So what changed, and when? While Locksmith's second-place finish at the MTV battle catalyzed the New Bay movement, it actually started at least a year earlier. In 2002, the Frontline (who first formed in 1996) teamed up with battle-hardened, turf-affiliated Oakland MC Balance (formerly of the group Tango + Kash) and a bunch of other artists, including the Federation's Goldie Gold, SF's Mr. Kee, Oakland's Mistah F.A.B., and Sacramento's Zac Wood for the Watch Out Now and New Bay mix tapes. Back then, this confederacy of fresh-faced artists called themselves the New Bay to signify their new way of thinking.
wow. this is classic. man if they only new.
