Some people would rather juggle silverware in a lightning storm than have anything to do with the Oakland Raiders' notorious fan base called The Black Hole.
Not rappers N2Deep. Hey, work is work. And if someone's offering a few minutes at the Black Hole's tailgate party at the Sept. 23 Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns game, what's not to like?
"We are big Raider fans," said James Trujillo, a.k.a. rapper Jay Tee, who joined Tim Lyon (TL), Joe Battle (Lofty), Mike Mekhalian (Big Mike), Greg Hanamaikai (Gregory Tosh) and Drew Fox at the recent football contest.
The six-song set was a tune-up for the Vallejo-based group's set Saturday night at Chris' Club, N2Deep's first gig at the music spot since July.
"People that we hadn't seen in years came out and everybody had a real good time," Trujillo said, adding that the group works well because they all do the writing.
He added that Chris' Club "is one of the only spots in Vallejo that lets people do shows. We know that all of our friends and family are coming, so we have to bring our best stuff."
Not that N2Deep doesn't venture elsewhere.
"We want to hit as many spots as possible in the Bay Area," Trujillo said. "We have a lot of fans who have been real supportive over the years."
Whether N2Deep plays locally or out of town, "we're going to continue to put out good music and make Vallejo proud," Trujillo said.
With one record out, N2Deep is half-way finished with a sequel.
"We're looking to try and finish that up in the next month and then release it in January," Trujillo said.
It took a music festival in Humboldt County to show the way, Trujillo said.
"Most of the acts that were on the show had bands," Trujillo said. "Once we had seen how much energy they had and how the crowd was so much more into it, we knew that we needed to go home and find the best musicians from Vallejo."
Hanamaikai, Fox and Battle were already in a group called "Section 8," Trujillo said, "so they already had a good chemistry. Once they hooked up with us, everything just fell into place."
IF YOU GO:
What: N2Deep, Feo, Mindless Method
When: Saturday, 9 p.m.
Where: Chris' Club, 656 Benicia Road, Vallejo
****Congrats to Jay Tee, TL, Lofty and everyone for again getting the recognition they deserve.
