A few years ago, noted rap music critic (and host of Red Bull Radio's All the Raps) Andrew "Noz" Nosnitsky came to a disturbing realization: it was essentially impossible for someone in his adopted hometown of Oakland, CA to walk into a record shop and reliably purchase music by the City of Dope’s pioneering hip-hop son, Too $hort. So was planted the seed for Park Blvd. Records & Tapes – a hip-hop-centric storefront in East Oakland that places a special emphasis on the Bay Area’s rich rap music heritage. With a décor Noz describes as “hodgepodge minimalist,” Park Blvd. serves as a no-frills but welcoming meeting place for music lovers of varied ilk. Fanatic hip-hop collectors sweating OG pressing matrix numbers share space with couples casually digging through dollar cassettes or a shop neighbor in search of a particular Marvin Gaye LP; the area UPS guy is better versed in vintage Bay Area rap tapes than any journalist, and the Based God himself Lil B is a regular. If rap is Park Blvd.
