The Fillmore District in the heart of San Francisco was once a cultural mecca dubbed the “Harlem of the West” by the Jazz and Blue’s legends that frequented the area. Over the years much has changed, and although the region’s not completely unfamiliar across the U.S., the effects of gentrification have nearly erased its storied history.

DaVinci’s memories of the area he was born and raised in during the ’80s are stark in contrast to the present-day district. In his music he takes us to the comically dubbed “New Fillmore,” and discusses the changes he has seen in his lifetime and its influence on his art. We stop at one of the last bastions of the neighborhood and meet one of the few remaining pillars of the Fillmore. Though DaVinci no longer lives there, the place he used to call home can be summed up in one simple phrase; “Filmo, no mo.”

The future looks bright for this budding MC fresh off the release of his official debut The Day The Turf Stood Still.