Cozmo is a rapper/producer who grew up in San Francisco and Marin. He got his start working with local artists like 51.50, Killa Tay, San Quinn and Messy Marv. After producing on some of Quinn's biggest albums, Cozmo landed a placement with the legendary Scarface. This led to making beats for countless artists like Dipset, The Game, Trina, Devin the Dude, and Nipsey Hussle. Cozmo earned a gold record with Wiz Khalifa's "King of Everything" and produced a platinum song for Berner, who he's worked with over the course of Berner's entire career. Cozmo also released his solo albums "Coz Pacino" in ..read more

*** To see all the graphics described in this podcast, watch the video version on Spotify or YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZErUFFA8SR0 *** In his first on-camera interview, Shemp of Photo Doctor Graphics reviews prints and posters from his portfolio of legendary album cover designs. Starting off as a rapper-producer in the Funky Fresh Sex Crew, he began designing covers for his friends using scanners and copy machines. This led him to work with Don Toriano of Fully Loaded, San Quinn, and Done Deal Entertainment. Inspired by early Bay rap covers, Oakland's Phunky Phat Graph-X, and especially Pen &a ..read more

Dubee is a respected rapper from Vallejo's Crestside neighborhood who was one of Mac Dre's closest associates. Turning down a football scholarship to pursue a record deal with Khayree's Young Black Brotha Records, he released his debut album "AKA Sugawolf" in 1996. From there he became part of the group Cutthoat Committee along with Dre and PSD. Dubee released albums on Thizz Entertainment in production with Wash House Music and was featured heavily in the Treal TV DVD series. After being implicated in a federal case by one of his closest friends, Dubee served a prison stint in 2013. Since his ..read more

Larussell is one of the most dynamic rappers to come out of the Bay Area. In a short period of time, he has gained millions of followers and a national spotlight for his music and innovative approach to the industry. Growing up in Vallejo, Larussell was heavily influenced by the Bay Area sound while staying true to his authentic self. The result is a refreshingly honest, thought-provoking style of hip-hop that has attracted a diehard audience through countless viral clips on social media. With his collective Good Compenny, Larussell has innovated new ways to share his music. Achieving unpreced ..read more

Locksmith is considered one of the best lyricists to ever come out of the Bay Area. Growing up in Richmond, he co-founded the group The Frontline in the late 90s. Frontline blew up with the help of E-A-Ski's production and landed a record deal. This propelled them to the forefront of what would be termed "The New Bay," and eventually the Hyphy Movement. Locksmith also sharpened his reputation as a battle rapper, participating in freestyle battles against other local legends like Mistah FAB and Clyde Carson. After his groupmate Left put music to the side to pursue a career in education at UC Be ..read more

Slimmy B is 1/4 of the multi-platinum group SOB X RBE. Growing up in Vallejo's Crestside neighborhood, the home of Mac Dre, Slimmy was heavily influenced by Bay Area rap. Shortly after making their first songs in high school, SOB X RBE blew up on a national level. Touring the country and collaborating with artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lil Yachty, the group quickly shot to superstardom. This was short-lived as internal disputes led SOB X RBE to split up. This has not stopped Slimmy's hustle and he has dropped several solo projects over the years. Focusing on music over street politics, Slimm ..read more

Growing up in Vallejo's Crestside neighborhood, Kilo Curt is an original member of the notorious Romper Room Crew and was Mac Dre's right-hand man. As a teenager, Kilo's crew became involved in a string of bank robberies that led to a federal investigation just as Mac Dre's career started taking off. Along with Dre and J-Diggs, Kilo was arrested by the FBI in Fresno and charged with conspiracy and attempted bank robbery. After surviving 10 years in the federal prison, including an intense riot over crack-cocaine sentencing laws, Kilo was released just as Mac Dre was starting Thizz Entertainmen ..read more

Hailing from the Central Coast town of Seaside, Stretch has played an integral role in the Bay Area music industry for decades. Starting out as a co-founder of a local record label and music store owner, Stretch began booking Bay rappers to perform in his hometown. One of those was the legendary Mac Dre, who tapped Stretch to help him run Thizz Entertainment and get Thizz Nation off the ground. After Dre's passing, Stretch worked with Mistah Fab and the spin-off companies Town Thizzness and Thizz City. From there, Stretch became a partner of SMC Recording's Will Bronson and co-founded Active M ..read more

Messy Marv is one of the most popular artists to ever come out of the Bay Area. His career has often been overshadowed by controversy, beef, and incarceration. In this exclusive interview via phone from jail, Mess gives his first update in almost 5 years to let his fans know that he will be home soon and is ready to move forward from his past setbacks and conflicts. We cover his incredible life story from the beginning and his entire career history, which includes working with countless legendary artists from the Bay and beyond. Let's give this legend the support he needs - FREE MESSY MARV ..read more

Formerly known as Erk Tha Jerk, Kevin Allen is a rapper, producer, and photographer who's played a pivotal role in Bay Area hip-hop for the last 20 years. Growing up in Richmond but moving around Oakland, he got into hip hop in high school and started releasing music in the early days of MySpace and Twitter. His 2009 single "Right Here" went from the internet to constant radio play on KMEL, leading to a distribution deal with SMC for his debut album "Nerd's Eye View." Since then he has become a professional photographer and also co-founded the artist collective Grand Nationxl, which is continu ..read more