30 Years of Bored Stiff: Celebrating an SF Hip Hop Legacy with a Documentary
It was a sunny Sunday in the Mission District as fans and San Francisco hip hop royalty lined 16th Street awaiting the premiere of Sounds Like My Life, the story of Bored Stiff. The Roxie theater was sold out, as was this weekend’s showing in Oakland, almost as soon as the premiere date was dropped. Who would have thought that a group of early 90s teenagers from varying San Francisco high schools would be standing out front of the Roxie Theater three decades later with family and children in tow, reflecting on their prominence in global hip hop culture.
The crowd gathers in front of the Roxie Theater. Photo courtesy of JC @Lowerbranch
In the 1990s, while gangster rap dominated the West Coast music industry with groups like N.W.A., and locally, artists like RBL Posse, IMP, and JT The Bigga Figga’s collective the Get Low Playaz, echoed through the Bay Area’s car trunks, there was a crew carving its own path. A small collective of underground artists in San Francisco was quietly crafting a sound that would go on to influence the Bay Area’s hip-hop landscape for decades to come. That collective was Bored Stiff, a group that championed raw lyricism, experimental beats, and a fiercely independent spirit.
I caught up with founding member of Bored Stiff, Mint Rock, for this article who told me, “It was just a special time in hip hop history, and the technology we didn’t have. More organic and having to work for what you wanted. It was exciting to see other artists like Heiro who started around the same time and not much of anyone else doing it, going to the studio and laying tracks on reels and not Pro Tools.”
Before Equipto, K-Dubba (Kwanz), P-Whaley (Pablo), White Mic, Mint Rock, Big Shawn, Lil Shawn, Priz, Ike Plump, TD Camp, Julez, and Jo Jo formed their family, they were in lesser-known groups. Recording on 2 and 4 tracks like The Hoodies “Rice Over BBQ Ribs” (anybody 88-90)? You also had 3 Shades of Rhythm, which consisted of Equipto and P-Way knocking out tracks over TD Camp’s fluid jazz-heavy beats in his bedroom. In the other corner, you had Top Notch, consisting of Mint Rock, Big Shawn, and Lil Shawn, honing their craft. With the addition of White Mic and K-Dub, the family was taking shape.
Everyone shuffled into a smattering of hand smacks, snaps, and errrrrys. Every face that crossed the big screen drew emotion from the crowd. Heads bobbed as the music played, names were shouted out from the packed house. The story of Bored Stiff was being exposed for all, from the deepest of deep roots. The inner crew struggles, triumphs, and unfortunately, the loss of life.
None hit harder than the story of Jo Jo. While not a rapper or producer, he was obviously the stitch that held the fabric of this crew together. It was evident from all the teary eyes in the theater, including my own.
“Somewhere, somehow, someone is going to save us.” K-Dubba. Rest easy.
In the decades since Bored Stiff’s first recordings, San Francisco has transformed almost beyond recognition. I’ve been here, I’ve seen it. Tech giants have replaced mom and pop shops, longtime families have been priced out of their generational homes, and the soul of neighborhoods like the Mission, Lower Haight, and Fillmore has been pushed to the margins. Just peep the Toronado saga. But Bored Stiff never left; they stayed rooted. And now, as gas stations become condos, their story stands as a living, breathing heartbeat of a city that once was and still is, a counterculture for the hip-hop hippies of the 90s, skaters, gangsters, and a voice for the people who are still bobbing their heads to this day.
I’m starting it here, San Francisco needs a Bored Stiff Day. “We can only hope that we’ve inspired and motivated and properly contributed to the craft, art form, and culture of San Francisco hip hop.” Equipto from the Sounds Like My Life documentary.
That’s what made the premiere of Sounds Like My Life at the Roxie Theater so moving. It wasn’t just a film screening or watching your friends do what they have always done. It was a reunion, a celebration, and a peek at the future all at once. A reminder that despite erasure, despite gentrification, despite the grip of capitalism, the culture is still here. Still rhyming. Still resisting. Still Bored Stiff!
A special shout-out to White Mic for hooking me up on the sold-out show. Mint Rock, thanks for filling the gaps and the assist. Follow @soundslikemylife.doc on Instagram. Sac, LA, and Seattle, you’re up next. This is a must-see for everyone. Coming to a film festival near you.
Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
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