A Bay Area summer dance tradition returns! SOUL SLAM SF 7: Michael Jackson & Prince rocks the Mezzanine in San Francisco on Saturday, June, 9th with DJ SPINNA spinning the best of both Michael Jackson (and his Royal Clan: Jackson 5, Janet Jackson, Jermaine, Rebbie, MJ covers, and more) and Prince (and all his Disciples: Sheila E, The Time, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Alexander O'Neal, Vanity 6, Apolonia, Morris Day, and more).

While it's not a "battle," DJ Spinna plays MJ and Prince back to back to see who reigns supreme on the dance floor. Whether you're a Michael Jackson fanatic or a Prince afficionado, your feet will be begging for mercy on the dancefloor during SOUL SLAM!

Halloween may not be until Monday but the festivities are already well underway around the Bay Area. This past weekend there were numerous Halloween themed events but this weekend is when things kick into full gear with tons of events happening. This Amoeblog is a general guide to concerts and entertainment for Halloween in the Bay, 2011 for both adults and kids.

First up is the Amoeba sponsored SHOCK-IT-TO-ME! HALLOWEEN SPOOKENANNY at San Francisco's Café Du Nord on Monday, Halloween night. Beginning at 9pm it promises to be "the most insidious show in San Francisco this Ghoultide Season! Bringing back a real sense of old skool All-Hallows-Eve fun" with "a monstrous fright night of horror hosts, maniacal music, creepy contests, and more tricks ‘n treats than you can shake a bloody stake at!" For full details read the in-depth Amoeblog.

Also on Halloween night, Monday October 31st, is the big Live 105 sponsored Subsonic Halloween Ball at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco with 2 Many DJs, Fake Blood, Dyloot, Party Ben and many more. At the same Sutter & Van Ness venue two nights earlier is Halloween Massive 2011 - a costume party with hip-hop and house music, giveaways, and prizes. More info on both nights here. Saturday's party starts at 9pm. Monday's starts at 7pm. Regency Ballroom is located at 1290 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109.

As some of those who know me know, I used to work in the movie department here at Amoeba Hollywood. I was assigned to Black Cinema and Latino Cinema. You could say they were my beat. But I was a bit of a lone wolf who played by my own rules. But after one too many high-profile disasters, the sarge stuck me with a desk job, writing this blog. But I still take interest in my old neighborhood and some (OK one) of the customers still tell me to come back... he also gave me a couple of candy canes for Christmas which (since I don't much like sweets) sit in the guampa on my desk. They're yours if you want 'em. ,

Anyway, so the mezzanine just went through a major overhaul, which I had/got to be a part of...


Occasionally, when something big like this goes down, the powers that be will promise me some nice change if I bust the right brains. Or, to paraphrase Sean P, "They callin' me to come back to the streets, Eric B, a.k.a 'Sharp Crease'/Said it was necessary, these sucka weddoz out here very scary/They comin' whole they livin' in the month of February" to which I replied, "OK den." Also I was promised pizza. More about that later.

1) Eyedea & Abilities By The Throat (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

2) Awol One & Factor Owl Hours (Fake Four Inc)

3) Twista Category F5 (GMG/Get Money Gang/EMI)

4) Yukmouth The West Coast Don (Smoke-A-Lot/RBC Records)

5) Biz Markie Ultimate Diabolical (Traffic Entertainment)

6) MHZ Table Scraps (Man Bites Dog Records)

Classic Hip-Hop Album Reissue:

The Beastie Boys Ill Communication (Capitol) (originally released in '94 -- extra tracks)

Super-duper thanks to Luis -- the hip-hop buyer at Amoeba Music San Francisco -- for providing this week's Top Six chart of the new hip-hop sellers at the Haight Street store, in both text and video formats. In the number one slot with a bullet is the new By The Throat album from Eyedea & Abilities, on which Michael "Eyedea" Larsen (aka Oliver Hart) demonstrates the mad mic skills that won him his rep as a killer freestyle battle rapper. Meanwhile, his partner, DMC champ DJ Abilities (Gregory Keltgen), has truly come into his own as a powerful producer with turntable skills to match. Fans of the duo should note that they are on the Rock The Bells tour, which will be stopping in SoCal at the San Manuel Amphitheatre in San Bernardino on August 8th and in the Bay Area the next day, August 9th, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View.