History of the Bay Day

On October 19th, hundreds of visitors stopped by the Midway for the second annual History of the Bay Day. Dregs One, a Bay Area artist and host of a podcast with the same name, gives a platform, respects local Bay Area hip-hop legends, and features up-and-coming artists. Artists come from all over the Bay Area, including Vallejo, Oakland, and San Francisco. 

The Midway venue had indoor and outdoor vendors selling clothes, prints, paintings, chains, and various Bay Area merchandise, inspired by transportation and sports teams, such as MUNI, BART, and the SF Giants. On the rooftop patio, the Cloud 415 Lounge, visitors could smoke and shop for marijuana products while eating burgers, pizza, and other food items bought from downstairs in the Bay Cafe.

The event program also allotted time for more serious conversations and discussions about Bay Area history and issues. Dregs One and Chuy Gomez talked briefly about the effects of gentrification in the Bay Area and the incarceration of family members of the community at San Quentin. In an interview panel, Women in Hip Hop, Shay Diddy, DJ Shellheart, and Xarina delved into their stories of breaking into radio, navigating challenges in a predominantly male workspace, and ways they were empowering girls and young women and welcoming them into the industry. 

In an interview with the SF Chronicle, Soul of Mischief’s Tajai remarks on Dregs One’s impact on the Bay Area community, “He’s a scholar and a historian, not just a graffiti artist or a rapper. He’s really doing it and not putting it together from CliffsNotes. He has the actual people behind the history (of hip-hop in the Bay Area).”

The event ultimately served as a community space to learn and celebrate hip-hop culture and history in the Bay Area while also offering a place for community members to gather, shop, and bond on a sunny San Francisco weekend.

You can listen to Dreg One’s podcast here on Spotify, and watch Club Rambutan’s recap of the event below!