Hiero Day 2014: Oakland’s Annual Hip-Hop Block Party
Labor Day in the Bay Area is also known as the annual hip-hop holiday Hiero Day, in which people of all ages come together in Oakland to celebrate Hieroglyphics, hip-hop music culture, and support local businesses. On Monday for the third year in a row, the Bay’s own independent hip-hop collective known as Hieroglyphics held a free music block party in their hometown. Many people are not aware how deeply rooted the Oakland area is in the music culture, but this annual festival educates the community about talented, successful, and upcoming artists. The festival’s attendance increases every year, with this year reaching a record number of 22,000 patrons, more than double the amount from last year. It seemed like the whole Bay Area came out to roam the streets, get acquainted with underground artists, and represent the city with positive vibes. Whether you’re a fan of hip-hop, soul, alternative, or reggaeton, you were sure to leave with an eclectic music taste.
The Hiero crew who is widely referred to as the “West Coast Wu Tang,” use this festival as a way to give back to the city that has supported them and allow other independent artists a platform to showcase their talent. Hieroglyphics subgroup Souls of Mischief released their new album There Is Only Now on August 26th, making it their first album in five years and an essential piece to show their longevity. Hiero Day allowed fans to celebrate a group that has been in the music game for over twenty years.
Over thirty acts performed on three stages, with each stage named after Hiero history: 3rd Eye Vision, Imperium, and Infinity. The festival included performances by 1-O.A.K., Casey Veggies, Kehlani, Los Rakas, Mac Mall, Fashawn, Adrian Younge, along with other independent artists and surprise guests. Local radio DJs were caught spinning and scratching records on turntables to keep the crowd pumped up before each artist came out to perform. The festival immersed such an open and cool ambiance, in which many of the artists were walking the streets to meet their fans and capture epic Instagram moments.
Along with the live shows, the fun-filled event was family-friendly with a kid zone, skateboarding competition, food trucks, and vendor booths selling art, apparel and music. Many of the performers sold their exclusive merchandise along the vendor street as well. Fans were proudly sporting Hiero gear featuring the infamous 3-eyed logo on shirts, hats, stickers and tattoos.
Hosting the Infinity main stage was the Bay’s own Chuy Gomez and legendary radio personality Ed Lover. As the crowd migrated from the other two stages to witness the final act on the main stage, the hosts had the DJ spin some classic hip-hop records to see if the crowd was knowledgeable with their music history. Before bringing out the Hiero crew, they introduced an artist who wasn’t scheduled on the lineup, Hieroglyphics founding member and godfather Deltron 3030. After the rapper concluded his set of hits, the hosts then introduced Oakland Mayor Jean Quan as she presented Hieroglyphics with an honorary award. Finally, the local legends took to the stage to perform their songs from a catalog that spans from the past two decades. To everyone’s surprise, they brought out fellow Bay Area native and soulful songstress Goapele. Fans were excited to see the singer on stage since she was originally scheduled to perform her own set, but was later removed from the lineup. Goapele rocked the stage with the legends as they performed their collaboration, “Make Your Move.” She then went on to perform her classic hit, “Closer,” as many fans hung on to her every word. The singer thanked Hieroglyphics for their continuous support since the beginning of her career. As she exited the stage, the Hiero crew continued with their string of hits. To top off the hip-hop celebration, they ended the day with the Souls of Mischief classic, “93 ‘Til Infinity,” a perfect finale to show Oakland “this is how we chill from 93 ‘til.”
Hieroglyphics has always been an influential group in the underground music scene. It was amazing to see so many young people attend Hiero Day 2014, as many of them weren’t even born when the crew started building their career and making a name for themselves in the industry. So what’s the melody behind Hiero Day? The city of Oakland isn’t always portrayed with the best reputation, however festivals like this show how the community can come together for a good time in the spirit of music, from 93 ‘til infinity.
