Zion-I & Kev Choice Thursday 5pm @ UC Berkeley

In 2 hours Zion-I and the Kev Choice Ensemble will take the stage in Lower Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley to rock a show that should be insane. I encourage everyone to come out because it's a beautiful day and there will be some beautiful music in the air. Zion-I is a legendary Bay Area hip-hop duo with one of the best live shows around, and Kev Choice, a classically trained pianist, heads the ultimate Bay Area hip-hop band. It should be a great evening of music, so come check it out. Once again, UC Berkeley Lower Sproul Plaza from 5-7. See you there!

Zion I Performs "Coastin" at Live 105's BFD

Check out Zion I tear down BFD with an assist from K Flay. And don't miss Amp Live's sampler guitar rendition of Dire Straights' "Money For Nothing" below. Even if you don't love Zion I, you have to admit that they can rock a show.

New Zion I Interview with Okay Player

Daps to Liam B

Music from BRWN BFLO's New Album

I've written about BRWN BFLO a couple times before and now it looks like others are catching on! Just recently they were featured on the SF Guardian's website and The Smoking Section. Writer & 415 representer Ms Krish begins:

Oakland-based Hip-Hop group BRWN BFLO is just as much as an anomaly as their namesake: a progressive Chicano Hip-Hop group with bottomless hyphy 808s and an immense stage presence. So while the carnales in SoCal are making you “Lean Like A Cholo”, you can find Somos One, Big Dan, Jacinto and Giant collar-poppin’ in their sets, fully decked in Dios de los Muertes face paint and scaring the beejezus out of the nearest Federal Agent lurking in their audience. You get the feeling that anything is possible when it comes to their dynamic appeal...

So read up and digest a few dope cuts from their new album.

DL: "Apeshit"- BRWN BFLO


DL: "Wheels Keep Spinnin"- BRWN BFLO feat. Zion I & Bambu


DL: "Corazon"- BRWN BFLO

Oakland's Finest Live in SF Tonight!

It's Friday and The Town will be thick in The Cty tonight! Zion I, Trackademicks, The Kev Choice Ensemble and BRWN BFLO will all be tearing down Slims, while Goapele is over melting the crowd at The Independent with her "Milk & Honey" delivery. Basically, if you have a few cheips stacked and waiting for a good cause, check out one of these shows—you won't be disappointed!

Zion I: "Geek to the Beat" Video

Zumbi (of Zion I) & The Are: "Cops Hate Kidz"

Zumbi of Zion I and The Are of The Trackmasters have teamed up to form The Burnerz. I don't know how permanent this arrangement is, but they have gone in hard on their debut. "Cops Hate Kidz" is addressing the recent cop killings in Oakland, and while it would never be misconstrued as pro-police, its more accusatory of the overall system that creates such contentious relationships and combustible situations. Zumbi writes on his blog:

To the youth, I implore you to seek greater understanding in these difficult times. “Fuck the Police” is an easy reaction to what’s going on. I feel that way sometimes too. But, every police officer is not bad, just like every person from the hood is not good. People are people, some are just messed up in the head. The system is what needs to be held accountable. Do not allow yourselves to be manipulated into becoming another statistic about murder rates in Oakland. If you’re going to fight, lets fight with our minds as a collective to change this rotting system. With love and respect…R.I.P. Oscar Grant and the countless other lives lost to senseless killings.

This commentary aside, Zumbi speaks on a very real give-and-take dynamic between youth and police on "Cops Hate Kidz." If cops kill kids, then kids will kill cops right back. I'm not saying that Lovelle Mixon was channeling the memory of Oscar Grant or that he was justified in his actions, but we shouldn't be so surprised that this happened. OPD has been a volatile force in Oakland for years, and with young people of color being a regular target for them, it is fairly logical that at some point this situation would reach a retaliatory breaking point.

That point has come, and it's on us to address it before we sink into civil war, martial-like law or plain hopelessness. This is our city and I will no longer tolerate this genocide no matter who is killed. I feel bad for the officers who died, but worse for all the other faceless names that have passed through the Tribune's headlines over the years with zero fanfare. This one is for yall.

DL: "Cops Hate Kidz"- The Burnerz

Kudos to BayIsBack via Strivin

Zion I Continue to Evolve on New Album

Album Review by Coolhand Luke for Wiretap Magazine

Zion I fans know that Zumbi and Amplive are bigger and better than the “backpack” status they have been relegated to, and though their latest album will more than satiate their underground following, don’t expect them to Takeover any time soon. The heart of the album is a fresh take on their classic sound, resulting in an ambitious smorgasbord of Bay boom-bap, electronic soul and eclectic funk that changes gears without jolting. Overall The Takeover is sonically diverse and conceptually solid, but is a few songs away from being a great album.

Click HERE to read the rest of my review

Zion I Talks Takeover with Vimby

Zion I sits down with Vimby to discuss their latest album, The Takeover. I know that Zumbi is the emcee and all, but it always amuses me that in every interview, he is the only one ever talking. Free Amp! lol

In all seriousness though, cop The Takeover and be on the look out for my review over at www.wiretapmag.org later this week! Also, if you're down at SXSW, check them out at 1am tonight at The Back Alley Social Club at 303 W. 5th St

Must See Hip-Hop Showcase Tuesday Night!

Click flier to zoom in on a clear high resolution version

If you are in the Bay Area tonight, then you are absolutely required to check out this concert. There is no need repeating what's on the flier, but you will be taking an L should you choose to pass on this. What better way to celebrate the Bay's activist history, present and future, than with a multi-cultural collective of rebel-rousing rappers? So sad I can't attend, but if you go, take flix and film.

Interview Review: Zion-I, Keak, & Spice 1

First we have a HipHopDX interview with Zion-I. The interview is dope and Amp and Zumbi come off really well. They have been around, but they are constantly contributing to the game. Amp's pruduction is diverse and eclectic and Zumbi's lyrics are the words of the common man trying to do good in the world. I'm juiced to hear their new album. Intro is below.

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you don’t rap for something, you’ll fall for anything.” Okay, so maybe those aren’t the exact words. They’re still ones that have served as the foundation over the last decade for Zion I, a progressive Hip Hop duo made of emcee Zumbi and deejay/producer AmpLive.

Underground legends in Oakland, Zion I has won over hearts and car stereos with social-awakening bars and forward-thinking beats. It’s no exaggeration to say that where Bay Area icons Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Souls of Mischief left off, Zion I picked up with CDs like Mind Over Matter, True & Livin’ [click to read] and this month's The Take Over. But hey, Amp and Zumbi aren’t mad that the masses aren’t terribly familiar with their sound. They just don’t necessarily want to hear the complaints either about the lack of diversity in music when they’ve been rapping something different since ’97.

Next we have an interview Keak da Sneak did with XXL. I can't really get down with this one though. XXL is a nation wide hip-hop mag, which means they have to give the West Coast a shout out every once in a while. But given their east coast bias, they clearly don't do their homework on The Bay. Don't get me wrong, I love Keak for what Keak is, but he is not who XXL should be focusing on at this point in his career.

Publications like XXL are obsessed with breaking the next big thing (made obvious by their recent cover featuring the 10 best new artists in hip-hop), or artists who are currently running the game. Often dissed 35+ year old rappers is not a demographic they often feature unless they have to say something about the Bay. Again, I love 40, $hort, Keak, but we have been reduced to them and hyphy in the national consciousness. Publications like XXL need to start doing some research! To give you a taste of what I'm talking about read part of the intro to XXL's Keak interview below.

You know how they say don’t yell “fire” in a movie theater? Well don’t yell Keak Da Sneak’s name in the Bay. Just mentioning him has been known to instantly make legions of Northern Californians ghost ride their whips, start side shows and go dumb. . . Although he boasts a hardcore following that swears by the gravel-voiced rapper’s every word, the energetic left coast rhymer still has a chip on his shoulder and is channeling it through his music. XXLmag.com caught up with Keak to discuss his latest projects, why Hyphy won’t die and what’s holding the Bay back.

Finally we have a HipHopDX interview with Bay OG Spice 1. Here we have an interview in which the subject is a vet, a lá Keak, but the subject matter is more in tune with reality. Spice is still putting out music, so he is not trying to diminish himself, but he acknowledges that labels need to mess with the youth right now. That said, those youth need to learn to be forward thinking and have a broader perspective. The Bay's music scene, like many rappers, is extremely introverted. The key is being able to relate to folks according to Spice.

Spice 1: It's up to the youth, it's up to these little youngsters, man. They gotta believe in a cause that's greater than themselves. Instead of just rapping about themselves, they gotta rap about what's really going on out here and touch everybody instead of [just] motherfuckers in California or in the hood where they from. They need to relate to different subjects. "It's all about me," "I'm the shit," "fuck you" - That's not the way you get fans. You get fans by rapping about shit that they can relate to.

He also speaks on the unfortunate assumed association between money and quality hip-hop.

Spice 1: I was telling my homie earlier that just because a motherfucker might have hella cars or jewelry, that don't make him a rapper. Lots of these young kids think, "He got more money than him, he's tighter," but that shit is crazy. I could be sitting in a two-bedroom apartment or a 10-story mansion, that don't make me no rapper. What makes me an artist is how I get down. How I spit, how I entertain my fans.

New Zion I off The Takeover coming 2/17

About a month ago I heard a few joints off Zion-I's forthcoming album The Takeover, and "Caged Bird Pt 1" immediately caught my attention. On it, Amp Live trades in his MPC and synths for some strings and keys, yet manages to maintain a sense of urgency simultaneously. That combination allows "Caged Bird" to sound as transcendent as the title infers. The singer on the hook wails, "Searching for a better world, this aint no game!" MC Zumbi then dedicates the song to "My caged birds who's fighting just like me/ daily and nightly, beyond getting icey." And though Zumbi and guest Brother Ali hold it down, the track really wins me over at the end. Amp brings the track down to a simmer and lets the soulful squalls marinate acapella.

"Caged Bird Pt 1"- Zion I feat. Brother Ali

"In the Mornin' (Caged Bird Pt 2)" starts slow like the first installment, but then Amp breaks out the brooding reverb bass and goes to town. He never stays in one gear for long though, constantly changing the entire feel of the song without losing the direction and angst.

"In the Mornin' (Caged Bird Pt. 2)"- Zion I

"Coastin'" is one of those layed back Cali cruising anthems, perfect for the sunset drive down I-5. K-Flay soothes the hook to perfection and Amp's repetitive piano chords sound like a subdued Dr. Dre recording in a Frisco fog.

"Coastin'"- Zion I feat K-Flay

Once you have absorbed Zion I's latest heat rocks, listen to Zumbi's convo with the homie D Nastee from Youth Radio. They discuss Oscar Grant and the opportunity the situation presents Oakland's African-American community to come together.

Major propers to HillyDilly and DNastee

Previously: Zion I interview and music videos

Zion I: Ready For The Takeover in '09

Zion-I has been a stalwart in the Bay Area's music scene for a decade plus because they make timeless hip-hop that is always on the verge of something new. Amp Live's creative production infuses Zion-I's music with everything from rock to house while still allowing them to maintain a distinct sense of self. Allowing their signature sound to evolve and grow has also helped them avoid straying into the Bay's hyphy clichés. Amp's genre bending drum 'n' bass soundscapes and Zumbi's layed back intelligent flows are staples of the East Bay's underground scene. But their shows are their bread and butter.

I have seen Zion-I multiple times and they can rock a venue like nobody's business. Give Amp his MPC and Zumbi his mic and they'll tear the house down with a on-the-spot improvisational slap for the ages. Their other appeal is that, despite incessant touring, they are always involved in local events in Oakland and the broader Bay Area. They host benefit concerts and showcases for young artists, and always come out for progressive political events. The picture below shows Zumbi speaking at the Oscar Grant rally on Jan. 7th.

The Takeover drops later this month but you can stream the first few tracks of the album at www.zioni-thetakeover.com. You won't be disappointed. The dumb clichés are starting to wither in hip-hop and the leaders of the new school can actually spit, but Zion-I has been on that tip for years. Hopefully '09 will get them their much deserved daps. And if you don't know, get familiar!

Above: A MTVU performance of "Antenna" off The Takeover
Above: Music video for "Juicy Juice" also off The Takeover

Previously: The Search & The Seizure Mixtape
Bonus: Amplive's Die Hard Remix of Tokyo Police Club

Zion I's "The Search & The Seizure Mixtape"

Zion I just dropped a new mixtape that fuses their old reverb drum and bass sound with a new eclectic electronic sound. Side A features Zumbi and Amp's take on some hip-hop classics, while Side B delves into more experimental and genre-blending fare. I'm definitely keeping this in the rotation. Free download link below kids. Enjoi!

The Search & The Seizure Mixtape- Zion I

Zion I's Amplive Remixes Radiohead

So back in January, Amp was slated to release his Rainydayz Remix album of Radiohead's In Rainbows. From what I recall, Radiohead/their people had a conniption over the whole thing and I never saw heads or tails of it. That said, my cuzzin Chewey had it, so I did some research and discovered that the two parties had reached an agreement and the album was released For the whole remix album go here. Below are a couple tracks from it that I'm feeling.

"15 Stepz (Amplive Remix)"- Codany Holiday & Radiohead

"Reckoner (Amplive Remix)"- Chali 2na (J5) & Radiohead

Due to the rainy weather in NY right now, the fact that this joint is also sampled from a UK rock band and that its dope, here is a little bonus from Zion I and The Grouch's Heroes in the City of Dope collaboration album.

"Z & G"- Zion I & The Grouch feat. Coldplay