Matt's Writing

Daveed Diggs released his music video for Fresh From the Hood , the first track on his mixtape Small Things to a Giant . It features shots all throughout Oakland, starting with him and members of the Getback on BART, and then shots at Lake Merritt and other spots in Oakland. He also has a section in the middle of the video where he mimics famous album covers from Tupac, Jay-Z, Biggie, and Lil Wayne. Check out the video: Also check out my review of his mixtape Small Things to a Giant .

How many Oakland hip-hop artists fill their tracks with Gertrude Stein references and turn nursery rhymes into extended political allegories? How many tackle issues of gentrification in Oakland? Can't think of any? Let me introduce you to Daveed Diggs. His free mixtape Small Things to A Giant shows that a new giant has stepped on to Oakland’s trend-setting hip hop scene. <p><p><p><p><p><p>&am...

My interview with Oakland poet and playwright Chinaka Hodge was published on the literary website the Rumpus today. Click here for the interview . Chinaka is known for her Def Poetry Jam appearances and play Mirrors in Every Corner . But her writing and artistic talents are wide-ranging, and include some pretty dope tracks with the Getback Crew :