San Bernardino County Fairgrounds

Ras Kass
Rapper Ras Kass was born John Austin in Watts, CA; a voracious reader throughout his youth, he adopted his stage name in honor of the African king Ras Rass. After releasing a pair of independent singles, Ras Kass emerged as one of the most highly regarded new rappers in some time, winning particular acclaim for his skills as a lyricist (in the space of six months, he twice earned Rap Pages magazine's Rhyme of the Month award as well as The Source's Hip Hop Quotable honor); his long-awaited debut LP, Soul on Ice, finally appeared on Priority Records in 1996....

Nipsey Hussle
Nipsey Hussle, name adapted from the odd source of Nipsey Russell, iconic comic and actor of many decades, may have a pun-happy name. However, while the Slauson, California, MC born Ermias Ashgedom may drop hazy humor into his rhymestyle a la Snoop Dogg, his flow owes more to the unflinching gangland narratives of early hip-hop kingpin Ice-T....

Dayton Allen
A veteran of television's early days, Allen logged in time on everything from Steve Allen to Howdy Doody, developing his offbeat characters, usually working in dialect. His catchphrase became the title of his lone recorded effort, released at the height of the comedy album craze....