If you grew up in the Bay Area or have been here for a while, you know how difficult it is to be an artist because life is so expensive. Despite that, San Francisco is going through a creative renaissance — and not because of corporations or millionaires, but because artists are creating culture at the grassroots level. A big part of that is the 17-member artist collective Family Not a Group.
You’ll find FNG wherever culture is happening — they make music, throw parties and educate students. They’ve been part of efforts to feed their neighborhoods, and have marched in the streets protesting police brutality and Israel’s war in Gaza.
On Sept. 26, we invited FNG to take over KQED headquarters to show off their many talents and contributions to local culture. We kicked the night off with a screening of their web series Rent Check and a discussion with comedian and show creator Mike Evans Jr., rapper and actor Kaly Jay and singer SundaY, the latter two of whom appear in the series and on the Rent Check album. Afterwards, Mike told a few jokes, followed by high-energy musical performances from FNG members Afterthought, Frak, Grand-O, Ash, Serg, Cynny, Ozer, EaSWay, DJSay, Kaly Jay, SundaY and Professa Gabel.
We went dumb, and we got nerdy. After the music, Jenset, Baghead, DJSay and Afterthought shared about their experiences growing up in the Tenderloin, Mission, Bayview and Fillmore, respectively, and how their neighborhoods shaped their views on inequality, gentrification and solidarity. They spoke on how they see their roles as artists who are part of movements for human rights and collective liberation. As Jenset succinctly put it, “Free the world.”
Frak, who appears on the latest season of Nick Cannon’s Wild ’n Out, closed out the night with a freestyle using words that the audience shouted out. It was a brilliant end to a beautiful night brimming with Frisco pride. I would say you had to be there, but you can watch it back on YouTube.
