In the early 90’s, when gangsta’ rap consumed the airwaves, and the majority of West Coast rappers strapped on their Locs, Chuck Taylor’s & Ben Davis’, The Pharcyde decidedly maintained a willfully weird vision. Opting to stay true to themselves with their left field but still South-Central sensibility, rap had seen few groups so self-deprecating and so smart, a group of visionary rappers adroitly able to split the difference between helium-voiced and hard-core. Listening to “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde” two full decades after its release, its sense of timeliness is unmistakable. Every song on the album inverts a hoary hip-hop cliché. With classics like “Oh Shit,” “Otha Fish”, “Ya’ Mama,” and hit single, “Passing Me By,” it is not surprising that it shipped over a million units, garnered comparisons to De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest, and everyone from Pitchfork Media to The Source has hailed it as one of the greatest albums ever made.  Speaking on the passage of time, their second release “LabCabInCalifornia” has revealed exactly how far-reaching The Pharcyde’s vision was. From enlisting a young and then unknown James Yancey aka J DILLA to produce beats, the classic “Runnin” to collaborating with director Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich” “Adaptation”) on the video for “Drop,” it has consistently reinforced their steadfast refusal to tread familiar artistic grounds. Today, The Pharcyde is still performing and touring the globe. They continue to hone their individual abilities yet carry on the name & legacy in its original fashion. They still seduce their audience with the same boyish charm that founded them at the beginning. Now, it’s combined with the knowledge that has been bestowed upon them as men who have taken on, and rose to the challenge of the rap game. The end result of all this hard work is a band that’s still influencing the hip hop artists and sounds crowding our radio waves today and will continue to for many years to come.

When the word music comes to the mind of thoughtful emcee/spoken word artist RyanNicole, it conjures memories of Panasonic headphones too big to fit her ears and vinyl records strewn across the living room floor of her childhood home in Oakland, CA. Raised on a healthy diet of diverse music ranging from Parliament to Flora Purim, Pat Metheney to Queen Latifah, RyanNicole’s approach to music is reverent to say the least. “To tell the truth, I was always intimidated by the largeness of music; how it could impact a person’s feelings. I often wondered if I had the ability it do the same.” But being brought up in an extended family of seasoned musicians, RyanNicole remained silent and observant for many years until she immersed herself in an outlet for her voice through spoken word. Coming of age in a time when hip-hop reigned supreme, the genre further refined her appreciation for sharp lyricism. Inspired by female emcees like Lauryn Hill, without denying the prowess of those like Lil Kim, RyanNicole offers a welcomed intelligence to the game. Feeling/filling a void for voices like hers, RyanNicole uses her experiences in leadership to craft a decadent narrative of self-reliance and accountability. The former scholarship Track & Field champion, pre-law graduate, and current Executive Director of Youth Movement Records, humbly professes simple solutions to rampant ignorance in head-nodable morsels. The latest mixtape, entitled “Dis’onance: Vol. 1” audibly and metaphorically explores the concept of discord through a pop-culture lens [dissonance (n.) - lack of harmony between persons or things], and bears witness to the eerie attraction we all have to disharmony. Never easy, yet highly digestible; even tasty: RyanNicole harvests a flavor for every palate, encouraging one to savor her offerings long after she’s left a stage. She is lasting, her words timeless and thick. RyanNicole is an instant classic, reviving artistry and industry in this modern era.

Shy'An (pronounced "Shy-ON") G. is an emcee, poet, and producer who grew up in Berkeley and Oakland, California. She incorporates just enough of a more recent sound in hip-hop, while still keeping it friendly to those with a soulful, old school hip-hop and Neo-soul ear. She has opened shows for artists such as Marsha Ambrosius, Kamau, Smino, and Rapsody. Shy'An aspires to share the knowledge she learned growing up through her music and hopes to inspire anyone, who has ever struggled to find their voice, to creatively express themselves however they please. When you listen to her music, expect an experience...

Khafre James has been a pillar of the Hip Hop community in San Francisco for a decade working with Frisco’s own B-Pos as well as an activist. He's worked in the nonprofit sector from small, local justice groups to large international environmental organizations. He has also spent many years doing work with disadvantaged young people using his hip hop roots to bridge social gaps. Khafre’s experience in merging activism and expressive cultural arts led him to found HipHopForChange as the next manifestation of his ongoing work