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Jordan Gomes, better known to many as Stunnaman02, is a true multi-hyphenate. The San Francisco native is a rapper, actor and entrepreneur who folds social justice messaging into just about everything he does—speaking up about economic inequality and structural racism in his songs, through the roles he chooses and by directly addressing these issues and others on his YouTube channel.
You may know Gomes by his stage name, Stunnaman02. Or perhaps you recognize him from his role in The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Joe Talbot’s 2019 lyrical and haunting film about two best friends facing gentrification and displacement reflects Stunnaman02’s own experience of witnessing the city’s Black population shrink to 5%.
The pandemic did little to slow Stunnaman02 down. This summer, he graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a neuropsychology degree, dropped several singles, launched a clothing brand called Still Winnin and his own hand-pressed juice.
Last year, his regional anthem “Big Steppin’” went viral. The Warriors, the 49ers and Mayor London Breed—who performed the dance alongside Stunnaman02 on the streets of SoMa—got in on the action. He even partnered with Bay Area hip-hop kingmaker E-40 for a promotional clip.
Political resistance is embedded within all of the 28-year-old’s creative projects. Set to a bass-heavy beat by Quakebeatz, “Big Steppin’” is not only a dance phenomenon. As Gomes told The Standard, it’s also a song about police brutality. His single “Heavyweight” lambasts ICE’s juvenile detention centers.
“It’s almost like a Trojan horse, where it’s like, you give people what they want to a degree,” he said. “I might always have fun with making music, but I never want to get too far away from putting in those social issues.”
Stunnaman02 believes San Francisco nightlife is having a moment. And, in an ironic twist, he said he thinks the pandemic played a role in spurring a surge of local creativity, giving artists a chance to reclaim space in the city.
“This is like the first time I think since the early 2000s that you see a lot of the rappers that are in big positions are from San Francisco,” he said. “All the music in the Bay is kind of matching that energy. The nightlife is lit.”
Photos by Don Feria for The Standard.
Special powers
Gift of gab, composure, flexibility and positivity.
Arch enemies
Pure negativity, animosity, envy and self-doubt.
Weaknesses
Being super critical of myself. I overthink and try to do too many things.
Lineage
I come from a strong line of entrepreneurs. I feel like my lineage is inner strength, independence and confidence.
Current mission
To put positivity in the world through my passion.
'Do we make life worse just based on what the world's giving us or are we gonna fight back? Are we gonna speak up for ourselves?'
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