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DOWNLOAD: Freestyle Demo Tape – Tribal Productions

Click album cover to download.

Click album cover to download.

This post simply echoes Larry Mizell’s Stranger missive from last Friday.

Tribal Productions was a collective of immensely talented/influential hip-hop artists active in the Puget Sound throughout the mid-90s. I was neither present nor learned on the scene’s happenings at that time, so I leave it to the authoritative voices of Deven Morgan and Jack Devo — two precious resources for telling what Seattle rap life was like before the teeny-boppers started caring — to drop knowledge.

I don’t know much, but I do know this: If you care to think of yourself as a Seattle hip-hop head, it’s best not to believe that this shit begins and ends with “Thrift Shop.”

Downloads Know Your 206 History
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VIDEO: “The O O” – Onry Ozzborn

Saw this over at Lar’s place. Some of us blog low-lifes don’t get hip to the new-new like Mizell do. Whatevs. Read what I had to say about Onry’s recent free full-length, NO HOAX, here. And if you like “The O O,” click here to cop the rapper’s brand new for-sale LP, Hold On For Dear Life.

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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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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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