Hip Hopaholics 09/16/2023

Your boy is performing at the latest installment of Hip Hopaholics on 09/16/2023 at Slate Bar in San Francisco (16th St. x S. Van Ness). It’s a FREE event with an open mic cypher and beat makers.. so it’s perfect for the hungry MC!! Come through with your bars!! Shout outs to the dude Rezin8!!

Kensho Kuma x Cloud NI9E- More than Life

I am currently working on a collaborative album with Japanese producer Cloud NI9E. Here is something we’ve been working on.. Mixed by D-Wiz and graffiti by Marcus Murray.

More than Life

Verse 1:
Was a troubled adolescent, Rap was the cure/
but after twenty years, I had to mature/
stayed up hella nights, to master a verse/
but couldn’t monetize, my passion or worth damn/
I worked jobs I hated, even taught 6th grade/
lost my dignity and pride, just so I can get paid/
older brother was a gangsta, in the drug trade/
that was never me no, couldn’t make what thugs made/
In the lab every night, mixing down tracks/
with a well-known producer, giving dude racks/
ugh patiently waiting to make dividends stack/
but I had nothing to eat, I was living so wack/
Then I met a woman who had an effect on me/
connected at a deeper level, not just sexually/
she stimulated mental growth intellectually/
our time is more important than being the best MC/

Chorus:
Life is more than bars, it’s more than rhyme schemes/
more than what you sacrifice for your pipe dreams/
Life is more than clubs, more than chasing hoes/
more than hustling 24/7 making dough/
Life is more than cars, it’s more than nice kicks/
more than karats glistening, on an iced wrist/
Life is more than drugs, more than an image/
it’s about the real love, the reason that we living/

Verse 2:
When a boy becomes a man, the amount of growing pain/
is more than agonizing potna, people go insane/
music isn’t paying me and that’s an awful thang/
but still outside of venues, cyphering with awkward slang/
Use to by the main act, headlining every jam/
use to have the latest sneakers and the gear from every brand/
use to blow my loot on blow, needed more than several grams/
now I’m saving up, for a mafuckin’ wedding band/
Went from spitting raw, to scrubbing kitchen floors/
domesticated homie, feeling like I’m sixty four/
you tripping boy, if you think monogamy can make you soft/
rather make love to my woman than go chase some crazy broad/
old enough to know the game’s full of snakes and hateful frauds/
so I keep my ass at home and take my time creating songs/
‘ready been around the world, now my time to settle down/
looking forward to the day I see you in your wedding gown/

Chorus:

Global Gutter Gourmet Sampler

When I’m in East Oakland, I’m eating carne asada super burritos. When I’m in 西成、it’s definitely もんじゃ and たこ焼き。In Berlin, it’s the fish sandwiches. Once I reach Prague, hook up the pork knuckles. Come have some appetizers from my “Global Gutter Gourmet” platter.. (they’re select tracks from an upcoming mix CD.) 地球上どこにいても、俺はドヤ街でうまい、ローカルなソールフード食べてます。ニューミックスCDから4曲召し上がれ。Graffiti by Marcus Murray and Mixes by D-Wiz.

Methadone (Hip Hop Against Drug Abuse)

If you know me from real life, you know that I am a product of sobriety/recovery.. Although I was able to celebrate 8 years of continuous sobriety this past August, I remain extremely concerned about the normalization, satirization, and promotion of AUD/alcoholism, substance abuse, mental disorders, and dual diagnoses, prevalent in our culture. I have known certain artists for over a decade whom I have never seen sober. There are numerous men huddled by a bathroom stall sniffing lines at any given venue. Young people are conditioned to sing lyrics about pills and codeine without even knowing it. I am that one MC who’s gonna tell you that this is NOT cool.

This one is dedicated to anyone who has suffered from alcoholism, addiction, and/or dual diagnosis.. you are welcome to holler at me anytime..

Return of the Cypher

If you know me from real life, you already know that I am one of the directors for the weekly Return of the Cypher party @the Boom Boom Room in the historic Fillmore district in San Francisco. I am proud to report that our event recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary!!

R.O.T.C. is an open-mic cypher accompanied by our in-house Get Down Band and legendary DJ Kevvy Kev. All emcees and vocalists are welcome to rock with us.. as long as they read the rules, acquire a wristband, and of course adhere to the guidelines stated in the rules. It is the most accurate representation of Hip Hop culture in the SF Bay Area.. and if you were raised by this culture, you will surely agree. Many of our patrons consider R.O.T.C. to be their temple/ mosques/ church , and religiously attend. Iconic legends that are in your iTunes right now regularly are in attendance. Large Professor, MC Akil of Jurassic 5, RZA, Killah Priest, Rappin’ 4-Tay, and Lyrics Born, have all stopped by and/or performed at R.O.T.C.!!

Our event features a special performer doing a set every week. We have had touring acts from every imaginable region of the U.S., as well as international artists that ventured from Japan, Mongolia, Bali, Vietnam, U.K., and Sweden. We also feature the monthly M.V.P (Most Valuable Poet) contest, where competitors go after the coveted R.O.T.C. dog tags, a beatsmith live production set known as the Boom Boom Bap Session, and guest hosts with varying flavors.

If you are a newbie emcee still mastering elementary skills, there doesn’t exist an environment more supportive than R.O.T.C. If you are a mid-tier flame spitter or veteran, our platform is the perfect place to try out new material, keep your bars sharp, and be reminded why you love rapping in the first place. If you are a veteran, please help us carry on tradition!! The essence of rap camaraderie is extremely powerful in our community; cats routinely cypher outside the venue after the party has ended.

 

Permanent Scars (Final Fantasy Instrumental)

2 Mello is a multi-faceted producer who samples retro Nintendo games. I was immediately interested upon discovering his Final Fantasy- the 3-6 Chambers project.. (he flipped Wu Tang acapellas over Final Fantasy samples!) He also has Nas x Castlevania, Jay-Z x Chrono Trigger, and the full instrumental version for each project!! WHAT!? A beat from the FF batch served as the perfect, beautifully melancholic soundscape for some painful-ass bars I was chiseling when I lost my older brother this past July. This instrumental truly saved my damn sanity.

I present to you Permanent Scars. Props to 2 Mello. Mixed by DWiz. Pic by Sarah Arnold.

R.O.T.C. Official Newsletter

I have started the Official R.O.T.C. Newsletter!! If you don’t know by now, Return of the Cypher is where Hip Hop culture resides in the SF Bay Area!! Every Sunday evening at the historic Boom Boom Room in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, we facilitate an organic, top-tier cypher, backed by our in-house live band. The event celebrated its 5 years anniversary this past summer, and the movement is showing no signs of slowing down.. please come through!! Please sign-up here!!