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<\/p>\nThe term hyphy<\/i> may be attributed to rapper Keak da Sneak; he did, after all, score the first hit single in that hip-hop style with 2005\u2019s \u201cSuper Hyphy.\u201d But that record\u2019s producer \u2013 and the first person to create hyphy music \u2013 was San Jose\u2019s own Traxamillion. A passionate and dedicated advocate of the Bay Area music scene, Trax (born Sultan Banks) produced dozens of singles and a half dozen albums, all built upon the mission of promoting local artists. But in 2022 Traxamillion\u2019s life and career were tragically cut short when he was struck down by nasopharyngeal cancer.<\/p>\n
In celebration of Traxamillion\u2019s life, work and dedication to Bay Area culture, fans and friends have organized the Traxamillion Legacy Showcase and Benefit Concert. The event happens Saturday, Feb. 24 at Jackie\u2019s Place, and proceeds will benefit community initiatives and cancer charities.<\/p>\n
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Alex Jimenez is one of the event\u2019s organizers, and he knew Traxamillion well. \u201cI was there with him when he transitioned from being a radio\/club-type producer,\u201d he recalls. \u201cMusic you would play in the club: that was his sound.\u201d Jimenez says that when Traxamillion met Keak, \u201che already had a new beat in mind for him.\u201d That beat would come to be known as hyphy, and Trax\u2019s production of \u201cSuper Hyphy\u201d would eventually earn a place in Rolling Stone<\/i>\u2019s list of The 100 Greatest West Coast Hip-Hop Songs of All Time.<\/p>\n
Jimenez explains what he believes set hyphy apart from other hip-hop styles. \u201cNo rules, and less structure,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd the singles didn\u2019t have to be pop-sounding.\u201d It wasn\u2019t East Coast, and it wasn\u2019t exactly West Coast. It was emblematic of a very specific region. Jimenez says that the energetic hyphy style \u201callowed the Bay Area guys to have their own lane, one where they could be themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything about hyphy encouraged listeners to do more than just listen. \u201cI grew up in the hyphy movement,\u201d says Kiana Jackson, another organizer of the upcoming Traxamillion event. She recalls the trademark reaction to the music: \u201cShaking of the locks, \u2018going dumb,\u2019 and side-show-type dance moves.\u201d Jackson says that hyphy \u201cbridged the gap between the sound, music and energy of the Bay Area. Once that beat dropped, you knew, \u2018Okay, that\u2019s coming from the Bay.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Jimenez agrees: \u201cThe whole point of hyphy is to lose yourself in the music,\u201d he says. \u201cGoing dumb is losing inhibitions, literally not caring what other people are thinking, and just having fun.\u201d And Traxamillion was at the forefront of the burgeoning scene. Jimenez emphasizes just how much hyphy was a product of the Bay Area: \u201cThe three pioneers were Traxamillion, Rick Rock and E-40\u2019s son Droop-E,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the thing is, they weren\u2019t working together.\u201d Each artist arrived at a similar destination by capturing what was in the zeitgeist locally.<\/p>\n
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A high point of Traxamillion\u2019s work was his 2016 release The Tech Boom<\/i>. That album was specifically curated to showcase the creative scene in San Jose. \u201cEverything about it \u2013 from the design work to the videographers \u2013 was by San Jose artists,\u201d Jimenez says.<\/p>\n
Some around Trax had their doubts that the project was even viable. \u201cMe and PK [Trax\u2019s manager Prashant Kumar] were like, \u2018This is not going to make any money,\u2019\u201d Jimenez admits. \u201cBut that wasn\u2019t the point for Traxamillion. His idea was, \u2018Let me prove to you that there are good artists here who make records just as good as those other guys nationwide.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
But while Traxamillion made a point of promoting his hometown scene, Jimenez says that the man himself never got the recognition he<\/i> so richly deserved. \u201cI\u2019ll be singing this until the day I die,\u201d he says. \u201cHe never got the credit. Too often it\u2019s not until someone\u2019s passed away that we celebrate them.\u201d Jimenez believes that Traxamillion wasn\u2019t celebrated enough during his life. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the reason this event is happening,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Acclaimed local visual artist Tyler Gordon has painted images of iconic figures, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Vice President Kamala Harris among them. Still in his teens, Gordon presented paintings of Traxamillion to local restaurateur Ms. Jackie Jackson for the memorial shortly after Trax\u2019s passing. Organizers of the Traxamillion Legacy Showcase and Benefit Concert asked Gordon to paint another portrait of Trax, and as part of the celebration it will be presented to the Seven Trees Community Center. \u201cTraxamillion taught classes on music there,\u201d Jimenez points out.<\/p>\n
The showcase portion of the event will feature local talent. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to give something to up-and-coming artists in Traxamillion\u2019s name,\u201d says Kiana Jackson. \u201cSan Jose and Bay Area artists: rappers, singers, poets, producers.\u201d The winner of the talent show will take home $500. \u201cWe wanted to offer a grand prize to help them continue their artistry,\u201d she says. \u201cWe want to make sure that Traxamillion\u2019s legacy continues with the next generation of artists. If you’re from the Bay Area and you have something to say, we\u2019re up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gala event will conclude with a live concert featuring tracks from The Tech Boom<\/i>. \u201cWe\u2019ll have some of the artists who created that album perform their individual songs,\u201d Jimenez says. Proceeds from the event will benefit both the Seven Trees Community Center and the American Cancer Society.<\/p>\n
Traxamillion\u2019s 45th birthday would have been February 26. And though he\u2019s gone, his influence endures, helped along just a bit by an event celebrating his life and work. \u201cSometimes we forget our heroes,\u201d says Alex Jimenez. \u201cBut I\u2019ve seen people from so many walks of life enjoy the music that Traxamillion made. And he gave so much game to so many artists. Hopefully this event will embody his selflessness, because it\u2019s all about uplifting the young artists.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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