History of the Bay: J. Stalin & 4rAx

J. Stalin is a legendary rapper from West Oakland and the founder of Livewire Records. He grew up loving hip hop and saw it as a way for him to escape the street life. After working in the studio with DJ Daryl, Richie Rich, and the Jacka, Stalin decided to put himself on through his own company. 4rAx is one half of the Mekanix, a producer duo from Oakland. Starting off as a DJ for Digital Underground, he worked with various Oakland artists before meeting J. Stalin. Since producing Stalin's earlier hits, the Mekanix have since gone on to produce albums and songs for some of the Bay's most legendary artists.