Folks who listen to Jordan, Jesse Go! already know about Grad School Music superstar Ashkon and his international mega-hit Hot Tubbin’. But what about Richie Cunning?
Richie’s a San Francisco native — he was Richard when he was my classmate in high school — and he’s repping hard these days, with a new track called The City that shouts out the N Judah and whatnot.
But if you’re wondering if this dude can really spit, check out these tracks recorded live on KPFA’s legendary hip-hop radio show The Drum with Kevvy Kev. The Drum’s in its THIRTIETH year of broadcasting hip-hop to the Yay Area late Friday nights. Richie destroys two freestyles here. It’s really difficult to get closer to my heart than by alluding to both Common’s first album and 1989 National League MVP Kevin Mitchell in one song.
“Lemme read off the trivia card / who the ill cat still rappin’ gritty & hard? / Go ‘head, take a min… give up? Here’s a hint: Rich C, OG from the City of Fog / Dog, I was solo smashin back when Wild 104 was 107 / Back when Jerry and Joe were Bay Area legends / Back when left field wasn’t Barry, it was Kevin“