Rapper features East Bay high schools in music videos for Bay Area anthem

Bay Area Rapper LaRussell has teamed up with local high schoolers to showcase his regional anthem “I’m From The Bay,” releasing a set of music videos during the past week and as recently as this weekend.

The music videos include students from James Logan High School in Union City, Tennyson High School in Hayward and Pittsburg High School, the last of which came out this Saturday.

“I really wanted to highlight all of these kids who don’t get seen, who don’t get these moments in life,” said LaRussell in an interview with this news organization. “All of these kids in these videos are now immortalized. You know, in 10, 20, 30 years, they’ll be able to watch these videos back and be like ‘I was there. I was a part of history.’”

In the videos, LaRussell raps, dances and jumps among an array of uniformed color guard members, band members or student athletes in videos that take place on the respective campuses. Together, the videos have garnered tens of thousands of views across social media platforms. The rapper, a Vallejo native born LaRussell Thomas, plans to do a series of music videos with colleges and high schools across the region, as part of what he called a planned “regional take over” partnering with businesses and schools throughout the next year.

The song itself, first released on YouTube late last month, is an ebullient celebration of Bay Area culture and Bay Area rap and was produced by Atlanta hit-maker Lil Jon. The song makes references to Bay Area slang, cities, area codes and artists, shouting out local hip-hop legends like Too Short and E-40 in both style and lyrics.

Originally, the song was supposed to be a crossover celebration of both Atlanta and the Bay Area, but according to LaRussell, Lil Jon decided that the song was meant to belong to the Bay.

Now LaRussell hopes he can make it a new Bay Area Anthem. “We haven’t been on a global scale in a long time, and this is just to remind people how special we are, and bring back that feeling, this pride of being from the Bay Area.”

“I’m from the Bay. I rep it hard/ I’m known worldwide but I blew up from my backyard” declares the chorus and first line of the song.

The line isn’t just an empty boast, the Vallejo artist has more than 2 million followers on Instagram, has sold out shows across the country and this year played the largest stage at Bay Area music festival giant Outside Lands, but has a venue that is literally in his backyard where he hosts concerts.

The rapper, besides releasing a staggering 40 albums since 2018, is also known for a community-minded approach to music and business: offering pay-what-you-can and sliding scale models for much of what he sells and as well as zanier community outreach, like buying sandwiches for a hundred people or hosting a community Nerf fight at the county fairgrounds.

For LaRussell, giving back in the community is just part of who he is. “I live it,” LaRussell said. “I live in my community to this day, so for me it’s not really community outreach, It’s just me living my life.”