The city of Livermore is not known for its rap scene or music in general. Livermore is known for the wineries, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the world’s long-lasting light bulb, The Centennial Bulb.
Aside from all of that, there is an upcoming music scene that is bound to be the next big thing in the Bay Area. The Livermore rap scene has been bubbling underground for a few years now and is definitely unique compared to the rest of California’s music.
When you think of the Bay Area rap scene, you think of cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Vallejo. You also think of rappers like Too Short, E-40 and Mac Dre. Though when it comes to the Tri-Valley music scene, it is unheard of or people don’t think it even exists. An exception, however, is the pop-duo Kalin and Myles. Born out of Dublin, California, the singers had the Bay Area spotlight in the mid-2010s with songs like “Trampoline” which charted #102 on the Billboard charts in 2015 and “Love Robbery” which charted in the top 200 in the Billboard charts.
When it comes to Livermore, the hottest rapper in the city of Livermore goes by the name FahtMike, who has been releasing music since 2019. Songs like “No Tuss” featuring DeDe and “Mitsubishi” featuring NicoFasho who’s also from Livermore, have more than 10,000 views, with “No Tuss” being his highest viewed visual with 44,000 views, while “Mitsubishi” has 14,000 views.
“The Livermore rap scene is definitely slept on. There are honestly so many talented and diverse artists here. The Livermore rap scene is building momentum. It’s only a matter of time before someone bubbles. It’s been an amazing journey watching the growth of all my artists,” said Nick Smith.
Smith is a producer and music video director from Livermore, who works with FahtMike and other Livermore artists. He works in the studio and records music videos with them as well. “The work ethic and consistency of artists like FahtMike and NicoFasho deserve to be recognized,” said Smith.
The Tri-Valley is also home to Young Savin, an artist who is close with FahtMike and has been rapping since 2019. “Being from a city where no one really knows has a rap scene is motivating to put your city on the map,” Savin said. For the musician, coming from a lesser-known area gives him more purpose to work harder in the studio.
The Livermore rap scene is a true underground scene. With the help of up-and-coming artists, the city of Livermore has the potential to be the next Oakland or San Francisco. Despite being established in a smaller town, artists clearly have been working their way up from the ground to make household names for themselves.
Joel Martinez is a writer for The Express. Follow him @Joel_Martinezzzz.
