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After breaking through to mainstream pop-culture awareness in 2006, the Bay Area's youthful, party-oriented hyphy movement seemed poised to become the next big thing. Fueled by cannabis, thizz pills, and top-shelf tequila, hyphy's uptempo, feverish sound put a psychedelic tint on turf rap. "Go dumb" became the rallying cry for an attention-deficit culture that spread like wildfire, taking over clubs and commercial radio. As silly as it seemed to outsiders, hyphy created an economy whose main selling point was regional pride, built around stunna shades, Bay Area–themed T-shirts, rims, mixtapes, and Mac Dre bobblehead dolls. Despite its ghetto origins, hyphy had surprising suburban appeal. Rebellious, rambunctious, and not a little subversive, its infectious energy was a shot in the arm to a moribund rap industry.

The Bay Area's answer to Atlanta's crunk, hyphy validated the efforts of the independent-label-saturated local scene, which had long struggled to gain a national toehold. Media coverage extended to such nontraditional rap outlets as NPR, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Hyphy's potential seemed limitless; once it hit middle America, there was no telling what it might do.

Yet by last summer, it had all but disappeared from the music industry's collective radar screens.

Many factors may have contributed to hyphy's demise. Contractual snafus and bad business practices by some artists resulted in missed opportunities; major labels signed local artists, then delayed releasing their albums. National media made a big fuss over the controversial practice of "ghost-riding the whip" (putting a car in neutral and dancing on its hood or roof while the vehicle kept rolling). Additionally, hyphy was frequently linked to illegal sideshows, and there were reports of violence at concerts and clubs. Subsequently, overall sales figures never quite caught up with the hype.

Even so, the largest single factor in hyphy's decline may have been the withdrawal of support for local music by KMEL 106.1FM, the Bay Area's top urban radio station and a powerful industry tastemaker.

A year and a half ago, it wasn't uncommon to find at least four or five songs by locally based indie rap artists in rotation at the San Francisco–based station. These days, however, you won't find a current local rap release in KMEL's top 50, or its top 100 for that matter. In fact, the highest-ranking recent single by a Bay Area rap artist the week of February 4 was the Federation's "Happy I Met You," way back at number 187.

At present, KMEL is playing "a lot of Down South music ... anything but the Bay," according to Hannah Wagner, a publicist at SF indie digital music label INgrooves and a regular listener.

Author Jeff Chang, who has written extensively about commercial radio, feels the station has returned to standard programming: "You don't hear a lot of [new] music breaking. You didn't get a sense of excitement like you had a couple of years ago. It's gone back."

A closer look into the absence of hyphy from the airwaves found that while local artists bear a degree of responsibility for the decline of the homegrown art form, KMEL is far from blameless.

Specifically, the station

• yanked local rappers with buzzworthy records from rotation over petty personal beefs

• made it difficult, if not impossible, for artists not aligned with favored promoters to get access to station personnel

• ignored the advice of its own DJs on potential hit records by local artists

• put the kibosh on efforts to spread hyphy in other regions

• engaged in blatant favoritism toward certain artists, alongside other activities that contributed to the fragmentation of the local hip-hop community

• employed a two-tiered promotion system for major-label and independent acts

KMEL's provincial attitude toward local rap artists is perhaps best exemplified by the station's treatment of Mistah F.A.B., a charismatic Oaklander sometimes referred to as "hyphy's crown prince." According to F.A.B., a "personal situation" with current music director Big Von Johnson has existed for years. The rapper speculates that jealousy might be the cause: "Von wanted to be an artist." Still, "It's no bad blood, it's no hatred from me," he now emphasizes. (At press time, Johnson hadn't responded to several requests for an interview.)

In 2005, the hyphy phenomenon was beginning to create a tangible buzz, and F.A.B. had the hottest song in the streets in "Super Sic wit It." When it was initially played on KMEL, presenters announced it as a new song by E-40, one of the few major-label artists from the Bay, who appeared on the record.

Yet after E-40 invited F.A.B. onstage at the 2005 KMEL Summer Jam, the audience reaction was so overwhelming that even Johnson had to give F.A.B. his props. Soon after that, other F.A.B. songs were added to the station's rotation. But his increased profile didn't last long.

In March 2006, MTV aired a segment of the show My Block that focused on the Bay Area. Though other artists were featured, F.A.B.'s charming personality nearly stole the show; he appeared to be a safe bet to be the next rapper from the region to blow up nationally. With a hot album, numerous guest appearances, and several songs on the radio, F.A.B. suddenly found himself weighing deals from major labels.

Not long after that, F.A.B. pitched Johnson with an idea for a new, locally oriented show, to be called Yellow Bus Radio. But KMEL already had a similar show in E-40's E-Feezy Radio, so F.A.B. took the concept to Jazzy Jim Archer, the program director at KYLD-FM (94.9) — located in the same building as KMEL. Archer green-lighted the show, which aired directly opposite Johnson's on KMEL.

That, F.A.B. says, "really made it seem I was going after [Johnson's] timeslot. I became his archenemy."

Write Your Comment show comments (55)

  1. These situations with Big Von are not coincedence. KMEL also killed a growing Bay Area independant music movements of Living Legends and Heiro when they banned Mystik Journmen from the airwaves in 1998.

    Comment by Dap1 — February 20, 2008 @ 03:30PM

  2. I hate you, I hate you, I don't even know you and I hate you. Now I'll go drink my soda that i know someone has spit in.

    Comment by m — February 20, 2008 @ 05:34PM

  3. KMEL was a pioneering station that has totally fallen off. The best thing about being in the Bay is that we appreciate music from all regions...But we love our own.

    It is hard, being on the outside to understand how hyphy died on the vine. But this article makes it much more clear. Good job!!

    I'd like to see what Von and his associates have to say in response to this.

    -Adisa Banjoko aka The Bishop of Hip-Hop

    Comment by Adisa — February 20, 2008 @ 06:06PM

  4. This article seems fairly one-sided, and not very well researched. Also, when there is an election going on, a president(yes..lower-case)with a 19% approval rate, and an economy in tatters, why are you wasting cover-space on an article about a musical genre that clearly played ITSELF out????
    A lot of the conspiracy theories put forth in this article just seem pathetic...KMEL overplayed local music to burn it out? That makes no sense. The artists involved just seem to be bitter over their own failings...and going thru Eric Arnold's past articles, does he have a financial interest in Mr. Fab? He has quite a few articles about him, and if so, he should disclose that as well.

    Comment by JaniceY — February 20, 2008 @ 06:44PM

  5. excellent article

    Comment by anonymous — February 20, 2008 @ 06:50PM

  6. Self-important drama queens and their paranoid conspiracy theories given far too much spilled ink over their infighting. Film at eleven. The only information of any substance or accuracy came from Chuy Gomez, who said it all sounded the same, with everyone trying to imitate the top two artists.

    Hyphy died because it was boring and repetitive music made by human OfficeJets. Nothing else to it.

    Comment by digable — February 20, 2008 @ 07:55PM

  7. What people can't comprehend is that Von is a hater. He wants to be an artist, a club DJ (he can't mix), on-air personality is his strength, he wants to be THEE man. He wants to be what he isn't. He has no street cred like a Mind Motion or Chuy. So... with his position he "puts" himself on a lot of things but hating or telling people he won't do this for you if a certain person is involved. People take it as an opportunity to work with Von and the other dude is cut. Scotty Fox is a nerd who's really a house dj and Von's puppet. You'll NEVER see them in public just chillin'. Hood club? NEVER. Why? They will get their ass beat and with no street cred.. hmm.. you can image. I'll agree that Bay music is slippin right now but there are non hyphy music Artists worthy or airtime: Messy Marv, Thae Jacka, G-Stack, Guce, Bavgate, PSD, Laroo Tha Hard Hitta, even Mistah F.A.B. All his music isn't hyphy. Willie Hen is part of a group called The Product with Malice & Scarface. They had a video on BET with love on southern radio, Willie Hen had a Hip-Hop quotable in The Source! and how many KMEL spins, mentions, support?? How many people knew that about Willie Hen? Come on man.... Nothing against The Team but maybe if he was the 4th Team member he'd get some love.... But they played Frontline and no one gave a fuck besides "What is it". As long as Von is there we as a whole Bay are not going to win. Lastly, one thing that was not mentioned. Once they got rid of that cornball of the year Super Snake (that slot should've been given to Short-E a long time ago. How could yall let him go to 103.5 KBMB in Sac? But within 6 months he's MD up there?? Boxx Kev is the new Short-E. Let's see how many years before he bounces somewhere and becomes MD) Von "gets" Snake's old slot & his own combined and gives Rick Lee the boot??!! Rick Lee has quietly given a lots of artists spins and helped them more than any other KMEL DJ. He went from the 5 O'Clock hour mix M-F to 30 minutes to an hour on Saturdays??? Do the math.... He really just needs his ass whipped at the very least... and it's coming.... TRUST ME

    Comment by The Mole — February 21, 2008 @ 10:02AM

  8. Wow how killed Hyphy? The last time I cheaked every body And there mom's and Dad's still Slap the Hyphy movement and thizz movement. They slap it the most out of any kind of music. the sean is more alive then the wrighter of this article thicks it is. If you did a servay on rap walking down the streets of the bay and LA were snoop dog loves or music. the nation uses or words and rep are movement ask each person in the rap sean hows there faverit underground artises and then wright about it. The resalts will tell the readers of this paper the movement is still Up and cracking Harder then most rap seans around the nation. so how killed hyphy no one but peaple how hate it and wright bad things about it making it look bad. this movment is the kind of music that gets me and alot of peaple up and have fun and be happey to lisen to. are loco artis making it big has me wrighting my own songs thinking that I could do it one day to. this is are music, And for kmel they bump it when it is needed but they need to bump it 24/7 with some dirty south music to as well. Or bays rapers or the next big thing.we got rapers out But we still have a long list rapers with difrent styles of the hyphy movement. messy marv,San Quinn,Big Rich,keak da sneak,E-40, The Pack, Mac Mall,mac dre,Andre Nickatina,traxamillion,mista FAB,yukmouth,from sac C-BO,Dubee,luni colone,all have difrent styels of the movement and many more. The peaple are still getting in to it and more talint is still comeing like myself. the undiscovered rapers are still out there with new forms of it. This movment is not deid its still on the Rize and alive. this is money from the Sco. Wrght me Back.

    Comment by Michael Uribe — February 21, 2008 @ 10:21AM

  9. SF Weekly should have known about Eric Arnold's regular miss use of quotes and bad journalism in general.

    Yea Von and KMEL is doing terrible stuff, but don't use Fab's old quotes without giving credit to where and when those quotes came from. I know that it has been months since Fab talked or even mentioned about what happened with him and KMEL.

    Also, DJ BACKSIDE??? Who is she to talk about the death of Hyphy? She was a contributor to the slaughter. She rode it then moved out of the Bay as soon as it was dead.

    She a horrible DJ, maybe that has something to do with her being let go. She made money off T-shirts.

    And as terrible Von is, he is actually a good person and definitely have the right personality to do what he has to do at KMEL. But of course, after doing something for so long... people can turn and do bad stuff.

    PS: I have heard bad interview stories about Eric directly from the source or using the wrong quotes to make a point that he wants to make.

    Comment by your bias — February 21, 2008 @ 11:15AM

  10. Truth be told Hyphy NEEDED to die. Chuy said it best. This article was totally one sided and made DJ Backside some kind of "martyr for the movement". She's a crap DJ who was MADE by Jim Archer. Manufactured DJ for a manufactured music style. How can this writer blame Big Von and DJs for everything and not blame the lackluster artists it regurgitated? Maybe now that hyphy goes away, the real ARTISTS will shine. Artists like Mac Mall and E-40 sold 70,000+ copies in the early 90s with ZERO radio play. Non-Bay artists today like Tech N9ne and ICP do the same thing. If you depend on commercial radio for sales then your music SUCKS PERIOD

    Comment by jobber707 — February 21, 2008 @ 12:02PM

  11. For the record:
    1)i have no financial interest in mistah fab or any other artist. lol.
    2)fab was interviewed two separate times, the most recent being a couple days before this article ran.
    3) big von himself is quoted as saying "i'm known as a big hater" in the july 2005 issue of ruckus magazine.
    4) Mac Mall actually sold 230,000+ copies of Illegal Business? in 1993, while E-40's group the Click moved 300,000+ units of Down 'n' Dirty in 1992.
    5)"Rapper" is spelled with two P's.

    Comment by EA — February 21, 2008 @ 03:11PM

  12. Hyphy music killed itself; don't try to blame a radio station for following the correct music trends. You can't even say they don't support the hyphy movement because KMEL has been playing hyphy music ever since its conception...and the continued on even through it's dead points. In the last couple weeks, they've played hyphy sets. Hyphy is actually on its way back up now that E-40's coming out with new tracks again, but they won't be receiving airplay unless they start sounding new and fresh...the original reason why people fell in love with it in the first place.

    You can blame Von all you want, but like Davey D said, he took on that position and will have to deal with the consequences of being where he is. Von takes orders from entities higher up the ladder to keep his job. You can hate on him all you want, but he's just doing his job, and may I add he is doing it well. Everyone has a boss to answer to. Don't you Eric?

    Hyphy was nice & cute, but we all knew it wasn't gonna last long. You can only hear about stunnas, scrapers, and ghostriding for so long. Even Crunk music learned how to evolve so it didn't dissolve into nothing at all. Most hyphy is one-dimensional music that ended up encouraging youths to go dumb and ruin events. It was fun and quirky in the beginning, but became redundant and stale in the end. You can't blame Von & co. for recognizing a dying trend. All of us knew it.

    This article is full of Bay Area "rapers" bitching and moaning about how they didn't get their shine on. Mistah FAB was backed by Jazzy Jim way before Hyphy broke out; he was on Jazzy's old record label (Straight Hits) with songs like "Hula-hoop." There was always a close relationship between the two. Jazzy threw record-listening parties for Mistah FAB. He was one of the artists to have almost full access to BOTH of the radio stations, not to mention his guest spot on The Wake Up Show. Surely, you CANNOT have Mistah FAB bitching about his lack of access to airwaves.

    It only applied to KMEL? Understand that both stations have sounds that they stick to and the fact is that not all of Fab's songs (like ghostride it) don't fit KMEL's format, but fit directly with KYLD's format.

    Oh...And correlating the hyphy's demise with Von's beef with Mistah FAB? Like you said earlier...these hyphy kids were making bad business moves. FAB not getting in cool with Von? Bad business move #1. I don't even know if that beef's real, but it doesn't matter. Independent artists should always make it a point to get in good with the MD; any other way is career suicide. You CANNOT imply that this is the kind of beef that stopped people from receiving airplay all across the board.

    Lastly, shame on you Eric Arnold. Your slippery-slope reasoning is going to have a lot of people pointing their fingers at A man who is just taking it for THE man. Blame the Clear Channel corporation, not Von. Hyphy was a trend plain and simple. Don't pretend like they were doing anything mind blowing. They had a cool vibe and some catchy hooks. They were once fresh. Then the formula caught on, and every rapper in the bay thought they were next up.

    Congratulations on being the voice for all the disgruntled artists in the Bay who just aren't good enough. All those not-good-enough's should be thankful (and this doesn't include artists who create good music regardless of airplay) cuz you finally published something they've been wanting to say.

    Hey "rapers"...if you aren't on the air yet, get your music tight and original. Don't blame radio. Blame yourselves for biting too much and trying to sound like who's up now. Blame yourself, and you will improve. Don't continue to let other people dictate your life path just cuz they said 'no.' Blame yourself and understand why you don't have what it takes at the moment.

    And yes, "Rapper" is spelled with two p's. Totally something different with only one p.

    Comment by Anonymous — February 21, 2008 @ 04:41PM

  13. Good Riddance hyphy. im not sad to see it go at all. Sure it was fun for like a week but after a bunch of posers jumped on the bandwagon and flooded the scene with garbage it was doomed. Crunk lasted because it kept a hard edge and was able to transcend it's orignal niche market, the durty durty. Hyphy was just way to childish and in poor taste. Why would i want to act retarded and ride a yellow bus im fricken 24 years old?

    Big Von is a victim in this one sided article. He's a great radio host and that's not easy to do. I saw him open up at the latest mos def show at the mezzanine and listen to his show on my way home from work every night.

    The other victims are the little kids growing up in the bay area that think it's cool to go dumb and shake your dreds. In NYC kids grow up wanting to be dope lyricists and write deep rymes, here they wanna make slaps and it's another example of rich white folk selling lame music to hold people down instead of inspire them.

    To e40. I've been a huge fan since The Hall of Game and wish you could release another album that is at least on par with that one.

    Comment by MDM — February 21, 2008 @ 06:12PM

  14. hey "anonymous",
    a few points:
    1) did you even read the part about the reasons why kmel threw its weight behind hyphy in the first place? it's a fact that the return of local music to the air in 2002-2003 coincided with public criticsm of the station. and sure, kmel played the song "hyphy" in 2004, but you only heard a trickle of local records until Power 92 came along. after that, popular demand forced them to keep playing it, since these records were outperforming national hits by Von's own admission.
    2)the fact that local records are being spun on mixshows (but are not listed on official playlists) was reported in the story.
    3) E-40's album was originally scheduled for 3rd quarter '07. and pardon me for saying this, but wasn't the knock on hyphy two years ago the perception that 40 year old rappers, i.e. $hort and E-40, couldnt by definition lead a youth movement? that's why FAB was so crucial as a spokesman, not only is he in his 20s, but he's more multifaceted than commercial radio led you to believe. and if he's �not good enough� for airplay now, then why was he ever in rotation?
    4) you say, "You can only hear about stunnas, scrapers, and ghostriding for so long." i completely agree. in fact, that's the point of the whole article. so why didn't we hear the Federation's gospel-tinged "I'll Fly Away" on the radio? or their heavy-metal track, "Black Roses"? it's a fact that back in the day, KMEL played Nirvana. isn't radio supposed to break new music? especially when the station is "known" for doing so, as Stacy Cunningham pointed out?
    5)you also say, "Even Crunk music learned how to evolve so it didn't dissolve into nothing at all. " i wouldnt exactly call Souljaboy an evolutionary step. if you know anything about bay area artists, you know that they had more to talk about than than stunna shades and scrapers, you just didnt hear about it on the radio. again, this was pointed out in the article.
    6) if there was just one incident of a MD beefing with an artist, that would be one thing. Reportage showed that there was a clear pattern of similar instances involving this particular individual and other artists and/or their label reps extending back at least four years. really, how can you hate on Mac Dre and claim to rep the bay at all?
    7) Actually, there are plenty of "good" local artists who get no play from KMEL, as the article pointed out. some of them actually sell records too.
    8)gee, you seem to be making some of thethe same points i did, except i had more facts at my disposal. now that's shameful!
    9) it sure takes a lot of guts to call yourself "anonymous"

    Comment by EA — February 21, 2008 @ 06:31PM

  15. Commercial radio stations of the 21st century aren't about cultivating unique services to entertain a local community, they're all about hashing out cookie-cutter formats that can be replicated on 30 - 300 stations across the continent. Hyphy had its moment to prove itself, it didn't deliver the audience advertisers wanted to pay top $$ to reach, now it's gone from radio. That's the beginning, middle and end of it.

    I know, it's more dramatic and entertaining to point fingers at someone and say it's all their fault. But the simple and depressing fact of the matter is that some things have a limited shelf life. Be grateful for what was, because a lot of other club formats never even came close to getting the airplay hyphy did.

    It's dead. Deal.

    Comment by a cunning stunt — February 21, 2008 @ 07:56PM

  16. This article wasn�t written in defense of hyphy music. This has nothing to do with a couple listeners personal feelings about individual artists. The critics are completely missing the point. This is about holding KMEL accountable for abandoning local viable talent due to petty beefs, backroom deals and unchecked, self serving on and off air �talent�.

    Self Serving, Self Absorbed, Sell Outs.

    The truth is that there are local artists who can be successful, even in this watered down homogenous format. KMEL simply chooses to ignore those artists as they don�t fit into the hidden agendas of the SSS.

    Lyrics Born, like him or not, had a local hit with �Callin Out� but only found radio play on Live 105. Even an Indy Rock station could identify the potential of that single. How f*cking absurd is that? And before you try to tell me that artist like The Coup Blackalicious, Lyrics Born and Hieroglyphics don�t fit KMEL�s format, check out some of the artists who�ve appeared on their remixes and get familiar with the global rap audience. Commercial rap and underground rap enjoyed a lucrative and harmonious union this summer in front of over 50,000 people at the Rock the Bells Concert in SF.

    Wake the F*ck up KMEL.

    Comment by Jack Frost — February 22, 2008 @ 02:54AM

  17. This article wasn�t written in defense of hyphy music. This has nothing to do with a couple listeners personal feelings about individual artists. The critics are completely missing the point. This is about holding KMEL accountable for abandoning local viable talent due to petty beefs, backroom deals and unchecked, self serving on and off air �talent�.

    Self Serving, Self Absorbed, Sell Outs.

    The truth is that there are local artists who can be successful, even in this watered down homogenous format. KMEL simply chooses to ignore those artists as they don�t fit into the hidden agendas of the SSS.

    Lyrics Born, like him or not, had a local hit with �Callin Out� but only found radio play on Live 105. Even an Indy Rock station could identify the potential of that single. How f*cking absurd is that? And before you try to tell me that artist like The Coup, Blackalicious, Lyrics Born and Hieroglyphics don�t fit KMEL�s format, check out some of the artists who�ve appeared on their remixes and get familiar with the global rap audience. Commercial rap and underground rap enjoyed a lucrative and harmonious union this summer in front of over 50,000 people at the Rock the Bells Concert in SF.

    Wake the F*ck up KMEL.

    Comment by Jack Frost — February 22, 2008 @ 03:28AM

  18. Great article, one of the best reads in awhile. However, I must agree with one of the previous comments that it was a completely one-sided attempt at blaming KMEL for single-handedly killing the movement. Let me tell you, I stay smack dab in the middle of the hood and will confirm for you that nothing Hyphy has been getting play in any cars coming through the block for at least a couple years now. The truth is rappers have more control over their careers than this article will have you believe. It's simple - you make good music, it gets played. In my opinion (and that of many others), the early/mid-90s was the Bay Area's heyday. The stuff that was coming out then was not just good on a local level, but just good period. And guess what? The ones putting out good shit were rewarded with major label deals. 4-Tay even got play on MTV. When those same artists started putting out the junk of the late-90s to present, guess what? They lost their deals.

    The Hyphy-train was an overhyped phenomena started by someone who created a halfway decent track and that brought along a bunch coattail riders and their failed attempts trying to mimick the sound. And just like the mid-90s, the ones actually putting out decent shit got or were considered for major deals (I don't see E40 or Too Short complaining much). The DOWNFALL in the first place was that something was creating out of nothing.

    KMEL is first and foremost a mainstream radio station - that's what they always have been, regardless of who owned them. You would be crazy to think they were ever anything else. Should they show support to local artists? Of course. But I don't care if you live on the Bay Bridge, if your music sucks, it sucks. To say KMEL overplayed Hyphy to oblivion is ridiculous. That sounds like a wack rapper's excuse of why he never made it. New Orleans, Houston, and Atlanta has dominated every music outlet imaginable for the past 4-5 years. People are not tired of it and they are not going anywhere. And I can tell you why...

    I've had a fascination with music trends from a very young age and I can tell you point blank the ONE problem that has plagued Bay Area rappers since the beginning of time:

    WEAK PRODUCTION.

    Bay Area rappers need to get off their soapbox of being independent and making independent money. At some point, you're going to have to shell out coin and pay a producer for a good track. It doesn't even matter if you can't rap. Half of them Southern rappers can't. But they have producers who make CATCHY BEATS and at the end of the day that's what matters most. The same with "underground" MCs. Nobody is trying to hear their lyrics, they wanna hear a good BEAT. When you're noddin' your head, it's not because of the words - you're doing it to the BEAT. Until the Bay realizes this, they will NEVER break national ground. Ask Ya Boy and he can tell you exactly what I'm talking about. He knows that if he's gonna become a star, it won't be in the Bay. Keyshia Cole didn't move to LA because she her man cheated on her. She moved there to get a damn record deal. And when she made it big, where did she go? Atlanta. That's all I need to say right there.

    The Bay just needs to stop concentrating so hard on being the Bay and just make some good music. San Quinn should've *been* a millionaire by now.

    Comment by The Truth — February 22, 2008 @ 03:59AM

  19. First, Souljaboy isn't crunk. He's a snap rapper, a ringtone star, and barely fits into the category of rap music. If there was something called "mumble" or "growl" that might work.

    I'd think the piece would be better served as calling it what it is, pointing out the corruption (or simply petty hater-ism) at this radio station rather than the dramatic suggestion that the events killed Hyphy. Trends and fads always come and go, and Bay Area hip hop will survive I'm sure. To me, "hyphy" is more like one of those journalistic short hand terms like "trip hop" or even "crunk," less a movement than a description, despite the artifacts and behaviors and dances associated with hyphy music. So then "hyphy" will probably always be around as long as E-40 is dropping records, but people (journalists) wont call it hyphy. Just like our Three Six boys here in TN still make "buck" music but no one talks about buck or calls it buck.

    MM
    tuneinmusiccity.com

    Comment by Mark Mays — February 22, 2008 @ 08:53AM

  20. I like KMEL, I like FAB, I even like the GATEKEEPER.
    Perhaps Mr. Arnold likes beating a "dead" horse.

    On May 13 of 2007, the San Jose Mercury News did an article on the same topic.
    They had more quoted sources with REAL names and did not blame one or two people for the demise of a movement.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/marianliu/ci_5869850

    And Mr. Arnold, you have had your turn to air your story over 5 pages.
    Please respect the comments of your readers and do not respond to them in the comment section of your own article. Very unbecoming of a writer sir. If your article is fair and truthful, there should be no need to defend your work.

    Good Day!
    Last of the Famous

    "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
    -Winston Churchill

    Comment by last of the famous — February 22, 2008 @ 10:32AM

  21. i'm loving the fact that there's so much debate over these issues. A spirited, vigorous discussion, besides being entertaining, is just what's needed. however, let's examine some of these points raised:
    "The truth is rappers have more control over their careers than this article will have you believe."
    Really? I thought the piece made a pretty good case that KMEL can make or break an artist, and sometimes does both. the fact that that choice comes down to one man judging artists not on artistic merit, but on how much ass they kiss, is ridiculous. think about it: WYLD 94 didn't pull E-40 from rotation after he started doing his show on KMEL. how one-sided is that?
    As for the "weak production" argument, i don't buy it. The New York Times called Turf Talk's album the best rap release of the year. The production on that one was bananas, as was Turf's lyrical delivery. Being that Rick Rock (the Federation, E-40, etc.) has made tracks for everyone from Mariah Carey to Jay-Z to Busta Rhymes to Fabolous, it simply can't be said that the man can't produce national hits. When "Tell Me When to Go" came out, people thought it was a Rick Rock track -- it was actually Lil' Jon, biting Rick's style. Traxamillion's album had some of the best production I've heard in ages. The Pack's Young L is phenomenal. Trackademics, who does a lot of FAB's stuff, is an amazing talent who can freak a hyphy beat, a backpack beat, or a B'more remix. Amplive of Zion-I has crafted radio hits by Goapele and Kafani, worked with Linkin Park, and recently remixed Radiohead. Zion-I's single with Too $hort, "Don't Lose Ya Head" was both catchy and conscious. It SHOULD have been a huge hit. The Coup is consistently mentioned on critic's top ten lists every time they make an album. Messy Marv gets no airplay, but consistently charts on Billboard -- he even outsold 50 Cent-- and sells units because his fans know his track record when it comes to quality control. Lyrics Born and Blackalicious both have incredible production, but you've never heard them on KMEL. Ever.
    The problem is that the gatekeeper who determines airplay for local artists has a closed-minded mentality. It's kinda like that David Spade commercial, where the guy gets trained in how to say "no."
    As for the argument that Bay Area rappers lost their major label deals in the '90s because they sucked, i don't think so. Hieroglyphics sold 100,000+ indie after getting dropped by Jive. Del was a big reason why the first Gorillaz album went multiplatinum -- i don't think KMEL ever spun that. The Luniz' production on their second album was just as good as their first, which went gold. Digital Underground's "Freaks of the Industry" was never commercially released as a single, yet it's still in KMEL rotation to this day because the production was classic. 3xKrazy were dropped by Virgin, but group member Keak Da Sneak went on to sell 50,000 copies of his solo releases in Oakland alone. Paris was dropped by Tommy Boy not because of weak production, but because of politics. I don't think you can sell over 500,000 copies of a record if your beats suck. San Quinn is a better rapper now than when he had a major deal. I could go on, but i think i've made my point.

    Comment by EA — February 22, 2008 @ 10:37AM

  22. When I read this article the first time around, I laughed my ass off!

    It's sooo funny to me that people are upset that Hyphy died. There was not much positivity that came from the hyphy movement besides people having a good time (when they weren't getting out of control) and the bay getting some notoriety.

    I'm not gonna sit up here and defend kmel because they're not innocent at all. Bottom line, just like Chuy said, there's only so much Hyphy Music someone can hear before it all sounds the same. If you went out, and asked random 12 to 24 year olds the top 5 artists they're listening to right now, they won't say anything Hyphy because it's played out. Now, Eric Arnold's comment "put the kibosh on efforts to spread hyphy in other regions" is just plain idiotic. KMEL pushed Hyphy to other regions so they would not have to play it? I'm really going to need the SF Weekly to do better background checks on their writers.

    I'll agree, I would love to hear more Bay Artists on KMEL IF they were making GOOD music. FAB has always been GARBAGE to me. He's a gimmick that's completely stupid. Yellow Bus, goin dummy thizzin and all that is fuckin retarded. The Team, Frontline and San Quinn are artists who don't talk about that and actually put EFFORT into their music and not just some thoughtless mindnumbing get rich quick scheme they call music. Now I turned KMEL off when they would play that dumbass "Crank Dat" bullshit, but at the time, that's what was HOT! It wasn't just KMEL playin it, it was MTV, BET and MEDIA in general. If Hyphy isn't hot anymore, why would KMEL keep playin it?

    In a perfect world, artists would actually care about what message they're putting out to young people and not "dumbing" people down. This article would have made sense if he defended the point that KMEL rarely plays good Bay Area artists like Zion I, Goapele, Ise Lyfe and others. Ise Lyfe said it best "How did my people go from fighting for freeDOM, to goin DUMB for free?" So when KMEL stopped playin Hyphy, I sure in the hell didn't cry about it. But it would be great if they could play good positive Bay Artists.

    In the end, like Eric also put in, other Bay Artists have been able to sell records without the help of radio and cats nowadays are lazy and feel like they should have the royal treatment for they're wackass song, including Radio playing their songs all day, everyday. If FAB was such a good artist, he wouldn't need Radio. If ANY Hyphy artist was great, they wouldn't need radio. So until artists can become god and get in good with Clearchannel and control their airwaves, cats need to stop bein lazy and get on their hustle.

    Bottomline, 106KMEL should do a better job of supporting local artists and local artists need to do a better job when making music so that KMEL would be BEGGING to play their music.

    By the way, I never heard of Fab before KMEL when he was on their airwaves doin the Battles on Friday nights on BIG VON'S SHOW years ago, but Big Von's the hater?

    Comment by Tired of Bay Area's Lackluster music — February 22, 2008 @ 12:52PM

  23. Everything "The Truth" said is 100% REAL!!! Weak production and lazy artists with get rich quick motives DO NOT make for good music! "The Truth" dude said it BEST!!!

    Comment by I concur — February 22, 2008 @ 01:26PM

  24. First and foremost this is not an article its an Op-Ed piece. If the point is to expose the unfair business practices of KMEL/Clear Channel then it should be labeled as such. But to hide behind the demise of Hyphy is not fair or ethical journalism. There are a lot of facts presented but there are also a few things left out that would have made it a more balanced editorial. Both Von and Fab are friends of mine and I respect both stances on the situation. However it would have made a lot more sense and made a lot better story if more people (label reps, artists, dj's, industry insiders) that are relevant were quoted.

    Comment by Branden Peters — February 22, 2008 @ 02:09PM

  25. all yall should be happy radio embraced it at all, in 1977 the NME said punk was dead..the Dead Kennedy's and Operation Ivy..from the bay...never had the luxury you all have/had..radio reflects the revolution..it does not or has never started it. Hyphy ain't dead...to say so would be to claim hip hop is dead..its a long game folks.

    Comment by mac — February 22, 2008 @ 03:31PM

  26. all yall should be happy radio embraced it at all, in 1977 the NME said punk was dead..the Dead Kennedy's and Operation Ivy..from the bay...never had the luxury you all have/had..radio reflects the revolution..it does not or has never started it. Hyphy ain't dead...to say so would be to claim hip hop is dead..its a long game folks.

    Comment by mac — February 22, 2008 @ 03:31PM

  27. For me, being from Oakland and listening to all the local music at concerts, i was always wondering why i wasnt hearing some of the best music from these artists on KMEL. I'll name some songs: the federation's fly away and my rimz, the whole album actually is one of the best I've heard in a while. There's also jennifer johns, boots/the coup, Casual,and many more. Frankly, i'm sick of hearing the one e-40 song that comes on every day. and i'm really sick of hearing all the soft, lame chick songs. I'm 39 and female, maybe out of the age group they cater to, but i still want to hear local music. it's resulted in me making my own CDs and i hardly ever listen to the radio anymore because it's the same old thing. thanks eric arnold and sf weekly for enlightening me on what's really happening. i hope that more people will call in and start requesting more local music so the station will truly be for the people. and maybe they will listen.

    Comment by j.net — February 22, 2008 @ 04:13PM

  28. I AM DJ BUSY B, ALL I KNOW IS THAT THE RADIOS STATIONS ARE FULL OF SHIT BIG VON IS THE BIGGEST HATER OF THEM ALL. HE SHOULD BE CALLED BIG HOGG FULL OF JEALOUSY WHY? I DONT GET IT!!! THERE ARE SO MANY UPCOMING ARTIST OUT THERE BUT THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY!!! I JUST PAY $100 DOLLARS A MONTH FOR XM RADIO I DONT SUPPORT LOCAL RADIOS STATIONS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO FAKE. IF THATS WHAT IT TAKES XM STATION 60 PLAYS MORE BAY AREA THEM THE BAY AREA OWN RADIO STATION. FIRED BIG HOGG!!!! www.myspace.com/djbusyb

    Comment by DJ BUSY — February 22, 2008 @ 08:03PM

  29. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAYcieMTYxI
    Go this Link it is the TRUE STORY ON ALL THIS STUFF WATCH IT

    Comment by Sean K — February 23, 2008 @ 03:44AM

  30. Pre-2003, if you requested Bay music in a club, andthe DJ told you that it didn't mix well. Then Mac Dre dies and the Hyphy movement is born. People who couldn't point the Crest out on a map were "thizz-facing" and "ghost-riding the whip" in front of City Nights.

    I love Bay music, but am glad this hype is over. While the posers have moved on to T-Pain and Soulja Boy, I still PURCHASE and listen to local artist.

    Wasn't one of Mac Dre's first hits "2 Hard 4 the F*cking Radio?"

    Comment by NB — February 23, 2008 @ 11:07AM

  31. KMEL sucks!

    I never listen to them anymore, along with a lot of other folks. I would think they're numbers reflect this. Clear Channel = Wack! F#ck commercial sell-outs. Besides, Nobody cares about their personal politics. They just want to hear good music, Hyphy or not. And KMEL killing local legends like Living Legends, Hiero, Lyrics Born, etc. is just plain stupid! But in some ways, if I was the one of those artists I wouldn't want to be played on that wack ass station anyway. KMEL, keep on playing the same old shit!, heard on every other station. And everyone will keep on - Not Listening! Eventually, this will bring about change. And a new postitive force in the airways will emerge. And hopefully they will be in it for the music and the people, And not for the same crap they play everywhere. Along with the same commercials that they pump for money. Perhaps if HD radio expands more, and has more available stations. People will start listening for the music once again! as well.

    "The People's station" - please.
    "The Clear Channel - We don't give a f#ck, we just want money from our advertisers station" is more like it.

    Play your Justin Timberlake. Nobody's listening anyway.

    Comment by DKAF — February 23, 2008 @ 03:39PM

  32. First off, I need to say that it ain't so much about "hyphy" needing to have a place, but about local artists getting pushed. I know I'm sick of the radio now, rather listen to XM and hear more real s*** too. But KMEL needs to remember what's called in business: "social responsibility." This is the concept that if a big corporation moves into your town, they are obligated to donate services of their specialty in the local community, inject money into the local economy, clean up their community, repair the roads, pick up trash, whatever!!! And little known, most corporations have special departments dedicated to this exact concept. They PAY to employ people for the specific purpose of creating and producing programs that meet their local "social obligations." KMEL is NOT meeting ITS social obligations. Boycott KMEL, write a letter, get Von fired, somethin! There's no room for "haters" in "The People's Station". This is important to the health of our local music scene. I have long-time friends who are stakeholders in the economy of Bay Area rap/hip-hop, and KMEL, which has monopolized the public avenue for this music, has a RESPONSIBILITY to the COMMUNITY to promote our local rap artists and help them to become successful. Without public airplay, how are our local artists supposed to reach the top? I don't have to tell you what the alternative is; I'll just say that by pushing our locals to the top, we improve our community in more ways than one. And that's all she wrote.

    Comment by Yalla — February 23, 2008 @ 04:05PM

  33. There has been an utter lack of support by corporate radio station owners for bay area music for many, many years. The last time I recall hearing regularly played local rap music was in the late 80's-mid 90's. But, that was also before Clear Channel. Just as AT&T; owns most of the fiber in the ground in the bay area (& therefore the right to charge for usage to other Telecoms)- Clear Channel owns most (if not all) of the major signal carrying stations in the U.S.
    Good points were made about CCC's obvious fear of the activists here impeding their FCC licensing. Well, the 8 year limit is coming once again & we all know what we have to do here in the bay: petition, show up @ meetings & protest.
    Also, don't go to clubs where the parties are sponsored by CCC or KMEL, period. Besides, those events are usually 'amateur night' -and usually lead to some sort of police activity.
    The writer did forget to also mention that another much needed community show has been silenced by CCC: Street Soldiers.
    It's plain to see that CCC & the stations they own do not care about the community in which they claim to be a part of. Boycott CCC!!!

    Comment by Tree_thru_Forest — February 23, 2008 @ 05:59PM

  34. 106 kmel street soldiers is from 8-10pm sunday nights and features weekly commentary on the state of the community, youth local and national news, has not been silenced and does not silence its listeners or callers. The show has been apart of the lineup for over 16 years, and welcomes calls about weekly topics. 1-800-soldier

    Comment by Street Soldiers — February 23, 2008 @ 07:37PM

  35. While I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including me, in no way does my comment in SF Weekly directly represent INgrooves, but rather myself as a listener with no finger pointing directed to the aforementioned. A lot of folks have hit me up about this with a "wow that was bold" - my being a part of the Urban Dept at INgrooves was only a catalyst for a couple of the artist interviews in the article -with no intention to be mentioned.

    However, I must say this, it was a well written article with hair raising content that makes you wanna say "damn why you all up in my shit like toilet paper"

    Bottom line - I support anyone who supports a great artist Major or Indie, because I'm one of those people working with Majors and Indies towards progressive endeavors- in the digital realm of this music industry.

    Comment by Hannah Wagner — February 23, 2008 @ 09:56PM

  36. It sickens me to my core that 1. This article long and completely hypocritical took up so much space in my SF Weekly Newspaper and 2. That SF Weekly has such a crap employee staff that let Eric Arnold write this long drawn out bullshit of people cryin over spilled milk.

    I live in the Heart of Hunters Point. There is something bigger than the loss of Hyphy. How bout the fact that people on our streets are DYING more and more? How bout the fact that drugs are killing more and more? You want to defend Hyphy? The music that talked about "thizzin off E Pills" or how kids can't go to functions without someone getting too "hyphy" and one push, turns to a shove that in then turns to guns being drawn. Lyrics and actions of the hyphy movement helped in the assassination of so many young people. Day after day guns are fired in Fillmore, HP, Bayview and Mission Districts and instead of San Francisco Weekly (The news of San Francisco right?) trying to get to the bottom of the plague that runs our city, I have to read about the "death of hyphy with 106KMEL as the culprit"? How bout the fact that most of the inner city kids don't have a proper education and helpful guides to becoming successful?

    Oh I forgot, according to the SF Weekly, the Death of Hyphy music and bitching about a radio station (that will more than likely not listen to anything the disgruntled folks are complaining about) is much more important. I forgot that out of the millions of people in the bay area, the SF Weekly thinks its more important to listen and quote 8 people about how 106KMEL is garbage. I also forgot that Eric Arnold and SF Weekly cares more about "goin dumb" and "thizzin". I forgot that Eric Arnold and SF Weekly care more about the distruction of young people and not about the educations that our kids are lacking. I forgot all that.

    Is this SF Weekly's answer to acknowledging something "black" to cover their "black history month" quota? Eric, how much money did you make from writing this bullshit?

    There's a bigger picture people. Hyphy is dead because it needs to be. Nothing good came out of it besides kids being shot and IQ's going down.

    To all the people crying in the article, get a new hobby. If your goal in life is to attack radio stations because you don't have YOUR way, then you won't get far. Hyphy is dead and good riddance.

    To 106KMEL, all I ask is to please use your voice to help elevate people positively.

    To Eric Arnold, shame on you.

    To SF Weekly, shame on you.

    Comment by Gregory Henry *No longer a reader of SF Weekly* **Eric Arnold, McDonalds wants YOU!** — February 24, 2008 @ 02:53AM

  37. Gregory, not to get all Bill Clinton on you, but i feel your pain.

    You are correct in stating that the situation in HP is very grave. But there in an inherent hypocrisy in linking hyphy directly to street violence, especially since that violence -- a result of undereducation, underemployment, and high recidivism rates -- predates the existance of hyphy by many years. KMEL, on the other hand, has continually been connected to violence at events it has promoted since at least 1995, and was specifically named in a 2002 lawsuit by a man who was stabbed in a South Bay club which KMEL promoted.

    You can lash out at me all you want, but you may be unaware that in 2001, when the turf wars in HP were at their peak, i wrote a cover story(for another SF alt.weekly) on Kevin Epps, the director of the film "straight Outta Hunters Point." While other newspapers linked the turf wars to rap music with sensationalistic headlines, I was the only reporter who dared to set foot on the streets of HP after dark. Epps and I narrowly escaped the fate of Tyrone "Bumpa Joe" Laury (R.I.P.), a good-natured guy who helped me gather information for the article before being tragically murdered during an early-morning drive-by.

    Due in part to the exposure generated by that article, Epps won several awards, and has gone on to become a positive role model for kids in HP, as well as a community activist working to change the situation there. A couple of weeks ago, Kevin called me to say he was teaching film at USF, and thanked me for believing in him way back when he was unknown and unaccomplished.

    Back in 2001, i noted that gangster rap, while seemingly negative and nihilistic, was actually a positive form of expression since it represented a creative outlet for a marginalized, at-risk demographic to express themselves in an artistic manner. Similarly, Hyphy came from the streets, but it promoted partying instead of shootouts, and turf dancing instead of turf wars. It represented the voice of kids betrayed by the failure of public education to do anything for them -- it's no coincidence that both the Oakland and Vallejo school districts were taken over by the state due to mismanagement in the past few years. Hyphy represented a chance and an opportunity for ghetto youth to do something with their lives that was vibrant, and possibly successful. These kids needed an outlet to give them something to do other than hanging out on street corners. I'd personally rather see our youth in music studios than in prison cells.

    You charge, "Lyrics and actions of the hyphy movement helped in the assassination of so many young people." I'd like to see you back up that statement with some facts. What lyrics, specifically? As for actions, I've personally attended events like the S.O.S benefit for Katrina victims at the Henry J Kaiser conventionc enter, where artists like Keak Da Sneak, San Quinn, Frontline, Too Short, and others performed for free. Supposedly, that event was promoted by KMEL, yet the turnout was very slight, especially compared to club events the station's DJs were involved in which were heavily promoted through the airwaves and drew sold-out crowds as a result. And I've personally seen FAB and Too Short volunteer their time at East Oakland's Youth UpRising center, donating sneakers and winter coats to poor kids from the ghetto. No one from KMEL was present at those events -- no street team, nothing.

    Also, you may be uinaware that when an all-star team of local hyphy rappers banded together for a song to promote the "Silence the Violence" campaign, KMEL told them it wouldn't air the single because they didn't like the way it sounded. The producer was told to remix the song, which he did, but the song still received no airplay. A similar thing happened when a bunch of hyphy rappers recorded a song called "Stay in School." The producer and record label reached out to KMEL executives, but received no support from the station. In other words, there were efforts by hyphy artists to promote education and decrease violence in our communities that weren't given a chance by KMEL. Unfortunately, there wasn't room in the article to list every single instance where the station lacked in accountability to the community.

    I can understand your frustration, but by attacking hyphy, you are, in effect, blaming the victims -- not just of violence, but of the social and economic conditions which led to hyphy in the first place. By depriving these kids of a voice, what else is left for them but to continue the cycle of violence and incarceration? Like it or not, hyphy offered a ray of hope for our young people. But instead of supporting community efforts to organize around these issues, KMEL denied them access to the airwaves, slamming the doors in their faces.

    Comment by EA — February 24, 2008 @ 12:22PM

  38. Wow... I've heard of some of the things that are going on in the bay with KMEL and some of the artist, but you know how rumors start, But to see this article and to see that some of the quotes are very true is a wake up call to me.

    I'm a local talent scout with artist that has great music that's radio ready and I've been doing all I can to get my artist on KMEL, some of my artist are being played on Sacramento Radio stations and are getting great revues and responses from the fans. Note: These are R&B; acts, NO HYPHY.

    My question is, what do we do now as Bay Area talent? Well, what I've done is looked at other venues to get my artist seen and heard. I've sent videos of some of my artist performing to BET and we were invited to be on W.O.W. Hopefully we will be seen by the right people and make our advances from there. But what other avenues do we have? we still have to get a HOME following.

    Devon.

    Comment by DeVon — February 24, 2008 @ 01:08PM

  39. Do your homework EA... KMEL has been a part of the Community for years. Here's one example.

    http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=80&contentid;=266

    Comment by Kevin Edwards — February 24, 2008 @ 01:31PM

  40. Hi Kevin,
    i used to work at EBC. I know for a fact the station put a link to the StV campaign on their homepage, but never aired the single. Ask Nicole Lee or Goldtoes if you don't believe me.

    Comment by EA — February 24, 2008 @ 03:04PM

  41. Thank you, Eric for comment #37. That was almost EXACTLY what I was trying to say in the comment I wrote (#32). I even modified my comment and emailed a letter to Stacy Cunningham (Program Manager) and Big Von Johnson at KMEL because of my concern on the issue. Having lived in and grown up with people from the "Dirty Thirties" and currently living in the 70's of East Oakland, yet also having lived in Chico, I remember when Keak da Sneak was still "underground", and nobody in Chico had heard of him. And they refused to listen to him even! As he got more and more local play here in the Bay Area, things changed. Next time I went to Chico EVERYONE was bumpin' him and many other local artists. Now it seems as though our local artists are getting more promotion in Chico than here. Mr. F.A.B. recently did an autograph signing at my friend's "urbanwear" shop in downtown Chico and I saw and heard WAY more promotion for that than for anything local to the Bay! I also went to the S.O.S. event and was incredibly surprised at the low turnout as there were SO MANY great artists at that venue! I couldn't understand why people would not want to attend this show. I realize now that it was a matter of poor promotion, which is just sad. It was a great show, by the way. Anyways, this is the letter I wrote to Stacy at stacycunningham@clearchannel.com; and Big Von at bigvon@clearchannel.com (I encourage more people to do the same):



    Dear Ms. Cunningham and Mr. Johnson:

    This letter is in response to the article in this week's SF Weekly, which I am quite sure you are already familiar with: "The Demise of Hyphy." First off, I need to say that it ain't so much about "hyphy" needing to have a place, but about local music getting pushed. I know that I'm sick of KMEL now and lately much rather listen to XM to actually hear more real local stuff (ironic that it has to be from a global station rather than my own hometown one!!!). KMEL needs to remember what's called in business: "social responsibility." This is the concept that if a big corporation moves into your town, they are obligated to donate services of their specialty in the local community, inject money into the local economy, clean up their community, repair the roads, pick up trash, whatever!!! And little known, most corporations have special departments dedicated to this exact concept. They PAY to employ people for the specific purpose of creating and producing programs that meet their local "social obligations." KMEL is NOT meeting ITS social obligations.

    Local radio play is important to the health of our local music scene. I personally have long-time friends who are stakeholders in the economy of Bay Area rap/hip-hop; and KMEL, which has monopolized the public avenue for this music, has a RESPONSIBILITY to the COMMUNITY to promote our local rap artists and help them to become successful. Without public airplay, how are our local artists supposed to reach the top? How are rich white teenagers from San Ramon supposed to know that this music even exists and henceforth have the CHOICE to decide for themselves if they enjoy the music or not? There are many many demographics who rely upon public avenues to keep them "up" on stuff, suburban demographics that do not necessarily have access to "underground" music otherwise. The following statement is not meant to stereotype local rap artists, as there are many who do not necessarily have the characteristics I will mention, but for those that do??? How are so many underserved youth, born into a life where the cards dealt to them are less than ideal, who will never get to attend college, maybe do not shine academically but yet whose main talents SHINE when they RAP, supposed to find a "way out" of what might otherwise be a life of hardship leading to less than desirable conditions for EVERYONE? I don't have to tell you what the alternative is; I'll just say that by pushing our locals to the top, we improve our community in more ways than one.

    I personally know people who once had to sell crack and watch their friends get shot, go to jail, and all the worst things, who have either experienced or have hope for better things in life because of the LOCAL rap game. I personally KNOW people who have MADE IT OUT of that life because of the rap game, who have given back to the communities and who have given generations behind them hope for the same. You need to realize that your decision to cut local music from your playlists CAN and DOES have a NEGATIVE effect on the very demographic you target. I urge you to find ways to promote those who need your support the most. And if it is some issue with "personal beef" between Big Von and whoever, Big Von, you need to realize that you are personally damaging your own by not choosing to take the highroad. You are a PROFESSIONAL and therefore should act like one. That means that regardless of how you might personally feel about something or someone, it is YOUR responsibility to the GREATER GOOD to put that personal stuff aside, BECAUSE of your very position in the industry.

    Sincerely,

    [Me]

    Comment by Yalla — February 24, 2008 @ 10:26PM

  42. I think the problem with KMEL, Clear Channel is the same problem that the whole music industry is in.

    The labels, radio stations, promoters and event many performers are in the market share business and not in the music making/listening business.

    When something like new exciting music, (hyphy, electronic music, indie rock, any independent act) come along they are scared of change. Then they act all stunned and angry when folks say they suck and don't represent the music people want to hear. TV did the same thing when cable came along. Fm did it to AM Radio, Alternative College radio did it to FM Radio. and so the cycle continues.

    The death of the these programing robots (er I should say musical dinosaurs) is near. While they are fighting amongst themselves the rest of us are happy listening to our commercial free ipods, and being happier getting new music from other sources.

    Lets face it Radio in SF does not represent the diversity of music available in the bay area. Some of the best acts from here get no love from Radio,

    Is anyone surprised that the lack of love spreads to the street level?

    And trying to represent Hip hop with out love for the streets.. SHHHESH KMEL pleaze. Those folks need a pimp slap.

    Comment by BIg Dolla — February 25, 2008 @ 02:14PM

  43. I think the problem with KMEL, Clear Channel is the same problem that the whole music industry is in.

    The labels, radio stations, promoters and event many performers are in the market share business and not in the music making/listening business.

    When something like new exciting music, (hyphy, electronic music, indie rock, any independent act) come along they are scared of change. Then they act all stunned and angry when folks say they suck and don't represent the music people want to hear. TV did the same thing when cable came along. Fm did it to AM Radio, Alternative College radio did it to FM Radio. and so the cycle continues.

    The death of the these programing robots (er I should say musical dinosaurs) is near. While they are fighting amongst themselves the rest of us are happy listening to our commercial free ipods, and being happier getting new music from other sources.

    Lets face it Radio in SF does not represent the diversity of music available in the bay area. Some of the best acts from here get no love from Radio,

    Is anyone surprised that the lack of love spreads to the street level?

    And trying to represent Hip hop with out love for the streets.. SHHHESH KMEL pleaze. Those folks need a pimp slap.

    Comment by BIg Dolla — February 25, 2008 @ 02:15PM

  44. I think the problem with KMEL, Clear Channel is the same problem that the whole music industry is in.

    The labels, radio stations, promoters and event many performers are in the market share business and not in the music making/listening business.

    When something like new exciting music, (hyphy, electronic music, indie rock, any independent act) come along they are scared of change. Then they act all stunned and angry when folks say they suck and don't represent the music people want to hear. TV did the same thing when cable came along. Fm did it to AM Radio, Alternative College radio did it to FM Radio. and so the cycle continues.

    The death of the these programing robots (er I should say musical dinosaurs) is near. While they are fighting amongst themselves the rest of us are happy listening to our commercial free ipods, and being happier getting new music from other sources.

    Lets face it Radio in SF does not represent the diversity of music available in the bay area. Some of the best acts from here get no love from Radio,

    Is anyone surprised that the lack of love spreads to the street level?

    And trying to represent Hip hop with out love for the streets.. SHHHESH KMEL pleaze. Those folks need a pimp slap.

    Comment by BIg Dolla — February 25, 2008 @ 02:15PM

  45. I think the problem with KMEL, Clear Channel is the same problem that the whole music industry is in.

    The labels, radio stations, promoters and event many performers are in the market share business and not in the music making/listening business.

    When something like new exciting music, (hyphy, electronic music, indie rock, any independent act) come along they are scared of change. Then they act all stunned and angry when folks say they suck and don't represent the music people want to hear. TV did the same thing when cable came along. Fm did it to AM Radio, Alternative College radio did it to FM Radio. and so the cycle continues.

    The death of the these programing robots (er I should say musical dinosaurs) is near. While they are fighting amongst themselves the rest of us are happy listening to our commercial free ipods, and being happier getting new music from other sources.

    Lets face it Radio in SF does not represent the diversity of music available in the bay area. Some of the best acts from here get no love from Radio,

    Is anyone surprised that the lack of love spreads to the street level?

    And trying to represent Hip hop with out love for the streets.. SHHHESH KMEL pleaze. Those folks need a pimp slap.

    Comment by BIg Dolla — February 25, 2008 @ 02:16PM

  46. To Eric Arnold:

    I really enjoyed your article. I am also impressed that you've taken the time to answer/respond to every comment or question left in the comments section. Few journalists would bother responding to anonymous comments. Anyways, I put a link on my blog to your article because I enjoyed it so much:

    punchyourmother.blogspot.com

    Comment by Punch — February 26, 2008 @ 05:28PM

  47. What up, Eric? Glad to see someone addressing this topic in print.

    http://matthewafrica.blogspot.com/2008/02/from-thizzle-to-fizzle.html

    Comment by Matthew — February 26, 2008 @ 08:02PM

  48. EA,

    You've definitely benefited your waning career riding the Hyphy Movement like an aging cowboy. Besides pitching "hyphy" to numerous pubs like VIBE, I would be ashamed to publish such sensational reporting. We all know that you've been in touch with 10X more artists you could get back story from, but you chose to go with the ones leaning furthest towards your slant. Oliver Wang and Marian Lu wrote far more researched attempts about KMEL and the "death of hyphy", respectively, but neither reaped the benefits of this movement as greatly as you have. It's likely to have been the highlight of your published experience. Besides hollering at hyphy industry women and being the slippery little snake that you are, trust that most who cheered for this movement to succeed were sincerely invested in its success, and not using it to boost their midlife crises.

    Comment by -Another Bay Journalist — February 29, 2008 @ 12:47PM

  49. hey "another bay journalist": got some levitra i can borrow? i got a scraper full of rippers and me, 40, EA-Ski, Sean T., and Too $hort are finna do the damn thing. lol

    real talk:
    1. Acually, Vibe reached out to me to write the hyphy article in 2006.
    2. i think you're getting your Asian hip-hop scribes mixed up. Jeff Chang previously published an article on KMEL in 2003, before hyphy was even a catchphrase. I don't recall Oliver Wang (who's never covered turf rap, by the way) ever writing anything on hyphy, or even mobb music, for what's worth. i know Oliver well, and he's more of a rare groove kind of guy. besides, he left the Bay to teach down in Southern California a while back.
    3. Marian Liu's article hardly mentioned KMEL--which is interesting, since at the time it was written, the ban on FAB was just beginning to have repurcussions throughout the Bay and the industry. Either she was unaware of this, or she intentionally omitted it. BTW, she spent most of her article dancing around the topic of why Keak didn't get a major deal, which was something of a red herring IMO, since he was far less visible or active in the community as FAB, didn't get outside the area much (unless you count moving to a farm in Sacramento), and never hosted a show spotlighing local artists that was syndicated on seven other commercial stations.
    4. I don't know anyone who gets into music writing for the groupies (or the money, for that matter). lol.
    5. hiding behind a psuedonym takes courage, dude. for real. when i grow up i wanna be just like you.

    Comment by EA — February 29, 2008 @ 02:10PM

  50. It sounds like there are legit issues about radio wielding power, but what goes up must come down. I remember when the bay area was the speed/thrash metal capitol of the world and the Sunset Strip was the hair metal capitol of the world. Kurt Cobain dropped a neutron bomb on both scenes, inadvertently.

    What happened after that? A lot of people tried to change up their style, broke up, went back to the day job, etc. etc. a few persevered and continue to prosper. The same thing will happen to hyphy. E40 made plenty of albums before the word even existed and I'm sure he will continue on.

    Comment by areader — February 29, 2008 @ 02:24PM

  51. YALL ARE FUNNY

    1ST
    WAKE UP PEOPLE! ITS DEAD. SO WHAT? CRY ME A RIVER. THIS IS THE BAY. WE DONT NEED SOMETHING THAT COULD EASILY BE A FAD REPRESENTING THE BAY. WE NEED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY THE NATION. WE NEED SOMETHING THAT WILL RESONATE WITH THE WORLD FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. WE NEED GOOD ASS MUSIC TO REPRESENT THE BAY TO THE WORLD. WE NEED TO BREED ARTIST BETTER THAN UR JAY Z, LIL WAYNE, OR EVEN RAY CHARLES WHO CAN SELL PERIOD! DONT MATTER WHAT YOUR ARGUMENT IS. AT THE END OF THE DAY WE CANT SETTLE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THE HYPHY MOVEMENT FOR THE BAY TO REALLY BE APPRECIATED BY THE WORLD. DONT BITCH AND MOAN ABOUT THE HYPHY MOVEMENT OR NOT GETTING A SPIN ON KMEL JUST COME BACK STRIKING 100X HARDER AND IF THAT FAILS COME BACK 100X HARDER AND HUSTLE! NOBODY TOLD THESE ARTIST ITS GOING TO BE PEACHES. WE NEED TO BREED THE BEST.

    2ND
    THERE COULD OF BEEN A LOT REASONS FOR WHY HYPHY STOPPED GETTING A LOT OF SPINS. VIOLENCE AT EVENTS, CONCERTS, CLUBS, AND PARTIES COULD EASILY BEEN A REASON FOR WHY HYPHY DIED. WHETHER OR NOT HYPHY PROMOTES VIOLENCE ISNT IMPORTANT. I THINK WHATS IMPORTANT IS THAT CORPORATIONS DONT WANT TO INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEY CAN HAVE ANY TIE TO VIOLENCE. PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS ATTACKING HIP HOP BECAUSE OF VULGAR LANGUAGE AND TO ADD VIOLENCE ON TOP OF IT DOESNT HELP CLEAR CHANEL OR KMEL AT ALL. (IE. SUMMER JAM) NO WONDER MY FAV PASTIME NO LONGER EXISTS. NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION IS, I DONT THINK A CORPORATION WANTS THEIR NAME AND VIOLENCE TO BE MENTIONED IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

    3RD
    ITS CLEAR KMEL HAS A LOT OF POWER AND U IMPLY CORRUPTION. IN UR ARTICLE IT SEEMS LIKE U DID A LOT OF RESEARCH. U TOUCH ON ALL ASPECTS BUT ONE. FORGET ABOUT HYPHY OR BACKSIDE, WHAT ABOUT VON? IS HE OR SCOTTY FOX GETING PAYOLA? OR STACEY, MR MARTIN, OR M1?

    Comment by adsfjal;kjfa;lfkj — March 3, 2008 @ 10:45AM

  52. YALL ARE FUNNY

    1ST
    WAKE UP PEOPLE! ITS DEAD. SO WHAT? CRY ME A RIVER. THIS IS THE BAY. WE DONT NEED SOMETHING THAT COULD EASILY BE A FAD REPRESENTING THE BAY. WE NEED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY THE NATION. WE NEED SOMETHING THAT WILL RESONATE WITH THE WORLD FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. WE NEED GOOD ASS MUSIC TO REPRESENT THE BAY TO THE WORLD. WE NEED TO BREED ARTIST BETTER THAN UR JAY Z, LIL WAYNE, OR EVEN RAY CHARLES WHO CAN SELL PERIOD! DONT MATTER WHAT YOUR ARGUMENT IS. AT THE END OF THE DAY WE CANT SETTLE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THE HYPHY MOVEMENT FOR THE BAY TO REALLY BE APPRECIATED BY THE WORLD. DONT BITCH AND MOAN ABOUT THE HYPHY MOVEMENT OR NOT GETTING A SPIN ON KMEL JUST COME BACK STRIKING 100X HARDER AND IF THAT FAILS COME BACK 100X HARDER AND HUSTLE! NOBODY TOLD THESE ARTIST ITS GOING TO BE PEACHES. WE NEED TO BREED THE BEST.

    2ND
    THERE COULD OF BEEN A LOT REASONS FOR WHY HYPHY STOPPED GETTING A LOT OF SPINS. VIOLENCE AT EVENTS, CONCERTS, CLUBS, AND PARTIES COULD EASILY BEEN A REASON FOR WHY HYPHY DIED. WHETHER OR NOT HYPHY PROMOTES VIOLENCE ISNT IMPORTANT. I THINK WHATS IMPORTANT IS THAT CORPORATIONS DONT WANT TO INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEY CAN HAVE ANY TIE TO VIOLENCE. PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS ATTACKING HIP HOP BECAUSE OF VULGAR LANGUAGE AND TO ADD VIOLENCE ON TOP OF IT DOESNT HELP CLEAR CHANEL OR KMEL AT ALL. (IE. SUMMER JAM) NO WONDER MY FAV PASTIME NO LONGER EXISTS. NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION IS, I DONT THINK A CORPORATION WANTS THEIR NAME AND VIOLENCE TO BE MENTIONED IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

    3RD
    ITS CLEAR KMEL HAS A LOT OF POWER AND U IMPLY CORRUPTION. IN UR ARTICLE IT SEEMS LIKE U DID A LOT OF RESEARCH. U TOUCH ON ALL ASPECTS BUT ONE. FORGET ABOUT HYPHY OR BACKSIDE, WHAT ABOUT VON? IS HE OR SCOTTY FOX GETING PAYOLA? OR STACEY, MR MARTIN, OR M1?

    Comment by adsfjal;kjfa;lfkj — March 3, 2008 @ 10:45AM

  53. I read with interest the comment responses. I was saddened by most of them. A lof people just don't get it and I guess never will. WE "THE BUSINESS INTEREST" OUT HERE, and not just hyphy artists, are suffering from a ECONOMIC BLOCKADE, WAKE UP! If it was only about one type of music getting out, well then it would be over. Everybody that I know who does business out here "entertainment, music business" has to travel outside of the "progressive bay", work 40hrs. a week to funnel in "ones own money" and other(s)-things that go on I'm not going to mention. Again I think E. Arnold did an excellent job of TELLING THE TRUTH. We in deep east oakland are not entertaining Big Von, Chuy or whomever. Ask yourself well I ask myself why in the hell do I have to hear Big Tigger radio on Sunday? What the hell does he do for the bay. I listen to bay. I support the bay this is where I am born and will die more than likely and I have every intention on seeing my region rise and have the same opportunities as everybody else. Hyphy would have opened more doors if given a chance it wasn't it was damn near killed except for those of us who were living it before ya'll heard it. EA needs to do a article on those entities doing business and the difficulties faced when trying to do business from this crazy azz region.

    Comment by T'anne — March 6, 2008 @ 03:27PM

  54. If there's money to be made, money will be made.

    If there's no money to be made, then no one cares.

    "Economic blockade" -- that's an ass-ignorant conspiracy theory.

    But I guess that's a part of our sometimes ass-ignorant culture, isn't it, to sit around and blame everyone and everything for whatever went wrong? As long as we don't have to look at ourselves or take that responsibility. Ghetto!

    Comment by evilsofa — March 13, 2008 @ 07:20PM

  55. So the station criminalizes it's listners? And yet you guys are praising a bunch of rappers who pulled guns on DJs for not playing their music?

    That's insane.

    Comment by Steve — April 7, 2008 @ 08:27AM

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