When Macklemore dropped his single “The Town” late last year, it made a gentle but significant splash, sending ripples of 2-0-6 love all throughout the Puget Sound region. The track was a nice summary of rap’s local history, released at the close of a year that brought major vital progression in Seattle hip-hop.
Local legend Vitamin D dropped these nine jewels free to the public on March 22nd, the homie’s birthday. Thanks, Vita! Not only for the dope EP but for being the de facto OG harbinger of hip-hop in the 2-0-6.
If it wasn’t for this dude, you probably wouldn’t care about what I write on this blog. That’s a fact. Click here or below to download.
Photo jacked from Vita's Myspace Page. Classic pic: crates are still dug, but dreads are no more.
For a song about such a bleak future, Sabzi sure made a damn happy beat.
(Click here or above for the download link.)
When folks in this country think about the future, the privileged and well-to-do have the luxury of considering shiny spacesuits, hover-cars, and freeze-dried meals of prime rib and asparagus tips. The working-class, poor, and other marginalized groups of people, have other future fish to fry, however. Like contending with disparate opportunities when it comes to education, health care, and housing.
The title of Grynch’s new mixtape, Rapping About Rapping, is probably an allusion to the most common criticism The King of Ballard suffers: that he spends too much time rapping about rapping. And not enough time — I don’t know — talking about his jewels (which he doesn’t sport — dude is too sensible for that), bragging about his female conquests (which also doesn’t fit his character — he’s too genial), or talking about how gangsta he is (I mean, he’s from Ballard — ’nuff said).
There are two things certain about Grynch. One, he seems like such a nice guy that, regardless of what you think of his rap’s subject matter, he’ll eventually wear you down with charm. Two, he’s one of the most technically proficient rappers in Seattle, blessed with a voice that commands a stage and a mic. It’s a fact Grynch will win most emcee battles. The hardest battle has been the one he fights with his critics, of which I consider myself one. Always critical, yes, but still one of his most optimistic fans.
Click here or below to download (via 2Dopeboyz).
Emcee Leach and emcee/producer Jay Battle are the duo who comprise Gran Rapids, a group whose debut album, Saturday Mourning, is a lengthy, party-rocking affair with a sound that trends toward the electronic end of the hip-hop spectrum. It’s startlingly confident and self-assured which, in the increasingly over-saturated local hip-hop market, is a necessity for a new group who wants to get noticed and have any hope of emerging unscathed from a crowded scene that’s a little like a downtown Metro bus during rush hour.
A national hip-hop critic wrote recently that, when in doubt, rappers wanting to expand their reach beyond backpackers and their over-sized headphones should just make a dance record; ie. a disco album with rap. Gran Rapids doesn’t paint itself into that small of a corner, but it rolls with the general idea. Party rap will get you noticed (especially around Town these days, with shows popping off every weekend), and that’s the direction GP takes Saturday Mourning.
There’s a lot of sh*t-talk set to uptempo beats, perfect for jumping up and down at the club in rapid succession (“The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, “Rewsta” and “Wheredayat, Theredaygo!”, among others). Sometimes too much hip-hop with such subject matter makes the listener feel like he’s getting bludgeoned over the head with a broken MPC. That’s not the case with Gran Rapids. They bring just enough creativity to the table to make it enjoyable. Still, the album’s sprawling length dilutes the overall quality just a bit.
Leach and Jay Battle show the most promise for a sustained career in hip-hop on two tracks. “Make Us” is a determined head-nodder where both rappers display legitimate mic control skills and an understanding of the hip-hop fundamentals. And “Robot Fans” is an entertaining lampoon of those How Can I Be Down-type fans who want a piece of the music celebrity action (no matter how big or small). It’s still unclear whether Gran Rapids is fit or hungry enough to make it out of Seattle’s hip-hop kitchen as celebrities of the bigger variety. With the pot bubbling over, and every rapper jostling for position at the top, it’s hard to predict what will happen. Saturday Mourning, though, is a good enough indicator of a group worthy of keeping your eyes on.
206UP.COM loves THEESatisfaction. Not only because of their immeasurable talent and fresh sounds, but because of their willingness to so boldly reach for what they believe in. Their commitment to the art of hip-hop and passion for music will propel them to places most other groups only dream of reaching. Exhibit A: The Black Weirdo Tour.
Here’s a website where you can donate money for the tour.
And here’s the tour flyer:
Tell a friend!
Here’s a not-so-bold prediction for Seattle hip-hop: The first half of 2010 will belong to Tay Sean and Jerm, the Beacon Hill duo that comprise Helladope, the spaced-out hip-hop/funk crew that had even the shyest of wallflowers acting the fool with their 2009 track, “Just So You Know”.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve further committed to filling up even more of my down time with yet another pro-bono writing endeavor.
I’ve started contributing New Music write-ups to everyone’s favorite source for independent music in Seattle: the lovely Seattle Show Gal. Which, in case you don’t already know, is a collection of music bloggers comprised of more than just one “Gal.” There are many of us “Gals,” some of whom are not even “Gals” at all, but guys. Like me.
Anyway, I’ll be cross-posting my write-ups on 206UP.COM in a futile attempt to not compete with myself (futile because SSG collects literally hundreds of thousands of hits a month, compared to my pithy few hundred). Or you can catch everything I write on SSG here.
And just a reminder, I contribute full album Reviews to the faithful hip-hop heads over at Above Ground Magazine (shout to Tyler, Dominick, et al). It’s cold in Iowa (where AGM is based), so I figured adding a little 206 fire to their midwest freezer is the least I can do. Ha.
EXPOSURE. EXPOSURE. EXPOSURE.
Now act like you know and tell a friend!
A great look from J. Pinder. “Later On” is a breezy ode to l-o-v-e, just in time for Seattle’s early Spring weather. Click here or below to download.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 