scratches copies of Long Island band Original Concept’s deathless bass classic, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai4VC0NUxl4\">Knowledge Me\u003c/a>.” Bas praises Mac Mill’s unusual “Arabian” style, which the latter deployed nearly a decade later with the 1995 single “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_f0TB3Igro\">Arabian Hump\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u3eiG9BtdE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, Bas-1 calls Chris “CJ Flash” Jourdan, an OG who worked with Timex Social Club, the Berkeley teen band whose 1986 electro-funk classic, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVce2IeYcTg\">Rumors\u003c/a>,” represented the first national breakthrough for Bay Area hip-hop culture. As Bas broadcasts CJ Flash’s voice from his phone through Del’s stereo equipment, CJ Flash spends the next hour or so describing a fledging scene where poppers and boogaloo dancers, not rappers or DJs, were the prime attractions. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These ensembles drew from a street-dance tradition that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13891300/reclaiming-the-legacy-of-oaklands-boogaloo-dance-culture\">dates back decades\u003c/a>. Their kinetic performances ignited crowds at high schools, house parties, and public spaces like Justin Herman Plaza and Union Square in San Francisco and UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Battles even took place on the street, with crews traveling to different neighborhoods around the region to seek out rivals. “You could meet with people on their turf and get down, and hopefully not get thumped in the process,” says CJ Flash. Many Bay Area hip-hop pioneers got their start in dance crews, including Club Nouveau’s Jay King (who pop-locked with The Unknowns), DJ King Tech (who was known as Wizard, and danced with Master City Breakers), and Flash himself (who \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub1TtnI4dh8\">performed with UFO\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub1TtnI4dh8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, rapping was a relatively new and undeveloped skill, the lowest element on the hip-hop totem pole. “Anybody could rap. Anybody could say a bunch of basic rhyme words with no style and flavor,” says Bas, noting as an aside that “most folks couldn’t understand the lyrics anyway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How is a discussion about street dancers connected to an exploration of the Bay Area hip-hop sound? It’s important to understand the conditions under which the genre emerged locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Turntables, Casios and Homemade Tapes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As KQED’s Eric Arnold explains in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924126/the-bay-area-was-hip-hop-before-there-was-hip-hop\">The Bay Area Was Hip-Hop Before There Was Hip-Hop\u003c/a>,” foundational elements such as spoken word, funk, and rhythm & blues existed locally well before New Jersey trio Sugarhill Gang arrived with “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTUAESacQM\">Rapper’s Delight\u003c/a>” in the fall of 1979.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13923978']At the same time, the Bay Area was not the Bronx, where breakbeat culture catalyzed and fermented. Bronx DJs, MCs and B-boys like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Caz, the Rock Steady Crew and many others gained renown among mid-’70s New York youth long before “Rapper’s Delight.” By contrast, as CJ Flash explains, it took much of the 1980s for Bay Area youth to develop the cadences and rhythms we now associate with modern rap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, enterprising musicians couldn’t purchase studio software and distribute their own music on an internet platform like Soundcloud. Recording equipment was expensive. An unsigned artist needed the financial and business expertise to manufacture vinyl and cassettes with artwork, much less convince record stores like Leopold’s Records in Berkeley to carry them. (Recordable CD-Rs weren’t widely used until the 1990s.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This helps explain why so many rappers utilized turntables and Casio keyboards, and then recorded their songs using the microphone input on relatively cheap stereo equipment. Captured on recordable cassettes like Maxell and TDK, some of these “gray tapes” simply had stickers with handwritten titles. More often, they weren’t labeled at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927410\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927410\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A box of handmade Bay Area rap tapes, part of Naru’s home archives. \u003ccite>(Mosi Reeves)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In those days, Too Short was an outlier, a Fremont High School student who canvassed East Oakland spots like Arroyo Park, \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@bayareahiphoparchive/in-conversation-with-56fae687e9c\">selling copies of “Game Raps”\u003c/a> at a few dollars a pop. Since Short was originally from Los Angeles, he relied on rap partner Tony “Freddy B” Adams to show him around the Town. The duo \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#too-short-and-freddy-b-start-making-handmade-tapes\">made customized tapes for local drug dealers and players\u003c/a> in the city’s nightlife — now known as “special request” tapes — shouting out the customers’ names in their raps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Short was a hustler,” says CJ Flash. “He had a style of telling stories that was so outlandish and so funny that word got around.” Short and Freddy B developed the trademark “Biiiiitch!” catchphrase, and Short has often said that he and Freddy B intended to get famous together. Unfortunately, Freddy B was in prison when Short released his landmark “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>” tape in 1987. (Adams is \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/local-features/from-too-hort-colleague-to-christian-missionary/\">now a minister\u003c/a> at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Fairfield.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 676px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TooShort.SFExaminer.1984.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"676\" height=\"455\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TooShort.SFExaminer.1984.jpg 676w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TooShort.SFExaminer.1984-160x108.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Too Short in 1984, at the age of 18. \u003ccite>(Katy Raddatz/San Francisco Examiner/Bancroft Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Others like Sir Quick Draw, Mac Mill, and Chief Naked Head (later known as Premo; he passed away in January of 2023) simply gave away their tapes or let friends copy or “dub” the originals. As Richmond rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925761/magic-mike-richmond-calvin-t-rap-hip-hop\">Magic Mike explained in a recent interview with Dregs One\u003c/a>, dubs of his tracks circulated as widely as Germany. “It was more or less trying to make a name for yourself…you had to make a tape,” adds CJ Flash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most importantly, Bay Area hip-hop in the ’80s was a primordial soup of youngsters figuring out what the local sound would be. The answers wouldn’t arrive until near the end of the decade. “The Bay Area was behind,” says CJ Flash, comparing it to more advanced regions like Los Angeles, South Florida, and New York. “We never thought about radio.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A Pivotal Moment’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alex “Naru Kwina” Hence remembers the first time he heard the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” as a 14-year-old preparing to attend Oakland High School. “When the song went off, everybody ran outside, like, ‘Did you hear that song?!” he laughs, calling it one of the best moments of his life. “It was a pivotal moment, bro. We literally started rapping the song and trying to remember it.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Naru called himself Sir Quick Draw, an alias inspired by Hanna-Barbera cartoon \u003cem>Quick Draw McGraw\u003c/em> as well as the fact that, as a runner, “I was hella fast.” He took inspiration from Kurtis Blow, the Harlem rapper who scored major hits like 1980’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzl-2g5HhaI\">The Breaks\u003c/a>.” And Naru almost immediately began recording his voice on tape. His first original song was “The Caveman Rap,” which was inspired by Brooklyn rapper Jimmy Spicer’s 1980 single “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkGLco0tGqc\">Adventures of Super Rhyme\u003c/a>.” Naru can still recite those verses from memory: \u003cem>Now people come and take a trip in time with me / Back to that sweet year one million B.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I still got that old-school flavor, man,” he admits. “Hip-hop was more fun for me back then.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.Boxes_.1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"840\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927368\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.Boxes_.1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.Boxes_.1-160x224.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Naru Kwina, who recorded under the names Sir Quick Draw and Em Cee Quick, poses with his home archives. \u003ccite>(Mosi Reeves)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But rap in the Bay Area didn’t take off right away. “Most people would rap other people’s songs. They’d just repeat what they heard on the radio,” says Naru. Aspiring MCs honed their craft by congregating at Eastmont Mall, “trying to impress the girls, and getting our names on our derby jackets.” And when Tom Tom Club’s 1981 hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECiMhe4E0pI\">Genius of Love\u003c/a>” dropped? “Everybody rapped over that joint, man. Too many people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s worth remembering that hip-hop was a phenomenon developed essentially by Black and Brown children. Rapping, pop-locking, spray-painting aerosol art on neighborhood walls, even DJing: These were youthful forms of play and creative expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bas, who grew up in North Oakland, remembers \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#at-fishermans-wharf-a-street-dance-destination-emerges\">popping and “roboting” at Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf\u003c/a> in the late ’70s as a child. “You have people like Ben [James] from Live Incorporated doing pantomime and roboting,” he says, noting one of the better-known dance crews. Dancers competed for attention and tips that they could spend on Snickers bars and arcade games. “Battle-wise, you had to have skill and talent to a certain caliber in order to truly be out on the Wharf or on Market [and Powell] in front of the cable cars,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-800x547.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"547\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-800x547.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-1020x697.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-768x525.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A street dance crew called The Vita Family perform at Pier 39 in 1986. \u003ccite>(Liz Hafalia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Local newspaper stories focused on the emergence of hip-hop as a youth obsession. Enterprising teachers incorporated it into their lesson plans. On high-school campuses, fledgling DJs like Joseph Thomas “G.I. Joe” Simms Jr. at El Cerrito High School and groups like the Devastating Four proliferated. At house parties, mobile DJ crews spun the latest electro, boogie-funk, and rap hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gatherings at schools, churches, and community centers typically reserved a few minutes for fledgling local rap and dance crews to perform. This was also the era of \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#nancy-reagan-visits-oakland-and-coins-the-phrase-just-say-no\">the Reagan Administration’s “Just Say No” campaign\u003c/a>, and kids were often asked to help spread an anti-drug message through raps. “Inspired by rapping groups such as Sugar Hill, Run DMC, Jeckyl and Hyde and Mell (sic) and the Furious Five, teen-agers create their own raps mostly for fun and to bring attention to themselves,” read a June 29, 1985, story in the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13925415']In the first half of the decade, street dance remained a focal point. \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/12/04/1140504217/double-dutch-fantastic-four-holiday-classic\">Double Dutch jump-rope competitions\u003c/a> sponsored by McDonald’s drew thousands to Lincoln Square Center in Oakland. The San Francisco Street Breakers held a fundraising benefit, “Super Break Sunday,” at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts in 1985. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, street dance “got played out” after the success of Hollywood movies like \u003cem>Beat Street\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Breakin’\u003c/em>, and rap music moved to the center of hip-hop culture. Quickening the process were concerts by Black music stars like the \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#the-fresh-fest-comes-to-oakland\">Fresh Festival\u003c/a>, the first national hip-hop tour, with headliners Run-DMC at the Oakland Coliseum. Local radio tentatively began to experiment with rap, notably KMEL-FM and its mix DJs such as Michael Erickson and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13828163/watch-cameron-paul-give-a-masterclass-in-early-djing\">the late Cameron Paul\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927323\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-1020x1517.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"952\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13927323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-1020x1517.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-800x1190.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-160x238.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-768x1142.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-1033x1536.jpg 1033w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_.jpg 1345w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A flyer for the Fresh Festival, which arrived in Oakland in 1984.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“By 1985, there was this incredible scene in the South Bay,” says Adisa “The Bishop” Banjoko. As a teen DJ in San Bruno “who looked like Urkel,” he remembers traveling far and wide to buy records, from Creative Music Emporium in San Francisco to T’s Wauzi in Oakland. Meanwhile, nightclubs like Mothers and Studio 47 brought a fusion of hip-hop, freestyle and techno. “San Jose had underage hip-hop teenage clubs, and no other city had those,” he says. (Banjoko later became a rapper, a journalist, and now promotes jiu-jitsu, meditation and chess with his company \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/real64blocks/?hl=en\">64 Blocks\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in Oakland, Naru continued making tapes. “I come from a musical family. My cousin’s the Maestro” — a.k.a. producer Keenan Foster, who has worked with Too Short, Dru Down, and Askari X — “and a lot of my family sings. I got a drum machine, a little Yamaha keyboard. I would play my bass lines. We had double-cassette decks.” He collaborated with Taj “Turntable T” Tilghman, “who was dope on the turntables.” Turntable T eventually bought a Roland TR-808 drum machine, the instrument du jour for def beat MCs. “When that 808 came, that was it. Everyone loved that deck. \u003cem>Boom!\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gray tapes” that circulated weren’t the EP and album-length releases we’re familiar with today. Some tapes only had one song per side; or maybe just one song on one side, period. Artists were judged not only by their ability to rap engagingly for several minutes, but also to chop up a familiar beat like Whodini’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5r0i2ZAbCc\">Friends\u003c/a>,” transforming it into something fresh and original; or even make rudimentary 808 beats. For example, Too Short drew attention for “rapping the longest,” as Bas explains, leading to songs that lasted eight or nine minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-800x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"682\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-800x682.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-1020x870.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-160x136.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-768x655.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adisa Banjoko in the 1980s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Adisa Banjoko)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Those tapes were everywhere. Everyone was trying to see what was possible,” says Banjoko. In 1987, he began making raps under the name MC Most Ill. His first song was “Rhyme Junkie.” “The truth was, some of it was really cool but a lot of it actually also sucked, because [the art form] was brand new. … The quality control was not there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On August 18, 1984, the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em> published an article called “Rapping with Too-Short,” the first story on the 18-year-old prodigy. Pacific News Service journalist Anthony Adams called Short’s songs “preacher-like yarns over pre-recorded music,” and noted that one of them was about automaker John DeLorean, whose conviction for cocaine trafficking made national news. Short claimed he and his partner Freddy B sold over 2,000 tapes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Chronicle-Examiner\u003c/em> also frequently interviewed \u003ca href=\"https://www.dominiquediprima.com/\">Dominique “Lady D” DiPrima\u003c/a>, a New York transplant and San Francisco State University student who rapped, sung, and organized events. DiPrima possessed a rich family pedigree — her father was the jazz writer Amiri Baraka, her mother the beat poet Diane DiPrima. In late 1984, \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#home-turf-premieres-on-kron-tv\">KRON-TV recruited her to host \u003cem>Home Turf\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a Saturday-afternoon program that became appointment viewing for local teens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone had a crush on Dominique,” says Naru, giggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927320\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-800x541.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"541\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-800x541.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-1020x690.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-160x108.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-768x520.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-1536x1039.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_.png 1540w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dominique DiPrima, pictured here hosting a 1987 episode of ‘Home Turf’ on KRON-4. \u003ccite>(SFSU Television Archive)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The First Bay Area Rap Record Opens the Floodgates\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of the under-acknowledged aspects of early hip-hop is the way elder Black musicians shepherded young artists into the recording industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The late Sylvia Robinson, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, initially emerged in the mid-’50s as one-half of Mickey & Sylvia, who scored a national hit with “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SwMB9v1pQ4\">Love Is Strange\u003c/a>.” As a ’70s solo artist and producer, Robinson made slinky, Eartha Kitt-like erotic disco capers such as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2X1040_gY\">Pillow Talk\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPScEJ66_m4\">Sweet Stuff\u003c/a>.” After discovering hip-hop when she heard DJ Lovebug Starski at a party, Robinson formed Sugar Hill Records, and turned three rapping teens she found in New Jersey into its first act, the Sugarhill Gang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This process of soul veterans working with young people resulted in independent 12” singles that mirrored — if not yet accurately capturing — the nascent rap sound at a time when big companies virtually ignored it. With his Mercury Records contract, Kurtis Blow was the only act with a major album deal. A handful of other pioneers like DJ Hollywood scored one-off 12” deals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A similar process played out in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R_h9BCuvBE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first Bay Area rap record is widely considered to be Phil “Motorcycle Mike” Lewis and the Rat Trap Band’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Odk2Vu70s\">Super Rat\u003c/a>,” a 1981 boogie-funk single notoriously released by East Oakland heroin kingpin Milton “Mickey Mo” Moore’s Hodisk Records. The name “Hodisk” was a cheeky reference to his onetime side business as a pimp. (Moore has since reformed and is now a pastor in West Oakland.) In fact, Mickey Mo boasts in his 1996 autobiography \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qy6RNV6f5w\">The Man: The Life Story of a Drug Kingpin\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “Hodisk Records became the first record company on the West Coast to release a rap record.” (The first L.A. rap record, Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp’s “The Gigolo Rapp,” was also released in 1981.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mickey Mo has another claim to rap lore: In 1980, he \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#the-first-rap-performance-on-a-major-stage\">helped finance an Oakland Coliseum concert\u003c/a> headlined by L.A. funk band War, with the Sugarhill Gang as a supporting act. Journalist Lee Hildebrand’s pre-concert interview with the Gang in the \u003cem>Oakland Tribune\u003c/em> was the first mention of rap music in the local press. A second funk-rap novelty, Steve Walker’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9jCLUWwBY\">Tally Ho!\u003c/a>,” also appeared in 1981. In 1983, San Francisco’s Debo & Brian released the electro-funk EP \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgv_AfTbEng\">This Is It\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. The momentum had started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had made this vow that I would never ever do anything having to do with rap,” laughs Claytoven Richardson. During his long career, the Berkeley-born, Oakland-raised Richardson worked with Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Whitney Houston, Elton John, and Celine Dion. But in the early ’80s, he was best known as a singer, producer, and arranger with hot dancefloor jazz-funk bands like Bill Summers & Summers’ Heat. His anti-rap stance reflected the music industry at large in the 1980s. “Nobody had the foresight to see that it would morph and change and do the things that it’s done,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 625px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/ClaytovenRichardson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927369\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/ClaytovenRichardson.jpg 625w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/ClaytovenRichardson-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Claytoven Richardson pictured in March 2023 in Los Angeles, California. \u003ccite>(Steven Simione/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, Richardson couldn’t avoid the increasingly popular genre when he scored a production deal at Fantasy Records, the onetime Berkeley jazz label also known for innovative acts like Sylvester and Cybotron, as well as one-off singles generated by a “throw it against the wall and see if it sticks” philosophy. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the records Richardson produced in that anything-goes environment was Mighty Mouth’s satirical complaint, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU1hAFnrtU8\">I’m All Rapped Out\u003c/a>.” (He wasn’t the only one annoyed over rap; perhaps out of wishful thinking, a 1985 \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> article referred to the “fast-fading hip-hop scene.”) A vocalist named Lawrence Pittman didn’t show up for the session, so Richardson performed the lyrics himself. However, Pittman showed up to rap on Mighty Mouth’s second single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqfQcLbemE4\">The Roaches\u003c/a>,” which parodied Whodini’s electro hit, “Freaks Come Out at Night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other scattered local raps appeared between 1985 and 1986. Former boogaloo dancer Jay King, just home from a stint in the Air Force and splitting time between Sacramento and Vallejo, formed a group called Frost and released “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hObIekxeoSg\">Battle Beat\u003c/a>.” His friends Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy produced it, as well as another electro-rap track, Sorcerey’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ap6uw-kX8o\">Woo Baby\u003c/a>.” Pittsburg rapper James “Red Beat” Briggs issued “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7dUlMEZUSc\">Freak City\u003c/a>,” which was later remixed by N.W.A. co-founder Arabian Prince. And there was Rodney “Disco Alamo” Brown, from Richmond, whose 12” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-pXg1DY98\">The Task Force\u003c/a>” is \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#richmonds-task-force-memorialized-on-wax\">an early example\u003c/a> of Bay Area rap chronicling street life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-800x484.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"484\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-800x484.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-1020x618.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-768x465.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Too Short, pictured at his manager’s house in Oakland on September 21, 1987. \u003ccite>(Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Most importantly, Too Short’s rising buzz led to a deal with deep East Oakland entrepreneur Dean Hodges’ 75 Girls label. Released in 1985, the resulting \u003cem>Don’t Stop Rappin’\u003c/em> was the first official album by a local rapper. While fans of a certain age still treasure protean electro-funk tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ywke376NQ\">Girl\u003c/a>” — which E-40 referenced on his 1998 hit, “Earl, That’s Yo Life” — the album couldn’t compare to his raunchy and wickedly hilarious “special request” tapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was during this period that Naru finally got his chance in the studio. Since 1984, UC Berkeley station \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#college-radio-makes-its-mark\">KALX-FM\u003c/a> served as home to “Music for the People,” a Sunday-morning community affairs and music show hosted by the late Charles “Natty Prep” Douglass, as well as DJs like Billy “Jam” Kiernan (who also broadcast on San Francisco State University station KUSF-FM), David “Davey D” Cook, and funkster Rickey “The Uhuru Maggot” Vincent. When Naru won \u003ca href=\"https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/107287\">a 1986 rap contest hosted by Billy Jam on KALX\u003c/a>, he earned a deal with Bay Wave Records, a local imprint distributed by Hollywood-based Macola Records. Richardson was hired to produce the session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLlNn1Zh1ww\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Quick Draw] was a great rapper. He had a lot of great lyrics and ideas,” says Richardson. On “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLlNn1Zh1ww\">Rapaholic\u003c/a>,” Richardson and session engineer Michael Denten (who later worked with Spice 1 and E-40) accompanied Quick Draw’s dexterous and energetic raps with sharp-angled percussive edits and sound effects reminiscent of The Art of Noise and Mantronix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Respect to Claytoven,” says Naru, who not only continues to make music but also owns a company, \u003ca href=\"http://hiplearning.org/\">Hip Learning\u003c/a>, that promotes childhood education with rap. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with the “Rapaholic” experience: “They made the record sound hella more polished. It was [supposed to be] a little more underground than that.” However, he adds, “[Claytoven] taught us a lot in the studio about the mics they use and how to mix. It was a good experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927411\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/SirQuickdrawFlyer.72dpi.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"889\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927411\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/SirQuickdrawFlyer.72dpi.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/SirQuickdrawFlyer.72dpi-160x237.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photocopied flyer advertising Sir Quick Draw’s single ‘Rapaholic.’ \u003ccite>(Mosi Reeves)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A Radio Breakthrough — And a Kid Named Hammer\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As the trajectory of Bay Area hip-hop waxed and waned, three catalyzing moments brought the scene into focus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first was an R&B track. Timex Social Club’s “Rumors” captured the pulse of Bay Area youth culture, from Marcus Thompson and Alex Hill’s skittering electro-funk bass and drums to singer Michael Marshall’s distinctly regional accent and coy recitation of schoolyard gossip (“Did you hear the one about Michael? Some say he must be gay…”) Produced by Jay King and Denzil Foster and released on King’s Jay Records in February 1986, it mushroomed into a top ten \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em> pop hit and dominated radio all year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVce2IeYcTg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But by the summer, Timex Social Club was falling apart and trading accusations with King over money and credit. The group’s only album \u003cem>Vicious Rumors\u003c/em> — by that point it was just Michael Marshall — featured drum programming from CJ Flash and a shout-out to KALX’s Natty Prep, who helped break “Rumors” on his “Music and Life” show. Marshall retreated from the spotlight before \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#i-got-5-on-it-remix-a-meeting-of-greats-recorded-in-alameda\">re-emerging as the hook man\u003c/a> on the Luniz’ 1995 smash “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERtkpnXLrL4\">I Got 5 on It\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After breaking with Timex Social Club, King formed a group called Jet Set and signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The group changed their name to Club Nouveau before debuting with the single “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKWhkjXV5uM\">Jealousy\u003c/a>.” A follow-up, the Bill Withers cover “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbyjaUJWWmk\">Lean on Me\u003c/a>,” went to number-one on the \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em> Hot 100, while Club Nouveau’s debut album \u003cem>Life, Love & Pain\u003c/em> went platinum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927310\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-800x489.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"489\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-800x489.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-1020x624.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-768x470.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Singers Samuelle Prater, Jay King and Valerie Watson of Club Nouveau performs at the U.I.C. Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois in August 1987. \u003ccite>(Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>King’s growing stardom rippled across the Bay and reached Felton Pilate, the Vallejo keyboardist, singer, and producer best known as a driving force in Bay Area funk stars Con Funk Shun. The two had already worked together on King’s onetime rap group Frost; Pilate engineered that record. Pilate soon added one of King’s projects, Sacramento R&B/rap group New Choice, to a growing slate of projects he produced and engineered at his Felstar Studios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Felstar Studios was the culmination of work he had begun while not touring and rehearsing with Con Funk Shun. At his home studio on Sandpiper Drive in Vallejo, Pilate helped assemble records for fledgling local artists. “I never thought of myself as just a studio,” he says, where he simply records his clients. “I have a little experience here. I’ve got several gold albums. Here, let me pass on some of this knowledge.” When asked if he considered himself a mentor, he demurs, even though that’s arguably what he was. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Pilate opened Felstar Studios on Sonoma Boulevard, his trusted associate was James Earley, a young engineer whom he credits for adding a more contemporary sensibility to the Studios’ output. Among the locals who came to them were M.V.P., a family trio consisting of Earl Stevens, Danell Stevens, and Brandt Jones. Their 1988 12”, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfLuAL6DueI\">The Kings Men\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, also included Tanina Stevens and Angela Pressley, who called themselves Sugar ‘N’ Spice. The members of M.V.P. updated their stage names to E-40, D-Shot and B-Legit, added Tanina as Suga T, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#the-clicks-down-dirty-ushers-in-mobb-music-era\">evolved into The Click\u003c/a>, arguably becoming the most famous rap group to emerge from Vallejo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/MVP.e-40.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927370\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/MVP.e-40.jpg 700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/MVP.e-40-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">M.V.P., a 1988 Vallejo rap group featuring Busy D, E-40 and Legit (L–R). The three would later add E-40’s sister Suga T and become known as The Click. \u003ccite>(Gerry Ericksen / Rushforce Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1986, Pilate and Earley both had solo deals at Berkeley’s Fantasy Records. It was there that Pilate met a former Oakland A’s batboy named Stanley “Holyghost Boy” Burrell through Fantasy Records producer Fred L. Pittman. “Fred would often hire me to do keyboard arrangements for him,” says Pilate. When Pittman asked him to play keys for Holyghost Boy, Pilate responded, “Hey Fred, why don’t you let me take the reins on this?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a classically trained jazz and classical musician, Pilate didn’t think much of rap, even though Con Funk Shun not only included a rap verse on a 1982 single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9GHVTI-EE\">Ain’t Nobody Baby\u003c/a>”; but also made “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmmzvN7raB0\">Electric Lady\u003c/a>,” a 1985 hit produced by Larry Smith of Whodini fame that landed in the top five of \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em>’s Black Singles chart. “Musically, I wasn’t a fan, but as a producer, I said, ‘I can do this,’” he says. “Like everyone else, Con Funk Shun wanted to be relevant, and rap was all over the radio.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tracks Burrell brought to Pilate consisted of him rapping over sparse Yamaha RX5 drum-machine parts. Pilate responded by going into “study mode.” He listened to the rap stuff that was getting airplay like Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew. As a result, the skittering percussion on Burrell’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVWFiptGNY\">Let’s Get It Started\u003c/a>” is reminiscent of the go-go-inspired arrangements on Doug E. Fresh hits like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sGw9GSCiYU\">The Show\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UtqnKIF7kE\">All the Way to Heaven\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927325\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-800x565.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"565\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927325\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-800x565.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-1020x720.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-768x542.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MC Hammer films the music video for ‘Let’s Get It Started’ at Sweet Jimmie’s nightclub in downtown Oakland, March 19, 1988. \u003ccite>(Deanne Fitzmaurice/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My thing was to make it more music-driven than beat-driven,” says Pilate. In many cases, he simply “listened to what [Burrell] was talking about and wrote a straight R&B song underneath it.” He also gives credit to Earley, who helped refine the drum programming and brought “that younger ear” to the project. They incorporated stock horn stabs from a battery of Juno, Roland, and Yamaha drum machines. Meanwhile, Kent “The Lone Mixer” Wilson and Bryant “D.J. Redeemed” Marable added rhythmic scratches by cutting up Curtis Mayfield and Beastie Boys records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the demos were finished, Fantasy Records dropped Pilate, Earley and Burrell from their deals. “They weren’t really sure how to market any of us,” says Pilate. Then, he chuckles, “The next time I ran into the Holyghost Boy, he had changed his name to MC Hammer.” After forming Bustin’ Records in Fremont with financial help from Oakland A’s ballplayers like Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy, Hammer turned the Pilate demos into three 12”s — “Ring ’Em,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Let’s Get It Started” — and the 1987 album \u003cem>Feel My Power\u003c/em>. “I was like, man, those were rough mixes! You were supposed to come back and let me fix that!” Pilate laughs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone involved in Bay Area hip-hop has vivid memories of MC Hammer blowing up. Near-mythical stories of his local takeover abound, like attending local concerts surrounded by a massive crew; or tearing up the dance floor at The Silks, a popular nightclub in Emeryville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927324\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-800x727.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"727\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927324\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-800x727.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-1020x926.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-160x145.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-768x698.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate.jpg 1058w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MC Hammer and Fenton Pilate in modern times. Pilate engineered and co-produced MC Hammer’s first recordings. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Felton Pilate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Today, it’s worth revisiting \u003cem>Feel My Power\u003c/em> and 1988’s \u003cem>Let’s Get It Started\u003c/em>. Released after Hammer signed with Capitol Records, \u003cem>Let’s Get It Started\u003c/em> found Hammer and Pilate remixing those original demos while adding vital new tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sZVcXzSE3M\">Pump It Up\u003c/a>.” The results are bombastic and vibrant dance-floor jams as ecstatic as anything by Kid ‘n’ Play and Salt-n-Pepa. Hammer’s subsequent leap into pop superstardom with 1990’s \u003cem>Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em\u003c/em> and the ubiquity of “U Can’t Touch This” obscure just how great those early tracks are.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Eight Woofers in the Trunk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MC Hammer’s major-label arrival in 1988 capped a year of Bay Area hip-hop on the cusp of national exposure. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Too Short issued \u003cem>Born to Mack\u003c/em> in the fall of 1987 on his Dangerous Music label, Jive Records picked it up. (Dangerous Music also issued \u003cem>Dangerous Crew\u003c/em>, a compilation of vital Bay Area acts like Spice-1, Rappin’ 4-Tay, and the female duo Danger Zone.) Digital Underground’s playful and psychedelic “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zQ1frcgSbI\">Underwater Rimes\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpBNB20wVo0\">Your Life’s a Cartoon\u003c/a>” led to a deal with Tommy Boy. Local talent waited in the wings, including rapper/producer Paris (A.T.C.’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHpiPWfOBk4\">Cisco Jam\u003c/a>”), Sway & King Tech (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJujmVXiwE\">Flynamic Force\u003c/a>\u003c/em> EP), Dangerous Dame (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Frj4j09GE\">The Power That’s Packed\u003c/a>”), and MC Twist and the Def Squad (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lZz7qhjfjw\">Just Rock\u003c/a>”). And the late Cameron Paul, known for his “Beats & Pieces” breakbeats, remixed Queens trio Salt-n-Pepa’s 1987 track “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPkdk1oMmtE\">Push It\u003c/a>” into a global phenomenon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13828164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-800x496.jpg\" alt=\"Cameron Paul reveals his mixing secrets.\" width=\"800\" height=\"496\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13828164\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-240x149.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-375x233.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-520x322.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cameron Paul, who provided the spine of New Orleans bounce music with ‘Brown Beats’ and recorded a smash-hit remix of Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s ‘Push It,’ was also a prominent club and radio megamix DJ in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(YouTube)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Incidentally, the first local group to score a major label deal wasn’t Hammer, but Surf MCs, a Berkeley group that Profile Records promoted as a Beastie Boys-like rap/rock crossover. Their 1987 album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojCAqdBA7uA\">Surf or Die\u003c/a>\u003c/em> proved a flop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the third moment that catalyzed Bay Area hip-hop wasn’t a singular record like Timex Social Club’s “Rumors,” or an artist like Hammer and Short. It was the sound of walloping, all-enveloping bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Made for surgically enhanced car and jeep stereos, the bass colossus is as much a feature of hip-hop in the mid-’80s as the pounding Roland TR-808 machine, from Rick Rubin’s production on LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” and T La Rock’s “It’s Yours” to Rodney O and DJ Joe Cooley’s “Everlasting Bass” and Dr. Dre’s work on Eazy-E’s “The Boyz-N-The Hood.” It also mirrors the crack-cocaine epidemic that began to blight and distort communities across the country. As street life turned treacherous, the specter of the hustler, and whether to become one, cast a growing shadow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13925761']“Then the new style came, the bass got deeper / You gave up the mike and bought you a beeper / Do you want to rap or sell coke? / Brothers like you ain’t never broke,” Too Short memorably rapped on his 1989 hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvfUUOO0xoM\">Life Is…Too Short\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banjoko recalls how the presence of gangs transformed local shows. “You would see a bunch of people dressed up together [in the same gear], and you might assume they were a rap or dance crew. They were young drug lords,” he says. “You could get trampled, beat up or robbed by any of them. I remember 69 Ville being massively deep at the Fresh Fest and the [Run-DMC] Raising Hell tour. They were terrifying, straight up. You were going to tuck your chain, you were going to take your Kangol off, or they were going to take it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927326\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/HughEMC.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"409\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/HughEMC.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/HughEMC-160x109.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hugh EMC, the San Francisco rapper whose 1988 single ‘It’s the Game’ unflinchingly chronicled street life. \u003ccite>(Soul Sonic Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rap imagery became more honest and explicit. Some like Richmond rapper Magic Mike, San Francisco’s Hugh EMC (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_p7L0eJfKI\">It’s the Game\u003c/a>”), and Oakland’s Hollywood (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/release/641778-Hollywood-Stay-Heart-And-Soul-Raps-Just-A-Battlefield\">Gangster Rap\u003c/a>”) seemed to embrace the hustler ethos, while cautiously adding verses about the consequences of that lifestyle. Then there was Oakland rapper Morocco Moe, whose “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogNoOCIVPrI\">Task\u003c/a>” criticized how law enforcement brutalized communities in the War on Drugs: “Their intentions are good/But their actions are wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every Black neighborhood was infested” with crack, says Vallejo producer Khayree Shaheed. “There was an influx of money coming into young Black men, but there was also a lot of death occurring.” The epidemic also marked his entry into the world of rap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a descendant of the Bay Area’s vaunted funk tradition, Khayree spent the ’70s and early ’80s playing bass guitar for bands like Grand Larceny, Body Mind & Spirit and Touch of Class (with keyboardist Rosie Gaines, who later joined Prince & the New Power Generation). His travels took him across the U.S. and even to Japan, where Touch of Class lived and performed for several months. (Though his bands made demos, there are no official recordings to date.) When asked about the first time he heard rap, Khayree cites “jazzoetry” ensembles like The Last Poets, not the Sugarhill Gang. And as a youth growing up on Lofas Place in Vallejo, he spent plenty of time following Con Funk Shun, hoping to apprentice with the biggest band in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927412\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-800x510.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927412\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-800x510.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-1020x651.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-768x490.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-1536x980.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vallejo musician Khayree Shaheed, playing bass onstage in 1979. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Khayree Shaheed)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Khayree was in his mid-20s when Rod “I.C.E.” Andrews and Dan “Luvva D” Morrison a.k.a. the Luvva Twins brought Khayree a demo they had made on a Casio keyboard, “Hubba Head.” The song title was slang for a crack addict, and the duo described the “hubba head’s” descent into addiction with charismatic punch. They arranged the music and rapped most of the lyrics, while Khayree dropped a short verse and added guitar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khayree had already spent time at Pilate’s home studio, honing his writing and production skills. (“I always enjoyed working with him,” says Pilate.) Now, he brought “Hubba Head” to Pilate, and the two prepared it for release. Setting up his own label, Big Bank Records, Khayree distributed two hundred copies of the 12” to DJs and influencers. “The record was super popular in the streets,” says Khayree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pArkWvlAebg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After “Hubba Head,” Khayree began working with Jay King, a fellow graduate of Vallejo High School. The opportunity to write and produce New Choice’s 1987 single “\u003ca href=\"http://<a%20href=\" https:>Cold Stupid\u003c/a>” and most of the quintet’s 1988 debut, \u003cem>At Last\u003c/em>, gave him important experience on a major project and financial stability. By fusing bass, funky R&B and hip-hop breakbeats, New Choice reflected a parallel R&B movement that both influenced and was inspired by the hip-hop scene. Similar Bay Area acts included Oakland’s Tony! Toni! Toné!, who parlayed backing sessions for Sheila E. and Tramaine Hawkins into a major-label deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flush from his experience with New Choice, Khayree was ready to start his own company. “I’m listening to EPMD’s \u003cem>Strictly Business\u003c/em>,” he says, inspiring the name of his second label, Strictly Business Records. He knew that Mike “The Mac” Robinson, who also grew up on Lofas Place, was a rapper. Robinson hailed from a musical family: his uncle Steve “Silver” Scales was a well-traveled Vallejo funk percussionist who played with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and the B-52s. (Though it would be a delicious coincidence, Scales didn’t perform on “Genius of Love.”) Khayree encouraged Robinson to take music more seriously. Meanwhile, Robinson’s mother drew the memorable Strictly Business logo: an open briefcase, ready for business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1988, Khayree released The Mac’s three-song EP, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/release/805531-The-Mac-Im-Ah-Big-Mac\">I’m Ah Big Mac\u003c/a>.” Heard now, what immediately stands out is the unique \u003cem>tone\u003c/em> of the bass. “We used synthesizers that had dumb-fat bass lines,” explains Khayree in reference to himself and Too Short as well as future Bay Area colleagues like Ant Banks. By comparison, he says, other regional scenes relied on a “natural” bass guitar or samples from records. “You feel it through your whole body. … You can get it with a bass guitar, depending on how you EQ the bass and what you run your guitar through. But you’re \u003cem>never\u003c/em> going to touch the subs and the depth of a Minimoog, of the Oberheim Ovx, or the Roland Juno 106.” The EP’s highlight is its B-side “The Game Is Thick,” which centers on a sample of Prince’s “D.M.S.R.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927371\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-800x498.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"498\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927371\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-800x498.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-1020x635.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-768x478.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick.jpg 1537w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khayree and The Mac (L–R), pictured on the cover of The Mac’s ‘The Game is Thick.’ \u003ccite>(Phil Bray / Strictly Business Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1989, Khayree remixed and re-released “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCxGl7Ok1YI\">The Game Is Thick\u003c/a>” as a standalone 12” with a memorable cover photo: Khayree looking super-clean in a grey suit, clasping a briefcase, with The Mac in a red-and-black bomber jacket. Khayree calls the style “pimping.” “We didn’t mean pimping so much as getting prostitutes to work,” he explains. “It’s an attitude, and it’s a musical style.” The “game” is a metaphor for life in the Black community. Street slang illustrated complex situations, whether it was dealing with the repercussions of a raging crack epidemic, or simply navigating the tensions of everyday living. Meanwhile, The Mac’s “cool, silky, pimpish” flow and Khayree’s synthesized bass production proved a clear predecessor to the ’90s mob-music sound that took over Bay Area rap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13924167']Upon release, “The Game Is Thick” didn’t make a major impact, and most copies went to local DJ pools. “We promoted records out of the trunk,” says Khayree. “We went from Bobby G’s Soul Disco in San Francisco to [Rico Casanova’s record pool] The Pros in Oakland.” Still, “The Game Is Thick” remix received a mention in Davey “D” Cook’s April 7, 1989 “Beats & Breaks” column for \u003cem>BAM\u003c/em> Magazine. “Let me tell you, it’s hyped to the max,” Davey D wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With Khayree’s encouragement, the Mac taught himself how to produce music with synth keyboards. He also introduced Khayree to another Vallejo artist, Andre “Mac Dre” Hicks, who became Strictly Business’ second act. By the time The Mac was shot and killed on July 23, 1991 in what Khayree calls “a case of mistaken identity,” the two had recorded dozens of tracks and released a third and final 12” protesting police violence, 1990’s “Enuff of Tis Sh-t!” One of The Mac’s beats posthumously appeared on Mac Dre’s 1993 track, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slA_s7tSjMU\">The M.A.C. & Mac D.R.E.\u003c/a>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927413\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-1020x666.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-1536x1003.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khayree with Kool Moe Dee at the 1988 BRE Conference in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Khayree Shaheed)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Mike had a big, big loving heart,” remembers Khayree, sounding wistful. He emphasizes how The Mac left behind a daughter, “Mac” Reina Robinson, and a pregnant girlfriend who gave birth to his son, Mike. At one point, Khayree plays a voicemail of The Mac passionately singing a funky, swinging hook, as if to counteract the stereotype that rappers aren’t musicians. He talks about how The Mac’s way of playing simple, evocative keyboard notes for maximum effect echoes in the work of his famed protégé, Mac Dre. “I miss him,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area rap broke wide at the end of the decade, leading to a 1989 story in the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/10/arts/rap-by-the-bay-oakland-emerges-as-a-force-in-pop.html\">Rap by the Bay: Oakland Emerges as a Force in Pop\u003c/a>.” Not every local pioneer who laid the groundwork would enjoy the fruits of that success. But their stories are essential to understanding how local hip-hop came of age, and everything that came after.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Casio keyboards, homemade tapes and the boundless creativity of Bay Area youth flourished in the 1980s hip-hop scene.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1705005662,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":86,"wordCount":7705},"headData":{"title":"Bay Area Hip-Hop in the 1980s: A Look Back | KQED","description":"Casio keyboards, homemade tapes and the boundless creativity of Bay Area youth flourished in the 1980s hip-hop scene.","ogTitle":"How Bay Area Hip-Hop Found Its Sound in the 1980s","ogDescription":"Casio keyboards, homemade tapes and the boundless creativity of Bay Area youth flourished in the 1980s hip-hop scene.","ogImgId":"arts_13927363","twTitle":"How Bay Area Hip-Hop Found Its Sound in the 1980s","twDescription":"Casio keyboards, homemade tapes and the boundless creativity of Bay Area youth flourished in the 1980s hip-hop scene.","twImgId":"arts_13927363","socialTitle":"Bay Area Hip-Hop in the 1980s: A Look Back %%page%% %%sep%% KQED","socialDescription":"Casio keyboards, homemade tapes and the boundless creativity of Bay Area youth flourished in the 1980s hip-hop scene.","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"How Bay Area Hip-Hop Found Its Sound in the 1980s","datePublished":"2023-04-05T12:27:37-07:00","dateModified":"2024-01-11T12:41:02-08:00","image":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/photo-forward_____separate_logos__2_-1020x1020.png","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Mosi Reeves","jobTitle":"KQED Contributor","url":"https://www.kqed.org/author/mreeves"}},"authorsData":[{"type":"authors","id":"11855","meta":{"index":"authors_1591205172","id":"11855","found":true},"name":"Mosi Reeves","firstName":"Mosi","lastName":"Reeves","slug":"mreeves","email":"infamous30@gmail.com","display_author_email":false,"staff_mastheads":[],"title":"KQED Contributor","bio":"Mosi Reeves is a journalist and cultural critic based in Oakland, California. In addition to KQED, his work has appeared in \u003cem>Rolling Stone\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Wire\u003c/em>, Pitchfork, \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em>, and Grammy.com.","avatar":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f376003ca1cf7a873edc107f5f331f1?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twitter":null,"facebook":null,"instagram":null,"linkedin":null,"sites":[{"site":"arts","roles":["contributor"]},{"site":"pop","roles":["contributor"]}],"headData":{"title":"Mosi Reeves | KQED","description":"KQED Contributor","ogImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f376003ca1cf7a873edc107f5f331f1?s=600&d=blank&r=g","twImgSrc":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f376003ca1cf7a873edc107f5f331f1?s=600&d=blank&r=g"},"isLoading":false,"link":"/author/mreeves"}],"imageData":{"ogImageSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1020x574.png","width":1020,"height":574,"mimeType":"image/png"},"twImageSize":{"file":"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1020x574.png","width":1020,"height":574,"mimeType":"image/png"},"twitterCard":"summary_large_image"},"tagData":{"tags":["bay area rap","featured-arts","Hip Hop","Oakland","tmw-featured","Too Short","vallejo"]}},"source":"That's My Word","sourceUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop","sticky":false,"templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","excludeFromSiteSearch":"Include","articleAge":"0","path":"/arts/13927349/bay-area-hip-hop-1980s","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927363\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-800x450.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927363\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1020x574.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/that_s_my_word_____featured_image__3_.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the mid-1980s, after years of street dance, DJing and graffiti sharing equal space, rapping took center stage. The Bay Area’s bass-heavy sound would arrive at the end of the decade. (Clockwise from top left: Too Short, MC Hammer, Dominique DiPrima, Club Nouveau, and Motorcycle Mike.) \u003ccite>(Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images; Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; SFSU Television Archives; Raymond Boyd/Getty Images; Hodisk Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s note\u003c/strong>: This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">That’s My Word\u003c/a>\u003cem>, KQED’s year-long exploration of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span>t’s a wintry January evening when Bas-1 brings me to Del the Funky Homosapien’s house in the East Bay. For much of the afternoon, Bas — the \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/old-school-fool-1/\">Oakland native\u003c/a> who’s worked with Digital Underground and released \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bas-1+full+album+mentally+astute\">his own solo records\u003c/a> — has schooled me on the origins of the Bay Area hip-hop sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bas lists numerous rappers from the ’80s, and not just Todd “Too Short” Shaw, the East Oakland rapper who famously hustled homemade cassette tapes. I’ve never heard most of the names Bas mentions: MC Chocolate Milk, Windell Baby Doll, Davy Def, Buddy Bean, Reggie Reg Rock Ski.ter, M.C. Tracy, Rock Master Fresh, Nic Nack, Kimmie Fresh, and the Acorn Crew with Grandmaster Fresh (a rapper later known as “DJ Daryl” Anderson, famed for producing tracks like 415’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuZ6CAwZmys\">Side Show\u003c/a>” and 2Pac’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAJfDP3b5_U\">Keep Ya Head Up\u003c/a>”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13924126","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Many of these early Bay Area rappers never put out a commercially available record. Instead, their work is mostly confined to locally distributed cassette tapes — collectors call them “gray tapes” — that are now nearly impossible to find. They publicly broadcasted these tapes throughout neighborhoods, utilizing boomboxes and car stereos as well as stereos at house parties. “None of them sound like Too Short,” says Bas. “Some of these people didn’t put out recordings, but they were known.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the 1980s, Bay Area hip-hop was an artistic movement struggling for a distinct identity. The first half of the decade was defined by street dance and aerosol art as much as rap and DJing. But as local youth began to absorb the sounds emanating from national hotspots like New York, they created a distinctive style all their own — one that would make a global impact in the years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Del’s house, Bas queues up an extraordinary live video clip of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u3eiG9BtdE\">Mac Mill, Emperor E, and DJ Anthony “K-os” Bryant\u003c/a> performing at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11690787/when-oakland-was-a-chocolate-city-a-brief-history-of-festival-at-the-lake\">Festival at the Lake\u003c/a>, a now-defunct annual event held at Lake Merritt, in 1988. (Alex “Naru” Reece, who organized the showcase where Mac Mill performed, clarified in a follow-up conversation that it didn’t happen during Festival at the Lake. He also says the showcase was filmed in 1986 for a 1988 video compilation.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mac Mill and Emperor E go back and forth, trading sound effects and dense Oakland slang as K-os cuts and scratches copies of Long Island band Original Concept’s deathless bass classic, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai4VC0NUxl4\">Knowledge Me\u003c/a>.” Bas praises Mac Mill’s unusual “Arabian” style, which the latter deployed nearly a decade later with the 1995 single “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_f0TB3Igro\">Arabian Hump\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\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/5u3eiG9BtdE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/5u3eiG9BtdE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Then, Bas-1 calls Chris “CJ Flash” Jourdan, an OG who worked with Timex Social Club, the Berkeley teen band whose 1986 electro-funk classic, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVce2IeYcTg\">Rumors\u003c/a>,” represented the first national breakthrough for Bay Area hip-hop culture. As Bas broadcasts CJ Flash’s voice from his phone through Del’s stereo equipment, CJ Flash spends the next hour or so describing a fledging scene where poppers and boogaloo dancers, not rappers or DJs, were the prime attractions. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These ensembles drew from a street-dance tradition that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13891300/reclaiming-the-legacy-of-oaklands-boogaloo-dance-culture\">dates back decades\u003c/a>. Their kinetic performances ignited crowds at high schools, house parties, and public spaces like Justin Herman Plaza and Union Square in San Francisco and UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Battles even took place on the street, with crews traveling to different neighborhoods around the region to seek out rivals. “You could meet with people on their turf and get down, and hopefully not get thumped in the process,” says CJ Flash. Many Bay Area hip-hop pioneers got their start in dance crews, including Club Nouveau’s Jay King (who pop-locked with The Unknowns), DJ King Tech (who was known as Wizard, and danced with Master City Breakers), and Flash himself (who \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub1TtnI4dh8\">performed with UFO\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\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/ub1TtnI4dh8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ub1TtnI4dh8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>By contrast, rapping was a relatively new and undeveloped skill, the lowest element on the hip-hop totem pole. “Anybody could rap. Anybody could say a bunch of basic rhyme words with no style and flavor,” says Bas, noting as an aside that “most folks couldn’t understand the lyrics anyway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How is a discussion about street dancers connected to an exploration of the Bay Area hip-hop sound? It’s important to understand the conditions under which the genre emerged locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Turntables, Casios and Homemade Tapes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As KQED’s Eric Arnold explains in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924126/the-bay-area-was-hip-hop-before-there-was-hip-hop\">The Bay Area Was Hip-Hop Before There Was Hip-Hop\u003c/a>,” foundational elements such as spoken word, funk, and rhythm & blues existed locally well before New Jersey trio Sugarhill Gang arrived with “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTUAESacQM\">Rapper’s Delight\u003c/a>” in the fall of 1979.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13923978","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At the same time, the Bay Area was not the Bronx, where breakbeat culture catalyzed and fermented. Bronx DJs, MCs and B-boys like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Caz, the Rock Steady Crew and many others gained renown among mid-’70s New York youth long before “Rapper’s Delight.” By contrast, as CJ Flash explains, it took much of the 1980s for Bay Area youth to develop the cadences and rhythms we now associate with modern rap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, enterprising musicians couldn’t purchase studio software and distribute their own music on an internet platform like Soundcloud. Recording equipment was expensive. An unsigned artist needed the financial and business expertise to manufacture vinyl and cassettes with artwork, much less convince record stores like Leopold’s Records in Berkeley to carry them. (Recordable CD-Rs weren’t widely used until the 1990s.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This helps explain why so many rappers utilized turntables and Casio keyboards, and then recorded their songs using the microphone input on relatively cheap stereo equipment. Captured on recordable cassettes like Maxell and TDK, some of these “gray tapes” simply had stickers with handwritten titles. More often, they weren’t labeled at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927410\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927410\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.BoxofTapes.CloseUp.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A box of handmade Bay Area rap tapes, part of Naru’s home archives. \u003ccite>(Mosi Reeves)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In those days, Too Short was an outlier, a Fremont High School student who canvassed East Oakland spots like Arroyo Park, \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@bayareahiphoparchive/in-conversation-with-56fae687e9c\">selling copies of “Game Raps”\u003c/a> at a few dollars a pop. Since Short was originally from Los Angeles, he relied on rap partner Tony “Freddy B” Adams to show him around the Town. The duo \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#too-short-and-freddy-b-start-making-handmade-tapes\">made customized tapes for local drug dealers and players\u003c/a> in the city’s nightlife — now known as “special request” tapes — shouting out the customers’ names in their raps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Short was a hustler,” says CJ Flash. “He had a style of telling stories that was so outlandish and so funny that word got around.” Short and Freddy B developed the trademark “Biiiiitch!” catchphrase, and Short has often said that he and Freddy B intended to get famous together. Unfortunately, Freddy B was in prison when Short released his landmark “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVJTvOO4yY\">Freaky Tales\u003c/a>” tape in 1987. (Adams is \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/local-features/from-too-hort-colleague-to-christian-missionary/\">now a minister\u003c/a> at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Fairfield.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927341\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 676px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TooShort.SFExaminer.1984.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"676\" height=\"455\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TooShort.SFExaminer.1984.jpg 676w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TooShort.SFExaminer.1984-160x108.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Too Short in 1984, at the age of 18. \u003ccite>(Katy Raddatz/San Francisco Examiner/Bancroft Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Others like Sir Quick Draw, Mac Mill, and Chief Naked Head (later known as Premo; he passed away in January of 2023) simply gave away their tapes or let friends copy or “dub” the originals. As Richmond rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13925761/magic-mike-richmond-calvin-t-rap-hip-hop\">Magic Mike explained in a recent interview with Dregs One\u003c/a>, dubs of his tracks circulated as widely as Germany. “It was more or less trying to make a name for yourself…you had to make a tape,” adds CJ Flash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most importantly, Bay Area hip-hop in the ’80s was a primordial soup of youngsters figuring out what the local sound would be. The answers wouldn’t arrive until near the end of the decade. “The Bay Area was behind,” says CJ Flash, comparing it to more advanced regions like Los Angeles, South Florida, and New York. “We never thought about radio.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A Pivotal Moment’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alex “Naru Kwina” Hence remembers the first time he heard the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” as a 14-year-old preparing to attend Oakland High School. “When the song went off, everybody ran outside, like, ‘Did you hear that song?!” he laughs, calling it one of the best moments of his life. “It was a pivotal moment, bro. We literally started rapping the song and trying to remember it.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Naru called himself Sir Quick Draw, an alias inspired by Hanna-Barbera cartoon \u003cem>Quick Draw McGraw\u003c/em> as well as the fact that, as a runner, “I was hella fast.” He took inspiration from Kurtis Blow, the Harlem rapper who scored major hits like 1980’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzl-2g5HhaI\">The Breaks\u003c/a>.” And Naru almost immediately began recording his voice on tape. His first original song was “The Caveman Rap,” which was inspired by Brooklyn rapper Jimmy Spicer’s 1980 single “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkGLco0tGqc\">Adventures of Super Rhyme\u003c/a>.” Naru can still recite those verses from memory: \u003cem>Now people come and take a trip in time with me / Back to that sweet year one million B.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I still got that old-school flavor, man,” he admits. “Hip-hop was more fun for me back then.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.Boxes_.1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"840\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927368\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.Boxes_.1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Naru.Boxes_.1-160x224.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Naru Kwina, who recorded under the names Sir Quick Draw and Em Cee Quick, poses with his home archives. \u003ccite>(Mosi Reeves)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But rap in the Bay Area didn’t take off right away. “Most people would rap other people’s songs. They’d just repeat what they heard on the radio,” says Naru. Aspiring MCs honed their craft by congregating at Eastmont Mall, “trying to impress the girls, and getting our names on our derby jackets.” And when Tom Tom Club’s 1981 hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECiMhe4E0pI\">Genius of Love\u003c/a>” dropped? “Everybody rapped over that joint, man. Too many people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s worth remembering that hip-hop was a phenomenon developed essentially by Black and Brown children. Rapping, pop-locking, spray-painting aerosol art on neighborhood walls, even DJing: These were youthful forms of play and creative expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bas, who grew up in North Oakland, remembers \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#at-fishermans-wharf-a-street-dance-destination-emerges\">popping and “roboting” at Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf\u003c/a> in the late ’70s as a child. “You have people like Ben [James] from Live Incorporated doing pantomime and roboting,” he says, noting one of the better-known dance crews. Dancers competed for attention and tips that they could spend on Snickers bars and arcade games. “Battle-wise, you had to have skill and talent to a certain caliber in order to truly be out on the Wharf or on Market [and Powell] in front of the cable cars,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-800x547.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"547\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-800x547.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-1020x697.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791-768x525.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1298788791.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A street dance crew called The Vita Family perform at Pier 39 in 1986. \u003ccite>(Liz Hafalia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Local newspaper stories focused on the emergence of hip-hop as a youth obsession. Enterprising teachers incorporated it into their lesson plans. On high-school campuses, fledgling DJs like Joseph Thomas “G.I. Joe” Simms Jr. at El Cerrito High School and groups like the Devastating Four proliferated. At house parties, mobile DJ crews spun the latest electro, boogie-funk, and rap hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gatherings at schools, churches, and community centers typically reserved a few minutes for fledgling local rap and dance crews to perform. This was also the era of \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#nancy-reagan-visits-oakland-and-coins-the-phrase-just-say-no\">the Reagan Administration’s “Just Say No” campaign\u003c/a>, and kids were often asked to help spread an anti-drug message through raps. “Inspired by rapping groups such as Sugar Hill, Run DMC, Jeckyl and Hyde and Mell (sic) and the Furious Five, teen-agers create their own raps mostly for fun and to bring attention to themselves,” read a June 29, 1985, story in the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13925415","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the first half of the decade, street dance remained a focal point. \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/12/04/1140504217/double-dutch-fantastic-four-holiday-classic\">Double Dutch jump-rope competitions\u003c/a> sponsored by McDonald’s drew thousands to Lincoln Square Center in Oakland. The San Francisco Street Breakers held a fundraising benefit, “Super Break Sunday,” at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts in 1985. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, street dance “got played out” after the success of Hollywood movies like \u003cem>Beat Street\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Breakin’\u003c/em>, and rap music moved to the center of hip-hop culture. Quickening the process were concerts by Black music stars like the \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#the-fresh-fest-comes-to-oakland\">Fresh Festival\u003c/a>, the first national hip-hop tour, with headliners Run-DMC at the Oakland Coliseum. Local radio tentatively began to experiment with rap, notably KMEL-FM and its mix DJs such as Michael Erickson and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13828163/watch-cameron-paul-give-a-masterclass-in-early-djing\">the late Cameron Paul\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927323\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-1020x1517.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"952\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13927323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-1020x1517.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-800x1190.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-160x238.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-768x1142.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_-1033x1536.jpg 1033w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/FreshFest.Flyer_.jpg 1345w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A flyer for the Fresh Festival, which arrived in Oakland in 1984.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“By 1985, there was this incredible scene in the South Bay,” says Adisa “The Bishop” Banjoko. As a teen DJ in San Bruno “who looked like Urkel,” he remembers traveling far and wide to buy records, from Creative Music Emporium in San Francisco to T’s Wauzi in Oakland. Meanwhile, nightclubs like Mothers and Studio 47 brought a fusion of hip-hop, freestyle and techno. “San Jose had underage hip-hop teenage clubs, and no other city had those,” he says. (Banjoko later became a rapper, a journalist, and now promotes jiu-jitsu, meditation and chess with his company \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/real64blocks/?hl=en\">64 Blocks\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in Oakland, Naru continued making tapes. “I come from a musical family. My cousin’s the Maestro” — a.k.a. producer Keenan Foster, who has worked with Too Short, Dru Down, and Askari X — “and a lot of my family sings. I got a drum machine, a little Yamaha keyboard. I would play my bass lines. We had double-cassette decks.” He collaborated with Taj “Turntable T” Tilghman, “who was dope on the turntables.” Turntable T eventually bought a Roland TR-808 drum machine, the instrument du jour for def beat MCs. “When that 808 came, that was it. Everyone loved that deck. \u003cem>Boom!\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Gray tapes” that circulated weren’t the EP and album-length releases we’re familiar with today. Some tapes only had one song per side; or maybe just one song on one side, period. Artists were judged not only by their ability to rap engagingly for several minutes, but also to chop up a familiar beat like Whodini’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5r0i2ZAbCc\">Friends\u003c/a>,” transforming it into something fresh and original; or even make rudimentary 808 beats. For example, Too Short drew attention for “rapping the longest,” as Bas explains, leading to songs that lasted eight or nine minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-800x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"682\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-800x682.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-1020x870.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-160x136.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait-768x655.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Adisa.portrait.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adisa Banjoko in the 1980s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Adisa Banjoko)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Those tapes were everywhere. Everyone was trying to see what was possible,” says Banjoko. In 1987, he began making raps under the name MC Most Ill. His first song was “Rhyme Junkie.” “The truth was, some of it was really cool but a lot of it actually also sucked, because [the art form] was brand new. … The quality control was not there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On August 18, 1984, the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em> published an article called “Rapping with Too-Short,” the first story on the 18-year-old prodigy. Pacific News Service journalist Anthony Adams called Short’s songs “preacher-like yarns over pre-recorded music,” and noted that one of them was about automaker John DeLorean, whose conviction for cocaine trafficking made national news. Short claimed he and his partner Freddy B sold over 2,000 tapes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Chronicle-Examiner\u003c/em> also frequently interviewed \u003ca href=\"https://www.dominiquediprima.com/\">Dominique “Lady D” DiPrima\u003c/a>, a New York transplant and San Francisco State University student who rapped, sung, and organized events. DiPrima possessed a rich family pedigree — her father was the jazz writer Amiri Baraka, her mother the beat poet Diane DiPrima. In late 1984, \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#home-turf-premieres-on-kron-tv\">KRON-TV recruited her to host \u003cem>Home Turf\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a Saturday-afternoon program that became appointment viewing for local teens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone had a crush on Dominique,” says Naru, giggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927320\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-800x541.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"541\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-800x541.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-1020x690.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-160x108.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-768x520.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_-1536x1039.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/DominiqueDiprima.HomeTurf.SFSU_.png 1540w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dominique DiPrima, pictured here hosting a 1987 episode of ‘Home Turf’ on KRON-4. \u003ccite>(SFSU Television Archive)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The First Bay Area Rap Record Opens the Floodgates\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of the under-acknowledged aspects of early hip-hop is the way elder Black musicians shepherded young artists into the recording industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The late Sylvia Robinson, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, initially emerged in the mid-’50s as one-half of Mickey & Sylvia, who scored a national hit with “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SwMB9v1pQ4\">Love Is Strange\u003c/a>.” As a ’70s solo artist and producer, Robinson made slinky, Eartha Kitt-like erotic disco capers such as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2X1040_gY\">Pillow Talk\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPScEJ66_m4\">Sweet Stuff\u003c/a>.” After discovering hip-hop when she heard DJ Lovebug Starski at a party, Robinson formed Sugar Hill Records, and turned three rapping teens she found in New Jersey into its first act, the Sugarhill Gang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This process of soul veterans working with young people resulted in independent 12” singles that mirrored — if not yet accurately capturing — the nascent rap sound at a time when big companies virtually ignored it. With his Mercury Records contract, Kurtis Blow was the only act with a major album deal. A handful of other pioneers like DJ Hollywood scored one-off 12” deals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A similar process played out in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\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/2R_h9BCuvBE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/2R_h9BCuvBE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The first Bay Area rap record is widely considered to be Phil “Motorcycle Mike” Lewis and the Rat Trap Band’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Odk2Vu70s\">Super Rat\u003c/a>,” a 1981 boogie-funk single notoriously released by East Oakland heroin kingpin Milton “Mickey Mo” Moore’s Hodisk Records. The name “Hodisk” was a cheeky reference to his onetime side business as a pimp. (Moore has since reformed and is now a pastor in West Oakland.) In fact, Mickey Mo boasts in his 1996 autobiography \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qy6RNV6f5w\">The Man: The Life Story of a Drug Kingpin\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “Hodisk Records became the first record company on the West Coast to release a rap record.” (The first L.A. rap record, Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp’s “The Gigolo Rapp,” was also released in 1981.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mickey Mo has another claim to rap lore: In 1980, he \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#the-first-rap-performance-on-a-major-stage\">helped finance an Oakland Coliseum concert\u003c/a> headlined by L.A. funk band War, with the Sugarhill Gang as a supporting act. Journalist Lee Hildebrand’s pre-concert interview with the Gang in the \u003cem>Oakland Tribune\u003c/em> was the first mention of rap music in the local press. A second funk-rap novelty, Steve Walker’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9jCLUWwBY\">Tally Ho!\u003c/a>,” also appeared in 1981. In 1983, San Francisco’s Debo & Brian released the electro-funk EP \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgv_AfTbEng\">This Is It\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. The momentum had started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had made this vow that I would never ever do anything having to do with rap,” laughs Claytoven Richardson. During his long career, the Berkeley-born, Oakland-raised Richardson worked with Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Whitney Houston, Elton John, and Celine Dion. But in the early ’80s, he was best known as a singer, producer, and arranger with hot dancefloor jazz-funk bands like Bill Summers & Summers’ Heat. His anti-rap stance reflected the music industry at large in the 1980s. “Nobody had the foresight to see that it would morph and change and do the things that it’s done,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 625px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/ClaytovenRichardson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927369\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/ClaytovenRichardson.jpg 625w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/ClaytovenRichardson-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Claytoven Richardson pictured in March 2023 in Los Angeles, California. \u003ccite>(Steven Simione/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, Richardson couldn’t avoid the increasingly popular genre when he scored a production deal at Fantasy Records, the onetime Berkeley jazz label also known for innovative acts like Sylvester and Cybotron, as well as one-off singles generated by a “throw it against the wall and see if it sticks” philosophy. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the records Richardson produced in that anything-goes environment was Mighty Mouth’s satirical complaint, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU1hAFnrtU8\">I’m All Rapped Out\u003c/a>.” (He wasn’t the only one annoyed over rap; perhaps out of wishful thinking, a 1985 \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> article referred to the “fast-fading hip-hop scene.”) A vocalist named Lawrence Pittman didn’t show up for the session, so Richardson performed the lyrics himself. However, Pittman showed up to rap on Mighty Mouth’s second single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqfQcLbemE4\">The Roaches\u003c/a>,” which parodied Whodini’s electro hit, “Freaks Come Out at Night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other scattered local raps appeared between 1985 and 1986. Former boogaloo dancer Jay King, just home from a stint in the Air Force and splitting time between Sacramento and Vallejo, formed a group called Frost and released “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hObIekxeoSg\">Battle Beat\u003c/a>.” His friends Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy produced it, as well as another electro-rap track, Sorcerey’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ap6uw-kX8o\">Woo Baby\u003c/a>.” Pittsburg rapper James “Red Beat” Briggs issued “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7dUlMEZUSc\">Freak City\u003c/a>,” which was later remixed by N.W.A. co-founder Arabian Prince. And there was Rodney “Disco Alamo” Brown, from Richmond, whose 12” “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-pXg1DY98\">The Task Force\u003c/a>” is \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#richmonds-task-force-memorialized-on-wax\">an early example\u003c/a> of Bay Area rap chronicling street life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-800x484.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"484\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-800x484.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-1020x618.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164-768x465.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1206295164.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Too Short, pictured at his manager’s house in Oakland on September 21, 1987. \u003ccite>(Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Most importantly, Too Short’s rising buzz led to a deal with deep East Oakland entrepreneur Dean Hodges’ 75 Girls label. Released in 1985, the resulting \u003cem>Don’t Stop Rappin’\u003c/em> was the first official album by a local rapper. While fans of a certain age still treasure protean electro-funk tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ywke376NQ\">Girl\u003c/a>” — which E-40 referenced on his 1998 hit, “Earl, That’s Yo Life” — the album couldn’t compare to his raunchy and wickedly hilarious “special request” tapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was during this period that Naru finally got his chance in the studio. Since 1984, UC Berkeley station \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#college-radio-makes-its-mark\">KALX-FM\u003c/a> served as home to “Music for the People,” a Sunday-morning community affairs and music show hosted by the late Charles “Natty Prep” Douglass, as well as DJs like Billy “Jam” Kiernan (who also broadcast on San Francisco State University station KUSF-FM), David “Davey D” Cook, and funkster Rickey “The Uhuru Maggot” Vincent. When Naru won \u003ca href=\"https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/107287\">a 1986 rap contest hosted by Billy Jam on KALX\u003c/a>, he earned a deal with Bay Wave Records, a local imprint distributed by Hollywood-based Macola Records. Richardson was hired to produce the session.\u003c/p>\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/dLlNn1Zh1ww'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/dLlNn1Zh1ww'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“[Quick Draw] was a great rapper. He had a lot of great lyrics and ideas,” says Richardson. On “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLlNn1Zh1ww\">Rapaholic\u003c/a>,” Richardson and session engineer Michael Denten (who later worked with Spice 1 and E-40) accompanied Quick Draw’s dexterous and energetic raps with sharp-angled percussive edits and sound effects reminiscent of The Art of Noise and Mantronix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Respect to Claytoven,” says Naru, who not only continues to make music but also owns a company, \u003ca href=\"http://hiplearning.org/\">Hip Learning\u003c/a>, that promotes childhood education with rap. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with the “Rapaholic” experience: “They made the record sound hella more polished. It was [supposed to be] a little more underground than that.” However, he adds, “[Claytoven] taught us a lot in the studio about the mics they use and how to mix. It was a good experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927411\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/SirQuickdrawFlyer.72dpi.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"889\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927411\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/SirQuickdrawFlyer.72dpi.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/SirQuickdrawFlyer.72dpi-160x237.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photocopied flyer advertising Sir Quick Draw’s single ‘Rapaholic.’ \u003ccite>(Mosi Reeves)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A Radio Breakthrough — And a Kid Named Hammer\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As the trajectory of Bay Area hip-hop waxed and waned, three catalyzing moments brought the scene into focus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first was an R&B track. Timex Social Club’s “Rumors” captured the pulse of Bay Area youth culture, from Marcus Thompson and Alex Hill’s skittering electro-funk bass and drums to singer Michael Marshall’s distinctly regional accent and coy recitation of schoolyard gossip (“Did you hear the one about Michael? Some say he must be gay…”) Produced by Jay King and Denzil Foster and released on King’s Jay Records in February 1986, it mushroomed into a top ten \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em> pop hit and dominated radio all year.\u003c/p>\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/jVce2IeYcTg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/jVce2IeYcTg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>But by the summer, Timex Social Club was falling apart and trading accusations with King over money and credit. The group’s only album \u003cem>Vicious Rumors\u003c/em> — by that point it was just Michael Marshall — featured drum programming from CJ Flash and a shout-out to KALX’s Natty Prep, who helped break “Rumors” on his “Music and Life” show. Marshall retreated from the spotlight before \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#i-got-5-on-it-remix-a-meeting-of-greats-recorded-in-alameda\">re-emerging as the hook man\u003c/a> on the Luniz’ 1995 smash “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERtkpnXLrL4\">I Got 5 on It\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After breaking with Timex Social Club, King formed a group called Jet Set and signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The group changed their name to Club Nouveau before debuting with the single “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKWhkjXV5uM\">Jealousy\u003c/a>.” A follow-up, the Bill Withers cover “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbyjaUJWWmk\">Lean on Me\u003c/a>,” went to number-one on the \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em> Hot 100, while Club Nouveau’s debut album \u003cem>Life, Love & Pain\u003c/em> went platinum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927310\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-800x489.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"489\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-800x489.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-1020x624.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851-768x470.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/GettyImages-1346275851.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Singers Samuelle Prater, Jay King and Valerie Watson of Club Nouveau performs at the U.I.C. Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois in August 1987. \u003ccite>(Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>King’s growing stardom rippled across the Bay and reached Felton Pilate, the Vallejo keyboardist, singer, and producer best known as a driving force in Bay Area funk stars Con Funk Shun. The two had already worked together on King’s onetime rap group Frost; Pilate engineered that record. Pilate soon added one of King’s projects, Sacramento R&B/rap group New Choice, to a growing slate of projects he produced and engineered at his Felstar Studios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Felstar Studios was the culmination of work he had begun while not touring and rehearsing with Con Funk Shun. At his home studio on Sandpiper Drive in Vallejo, Pilate helped assemble records for fledgling local artists. “I never thought of myself as just a studio,” he says, where he simply records his clients. “I have a little experience here. I’ve got several gold albums. Here, let me pass on some of this knowledge.” When asked if he considered himself a mentor, he demurs, even though that’s arguably what he was. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Pilate opened Felstar Studios on Sonoma Boulevard, his trusted associate was James Earley, a young engineer whom he credits for adding a more contemporary sensibility to the Studios’ output. Among the locals who came to them were M.V.P., a family trio consisting of Earl Stevens, Danell Stevens, and Brandt Jones. Their 1988 12”, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfLuAL6DueI\">The Kings Men\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, also included Tanina Stevens and Angela Pressley, who called themselves Sugar ‘N’ Spice. The members of M.V.P. updated their stage names to E-40, D-Shot and B-Legit, added Tanina as Suga T, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop/timeline#the-clicks-down-dirty-ushers-in-mobb-music-era\">evolved into The Click\u003c/a>, arguably becoming the most famous rap group to emerge from Vallejo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/MVP.e-40.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927370\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/MVP.e-40.jpg 700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/MVP.e-40-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">M.V.P., a 1988 Vallejo rap group featuring Busy D, E-40 and Legit (L–R). The three would later add E-40’s sister Suga T and become known as The Click. \u003ccite>(Gerry Ericksen / Rushforce Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1986, Pilate and Earley both had solo deals at Berkeley’s Fantasy Records. It was there that Pilate met a former Oakland A’s batboy named Stanley “Holyghost Boy” Burrell through Fantasy Records producer Fred L. Pittman. “Fred would often hire me to do keyboard arrangements for him,” says Pilate. When Pittman asked him to play keys for Holyghost Boy, Pilate responded, “Hey Fred, why don’t you let me take the reins on this?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a classically trained jazz and classical musician, Pilate didn’t think much of rap, even though Con Funk Shun not only included a rap verse on a 1982 single, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9GHVTI-EE\">Ain’t Nobody Baby\u003c/a>”; but also made “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmmzvN7raB0\">Electric Lady\u003c/a>,” a 1985 hit produced by Larry Smith of Whodini fame that landed in the top five of \u003cem>Billboard\u003c/em>’s Black Singles chart. “Musically, I wasn’t a fan, but as a producer, I said, ‘I can do this,’” he says. “Like everyone else, Con Funk Shun wanted to be relevant, and rap was all over the radio.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tracks Burrell brought to Pilate consisted of him rapping over sparse Yamaha RX5 drum-machine parts. Pilate responded by going into “study mode.” He listened to the rap stuff that was getting airplay like Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew. As a result, the skittering percussion on Burrell’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVWFiptGNY\">Let’s Get It Started\u003c/a>” is reminiscent of the go-go-inspired arrangements on Doug E. Fresh hits like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sGw9GSCiYU\">The Show\u003c/a>” and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UtqnKIF7kE\">All the Way to Heaven\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927325\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-800x565.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"565\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927325\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-800x565.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-1020x720.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_-768x542.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.VIdeoShoot.NewParish.Getty_.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MC Hammer films the music video for ‘Let’s Get It Started’ at Sweet Jimmie’s nightclub in downtown Oakland, March 19, 1988. \u003ccite>(Deanne Fitzmaurice/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My thing was to make it more music-driven than beat-driven,” says Pilate. In many cases, he simply “listened to what [Burrell] was talking about and wrote a straight R&B song underneath it.” He also gives credit to Earley, who helped refine the drum programming and brought “that younger ear” to the project. They incorporated stock horn stabs from a battery of Juno, Roland, and Yamaha drum machines. Meanwhile, Kent “The Lone Mixer” Wilson and Bryant “D.J. Redeemed” Marable added rhythmic scratches by cutting up Curtis Mayfield and Beastie Boys records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the demos were finished, Fantasy Records dropped Pilate, Earley and Burrell from their deals. “They weren’t really sure how to market any of us,” says Pilate. Then, he chuckles, “The next time I ran into the Holyghost Boy, he had changed his name to MC Hammer.” After forming Bustin’ Records in Fremont with financial help from Oakland A’s ballplayers like Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy, Hammer turned the Pilate demos into three 12”s — “Ring ’Em,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Let’s Get It Started” — and the 1987 album \u003cem>Feel My Power\u003c/em>. “I was like, man, those were rough mixes! You were supposed to come back and let me fix that!” Pilate laughs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone involved in Bay Area hip-hop has vivid memories of MC Hammer blowing up. Near-mythical stories of his local takeover abound, like attending local concerts surrounded by a massive crew; or tearing up the dance floor at The Silks, a popular nightclub in Emeryville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927324\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-800x727.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"727\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927324\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-800x727.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-1020x926.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-160x145.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate-768x698.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Hammer.Pilate.jpg 1058w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MC Hammer and Fenton Pilate in modern times. Pilate engineered and co-produced MC Hammer’s first recordings. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Felton Pilate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Today, it’s worth revisiting \u003cem>Feel My Power\u003c/em> and 1988’s \u003cem>Let’s Get It Started\u003c/em>. Released after Hammer signed with Capitol Records, \u003cem>Let’s Get It Started\u003c/em> found Hammer and Pilate remixing those original demos while adding vital new tracks like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sZVcXzSE3M\">Pump It Up\u003c/a>.” The results are bombastic and vibrant dance-floor jams as ecstatic as anything by Kid ‘n’ Play and Salt-n-Pepa. Hammer’s subsequent leap into pop superstardom with 1990’s \u003cem>Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em\u003c/em> and the ubiquity of “U Can’t Touch This” obscure just how great those early tracks are.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Eight Woofers in the Trunk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MC Hammer’s major-label arrival in 1988 capped a year of Bay Area hip-hop on the cusp of national exposure. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Too Short issued \u003cem>Born to Mack\u003c/em> in the fall of 1987 on his Dangerous Music label, Jive Records picked it up. (Dangerous Music also issued \u003cem>Dangerous Crew\u003c/em>, a compilation of vital Bay Area acts like Spice-1, Rappin’ 4-Tay, and the female duo Danger Zone.) Digital Underground’s playful and psychedelic “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zQ1frcgSbI\">Underwater Rimes\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpBNB20wVo0\">Your Life’s a Cartoon\u003c/a>” led to a deal with Tommy Boy. Local talent waited in the wings, including rapper/producer Paris (A.T.C.’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHpiPWfOBk4\">Cisco Jam\u003c/a>”), Sway & King Tech (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJujmVXiwE\">Flynamic Force\u003c/a>\u003c/em> EP), Dangerous Dame (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Frj4j09GE\">The Power That’s Packed\u003c/a>”), and MC Twist and the Def Squad (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lZz7qhjfjw\">Just Rock\u003c/a>”). And the late Cameron Paul, known for his “Beats & Pieces” breakbeats, remixed Queens trio Salt-n-Pepa’s 1987 track “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPkdk1oMmtE\">Push It\u003c/a>” into a global phenomenon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13828164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-800x496.jpg\" alt=\"Cameron Paul reveals his mixing secrets.\" width=\"800\" height=\"496\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13828164\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-240x149.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-375x233.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/03/CameronPaul-520x322.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cameron Paul, who provided the spine of New Orleans bounce music with ‘Brown Beats’ and recorded a smash-hit remix of Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s ‘Push It,’ was also a prominent club and radio megamix DJ in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(YouTube)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Incidentally, the first local group to score a major label deal wasn’t Hammer, but Surf MCs, a Berkeley group that Profile Records promoted as a Beastie Boys-like rap/rock crossover. Their 1987 album \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojCAqdBA7uA\">Surf or Die\u003c/a>\u003c/em> proved a flop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the third moment that catalyzed Bay Area hip-hop wasn’t a singular record like Timex Social Club’s “Rumors,” or an artist like Hammer and Short. It was the sound of walloping, all-enveloping bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Made for surgically enhanced car and jeep stereos, the bass colossus is as much a feature of hip-hop in the mid-’80s as the pounding Roland TR-808 machine, from Rick Rubin’s production on LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” and T La Rock’s “It’s Yours” to Rodney O and DJ Joe Cooley’s “Everlasting Bass” and Dr. Dre’s work on Eazy-E’s “The Boyz-N-The Hood.” It also mirrors the crack-cocaine epidemic that began to blight and distort communities across the country. As street life turned treacherous, the specter of the hustler, and whether to become one, cast a growing shadow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13925761","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Then the new style came, the bass got deeper / You gave up the mike and bought you a beeper / Do you want to rap or sell coke? / Brothers like you ain’t never broke,” Too Short memorably rapped on his 1989 hit, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvfUUOO0xoM\">Life Is…Too Short\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banjoko recalls how the presence of gangs transformed local shows. “You would see a bunch of people dressed up together [in the same gear], and you might assume they were a rap or dance crew. They were young drug lords,” he says. “You could get trampled, beat up or robbed by any of them. I remember 69 Ville being massively deep at the Fresh Fest and the [Run-DMC] Raising Hell tour. They were terrifying, straight up. You were going to tuck your chain, you were going to take your Kangol off, or they were going to take it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927326\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/HughEMC.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"409\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927326\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/HughEMC.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/HughEMC-160x109.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hugh EMC, the San Francisco rapper whose 1988 single ‘It’s the Game’ unflinchingly chronicled street life. \u003ccite>(Soul Sonic Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rap imagery became more honest and explicit. Some like Richmond rapper Magic Mike, San Francisco’s Hugh EMC (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_p7L0eJfKI\">It’s the Game\u003c/a>”), and Oakland’s Hollywood (“\u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/release/641778-Hollywood-Stay-Heart-And-Soul-Raps-Just-A-Battlefield\">Gangster Rap\u003c/a>”) seemed to embrace the hustler ethos, while cautiously adding verses about the consequences of that lifestyle. Then there was Oakland rapper Morocco Moe, whose “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogNoOCIVPrI\">Task\u003c/a>” criticized how law enforcement brutalized communities in the War on Drugs: “Their intentions are good/But their actions are wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every Black neighborhood was infested” with crack, says Vallejo producer Khayree Shaheed. “There was an influx of money coming into young Black men, but there was also a lot of death occurring.” The epidemic also marked his entry into the world of rap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a descendant of the Bay Area’s vaunted funk tradition, Khayree spent the ’70s and early ’80s playing bass guitar for bands like Grand Larceny, Body Mind & Spirit and Touch of Class (with keyboardist Rosie Gaines, who later joined Prince & the New Power Generation). His travels took him across the U.S. and even to Japan, where Touch of Class lived and performed for several months. (Though his bands made demos, there are no official recordings to date.) When asked about the first time he heard rap, Khayree cites “jazzoetry” ensembles like The Last Poets, not the Sugarhill Gang. And as a youth growing up on Lofas Place in Vallejo, he spent plenty of time following Con Funk Shun, hoping to apprentice with the biggest band in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927412\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-800x510.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927412\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-800x510.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-1020x651.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-768x490.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi-1536x980.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.1979.DockoftheBay.72dpi.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vallejo musician Khayree Shaheed, playing bass onstage in 1979. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Khayree Shaheed)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Khayree was in his mid-20s when Rod “I.C.E.” Andrews and Dan “Luvva D” Morrison a.k.a. the Luvva Twins brought Khayree a demo they had made on a Casio keyboard, “Hubba Head.” The song title was slang for a crack addict, and the duo described the “hubba head’s” descent into addiction with charismatic punch. They arranged the music and rapped most of the lyrics, while Khayree dropped a short verse and added guitar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khayree had already spent time at Pilate’s home studio, honing his writing and production skills. (“I always enjoyed working with him,” says Pilate.) Now, he brought “Hubba Head” to Pilate, and the two prepared it for release. Setting up his own label, Big Bank Records, Khayree distributed two hundred copies of the 12” to DJs and influencers. “The record was super popular in the streets,” says Khayree.\u003c/p>\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/pArkWvlAebg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pArkWvlAebg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>After “Hubba Head,” Khayree began working with Jay King, a fellow graduate of Vallejo High School. The opportunity to write and produce New Choice’s 1987 single “\u003ca href=\"http://<a%20href=\" https:>Cold Stupid\u003c/a>” and most of the quintet’s 1988 debut, \u003cem>At Last\u003c/em>, gave him important experience on a major project and financial stability. By fusing bass, funky R&B and hip-hop breakbeats, New Choice reflected a parallel R&B movement that both influenced and was inspired by the hip-hop scene. Similar Bay Area acts included Oakland’s Tony! Toni! Toné!, who parlayed backing sessions for Sheila E. and Tramaine Hawkins into a major-label deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flush from his experience with New Choice, Khayree was ready to start his own company. “I’m listening to EPMD’s \u003cem>Strictly Business\u003c/em>,” he says, inspiring the name of his second label, Strictly Business Records. He knew that Mike “The Mac” Robinson, who also grew up on Lofas Place, was a rapper. Robinson hailed from a musical family: his uncle Steve “Silver” Scales was a well-traveled Vallejo funk percussionist who played with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, and the B-52s. (Though it would be a delicious coincidence, Scales didn’t perform on “Genius of Love.”) Khayree encouraged Robinson to take music more seriously. Meanwhile, Robinson’s mother drew the memorable Strictly Business logo: an open briefcase, ready for business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1988, Khayree released The Mac’s three-song EP, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.discogs.com/release/805531-The-Mac-Im-Ah-Big-Mac\">I’m Ah Big Mac\u003c/a>.” Heard now, what immediately stands out is the unique \u003cem>tone\u003c/em> of the bass. “We used synthesizers that had dumb-fat bass lines,” explains Khayree in reference to himself and Too Short as well as future Bay Area colleagues like Ant Banks. By comparison, he says, other regional scenes relied on a “natural” bass guitar or samples from records. “You feel it through your whole body. … You can get it with a bass guitar, depending on how you EQ the bass and what you run your guitar through. But you’re \u003cem>never\u003c/em> going to touch the subs and the depth of a Minimoog, of the Oberheim Ovx, or the Roland Juno 106.” The EP’s highlight is its B-side “The Game Is Thick,” which centers on a sample of Prince’s “D.M.S.R.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927371\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-800x498.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"498\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927371\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-800x498.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-1020x635.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick-768x478.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/TheMac.GameisThick.jpg 1537w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khayree and The Mac (L–R), pictured on the cover of The Mac’s ‘The Game is Thick.’ \u003ccite>(Phil Bray / Strictly Business Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1989, Khayree remixed and re-released “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCxGl7Ok1YI\">The Game Is Thick\u003c/a>” as a standalone 12” with a memorable cover photo: Khayree looking super-clean in a grey suit, clasping a briefcase, with The Mac in a red-and-black bomber jacket. Khayree calls the style “pimping.” “We didn’t mean pimping so much as getting prostitutes to work,” he explains. “It’s an attitude, and it’s a musical style.” The “game” is a metaphor for life in the Black community. Street slang illustrated complex situations, whether it was dealing with the repercussions of a raging crack epidemic, or simply navigating the tensions of everyday living. Meanwhile, The Mac’s “cool, silky, pimpish” flow and Khayree’s synthesized bass production proved a clear predecessor to the ’90s mob-music sound that took over Bay Area rap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"aside","attributes":{"named":{"postid":"arts_13924167","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Upon release, “The Game Is Thick” didn’t make a major impact, and most copies went to local DJ pools. “We promoted records out of the trunk,” says Khayree. “We went from Bobby G’s Soul Disco in San Francisco to [Rico Casanova’s record pool] The Pros in Oakland.” Still, “The Game Is Thick” remix received a mention in Davey “D” Cook’s April 7, 1989 “Beats & Breaks” column for \u003cem>BAM\u003c/em> Magazine. “Let me tell you, it’s hyped to the max,” Davey D wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With Khayree’s encouragement, the Mac taught himself how to produce music with synth keyboards. He also introduced Khayree to another Vallejo artist, Andre “Mac Dre” Hicks, who became Strictly Business’ second act. By the time The Mac was shot and killed on July 23, 1991 in what Khayree calls “a case of mistaken identity,” the two had recorded dozens of tracks and released a third and final 12” protesting police violence, 1990’s “Enuff of Tis Sh-t!” One of The Mac’s beats posthumously appeared on Mac Dre’s 1993 track, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slA_s7tSjMU\">The M.A.C. & Mac D.R.E.\u003c/a>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13927413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13927413\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-1020x666.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi-1536x1003.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/Khayree.KoolMoeDee.72dpi.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khayree with Kool Moe Dee at the 1988 BRE Conference in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Khayree Shaheed)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Mike had a big, big loving heart,” remembers Khayree, sounding wistful. He emphasizes how The Mac left behind a daughter, “Mac” Reina Robinson, and a pregnant girlfriend who gave birth to his son, Mike. At one point, Khayree plays a voicemail of The Mac passionately singing a funky, swinging hook, as if to counteract the stereotype that rappers aren’t musicians. He talks about how The Mac’s way of playing simple, evocative keyboard notes for maximum effect echoes in the work of his famed protégé, Mac Dre. “I miss him,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area rap broke wide at the end of the decade, leading to a 1989 story in the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/10/arts/rap-by-the-bay-oakland-emerges-as-a-force-in-pop.html\">Rap by the Bay: Oakland Emerges as a Force in Pop\u003c/a>.” Not every local pioneer who laid the groundwork would enjoy the fruits of that success. But their stories are essential to understanding how local hip-hop came of age, and everything that came after.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/arts/13927349/bay-area-hip-hop-1980s","authors":["11855"],"categories":["arts_1","arts_835","arts_966","arts_7862","arts_69","arts_75","arts_990","arts_70"],"tags":["arts_5397","arts_10278","arts_831","arts_1143","arts_19346","arts_3478","arts_3800"],"featImg":"arts_13927364","label":"source_arts_13927349","isLoading":false,"hasAllInfo":true}},"programsReducer":{"possible":{"id":"possible","title":"Possible","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.","airtime":"SUN 2pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.possible.fm/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"Possible"},"link":"/radio/program/possible","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"}},"1a":{"id":"1a","title":"1A","info":"1A is home to the national conversation. 1A brings on great guests and frames the best debate in ways that make you think, share and engage.","airtime":"MON-THU 11pm-12am","imageSrc":"https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/1a.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://the1a.org/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/1a","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=1188724250&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/1A-p947376/","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510316/podcast.xml"}},"all-things-considered":{"id":"all-things-considered","title":"All Things Considered","info":"Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.","airtime":"MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/","meta":{"site":"news","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/all-things-considered"},"american-suburb-podcast":{"id":"american-suburb-podcast","title":"American Suburb: The Podcast","tagline":"The flip side of gentrification, told through one town","info":"Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"/news/series/american-suburb-podcast","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"13"},"link":"/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/","subscribe":{"npr":"https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW","apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"}},"baycurious":{"id":"baycurious","title":"Bay Curious","tagline":"Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time","info":"KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg","imageAlt":"\"KQED Bay Curious","officialWebsiteLink":"/news/series/baycurious","meta":{"site":"news","source":"kqed","order":"4"},"link":"/podcasts/baycurious","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406","npr":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious","rss":"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9jYXRlZ29yeS9iYXktY3VyaW91cy1wb2RjYXN0L2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA","stitcher":"https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"}},"bbc-world-service":{"id":"bbc-world-service","title":"BBC World Service","info":"The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.","airtime":"MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service","meta":{"site":"news","source":"BBC World Service"},"link":"/radio/program/bbc-world-service","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/","rss":"https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"}},"code-switch-life-kit":{"id":"code-switch-life-kit","title":"Code Switch / Life Kit","info":"\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />","airtime":"SUN 9pm-10pm","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","meta":{"site":"radio","source":"npr"},"link":"/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit","subscribe":{"apple":"https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy","spotify":"https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV","rss":"https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"}},"commonwealth-club":{"id":"commonwealth-club","title":"Commonwealth Club of California Podcast","info":"The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.","airtime":"THU 10pm, FRI 1am","imageSrc":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg","officialWebsiteLink":"https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts","meta":{"site":"news","source":"Commonwealth Club of California"},"link":"/radio/program/commonwealth-club","subscribe":{"apple":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2","google":"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw","tuneIn":"https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"}},"considerthis":{"id":"considerthis","title":"Consider This","tagline":"Make sense of the day","info":"Make sense of the day. Every weekday afternoon, Consider This helps you consider the major stories of the day in less than 15 minutes, featuring the reporting and storytelling resources of NPR. 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