This was in Friday 2/22's Datebook (SF Chronicle)
The Black History Month series of profiles of African Americans from the past runs Monday through Friday through February.
1973-1996
Hubert Kyle Church III came from a family of orators - his father and grandfather were both pastors. But the rapper known as Mr. Cee let his linguistic gifts flourish on the streets, joining fellow Hunters Point resident Chris "Black C" Matthews to form the pioneering San Francisco rap group RBL Posse.
Mr. Cee was shot and killed on New Year's Day in 1996, not long after the group signed a deal with Atlantic Records. Though he was just 22 when he died, Mr. Cee was influential - rapping on two albums that sold more than 200,000 copies each, mostly by word of mouth and local radio airplay.
Before the RBL Posse found success, San Francisco was considered by many to be a second-rate rap town, where the artists were eclipsed by East Bay rappers including Tupac Shakur, Too and Digital Underground. Mr. Cee had a veteran's confidence to his delivery, was comfortable rapping at a fast clip or slowly and had strong lyrical skills even when he was a teen. More than a decade later, his music holds up well.
The pot-smoking anthem "Don't Give Me No Bammer" was a hit on local radio months before RBL Posse released its first album, "A Lesson to Be Learned," in 1992. The chorus "Don't give me no bammer weed/ We don't smoke that s- in the SFC" is arguably the most famous line in San Francisco rap history. And while "Bammer Weed" may not have marked the first use of SFC (Sucker Free City) as a stand-in for San Francisco, the song definitely brought the lingo to the masses.
The RBL Posse followed up with the album "Ruthless by Law," and reportedly received a million-dollar contract before Mr. Cee was shot nine times a block away from the Hunters Point housing project where he and Black C first met. Black C continues to record solo.
A 2001 Chronicle story reported that Mr. Cee's murder set off a series of retaliatory killings in Hunters Point. But it's worth noting that since his death, some of the highest-profile San Francisco rappers, including JT the Bigga Figga and San Quinn, have incorporated anti-violence themes in their music. Mr. Cee's life ended in violence, but he still leaves a strong artistic legacy.
The Black History Month series of profiles of African Americans from the past runs Monday through Friday through February. For more information, including the Jan. 27 Sunday Datebook coverage of Black History Month, go to sfgate.com/entertainment.
This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
The Black History Month series of profiles of African Americans from the past runs Monday through Friday through February.
1973-1996
Hubert Kyle Church III came from a family of orators - his father and grandfather were both pastors. But the rapper known as Mr. Cee let his linguistic gifts flourish on the streets, joining fellow Hunters Point resident Chris "Black C" Matthews to form the pioneering San Francisco rap group RBL Posse.
Mr. Cee was shot and killed on New Year's Day in 1996, not long after the group signed a deal with Atlantic Records. Though he was just 22 when he died, Mr. Cee was influential - rapping on two albums that sold more than 200,000 copies each, mostly by word of mouth and local radio airplay.
Before the RBL Posse found success, San Francisco was considered by many to be a second-rate rap town, where the artists were eclipsed by East Bay rappers including Tupac Shakur, Too and Digital Underground. Mr. Cee had a veteran's confidence to his delivery, was comfortable rapping at a fast clip or slowly and had strong lyrical skills even when he was a teen. More than a decade later, his music holds up well.
The pot-smoking anthem "Don't Give Me No Bammer" was a hit on local radio months before RBL Posse released its first album, "A Lesson to Be Learned," in 1992. The chorus "Don't give me no bammer weed/ We don't smoke that s- in the SFC" is arguably the most famous line in San Francisco rap history. And while "Bammer Weed" may not have marked the first use of SFC (Sucker Free City) as a stand-in for San Francisco, the song definitely brought the lingo to the masses.
The RBL Posse followed up with the album "Ruthless by Law," and reportedly received a million-dollar contract before Mr. Cee was shot nine times a block away from the Hunters Point housing project where he and Black C first met. Black C continues to record solo.
A 2001 Chronicle story reported that Mr. Cee's murder set off a series of retaliatory killings in Hunters Point. But it's worth noting that since his death, some of the highest-profile San Francisco rappers, including JT the Bigga Figga and San Quinn, have incorporated anti-violence themes in their music. Mr. Cee's life ended in violence, but he still leaves a strong artistic legacy.
The Black History Month series of profiles of African Americans from the past runs Monday through Friday through February. For more information, including the Jan. 27 Sunday Datebook coverage of Black History Month, go to sfgate.com/entertainment.
This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
but yea u can see everybody hitting up his myspace (his real friends that know him just saw him recently) saying they RIPs. thats how i found out last nite. he just drop a single wit lil wayne too for upcoming album. 
