Even those Bay Area residents who are normally non-plussed about sports can't ignore the excitement brewing in the days/hours lead up to today's important hometown football game when the San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants in the NFC championship at 3pm (6pm EST) at Candlestick Park. This game is of nail-biting importance for football fans in the Bay since it offers a shot at the Super Bowl for their beloved Niners who are the underdog in today's sold-out game. Artists feeling this excitement that had to express their feelings via hip-hop include such local rap artists as Bailey and his uplifting 49er rap anthem "Who's Got It Better Than Us" and San Francisco collective of Equipto, Baldhead Rick, Shag Nasty, Curt Sak, Ike Plump and Sellassie who, with production from JDef, under the name S.C.O. (Solidarity Co Op) have collaborated on the "49ers Anthem" song "Faithfully" (Solidarity Records). The video for the song above, which was shot in part at The Ave Bar on Ocean Ave in San Francisco, was made by Tony Rain for Strive Films while the song can be downloaded for free here.

Early this morning I caught up with longtime SF hiip-hop head and "Faithfully Niners Anthem" producer JDef (aka self-described "old school JDEF from KCSF/Bomb Mag./Rymskeme/KNT days!") to ask him how he and the guys got the idea for the song and how to structure it? "Basically, I had had this idea for a while. Sampling the Journey song for a Forty-Niner song just seem to go together perfectly. I wanted to really try and get working on it after the Philly game," he explained. "But it kept getting pushed back because of other things and plus I was getting caught up in the moment of each win. I always had Equipto in mind and wasn't sure who else to put on it, I just knew they had to be a "FORTY-NINER FAITHFUL". So one day, I had a recording session with Nim-One (F.M.D. of FM2O) at my studio and we were working on a song feat. Equipto.

While most people today, September 11th, 2011, will be mourning those who perished in the 9/11 attacks a decade ago exactly, many others here in the Bay Area will also be honoring the late great local rap legend Cougnut who died ten years ago in an auto accident on September 4th 2001 and was buried exactly ten years ago to this day on September 11th 2001.

The San Francisco rapper, who was distinguished by his unique raspy voiced flow and engaging, relatable lyrics, was known for his membership of the pioneering San Francisco rap crew IMP (Ill Mannered Posse) who arrived on the rap music scene in 1989 with No Prisoners and are probably best known for  their mid nineties album Ill Mannered Playas on In-A-Minute Records. This afternoon, from noon to 3pm in the East Bay, Cougnut's former IMP potna Baldhead Rick and others will be honor the occasion with the Cougnut 10th Year Anniversary BBQ at Lake Temescal Regional Recreation Area  in Oakland.

"When I first heard the news of his death my reaction: of course was shock, sadness and a loss for the  Bay Area rap scene and the sense that something big was taken was from us," recalled Kerry Huffman Vann - co-owner of Urbanlife Distribution & Rapbay.com who originally got to know the well liked rapper when she worked at the now defunct In-A-Minute Records. Despite his intimidating look and gruff voice Cougnut was a warm and friendly individual. Recalling this day ten years, Huffman Vann continued, "My mom didn't want me to go to the funeral that day. The planes had just hit and there were alerts on Bay Area bridges. I told her I had to go pay my respects. I had to be there. I was sad. I had just spent some time with him a couple weeks prior. He was really coming into his own and ready to shine in his solo career. And somehow, he reminded me of 2Pac."