How Sounds Underground Showcase Elevated the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop
Sounds Underground Showcased 17 Bay Area Artists at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall on Thursday, August 17th, 2023.
The Sounds Underground Showcase was curated by Taylor Nanz and Opal Franklin, as they brought 17 artists from across the Bay Area together at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall during Cal’s Golden Bear Orientation Night. In partnership with Cal Performances, they curated a show highlighting song, rap, & spoken word, featuring both students and local artists.
Taylor Nanz is the Founder of Solid Grounds, a community that designs and manages culture-forward events called Coffee & Conversations, which are bespoke experiences and activations across the country. Solid Grounds’ first event was at AfroTech in Austin, TX with a conversation around working in tech as Black women. Throughout 2023, Taylor has used her brand immersion expertise to build mutually beneficial partnerships with organizations of all sizes.
That caught the attention of Opal, a curator of cultural discourse and community events, who reached out to collaborate. Opal is the Founder of StoryNoir, an Oakland-based podcast and digital platform for listeners to learn about the intricacies of adoption, birth & foster care.
Opal previously curated events for UC Davis Student Housing as well as Contra Costa College, so together, they contracted with UC Berkeley to curate Sounds Underground for 3,000 incoming freshman, transfer and 1st year students. There was a competitive element amongst the performers, as well as over $1,000.00 worth of giveaways and swag for the students. Audience members were able to engage with the performers on their phones, voting for their favorite performance and in exchange, winning prizes throughout the night.
The intention of Sounds Underground was to have it be community-focused, as this subset of students is slated to be at Berkeley for 2–4 years plus. The call for artists was across avenues, as Taylor and Opal asked friends, community members from local open mic-nites, colleagues, and other loved ones who we knew would make this a night to remember. They were met with over 100 applicants, and dwindled it down to 17 performers. Each performer was amazing in their own rite, and was kept in mind for future events.
There was an outpouring of support Sounds Underground received from the community after announcing the event. Karease W. (@kwills_45) and Langstyn Williams, founder of Nēgus in Nature, hosted both parts of the show. Ignacia (@djignacia) of Inverted Perceptions DJ’d and worked in collaboration with the artists to playback their tracks and add her flair. Jess Tarantino (@shotbyjesstarantino) was the amazing videographer and Alexis Floyd (@aleexisflyd) photographed everyone’s angles. Volunteers helped coordinate the visuals, set up swag tables, send out messaging, stage manage and so many more important elements. Taylor and Opal are forever grateful for the entire community who showed up and continues to support.
The artist lineup spanned across genres in all forms. Song, rap, & spoken word were just some of the elements they brought forth. Deva Rani (@devaraniii) is an artist from Oakland, and a rising senior at UC Berkeley, so she brought support from the student population. Dr. Bini Sebastian (@binisebastian) is a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley and uses art as a medium to explore identity, liberation, spirituality, connection to nature, and healing intergenerational trauma. Farbod Moridani (@mynameisfarbod) went to Boalt Hall 20 years ago and made mention how surreal it was to be back at Cal after a successful career as a corporate lawyer. The crowd was yet to experience such greatness.
Cocoa Keys (@the_cocoa_keys) is a sister duo from Los Angeles bringing a unique blend of jazz infused neo-soul with a modern pop twist. Their music can be heard across the Bay Area at co-working spaces, wine festivals and live events.
Spoken word and poetry were present. Tristan Marcelle (@tristanmarcelle) is an alternative R&B singer and songwriter from Louisville, KY. As a classically trained violist and jazz vocalist, she experiments with a blend of influences that range from Sarah Vaughan to Aaliyah.
The Mix Up (@_the.mixup) brought us live instrumentals with mesmerizing vibes hailed from Stockton and Tracy. This eclectic six-member band seamlessly blends elements of progressive, psychedelic, neo-soul, alternative jazz, and blues, creating a genre-defying sonic experience that pushes the boundaries of imagination.
Naliyah “Tha ILL Nai” Williams (@thaillnai) is a southern-born peach with Oakland roots. She describes herself as a colorful young woman promoting a positive image of Black women in their entirety and brings attention to her and other’s experiences in life that may have been overlooked. Her art aims to change the narrative, and the stereotypical representation of black women in the media.
Pap1 Grand3 (@pap1grand3) has showcased his work at over 100 open mics in less than a year. Notably, he became a 2023 Berkeley Poetry Slam Team member, placing 3rd at the 2023 Bigfoot Regional Poetry Slam festival in Portland, OR.
Hip-hop turned 50 during the week of the show, so the call for Bay-Area rappers spanned far and wide. Through photography, video, art, music, dance and fashion, each artist explored how Hip-Hop provides a platform for creative self-expression, activism, and positive social change for the students. UC Berkeley started offering a new course called “Nicki Minaj: The Black Barbie Femmecee & Hip Hop Feminisms,” that explores the historical-social structures and women’s impact on hip-hop throughout history. This course is offered through the Africana Studies Department.
BounceGOD (@bouncegodCJ) is a producer, artist and engineer from Newark, CA and showcased his catalog that features rock, EDM and hip-hop.
Gease & Friends (@gease415) feature Gease, Zaldy Water & FreeWorldTakeover. They are artists born and raised in San Francisco and perform across the Bay Area.
Gr8tness (@theydontnowant) is a hip-hop artist from Richmond and started making music at 9 and started writing and recording at 14. Today, the music he produces encourages listeners to not give up.
Sonny Souf (@sonny.souf) represents hip-hop with his rhyme schemes, content, delivery and punchlines. He strives to become the artists that inspired him.
Midi Sol @midi.sol) is a rapper from Concord. Though he was born and raised in the Bay where he was influenced by legends like E40 and Mac Dre, his biggest inspiration is Outkast due to their unique sound and ability to experiment with music regardless of what was popular at the time.
Enon (@failuresadvocate) is described as a psychedelic hip-hop & R&B artist from Oakland. He features a high energy, lyrically poetic style over wavy, hard hitting instrumentals.
Deja Carter (@bbyfcecuhh) is a hip-hop artist from San Jose who proudly represented her city on stage and through her music.
Armani Cemone (@armanicemone) is a rapper, singer and songwriting duo from the Bay Area. They’ve been creating music together since 2019. Their sound switches from R&B ballads to upbeat songs with ease and have a unique ability to make you vibe with their music no matter if the subject is money, partying, love, life or relationships.
The artists’ stage lighting was intentionally curated with their vibe in mind. The competition element of the show made for the artists putting careful thought into their 6–8 minute set. After all, they were gracing the same stage as the likes of Alvin Ailey Productions, India Arie and Audra McDonald, just to name a few. Tedx Berkeley is hosted at Zellerbach Hall, so this was set to be a night to remember.
Audience engagement was on 10, as they were called to follow each artist and keep up with their journey while at Berkeley and beyond. Langstyn and Karease got the crowd pumped up and ready to vote for their favorite performance at the end of the show.
Alien Mac Kitty (@alienmackitty) won the showcase! A.M.K describes herself as the “Hyphy Badu” and makes music for different types of beings. She is here to “shift and uplift” with spiritual vibes mixed with fun visuals, cartwheels in her music videos and huge personality. Her single, “Ain’t on Me” is available on streaming platforms. She took the audience by storm and was supported by close friends and family backstage.
The entire Sounds Underground experience was just the start to something great. While students are encouraged to keep up with the artists, readers are as well.
Taylor and I are continually seeking support for these ventures. The best way to keep up with Taylor is via the Solid Grounds Newsletter and on Instagram.
The best way to support StoryNoir is to listen to the podcast (Spotify, Apple) and rating the show.
Much gratitude to Cal Performances, UC Berkeley Late Night Team, each performer, the creatives, all volunteers and supporters of the show.
