BAySL

Hey Oakland/Bay Area, So the other day I get a message from Boris Rogers, I was about to ignore it because I thought he was going to be on some “Big Boi is a better rapper than 3 Stacks” bs, but since he’s the homie I read it. Bluz asked if I could help out his homie who happens to be an ASL interpreter. I was confused at first because the only signs I know are Gang signs, Rap crew signs or curse words from Italian Mafia movies but he then tells me that his friend Melissa is working the Mt. Westmore concert featuring Too Short, Snoop, Ice Cube & E-40. I said “bet” he introduced us through text & Melissa & I set up a call 2 days later.

Two days later, we FaceTime & I see a woman stressed so after the kind greeting she says “I don’t know what the hell this E-40 is saying” 😂😂. I just laughed & said “We’re different in the Bay”

So it was my job to interpret for the interpreter.

Melissa “What is a scraper?”

Me “That’s an older car holding very little value, 4 doors with rims on it & maybe a nice paint job”

Melissa “What’s Hyphy?”

Me- “It’s like Krunk, but the Bay version. A hyperactive action by a person stemming from a dope song, getting money, or anything good happening to you. It also stems from Hyperactive children born in the crack era”

Melissa- “Captain Save A Hoe”

Me- “A Simp, A dude that does too much for a undeserving woman”

Melissa “Oh, like making a ho a housewife?”

Me- “Yeah, Snoop & the Dogg Pound got that from E-40”

We go over songs on the set list like “One love” where I tell her it’s like Nas “One Love” which was a letter to E-40’s homie & jail, “Sprinkle Me” which is like “Dropping Gems” of knowledge or good intentions & “I Hope that I don’t go back” which was basically the feel Michael Corleone & other Gangsters felt when they’re trying to leave the streets behind them but often can’t escape.

The conversation was great, there were a lot of “Ah ha” moments like when I told her “scrappers scrape”There were even words 40 used that I was unsure of bc as we all know 40’s vocabulary is changing every day but we got through it & she did her thing last Sunday.

I’ve been blessed to do a lot of things on stage throughout my career but helping Melissa* out was top 10 of my career.

Thanks Bluz, btw I NEED video of Melissa signing “Tell me when to go” because we worked hard on that song especially Keak’s part. 😂

*- Yes, Melissa’s black & her hip hop knowledge was pretty extensive, she (like many others) just didn’t know our lingo & how influential it was so I was there to let her know while helping out.