Herm Lewis turned his life around from being a street hustler and addict in San Francisco's notorious Hunters Point neighborhood to running his own record label and becoming a motivational speaker. His first compilation, "Trying to Survive in the Ghetto," is a landmark release for San Francisco hip-hop, featuring artists like RBL Posse, Rappin 4-Tay, Cougnut, JT the Bigga Figga and more. In this interview Herm explains how he went from a drug dealer to drug user and turned his life around after a stint in prison. Since then, he's put out several successful compilations and continues to be relevant by speaking on some of Larry June's recent albums.

Rick Rock is a legendary producer whose extensive credits include some of the greatest rappers of all time. He's made hits for 2pac, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Busta Rhymes, Redman, Method Man, Angie Martinez, Spice 1, RBL Posse, Mystikal, Marvaless, and so many more. From his humble beginnings in Alabama, he relocated to the Bay Area after passing a beat to Oakland's Conscious Daughters. That led him moving in with legendary producer Mike Mosely and many amazing opportunities that Rick describes as a dream come true. He was a member of the group Cosmic Slop Shop along with Doonie Baby and Big Lurch, and later went on to co-found the Fairfield group the Federation. As the in-house producer for the Federation, Rick single-handedly created the sound that would spark the hyphy movement. In this interview, he breaks down his approach to creativity, the music business, and the stories behind some of his greatest hits.

History of the Bay Podcast Ep. 21: Champelli is a San Francisco legend who created the beloved "champagne" strain in the 90s, decades ahead of the booming legal cannabis industry that exists today. He talks about how his roots in this culture intersected with clothing design, skateboarding, graffiti, and hip-hop music. While growing and hustling his own product, Champelli also entered the music industry. One of his biggest supporters was Mac Dre, who shouted out Champelli on many of his projects. Champelli also produced "The Mighty Quinn" for San Quinn and put out his own compilations. Although cannabis is now legal for recreational use in California, Champelli ended up facing federal RICO charges. This experience inspired him to advocate for others who have been incarcerated for cannabis and he now promotes his brand legally.

Ceav has been an active graffiti writer since the 1990s. Coming out of Oakland, he was influenced by older writers like Mike Dream and Serf TMP. Known for his original style, tireless work ethic, and large-scale pieces, Ceav tries his best to stay humble, show love to upcoming writers, and continue to do what he loves. At the same time, he doesn't shy away from conflict and breaks down how he's handled graffiti beef over the years. Ceav is also one of the founding members of 640, a crew that's grown in large numbers and put in work all over the Bay Area.

Mike Giant made a name for himself as an artist in the worlds of graffiti, skateboarding, tattoo, streetwear, and fine art. Drawing ever since he was a child, Giant started painting graffiti in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. An opportunity to design at Think Skateboards led him to San Francisco where he relocated in 1993 when the city was a mecca of graffiti, skating, music, and culture. Giant's ambition led him to paint large productions and he eventually traveled the world and established his art around the globe. He later transitioned into tattooing, which led him into streetwear design for Rebel 8, a brand he co-founded. Giant continues to make a living as a full-time artist, selling work online and at galleries. He shares some incredible stories that happened along the way and also discusses how he approaches his style, hustle, and career.  -- Produced by DEO @deo415 and Scino @squadelujah  Videography by King Ced for MVP Productions @mvpkingced and Rocky Vision @rocky__vision

Rocky Rivera is a rapper, journalist, and activist from San Francisco. After her family immigrated from the Philippines, she became immersed in hip-hop culture and grassroots community education. This led Rocky to San Francisco State University where she studied journalism and landed an editor position at Ruckus Magazine, which was a Bay Area media staple during the Hyphy Movement. After auditioning for an MTV reality show, she was given the opportunity to try out for a contributing editor position at Rolling Stone Magazine, which she won. Rocky has also written for outlets like The Source and Mass Appeal, but she challenged the mainstream, male-dominated spaces she found herself in. As a rapper, she expresses her unique voice on the mic and developed an avid fan base that supports her via Patreon. Rocky is a member of the Beatrock Music collective along with her partner Bambu, and she also shares relationship advice for creative couples. She has recently released her first book "Snakeskin" and is currently working on new music.

From Richmond, Mack Magic Mike started rapping in 1982. Along with his partner Calvin T, he sold homemade tapes around the Bay Area and influenced the likes of E-40, Mac Dre, and Mac Mall. Along with Too $hort and Freddy B, Magic Mike and Calvin T are considered some of the first rappers from the Bay Area and possibly the whole west coast. When you hear Magic Mike's music, the style of rapping and production is way ahead of its time and lays the blueprint for the Bay Area sound. Although he and Calvin T were set back by prison bids, Mike is still going hard today for his legacy and feeding international underground fanbase with new music.

Recorded at the legendary Amoeba Music San Francisco, Dregs One and P-Lo break down their early memories of Bay Area rap, talk about P-Lo's rise in the music game, and take questions from listeners and aspiring artists in the audience. P-Lo touches on his early influences, how he met Iamsu and how their crew HBK Gang got their start at the Shmop Fest house parties hosted by Kool John in Richmond. He and Dregs also touch on important tips for up-and-coming musicians who want to make further steps in the industry.

Adisa Banjoko's contributions to hip-hop go back to its beginnings in the Bay Area. He started off as a rapper with the group Freedom Troop 187, who made it into the first unsigned hype column in The Source before disbanding. As a senior at Oceana High in Pacifica, he did Eazy-E's first interview ever for his high school newspaper. From there, he ended up writing for The Source and other acclaimed publications, and encountering 2pac, Digital Underground, Gang Starr, EPMD, Public Enemy, 2 Live Crew, and many others. Adisa's been able to witness so many Bay Area hip-hop stories, including the rise of DJ Vlad and Zion-I.  Notoriously, a disagreement with KRS-One resulted in an explosive confrontation between him and Adisa at Stanford University, which he breaks down in detail in this episode. As the founder of Hip-Hop Chess Federation, he's worked on chess events with RZA and GZA and is now partnering with them on a new organization called 64 Blocks.

Tracey Helton Mitchell is a published author, activist, and a subject of the 1999 HBO documentary "Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End Of The Street." She shares her incredible stories of San Francisco in the 90s, where she ended up strung out on drugs once she arrived in the city. As shown in the documentary, the streets she lived on were far different than today's image of SF . Although she lost many friends along the way, Tracey managed to recover from addiction after a stint in county jail. Decades later, she started writing about her experiences and published her book, "The Big Fix: Life After Heroin." Tracey is still practicing recovery, advocating for overdose prevention, and living a positive lifestyle with her husband and children. This is an inspiring story and one that we hope will let people who are dealing with drug addiction know that it's possible to make positive changes.