A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG

June 23, 2016September 5, 2016

AUDIO: Nine to Fives & Afterlives – Spekulation

Spekulation's name is known outside of the Puget Sound region because of two giant claims-to-fame, both of which found the rapper/producer more getting caught up in the fractious waves of meme-ification created by social media than a surreptitious manipulation of those same channels for personal gain. The Bitter Barista and "Bout That Action" were tossed-off,... Read More

June 23, 2016September 5, 2016

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VIDEO: “Young Seattle 4 ” – Sam Lachow (feat. B Skeez, Gifted Gab, Raz Simone, Dave B, Key Nyata, & Ariana DeBoo)

Words by Luke Wigren As I turned the ripe old age of 27 this year, and later as I watched Sam Lachow's recent video "Young Seattle 4," I began to wonder to myself: What is... Read More

June 23, 2016September 5, 2016

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VIDEO: “Cashitis” (Live at EMP Sound Off!) – Paris Alexa

Words by Luke Wigren If you want to see where the sound of our city is headed look no further than the EMP Sound Off!, a renowned Northwest 21-and-under music competition now in its 15th year.... Read More

June 23, 2016September 5, 2016

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VIDEO: “Irony on 23rd” – Draze (dir. by Atuanya Priester & Draze)

Words by Luke Wigren The most time I've spent on 23rd & Union is waiting for the metro, so, for me, Draze's song "Irony on 23rd" is a window into the heart of Seattle's historically black neighborhood,... Read More

June 19, 2015August 17, 2015

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THE SIX: Jarv Dee

Jarv Dee, chief operating officer of the Moor Gang -- Seattle's tight, eclectic and most talented lineup of rappers since the Mass Line collective -- turns street-oriented party rap into a scathing critique of itself on his recent album, Satellites, Swishers & Spaceships. The dexterous MC directs technically proficient barbs against foes real and (sometimes)... Read More

May 1, 2015May 27, 2015

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THE SIX: Kublakai

Kublakai's most recent musical offering Wheels Up was, in the rapper's own words, an EP ten years in the making. It's easily his most well-rounded album from a musical standpoint, succinctly covering the base of... Read More

February 6, 2015May 12, 2015

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28HUNDRED INTERVIEW: Bambu

Left Coast MC and activist Bambu brought his fiery brand of protest party music to Brooklyn's Knitting Factory last October as part of Brother Ali's Home Away From Home Tour. 28HUNDRED sat down with Bambu... Read More

January 30, 2015February 17, 2015

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INTERVIEW: “Week 147 – The Seattle Episode” – Razor Tongue Radio (feat. 206UP… Hey, that’s ME!)

In which I try to say some intelligent things about police brutality, hip-hop music and the temperatures of football fandom in New York City and Arizona. Listen to the podcast here. Many thanks to B-Dub... Read More

October 1, 2015October 2, 2015

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EVENT: Beautify the Block Party (feat. Raz Simone, Nikkita Oliver & Jamil Suleman) – Rainier Vista, 10.1.15

You say you're all about "the community?" Then get thee to Rainier Vista today at 4 PM for Jamil Suleman's Beautify the Block Party, featuring rapper Raz Simone, poet Nikkita Oliver and the indelible efforts of the G.O.O.D. (Girls Out Here Opening Doors) Girls and B.A.D. (Build And Develop) Boyz, a crew of kids (read:... Read More

September 4, 2015October 1, 2015

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LIVE COVERAGE: Thraxxhouse – The Crocodile, 9.2.15

Thraxxhouse | The Crocodile | September 2, 2015 Photos by Rafael Ochoa (more…)

August 28, 2015September 4, 2015

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SHOW REVIEW: Vic Mensa – Neptune Theatre, 8.25.15

Vic Mensa (with Towkio, Ryan Caraveo & Romaro Franceswa) | Neptune Theatre | August 25, 2015 By Emery Desper | Photos by Rafael Ochoa (more…)

August 17, 2015August 27, 2015

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TICKET GIVEAWAY [CONTEST CLOSED]: Ballard House Party w/Grynch – Sunset Tavern, Friday, 8/21/15

Ballard's finest MC, Grynch, along with your selectors for the evening Beeba and Prometheus Brown, will be rocking the Sunset Tavern this Friday (August 21, 2015) for the Ballard House Party. Thanks to the G-man... Read More

May 7, 2015June 17, 2015

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THOUGHT BUBBLE: On Jarv Dee’s Satellites, Swishers & Spaceships

Moor Gang general Jarv Dee dropped his Satellites, Swishers and Spaceships long-player a couple weeks ago. You should grab a copy for yourself and learn just why, on paper anyway, the Moor Gang continues to run the deepest, most skilled collection of rappers in the Town. SS&S is often predictably turnt, profane and violent --... Read More

March 27, 2015April 7, 2015

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THOUGHT BUBBLE: On Ronnie Dylan’s “Manumission” Video

When you are a white rapper who decides to make the title of your second hip-hop album an epithet for the liberation of slaves, well, I'd say you'd better know what you're doing. Ronnie Dylan... Read More

February 13, 2015March 11, 2015

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THOUGHT BUBBLE: On Raz Simone’s “Macklemore & Chief Keef” Video

For a minute last year, Seattle became the center of the pop music universe based solely on the appeal of a pretty-good-for-hip-hop-karaoke indie smash hit. (Don't worry Macklemore riders, I'm not forgetting the handful of... Read More

December 24, 2014January 31, 2015

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206UP YEAR-END: The Top 10 Seattle Hip-Hop Albums of 2014

206UP turned five years old this year and I, as my mother and carbon dating would assuredly tell you, turned 37 in human years. As far as the blog goes, it has never been more... Read More