My man Gebo, a veteran MC from Osaka, Japan, has teamed up with Acid Reign from LA, to start their “Cali Cruise” tour. They are promoting their brand new collaborative album “Losaka,” available from Acid Lab Records. They will be stopping by ROTC (Boom Boom Room, 1601 Fillmore St. SF CA94115)on 05/17 to bless us with their dope bilingual lyricism.. be sure to stop by. I will be hosting that night along with the usual suspects you have grown to love.
Orukusaki and Tefari at Filmatic Productions are continuing the weekly ROTC TV webisodes; every week, the episodes will capture the featured performers, patrons dancing to Kev’s set, MC’s, the Gemstone Band, and the overall vibe of ROTC. Khali at aFilmNoob shot and edited episodes 6.
ROTC TV: Episode 6- Return of the Beat Boxer
ROTC TV: Episode 7- Jern Eye
ROTC TV: Episode 8- Brycon x Luke Sick
ROTC TV: Episode 9- Mack Deezoe
ROTC TV: Episode 10- Boom Bap Sessions
Return of the Cypher now has an official weekly webisode series thanks to my brother Orukusaki and Tefari Casas from Filmatic Productions. Each ROTC TV episode will feature cyphers on and off the stage, the Gem Stone Band, DJ Kevvy Kev rocking the dance floor, featured performers, and patron interviews. Oruk will be the regular anchor, but I’ll cover for him when he’s out on assignments. Here are the first five episodes, enjoy.. Just always remember, ROTC is every Sunday evening at the Boom Boom Room in SF, and it’s always free and never will be canceled. All episodes shot by Tef @Filmatic Productions, except episode 5 shot and edited by Khali at aFilmNoob.
ROTC TV: Episode 5- the Introduction
ROTC TV: Episode 4- Rahman Jahmaal “Street Poetry” Release Party
ROTC TV: Episode 3- Watzreal Album Release Party
ROTC TV: Episode 2- Boom Bap Sessions feat. Joe Mousepad
ROTC TV: Episode 1- January MVP Competition
The 1st 2FS show will be @the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts on 01/24/15. We are rocking for the Beat Shop, which is an organization dedicated to bringing beat workshops into classrooms. We will be rocking with the comrades BPos and our producer Decap.
Also, my brother Orukusaki of 2FS and ROTC’s Infinite will be rocking @the Great American Hall with La Gente on the same night. It’s going to be a busy night for the 2FS swordzmen..
My alter ego 510 Japanda Thug won the ROTC Halloween MC Battle; all contestants had to battle as their characters and Japanda faced very worthy opponents. Captain Ruksok hosted, Z-Man from the Hiero Imperium helped with the judging, and DJ Kevvy Kev held down the decks.
Preliminary Cypher
Round 1: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Anonymous
Round 2: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Spready Kruger
Final Round: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Slender Woman
On some real shit, I thought that the final round could’ve gone either way.. so I decided to split the prize money with Slender Woman… who is actually the alter ego of Babii Cris. A lyrical prodigy who is barely 21.. her self-produced, self-engineered album is dropping 01/03/15.
ROTC young gun drops the “New Bay” video. Dude has been paying dues on a regular basis; buy a snapback off of him when you run into him and support the grind.
Not all children receive toys during the holiday season. We can do our part in changing this. On December 21st, 2014, ROTC will be teaming up with Hip Hop for Change, to host our first annual “Hip Hop Holiday Toy Drive.” Hip Hop for Change is a non-profit organization dedicated to combating the detrimental messages of corporate Rap music and social injustice, through educational outreach, grassroots activism, and real Hip Hop showcases. All collected toys will be donated to City Team at their San Francisco and Oakland locations; the toys will be then distributed to children living in low-income communities. Our culture is for the people, by the people. Let’s bring some toys for kids in the hood.
ROTC (Return of the Cypher) is a freestyle jam session which occurs every Sunday night @ the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco. The Gem Stone band provides live instrumentation and veteran DJ Kevvy Kev holds down the ones and twos. Special featured guests rock almost every week. Myself, Orukusaki, Slice 9, and MC Mars usually alternate as hosts. All MC’s and vocalists are encouraged to attend and participate in the cyphers, which probably takes up more than 2 and a half hours of each Sunday night. Oh, and it’s absolutely free!
If you are an emcee, you have to be willing to freestyle… period… it’s just part of the craft. And this is the perfect boot camp/ church/ gym/ whatever you want it to be!
My weekly event that I help organize, “Return of the Cypher” is hosting its first annual Halloween Costume MC Battle. All MC’s must have a costume, and must rap as their character. My crew member Orukusaki is the host and the crowd is the judge. My cousin 510 Japanda Thug will take part, so please come help save the pandas.
Our ROTC comrade Denero will be celebrating his birthday with a traditional Hip Hop party in the park! Please mark your calendars; 10/11 at Delores Park, BYOB, BBQ grills, and an extraordinary showcase featuring 2FS, Rick Stevens from the Tower of Power, DJ Kevvy Kev, and many more of our ROTC family members.
