What's Next

S1: You are now listening to Meridian Arts.

S2: The story you're about to hear is true. It takes place in the wild world of rap , and contains mature content that may not be appropriate for all audiences , like N.W.A said.

S3: Parental discretion is advised.

S4: San Diego stand up Mickey , Slick Joe Felony. Y'all say y'all stand up out there. So , Bernie. Uh , yeah. Yeah. Sure.

S2: Sure. My name is Parker Edison. I'm an artist , and I'm fascinated by the impact of rap writers. Hip hop's 50th anniversary yielded a ton of articles and interviews on the subject. Being the black rapper that I am , I started to notice San Diego's rap scene is sort of unique for a couple of reasons. I played my share of shows all over the country. Many a night has been spent in a van , taxi or green room with my crew and a shouting match about how the city measures up in the sport of rap. I tapped in with some of those close friends I've been discussing rap with , and we put together this series to break it down for you. But here's the deal. This isn't the history of hip hop. This isn't a complete timeline. I'm giving you the story as I've learned it. Some details will be left out when we talk about Kendrick Lamar winning the Pulitzer Prize. We don't have time to mention all the other people who won awards that day. We hit the points to show what happened. Keep that in mind while you're listening. This is about San Diego rap and the remarkable events that brought it where it is today. You ready ? Then let's go. This is a San Diego story. In the 2000 , we see the first generation of hybrid rappers , kids that have grown up with rap their entire lives. Born with the internet and full swing. They come into music knowing how record labels worked and what destroyed them. They've experienced Sam Goody and SoundCloud because of this. Their hustle is a hybrid of both indie and label strategies. One example is Little Maru , whose stage name is inspired by Naruto character Shikamaru. Encouraged by positive feedback. He pursued a career in music. His collabs and solo tracks have gained major traction outside of the city.

S5: My kids tryna be like me. She ain't nothin but me three times three. If she thought that she vip I , I.

S2: Another young rapper whose popularity was rising as Mimmo , the mafioso hailing from the Golden Hills area of San Diego , he built a buzz in 2019 with his hit song Dough Boy , cultivating a loyal fan base across music platforms.

S6: I'm a dope boy , I get the money , all that I know , self-made brand , wanna know , show me the rope to Don Dada calling. No one putting me on I ain't worried about a soul. But I stay with a pole. If anybody finna bow then his body get wrong.

S2: Third example out of Oceanside. He's earned a reputation for delivering captivating content , racking up over 11 million YouTube views and 70,000 subscribers. As if what he's doing isn't enough. Desi features West Coast greats like corrupt and Sugar free. I'd like to pull.

S6: Up on that now. Yeah , yeah , yeah. You know the bounce don't stop. Promotion side is South central. Keep advancing for the block. Keep it going around the clock. From neighborhood feuds to a mess in it. Stop stop stop. Tell him how we rock.

S4: From the west side of Killa California and off of Western Imperial as well I play.

S6: With your name.

S2: And what city are you in ? Yo.

S6: What's up ? Hello. Um , we're reporting live from Oceanside , California , the home of the low lows. So when I started , it was the era of mixtape CDs. Uh , people selling their CDs outside with CD player trying to pitch their , their music , you know , out in the streets , you know , and back in the day , it was it was a mouth. And it was a lot of like , uh , you had to sell yourself to sell yourself , but , you know , you don't really see that anymore. When back in the day , it was like you really had to put yourself out there and you know , you don't have to do that no more. Artist I like to say it like this. They're a little bit , uh , spoiled. You know , they have these streaming sites , you know , it's so easy to be seen. Now , who taught you the game , bro ? Who was a mentor.

S2:

S6: And then , you know , before that , my pops induced me to funk. My style is very it's a new style. You know , back in the day they had funk , disco , P-Funk , G funk. You know , those are all areas that have gone , came and gone. And now it's like , you know , things. Things transform. Things evolve.

S2:

S6: You know , I'm trying to adapt to the technology and trying to figure out how to keep the integrity in my music , but also try to cater to this new group of people , you know , it's like these young kids , they they eat this music up , but at the same time , it's like they're looking for , for , for something in that music and you give them that , but also keep your own integrity.

S2: I didn't add it here , but in our interview , Desi described himself as 75% businessman and 25% artist. He's that hybrid artist. He's working with artists like a label and digitally selling it out the trunk 30 miles south of him. Our next guest is making art out of his life. Both are producing noteworthy results , each with their own approach.

S7: We were in the midst of the civil rights movement in California. Was Mecca when it came to freedom. Barrio Logan was beautiful , and we flourished and connected through creative arts. The last black man in Barrio Logan. It's a name that I got from a movie called The Last Black Man in San Francisco. It's this representation of , you know , all of the last people to to speak for their demographic , like whether that's The Last of the Mohicans , the last people of a family before they migrate. And , uh , what that perspective means when there's scarcity to your identity.

S2: Tell me about the role the city plays in your art.

S7: Where you're located is always foundational to what you write about. And I just learned about that through hip hop. And it also is like a shortcut to get through , uh , writer's block. Writer's block. Like , you just articulate what's around you. I was telling someone the other day , sometimes I would just look at different pieces of art , and I would describe it , and that would be the dopest line that I could ever write and that would spark something from it. Mhm , mhm. And so um , you know I would always look at my environment , whether it's the freeways that I'm surrounded by uh the certain place that I live , uh , the family that I'm surrounded by. And I would write literally about those things and I'd have just a , uh , eternity pool that I could write from. Wow. And that's kind of like a philosophy , uh , for writing and producing a list of The Shining by that , where my soul shined greater than gold. Remember that when you piss. Oh , you're. Oh , my God , that's what.

S6: Summer nights get cold.

S7: That's what I'm thinking about.

S4: Christmas is Jesus resurrected like Lazarus. But you can call me lazy. Lazy ? Yeah , I'm lazy because I'd rather sit and build some work and.

S7: Plow field work. You know , I'm always working on getting rid of my ego. And the Martin Luther King Freeway allowed me to stay static while in motion.

S2: I remember interviewing you maybe like 2016 , and life was a little bit hectic.

S7: Mhm. Delta Airlines and uh , and the Grammys , they had this thing called the Delta Innovation class winner. Mhm. And it was someone that was out there in the community doing things. And at that time we had just opened up the church. Mhm. Uh I had just dropped an album called The Holyfield. And so they were eyes on me for doing those things. Mhm. And uh , well at the same time reclaiming the community , that project was coming out that got on like NPR. So I'm like looking at how just again how you can partner with brands and talk about things like that , have informed why you do your art. And I'm seeing things like 1207 and Rob Stone at that time , they just started popping and they were doing really dope shows , and I was in the next space of my artistry where now I could provide a platform for them. So they were inside the church , which is a community space for creatives at that time , and they were doing shows there. And then the social movements like Black Lives Matter was so reassuring because I had always included social justice in my music. And now it was like , look , we're almost how we were talking about before. Marginalized voices will be the voices of the future. Like these are important things because they're going to affect the overall society. Mhm.

S2: What's creative mornings.

S7: The biggest breakfast lecture series in the world. And there's a creative mornings in every major city that you go to. I run the San Diego chapter and it's the eighth biggest chapter in the world. And so we have free coffee , free doughnuts , a free 20 minute lecture. We've been blessed by your voice , and we try to get people that are spearheading or creating some type of movement in San Diego that can kind of lend a hand to not only just how they did what they did to get where they are , but like just who they are. Gotcha. A lot of times we see the , you know , the art , but we don't know the artist. That much gives you a chance to know the artist and meet them within community. How how do you.

S2:

S7: I was a disruptive speaker in the sense that I kind of called out what it looked like from my perspective , like it was more of a white space. I was an artist that's seeing creativity as like including the graffiti artists , the B-Boys , uh , some of the healers , the death doulas. And I was seeing creative mornings as more of like a creative agency space. Mhm. And , um , the way that I wanted to approach that and say , you know what , let me use my voice to show that it can be different. It's still dope. And I think that I was the first black speaker at Creative Morning San Diego. Okay. So it's all based off community and relationships and the strength off of , you know , showing up , but then also having that relationship to that could seal it. That was um , I think that was the the final thing that got me to be the host. Wow. Yeah. How long have you been hosting ? I've been hosting since 2021. Killing.

S2: Killing. Killing Rommel is another version of that hybrid archetype. But instead of record label strategies , he's pulling from community activism to get his art in front of people. Both he and Desi are ditching the cookie cutter method and custom fitting their approach to better fit their audiences. Which is just a complicated way of saying they're giving the people what they want. We're covering a lot on this one , so let's take a quick break. When you get back , we'll head over to the park. Stick around. Welcome back. We've been bouncing around , but there's one section we haven't hung out too heavy. North Park , with its slick new middle class energy , it boasts a lively mix of upscale eateries , bars and nightclubs. The AC lounge is one of those spots. Located off of Adams Avenue. It hosted a weekly event that , in the lineage of the improv in the loft , acted as a workspace for up and comers to sharpen their rhyme skills in front of a crowd. Chris Reyes got the story. If you can , can.

S8:

S6:

S4: Kali Bars Weekly S.D. State of Mind , hip hop wizards.

S8: Can you talk a little bit about how you had different nights on different Wednesdays that represented different things.

S9: First , I got a shout out to homie , uh , Nick Norris for bringing the idea of hip hop house to us. You know , he was doing hip hop house for quite a few years in Phoenix , Arizona , and he wanted to bring it to California , and he trusted me to , like , bring it out to the West Coast. So we had to choose cool boom bap was hip hop. House waves was like more of the modern vibe type ish. And then we had , uh , Elbow Room , but it was our open mic because people would come from like out of town thinking that it was open mic where they could do a song or do a couple songs and we're like , nah , this is like a traditional open mic. The DJ or whoever's playing beats , you grab the might , you kick a verse , pass the mic , and then just passes around like , that's an open mic , you know ? And through that , that was that was a way for people can hone their skills. But also that was a way that we can see , oh , this is a good person that we can book on an upcoming show.

S4: In the grand scheme , they can't seem coppin they wack him , sees you. Lip sync. Never seen a hip hop. Quincy. Your friends say I'm hating your spouse in handshakes interrelate and perception and realities conflict.

S8: And no rapping over vocals. Can you talk about a little bit about like where that came from and like why why you pushed it so heavily.

S9: When it comes to being the emcee that I am and the type of emcee that I like listening to and what I think an emcee is and should be. That's one thing that I was , I was serious about because a lot of times if you rap over your vocals , there's a good chance that your performance is trashed anyways. And I also know that these days , especially , there are people who don't care if you rap over your vocals like we've had people not rap over their vocals and it wasn't great , but we've also had people that always rap over their vocals and they did it at that time and it was amazing because they put more into it. You know , I'm trying to get back to that where it's like , yo , you're forced to actually try harder. And I've had people try to tell me , oh , you don't understand , but this is how to live. I'm like , no , no , no , I understand all that probably better than you do. This is what I think is best , and it's totally fine if you don't want to do it. You just. If you want to perform here , which basically everybody wanted to. This is one of the rules you got to abide by , dude.

S2: Kali is also a hybrid artist. His life is divided in two eras , half before the internet and half after giving him the advantage of lived experiences in both worlds. What we're essentially hearing in his interview is how he was bridging the gap between generations by sharing valuable knowledge and skills he's acquired , like how to connect with your audience offline and in real life. Kali is performing his duties as an elder statesman , a young OG. But hip hop weds wasn't the only night cooking.

S6: My man Kid Reyes out in Oceanside , um , he was throwing the.

S7: Uh , lyrical.

S6: Schoolyard battles that led me down.

S8: To , uh , San.

S6: Diego , the Casbah , where , uh , DJ artistic and DJ root were throwing the battle bot , which was emcee battles , DJ battles , DJs. They get burnt , just like riches take to pass that my mind drifted , lifted off that arm. Yo , I'm.

S4: Tripping on the dance floor might dry hump your missus. Blame it on the liquor. Next morning they act different. Different than y'all rap or something. Gifted got dope off that showed that I spent it. How did I spend it ? That's none of your business.

S2: That's Rick Scales , an underground artist who made a name for himself in freestyle battles. Look up 18 scales. Just as sure as Rick knows , every rap spot in the city , every rap spot in the city knows Rick quote me these days , he's also a show promoter , throwing events of his own. In this interview , he , among other things , talks about the importance of battle rap culture in the local scene.

S6: There was DJs , MCs , B-Boys breaking every time. It's dope to watch how many collaborations have happened from that , whether it's like people within the same Aim. Discipline. Um , meeting up with each other and building or people crossing paths and like , oh , let's collaborate. Oh , I like your beats. I like your rhymes. Let's build like it was a breeding ground. Like , for sure what hip hop weds brings.

S2:

S10:

S6: Hop was was completely different , even though it used all the same elements because it's hip hop , like you're gonna have all the elements there , especially if it's being done correctly. It was run by my man Cali , who is an amazing emcee who dedicated a lot of his life , bringing a weekly event at the same place and packing the room out like every week with people that love hip hop music and exposing people to new artists all the time. The hip hop wins fostered a lot of talent , like , you could come out there and get on the stage if you've never been on the stage before and people would come in there and grow , you know what I'm saying ? And then there was like events like , uh , like the cypher at the hospital cypher , a green flash , um , a cypher at the park , the like. These were all things where we were fostering hip hop , you know what I'm saying ? Like where you could come in. There's a big circle full of emcees , a bunch of local producers , and there's MCs and anybody. Correct. And we're not gonna get at you , like , get out of here. If you're not good , we're not gonna run you off the block. We're gonna help you get better. And then that's what there was. A lot of people that grew in talent just from attending these events. You know , there was a point in time where if you really wanted to be an MC , you could just pop up to these couple of events a month. So you gonna figure something out ? You know what I'm saying ? Like , for real ? If not , then you just gotta hang it up.

S4:

S11:

S2: For a budding emcee to have a place to workshop their craft ? aircraft.

S6: It's imperative , I feel like , because at some point you're going to have to learn to read a room , you're going to have to learn how to hold the mic. And you know what I'm saying ? How to work a stage and how to banter , how to recover and a fumble or and you can't get those things , all of those things just sitting in your living room unless you have access. But for the most part , like you're going to need the real life experience you gotta get hands on , you gotta get your hands dirty.

S2: Many believe that mastery comes after 10,000 hours of practice. In this clip , Chris Reyes speaks with a true master who is at all the venues you've heard about. He's played a key role in San Diego rap since the early days and brings our story full circle.

S4: Came on a mission , especially with two children and wife carrying my third. My vision different. It's bigger than me now. It ain't just styling off the dome to be known for my when I'm tryna disembowel the game just to see how I get up in the chest with a deeper purpose. I fit words and insert knowledge when it's needed. A certified linguist with something that you heard of my linguistics , and if you have it , it's most likely due to your appreciation of the average piece. I am Odessa Kane from Masters of the universe , Red Lotus clan.

S6: Um , yeah.

S7: Representing southeast San Diego by way of.

S6: Paradise Hills.

S8: For you. Where did it start ? And take us to when you decided to , like , give us the Odessa Kane part.

S4: As a young and just b boy and you know what I mean ? A little skate rat. When I moved to from East Diego to Paradise Hills , things kind of changed over right there. There wasn't too many skaters , but I was always a little hip hop head , you know what I mean ? And , um , really , the ones that took a liking to me were these houses. It was my homeboy Sean Campbell , uh , in the the other homie frosty , Sean Campbell's older brothers , BK from House clan , a prominent dance crew in in in our area in Paradise Hills. Um , it turns out that this wider collective , uh , the people that were in that crew house clan was , uh , Orko Oracle , the psychotic alien Orko. Elohim goes by many names. That's the big bro right there.

S6: I'm from 1994.

S4: Our kids drop.

S3: They first rose up in the east , always murdering every verse that he touched in these streets.

S4: They took me in. You know , I started wrapping up. The first name that I had was exposed to elemental pee. And then it turned into Expose the Matrix. We put out a couple of things , Michael. Crucifixion. Uh , back to the future. Orca was killing everybody with everything he was dropping. And it was inspirational to me because that kind of put me , got me to get into my my creative back. But still , I wasn't all the way as dedicated as they were. After orca and I made post-war technology , we became more socially like , aware and conscious. We were always like on that level. But something in me was like , nah , I think I could go. I could delve even deeper into talking about like pertinent social issues. Things switched over. I changed my name to Odessa Kane and I'm like , no , I think this is this is where I really want to start rhyming , rhyming and put out projects.

S8: Historically in rap , right ? There's always been this conversation , sometimes an argument between brown and black , and you have always been one of those people who's been very outspoken on uniting those sides , making sure that there is no friction with that. Do you feel like the generation that say , we came from.

S4: I always felt the need to strengthen the ties because the ties were already there. They already existed. You know what I mean ? Go all the way to be X to the Bronx. Like. No , like the brown faces. We're already in the mix. You know what I mean ? We we played our part in those are like like , ancestrally speaking , those are like , those are my elders , you know , so I want to carry on that tradition. It's in the tradition of our people as a as natives also , you know , to continue to to bring the stories into present day again. When I came over here to Paradise Hills , even in these dago black folks always took me in. It was always my big , my mom , my bigger brothers that took me in. I was just different , you know what I mean ? In that sense , uh , again , a young hip hop head , of course we're gonna gel well , you know.

S8: Say backpack , intellectual or gangster , what dominates the city if you had to. Pick.

S4: Pick. Oh , it's definitely. It's always going to be this the the street gangsters , of course , because we do that well out here. You know what I mean ? Don't matter what corner of the or pocket of the city you from. You know what I mean. If you're in the streets , you from the trenches. And that type of music speaks to you now that you could speak it and translate it , there's probably going to be some of the best gangsters heard on the planet Earth. It's not by coincidence. It's not by chance that the E-40 and these high level players from from L.A. up with the bro Mickey. No , it's not because he created some of the dope issue and still to this day is creating some of the dope. It's just a gang of fools from out here , you know , shout out cricket to and there's a gang of folks from , from Diego that make some of the hardest issues when it comes to like that gangster street ish.

S8: If you had to give , say , the next few generations of San Diego rappers advice on from taking from what you've learned and what you've been through , what could it be ? Give me like a couple things that you would make sure you want them to hear and know.

S4: Oh man , I think definitely just become more familiar with with your roots , you know , make that part of your being. Do you know your roots or do you only start at 2000 , 2010 because it didn't start there. It started in the 70s , is that those were the formative years where it actually happened. And they all that work that was put in up until where your knowledge just begins , that can't be just dismissed and puts it aside like it never happened because they're actually they they made it easy for you to eat right now.

S2: At the start of every episode , I remind you , this isn't a timeline. My hope is , if anything , this series sparks smart conversations. There's a ton of stuff we didn't get to that's crazy interesting. We don't usually do this , but let's take a quick second break. Come right back and we'll wrap things up. Our rap scene was full of promise at the start of 2020 , with top tier talents like Nick Cannon and Andra Day reaching incredible levels of success. However , the city's momentum abruptly came to a screeching halt in March of that year. We're specifically covering 1980 to 2020 because everything changes with the pandemic. To me , that's it's a different chapter , one I'm too close to right about right now. But that's not to say I'm opposed to doing so in the future , but in the meantime , I got one more guest to put a bow on this thing and take us out of here. I think he puts it all in perspective.

S12: I am a musician , artist , songwriter , former Long Beach native , California hip hop representer.

S2:

S12: What we're looking at is 51 years is 51 years old. There are some people working on the ground to try to preserve what the foundation fundamentals are. Just scratching , graffiti missin. You know , some like the beatboxing , the knowledge hip hop started off as each one teach one. I just think we need a little more balance , a couple more super dope conscious rappers with multi-million dollar budgets behind them to spread their word. Give them more of a voice.

S2:

S12: The first thing that I think of now is 1982. There's a guy named Soulful Ernie who drops a record called party Rock on vinyl out of San Diego , and then he drops another record called Street Talking on Lion's Den Records in 1982. So you gotta understand , in 81 , Gigolo Rap drops in LA , becoming the first rap on wax. Not the first rapper , but the first rap on wax. A vinyl gigolo , rap disco daddy and then boys And then right in 82. So for Ernie comes into play with party Rock and begins the history of San Diego hip hop on wax , San Diego hip hop history that needs to be spoken on. That needs to be in the history books that because 82 is very early , my brother , 82 is very think about it , six in the morning from it dropped in 86. I think N.W.A dropped in 87. We're talking about 1982 , my brother. So that's the first thing I think about right now when I think about San Diego.

S2: Like I said , I'm a fan of your work , but in particular , there was a couple of mixtapes floating around. My guy DJ three , he had one , and he had a track on there called San Diego 2010.

S12: Yes , sir.

S2:

S12: It reminded me of a conversation we was having that B came on and I was like , yo , this is this is this is San Diego 2010. And , you know , I started just kicking a story about hustling when we was chilling in the Gaslamp , drinking on a little , some running stories and reminiscing. You know what I'm saying with the homie Joseph. That's how I felt. And I like to take what I feel into the booth. To the booth. Yo. What's up ? This your man king , crooked , crooked , West coast hip hop stand up right now. We're about to get into San Diego , 2010. You heard me tell my connects. They can meet me in San Diego. Tequila at the table , 1942. Don Julio , that anejo chillin with my mad anejo. That means she only with me for the afternoon. Meet her in San Mateo. Anyway , I'm just here to grab the payload package and not the captain. Save the passenger seat of the rover. My homie told me to cease. Look like they made an alligator. Look closer. No , bro , that's Cobra leaning on you. Snakes. My shooter. It's my chauffeur. The host of rapped over his shoulder. Just like a toga , smoking with the windows lowered. I blow out a chem trail , going to meet a plug. My cousin gave me the Intel fish scale that lifts well but keeps it under the radar. Dropping by narcs cars in a smart car , but I don't know him from Adam. Could be a dirty snitch to thought a new money is tempting. Eve was a curvy bitch pulled up to his house. It was small , but yo , I heard he's rich. Chillin in his garage with some dirty kicks. Show me dirty bricks. What the fuck ? I'm feeling like it's a setup. You're showing me all this product and we just met up. Told my killer keep his head up. Got a couple of things to clarify. Text. My cousin is solid. I had to verify. Gave me the thumbs up. I'm thinking if this is us , we bussin. I ain't with clicking hammers on hitting cameras , but I guess he showed us the can of prove he didn't. Scammers behind the scenes , the hustle , Wayne , Hollywood , glitz and glamour. I told him , let's speak further and make the plan. Kevlar. I'm headed back to my suite , the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. It's time to clean it up , switch it to some more clothes , trade the hoodie for the sports coat and go get some more. Pull up to the Gaslamp District. Hop out the door closed. Lord knows I'm cleaner than a Baptist preacher. Hard bottoms , walking across sidewalks sounding like Morse code. Glad to meet you. Yeah. Nice to meet you. This is like a night in Egypt. The warm breeze followed us in the club. We swiped visas , baby , like a Khalid album. She got the right features. Tight ass skirt , thick legs , Christian Dior anklet. The scent of a perfume wrapped her body up like a warm blanket. Shake it to the rhythm. I envision a form naked , staring at her eyes when I'm talking that make it more sacred.

S2: Rap Diego is a co-production of KPBS and Meridian Arts host and co-creator Parker Edison. Episodes. Written by Jay Smith , Chris Reyes , Don Jaeger , and Stephen Fleck's extra. Special thanks to guest writer Melody Harrold. Editing by Platform Collection. Music soundtrack by Monday Adams. Executive producer for KPBS is Lisa Jane Morrissette , KPBS director of audio programming and operations. Technical and operational support provided by KPBS technical producer sound designer Adrian Villalobos and KPBS producer Julio Ortiz Franco. This programming is made possible in part by the KPBS Explore Content Fund. On behalf of myself and the most talented documentarians I've ever encountered , we thank you for listening and hope you enjoyed yourself. Be safe out there.