Relying primarily on hand to hand circulation, bootlegs and mail order zines, it became a sought-after classic in underground rap circles around the globe.
In spite of the East Coast’s long presumed dominance in hip hop, the Bay has always had a thriving community of MCs, producers, and DJs laying down beats and speaking up from the street. Here’s some nice evidence from 1995: Word of Mouth by San Francisco Street Music delivers energetic, jazz-inflected pieces with a rough edge, like a cassette you picked up off the curb in front of a laundromat. Take it home, pop it in the deck, and be bewildered.
You can pick up a 25th anniversary collector’s edition of the record (released for the first time on vinyl) from Bandcamp or locally at Econo Jam Records.
