The HipHopHumboldt Podcast

For Episode 76 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Professor Funk! Well known for his Drum & Bass production and DJ skills, we talked about how Professor Funk started learning and playing Drum & Bass down in the Bay and brought his talents up to Humboldt County years ago! This episode was really a lesson for me, I learned a lot about Drum & Bass that...

For Episode 75 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the priviledge to interview one of my favorite groups, The Neighborhood Kids! We talked about their influences, what it was like making their "Every Child Left Behind" album, we talked about their "Voice Of The Revolution" album that came out a few weeks ago, and the Voice Of The Revolution Tour they have been on! It was amazi...

For Episode 74 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing ThatFool AL, Cali Los Mikyo, and Ra MHTP, who all came in to talk about their album that just dropped, "Branches"! We talked about the process involved with creating the album, insights about the music industry, marketing in the modern age, and so much more. We also got to preview the album on the show! The...

For Episode 73 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Verge and Hermit Crab, also known as Gladys! We talked about how they came together, the process involved in making the music, their previous appearances, and what they have coming! mentaLCAse was also in the studio chopping it up. There was a lot of discussion on the craft itself, how people consume the music nowaday...

For Episode 72 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the honor to be able to interview one of my favorite artists around here, Dre Meza! We talked about what it was like growing up for Dre down in Oceanview, what life was like when he moved to rural Northern Cali, and then him coming up to Humboldt and the impact Humboldt has had on him! From working for the CCC, to being an artist, a musician, to...

For Episode 71 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the privilege of being able to interview Dr. Butch Ware, California's Green Party gubernatorial candidate! It was an amazing conversation. We talked about his VP run, his current campaign policies from homelessness to ICE, local issues such as Indigenous sovereignty and free speech on campus, and we even got into a conversation about Hip Hop! Som...

For Episode 70 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I sat down with Rick Toledo to discuss the bogus charges he has received for supporting the students engaging in the most recent sit in at Nelson Hall on campus. Shoutout to The HipHopHumboldt Podcast’s sponsors!:Center for Natural MedicineThe SkullFACE Projectand last but not least,GRAB some HipHopHumboldt Gear at Express Smoke Shop in Arcata right of...

For Episode 69 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the privilege to interview 2 students from Cal Poly Humboldt who were willing to speak about the last 2 sit in protests that happened in February 2026 on campus in Arcata. We spoke about the Ethical Investment Declaration, how the first sit-in went, how the second sit-in went, and a lot about the failures of the University to listen to and honor...

For Episode 68 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing local activist and community builder, Rick Toledo! Rick has been doing great work for our community on campus and off. He has been organizing with the Humboldt chapter of Students For A Democratic Society at Cal Poly for the last few years, and we spoke about some interesting topics! Rick talked to us about the Occupy...

For Episode 67 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I interviewed Kai Sway! Kai Sway is Humboldt County born and raised, and we talked about his influences, how he started making music back in high school, and what he's listening to now! We also got into other topics such as the business side of the game, AI, and more! The homie mentaLCAse also slid thru to bless the pod. It was a great conversation...

For Episode 66 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brad Zerman, owner and CEO of Seven Point, a dispensary/lounge located in Danville, Illinois! It was great to talk to Brad and hear what is happening with the cannabis industry out in the Midwest. Brad and I spoke about his dispensary, and his team's focusing on building relationships in his community to foster mo...

For Episode 65 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I was able to check in with Amari J to talk about his Voice Of The Youth Project! It was amazing to hear the positive things that the Voice Of The Youth Project has been doing for kids and school in The Bay Area. Amari J talked about some real situations including some children that we've lost way too soon. We also discussed the work he has been do...

This is a special one! For Episode 64 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the honor of interviewing Blueprint! Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Blueprint has done work with RJD2, Rhymesayers, Illogic, and more! During the interview, we talked about Blueprint’s influences, how he got started making music, and his path to becoming one of the best producer/emcees to ever bless a mic! We talked about his...

For Episode 63 of the HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I sat down with ThatFoolAl, a rising star who came to Humboldt from San Jose! ThatFoolAl talked about his early influences with music, what it was like growing up in San Jose, and about his journey making music with friends in The Bay! He also spoke about what led him to Humboldt County, and what he's doing now, including his community work through the...

For Episode 62 of the HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amari J! Amari J hails from The Bay and has been doing some amazing work to move the bar forward, including a solid catalog, and some very commendable community work! We spoke on where Amari J is from, his influences, his music, his path with the music, and the major efforts he has been putting into his community thro...

Welcome to HipHopHumboldt, the Humboldt County hip hop podcast where Al Bear and Dave dive deep into the vibrant world of hip hop culture, art, and community. Each episode brings you engaging conversations with artists, musicians, and creators who are shaping the scene. In this episode, hosted by Al Bear, we step out of the studio and into the garage for a raw, unfiltered chat with graffiti legend...

For Episode 60 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, Al Bear sat down with one of the most talented, multi-talented, beautiful inside and out artists to bless Humboldt County in years, B.Writes! They talked about how B.Writes came up, what she was doing before Humboldt County, her creative process, the differences between dancing and singing, and they touched on a lot of the shows and work she has done!...

For Episode 59 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, Al Bear sat down with Chi aka @MusicByChyona and they had a great conversation! They talked about Chi's art, her thoughts on the craft, her goals, and where she's going! Chi is doing some big things and collaborating in this community with some really talented people. Keep an eye on this rising star! And keep an eye out for more episodes from HipHopHum...

For Episode 58 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, Al Bear interviewed 5am! 5am owns & operates True Star Studios out of Humboldt County, he produces for artists looking for high quality beats and professional-level mixing. On the pod, Al Bear and 5am discussed how 5am got into the game, and what he has been doing - including getting hits on the Billboard 100! They got into family life, local Hip H...

What an incredible episode, what an incredible person to have bless The HipHopHumboldt Podcast with his time! I'm talking none other than Verge. This episode is a very thorough look at an important local emcee. Verge grew up in the Santa Ana are of Southern California and had a very profound set of stories to tell the audience in this episode. He truly made himself vulnerable for the pod, and I ap...

For Episode 56 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, Al Bear sat down with Wierdo! They talked about Wierdo's past before the music, how his path led to making music, the City Hippie days, and days since! They talked about the history, relationships, life events, and other things that shaped Wierdo's impeccable fashion and music styles. After a spring and summer hiatus, this is definitely the epi...

For this episode of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure to do an interview with one of my favorite artists, Cali Los Mikyo! It was great to get into his history, where he grew up, and how he got into the local scene. We got into some stories from years back, and a lot of discussion about how Cali Los Mikyo is paving the way for youth to have better outcomes in Humboldt County. During th...

For Episode 54 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, Al Bear sat down with local musician and radio personality, Rhi Marie! Episode available now on Spotify and YouTube Today's episode we got the talented Rhi Marie! We touched on her new single Butterfly Souls, we talked about her influences, growing up in San Diego, and we also tapped into how she got to have her own radio show The Ghetto Time Machine!...

For Episode 53 of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, I had the pleasure to sit down in the studio with Kemistree! Kemistree has been doing hip hop for a while, and has been doing shows in Humboldt since before the pandemic. During the episode, we talked about Kemistree's history starting off in music and growing up on the East Coast. Kemistree got into how she came out here and started navigated the...

For this episode of The HipHopHumboldt Podcast, we're taking it across the globe! I had the pleasure to interview one of the founders of Yeo Records, CJ! CJ is located in Great Britain, so this was a Zoom interview. CJ co-founded Yeo Records alongside local artist and producer, Cusa X. People may not know, but Yeo Records is the sister company of Eureka Florist and a sponsor of The HipHopHumbo...