Sunset Youth Services' New CD is 'Hard to Ignore'

By Noma Faingold

The CD release party for the hip-hop compilation, "Hard to Ignore," held at the Bottom of the Hill on Sept. 20, had a deeper meaning for most of the more than 100 in attendance.

According to Dawn Stueckle, co-founder and executive director of Sunset Youth Services, the organization behind the youth-run Upstar Records' debut release, the event, which raised more than $1,000, "felt like a huge milestone having this project look and sound so good. It was a victory for everyone."

The crowd was a mix of longtime supporters, people from the community, SYS staff and youths from the program, along with several artists (also from the program) who performed songs from the disc, including 21-year-old Lil Yay (Thomas Piggee), who contributed the song, "Three Mirrors," and has been a part of the Artistic Expression Program at SYS since 2006.

"It was great to be part of an official album. It's an incredible project," said Lil Yay. "I'm overwhelmed."

The 17-track CD was a year in the making, but the state-of-the-art studio for the Artistic Expression Program at SYS has been a draw for several hundred high-risk youths in San Francisco since 2003.

Stueckle and her husband, Ron, who co-founded SYS in 1992, initially built a studio in their garage in 2002. Through grants and other fundraising, the center now has a state-of-the-art studio and dedicated staff who teach participants digital audio recording, engineering, beat sequencing, DJ instruction, instrumentation and digital filmmaking.

"The kids did the production on each other's songs with help and guidance. The older performers know enough now to run sessions and mentor younger artists," Stueckle said.

Fifteen artists contributed to the CD and many of the songs are collaborations, including the hip-hop love song, "Treat You Right," written and performed by RE$$Ez, Gullie, Naj, Rymo and Artistic Expression Program Director Joel Tarman; the catchy and personal "Woke Up," by eXile and Gezz; and the rhythm and blues ballad "Here I Stay," by RE$$Ez and featuring Rin Rin on vocals.

While the philosophy of the program is to never censor the aspiring artists in the studio, Stueckle did put a few parameters around the making of the CD.

"We didn't want to glorify drug use or violence or objectify women," she said. "Our dream for this project was to reclaim the roots of what rap and hip-hop are really about - making strong social and political statements. We wanted them to keep it real and gritty."

Stueckle said all the artists contributing to the CD took the project very seriously and a number are pursuing careers in music, including Lil Yay, who came to SYS at the age of 15 after three brief stints at the Youth Guidance Center, mostly for breaking into cars and joy riding.

"I didn't care about my life. I didn't want to know about the future," he said. "When I came to the center, my attitude was to just do what you gotta do. I didn't know it was going to jump-start my life.

"I didn't know I had musical talent until they gave me the opportunity," he added. "I've gotten tons of good feedback and I've come to believe that my calling in life is to entertain people."

Lil Yay, who was raised in Hunters Point by his grandmother and still resides in the neighborhood today, realized he had musical talent pretty early on when he started competing in Bay Area talent shows in 2007.

"With no formal musical training, I saw that I had better skills and was at the same level as people with formal training," he said.

Song writing, both lyrics and music, also came easily to him. He's written more than 50 songs and it is not uncommon for him to write two in one day. He's also a member of a group called HoodyBoyz. His track on "Hard to Ignore," called "Three Mirrors," explores how people are multi-faceted and how perception is not always reality. There's a line in it that asks: "You said he look like a thug. Does that make him a gansta?"

Stueckle said several artists on the CD have what it takes to make it in music but the project was more about "giving them a platform."

"It was really fulfilling to watch their confidence build and learning they have something to offer the world," Stueckle said.

"Hard to Ignore" is available at Amazon.com, iTunes, cdbaby.com and at the SYS center at 3198 Judah St.

Several artists from the "Hard to Ignore" CD will be performing at The Big Rumble on the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., at 20th Avenue and Irving Street.