For His Birthday, Mistah F.A.B. Gifts the Bay Area a Week of Parties and Events

What started as a series of parties called F.A.B. Week to mark Mistah F.A.B.’s 40th birthday has evolved into a full-blown annual festival that the Oakland rap star, entrepreneur and community organizer puts on for his hometown — pretty much single-handedly.

“I’m not gonna lie and make it seem like I’m not overwhelmed at times,” says Mistah F.A.B., now almost 42, while laying down verses for an upcoming album at Studio X. As proof, his phone goes off every 30 seconds with calls about F.A.B. Week, fatherhood duties and musical collaborations. “But I know that in the beginning of your creations you have to do the pottery. And that’s where we are. … Hopefully the clay can withstand.”

F.A.B. Week kicks off Monday, Jan. 22, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Mistah F.A.B. mural by Airballin and Steven Anderson on 45th and Market Streets, where Mistah F.A.B. grew up, and a “Know Your Lane” bowling party at Plank in Jack London Square with celebrity guests Too Short and Gary Payton. Events continue daily through Jan. 28, with a comedy night starring HaHa Davis on Jan. 23 at Tommy T’s in Pleasanton and a Bay-TL Skate Party with Future’s DJ and producer DJ Esco on Jan. 24 at the Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium in Oakland.

On Jan. 25, F.A.B. will bring a ’90s mobb music revival (and some hyphy) to the long-running San Francisco hip-hop party City Nights, with performances by 3XKrazy, The Delinquents, Dru Down, Black C of RBL Posse and The Team.

Festivities continue with a fashion show at Mistah F.A.B.’s downtown Oakland nightclub Dezi’s on Jan. 26, produced by celebrity stylist Mario B. “He’s a huge advocate and spokesman for the LGBTQ community,” F.A.B. says, noting the importance of unity. “To me that partnership was about, ‘Aye, we all here. We all together.'”

The week will wrap with a car show and Sneaker Prom party at Oakstop’s historic California Ballroom on Jan. 27, and a Big Facts Brunch at ForTheCulture in Old Oakland and a celebrity basketball game at Oakland Technical High School on Jan. 28.

With Oakland’s wealth inequality and resulting struggles with crime regularly in the news, F.A.B. says he wants to shine a light on the city as a creative powerhouse.

“All we hear about Oakland is that it’s this dangerous place, it’s Gotham City,” he says. “They don’t talk about the beauty of the city. They don’t talk about the brilliant minds that still lay here. They don’t talk about the art diaspora, the musical expression, the businesses that are still thriving even in the midst of all of these negative things.”

Mistah F.A.B. has a hand in pretty much all those categories. The Dope Era boutique owner and veteran artist who helped spearhead the hyphy movement of the 2000s has put in decades of work as a philanthropist and community organizer. Most recently, he’s ramped up his Thug Therapy men’s support and mentorship groups (“thug” standing for “teaching, helping, uniting and guiding”), along with an analogous Tea Time for women. He’s working on getting the programs into Oakland schools, with a long-term goal to create his own Dope Era Academy youth center and offer free access to arts, professional development and social support.

“I’m just trying to keep growing and putting the work in,” Mistah F.A.B. says. “Not really worrying about the scoreboard, but just continuing to put points up.”

F.A.B. Week runs Monday–Sunday, Jan. 22–28. Tickets to most events are on Eventbrite. For more information and updates, follow Mistah F.A.B. on Instagram.