It has been an eventful Summer for the Bay Area. There have been concerts every weekend thus far, and many more to come. We can for sure say it’s been lit. On the night of July 2nd, one event in particular had the Bay buzzing: The 40 Oz Bounce. These parties are hosted by Joel Fuller, or who many of us know as @40Oz_Van. Beginning back in 2009, the 40 Oz Bounce parties first started as a low-key get together in New York. Fast forward to 2016, the Bounce has delivered an good time to party go-ers from all over the country. For its Summer tour, the Bounce has hit multiple cities such as Los Angeles, Sacramento, Detroit and luckily for us, San Francisco. The #40OzBounceSf was held at the Mezzanine. The place was fully stocked with a smoking section in the back, VIP lounge upstairs, a full bar and plenty of room on the dance floor.
After posting a few Thizzler posters, our street team made its way inside around 10:30 PM. By 11:30, the venue really began to fill up and the people grew more excited as various artists could be seen making their way into the venue and backstage area. But to be totally real with you, with DJ Sean G and DJ Shabazz on the tables, the dance floor was the place to be! This was especially true when DJ Shellheart began setting up. We knew the show that we had been waiting for had officially began.
First up was Berkeley’s very own Rexx Life Raj, who recently dropped his first album, Father Figure. During his time on stage he performed a few songs from the album and seemed genuinely excited to hear his fans rap along with his songs. One of which, was “Moxie Java”, which features Nef The Pharaoh (who was not in attendance),and is arguably his most popular songs.
At various times throughout the night, a vigilant party goer could spot Van in the cut. Sometimes behind the DJ booth, sometimes in the crowd, occasionally checking his phone and sipping from his Hennessy bottle. The jam packed stage full of local celebrities provided a snapshot of the Bay’s brightest entertainers right now. Speaking of, one of which was Larry June who hit the stage around 1AM. With no hesitation, he finessed some ladies in the front row of the crowd and turned the energy level way up as soon as his performance began.
He had his fans yelling “good job, Larry!” as he proceeded to mosh with them to his most popular track, “Glock 40”. Of course, his hype man, Kawasaki Papi, and DJ Auxcord, shared the stage with him. Then, as if the night wasn’t already hella poppin’, out comes the SHMOP father himself, Kool John. As the host of the night, John sparked up Raw papers the entire time. He kept the audience hyped and of course everyone turned up as “Blue Hunnids” blared through the speakers. YMTK also made an appearance to show Bay love.
At the end of the night when all the performances were over, DJ Amen kept people happy by spinning Bay classics that just never get old. The party went hard until 2 AM and overall, it was a very positive party environment. We are hella glad to have had the 40 Oz Bounce come and rock with our city.
Having been lucky enough to attended the Bounce in both Los Angeles and San Francisco this year, I must say this party really is a hit. These parties provide a good representation of the various hip-hop scenes and cultures we have here in California, as well as our ability to come together at dope gatherings like these, with a shared love for some of the best local artists out right now. In August, the 40 Oz Bounce party will hit Toronto, Portland and Houston. Then it’s deuces until next year. Or is it?
Lastly, I would like to thank the following people:
Sanny Bisquerra of the Thizzler Street Team for the photography, Collin Young for the videography, Russell North for inviting us to be a part of this all through our ticket giveaway tickets through the Thizzler Street Team, and of course, 40 Oz Van himself.
Recap written by Thizzler Street Team Captain,
Miss Amanda Lamb