In an industry filled with coastal bias, it's about time someone from the West Coast, more importantly the Bay Area, was given the opportunity to shed light on our side of things. Welcome to a West Coast State of Mind, where I'm only bias sometimes, but at least I'll admit it. - Ill Will (ill.will@hiphopdx.com)

In a conversation with a dear friend of mine the subject of what I want in life came up. My response was something to the extent of, all I want is for the people around me to be cool. For them to blow up, succeed and for the majority of their dreams to come true. I'll never forget her response... "You ever think that they're waiting for you?" Never once, but maybe it's because I feel like in the greater scheme of things that I truly ain't shit. You can't blame me, though. The San Francisco Bay Area has a way of belittling everything. The birthplace of "Playas" is also the birthplace of "Playa Haters." Few recognize what I do out here, even fewer appreciate it. Don't get me wrong it feels great when I go out of town and meet people and they genuinely know my work and love it, but I never wanted that- I want my home to be proud. The flaw in that want is our home isn't even proud of itself. That changes now.

Why doesn't New York, or damn near anywhere else for that matter (even LA), respect Northern California's rap scene? Because Northern California doesn't respect it. In most regions you'll find at least one local song in rotation, out here, just recently they added two for the first time in three years. One of them was Goapele, who had to go to LA and blow up before KMEL jumped on her extremely dope single. The other song was a pawn in the radio stations fucked up way of once again shitting on the Bay Area. After a week or so of the song being added, they dropped it. It was a set up. But it's beyond the radio stations, Hip-Hop was born, raised and has taken comfort in living in the streets. And for some reasons, love don't live here anymore. That changes now.

Honestly, I don't blame them. The west coast's problem has been that it's held on to the same artists for over a decade without anything fresh reinventing the scene. And those same artists gave up a long time ago. They truly turned an art form into the new dope game. JT The Bigga Figga, who was once a rising star, saw a glimpse of the bleak future and sped the game up three notches, flooding the stores with garbage, recycled albums to make some money. Get your money boy, game recognizes game, right? Local artists started acting like hoes, selling themselves to ballers itching to get in. Distributors like Bayside Entertainment gave pressing and distribution deals to any piece of shit that could record an album , and after a few times of taking chances and getting bit, avid supporters said "fuck it" and began to tune into the Roc-A-Fella radio matrix that is Big Von's Chop Shop on KMEL (Please note that Von has been making an attempt to making things better with the Bay Area Battles and his recent breaking of, "Everybody In Da Club", by The Team-a very hot record on the upcoming Bay Area Playas 5). Continued on page 2 »