Tell Me When To Go 'Hyphy'
The Bay Area Gets Back on the Hip Hop Map
Commentary//, Charles Jones,
YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia and New America Media, Mar 10, 2006
(5m 10s, mp3, 3.6MB) Download File
Click here to listen to this commentary
Editor's Note: The Bay Area rap scene is experiencing a revival due to the "hyphy" sound -- but is this the magic bullet that will bring the Bay back into the national rap consciousness? Charles Jones is an editor at YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia a project of New America Media
The new E-40 featuring Keak Da Sneak video “Tell Me When to Go” has the streets of the Bay Area buzzin’ because not only has someone from the Bay made a video (which is a rarity), this one is being played nationally -- MTV, BET, VH1, etc.
“Did you see it?” That’s the question constantly being asked all over the Bay. The day the video got played on BET's 106 and Park -- the premiere video show on the network -- I got over a dozen calls.
Not only is this the first time a Bay Area video has gotten national play in years, but it marks the return of E-40 to his position as undisputed King of the Bay and our Ambassador of Bay Area street culture to the world.
The video -- shot in deep East Oakland -- features the indigenous “Side Show” culture prominently. The illegal car cruising/stunt driving/street party has been lambasted and legislated against by local and state politicians. Side show’s have been blamed for violence after weekend parties in Oakland -- especially in the last few years, though the culture is close to two decades old.
For years, Bay Area artists have been patiently standing aside while characters from L.A. to New York hijacked our mannerisms, phrases, gestures and style in general. Although the Bay has innovated many of hip hop’s trends and culture swings for decades, our area has been pushed into the background because we didn’t have a movement.
We had no unified front in the early 1990s when artists like Souls of Mischief, Del the Funky Homosapien, San Quinn, E-40, RBL Posse, The Coup and Too-Short were signed to major label deals. Everybody was doing their own thing but no cohesive Bay Area movement was created. No commonality, no connection made between Souls of Mischief of the so-called lyrical or "backpack" rap scene and Too Short -- originator of the pimp rap game. There were too many individuals and not enough of a collective effort to keep the Bay on the hip hop map. The last Top-10 hit from a Bay Area rap group was Tha Luniz "I Got Five On It" in 1995.
We’ve seen this over and over in the hip hop game -- an artist is signed to a major label from uncharted soil (somewhere other than L.A. or New York) with a unique sound that ideally already has a local following and that energy goes national.
It happened with Virginia’s New Jack Swing, it happened with Florida’s Booty Bass, and it happened with Atlanta’s Crunk. An artist that was part of a movement brought his movement to the forefront of hip-hop consciousness and others who were part of that movement were able to cash in. Look at Master P and how he opened up New Orleans, Nelly and how he opened up St. Louis, or how Outkast opened up Atlanta years before the 'crunk' movement began.
Is E-40 the man and is ‘hyphy’ the movement that will elevate the Bay Area to the top of the rap charts? To the first question, I have to say yes. E-40 is one of the most respected artists in the nation. Some New York rappers may not know, but they pay E-40 homage whenever they say "fo-sheezie," call someone a "playa hater" or "pop they collar." E-40 has single-handedly innovated and sprinkled more hip hop game on this nation than anyone. And those with true game know this, which is why Lil’ Jon snapped him up on his BME label. As far as hyphy being the movement? I don’t know. But I certainly hope so. This is the first time that the Bay has been on the same page as far as a hip hop movement goes.
Ironically, the person probably most responsible for unifying the Bay is a rapper from 40's home town of Vallejo, Calif. Mac Dre -- after his murder in the fall of '04 the hyphy craze started to blow. "Tell Me When To Go" has a tribute to Dre at the end.
The Bay Area is home to so many artists, from so many genres that I don’t feel hyphy accurately represent the whole of us. Goapele is not hyphy, but is an extremely talented artist who could either be helped by the hyphy phenomenon, which brings more attention to the Bay Area and its artists -- or she could be pushed to the side and forgotten because her music is not ‘hyphy’ enough.
While it’s great that the Bay has phrases and dances that are exclusive to Bay Area youth -- "Going Dumb" or "Going Stupid" -- "hyphy" is still too young to fully understand.
For example, what are the politics of hyphy? Can hyphy be spiritual; can you "'go dumb' for Jesus"? These are questions we need to ask ourselves before we attempt to ride hyphy into the national spotlight. Is it more than poppin’ pills, gold-teeth, neck breaking and dread banging? Can it mature? For years Bay artists have innovated, the rest of the world imitated, but do we know what we’ve created?
Will this be the new ‘crunk’ movement or will be another in a string of missed opportunities? We in the Bay have more to offer hip hop than any other area in the world; we are the most diverse, talented, and creative by far (yeah, I said it). But we can also be extremely petty, greedy and individualistic. Can these “I’s” become “We’s”? Can we support each other and stop burnin’ Bay Area artists' CDs so they can soundscan enough units to be taken seriously by major labels? If we really want this hyphy thing to work, these are questions the Bay rap community will have to answer.
As of now E-40 is holding it down for the Bay rap scene, but his record isn't in the Top 50 on Billboard's Rap/R&B Charts yet. "Love" by Oakland native Keisha Cole -- who channels a young Mary J. Blidge with better chops -- is number seven.
The Bay Area Gets Back on the Hip Hop Map
Commentary//, Charles Jones,
YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia and New America Media, Mar 10, 2006
(5m 10s, mp3, 3.6MB) Download File
Click here to listen to this commentary
Editor's Note: The Bay Area rap scene is experiencing a revival due to the "hyphy" sound -- but is this the magic bullet that will bring the Bay back into the national rap consciousness? Charles Jones is an editor at YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia a project of New America Media
The new E-40 featuring Keak Da Sneak video “Tell Me When to Go” has the streets of the Bay Area buzzin’ because not only has someone from the Bay made a video (which is a rarity), this one is being played nationally -- MTV, BET, VH1, etc.
“Did you see it?” That’s the question constantly being asked all over the Bay. The day the video got played on BET's 106 and Park -- the premiere video show on the network -- I got over a dozen calls.
Not only is this the first time a Bay Area video has gotten national play in years, but it marks the return of E-40 to his position as undisputed King of the Bay and our Ambassador of Bay Area street culture to the world.
The video -- shot in deep East Oakland -- features the indigenous “Side Show” culture prominently. The illegal car cruising/stunt driving/street party has been lambasted and legislated against by local and state politicians. Side show’s have been blamed for violence after weekend parties in Oakland -- especially in the last few years, though the culture is close to two decades old.
For years, Bay Area artists have been patiently standing aside while characters from L.A. to New York hijacked our mannerisms, phrases, gestures and style in general. Although the Bay has innovated many of hip hop’s trends and culture swings for decades, our area has been pushed into the background because we didn’t have a movement.
We had no unified front in the early 1990s when artists like Souls of Mischief, Del the Funky Homosapien, San Quinn, E-40, RBL Posse, The Coup and Too-Short were signed to major label deals. Everybody was doing their own thing but no cohesive Bay Area movement was created. No commonality, no connection made between Souls of Mischief of the so-called lyrical or "backpack" rap scene and Too Short -- originator of the pimp rap game. There were too many individuals and not enough of a collective effort to keep the Bay on the hip hop map. The last Top-10 hit from a Bay Area rap group was Tha Luniz "I Got Five On It" in 1995.
We’ve seen this over and over in the hip hop game -- an artist is signed to a major label from uncharted soil (somewhere other than L.A. or New York) with a unique sound that ideally already has a local following and that energy goes national.
It happened with Virginia’s New Jack Swing, it happened with Florida’s Booty Bass, and it happened with Atlanta’s Crunk. An artist that was part of a movement brought his movement to the forefront of hip-hop consciousness and others who were part of that movement were able to cash in. Look at Master P and how he opened up New Orleans, Nelly and how he opened up St. Louis, or how Outkast opened up Atlanta years before the 'crunk' movement began.
Is E-40 the man and is ‘hyphy’ the movement that will elevate the Bay Area to the top of the rap charts? To the first question, I have to say yes. E-40 is one of the most respected artists in the nation. Some New York rappers may not know, but they pay E-40 homage whenever they say "fo-sheezie," call someone a "playa hater" or "pop they collar." E-40 has single-handedly innovated and sprinkled more hip hop game on this nation than anyone. And those with true game know this, which is why Lil’ Jon snapped him up on his BME label. As far as hyphy being the movement? I don’t know. But I certainly hope so. This is the first time that the Bay has been on the same page as far as a hip hop movement goes.
Ironically, the person probably most responsible for unifying the Bay is a rapper from 40's home town of Vallejo, Calif. Mac Dre -- after his murder in the fall of '04 the hyphy craze started to blow. "Tell Me When To Go" has a tribute to Dre at the end.
The Bay Area is home to so many artists, from so many genres that I don’t feel hyphy accurately represent the whole of us. Goapele is not hyphy, but is an extremely talented artist who could either be helped by the hyphy phenomenon, which brings more attention to the Bay Area and its artists -- or she could be pushed to the side and forgotten because her music is not ‘hyphy’ enough.
While it’s great that the Bay has phrases and dances that are exclusive to Bay Area youth -- "Going Dumb" or "Going Stupid" -- "hyphy" is still too young to fully understand.
For example, what are the politics of hyphy? Can hyphy be spiritual; can you "'go dumb' for Jesus"? These are questions we need to ask ourselves before we attempt to ride hyphy into the national spotlight. Is it more than poppin’ pills, gold-teeth, neck breaking and dread banging? Can it mature? For years Bay artists have innovated, the rest of the world imitated, but do we know what we’ve created?
Will this be the new ‘crunk’ movement or will be another in a string of missed opportunities? We in the Bay have more to offer hip hop than any other area in the world; we are the most diverse, talented, and creative by far (yeah, I said it). But we can also be extremely petty, greedy and individualistic. Can these “I’s” become “We’s”? Can we support each other and stop burnin’ Bay Area artists' CDs so they can soundscan enough units to be taken seriously by major labels? If we really want this hyphy thing to work, these are questions the Bay rap community will have to answer.
As of now E-40 is holding it down for the Bay rap scene, but his record isn't in the Top 50 on Billboard's Rap/R&B Charts yet. "Love" by Oakland native Keisha Cole -- who channels a young Mary J. Blidge with better chops -- is number seven.