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Let’s just come out and say it. When I think about Oakland rap, I touch myself. Look at it this way… they’ve got MC Hammer. Does anything more even need to be said?

Gift of Gab - Photo via delarge.co.uk

Seriously though, between Del, Souls of Mischief, and my newest Oaksterdam darling, Blackalicious, the city’s pretty much got alternative hip hop zipped up. If you’ve somehow made it this far in life and are still under the impression that hip hop isn’t your thing, I would encourage you to check out the sweet sounds of the underground. This might seem hard to believe at first, but… it’s not all about money, cars and clothes. Or killing people. Although sometimes still about that.

Listen, I wore a leather jacket with spikes in it for years. And now I hate music white people make! If I could make the change, anyone can.

An associate of mine recently tipped me off about Blackalicious — a duo made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ Chief Xcel. They’re almost a perfect hybrid of Jurassic 5 and the Hieroglyphics, along with plenty of their own creative quirks to set them apart. Absolutely worth checking out.