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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, and into the pain of seeing that heart gouged out by gentrification.

The song focuses on the hypocrisy of Seattle officials, who have allowed white-owned Uncle Ike’s Pot Shop to bypass state regulations and operate near a youth center, while just four years ago police were arresting African Americans selling marijuana at that very corner under the auspices of our nation’s “War on Drugs.”

Sure, it’s all legal. But when City Hall “revitalization” plans kill longtime African American businesses, and when the same Seattle Police Department who disproportionately prosecutes blacks for smoking marijuana then barricades a white-owned pot shop during a protest on 420, it does strike as a bit ironic.

Then again, there is perhaps nothing ironic about any of the events described in Draze’s song. They demonstrate, as Ta-Nehisi Coates says, “our system working as intended,” that is, working in the interest of wealthy whites at the expense of poor minorities. With how unevenly laws apply in America, the fact that we call ours a justice system may be irony in the truest sense of the word.

So, with all that in mind, maybe its time we stop confusing legality with justice and begin calling the “Irony on 23rd” for what it really is: systematic racism. Of course that wouldn’t be quite as good a song title.

Thanks to Spekulation, without whose mic pass I might not have heard “Irony on 23rd,” and, of course thank you Draze for having the insight in the first place. We need more of this. Check out the rapper’s recent Seattle’s Own mixtape, here.

 

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VIDEO: “Seattle Sweeties” – Draze (dir. by Atuanya Priester)

Seattle MC Draze and local bakeshop Cupcake Royale continue the roll-out of their “Seattle Sweeties” fundraising campaign, an effort to earn money for Mary’s Place, a shelter for homeless women, children and families. The campaign is for a worthy cause and the partners should be lauded for initiating it. The opinions that follow should be taken separately from how 206UP feels about the campaign but are still relevant because of how intrinsically tied the issues are.

Draze dropped the “Seattle Sweeties” single three weeks ago and 206UP had some things to say about the track’s good intentions but disappointing sexist subtext. The Stranger’s Angela Garbes echoed similar sentiments. Five days ago Draze followed up the single with a music video which you can view below. Similar to the audio, the visual is — again — disappointingly reductive for all the reasons 206UP and the Stranger have already given.

As far as making a meaningful, nuanced artistic statement about the endemic that is institutionalized sexism Draze and Cupcake Royale, with their song and video, have failed miserably. To be fair, however, that’s probably not their area of expertise nor their original intention.

In the Garbes piece, Cupcake Royale’s Chief Operating Officer Nicki Kerbs is notably glib in her response to the charges of the “Seattle Sweeties” campaign being problematic. It seems that, to her, a cupcake is just a cupcake.

Of course you don’t have to be Don Draper to know that in the advertising/marketing game it’s never that simple. The same factors that play inside your brain, convincing you you must have that cupcake now, wage war on the same subconscious battlefield that allows sexist viewpoints to institutionalize themselves and become societal norms. The term “sweeties” — as innocuous as it sounds — carries negative connotations for many women. If Draze and Cupcake Royale intended to usurp those connotations, then more power to them; it’s just unfortunate they did it in the wrong way.

(Click here to read more about Mary’s Place and go here to make a financial contribution.)

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AUDIO: “Seattle Sweeties” – Draze (prod. by Vitamin D)

Draze - Seattle Sweeties

Ah yes, the so-called hip-hop “female empowerment anthem:” Generally well-intentioned, but hardly ever well-executed. Seattle rap OG Draze falls into the same institutionalized pit of chauvinism that our favorite of-the-moment rappers like Drake happily occupy. “Seattle Sweeties” gets it wrong from the very start (see: song title), but has its heart in the right place (it’s a vehicle for raising funds for survivors of domestic violence).

Here’s the thing, fellas (and mind you this word to the wise is coming straight from the horse’s mouth: a heterosexual male who trades in misogyny by virtue of my very existence on planet earth): Women don’t need men to affirm their beauty and intelligence.

The best part of the current wave of feminism — at least as it’s manifesting itself in popular culture — is that it reinforces the notion that there is truly no wrong way to be feminine (see: Adele, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling, et al). Just as there’s no wrong way to be Black, Asian, Latino, gay, straight, or transgender.

The marginalized — and I’m counting myself and Draze among those — need allies in the fight against our oppressors.

Men: We need to stop projecting our values of worth (particularly as it pertains to physical beauty) onto the people we’ve traditionally held power over — that shit is tired and reductive. We need to start taking up arms alongside them. Teach your sons and daughters how to be feminists, not the bankrupt game of respectability politics.

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VIDEO: “Notorious” – Draze

Yesterday marked the 18th anniversary of the passing of Christopher Wallace, aka. the Notorious B.I.G. To reflect on the somber occasion, Seattle rapper Draze re-released his 2009 “mixtapemovie,” “Notorious,” which “samples” clips from the biopic of the same name and interpolates them as the visual accompaniment to an original track written and performed by Draze.

The song imagines an alternate universe where Biggie returns to New York to make amends and pay visits to past lovers, homies and business associates. Assuming the disembodied voice of one of rap music’s most beloved heroes is not a blithe task, but Draze musters the appropriate gravity. Watch “Notorious” below and watch for a new round of mixtapemovies from Draze this year, including “The Devil’s Advocate” which concerns one Kanye West.

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AUDIO: “Children Of The Light” – Draze (prod. by Vitamin D)

Draze - Children Of The Light

Seattle OG Draze timed the release of his new Vitamin D-produced single “Children Of The Light” to correspond with the EMP Museum’s Black History Month kick-off event which went down on Saturday, February 7 (and of which 206UP was a co-sponsor). The track embodies the “Black is beautiful” truism so elemental to hip-hop’s core.

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LIVE COVERAGE: EMP Museum’s The Value of Black Life Artist Showcase feat. Talib Kweli & Draze – Saturday, 2.7.15

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The Brand Kings and EMP Museum Present: Through the Eyes of Art Black History Month kick-off event featuring The Value of Black Life artist showcase with appearances by Talib Kweli and Draze | EMP Museum Sky Church | Saturday, February 7, 2015

Words by Emery Desper. Photography by Rafael Ochoa.

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TICKET GIVEAWAY: The Value of Black Life Art Showcase at EMP Museum feat. Talib Kweli & Draze – Saturday, February 7, 2015

206UP has partnered with The Brand Kings to bring you EMP Museum’s Black History Month kick-off event: Through the Eyes of Art featuring The Value of Black Life art showcase, on Saturday, February 7, 2015. Talib Kweli and Seattle’s own Draze are the featured performers.

Enter to win a pair of tickets courtesy of 206UP!

Fill out the form below for a chance to win a pair of tickets. Names will be drawn at random on Thursday, February 5 and winners will be informed by email no later than 5 pm PST the same day. Deadline for entry is 12 noon PST, Thursday, February 5. All ages.

Thanks for entering and we’ll see you there!

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Details from the EMP Museum website:

The Brandkings and EMP Museum present Through the Eyes of Art, the kickoff event for EMP’s Black History Month celebration.

This year, Seattle’s premier Black History Month celebration brings together work from regional artists and photographers in The Value of Black Life art showcase.

The second annual Through the Eyes of Art will feature a keynote address from the former National Director of Youth Engagement at World Vision Derrick Wheeler-Smith, remarks from City of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle City Council Member Bruce Harrell, and a live performance by hip-hop heavyweights Talib Kweli and Draze.

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EVENT: EMP Museum Presents The Value of Black Life Art Showcase feat. Talib Kweli & Draze – February 7, 2015

EMP BHM Event flyer ver2206UP is a proud marketing sponsor of the EMP Museum’s Black History Month kickoff event: Through the Eyes of Art featuring The Value of Black Life artist showcase with appearances by Talib Kweli and Seattle hip-hop artist Draze. It’s going down on Saturday, February 7, 2015 and tickets can be purchased here. More details below via the EMP website.

The Brandkings and EMP Museum present Through the Eyes of Art, the kickoff event for EMP’s Black History Month celebration.

This year, Seattle’s premier Black History Month celebration brings together work from regional artists and photographers in The Value of Black Life art showcase.

The second annual Through the Eyes of Art will feature a keynote address from the former National Director of Youth Engagement at World Vision Derrick Wheeler-Smith, remarks from City of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle City Council Member Bruce Harrell, and a live performance by hip-hop heavyweights Talib Kweli and Draze.

206UP would like to extend a special thanks to Draze and The Brand Kings for bringing us on board!

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PHOTO SET: Gabriel Teodros with Draze, Xperience & EarDr.Umz at Columbia City Theater – Thursday, 11.6.14

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Seattle hip-hop chosen son Gabriel Teodros celebrated the release of his new full-length album, Evidence Of Things Not Seen, last night at the Columbia City Theater. The show also featured Draze, Xperience, DJ/producer EarDr.Umz, and one very special (and very famous) guest — hit the jump to find out who. Photographer Rafael Ochoa attended on behalf of 206UP.

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EVENT: The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop at the Museum of History and Industry

Legacy of Seattle Hip Hop flyer

Much thanks to Aaron Walker-Loud of Big World Breaks (and many other artistic Town endeavors) for hipping 206UP to this event. The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop is being billed as “an active exploration of culture, history and justice through interactive performance, film, a community panel discussion, art and other hands-on activities”. Learn more about the event here, and go here to watch the 50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide documentary which will screen publicly for the first time.

Whew. And if that wasn’t enough, peep a video below by one of the event’s featured performers: “The Hood Ain’t The Same” by Draze.

Events Live Coverage Video