Turf-Talk | |
|---|---|
 Turf Talk performing in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Demar Bernstine |
| Origin | Vallejo, California |
| Genres | Hyphy West Coast hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Labels | Sick Wid It/Hoodboy Ent |
| Website | Turf Talk on Myspace |
Turf Talk (born Demar Bernstine in Vallejo, California), is a Bay Area rapper involved with the hyphy movement. He is a cousin of Bay Area rapper E-40, [1] and is signed to his record label Sick Wid It Records. [2]
Turf Talk told the UK-based rap periodical Hip Hop Connection [3] that he "came from living in hotel rooms... for four to five years". The rapper returned to Vallejo (in the Bay Area) in 1999 to pursue his career under cousin E-40.
Turf Talk quotes his influences as "E-40 and The Click, Too $hort, and then The Dangerous Crew, and Mac Mall." [3]
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(May 2023) |
Originally rapping under the name Killa Kane, Turf Talk would first appear alongside Mac Shawn, another younger cousin of E-40, on the compilation CD Worldwide Bosses & Playas in 2001. His breakthrough came in 2003 performing the hook for the MTV-aired E-40 track "Gasoline", B-side to the single "One Night Stand".
Turf Talk would go on to appear in three tracks on E-40's 2003 album Breakin News as well as cement his growing reputation in the Bay Area's new movement by guesting in style on the official remix to The Federation's seminal hit "Hyphy".
In 2004 Turf Talk released his highly anticipated debut album The Street Novelist featuring his mentor E-40, The Federation and a range of Sick Wid It Records' artists. The CD included the Rick Rock-produced smash "It's Ah Slumper" and one of the final guest appearances of Mac Dre.
In 2005 Turf Talk released Turf Talk Brings The Hood: Colabilation part album, part compilation of tracks recorded with both long-time and up-and-coming Sick Wid It Records collaborators. The CD included the popular local hit "Turf Talk Iz Back".
In the early hours of July 14, 2005, Turf Talk suffered several shots to the face from a small caliber pellet shotgun, after being apparently targeted leaving a recording studio in Vallejo. He was treated at the Sutter Solano Medical Center and made a quick and full recovery.
On July 30, 2005, at the San Francisco Masonic Center, Turf Talk was announced as New Artist (Rookie) of The Year 2005 in the inaugural Bay Area Rap Scene (B.A.R.S.) Awards. [4] [5] He beat strong competition from both Mistah F.A.B. and Ya Boy.
Boosted by the signing of mentor E-40 to Lil Jon's multi-platinum BME/Warner imprint, Turf Talk announced plans to release his new studio album West Coast Vaccine: The Cure in 2006, featuring almost exclusive production by rap heavyweights Rick Rock and Lil Jon. The CD was delayed to early 2007.
In 2006 Turf Talk secured further exposure by appearing on E-40's BME debut and Billboard 200 success story My Ghetto Report Card as well as MTV's Hyphy music insight My Block: The Bay. His influence on the Hyphy movement was featured in Hip Hop magazines The Source and XXL .
In the summer of 2006 Turf Talk extended his cross-genre, national and international reputation after being invited to feature on the DJ Shadow Hyphy-influenced new release 3 Freaks. This led to an MTV music video alongside Keak Da Sneak, as well as a supporting role in a tour of Europe and Japan.
The tour climaxed with a performance in front of over 25,000 at the Wireless Festival in London's Hyde Park on June 23. Turf Talk appeared alongside Bay Area emcees Mistah F.A.B. and Nump, in a line-up which included Massive Attack, Pharrell, Gnarls Barkley and Damian Marley.
Turf Talk's unusual delivery is an important part of his act. [1] The self-styled "devastating mouthpiece", he combines a distinctive drawl with fierce interjections using multi-track recording. The New York Times said "he has a high, pinched voice, less cartoonish than his cousin (E-40) and more ferocious". [6]
The rapper himself ascribes his fast-changing flow to building a character for his listeners, complete with ad-libs, and to developing a range of marketable styles. "I'm always thinking about new ways to rap on different beats and new sounds, just something different to the human ear." [7]
Earl Stevens, better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, appeared on numerous movie soundtracks, and has also done guest appearances on a host of other rap albums. Initially an underground artist, his 1995 solo album In a Major Way opened him up to a wider audience. Beginning in 1998, he began collaborating with mainstream rappers outside the San Francisco Bay Area. He rose to higher mainstream popularity in 2006 with his single "Tell Me When to Go", which was produced by Lil Jon.
Charles Kente Williams, better known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is an American rapper from Oakland, California. He is known for his gravelly voice, for coining the term hyphy in 1994, and for his contributions to the hyphy movement.
The term hyphy is an Oakland, California slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip hop music and the culture associated with the Oakland area. The term was first coined by Oakland rapper Keak da Sneak.
Monterrio Williams, better known by his stage names Luni Coleone or Lunasicc, is an American rapper who began his career on the streets of Sacramento, California.
Stanley Petey Cox, better known by his stage name Mistah F.A.B., is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer and activist.
My Ghetto Report Card is the ninth studio album by American rapper E-40. It was released on March 14, 2006, by BME Recordings, Sick Wid It Records and Warner Bros. Records. My Ghetto Report Card was supported by two singles: "Tell Me When to Go" featuring Keak Da Sneak, and "U and Dat" featuring T-Pain and Kandi Girl.
"Tell Me When to Go" is the first single from E-40's BME/Warner Bros. debut, My Ghetto Report Card. Keak da Sneak is also featured on the track. It was produced by Lil Jon, and one of the first singles to kick off the hyphy movement on a national level and popularized the phrase "ghost ride the whip". The song reached number 35 in the U.S. and eventually was certified Gold by the RIAA. The song first premiered online on the MySpace.com homepage and it was the first hip hop single to premiere online before being released.
Brandt Jones, better known by his stage name B-Legit, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California.
Thizz Entertainment is a Sacramento-based originally, independent record label, started in 1999 by rapper and music producer Andre Hicks, who was professionally known as rapper Mac Dre. Best known as a poster child of the hyphy movement that swept through the Bay Area in the 1990s and early 2000s.The label was relocated to the S.F. Bay Area shortly after his untimely death.
Sultan Banks, better known as Traxamillion, was an American hip hop producer from San Jose, California. He produced records such as Keak da Sneak's "Super Hyphy" and Dem Hoodstarz "Grown Man Remix". His first album, The Slapp Addict, was a compilation of Bay Area hyphy artists and was released August 22, 2006.
The West Coast Vaccine is the second studio album by Vallejo, California rapper Turf Talk. With his older cousin E-40 signed to Lil Jon's BME imprint, it was believed that Jon would produce Turf's second record but when the track list was released, it was apparent that would not be so. The album does however feature production by Bay Area producers Rick Rock, E-A-Ski and Traxamillion. New York Times music critic Kelefa Sanneh said Turf Talk's 2007 effort was "arguably the year’s most exciting hip-hop album" though it had "pretty much remained a secret."
Steve Davison, better known as PSD, PSD Tha Drivah or Stevie Dee, is a rapper and producer from Vallejo, California, who is closely associated with the late Mac Dre.
Thizz Iz Allndadoe is a solo album released by rapper, Keak da Sneak. It was his first for Thizz Entertainment, one of the largest Hyphy labels in California.
Alaska 2 Tha Bay is a 2006 album by Hyphy Bay Area rapper Meezy Montana presented by Mac Dre.
Starters in the Game is a 2007 compilation album by hyphy Bay Area rapper Mac Dre.
Dre Day: July 5th 1970 is a posthumous 2008 album by Hyphy Bay Area rapper Mac Dre.
Jae Synth is an American music video director, music producer and disc jockey from Sacramento, California
James "Husalah" Ratliff, is an American rapper from Pittsburg, California. He began his career with the Pittsburg group the Mob Figaz, whose first album, C-Bo's Mob Figaz, was released in 1999. Like his late close friend The Jacka, Husalah is a Muslim, and frequently references Islam in his lyrics. He has released three solo studio albums, as well as numerous group projects.
Son of a Pimp is the second studio album by American rapper Mistah F.A.B. from Oakland, California. It was released on April 19, 2005 via Thizz Entertainment. Production was handled by several record producers, including Droop-E, E-A-Ski, Gennessee Lewis, Kanye West and Sean T among others. It also features guest appearances by the likes of Bavgate, E-40, G-Stack, Mac Dre (who was shot and killed 6½ months prior to the album's release), Mac Mall, Messy Marv, Miami, PSD, The Jacka, Turf Talk, and Yukmouth among others. A sequel to the album, Son of a Pimp Part 2, was released on May 27, 2016.
We Were Hyphy is a 2022 documentary film about Hyphy, a sub-genre of hip-hop.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
