“Rap the new Rock and Roll. We culture. Rap is the new Rock and Roll. We the rock stars.” – Kanye West, BBC Radio 1 (Zane Lowe Interview)
The California Gold Rush (1849-1952) is one of the most impactful eras to shape the landscape of America. The discovery of gold nuggets in Sacramento Valley sparked a mass exodus of migrants from San Francisco, Oregon and Hawaii to Mexico, Chile, Peru and even China. News would eventually make its way to the east coast resulting in more U.S. migrants with dreams of striking it rich.
These gold-seekers referred to as “49ers” – if you ever pondered the origins of the NFL team name, San Francisco 49ers, there you have it – would eventually spring up gold mining towns all over the region, complete with shops, saloons, brothels and other businesses seeking to make their own Gold Rush fortune.
Sadly, The downside of the Gold Rush era was the severe population decline of Native Californians (Native Americans and people of Spanish and Mexican descent) from disease, genocide, and starvation. The lasting impact of the
