Mind Motion is a staple in the Bay Area hip-hop scene who's been DJing since the early 90s. For decades, millions of people heard him breaking classic records on the airwaves of 106.1 KMEL alongside Chuy Gomez. Before that, he came up in San Francisco as a dancer, graffiti writer, and party DJ. Mind Motion has been instrumental in getting almost every hit song from the Bay off the ground, and in this interview he shares his thoughts on the current state of radio, how rappers can network with DJs, and how DJs can have a long career. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Jason Goldwatch is a director and co-founder of Decon, a hip-hop record label. Growing up in San Francisco, he was inspired by hip-hop and graffiti and studied media production at School of the Arts. This led Goldwatch to the California Institute of the Arts, where he started professionally directing music videos. Over the years he has worked with Pharrell, Jay-Z, 88 Keys, Kanye West, Aceyalone, Action Bronson, Swollen Members, Dilated Peoples, Ludacris, Jeezy, Jim Jones, Atmosphere, Pusha T, The Roots, Kid Cudi, and countless others. Through Decon, he put out projects by Jay Electronica, Alchemist and Oh No, and Roc Marciano. Goldwatch recently collaborated on a film project with DJ Muggs for the new Soul Assassins album "Death Valley." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Hugh EMC is possibly the first San Francisco rapper to distribute an official release with the 1988 single, "It's The Game." His early songs like "H-Nigga Groove" (aka "Keep A Bitch Broke") and EP "Gangsta Knowledge" with DJ X-1 inspired an entire generation of SF hip-hop. Hugh's hardcore storytelling raps were directly inspired by witnessing the Fillmoe neighborhood change during the crack era. As a teen, he co-founded a gang from his projects, the Outta Control Posse, and entered into drug dealing and pimping. Hugh transitioned into starting his own record label and distributing tapes, eventually signing with In-A-Minute Records. Along the way he linked up with San Francisco rap legend Cougnut and helped mentor aspiring artists from his neighborhood like JT The Bigga Figga. After a prison stint derailed his rap career, Hugh transitioned into college education, radio broadcasting, and youth mentoring. He continues to work with youth and makes new music with a positive message. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

JT The Bigga Figga is a legendary rapper, producer, record label owner, and entrepreneur from San Francisco's Fillmore District. While incarcerated as a juvenile in the early 90s, he decided to enter the emerging independent Bay Area rap scene. Despite successfully self-distributing his first demo tape, JT was rejected by In-A-Minute Records. This pushed him to start his own label, Get Low Records, which quickly became a successful entity to push his own albums as well as projects by the Get Low Playaz (San Quinn, D-Moe and Seff The Gaffla). As JT became better at marketing and promotion, he linked up with Master P during his time in Richmond and took his music nationwide. Over the course of his career, he's linked with industry heavyweights such as Jay-Z and Nas. To this day, JT The Bigga Figga is one of the most respected independent pioneers of Bay Area hip-hop. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

In addition to being one of the producers on the podcast, D.E.O. is a Bay Area legend in his own right who started as one-half of the San Francisco rap duo Evenodds and transitioned into studio engineering and artist management. Over the years he's produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered some classic songs. Currently, he's managing Lil Kayla, supporting her in signing a major-label deal and touring around the country. In this episode D.E.O. steps into the spotlight to talk about his story as well as answer questions from the audience at the History of the Bay Day Party. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Recorded live at the Midway SF for the History of the Bay Day Party, this panel includes rapper CMG of Conscious Daughters, Thizz Nation photographer D-Ray, graffiti artist Dime of Few & Far Collective, and Nastia Voynovskya of KQED Arts & Culture. These women discuss their respective careers, sisterhood in the Bay Area, challenges they've faced in the industry, and what the future holds for women in hip-hop. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Benny Diar is a graffiti writer who grew up in Gilroy and made his name painting in San Jose, Portland, Seattle and beyond. Early on, he learned the consequences of graffiti while dealing with incarceration as a juvenile but never stopped his drive to paint. Coming up as a member of KYT and DTC crews, Diar's painted thousands of freight trains. He was also one of the creative minds behind Clout Magazine, which covered graffiti, rap, and streetwear from the Bay Area and beyond. Tragically, a car accident nearly took his life and left him paralyzed. Through the support of his crew, Diar pushed through and continues to paint to this day despite being confined to a wheelchair. His story is inspiring and he's shown people that anything is possible and art can help overcome even the most challenging circumstances. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

D-Ray is a photographer who has taken some of the most legendary and well-recognized pictures in Bay Area rap history. Picking up photography as a hobby, she soon transitioned into doing shoots for magazines and local rappers. This quickly led to her becoming the official photographer for Mac Dre's Thizz Nation, which put her in perfect position to capture the Hyphy Movement as it exploded in the early 2000s. D-Ray soon took her work to Ozone Magazine where she became the official west coast editor and used her platform to promote underground artists from the Bay. Since then, she has overcome serious illness, doors being closed on her, and negativity in the music scene to continue documenting the culture. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Apexer is a world-renowned painter whose roots began in the San Francisco graffiti scene and evolved into one of the most recognized muralists from the Bay Area. He started writing graffiti in 3rd grade and fully immersed himself in the local scene, from bus hopping to racking paint and piecing in yards. Learning from older writers like Neon and his colleagues in BA crew, Apex created his own unique wild style of piecing. After paying his dues in the streets, he transitioned into legal walls, commissions, and fine art as a full-time career. Still, Apex has stayed grounded in graffiti traditions and incorporates the styles and techniques he developed as a writer into his current projects. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

30 years after their debut, Souls of Mischief are proving that the title of their song "93 'Til Infinity" is true. Currently, they are in the middle of a world tour spanning over 100 dates, selling out shows around the globe, winning over young fans through streaming, and demonstrating a longevity that is rarely seen in rap music. This exclusive interview with all 4 members of Souls - A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai - touches on their upbringing in East Oakland, their early days recording with Del the Funky Homosapien, traveling to LA as teenagers to build with Ice Cube, Sir Jinx and Eazy-E, and the ups and downs of signing to a major label. As members of the Hieroglyphics collective along with Del, Casual, Pep Love, Domino, and DJ Toure, Souls and their comrades have been successful independent artists since the 90s. They also touch on how they define success for themselves, their pursuit of other careers outside of music, and how their friendship has helped them stick together to inspire new generations through music year after year. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Known for his unmistakable producer tag and signature style of beats, DJ.Fresh has been a staple of the Bay Area hip-hop scene for decades. Growing up in Baltimore, Fresh learned the foundations of DJing before moving to the Bay. While he was still a teenager, he entered and won several DJ competitions for the ITF and DMC. This led to Fresh becoming a tour DJ for Common and then Nas. As he started to get into producing, he launched his acclaimed "Tonite Show" album series by teaming up with Mistah Fab. Since then, Fresh has produced for Don Toliver, Tech N9ne, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Larry June, E-40, Murs, Trae the Truth, Freddie Gibbs, the Jacka, Mozzy, J. Stalin and countless others. Recently, he went viral for his "Refreshed" remix series where he put a new twist on classics by artists like LL Cool J and RBL Posse. Fresh is currently working on his major label debut via BMG, "The Tonite Show" compilation. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

A-Wax and Big Tone are veteran rappers representing the East Bay cities of Pittsburg and Antioch. Both got involved in gang life early and saw music as a way to turn their lives around. Wax and Tone linked up through Woodie, the legendary Antioch rapper who made his own beats and created the acclaimed Northern Expozure compilation series through his record label East Co-Co Records. Woodie taught both of them about the independent music business and inspired A-Wax to start Pie-Rx Records and Big Tone's Sav It Out Records. Wax and Tone have kept Woodie's legacy alive since his passing in 2007 and recently linked up to drop their collaborative album "The Redprint" in 2023. On this episode, they give insight into their careers and drop gems on how they navigate business, find success as an artist, and motivate others through their work. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Herm Lewis turned his life around from being a street hustler and addict in San Francisco's notorious Hunters Point neighborhood to running his own record label and becoming a motivational speaker. His first compilation, "Trying to Survive in the Ghetto," is a landmark release for San Francisco hip-hop, featuring artists like RBL Posse, Rappin 4-Tay, Cougnut, JT the Bigga Figga and more. In this interview Herm explains how he went from a drug dealer to drug user and turned his life around after a stint in prison. Since then, he's put out several successful compilations and continues to be relevant by speaking on some of Larry June's recent albums. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Rick Rock is a legendary producer whose extensive credits include some of the greatest rappers of all time. He's made hits for 2pac, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Busta Rhymes, Redman, Method Man, Angie Martinez, Spice 1, RBL Posse, Mystikal, Marvaless, and so many more. From his humble beginnings in Alabama, he relocated to the Bay Area after passing a beat to Oakland's Conscious Daughters. That led him moving in with legendary producer Mike Mosely and many amazing opportunities that Rick describes as a dream come true. He was a member of the group Cosmic Slop Shop along with Doonie Baby and Big Lurch, and later went on to co-found the Fairfield group the Federation. As the in-house producer for the Federation, Rick single-handedly created the sound that would spark the hyphy movement. In this interview, he breaks down his approach to creativity, the music business, and the stories behind some of his greatest hits. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

History of the Bay Podcast Ep. 21: Champelli is a San Francisco legend who created the beloved "champagne" strain in the 90s, decades ahead of the booming legal cannabis industry that exists today. He talks about how his roots in this culture intersected with clothing design, skateboarding, graffiti, and hip-hop music. While growing and hustling his own product, Champelli also entered the music industry. One of his biggest supporters was Mac Dre, who shouted out Champelli on many of his projects. Champelli also produced "The Mighty Quinn" for San Quinn and put out his own compilations. Although cannabis is now legal for recreational use in California, Champelli ended up facing federal RICO charges. This experience inspired him to advocate for others who have been incarcerated for cannabis and he now promotes his brand legally. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Ceav has been an active graffiti writer since the 1990s. Coming out of Oakland, he was influenced by older writers like Mike Dream and Serf TMP. Known for his original style, tireless work ethic, and large-scale pieces, Ceav tries his best to stay humble, show love to upcoming writers, and continue to do what he loves. At the same time, he doesn't shy away from conflict and breaks down how he's handled graffiti beef over the years. Ceav is also one of the founding members of 640, a crew that's grown in large numbers and put in work all over the Bay Area. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Mike Giant made a name for himself as an artist in the worlds of graffiti, skateboarding, tattoo, streetwear, and fine art. Drawing ever since he was a child, Giant started painting graffiti in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. An opportunity to design at Think Skateboards led him to San Francisco where he relocated in 1993 when the city was a mecca of graffiti, skating, music, and culture. Giant's ambition led him to paint large productions and he eventually traveled the world and established his art around the globe. He later transitioned into tattooing, which led him into streetwear design for Rebel 8, a brand he co-founded. Giant continues to make a living as a full-time artist, selling work online and at galleries. He shares some incredible stories that happened along the way and also discusses how he approaches his style, hustle, and career.  -- Produced by DEO @deo415 and Scino @squadelujah  Videography by King Ced for MVP Productions @mvpkingced and Rocky Vision @rocky__vision --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Rocky Rivera is a rapper, journalist, and activist from San Francisco. After her family immigrated from the Philippines, she became immersed in hip-hop culture and grassroots community education. This led Rocky to San Francisco State University where she studied journalism and landed an editor position at Ruckus Magazine, which was a Bay Area media staple during the Hyphy Movement. After auditioning for an MTV reality show, she was given the opportunity to try out for a contributing editor position at Rolling Stone Magazine, which she won. Rocky has also written for outlets like The Source and Mass Appeal, but she challenged the mainstream, male-dominated spaces she found herself in. As a rapper, she expresses her unique voice on the mic and developed an avid fan base that supports her via Patreon. Rocky is a member of the Beatrock Music collective along with her partner Bambu, and she also shares relationship advice for creative couples. She has recently released her first book "Snakeskin" and is currently working on new music. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

From Richmond, Mack Magic Mike started rapping in 1982. Along with his partner Calvin T, he sold homemade tapes around the Bay Area and influenced the likes of E-40, Mac Dre, and Mac Mall. Along with Too $hort and Freddy B, Magic Mike and Calvin T are considered some of the first rappers from the Bay Area and possibly the whole west coast. When you hear Magic Mike's music, the style of rapping and production is way ahead of its time and lays the blueprint for the Bay Area sound. Although he and Calvin T were set back by prison bids, Mike is still going hard today for his legacy and feeding international underground fanbase with new music. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Recorded at the legendary Amoeba Music San Francisco, Dregs One and P-Lo break down their early memories of Bay Area rap, talk about P-Lo's rise in the music game, and take questions from listeners and aspiring artists in the audience. P-Lo touches on his early influences, how he met Iamsu and how their crew HBK Gang got their start at the Shmop Fest house parties hosted by Kool John in Richmond. He and Dregs also touch on important tips for up-and-coming musicians who want to make further steps in the industry. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Adisa Banjoko's contributions to hip-hop go back to its beginnings in the Bay Area. He started off as a rapper with the group Freedom Troop 187, who made it into the first unsigned hype column in The Source before disbanding. As a senior at Oceana High in Pacifica, he did Eazy-E's first interview ever for his high school newspaper. From there, he ended up writing for The Source and other acclaimed publications, and encountering 2pac, Digital Underground, Gang Starr, EPMD, Public Enemy, 2 Live Crew, and many others. Adisa's been able to witness so many Bay Area hip-hop stories, including the rise of DJ Vlad and Zion-I.  Notoriously, a disagreement with KRS-One resulted in an explosive confrontation between him and Adisa at Stanford University, which he breaks down in detail in this episode. As the founder of Hip-Hop Chess Federation, he's worked on chess events with RZA and GZA and is now partnering with them on a new organization called 64 Blocks. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Tracey Helton Mitchell is a published author, activist, and a subject of the 1999 HBO documentary "Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End Of The Street." She shares her incredible stories of San Francisco in the 90s, where she ended up strung out on drugs once she arrived in the city. As shown in the documentary, the streets she lived on were far different than today's image of SF . Although she lost many friends along the way, Tracey managed to recover from addiction after a stint in county jail. Decades later, she started writing about her experiences and published her book, "The Big Fix: Life After Heroin." Tracey is still practicing recovery, advocating for overdose prevention, and living a positive lifestyle with her husband and children. This is an inspiring story and one that we hope will let people who are dealing with drug addiction know that it's possible to make positive changes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Total Devastation achieved legendary status in the early 90s with their hit, "Many Clouds of Smoke." The duo of Bernie Yo Potna Red Eye and Big Tone Smoke, along with DJ Tuff Cut Tim, came up in San Francisco's Mission District. As the some of the first Latin rappers in the Bay, they blazed trails independently with their first release "In The SF Streets." This led to a deal with PGA Records and a hit song that would change their lives. On this episode of the History of the Bay Podcast, Total Devastation recalls their early days navigating the gang life and being early pioneers for the cannabis movement decades before it became mainstream. Along the way, Total Devastation made waves in hip-hop, rocking shows with Lighter Shade of Brown and working with producers like Diamond D, Funkmaster Flex, and Peanut Butter Wolf. As they navigated industry politics, wear and tear from the business side pushed music to the back burner. After a hiatus, Total Devastation is now gearing up to release new music, entering into the legal cannabis business, and planning to make a documentary about the group. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Vic20 is a graffiti writer who had an infamous run in the early 2000s along with his crew KUK (Kill Until Killed). Vic grew up in the North Bay and later moved to San Francisco, where he got introduced to graffiti through the skateboarding scene. After getting up with writers like Jade and Amaze, joining THR crew, and developing his style, Vic decided to forge his own path in graffiti with some like-minded friends. This was the beginning of KUK crew, who went on a notorious streak of vandalism around the bay. After getting up on transit, housing projects, and BART stations, KUK became a law enforcement target and the members' houses were raided. After a short time on the run, eventually Vic20 had to sit down for some county jail time. He's done his time, paid his dues, and overcome the realities of a hardcore graffiti lifestyle. Now he's doing well as a family man and showed up to the podcast to share his unique perspective on graffiti in the Bay Area. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

On Episode 11 of the History of the Bay Podcast, 16-year old @GabeInThaBay joins Dregs One to talk about his experience creating content centered around Bay Area culture. Gabe is from Hayward and grew up listening to hyphy music that his dad would play; such as Mac Dre, the Jacka, Messy Marv. After working on content with Mario0o0o, Gabe decided to start creating his own Bay-related content at his high school and soon ended up getting millions of views on TikTok and Instagram and getting reposted on sites like The Thizzler. Dregs and Gabe talk about the current generation of Bay Area youth and their views on the hyphy movement and older Bay culture. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Crayone is one of the most well-respected graffiti writers in the world. His career goes back to the beginning of hip-hop in San Francisco, where he started off as a b-boy. Once he transitioned into graffiti, Crayone pushed himself to become one of the best in the game. He founded the TWS crew (Together With Style) with the mission to bring together writers who could excel at every area of graffiti. This led to a rivalry with TMF, and the two crews had a legendary battle that changed the history of San Francisco graffiti. This interview only covers the beginnings of Crayone's career up until the early 90s, so we'll be having him back on the podcast in the future. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Jocelyn Superstar's early passion for art and graffiti led her to San Francisco in the 1990s, where one of her first introductions to the scene was a mandatory lecture at the Art Institute by Twist. From there she started exploring her own work in bombing with spray paint and stickers. It wasn't long before she met famed writers like Amaze, and the legendary young writer Tie. Although Tie was shot at the age of 18, Jocelyn has worked to keep his legacy alive. Jocelyn has also documented the scene and co-authored the book "Bay Area Graffiti." She's also appeared in the documentary "Piece By Piece" where she spoke on Tie's life and legacy. Currently, she still creates art even while struggling with fybromyalgia and has many friends in the graffiti scene.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Part 2 of 2: After the success of their debut album "Direct From The Backstreets,"  Totally Insane appeared on Master P's classic "West Coast Bad  Boyz" compilation. But as their career was rising, they had to deal  with a turf war in their neighborhood that led to their hometown  becoming the per capita murder capital of the United States. This,  combined with shady business practices from their record label, led Ad  Kapone and his partner Mack 10 back to the streets. Both of them served  jail terms at separate times and their music careers were temporarily  derailed. Now that Ad is out, he's living a healthy lifestyle and  continues doing music for the love. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Part 1 of 2: Ad Kapone is one half of the legendary group Totally Insane. Coming out of East Palo Alto, the group had a unique style that helped them establish themselves in the early days of Bay Area hip-hop. Although he started rapping with a larger group of friends, different circumstances led the group to become a duo with Ad Kapone and Mack 10. Once they hooked up with San Francisco producer T.C., they added him to the group and started working on their classic debut album "Direct From The Backstreets." Along the way, Ad faced many challenges such as having his first performance at a middle school talent show get shot up, and Totally Insane's early financier Mike D getting killed. But Ad kept pushing, working with other stand-out artists like Cougnut and IMP, RBL Posse, and Dre Dog.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Young Lay has one of the craziest stories in Bay Area rap. From his beginnings in North Vallejo's Lofas neighborhood, Lay developed his talent early and immediately attracted a deal from producer Khayree's Young Black Brotha Records, who put out Mac Dre's first albums. Collaborating with 2pac, Mac Mall and Ray Luv, Lay started work on the classic album, "Black 'N Dangerous." Along the way, Lay recorded the gold single "All About My Fetti" for the New Jersey Drive soundtrack. But his promising career faced terrible setbacks. After being shot in the head and coming out of a coma, Lay went through physical therapy to get back to rapping only to be devastated by his girlfriend being killed and their infant son being kidnapped. Lay ended up in prison where he was interviewed on the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" about his son's abduction. When most people would have given up, Lay kept his faith and eventually reunited with his son. Since coming home from prison, Lay has stayed focused on taking care of himself and his family. He just dropped a book, "Revelaytionz," and is working on new music and a documentary. Recently, the new era of Vallejo rappers, LaRussel and DaBoii, paid homage to his classic track with their song "All About Fetti." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

Growing up in a musical family and raised in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood, T.C. has been part of the Bay Area rap music scene since the beginning. From time spent DJing with friends, experimenting with samplers, and soaking in hip-hop since it first hit the west coast, T.C. became a self-taught producer and studio engineer. He got his start at the legendary Bankroll Studios in Lakeview before building his own home studio in Hunters Point. His impressive discography includes production for Cougnut and IMP, RBL Posse, Totally Insane, Dre Dog aka Andre Nickatina, Treach of Naughty By Nature, Mac Dre, Suga Free, Hugh EMC, and literally more artists than he can remember.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

CMG sits down with Dregs One to talk about how she became part of the legendary Conscious Daughters along with Special One. Her story touches on the beginnings of hip-hop in the Bay Area and how they got started on the independent label Scarface Records, ran by San Francisco rapper Paris. After signing to Priority Records, Conscious Daughters enjoyed the fruits of success: hitting the Billboard Charts, touring the world, and even having a young Jay-Z open up for them. Conscious Daughters also appeared on one of Nas' remixes, solidifying their legendary status. In 2011 Special One tragically passed away but CMG keeps her friend's memory alive. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support

San Francisco legend Baldhead Rick tells Dregs One about his experience in the Bay Area rap scene after seeing his brother Cougnut rise to fame and his friend Cellski selling tapes in Lakeview, the neighborhood they all grew up in. Baldhead's very first song was with his group UNLV on Master P's classic compilation, West Coast Bad Boyz. From there, Baldhead was featured on hundreds of songs, albums and compilations, including 17 Reasons on Goldtoes' Black-N-Brown Entertainment. Along the way, Baldhead shares stores about encountering E-40, B-Legit, RBL Posse, and Totally Insane. Since Cougnut's passing in 2001, Baldhead has worked to keep his brother's legacy alive. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyofthebay/support