By Jana Rogers

OAKLAND GETS A bad rap. According to the mainstream media's portrayal of its residents, they're either shooting each other, prostituting themselves, or driving dangerously at outlaw street events. What we rarely hear about are the good things that come out of Oakland, like, for instance, the artists and musicians born and raised in the town who never get their props.

The O's own Flipsyde are not an anomaly by any means, just a group of musicians who have worked hard to get their sound out there and to get the press they deserve, and who are now blowing up at a lightning speed.

Just a few months ago, Flipsyde guitarist Dave Lopez, guitarist-vocalist Steve Knight, and MC Jinho "Piper" Ferreira only dreamed of the kind of fame they're enjoying today. Their debut album, We the People (Cherrytree/Interscope), is receiving major accolades; their single, "Someday," is dominating playlists on Live 105 and has been selected as a theme song for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. They've toured with the Black Eyed Peas and Snoop Dogg and will perform on an upcoming tour with 50 Cent and Eminem. Their album displays a depth of experience and feeling and is filled with an infectious brand of hip-hop, rock, and Latin soul. Realizing there are still musical boundaries to be pushed, they've added local DJ D-Sharp (Quannum Projects) to the mix.

Hip-hop heads may question the strategy of marketing We the People as a hip-hop record with rock influences. On first spin it sounds like it's the other way around. While rock guitar riffs dominate many tracks on the full-length, other cuts are generously sprinkled with Latin flavor. The band's rap and rock influences come from Piper and Knight, who met when working on solo projects at a local label. They met Lopez at Soundwave Studios, in Oakland, in 2003, and they all knew that Lopez's guitar playing, which is influenced by traditional Chilean music, was just what was needed in the band. Furthermore, Flipsyde stay true to the political roots of hip-hop culture: They artfully use their music as a platform for social change and activism.

Back in the Bay for one day between tour stops, Piper phoned in just as he was leaving the airport. The conversation quickly turned to his social work at a juvenile detention facility in the Bay Area, working with impoverished and disadvantaged kids – kids forced to resort to desperate means to feed and clothe themselves.

Comparing the poverty he's seen in the States to that in the countries he's been able to visit during his travels, Piper reflected: "Poverty is real in Brazil in a way that dwarfs that in the States. Little girls – nine- and ten-year-olds – are prostituting themselves, and little boys are robbing tourists trying to live on what's the equivalent of $60 a month," he said. It's this awareness and compassion that drives the group's political messages.

Written to help the kids in the juvenile facility learn the history of the United States, We the People's intense track "US History" describes the struggle of displaced and violated indigenous people and the United States' participation in wars and government overthrows. MC Piper's lightning flow and Steve Knight's gravely voice accentuate the urgency of the song. Equally explosive, "Revolutionary Beat" plays like the epilogue to "US History," in which the pain is replaced by anger.

We the People is also laden with tales of personal struggle. The strumming of the guitar chords on "Someday" will pull at your heartstrings; you'll hit bottom and "dance with those lions" when the song asks for you to "break free from these chains" of self-medication and escapism.

It can't go unnoticed that drug use, as a means of numbing oneself from the disappointments of life, is a major theme throughout the album. When asked about the band members' experiences with addiction, Piper hesitated and then simply said: "We never just sing a song – they're all very personal. We believe that hitting rock bottom is OK. It's how fast you can get back up that matters."

Getting up onstage has proven to be a major success as well. Flipsyde have had a smooth and enjoyable transition from the studio. They're excited that the tour has brought them home, and they look forward to performing for local fans who have showed them so much love. "There's nothing like rockin' face-to-face and exchanging energy with the crowd. Every day we get better," Piper said. The impression of his humility lingered with me after we hung up the phone, and perhaps this is what makes Bay Area rising stars endure: the ability to remain down-to-earth when talent and circumstance catapult them into the spotlight – they remember the flipside of success.

Flipsyde play Aug. 24. 9 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. $13. (415) 255-0333, www.slims-sf.com.

To purchase the music of Flipsyde featured in this article, visit iTunes: