Through a podcast, album, book, and eventually a short film, the multimedia project Tales Of The Town is dedicated to exploring Oakland’s rich Black history and explaining how that history affects the community today. Gathering three of the East Bay’s most talented wordsmiths, Tales Of The Town shares “HOLLA,” the latest music video from the Tales Of The Town album. Using the rubbery bass and crisp handclaps that signify an Oakland rap slapper, “HOLLA” welcomes radical verses from Berkeley poet and rapper Shy’an G, Oakland lyricist Ian Kelly, and Berkeley riser MYL3Z. Shy’an decries violent police drawing paychecks from taxpayer dollars, Ian Kelly compares himself to the Oakland-native Black Panthers, and MYL3Z defiantly determines that the time for waiting is over, and the revolution should begin. In the video, the three emcees hang out in an East Bay parking lot–in view of the Bay Area’s BART line–as they spit their verses and assist with the People’s Programs mobile community health clinic.
“HOLLA” is a highlight from Tales Of The Town, an 11-track album that emphasizes the depth and breadth of Oakland’s music scene. Though some songs, like the searing “F*CK 12” FREESTYLE ft. Guapdad 4000 & LaRussell tackle social issues that affect Oakland’s Black community, other songs like “GET DANGEROUS” ft. 22nd Jim & Lil Bean and “PARTY WITH THE GANG” ft. G-Eazy, P-Lo & FREDOBAGZ show how the community blows off steam. Featuring a cast of characters from all over Northern California, from Oakland artists like ALLBLACK, Rexx Life Raj, and ymtk, Sacramento street hero Shootergang Kony, San Francisco rhymer Lil Bean, Richmond native P-Lo, and many others, all of whom donated their verses to benefit the People’s Programs, Tales Of The Town is available everywhere via San Francisco’s own EMPIRE.
The new video arrives alongside the latest episode of the Tales Of The Town podcast. Episode 8 of Tales Of The Town focuses on Oakland’s seismic impact on the world of sports. The Town is home to legends like Bill Russell, Jason Kidd, and Marshawn Lynch, plus current stars like Damian Lillard and NFL cornerback Marcus Peters, not to mention successful professional franchises formerly the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, and formerly the Raiders. The episode features an interview with longtime NFL quarterback Josh Johnson, as well as community members who share their insight on how sports have helped Oakland’s Black community thrive. Last week’s episode, Episode 7, focused on Oakland’s gentrification crisis, and featured an interview with legendary Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B.
Hosted by People’s Programs’ co-founders and the co-creators of Hella Black Podcast, Abbas Muntaqim and Delency Parham, and produced by award winning documentarian and audio engineer, Maya Cueva, Tales Of The Town hopes to give an in-depth overview of what makes Oakland so special, and inspire others to research the fascinating history of their own hometowns.
Proceeds from the Tales Of The Town album will go towards supporting People’s Programs.
Listen to “Tales Of The Town” wherever you get your podcasts
Stream Tales Of The Town: https://music.empi.re/
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© 2022, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
