BLOG

Keak Da Sneak Goes Bi-Coastal With Prodigy & Alchemist

A few years ago, Bay Area rap’s vibrant local scene seemed destined to bubble over to the mainstream. But alas, it’s 2008, and the “hyphy” buzz is already all but forgotten by the average rap fan, while some of the Bay’s biggest artists have even declared the genre dead. But when it comes to Oakland resident Keak Da Sneak, none of that matters. Sure, he coined the term “hyphy,” but Keak was around before the trend and he’ll be around after.

After getting his own independent money for years, Keak is going national with Deified, his first album distributed by KOCH Records (in stores May 27). For the remix to the first single “That Go,” he connected with Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and rapper/producer The Alchemist for a truly bi-coastal video. Go dumb after the jump.

Popularity: 88% [?]

Oakland’s Murder Map

Blue represents homicides committed in 2007, Red represents those committed in 2008.

On Tuesday, Oakland recorded its 34th murder (by contrast, New York—a city with nearly 20 times Oakland’s population—has had only 99 killings this year). To map the out-of-control murder rate, the San Francisco Chronicle used Google Maps to show the distribution of every homicide from 2007 and 2008. Not surprisingly (least of all for the residents of East and West Oakland), the murders share some geographic characteristics. It seems like as long as you stay above the MacArthur Freeway, you’re going to live a long life.

Watch a video after the jump of Oakland residents reflecting on the historic murder rate and those they’ve lost…

Popularity: 92% [?]