Now Hear This

>>>BALANCE

He is billed as the "Bay Area mix-tape king," and that's no hype. Oakland, Calif.-based rapper Balance says he has appeared on 300 mix-CDs released from Los Angeles to New York. Lacing lyrics over melodic, head-bobbing beats, Balance lives up to his name by mixing such East and West Coast influences as Rakim, Dr. Dre, Too Short and DJ Quik. Balance is releasing a solo album in September on his manager's Ayinde Music, and—along with fellow rap artisans Frontline and the Federation—spearheads a burgeoning hip-hop scene in Northern California dubbed the "new Bay movement." "Most people think all Bay rappers talk about is pimping," Balance says. "The new Bay movement is our Harlem Renaissance. [We're] saying, 'We've been ignored artistically for the past decade by mainstream media. Now we're raising the standards to create a more powerful artistic movement.' "

Contact: Saeed Crumpler, 510-393-1293. —Gail Mitchell



>>>CLIFF HILLIS

Fans of Matthew Sweet, the Rembrandts and Owsley have another reason to cheer: Cliff Hillis.

Hillis' second solo record, 2004's "Better Living Through Compression," landed at No. 5 (between Brian Wilson and Keane) on a best of 2004 poll from power-pop webzine Audities. And for good reason: The sweet melodies are bolstered by Hillis' clever lyrics and strong musicianship. The album, released on a friend's small Tallboy Records, has sold close to 1,000 copies.

A guitar tech for the Innocence Mission in the mid-'90s, Hillis opted to leave his former group, Starbelly, to strike out on his own. "I realized I was writing stuff to fit that band, instead of writing from the heart," he says. Hillis has since opened for the likes of Blondie, Marshall Crenshaw and Jonathan Richman.

Phoenixville, Pa.-based Hillis will showcase May 19 at the Cutting Room in New York.

Contact: Steven I. Rosenfeld, Worldwide Management, 212-573-6000. —Melinda Newman