Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Eric Arnold On Why S.F. Rap Still Hasn’t Blown Up

The second great article in a few days on the Bay scene from a Bay writer. Yes, we still produce a lot of the best hip-hop journalists in the country–thoughtful, passionate, skilled to the teeth.

Here’s Eric Arnold’s piece on Messy Marv and why SF rap is still struggling:

while Oakland, Vallejo and Richmond have produced nationally known rappers like Too , E-40 and Master P, San Francisco’s track record has been marred by tragedy, violence and legal problems.

Known as Sucka Free City in the rap world, San Francisco has no shortage of rappers or independent labels. However, its artists’ close ties to the inner city — and, by extension, the tribulations of the ghetto — may be one reason it has produced a scant number of big-name acts.

“It’s so much pressure on somebody out here to blow up on a national scale,” says filmmaker Kevin Epps, director of “Rap Dreams” (2006), a documentary about rappers trying to break into the industry. “The city has had a sense of modest success in the bay, but when you think of national (success), it hasn’t really had that.”

It seems every time a San Francisco rapper is ready to break out of the regional niche, something bad happens. ..

Read the whole thang

posted by Jeff Chang @ 7:31 am | 0 Comments

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