The Come Up Crew Podcast Vol. 3: Top Songs of 2008 featuring Ocir, Dumlao, & Spingineer

It’s past due since the mix was supposed to be up on Wednesday (Christmas Eve). I am in SF, Dumlao is in Santa Barbara, and Ocir is in LA which made it hard for us to finalize everything. Although, the podcast was done on Wednesday, I was having trouble getting solid internet connections anywhere until today at my mom’s house. So finally I give you The Come Up Crew Podcast Vol. 3 highlighting the Top Songs of 2008 as chosen by The Come Up DJs Ocir, Dumlao, and Spingineer. Ocir and Dumlao play their top electro tracks while I play my top hip hop tracks. Enjoy.

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 3: Top Songs of 2008 (Week of 12.22.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Dumlao and Ocir (Background music is an original beat by Ocir)

Set #1: Ocir

1. Crookers ft. Kid Cudi – Embrace the Martian
2. Kanye West – Paranoid (Pocketknife Edit)
3. Fake Blood – Mars
4. E-40 & Method Man – N.A.S.A. Music (L.A. Riots Remix)
5. Adele – Cold Shoulder (Bassment Jaxx Remix)
6. Common – Universal Mind Control
7. Chromeo – 100% (Treasure Fingers Remix)
8. Edu K – Me Bota Pra Dançar feat. Marina (Crookers Remix)
9. Usher – Love in this Club (MSTRKRFT Remix)
10. The Lonely Island – Jizz in My Pants

Interlude: Dumlao (Background Music: Villains – Thrilla Remix)

Set #2: Spingineer

1. Evidence – Chase The Clouds Away
2. The Roots – Get Busy feat. Dice Raw & Peedi Peedi
3. 9th Wonder & Buckshot – Hold It Down feat. Talib Kweli & Tyler Woods
4. Lupe Fiasco – Paris, Tokyo
5. Q-Tip – Gettin’ Up
6. Common – The Light ‘08 feat. Marsha Ambrosius
7. Consequence – Feel This Way feat. John Legend
8. Strong Arm Steady – Can’t Let Go
9. Jay-Z – Roc Boys
10. Kanye West – Flashing Lights

Interlude: Dumlao (Background Music: Termanology – This Is How We Rock instrumental)

Set #3: Dumlao

1. Kenna – Say Goodbye To Love
2. NERD – Everyone Nose
3. LMFAO – I’m In Miami Bitch
4. Santo Gold – Creator Remix
5. Kid Sister – Beeper
6. Kid Cudi – Day n Nite Remix
7. Yelle – Je Veux Te Voir Remix
8. Justice Feat Uffie – The Party Remix
9. Kanye West Feat ATrak – Stronger Remix
10. Dizzee Rascal – Flex Remix
11. Ida Corr – Let Me Think About It Remix
12. Does It Offend You Yeah? – We Are Rockstars
13. MSTRKRFT – Bounce
14. Black Ghosts – Anyway You Choose To Give It Remix
15. LA Riots – Switchblade
16. Villains – Cut Me Up
17. Chromeo – 100% Remix
18. Daft Punk vs Adam Freeland – AerOBAMA
19. Justice vs MGMT- Electric Feel Remix
20. Estelle – American Boy Remix

Outro: Dumlao (Background: MIA – Paperplanes Instrumental)

Tiny Toones Need Your Help!!

Check out the new video about Tiny Toones.

I was asked by Jumakae if I could give up my turntables and get new ones so she could send a set to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. But at this time I can’t afford to get a new setup. I am offering my two mixers but they still need help. To get the kids started on DJing they need:

1. At least 2 Technics 1200 turntables
2. Cartridges and needles
3. Serato box, software, and records
4. A computer that supports Serato (almost all records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge)
5. Monitors and/or loudspeakers
6. Turntable and Mixer cases to be able to send them to Cambodia within ATA regulations

If you guys can help with these items or money to buy these items, contact me at spingineer@gmail.com and I will put you in contact with the folks trying to personally deliver these items to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. I hope you guys can all help.

Peace

Spingineer

The Aftermath: DJing My Company’s Christmas Party

Gig: AECOM Annual Christmas Party

After all the anxiety and pressure I felt going into this gig, it actually turned out pretty well and was pretty fun. I got to play music closer to my genres of choice rather than old school funk and disco. I was playing a lot of danceable RnB and top 40 songs. People wanted to dance. It’s funny cause there were 40 and 50 year olds along with the 20 and 30 year olds throwing their hands in the air when Fatman Scoop told them too. I was surprised to see everyone go wild when “The Choice is Yours,” by Black Sheep, came on. I found out later that one of my bosses, who is a white woman in her 40s, requested “Put A Ring on It,” by Beyonce, and “Gold Digger,” by Kanye West…dope. We also had a request by the planning committee to play some Bollywood for one person. I played the Punjabi MCs original and another Indian song that sampled “Informer,” by Snow. The guy never came out but another Indian lady got out there and started dancing it up by herself, thus causing the rest of the people to get out there and dance. It was an easy gig after all, even with all the anxiety and pressure beforehand, and we had the dance floor packed all night. Now we are just hoping for a fat tip and more future gigs.

The event was on the Queen Mary which made it harder for us (DJs). All of us showed up at 2:30PM and didn’t leave until about 1:30AM. It took us about 2 hours to set up all the sound and lighting which included ambient lighting at all of the windows (10 total). Other events throughout the night were a murder mystery which pretty much overpowered any other activity going on in the room. I didn’t even pay attention to the show and I didn’t even touch my food because I was nervous. And to make it all worse, DJ MIjo announced that we had a celebrity DJ coming up, and I was like who, even though he was referring to me. I am no celebrity in any form and him building that hype gave me even more pressure to perform and when I went on I felt like everyone was just staring at me like “what is he going to do.” They also gave out a shitload of prizes like $100 gift cards, a blu ray player, a Wii, an ipod touch, and a 42″ flat screen. There were about 25-30 prizes total and I didn’t win any…=(

Common Locals Only Show Held By NBC Los Angeles

Access Granted

My friend Marco told me about the Locals Only Common show they advertised on NBC, so I went to the NBC Los Angeles website and searched Common. I found the entry form which asked for my email, name, and a code word for entry. After entering the info, I was looking at a page with 4 pictures of locations in LA. I guess this was too ensure that only locals would go to this show. It was a good idea but I wasn’t sure on one waterfront location. I thought it could be a number of places, including Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, or Newport Beach. After looking closer at the small picture, I found out it was Long Beach after spotting the ferris wheel in the background.

The show was at a secret location that wasn’t disclosed to us until the day of the show. It was close to 6th and Santa Fe by the LA River at an events building. Trisha and I met up with Mitchel (Dumlao), Mike (Mike Deuce), and Marco (Speezee). The wait to get in was a good 20-25 minutes. It was nice inside and the lighting was good. I got a beer and cocktail at the bar and it came out to $14. We had to listen to this Will.I.AM looking DJ that was off point more than on point with his mixing and timing. He seemed to love to slam into the next song in the middle of versus which bothered the shit out of me. He was a good performer though as far as scratching and controlling the crowd on the mic. I will give him that.

Common came on at 10:30 and did a half hour show. Most of the songs were those straight commercial/girl loving tracks. Here are some examples of tracks he performed:

Make My Day (Off the new album)
Testify
Love Is
Come Close (Where he brought a girl up on stage to rap to her, WTF??, corny!!)
The Light
Go (I think)
The People
Universal Mind Control

I like all of these songs but I didn’t hear any of the songs I was hoping to hear which pissed me off a little bit. These are the songs I wanted to hear:

I Used to Love H.E.R.
Nuthin to Do
Thisisme
Resurrection
Breaker 1/9
Reminding Me (Of Sef)
6th Sense
Funky 4 U
Dooinit

But I guess NBC would never let him play those tracks. Maybe I have to see him live at a real concert or at a hip hop show on the straight underground tip. I’ll tell you one thing, the show made me want to listen to Common’s old stuff. When he was fucking dope and his rhymes were hard. I love Common’s music no matter what, but I guess the lack of diversity of songs at the show turned me off. But you know what they say…beggers can’t be choosers. I am just happy I got to see Common Sense for free.

The Finale, Taken by Trisha

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 2: Bay Area Rap featuring Spingineer & Dumlao

Back again with The Come Up Crew Podcast Vol. 2

Theme: Bay Area Rap, Pre-Hyphy/Non-Hyphy vs. Hyphy

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 2 (Week of 12.08.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Spingineer & Dumlao (Background Music: The Jacka – Barney-More Crime Instrumental)

Set #1: Pre-Hyphy/Non-Hyphy featuring Spingineer

1. Ya Boy – 16’s Wit Me
2. N2Deep – Back to the Hotel
3. Rappin’ 4-Tay – Playaz Club
4. Mac Dre – Too Hard 4 the Fuckin’ Radio
5. The Whoridas – Talkin’ Bout Bank
6. Messy Marv – That’s What’s Up
7. Keak Da Sneak – White T-Shirt, Blue Jeans, & Nikes
8. IMP (Ill Mannered Posse) – Shining Star
9. Messy Marv & San Quinn – How I Came Up
10. Zion I – Temperature feat. Talib Kweli
11. Hieroglyphics (Del the Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Souls of Mischief, & Pep Love) – Dune Methane
12. Casual & San Quinn – Fresh 2 Def
13. Heroes in the City of Dope (Zion I & The Grouch) – Trains & Planes
14. Latyrx (Lateef the Truth Speaker & Lyrics Born) – Lady Don’t Tek No
15. Total Devastation – Many Clouds of Smoke
16. Dre Dog (now known as Andre Nickatina) – Smoke Dope & Raps
17. Messy Marv & San Quinn – Pop Yo Collar feat. E-40
18. San Quinn – So Young feat. Mike Marshall
19. Keak Da Sneak – Town Business feat. B.A.
20. 3XKrazy – Keep It on the Real
21. JT tha Bigga Figga – Game Recognize Game feat. Mac Mall
22. 415 – Groupie Ass Bitch
23. The Coup – Fat Cats, Bigga Fish
24. San Quinn – Rockin’ Up Work (Brand New, Produced by Dex Beats)

Interlude: Spingineer & Dumlao (Background Music: Andre Nickatina – Ayo 4 Yayo Instrumental)

Set #2: Hyphy featuring Dumlao

1. Frontline Now You Know (Mashup)
2. Keak Da Sneak – Superhyphie (Mashup)
3. Frontline – Bang It
4. Keak Da Sneak – Club Talk feat. E-40 & E-A-Ski
5. Nump – I Got Grapes
6. The Pack – Vans (Remix) feat. Mistah FAB & Too Short
7. Mistah FAB – Super Sick Wid It feat. Turf Talk & E-40
8. E-40 – U & Dat feat. T-Pain (Mashup)
9. E-40 – White Girl feat. Juelz Santana & Bun B
10. The Team – Hyphy Juice
11. E-40 – Tell Me When to Go
12. Bailey & J. Valentine – U C It
13. Too Short – Blow the Whistle
14. Dem Hoodstarz – Grown Man (Remix) feat. San Quinn & Mistah FAB
15. Big Rich – That’s Da Business
16. Ya Boy – On Fire
17. Snoop Dogg – Candy feat. E-40, MC Eiht, Goldie Loc, & tha Dogg Pound
18. The Federation – Hyphy (Remix) feat. San Quinn, Keak Da Sneak, & E-40
19. DJ Shadow – Turf Dancin’ feat. the Federation & Animaniaks
20. The A’z – Yadadamean
21. The Federation – Get Naked U Beezy
22. The Federation – I Wear my Stunna Glasses at Night
23. Mistah FAB – Ghost Ride It
24. E-40 – Go Hard or go Home
25. Bailey & J. Valentine – Fuck yo Couch
26. Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz – Snap ya Fingers feat. E-40 & Sean Paul
27. Mistah FAB – Stupid, Dumb, & Hyphy

Outro: Spingineer & Dumlao (Background Music: Hieroglyphics – Oakland Blackouts Instrumental)

Bonus Set: Pre-Hyphy/Non-Hyphy Power Mix featuring Spingineer

Power Mix (Week of 12.08.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. San Quinn – Come on in
2. Cellski – Livin’ in the Bay
3. Too Short – In the Trunk
4. The Jacka – The Bay
5. Mac Mall – Sic Wid Tis
6. E-40 – One Love
7. E-40 – Sydewayz
8. The Luniz – Playa Hata
9. Richie Rich – Let’s Ride
10. Frontline – Time 4 Business
11. RBL (Ruthless by Law) Posse – Bounce 2 This
12. GRP (Gangsta Rhyme Posse) – On da Unda
13. Messy Marv & San Quinn – Money over Bitches feat. Sky Balla
14. San Quinn – Butterfly (By my Side)
15. The Coup – Me & Jesus the Pimp in a ‘79 Granada Last Night
16. Mac Dre – California Livin’
17. 11/5 – Garcia Vegas
18. RBL (Ruthless by Law) Posse – Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed
19. 415 – Sideshow
20. Andre Nickatina – Crack Raider Razor

Shout outs:
Thanks to DJ Phatrick for lacing me with the Coup songs I needed for this mix.
Thanks to Dex Beats for hooking me up with the new San Quinn track.
R.I.P. Mac Dre, Coughnut of I.M.P., Mr. Cee of RBL Posse, & Hitman.

Links:
www.thecomeupevents.com
www.mitcheldumlao.com
www.dexbeats.com

Wrap Up:
I actually got exicted about doing this mix and I had too much. So that is why I added the power mix so I could put it all out there. I had a lot of fun making this mix and my girlfriend was also happy to hear those Bay tracks again after all this time.

I stayed up until 4AM last night finishing the podcast after recording the vocals at Dumlao’s pad between 9:30P and 11:30P but I am very happy with the result. I actually had to add a last minute San Quinn track this morning after I got it from Dex Beats so I could lace y’all with new shit and put you on to Dex Beats’ work. The podcasts and power mixes are just going to get better and better from here on and most importantly our creativity will continue to grow and become more interesting to more people.

Keep following The Come Up Crew Podcast as we give you guys mixes highlighting the music of different regions, artist spotlights, and a let’s not forget all the other genres we will be touching, RnB, electro, B’More, Funk, Soul, house, downtempo, and more. Our first podcast topic request was a “sample vs. sampled” mix. This means we will be mixing tracks together like Ice Cube’s “Today was a Good Day” with Isley Brother’s “Footsteps in the Dark.” Look foward to that one.

Where are these rappers/rap groups/singers from?

San Francisco
San Quinn
Ya Boy
Messy Marv
Rappin’ 4-Tay
JT tha Bigga Figga
Dre Dog/Andre Nickatina
11/5
RBl Posse
GRP
IMP
Cellski
Sky Balla
Bailey
J Valentine
Total Devastation

Oakland
Keak Da Sneak
3XKrazy
The Whoridas
Zion I
Hieroglyphics
Casual
Heroes in the City of Dope
Latyrx (Lyrics Born from El Cerrito)
415
Richie Rich
Too Short
The Luniz
The Coup
The Team
Mistah FAB
The A’z

Vallejo
Mac Dre
Mac Mall
E-40
Turf Talk

Berkeley
The Pack
Mike Marshall

Richmond, CA
Frontline

Pittsburg, CA
The Jacka

Fairfield
The Federation

Alameda
Nump

Quick Bay Area Rap Facts:

-Oakland rapper Del the Funkee Homosapien is Ice Cube’s cousin.
-Fillmore rapper Ya Boy signed with The Game not to long ago and has lost some street cred for hanging with and writing for Kevin Federline
-Oakland duo the Whoridas were signed by Saafir’s label when they were making radio quality hits back in the day
-Oakland rapper Saafir is originally from Fresno and came up with Digital Underground as a dancer just lile 2PAC. He is also an actor, he played Kane’s cousin, in “Menace II Society,” who got shot in the head in the car jacking scene.
-Fillmore rapper/producer JT Tha Bigga Figga worked with The Game to release the “You Know What it is Vol. 1″ mixtape that gained him recognition by Dr. Dre. San Francisco artists like San Quinn did tracks with The Game on that mixtape.
-Fillmore rapper Sky Balla has been grinding in New York for the past few years doing tracks with The Game, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, and more on mixtapes. Find him in some of The Diplomat music videos.
-Hunter’s Point rappers Mr. Cee and Hitman of RBL Posse were both gunned down in their own hoods.
-Lakeview rapper Coughnut of IMP died in a car crash.
-Fillmore rapper Messy Marv jumped out of a fourth floor window while evading authorities and broke both legs.
-Richmond rapper Locksmith of Frontline was the runner up in a MTV rap battle. Reign Man from Philly won.
-Crestside rapper Mac Dre was mudered in Kansas City, MO in a car to car shooting after a rap show.
-Keak Da Sneak coined the term “hyphy” which was a combination of hype and fly. He also coined the term “fa sheezy” which later became Snoop Dogg’s coined term “fa shizzle.”
-Mistah FAB is a dope freestyler.

Playing Catch Up…12.04.08 – 12.07.08

It’s been awhile since I wrote a real post. Problem was I came home from SF last Friday and had The Come Up the next day. Then I was sick from Sunday until Tuesday. After recovering from my sickness, I was working to finish up my Bay Area rap mix for the podcast which should be posted mid-week. These podcasts will mainly be posted here and on The Come Up Events blog. Our submission was rejected from itunes so we are relying on blogs to get our mixes out.

Lets catch up…

Thursday, 12.04.08

SIPA Sessions

I headed to SIPA to get down on the turntables. Me and Laurent got some time to beat juggle and scratch. Surprisingly, Laurent had two students now. One was a repeat student and the other was a new student. I actually met her at Diggin Sunday because she was diggin my music. I guess she was interested in learning how to do what we do. The session was good that night but I had to leave early to meet my girlfriend.

Laurent & Wessam

Laurent

Laurent Teaching His Students

Downtown Lights

Me and Trisha signed up to take a walking tour of Downtown LA holiday lighting but we were running so late that we could not meet up with the group. We drove over to 4th and Main to hopefully catch up with the group at 4th St between Main and Spring where the lights were very impressive. There was one problem, they didn’t go that way and we waited there for a good 20-30 minutes.

4th Street Lights

4th St Lights

Harlem Pl Alley

Harlem Pl Alley

LA Live

We decided to park the car close to the 7th St Metro Station to take the Blue Line to Pico Station. We found out later that we only parked about 15 minutes away from LA Live and taking the Blue Line from 7th St Station to Pico Station took about 20-25 minutes including the walk from Pico Station to LA Live. We also passed by Staples Center and got me thinking why I have only been to one Clippers game and one Kings game both in the nose bleed section. A new priority of mine is to get close to court side tickets to a key Lakers game. I am not a Lakers fan but I know the game will be exciting.

Walking down to 7th St Metro Station

Staples Center

Anyways, back to LA Live. We were not really impressed withwhat LA Live had to offer as of yet. Most of the businesses promised weren’t open yet and it was not that large of a complex as we expected in the time we were anticipating its opening. They also had this fake light Christmas tree that was cool but not as good as the real thing. I would prefer a tree like that in Rockefeller Plaza in NY. Most things were closed that night for private receptions since it was opening night but there were only a few places open for business including ESPN Zone, the Conga Room, Nokia Theatre, Nokia Lounge, and Bowling. We heard that Britney Spears was there an hour before we got there but we didn’t really care. I guess I will give LA Live another chance since everything is not open yet. I have to admit that I am waiting for Yard House to open so I have a place to go to to satisfy my thirst for beer. ESPN Zone will be cool too for games as long as they stay open long hours.

Fake Christmas Tree at LA Live

Crane LA Live

Lots of Flash, But is There Any Substance?

Slick Escalators

Office Space at LA Live

Slick Lights

View from Upstairs

Weird Performer at LA Live

Friday, 12.05.08

The Shrimp Head Sucking Posse

At work, we decided to go have lunch at Grand Central Market to get several pounds of cooked shrimp with the heads on, of course. The group included Sinuhe, Jade, Camelia, Muna, June, Manuel, Marco, Angelka, and myself. We went to Maria’s and got 5 pounds of shrimp (3 garlic and 2 diablo). We also got 2 grande fried tilapias (prepared in the same way Filipinos prepare it), and a pound of salmon. I swear we waited for about 25-30 minutes for them to cook everything but it was worth the wait. When we finally got to sit down and eat, Jade showed us all the correct way to eat the shrimp. Stick the head in your mouth, suck out all the juices, spit the headshell out, and then eat the rest. It is really good and I hope to bring some homies from outside of work there to get their grub on.

Maria's at Grand Central Market

Maria's Menu

$6.49/lb With the Heads On and They Fry it Up For You at A Minimal Cost

Maybe Next Time

Sinuhe Waiting

Modelo While We Wait

Jade Posing

The Pound I Was Eating

Yummmm!!

Jade Will Probably Kill Me For Posting This One

Post-Large Meal Cancer, Camelia, Muna, & Jade

June, Angelka, & Mint Chocolate Chip

Sinuhe, The Big Payback

After Work Drinks at the Liquor Store

Myself, Marco, James, Sinuhe, and Alberd left work and went to the liquor store to have some beer. It is a store that sells liquor but also offers tables for people to dine on lunch, snacks, cheese platters, and drink alcohol. They actually charge more for those who decide to drink in store rather than take you liquor to go. They do have Happy Hour before they close at 7PM which is $4-$5 for a pint or 22 oz. beer. It is actually more expensive to buy small bottles. So I got a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale cause I felt like having a hoppy beer. It was good as usual as we watched the Lakers kill the Wizards. After one pint and two wax covered cheese varieties, we left. James, Marco, and I went to my pad to use the bathroom before heading to Kike’s Tacos. Problem was that Kike’s was not open yet and we didn’t realize until we got there. I guess the early darkness threw me way off. We ended up driving to a Taco Truck next to the Walgreens in Echo Park. I had 4 tacos: cabeza, lengua, tripas, and some meat from the back of the ribs of I forgot what type of animal. I have never been upset with any meats I have tasted in a taco except the tripas (tripe). They deep fry it but it taste pasty/chalky and the flavor is not too pleasant. It was almost impossible to chew as well and I ended up just swallowing pieces whole. Yukkkk!!

True Beer Lover, Check the Closed Eyes to Enhance the Taste Buds. Sike

You Got to Open Your Own Shit Here

Saturday, 12.06.08

I had a lot planned for this day, Pacquiao/SIPAfundraiser, Scoops Tasting Challenge, watch UCLA vs. USC game, watch Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya fight, and check out the Block Party at 4th and Main St in Lofttown Los Angeles.

Pacquiao/SIPA Fundraiser

It was a fundraiser where a portion of the profits from Pacquiao t-shirts and silent auction went to the SIPA foundation, which you all know by now if you read my blog. It was at the Montalban Theatre, which was a makeshift Nike Store for the weekend, in Hollywood (Vine and Selma) which made it a bitch in regards to finding parking. I had no change for meters and lots were charging flat rates when I was only planning on staying for 30 minutes or so. I ended up parking on Hollywood where they have the new machine installed that take credit cards. I didn’t really know how to use it and paid for a full hour ($3, I think). We decided to check out Hollywood since we haven’t really been there since about 2003. Hollywood didn’t change much since then except for Hollywood/Highland. Just a bunch of souvenir stores, smoke shops, tattoo shops, suit shops, urban wear shops, memorabilia shops, and Scientology Centers. I was not surprised but that’s Hollywood.

Pacquiao is the Man

Pacquiao is my Height, Weighs 25 Pounds Less, and Can Knock Me Out in One Punch

Dance Crew at the Montalban Theatre

Capitol Records in Hollywood

Scoops Tasting Challenge

After Hollywood, Trisha and I went to Scoops for a tasting challenge to benefit an organization. We got 10 scoops for $10 and we had to guess the flavors to win a shirt. I was just there for the ice cream, even though I believe in donating to good causes, I had no prior knowledge that it was a fundraiser. We ate all we could before it started to melt and got nine out of ten of the flavors right, oh well.

10 Scoops

Trisha Going Gaga Over All That Ice Cream

Little Kids Loving the Ice Cream

UCLA vs. USC Game

Although we had season tickets for UCLA football, we didn’t know how hard it was to free up most of your Saturdays to go so in the end I only went to the Tennessee and Stanford games. We had to sell the UCLA vs. USC tickets to make some money back for all the tickets we couldn’t sell since nobody seemed to want to go to a UCLA game for a cost. We ended up going to the Arts District to find a place to watch the game. No one had the game on. But after walking into a closed e3rd steakhouse, we got the guys to let us sit at the bar and watch the end of the game. It was horrible though because UCLA was losing 28-7 to USC. We left the bar unhappy but moved on. Before leaving the Arts District, we stopped by Crazy Gideons to check out what the hype was all about. Honestly, everything was crap and all outdated.

Out the Side View in the Arts District

The Skyline from the Arts District

From the Stairway in Crazy Gideons

Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya Fight

Although Sinuhe invited me to watch the fight at his pad in San Pedro, I was lazy to drive and we had plans that night in Downtown for the Block Party. That was a big mistake because we watched the fight on illegal live online streams. But everyone was getting shut down. There was one guy who kept starting new streams after being shutdown which allowed me to watch the fight in 4 short segments. I did get to see the 8th round though when they pulled De La Hoya out of the fight. Pacquiao defeats De La Hoya and I could hear the Filipinos in the Philippines go crazy from Los Angeles. I was very proud at that moment that we had another Filipino to represent our culture’s talent. If you guys didn’t know Filipinos are usually good at:

1. DJing
2. Swagger
3. Dancing
4. Boxing
5. Singing
6. Looking Fresh to Death 24/7

Downtown Lofts Block Party

All I have to say about this was WHACK!!! What happened to the real downtown residents. It was just another event taken over and exploited by hipsters. No one was coming down from their lofts. They were coming from their cars since they just drove from Malibu or the Hollywood Hills. It could have been a cool event with all the restaurants adding tables outside on the street, live bands and DJs, art gallery showcases, and a beer garden. Too bad…I will stick to the Downtown Art Walk, diversity is better than uniformity, in regards to style in this case. After leaving the block party soon after we arrived, we stopped by Pershing Sqaure to check out the skating rink and holiday lighting along the way home.

From Pershing Square

At the Citi Bank Plaza

Sunday, 12.07.08

Shopping

I needed to shop for an outfit for my company Christmas party and Trisha had to shop for gifts. We started at Ikea where she got a mugs and plates for her grandpa. I picked up a picture frame so I could finally out up some shots in my bathroom.

We then went to Glendale where I picked up a pin stripped vest and trousers for $50 at H&M. I wanted the blazer but they ran out of my size. The blazer was only $50. Hopefully they restock my size before Friday so I can get everything altered in time.

Trying it On in the Fitting Room

After H&M, we went to Carousel, a Lebanese Armenian restaurant, on Brand in Glendale. The food was good. I got yogurt kebabs and Trisha got a vegetarian dish. It only came out to $43 with tip after which was unexpected since the restaurant was pretty nice inside.

We finished up out shopping day with a trip to Glendale Galleria. This place was sooooooooooo crowded. We just stopped by Macy’s so Trisha could find pajamas for her grandma, she didn’t. We also stopped by the Apple store to see some of the Ipod dock/alarm clocks. None worked how I wanted them too when I tested them. Some alarms turned on the Ipod but had the volume at 0. Some didn’t allow you to use the Ipod to wake up. No success this time.

LA DWP Holiday Light Festival

We checked this out since we never did before even when we lived on Los Feliz Blvd off the 5 Freeway. It was cool but was definitely a one time thing. there were a few impressive light pieces but most were mediocre if not awful. I liked the Golden Gate Bridge and the entry/exit light tunnels, but not much more. It also rained once we got to the end before we had to turn around and walk back.

Tunnel of Lights

More Lights

Trisha & More Lights

Holly

Wood

The Golden Gate Lights

Wrap Up
The weekend was fun and eventful and it made me happy to get out of the house, especially since I spent most of my time with my girlfriend. Some great events are around the corner, including the free secret location Common show I got tickets for and my company Christmas party. Also, The Come Up Crew will be putting out our second podcast highlighting Bay Area Rap: Old and New featuring me, Spingineer, and Dumlao. If you are interested in checking out our first podcast, which was 90s hip hop, go to the music page on my blog or the podcast page on The Come Up Blog.

I’ll be back soon…Peace.

History of Pre-Hyphy and Non-Hyphy Bay Area Hip Hop

Since I plan on putting out a podcast soon that features a lot of classic Bay Area rap, I decided to blog about some of the artists that kept the Bay Area rap scene going while the rest of the nation turned their backs on the Bay.

First of all I want to familiarize you all with the cities that some of the key Bay Area artists are from. Since I am from San Francisco, I can get down to the neighborhood on all SF artists.

Bay Area Map

San Francisco Neighborhoods

San Francisco:
-Hunter’s Point
RBL (Ruthless By Law) Posse including Black Cee and Mr. Cee (R.I.P.)
Hitman (R.I.P.)
11/5
Guce

-Fillmore
GLP (Get Low Posse) including San Quinn and JT Tha Bigga Figga
Messy Marv
Fully Loaded including Big Rich, J. Bailey, and Don Toriano
Ya Boy
Andre Nickatina (formerlly Dre Dog)

-Lakeview (Ocean View)
IMP (Ill Mannered Posse) including Coughnut (R.I.P.) and C Fresh
Cellski

-Unknown Hood
Paris

Oakland:
415 including Richie Rich, D-Loc, JED, and DJ Darryl
3XKrazy including Keak Da Sneak, Agerman, and B.A.
Too Short
The Luniz including Yukmouth and Numbskull
Dru Down
The Whoridas
Digital Underground
Pooh Man
Saafir the Saucee Nomad of Hobo Junction
Hieroglyphics including Del the Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Souls of Mischief, etc.
The Coup
Conscious Daughters

Vallejo:
The Click including E-40, B Legit, Suga T, and D-Shot
Mac Dre
Mac Mall

Richmond:
Filthy Phil

Santa Rosa:
Ray Luv

Marin City:
2PAC

Hayward:
Spice 1

East Palo Alto:
Totally Insane

I started listening to this music early in middle school and I always liked it. Some of it is mediocre and weak but I love it cause it was what I used to bump back then and it is the kind of music that you and all your friends could just listen to and hella feel. This was apparent when I was at Milk bar on Haight Street in SF when they played Mac Dre’s “Too Hard For The Fucking Radio” and the crowd went wild as they sang along word by word. You won’t get that kind of reaction from a non-major artist in any region in the US except the Bay. We loved Bay music when everyone outside of the region could give a fuck about Bay music and we will love it when everyone outside the region no longer likes Bay music. We are faithful to our artists even though they may have a 1-5 record of hot albums. We buy their CDs to support them and keep their careers alive. The Bay rap scene is the best rap scene in regards to faithful fans that will still like the artist in the same numbers when they fall off.

Although Bay rap fell onto deaf ears in most of the US before hyphy came around, underground Bay Area rap has always been huge in Kansas City where artists would do shows out there on the regular. Mac Dre was killed in a car to car shooting in Kansas City after doing a show which was rumored to be by Kansas city rapper Fat Tone, who was later killed in Las Vegas in the same fashion.

Bay Area rap is like no other in the world. Mobb style, hyphy, or whatever it is, it is very distinct from all other regions. I suggest you get educated…

Here are some classic and newer Bay tracks: Enjoy

Mac Dre – California Livin

Guce – Western Bay Playerz

Dre Dog – The Ave

Saafir the Saucee Nomad – Light Sleeper

Mac Mall – Sic Wit Tis

The Whoridas – Shot Callin and Big Ballin

San Quinn – Look What I’ve Done For Them

3XKrazy – Keep It On The Real

Hieroglyphics – You Never Knew

Souls of Mischief – 93 Til Infinity

RBL Posse – Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed

Rappin’ 4-Tay – I’ll Be Around

The Click – Captain Save ‘Em

Digital Underground – Same Song featurinf 2PAC

The Coup – Dig It

Peace…

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 1: 90s Hip Hop featuring Spingineer & Dumlao

Dumlao

Spingineer

Podcast #1:
Theme: 90s Hip Hop featuring Dumlao and Spingineer

The Come Up Podcast (Week of 11.24.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Dumlao & Spingineer (Background Music: Dela – La Bonne Attitude)

Set #1: Spingineer

1. Big Daddy Kane – Set It Off
2. Eric B & Rakim – J.U.I.C.E. (Know the Ledge)
3. Leaders of the New School – The International Zone Coaster
4. Organized Konfusion – Walk into the Sun (Remix)
5. Cypress Hill – Real Estate
6. LL Cool J – Jingling Baby
7. Eric B & Rakim – Don’t Sweat the Technique
8. Special Ed – Ready 2 Attack
9. Main Source – Looking at the Front Door
10. Leaders of the New School – Just Another Case of that Old PTA
11. Gangstarr – Who’s Gonna Take the Weight
12. Redman – Time 4 Sum Aksion
13. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Straighten it Out
14. Brand Nubian – Step to the Rear
15. Eric B & Rakim – I Know You Got Soul
16. Naughty by Nature – Uptown Anthem
17. Third Bass – Gas Face

Interlude: Dumlao (Background Music: Mad Skillz – Nod Factor – Instrumental)

Set #2: Dumlao

1. Craig Mack – Flava In Yo Ear Remix feat. Biggie
2. Keith Murray – The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World
3. Nas – Memory Lane
4. Common – Nuthin To Do
5. Dred Scott – Back In the Day
6. Lordz Of The Underground – Funky Child
7. Das Efx – They Want Efx
8. Fu Schnickens – True Fuschnick
9. Lordz Of The Underground – Chief Rocka
10. Redman – Rated R
11. EPMD – You Gots To Chill
12. The Alkaholiks – Daaaaaamn
13. Outkast – Call Of Da Wild
14. Main Source – Fakin The Funk
15. Del the Funkee Homosapien- Mistadobalina
16. Fu Schnickens – What’s Up Doc?
17. Kool G Rap – Poison
18. EPMD – Crossover
19. Naughty By Nature – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Interlude: Spingineer (Background Music – J Dilla – Make Em NV – Instrumental)

Set #3: Spingineer

1. Black Moon – Who Got Da Props
2. Black Sheep – Black with N.V.
3. Chill Rob G – Court is Now in Session
4. K-Solo – Your Mom’s in my Business
5. Poor Righteous Teachers – Shakyla
6. M.O.P. – Hardcore
7. Kool G Rap – Streets of New York
8. Nas – Halftime
9. Large Professor – The Mad Scientist
10. Ed O.G. & The Bulldogs – I Got to Have It
11. Shyheim – On & On
12. A Tribe Called Quest – Busta’s Lament
13. Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth – The Funky Technician
14. Ice Cube – Bird in the Hand
15. King Tee – Played Like a Piano
16. Inverse – Til the End (C.A.L.I.) feat. Trek Life

Outro: Dumlao & Spingineer (Background Music – Lupe Fiasco – Paris, Tokyo – Instrumental)