Rap Atlas: Oakland
By Eric Arnold | Feb 23, 2011 | 2:17 pm | Permalink
Oakland Coliseum
7000 Coliseum Way
The Coliseum is where the Raiders and the Oakland A’s play. Bill Graham used to do the Day on the Green concerts there too, and it was the last place Led Zeppelin played on their final American tour. But it also has a lot of hip-hop history, and figures prominently in MC Hammer lore. Hammer grew up in East Oakland, and he used to go to A’s games and do dance moves as a young kid. The story is that Reggie Jackson noted his resemblance to Hank Aaron and named him Hammer, before he was an MC or anything. Hammer was a ticket hustler, he told me he used to scalp tickets in the walkway leading up to the Coliseum, along with guys like Felix Mitchell and Lil’ D, back when they were kids. They went one way, and Hammer went another.
One day, Hammer got spotted by Charlie Finley, the A’s owner, who saw him dancing to a James Brown song and asked him who he was. Finley brought him into the clubhouse, and he became an Executive VP and spy for the owner. He would report back to Finley, who lived in Chicago. Hammer tried to become a baseball player, that didn’t work out, so he went into the military and bought a drum machine and made hip-hop demos. When he came out, he started a gospel rap group, he called himself the Holy Ghost Boy. Then he got some A’s players he was tight with to put up the seed money for the Bust-It label. He put out a few 12-inches which did real well. Then in 1987, he dropped the Feel My Power album independently, most of which became Let’s Get It Started, after he signed to Capitol in ‘88.
The Coliseum Arena is right next door to the stadium, that’s where the Warriors play. It’s also where they had the Fresh Fest in 1985 with UTFO, the Fat Boys and the Real Roxanne. The next year, 1986, Run-DMC played there on the “Raising Hell” tour, that was real big. That bill featured LL Cool J, Whodini, the Beastie Boys, and Timex Social Club, it was like 14,000 people. That’s the concert that really broke hip-hop in the Bay Area. In 1987, the Def Jam tour played there with LL Cool J, Whodini, and Roxanne Shante. They put New Choice and Too $hort on that bill too. N.W.A. did a show there too in 1988 with Eric B. & Rakim, UTFO and Whodini that Eazy-E was actually the promoter for.
But there were always knuckleheads who would start fights and stuff at rap shows. In December of 1989, there was a melee at a 2 Live Crew show which ended with one dude getting shot. That led to the city of Oakland banning all rap shows for a year. Even after the ban was lifted, there weren’t too many hip-hop shows at the Coliseum. The last big rap show they tried to do at the Arena was Cash Money in 2000. Cash Money didn’t even get to come out, a riot started inside the arena, people were throwing chairs at the stage.
MC Hammer - "Let's Get It Started"
Golden Child 415 February 23rd, 2011 at 10:47 PM
Much respect to Complex once again for recognizing the Bay's enormous, yet overlooked, contribution to Hip Hop. Interesting article. I thought y'all were just about to list a bunch of legendary turfs and intersections. Where I'm from in Lakeview in Frisco, Randolph and Head is our equivalent of the 41st side of 12th street in QB. We produced Bay legends like Cougnut, Cellski and UNLV; some of the best music outta the Bay and the West Coast. Born and bred on Ramsell and Randolph. So proud. If you from SF or the Bay period, that is holding the torch. Yeee!!!
JackEComplex February 24th, 2011 at 03:38 PM
We've definitely got to get to the City soon. And like we said, Vallejo, Richmond, Marin City too...
X-Ro February 23rd, 2011 at 11:49 PM
Thanks for educating me on the city I live in. I'm from the CPT, been here in Oak Town for a lil over a year and needed to hear and see some history that is long lost in today's climate.
Stef February 24th, 2011 at 05:49 PM
Much respect to Mello-Mar and the APG Crew. I wish "Rap City Rhapsody" was on DVD.
A-Plus Hiero February 25th, 2011 at 10:48 AM
One small correction. I (A Plus) was the only Hiero member that went to Castlemont.
JackEComplex February 25th, 2011 at 11:46 AM
Noted and corrected. Thanks man. And another note: This isn't intended to be the end-all and be-all Oakland Atlas (we'd need 10 times as many slides for that). It's going to be a living document, so expect some updates in the future...
jay February 28th, 2011 at 11:06 PM
i read somewhere that A-Plus went to Arroyo in San Lorenzo?
A-Plus Hiero March 1st, 2011 at 09:55 PM
I went to King Estates for the 7th grade. I went to Arroyo for 8 and 9th grades and was kicked out in the 10th. Then went to Castlemont for 10-11. Then used Del's address to get into Skyline for the 12th.
A-Plus Hiero March 1st, 2011 at 09:57 PM
I went to King Estates for the 7th grade. I went to Arroyo for 8 and 9th grades and was kicked out in the 10th. Then went to Castlemont for 10-11. Then used Del's address to get into Skyline for the 12th.
TEAM THINK April 3rd, 2011 at 05:20 PM
AU COQUELET IS HIPHOP! lol. Lil B shot a music video inside Au Coquelet too, he's rapping in front of the bulletin board in the back & the camera keeps focusing in on a "lost cat" poster behind the BASEDGOD. LOL.
James Acey April 21st, 2011 at 04:02 AM
Nice comprehensive piece ! I'm from Oakland and have since moved to Asia but it brought back a lot of good memories. I'm glad Berkeley was included here as well as its importance can't be downplayed. Joe Quixx was the homie at Amoeba, my student loan dollars were well spent there! It is a shame that you can pretty much count on cats to wile out a lil too much (starting fights over stupid shit) at concerts and public events on some just 'acting out' shit. I feel things like Festival at the Lake were great for the community. Now there is the Art n Soul festival, but its just not the same.
talktalkreal April 22nd, 2011 at 04:40 PM
Hiero NEVER sold tapes on telegraph. I was there from the beginning of that. (they was already establish) They came down and kicked some dope freestyles tho. And Hobo didn't do it until LONG AFTER fools was doing it towards the end. All the Kings Horses,Mystik Journeymen, Bay Art Collective popularized Telegraph underground product selling. So to say they was with the pioneers doing it is wrong. Again Hiero gets the credit for everything.
Allen Blackwell August 4th, 2011 at 06:27 PM
The guy who still lives there is me. I'm drunk and I'll suck your cock if you come on by.