After having the plug pulled prematurely on the concert he was a part of last Saturday at the Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival in Norfolk VA where authorities charged him with "abusive language" (apparently for uttering the lyrics "What the fuck" during one of his songs),  Boots Riley of The Coup has issued a statement saying that the local authorities' charges against him are "racially motivated."

The obscure local Virginia law, on the books as # 18.2-416, has never before now been applied to a performer, nor has it been enforced against anyone in over 25 years.   But yet the city of Norfok is determined in pressing forward with the charges against the visiting Oakland emcee.

"City Officials claim that they are making the statement that profanity will not be tolerated," said Boots Riley in a prepared statement sent out yesterday by his label. "Obviously, since no one has been charged with this in 26 years, profanity IS tolerated. The statement they are making is that the culture and the people they feel I represent won't be tolerated. I was already off stage; the man they asked to leave the stage was Trombone Shorty, another Black man who looks nothing like me."

"This happened at 10PM, and it was far from a 'family' atmosphere, most of the audience was intoxicated after drinking at the festival's bar -- 'The Missing Kidney.' There was also a VIP section where free alcohol was distributed by the keg. Anyone who has been to a music festival on a Saturday night understands the scene. I did not leave the park afterward, as was claimed by FestEvents, the organizers of the Bayou Boogaloo Festival. I stayed and debated the validity of the charge with police and festival promoters. It is clear that this is part of a larger debate that has nothing to do with profanity, one that is being dealt with nationwide. That debate is about racism, gentrification and the ownership of public space."

This evening Amoeba Music San Francisco will welcome hometown turntable master DJ Quest who, in celebration of his recently released new album Questolous (ZQ Records),  will take to the stage of the Haight Street Amoeba location at 6PM for a free instore performance. Joining the veteran San Francisco turntablist onstage at Amoeba will be some of the collaborators on the new album including Eddie K, Luke Sick, Bas-1, DJ Oaty Love, DJ 2 Fresh and Dawgisht along with emcee Apostle this evening.

An established battle DJ and performing artist, DJ Quest's long list of accolades include his membership of the historic early nineties SF turntablist crew the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters with Eddie Def & DJ Cue, who produced the first ever DJ battle record (Hamster Breaks) and who in later years morphed into the Space Travelers (aka Bullet Proof Space Travelers) -- adding DJ Marz, & emcee Eddie K to the lineup. In more recent years he has won praise as the turntable musician in the critically acclaimed envelope-pushing jazz trio Live Human (with bassist Andrew Kushin & percussionist Albert Mathias).

Super unique & talented, albeit generally slept-on, longtime San Francisco emcee  Z-Man flew out to New York City last week to do a couple of gigs including opening for the Alkaholiks at the Knitting Factory last Thursday (4/10) when the Gurp City former 99th Demention emcee, down with the Hieros, totally wrecked it on the mic (pictured left), much to the delight of the numerous San Fran transplants in the NYC audience that night, proudly representing in their SF Giants gear (no doubt they showed up to see both Z-Man and the other SF rapper on the bill Starski who is on the current LIKS tour).

 Z-Man, as well as pleasing fans, managed to convert many East Coast-ers unfamiliar to Z-Dazzle's fluency in the Bay Area spun Gurp City** slanguage (word billy) for a tight set that included his song "OJ Simpson & Courtney Love."  A great set, with DJ Thanksgiving Brown ably backing up the MC, from a true lyrical talent who I rate up there with E40 and the late Mac Dre when it comes to being a truly creative wordsmith, creating new words and always telling stories in a most engaging way -- a far cry from the usual tired clichés that pass as rap/hop-hop these days. For proof, pick up his CD "Dope or Dog Food" (Refill/Hiero - 2002) or any of the other releases of his available at Amoeba including his "Z-Mutiny" 12" vinyl release.  Z-Man never disappoints.

 Amoeba Music Hollywood has one highly recommended free instore performance today when producer/remixer/rapper and hip-hop legend Pete Rock graces the stage of the 6400 Sunset Blvd store at 7PM for a free show. For full details on the Mt. Vernon, NY hip-hop great, whose new joint is the appropriately titled NY's Finest -- a guest-heavy production that among others includes Wu Tang Clan's Raekwon and Masta Killa.  Check out the insightful, in-depth bio on Pete Rock (including his influential years with musical partner CL Smooth, with whom he recorded one of hip-hop's greatest songs - the classic "T.R.O.Y." - among others) elsewhere on the Amoeba website by clicking here. 

Remember tonight's Hollywood Amoeba instore starts at 7PM sharp so get there on time if you are planning on heading over.  Meantime check out the electronic press kit video of NY's Finest below.




Another new hip-hop full-length release and one that I highly recommend is Questolous by longtime San Francisco turntablist DJ Quest of the Bulletproof Scratch Hamster/Space Travelers and Live Human fame who tomorrow (April 1st) drops this, his first solo album since he dropped Questside seven years ago.  Questolous is an amazing hip-hop album, rich with scratch mastery from the pioneering Bay Area scratchmaster Quest plus his numerous guests including DJ Marz (Space Travelers), DJ Vandal, Oaty Love, Dawgshit, and DJ T-Rock, who each add either scratching or production to the sixteen track offering that also features the three Bay Area emcees Luke Sick, Bas-One, and Eddie K, each on their own tracks.  If you love hip-hop but have gotten sick of much of what passes for hip-hop in recent years, this is an album you should really like.