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Tag: <span>Bay Area</span>

Dakari

INTERVIEW: Producer Dakari on His African Roots & How He Became G-Eazy’s Top Engineer

Originally posted on Billboard 12/10/2018

Hip-hop may have originated in the Bronx but not even Kool Herc could have imagined the reach and impact that his art-form would soon achieve. Rap officially kicked down the door in 2015 when Spotify reported that hip-hop was the most listened to genre in the world. In 2017, Nielsen’s Music year-end reportshowed that R&B/hip-hop had taken the crown from Rock to be the most purchased music in the United States.

That kind of global reach has empowered new creators from all over the world. For Zimbabwean producer Dakari, hip-hop has provided a way of life for him that he couldn’t have dreamed of. After moving to Dallas, DG would have his coming of age moment in high school that would eventually lead to a world class internship and writing and producing for G-Eazy.

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Warren G

MOVIE REVIEW: Warren G’s Brilliance Revealed In YouTube’s ‘G-Funk’ Documentary

Originally posted on Vibe 7/25/2018

In the 1990s, three best friends at Long Beach’s renowned Polytechnic High School polished a new sound at the intersection of funk and rap music. Warren G, with the help of Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, ushered in what will be forever known as the g-funk era. While the three didn’t create the musical subgenre, they built on the foundation created by the West Coast rap quintet Above The Law and took the sound worldwide. YouTube Originals partnered with Warren G to create G-Funk, telling the untold tales of arguably hip-hop’s most underrated legend.

The full-length documentary starts off in Long Beach, Calif. as we’re introduced to a young Warren G and Snoop Dogg. “Every time you seen Warren, you seen Snoop,” Warren recalls as he and Snoop trade stories of their early LBC experiences. They would later meet Nate Dogg at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and form the group 213.

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ICY GRL

INTERVIEW: Bay Area MC Saweetie Talks “Icy Grl” & Social Media Fame

Originally posted on HipHopDX 11/13/2017

For as many rappers as the Bay Area has produced, Kamaiyah is one of the few women to break through in the scene’s rich history. Hayward native Saweetie wants to become the next female MC to break the trend and put on for women in NorCal.

“I’m a Bay girl. The Bay raised me,” Saweetie said when asked about her history of living across California. “I love Sacramento too, so I kind of have two hometowns: Hayward and Sacramento. Those two cities shaped me into who I am today. I’m definitely a Cali girl but more like Bay Area.”

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Symba

INTERVIEW: Bay Area Rapper Symba Reveals Origins Of Columbia Records Deal

Originally posted on HipHopDX 5/15/2017

The ultimate dream of signing to a major label is usually reserved and highlighted by the rap stars who’ve already accomplished so much independently — which makes Bay Area rapper Symba’s story that much more special.

The 26-year-old up-and-comer represents a different generation in Hip Hop. One whose formative years were forged in the aftermath of Diddy’s shiny suit era. Coming off his HipHopDX premiere of “Get the Time,” Symba sat down and discussed the origins of his name, how his deal with Columbia Records came about, and his inspiration.

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Mozzy

INTERVIEW: Bladadah!: Mozzy Runs Through The Sacramento Slang Dictionary

Originally posted on HipHopDX 12/8/2016

In the realm of Hip Hop, California has been at the forefront of the culture for decades. Los Angeles and the Bay Area have been important staples in helping to shape the entire genre. Sacramento native Mozzy stopped by DXHQ to shed some light on why his stomping grounds is often left out of the equation and discuss their own unique culture.

“We ain’t got the recognition we need,” exclaims Mozzy. “They ain’t talking about us enough. Where the check? Where the bag? They ain’t came with that baggage, that luggage, so we just still cooking.” When asked about why we haven’t seen rappers from Sacramento, Mozzy explained, “It’s segregated. The Bay Area, for Northern California, is the market. That’s the market. Ain’t no other market.”

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E-40

ALBUM REVIEW: E-40 – The D-Boy Diary

Originally posted on HipHopDX 12/2/206
Rating: 3.6/5

Longevity and Hip Hop aren’t words that are commonly synonymous. There’s keeping your name relevant throughout the years and then there’s being able put out a consistent body of work to match. The Bay Area leads the league in all of those statistical categories thanks to E-40. The dual book D-Boy Diary stands as 40’s 23rd and 24th studio albums and slowing down is not the motto here. But with this latest album set coming in at 44 tracks over the course of three hours, perhaps it’s time Charlie Hustle paced himself a little better.

By the way, that wasn’t a typo. The D-Boy Diaries are an asinine 44 tracks in length, spanning over the course of an entire Lord of the Rings movie. Yep, you can ghostride the whip all the way to Mordor and still have some E Fonzarelli music to spare. That’s the thing about being indie; an A&R to help you vet bad ideas is always ideal. If there’s anyone who could pull it off, however, it’s Earl Stevens. Despite having a rollout longer than a lot of current MC’s entire discography, E-40 shows why he had been able to remain relevant over the past four decades.

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