Machete Vox - The San Francisco Chronicle

In 2006, Bay Area hip-hop was about to dominate the music industry. People across the country were "going dumb" to E-40 and Keak Da Sneak's chart-topping "Tell Me When to Go." Mistah F.A.B. and the Pack were becoming household names. The hyphy movement - the Bay Area's unique brand of party music-was moving at full force. Inevitably, copycats sprouted, using hyphy as a gimmick to attract listeners. Soon, the music got repetitive and, with less airtime for hyphy artists on local radio stations, the media attention vanished. The Bay Area music scene took a major hit.

With hyphy drifting out of the national spotlight (for now), the Bay Area's independent artists are stepping up. Enter Machete Vox, a new San Francisco record label poised to return the Bay Area to prominence in the post-hyphy world.

Founded by veteran San Francisco rapper/producer Boac and producer DNAEBEATS, the record label has evolved into a small collective of artists who emphasize creative expression rather than following commercial trends. Their sound is raw yet refined, full of obscure samples, synths and tight drums for that signature Bay Area slap, paired with battle-rap bravado and thoughtful, creative sensibilities. "Throw in some intangible extra special something that you can't put your finger on," Boac says, and what you have is Machete Vox. "You can't really explain what it is. We're just better."

Boac isn't being cocky, either. Holding a high standard for quality musicianship, he and DNAE were very selective when choosing their starting lineup, which includes Conceit, winner of last year's YouTube On the Rise Rap Edition, a national competition in which the winner gets a chance to record a single with G-Unit/Interscope, among other prizes; and Z-Man, whose group One Block Radius recently inked a deal with Mercury/Island Def Jam.

Together, Machete Vox just might put San Francisco hip-hop on the national radar again, doing what acclaimed indie labels Stones Throw and Definitive Jux have done for L.A. and New York's respective underground scenes.

Machete Vox Records

 www.machetevox.com

530 Divisadero Street #306
SF CA 94117