t’s easy to overlook MC Hammer in the pop culture canon. In the late 80s and early 90s, hip-hop was still mainly underground. As the genre’s first major crossover star, Hammer shattered mainstream barriers many didn’t know existed. The Oakland product and onetime McClymonds student was the first rap artist to sell 10 million records. His breakthrough hit, “U Can’t Touch This,” made him a household name in the suburbs. At the peak of his fame, he even had a Saturday morning cartoon show, “Hammerman.”

(Editor's note: The following piece was written in part by 8-year-old twins Mimi and Cici, who also are the OL cub reporters who hosted the following review of the musuem's newest exhibit. See related story here.)

Earlier this month, Oakland Local sent my daughters – Mimi & Cici – to cover the opening of “Pixar: 25 Years in Animation” at the Oakland Museum of California. Here's what they had to say about their experience.

 For anyone and everyone with an appreciation for the green hip hop movement, Saturday's Fresh Fest is a don't miss  A packed half day of music and events to be held on August 14th from noon to 6 pm at Oakland's pretty Mosswood Park,

This Saturday, July 31, after a tour around the world, the Pixar 25 year retrospective made its hometown debut at the Oakland Museum of California.

Photos of downtown Oakland an hour before the Johannes Mescherle verdict was due to be announced. Many -- but not most -- businesses were boarded up in the vicinity of 15th and Webster.

The day Oakland won’t soon forget kicked off with a text message.

On July 8, 2010, just after 4pm PT, it was announced that a Los Angeles jury found former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the Jan 1, 2009 shooting death of the unarmed 22-year-old Hayward resident Oscar Grant.

Through the evening of July 8, 2010, Spot.us founder David Cohn photographed the protests, vandalism, and Oakland Police response to public unrest after the Johannes Mehserle verdict:

Oakland Local photographer Marv Nettles caught the initial reaction of Oaklanders near 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland, to the news of the verdict.

Oakland Local Reporter Stephen Allen captured a quiet but wary downtown Oakland just before the Mehserle verdict was announced. Business owners were boarding up storefronts, TV news vans were seen around town, and office workers headed home early.

On July 8, 2010, Oakland Local senior editor Amy Gahran strolled downtown Oakland an hour before the verdict was announced. Many, but not most, storefronts were boarded up:

The following updates are from the Oakland Local team - in collaboration with The Bay Citizen - both on location, in downtown Oakland and elsewhere around the city. Keep watching this page for fresh updates. All times noted are Pacific Time.