20 Years After Surviving Katrina’s Rising Waters, a Family Feels at Home in Oakland

Through the mounted speakers inside a multistory warehouse in East Oakland , LaVance “Poo$ie” Warren’s thick New Orleans accent vibrates the room.

Rapping about life and death, the 28-year-old lyricist drops bars informed by generational poverty and the cycle of community violence. He also carries the weight of surviving Hurricane Katrina, the storm of a century, 20 years ago.

“Muderrrrrr she wrote,” he says into the mic, performing his take on Chaka Demus & Pliers’ classic reggae track. Poo$ie’s version has a hymn-like cadence, delivered over an ominous bass line. It’s one of 11 songs off of Poos$ie’s new album, My Friends Like to Kill Each Other .

The mid-July edition of the Office Hours musical showcase is full of MCs and vocalists, dancers and media makers. It’s a who’s who