"Hey! You guys are dicks!"

I've been standing at Azikiwee's door, knocking for the last five minutes. I know he's in there because I can hear music coming from the upstairs window, but I can't get anyone to let me in. Now, with bloody knuckles and flushed cheeks, I'm really getting frustrated, so I'm screaming at the door. I close my eyes and count to three, willing my blood pressure back to normal.

"Did you just knock?" I open my eyes to see Matt Andrews standing in the doorway with a pair of headphones around his neck. "I thought I heard something" he explains to me with a halogen-white smile. He then explains to me that Azikiwee's doing a photo shoot for some photographer and Julio's on his way over with John Starr and Lonnie Gallegos. "Hey, are you alright? Your hand's bleeding."

Matt Andrews mute 180 transfer

Azikiwee Anderson lives in Santa Rosa, a small city just north of San Francisco. It's not a hip hop mecca yet, but Azikiwee has a vision. Matt has driven all the way from Orange County to stay at Azikiwee's house and make music for a few days. Julio, who lives just south of San Francisco, comes to Santa Rosa on a regular basis. And while they're not there today, Erik and Mike Burke come from Reno to lay down tracks as well. They all have their own turntables, but Azikiwee has just invested in a mixing board and a computer which he uses to produce original pieces right there in his upstairs guest room.

John Starr / Azikiwee

When Azikiwee and Jon show up, they're eager to skate. Since Azikiwee runs a skate park in Santa Rosa, access is not a problem. We head over to the warehouse for a private night session which lasts until well after midnight. John Starr has decided that tricks look better when you don't grab them so he's vowed never to grab his grinds again. He's also decided to rename every trick in the skating Lexicon using coffee names (e.g. a farside soul becomes a whipped espresso).

The next day, we head to Berkeley. After a coffee and a thorough search of the record store, Amoeba, we hit the UC campus for a quick session. Jon explains to me that there's more to hip hop than what you hear on the commercial radio stations. "There's a lot of misunderstandings about what hip hop is," says Jon between sips of his mocha latte. "There's a big difference between Jay-Z and Jurassic 5 or Project Blowed."

Lonnie and Azikiwee in the shop - Lonnie Gallegos on the street

Jon and Azikiwee have a backpack company called Runner's Project. Though this label, they support underground hip hop bands like the Oakland-based Anticon. That evening, we head to the Anticon studio, a loft space in one of the rougher parts of the city. The head of the outfit, Tim, meets us at the front gate. His 1800 square foot loft has been subdivided into bedroom/ workspaces by a configuration of handmade walls.

Anticon ---- John Starr

Standing behind Matt, Julio, Starr, Lonnie, Azikiwee and Nick Riggle, I watch amazement wash over their faces. Each one looks around in awe, trying to maintain a mask of distant sobriety. "Can you build walls wherever you want?" (yes) and "Do the neighbors complain?"(no) and "So, how much do you pay for this place?"($750 a month). They look indifferent but I can see the excitement bubbling under the surface like adolescent pimples waiting to erupt. When Tim turns around, they nudge each other and raise their eyebrows in syncronized 'whaddayathink?' glances.

Tim introduces us to some of the artists who work with Anticon. While Azikiwee hands out backpacks, everyone lounges around the kitchen and living room, listening to the different musical tracks that are produced in the loft. When I leave the room, nobody notices; they are completely enraptured with the dream of shared space and musical creation. Driving to the airport, I imagine a time in the not-so-distant future when I can visit a collective in Northern California who came for the skating but stayed for the music."