City of Dope

Ise Lyfe
‘Beautiful’

It’s going down once again this Sunday in Golden Gate Park, Bang the Drum muthafuckas! Not only is he known for the worst graphic design in the biz, but Kevvy Kev is the host of the worlds longest running hip hop show on the planet, The Drum on 90.1 Stanford. Come out and witness this lineup of some of the games nicest MCs. Keep in mind that half these guys aren’t really coming and the other half don’t know that their name’s on the flyer yet, but who give’s a shit, it’s free!

Theres been a lot of Bay Area music over at XXL lately, some of it youve heard, and some you haven’t.

Too $hort feat. E-40, Dolla Will & Mistah FAB “I Want Your Girl”
$hort Dog gets an all-star Bay team together on this track from his new album Blow The Whistle.

Traxamillion feat. Too $hort Mistah FAB “Sideshow”
The Bay Area’s heavyweight producer drops this single off his new compliation album The Slapp Addict, due out later this summer.

JT Tha Bigga Figga feat. Mistah FAB “Name in Ya Mouth”
The Fillmore rap vet hooks up with $hort Dog and Fabby Davis on this track from his new Cali Untouchables mixtape.

Turf Talk feat. Dem Hoodstarz “Wakin’ Em Up”
It’s time to stop sleeping on Sick Wid It’s Turf Teezy. Wake ’em up!

Not the gay ass concert, but the lastest mix from my main man, DJ J.Lee! This is a must have for all your summer needs, but you don’t have to take my word for it, let J.Lee tell you….

“A random collection of summer rap, and some R&B. Designed for summertime activities such as cruising, BBQ’s, rooftop parties, and slip-n- slide. My first mix in a long time. Part corny, part classic, part obscure…ALL SUMMER!!”

Click here to peep the tracklisting and download the mix with cover art.

R.B.L. Posse
“Bammer Weed”

From the last good magazine on the rack these days, Mass Appeal, is a nice little piece with Keak.

As the birthplace of most of the slang thrown around these days, the Bay Area suffered quietly for years at the hands of thieves looking to exploit the culture. The culture, coincidentally, had no choice but to be original due to isolation from the rest of the hip hop landscape. Artists who vacationed here and soaked up the game never mentioned a word of respect when it was their time to shine. “A lot of people been in a position like this, and I didn’t feel like they opened that door for us,” Keak alludes. “And they didn’t really respect where we got that torch from.” In turn, Keak vowed never to turn his back on the people who stuck it out and gained wisdom from the hardships of years past. “I waited my turn patiently. And it is my turn,” he states. “If it’s gonna be a movement, we all gonna move as one. So I don’t put money and illusions before this. It never took cars and rims and jewelry for me to be Keak. I’ll just pull up in a scraper, straight blunted. I can’t ever forget that.”

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