The five accomplished rappers known as 1 Umbrella are at the forefront of what they call a new era of Bay Area hip-hop -- one that isn't beholden to any one sound to which the region is associated. The quintet's lavish if hard-nosed self-titled album, released in 2026, is neither gangsta nor hyphy, and instead mixes aspects of rough and tumble mob music with the raw emotion of pain rap.
When East Oakland native 22nd Jim posted a link to the video for "Cash Sh*t," a 2025 single on which he featured San Franciscans Lil Bean and Lil Yee, Bean commented "1 umbrella." This unwitt...