Mixtape: The Bay Area’s Standout Hip Hop and R&B Producers
This episode first ran on KQED.org. Download: Mixtape: The Bay Area's Standout Hip Hop and R&B Producers (Podcast #426) The Bay Area's vibrant hip hop and R&B scenes include a wealth of talented MCs and singers, but it's often easy to forget the important behind-the-scenes role that music producers play in crafting great songs. A skilled producer doesn't just provide a instrumental backdrop for an artist to showcase their craft; instead, the best producers elevate their artists, adding emphasis that highlights a song's melodic immediacy or depth that demands repeat listens. This mixtape showcases a dozen songs from local hip [...]
East Bay rapper Zion I releases ‘Tonite Show’ with DJ Fresh
East Bay rapper Baba Zumbi — also known as Zion I — recently released a new record with Los Angeles producer DJ Fresh. The duo recorded the 10-track project while on tour together in 2016. It is the latest installment of DJ Fresh's Tonite Show album series, which has previously featured Raekwon, Freddie Gibbs, and E-40. The project comes after a tumultuous period for Baba Zumbi. In 2015, the rapper lost his East Oakland home to gentrification, forcing him and his family to move to San Leandro. He documented the move with the song "Tech Money," which features footage of his [...]