Black Dynasty

Black Dynasty, a gangsta rap outfit from Oakland, California, never attained major prominence in hip-hop overall. Their 1995 single "Deep East Oakland" nevertheless registered as a regional hit throughout the Bay Area, where it functioned as a local anthem. Comparable to the way Boogie Down Productions' "South Bronx" resonated in New York City (particularly the Bronx) and N.W.A. represented Compton, California, the track honored Oakland's eastern district, which had produced Too Short, Digital Underground, MC Hammer, and Oaktown's 357.

The group had maintained an active presence in the Bay Area well before that single appeared. Kariem Abdullah and his brother Dion Stewart began performing together in the late '80s. Oakland earned recognition as a significant hip-hop center by the end of the decade after the commercial surges of the X-rated Too Short and the pop-rapper Hammer. Black Dynasty entered the recording market with the 1990 EP 8-Ball in the Corner Pocket, released on the small local label Flammy Flam Records.

Asphalt Jungle followed in 1993 as their first full-length album and moved approximately 10,000 copies, chiefly inside the Bay Area. Their second album, Deep East Oakland, appeared in 1995 and exceeded 20,000 units sold, driven by the title track. The same year the group toured with Too Short and Compton gangsta rapper DJ Quik, after which their trajectory declined. Stewart was shot and killed by an Oakland convenience store owner during a failed robbery attempt, leading Black Dynasty to enter hiatus.

Although some listeners concluded the group had dissolved after Stewart's death, Abdullah elected to revive Black Dynasty in 2002 and recorded Reality Check, their first album in seven years. Issued on the independent Community Musician label, the project begins with "Deep East Oakland, Part II (Reality Check)," a sequel to the earlier hit, and is dedicated to Stewart.