Sage the Gemini and Nef the Pharaoh rule Ace of Spades   

The Bay Area has produced many musical icons, such as Mac Dre, E-40 and Too Short, all of whom played significant roles in helping the Bay Area music scene gain exposure. The Bay Area is one of the most trendsetting areas and well known for the creation of the “Hyphy” movement back in 1994, which is an ever-evolving culture, and influential for many natives. The Bay Area is known for having a lot of rappers that are popular on a local scale, but rarely reach global success. Recently, there has been much attention given to an up and coming rapper from the Bay Area.

Enter Sage the Gemini, 23-year-old San Francisco and Fairfield native, who now raps, writes and produces for Universal Republic Records. Sage has come a long way since working at Chipotle. He is currently touring with Fetty Wap and Iamsu, and has collaborated with Chris Brown and Juicy J.

I had the chance to see Sage the Gemini perform live on April 14 at Ace of Spades in Sacramento. Working his way up the top 40 charts with his rap and hip-hop music, Sage is a rising name in the music industry, and not exclusive to the Bay Area anymore.

The intimate venue was packed with fans who danced and sang along with the opening performers. Sage, who remained casual in a red T-shirt, jeans and an In-N-Out hat, engaged with the enthusiastic crowd throughout his hour long performance. He paid special attention to the ladies in the crowd, yelling out, “Where are all my single women at?” and asking, “Who wants to join me on stage?” About halfway through his set, he tore off his shirt, and my ears rang with the sound of girlish screams. I am now officially aware of his heartthrob status.

Towards the end of his performance, Sage jumped into the audience and crowdsurfed. Throughout his set, he was accompanied by about 10 other performers who danced around him and took videos, pictures and Snapchats. Sage played all his hit singles, including “Good Thing,” featuring Joe Jonas.

After the show was over, I had the brief opportunity to interview Sage as he walked out the back exit of Ace of Spades to greet fans and take pictures. As I spoke to him, I could tell why he was given the name Sage — his green eyes were distinctly bright.

I asked him who he thought was the most influential Bay Area rapper.

“Iamsu. He’s a great person and has helped me throughout the years,” he said. Iamsu, the founder of The Heartbreak Gang (HBK), met Sage after being invited by him to feature on his single “Gas Pedal.” Sage soon after became part of the HBK gang.

I also had the chance to catch Nef the Pharaoh, who opened for Sage and is known for his single “Big Tymin.” Nef is a Bay Area local and grew up in South Vallejo. He is currently on tour around the U.S. where he is opening for Sage the Gemini, G-Eazy and Wiz Khalifa. As he walked towards his black Mercedes-Benz tour bus, he stopped to tell me what it’s like to work with Sage.

“Sage is like my brother, so performing with him is nothing. We talk to each other on the phone and hang out all the time,” Nef said. “Just performing in Sacramento in front of ya’ll, it’s like we’re having our own little party.”

Overall, the performance was similar to a party. Both rappers brought high energy to the stage and engaged with the audience, prompting everyone to dance and scream.

As a San Francisco native myself, it’s always amazing to see the rappers I followed since the beginning of their journey finally gain success. The Bay Area is a close community of people who are all interconnected. Sage the Gemini and Nef the Pharaoh represent young Bay Area locals spreading West Coast sounds around the world.

WRITTEN BY: Sami Bass – arts@theaggie.org

Next Massflow event to be held this Friday at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

“Massflow was a term we all used to explain something that was naturally cool, or just destined, something about cosmic occurrences,” says Kenji Blouin-Ito, UC Davis graduate and one of the faces of the Davis-based art collective Massflow. And years after its origin, that’s exactly what Massflow has become: something cool, something destined and something cosmic.

Started by Blouin-Ito along with friends Dylan Hackett and Jai Patel, Massflow was born from a friendship rooted in the arts but metamorphosed into the community of local artists it is known as today. Based in Davis, but collaborating with artists throughout the Bay Area, Massflow is all about synthesis; it is a synthesis of people, culture, music, mediums, ideas and, most recognizably, artistry.

Best described as a platform for local artists to express their talents and showcase their work, Massflow holds various events that Hackett describes as “giv[ing] something tangible” to the underground art world in Davis. In fact, both Patel and Hackett recognize that the Davis environment is conducive to creativity, but more importantly, is receptive to the art they make.

To put on these events, they often rent a warehouse, as they did at Third Space Art Collective for their welcoming event last May, which permitted them enough space to incorporate a multitude of mediums. Attending a Massflow event involves a stimulation of all the senses; DJ sounds reverberate onto the walls of a 3-dimensional art installation that begins as a white-walled maze, but is quickly layered by doodles and poems that you manage to scribe with one hand, while your other hand grasps a Sudwerk beer, its reflection gleaming the array of canvas on the walls.

Their emphasis on locality and collaboration is apparent; Massflow practically constructs the stage beneath these artists, providing a platform for exposure that allows their art to flourish. But partnering with local Sudwerk Brewery is only one of the many perks from such local collaborations; Hackett notes that “underground artists definitely need representation, and that’s what we’re there for.”

Blouin-Ito, reflecting on this first event at Third Space, recalls “so much positivity, good people, vibes, smiles; it flowed perfectly — mass flow.”

In a smaller venue and with slightly more limitations, Massflow’s next event at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen at 10 p.m. on Friday, April 22, won’t boast the large art installations from previous events. Nevertheless, there will be a few sets by Massflow DJ’s (including Patel, Hackett and Bluoin-Ito), a collection of visual art and a merch table with hand-made print T-shirts and stickers.

Despite the smaller venue for their upcoming event, Massflow has recently expanded to other locations, most notably their show in Oakland last December. Their ability to maintain a DIY feel — keeping connections close and art locally focused — validates the notion that Massflow is more than a community of artists, a group of friends and a creative environment: Massflow is a movement.

Throwing these events is a “double win,” according to Patel, in which “everyone is simply appreciating and enjoying each other’s art.” This duality of excitement can be found in Massflow’s undeniable passion for organizing these events. Only the artists they showcase, I would imagine, parallel their enthusiasm.

Massflow encourages anyone interested to check them out on Facebook or reach out at himassflow@gmail.com to become involved in this growing community of artists.

Written by: Ally Overbay – arts@theaggie.org

Open Mic Night regular Sammy Seaver writes and performs songs about his Davis experiences.

From the Band-Uh!’s Picnic Day parade to Entertainment Council-sponsored events and musical theater performances, UC Davis students find a variety of ways to express themselves through music and dance. Sammy Seaver, a first-year music and communication double major, is a blossoming fixture of the performance culture at UC Davis.

Though he only began his time as an Aggie earlier this year, Seaver jumped into the music scene, performing at various philanthropic events, including Cal Aggie Camp’s CAChella fundraiser. Seaver can also be seen strumming his guitar at Entertainment Council’s Open Mic nights, where his following of enchanted freshmen girls squeal over his soulful renditions of crowd favorites like John Mayer’s “Neon.”

As one of the 140 music majors on campus, Sammy Seaver came to Davis knowing he wanted to get involved. Seaver cites his brother’s experience with music as his own inspiration to pursue a career in music.

“My brother is about eight years older than me and he is a Juilliard-trained musician for French horn. After he graduated he started getting into everything, including film scoring and electronic stuff,” Seaver said. “He is a huge inspiration to me because not only did I get to see him go into the music industry, but he was able to teach me that you don’t have to be a stationary musician — you can be a ton of different genres or acts.”

Seaver describes his own style as jazz-influenced, and often covers songs by artists like John Mayer and Ed Sheeran. He has recently ventured into writing his own songs based on experiences he has had at UC Davis.

“What I write is still not very personal, but I have just seen a lot through other people. I have gotten to learn the experiences of everyone else — like where they’re from or what their culture is,” Seaver said. “So I tend to write about a topic that needs to be addressed or a feeling [I] have — like homesickness.”

The performance culture at Davis has been formative for Seaver’s new sounds. Though his hometown of San Diego offered a bastion of open mic nights which launched the careers of successful performers like Jason Mraz, Seaver feels a sense of community when he performs in Davis.

“I have been really surprised by how communal the performance culture is here. Everyone is just trying to build upon each other — which is amazing for musicians,” Seaver said. “You could be an engineer and go on stage and play crazy violin or guitar and people will want to know that side of you. When you embrace music in that sense, it gives you a little more dimension.”

In the future, Seaver hopes to be involved in the music industry in some capacity. His choice to major in both music and communication is indicative of his interest in the industry.

“Whether it be the business side of it, or something else, I just know I want my life to be focused around music,” Seaver said.

When not performing at Open Mic Nights and backyard parties, Seaver can be found working for Entertainment Council as a productions intern or with the Mondavi Center and Music Department in their recording department. He is looking forward to spending more time performing and writing, and will surely remain a popular performer in the Davis community for the rest of his undergraduate years.

WRITTEN BY: Sara Williams – arts@theaggie.org