by
Salvatore Maxwell on March 29, 2018
Get ready to feel the weight of your years—then dance it all away. BackBar SoFa is taking it way back with a celebration of hip-hop and R&B’s hottest hits from the ’90s and early ’00s. There will be four guest DJs breaking it down on the ones and twos, and photographers will…
Continue reading »
by
Stephen Perez on February 2, 2018
San Jose indie-funk trio Nu Ethnic celebrate the release of their first EP, Learning to Fly. The group have made a name for themselves blending smooth math rock with soulful vocals and groovy rhythms. On a demo version of their song “Strong,” Nu Ethnic spin up a contagious mix of moody R&B…
Continue reading »
by
Yousif Kassab on January 26, 2018
The early 2010s marked the beginning of a new trend—just about every rapper, from J. Cole to Big K.R.I.T, began singing the hook themselves. Another example of this tradition can be found in Houston rapper Kirko Bangz’s hit single “Drank in My Cup.” Delivered over a glittering, synth-heavy instrumental, the track is…
Continue reading »
Before he went gold as a solo artist with 1998’s Thugged Out: The Albulation, Yukmouth was one half of The Luniz, the crew who dropped what is arguably the greatest weed-smoking anthem ever to come from the Bay Area (and there’ve been a lot): “I Got 5 On It.” Since then the…
Continue reading »
by
André Jaquez on November 23, 2017
The Based God will soon be in the building. For those Bay Area fans who missed Lil B’s appearance at Shoreline Amphitheatre’s recent Rolling Loud Fest, here’s another opportunity to catch the most outrageously prolific rapper in the game. As for all the drama that went down in Mountain View—Brandon’s sound equipment…
Continue reading »
by
André Jaquez on October 27, 2017
Growing up in the Cypress Village projects in West Oakland is tough. Especially when you go from hustling candy bars to pushing work. Unlike the stripped-down beats and absurdist view of street life trotted out by his hyphy predecessors, Stalin takes a bleaker, more serious tone over gooey beats that borrow from…
Continue reading »
by
André Jaquez on October 18, 2017
Brooding and rhyming like a hip-hop Leonard Cohen, Onry Ozzborn comes to San Jose for a cypher showdown. He is one of many Rhymesayer label rappers, such as Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif and Busdriver. Ozzborn’s alternative style is also deeply personal and inventive. The rapper has multiple side projects such as, Grayskul,…
Continue reading »
by
André Jaquez on October 5, 2017
Buyepongo’s infectious pan-Latin sound takes the traditional Afro-caribbean beat of Belize and Guatemala to L.A. for a funky makeover. When Edgar “Meshlee” Modesto, the group’s founding member, had the opportunity to visit Central America, he discovered a new direction for Buyepongo and was enlightened by the rhythm of Garifuna culture. The buyangú…
Continue reading »
by
Yousif Kassab on September 20, 2017
Akrobatik and Mr. Lif are back. The Boston-bred hip-hop duo, better known as The Perceptionists, come to San Jose this week behind their first album in more than a decade, Resolution. Fans of the group might remember the pair from their 2005 album Black Dialogue. The project featured one of their most…
Continue reading »
by
Yousif Kassab on July 27, 2017
Bay Area O.G. Andre Nickatina returns to San Jose with more tales from the Fillmore. The guy has been doing it for longer than your favorite SoundCloud rapper has been alive, but don’t think his age has rusted his wit or his tongue. Even the passing of time won’t stop him from…
Continue reading »
