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Seattle Hip-Hop Involved in Six-Player Deal

The Big Apple and the Emerald City are trading hip-hop artists this week.

Seattle will receive Ghostface Killah in exchange for Blue Scholars, D. Black, Grynch, Champagne Champagne, THEESatisfaction, and a player to be named later (just kidding). And, from my point of view, while Ghost is a heavy-hitter and obvious future hall-of-famer, that deal seems kinda f*cked-up. Sounds like a trade Woody Woodward would’ve made (Heathcliff Slocumb, anyone?). Good thing it’s only for one day. The line-up goes like this:

On Saturday, 10.24.09, at Showbox at the Market, Ghostface Killah headlines a show that also features Town dudes They Live!, 503 feel-good outfit Animal Farm (who I’m pretending I’ve heard of, but in reality I just sampled their sh*t on Myspace — I like!), and 206 rapper Cheezaleo (who I won’t even pretend to be hip to).

Ghostface Killah Showbox Flyer

A few weeks ago I finally took a listen to some of They Live!’s material (go to their blog here for a bunch of FREEBIES). They’ve been dubbed “weed rap” by a few local blogs and writers and, I must report, it’s true. They rhyme about (and presumably smoke) weed on a very consistent basis. I expected to be bored (and hungry). Surprisingly, I was not. They Live! are just good got-damn party music. And I should have known better than to doubt them, if only for the fact Seattle hip-hop renaissance man, Larry Mizell, Jr. is mixed-up in their shenanigans. Props to They Live!

This pic by Rabid Child Images and stolen by me from They Live!'s Myspace page.

This pic by Rabid Child Images and stolen by me from They Live!'s Myspace page.

Also on Saturday the 24th, and this time in NY (my current home, in case you didn’t know), Blue Scholars is scheduled to play the Duck Down NYC Showcase at The Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan. (I say “scheduled” because I’m hearing reports now that they might have backed out. As of this writing they’re still listed, but I’ll update if the opposite is confirmed. UPDATE, 10.20.09, 11:12 pm: a little Twitter told me that Geo will be there solo to rock a short set — and I’m not talking about the kind Fresh Prince buys at the mall in “Summertime.”) With ELEVEN different acts, this show will be bonkers. Click the photo below and check the list. I wonder how much stage time our dood will even see?

Duck Down Showcase NYC

And finally, on the same night at The Suffolk, D. Black, Grynch, Champagne Champagne, and THEESatisfaction will play a Seattle showcase for CMJ. Here’s a good write-up on Publicola about the evening. How’s about that for an opportunity for Seattle hip-hop to shine?

CMJ Festival NYC

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VIDEO: “Something New (Remix)” (Fresh Espresso ft. Grynch, Macklemore & Gatsby)

My LOVE/hate relationship with Fresh Espresso continues! Hooray!

Check out this post on Winners Circle (Blah Blog) for the download links to “Something New (Remix)” and a brand NEW Fresh Espresso track, “Bedroom”. P Smoov and Rik Rude (aka Fresh Espresso, aka The Boys I Love to Hate) made some more fire — damn, man.

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Sol Shine

(Photo by Ryan Lewis via Sol's Myspace Page)

(Photo by Ryan Lewis via Sol's Myspace Page)

Fret not, Pac Nor’westerners, for the sun hasn’t quite made its inevitable departure from our fair city yet. The Mariano Rivera of rhyme, Sol, will be keeping the heat on this fall with his Dear Friends EP, scheduled to drop for FREE download on 10.14.09. Follow Sol’s goings-on via Twitter here. And his new homepage here.

In the meantime, below is the album art with track listing for Dear Friends and the first leak, “Cash Rules!” available for free download here. (The SPARSE BEAT + TENSE STRING ARRANGEMENT = 206-FIRE of the highest order!)

UPDATE (10.12.09, 7:57 pm): Download the second leak, “No Sleep” (featuring Grynch), here at 2dopeboyz.

Dear Friends EP (Sol)Dear Friends EP (Sol)

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I Have A New Blog Moniker!

Just kidding. The name of my blog is remaining 206-UP! I haven’t been heavy in the blog game long enough to warrant a change in my moniker. But someday, if I keep pushing, maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to possess not one, but two blog personas, as have so many athletes and rappers before me…

Anyway, the point of this post was to make those unawares aware of RA Scion’s new rap moniker, Victor Shade. It sounds like a superhero handle which, in fact, it is. It’s also a window blinds company in Saint Louis, Missouri, but that’s not important here. What is important, is that it appears Common Market has been (temporarily?) shelved in favor of RA’s new collaborative effort with local producer, MTK.

In the perpetual style of all-seriousness, as is RA’s modus operandi, he’s taking this new project, well, serious — as is evidenced by these words spoken to The Stranger’s venerable hip-hop commentator Larry Mizell, Jr.

In any event, I’m bummed (boo!) that we may have seen the end of Common Market, but excited (yay!) for the birth of the Victor Shade project, the genesis of which has been (apparently) some time in the making, but its official release upon the masses will happen at this show.

Earcandy's Bumbershoot Kickoff PartyYou can sample a collabo track (“Kasase”) between MTK and RA on MTK’s Myspace page (linked above). It sounds like RA’s — ahem, excuse me, Victor Shade’s — battle-ready flow is fully intact, which isn’t a surprise. But he does sound fresh and new rhyming over MTK’s RZA-style beat. It’s dope. I like it. And I’ll probably like Victor Shade, even though my Lady tells me I don’t do well with change.

More later, fam.

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Seattle’s Far From Harmonious, But I’m Just Sayin’…

One of the truly remarkable things about our local hip-hop community, is that artists from all walks of life can share the stage together and be heard, understood, and, most importantly, accepted, by an audience of fans that is sometimes just as diverse as they are. The relative smallness of Seattle has a lot to do with that. It’s a place where a short, skinny, white kid from Ballard can rhyme alongside a tall, African-American dude from the South End and both are celebrated just because they sound great on a track together.

It’s not that fans in The Town don’t typify the artists (that’s just a natural reaction to different styles of music), but the community is so small that everyone is allowed to eat at the same table. Because of this, Seattle might be one of the least-marginalized hip-hop communities in the country. In this way, at least, we are truly “progressive.”

I hope Seattle’s inclusive nature helps to dispel the myth (usually held by casual or unlearned fans of the music) that you don’t have to be a gangsta, or surrounded by the gangsta lifestyle, in order to be a legitimate hip-hop artist. White kids can laugh knowingly and rap along to “My Volvo,” and then hopefully pause and listen carefully to a track like “This is Why.” The true power of hip-hop is displayed when it unites us through familiarity in the music, our heads “nodding in agreement” despite our differences that keep us divided. Of course, the music itself doesn’t solve all our problems borne from society’s ills, but at least it opens the door for dialogue. It’s our job as conscious listeners to step through.

All that being said, everyone still knows that the gangsta aesthetic plays a huge role in the lives and careers of many artists. Some just borrow the image to fit their desired style (always to the detriment of the culture), and some artists have lived through it, or are living it for real.

Here are two perspectives from local emcees that have lived it, survived it, and are now imparting their knowledge from their experiences:

khingz

The first is an interview with Khingz from the hip-hop lifestyle blog 12ft Dwende.

Fatal_SoundNW-Cover

The second is a video interview and performance by Fatal Lucciauno from Sound Magazine.

One final thought:

“Gangsta rap” is a tricky piece of terminology. Mainstream media and the music business have removed virtually all societal value from that style of music, boiling it all down to an easily-marginalized brand of rap that has been happily commodified and put on sale, and yet simultaneously blamed for contributing to negative stereotypes and teenage violence. And, while pundits are not always completely wrong to criticize its shortcomings, gangsta rap has been stripped of its power to inform. Too many artists are quickly qualified as “gangsta rappers” and then summarily dismissed as nothing more.

It’s important to note that neither Khingz nor Fatal Lucciauno are “gangsta rappers” in the commonly-defined sense of the term, but both speak about issues related to that walk of life.

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Hip-Hop hits the ‘Shoot (Again)

Bumbershoot-2009-wideIt is with great regret that I inform you (friends, strangers, fam-damily) that I will be unable to attend this year’s edition of the Bumbershoot music festival. My presence is required out of town. (I’ll be in the Big Apple, hopefully catching Mos Def on 9/12 at Governor’s Island — gotta get those tickets now while they’re still available!)

It’s a damn shame, too, because it’s another great year for hip-hop at the ‘Shoot. I was just checking out the lineup and lamenting the fact that I’m gonna miss it. Anyway, here’s a brief summary of the hip-hop performances that I won’t be catching this year, along with a few of my thoughts on the matter…

Dyno Jamz (Sat, 12:30 pm, EMP Sky Church) – Uhh, I have no idea who they are. An “eight-man hip-hop ensemble?” Winner of the “EMP Sound Off! battle of the bands competition”? Guess I need to do some homework. I do know one thing, however…they have a really wack sounding name.

Wale (Sat, 5:45 pm, Fisher Green Stage) – It’s everyone’s new favorite emcee! You can’t miss Wale, yo! I have his mixtapes in constant rotation on my iPod. Lyrically, he’s incomparable, but the honest truth is that his flow is only so-so. Doesn’t really matter, though, he shows more personality in half a verse than most rappers do on their entire albums. Plus his production is always top-notch.

De La Soul (Sat, 9:30 pm, Fisher Green Stage) – One of my top three favorite groups of all-time. What else can I say? You claim to love hip-hop? Then loving De La with all your mind, body, and soul is a requirement. Miss this show and you’re fakin’ it.

Dyme Def (Sun, 2:15 pm, Fisher Green Stage) – Got mad love for these local rap heroes. I could see these dudes blowing up nationally at some point. Brainstorm competed in the nationals at the Red Bull Big Tune beat battle last year. Their full-length debut, Space Music, was a break-through for Seattle hip-hop in that it was maybe the first legitimate mainstream-flavored (read: “commercial”) album to ever come out of our fair city.

Swollen Members (Sun, 5:00 pm, Rockstar Stage) – I heard they got hip-hop in Canada, too. This duo hails from our northerly neighbour, British Columbia. Other than that, I don’t know much about ’em. I do remember the joint, “Breathe,” they did with Nelly Furtado (also Canadian), which got my ass moving once or twice. When they perform live, do they do it in a theatre? (Canada jokes are funny, eh?)

Common Market (Sun, 5:45 pm, Fisher Green Stage) – You’ll see a lot of love for CM on this blog. RA Scion and DJ Sabzi are helping set the standard for Seattle hip-hop. Complex rhymes meet beautiful boom-bap. RA’s great on-stage, as well.

D. Black and Spaceman (Sun, 8:00 pm, EMP Sky Church) – D. Black is Seattle’s version of Biggie Smalls, natural and engaging on the mic; a true diamond from the South End. Spaceman is the eccentric court jester of Sportn’ Life. Together on stage they’re sure to get your hands up like the SPD. (Can’t wait for Black’s sophomore full-length, Ali’Yah, dropping 9.15.09. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Spaceman.)

Macklemore (Mon, 12:30 pm, Fisher Green Stage) – Like Grynch, this cat’s an unlikely beast on the mic. I was definitely sleeping on Macklemore until I spent some honest time listening to The Language of My World. Conscious, introspective, and funny, the album’s a sly charmer. I’ve never seen him live. Next time, I guess.

The Knux (Mon, 1:30 pm, Samsung Mobile Mainstage) – I bought The Knux’s album, Remind Me in 3 Days, based solely on a glowing Rolling Stone review. I was a little disappointed because they spend too much time in rock/dance/techno territory for my taste. The track “FIRE (Put it in the Air),” was one of my favorite songs from ’08, though. I bet this crew is dope live.

The Black Eyed Peas (Mon, 3:00 pm, Samsung Mobile Mainstage) – Ugh. Yuck. Blecchh. Avoid at all costs! I wish the three original members of the crew would hop in the DeLorean and go back to 1998. Their debut, Behind the Front, was legitimate hip-hop. After they added Fergie and annoying pop sensibilities in 2003, it was “goodbye” backpackers and “hello” sell-out city. How disappointing.

Champagne Champagne (Mon, 4:45 pm, EMP Sky Church) – I’ve been meaning to check out their full-length debut, but can’t bring myself to spend the $10 on what might amount to mostly just a bunch of glamour-hop flash geared toward the hipster set. Emcee Pearl Dragon is an underground favorite of mine. I think Pearl’s powers as a solo emcee would reflect more of a pure hip-hop spirit, but who am I to criticize his endeavors as part of this collective? In any case, I’ve heard their live set kicks major skinny-jeaned ass!

I guess that about covers it. Bumbershoot is still over a month away, so you’ve got plenty of time to learn all the lyrics before you go. If you see will.i.am, please tell him that I’m very disappointed in the direction he’s taken the group. (I’m sure he’ll appreciate the constructive criticism.)

Peace!

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My Hands is Full

Yo. Back on the blog after a few days’ absence.

What began as an ambitious endeavor (the genesis of yet another 206-dedicated hip-hop blog) turned quickly from a new labor of love into straight-up work. A regular nine-to-five coupled with two blogs (I keep a personal one as well, but I’ll never tell you where it is!) is nearly too much to manage, especially if you are a notoriously slow writer like me.

But anyway, I just read Charles Mudede’s column in The Stranger (titled “Renewed School”), in which he summarizes the year thus far in Seattle hip-hop, calling it the “most important” since 2005 (uhh, wasn’t that only like four years ago?). And, while I very rarely agree with the majority of what Chuck says, I still hold his opinions valuable and let them help shape what I am currently pumping into my ears.

That being said, I’ve only sampled a couple of the albums he mentions among the best of ’09, and certainly haven’t listened to enough to formulate adequate reviews. (For example, I’m super late to the boat on Fresh Espresso’s debut, Glamour, as well as Khingz’s From Slaveships to Spaceships, two local releases that are, for better or worse, very important to the 206 scene this year.) I’m an amateur operation here, yo! I already have my hands full with the new Grynch and Physics EPs!

Anyway, I’m going to take Mudede’s advice to heart and go “cop these joints” (to use the parlance of our times) and, after so doing, submit proper reviews. But first I think I’m ‘a start with GMK’s Songs for Bloggers. It’s short and sweet and only costs $5.94 on iTunes. (Anyone wanna hit me with freebies?? Pretty please??) I’ll be back later with my thoughts. Until then, tell your friends!

Peace!

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“Tank on Empty, Whippin’ my Mama Volvo!”

My Lady sent me this video. It’s Andrew Matson (music columnist for the Seattle Times) interviewing the rapper Grynch. Matson asks him about the critics who complain that Grynch does a whole lot of “rapping about rapping,” a similar critique I made in my review of his latest release, the Chemistry EP.

Grynch says that he raps about stuff he knows. It’s a nice honest answer and really the only thing we, as fans, can hope for from our favorite artists. Here’s hoping Grynch continues to blow up the spot in Seattle and beyond and that his growth as an emcee results in even better, more interesting rhymes.

(Hmm…the embed code’s not working on this video, so here’s the link to the webpage.)

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Blessed With the Beats in Summer ’09

Soon as I figure out how to install the Twitter widget on the blog, I’ll post it up. For now, though, here’s the announcement, direct from Prometheus Brown (aka Geo, aka Geologic, aka the emcee 1/2 of Seattle’s favored hip-hop sons, Blue Scholars) on their forthcoming EP, OOF!.

And I quote: “Plotting the OOF! EP Campaign. Official announcement coming soon but I’ll tell yall now: it’s dropping Aug. 25!”

The Physics, Grynch, and Blue Scholars all dropping new EPs this summer? I’m ‘a hafta ride around for days just to have enough time to bump all this sh*t. Mom, I need more gas money for the Caravan!

For now though, I’ll just take a stroll down “The Ave” (Memorial Stadium, Bumbershoot 2006, opening for Kanye — who was completely wack in concert that night, by the way):

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REVIEW: Chemistry EP (Grynch)

FrontGrynch’s still young career has been one of slow progression. On his debut album, This is What I do, the Ballard emcee unsuspectingly blazed onto the 206 hip-hop scene with an undeniable flow and knack for making solid, party-rocking hip-hop that sounded great bumped from your car on a hot summer day.

In subsequent releases including his latest EP, Chemistry, Grynch has taken a few steps forward in the complexity of his rhymes, but still not much has changed. His flow is still solid, his rhymes even more effortless and natural, and the beats are still big and sound great with the volume turned up loud. Grynch’s music is accessible West Coast hip-hop that should appeal to virtually everyone. So why do I still feel mostly underwhelmed?

Probably because the subject matter of Grynch’s rhymes remain fairly one-dimensional. He’s got the braggadocio down pat, which is always important in hip-hop. Emcees spend roughly 35% of their time listing the reasons why they are so dope. Grynch continues to follow this tradition on Chemistry.

He also remains focused on rhyming about his struggle in the game and the challenges he faces coming up. Again, it’s important subject matter, but the problem here is that Grynch is two full albums and two EPs in, and he’s still telling us about it. We’ve been knowing about the struggle, dude. It’s a little early to say it’s getting tired, but I often found myself tuning out the lyrics in favor of just listening to the beats.

And the beats, as on Grynch’s past releases, remain top-notch. They’re loud and full, and they sound great on headphones with good bass response. Standouts include the title track, which is an absolute Grade-A banger featuring One Be Lo and “A Dream Undeferred” the emcee’s altered take on the Langston Hughes poem.

Chemistry feels like a big release because it features the likes of One Be Lo and Seattle hip-hop royalty RA Scion and Geologic (and their cameos don’t disappoint). Unfortunately, however, Grynch just hasn’t taken that big step forward lyrically. He can rock a party better than most and the fact that he generally sounds incredible doing it allows him to get away with the repetition in his lyrics. Eventually, however, Grynch needs to show us more in order to stay relevant.Back

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