Hip Hop

RISE OF THE ETERNALS ~ HIP HOP IMMORTALS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

| King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

October 8, 2015 – With the recent launch of the Legacy of Hip Hop exhibit at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) the city has been buzzing with debate about who should top the list of Seattle’s most iconic artists to have represented this genre over the years.

What was most amazing to me as I walked through the MOHAI exhibit was that I saw the names of Bboys that I knew about based on recent performances. Yet, the exhibit had information on them dating back to the early 1980’s.

Because of the vibrant history of NW Hip Hop there will always be heated debate about who was/is/will be the greatest in any one of the 5 elements (Breakdancing/DJ’ing/Rapping/Graffiti/Knowledge). Believe me, it is easy to get pulled into that conversation. However, for purposes of this article I would like to focus on something else; the eternals of NW Hip Hop.

This column lists 10 artists who I feel have never left the game. But have represented the genre for the past 4 decades. I felt like I needed to share the list; because there just isn’t anyone writing about Seattle Hip Hop that actually has any roots in the community.

So here is the list. These are the realest of the real.

Coolout crewNo automatic alt text available.
10. Gordon (Music Inner City) Curvey and Georgio (Coolout Network) Brown (1990 – Present)

Element:  Knowledge
Two hip hop historians documenting the going-on’s in the hip hop community for a quarter century. Definitely two different personalities; with Gordon engaging in semi-regular public arguments with just about everyone on Facebook. Meanwhile, Georgio Brown keeps it cool. Constantly building bridges and giving local artists stage time at his
annual Coolout events (the 25th of which will be celebrated in 2016!) Georgio recently helped design and promote the MOHAI event; while Gordon was less than impressed with acknowledgement of his contributions.

Image may contain: Gregory Buren, smiling9. Greg (Funk Daddy) Buren and Derrick (Vitimin D) Brown (1988 – Present)

Element:  DJ/Producers

Are these two the same person? Both broke out around 1988. Both hit the ground running; putting out some major beats and haven’t taken a break in almost 30 years. These two have to share the spot, because both are legendary producers in the Northwest. Funk Daddy (aka Greg B) from Seattle and Vitimin D from Portland.

Image may contain: 1 person 8. Ishmael (Butterfly) Butler (1988 – Present)

Element:  DJ/Producer/Rapper

Founding member of Digable Planets. Grammy winner. Currently performing with Shabazz Palaces.

 

7. Derrick (Silver Shadow D/Derrick X) Seals (1985 – Present)

Element:  DJ/Producer/Rapper

Member of the seminal Seattle rap group DURACELL. 30 year history of active performances and musical releases. Vast knowledge of Seattle’s music and hip hop culture from the 1990’s. Current member of 206 Zulu.

Image may contain: Terrell Johnson, hat and closeup6. Michael (Edwag) Johnson (1983 – Present)

Element:  Bboy, Rapper

Edawg was a founding member of the Gail Place Rockers (aka Horton hand-spinners) before launching his music career as a member of the Mixalot posse. Edawg has over 30 years in the hip hop game and is a platinum selling recording artist. Currently hosts E’s Way Radio and regularly preforms both past and current hits.

 5. Carter (Fever One) McGlasson (1983 – Present)

Element:  Bboy, DJ/Producer

Founding member of the 1983 Seattle Circuit Breakers as well as a current member of the legendary Rock Steady Crew. Fever still performs in Bboy contests and also currently DJ’s at multiple clubs in Seattle.

Image may contain: 1 person, standing, beard and outdoor4. Nathan (Sire One) Hivick (1990 – Present)

Element:  Bboy, Graffiti Artist, DJ/Producer, Rapper

One of the few artists to represent all 4 of the original elements; Sire One has over 25 years of producing music and visual arts that is as fresh today as it was when he began. Still competing in (legal) graffiti art competitions as part of BAM crew, and performing with both North City Rockers and 206 Zulu.

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people dancing, shoes and indoor 3. Dave (Pablo D) Narvaez (1984– Present)

Element:  Bboy, Rapper, Knowledge

Founder and current manager of the North City Rockers; a multi-generational breakdance group in North Seattle. Recognized as one of the Northwest’s most knowledgeable hip hop historians and widely respected for his photo documentation of the hip hop community over the last decade via Studio Narvaez. Currently working on music production with Specs Wizard and Sire One.

 

Image may contain: 1 person2. Danny (DJ Mr. Supreme/Supreme La Rock/Preme) Clavisilla (1983 – Present)

Element:  Bboy, DJ/Producer, Knowledge

DJ Mr. Supreme (along with RSC legend DV One) is the current DJ for the Seattle Seahawks. Founding member of the 1983 Seattle Circuit Breakers. Regularly produces music scores for movies & television. Widely considered one of the foremost experts on both NW music and NW hip hop in the world.

 

Image may contain: 1 person, closeup

1. Michael (Specs Wizard) Hall   (1979 – Present)

Element:  Bboy, Graffiti Artist, DJ/Producer, Rapper

Currently produces a line of comic books for Capstan Media/Healthy Bunch. Regular music releases and performances throughout 2015. Featured artist at the MOHAI exhibit.

 Thank you for taking time to read.  I hope you enjoyed the list!  Let me know what you think!  Agree?  Disagree?

Hip Hop History, Creativity, and Diversity Celebrated at Washington Hall

| King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

November 28, 2014 ~ The timing was perfect as earlier this month Governor Jay Inslee proclaimed November as Washington State Hip Hop History Month; following the lead of Mayor McGinn and the Seattle City Council who in 2010 proclaimed November Hip Hop History Month in Seattle.

Washington Hall celebrated Hip Hop History with an all-star performance line-up of Seattle’s biggest names in rap music; along with some of the nation’s top break-dancers sharing the stage. Musical artists participating in a freestyle open-mic “cypher” included platinum selling artist E-Dawg, along with city favorites Suntonio Bandanaz, B-Ragg, Sammy Tekle, Ernesto Iraheta, and more!

David Toledo Studio Narvaez Clayton Bragg
B-Ragg on the mic with David Toledo and Pablo D in back.

 

On stage were DJ’s Able Fader, Cues, Sureal, and A.C. who kept the place rocking from start to finish.

DJ Sureal
Tamao George Yasutake aka DJ Sureal

There was a delicious potluck buffet and a toy drive to help the B.U.I.L.D. Seattle Christmas giving-tree.

The event was sponsored by 206 Zulu, Seattle City Breakers, Unified Outreach, and Studio Narvaez, in partnership with 4Culture and Rane. It was organized by Nathan (SireOne) Hivick and hosted by the North City Rockers Ernesto Iraheta and Pele’ Ross, along with the fabled Specs Wizard.

The event will be the last break-dance celebration at Washington Hall for the next nine months as the facility begins to undergo renovations to restore the historic building and the install a new elevator; allowing special needs and wheel-chair bound visitors to enjoy the facility without limitations.

The elevator installation will be a blessing to special-needs artists with limited mobility, such as 206 Zulu founder and President Danny (King Khazm) Kogita who has been in a wheelchair since childhood. Also other artists such as Clayton (B-Ragg aka C-Dogg) Bragg who has limited mobility due to cerebral-palsy.

Clayton Bragg and E Dawg
Edawg and Clayton (B-Ragg) Bragg

Clayton is a rapper from Lynwood, Washington who as has a video channel on YouTube which provides regular album reviews for NW CD releases. Clayton has been spending time in the studio and is expecting his album out in early 2015. It was after reviewing the E-Dawg CD “How Long” that Clayton was contacted with a special invitation to attend the November 28th performance as E-Dawg was headlining the event.

David Toledo (Unified Outreach) made all arrangements and acted as Clayton’s personal assistant throughout the evening; physically carrying the artist up 3 flights of steps to the performance hall and making sure that Clayton had full access to E-Dawg and the other artists as well as great seating for all performances.

“It was great having B-Ragg attend the event. He’s doing a lot with his video blog and he’s hard at work in the studio. The crowd really enjoyed hearing him rap tonight; and with his own album coming out we believe that one day he’ll be headlining one of the shows.” David Toledo said.

Clayton Bragg David Toledo E Dawg
E-Dawg, B-Ragg, and David Toledo

Clayton said he really enjoyed the show and is especially excited about the people he was able to meet in person including E-Dawg, Seattle City Breaker’s founder Carolos (Slam) Barrientes, King Khazm, and most importantly DJ Sire One and Pablo D who occasionally act as guest hosts on Boom Box Radio; a Everett-based rap program that broadcasts on Friday nights at 10pm on station KSER 90.7 Fm. Clayton is looking forward to having his new album break on the show.

The event was also attended by a bevy of local celebrities including Georgio Brown from Coolout Tv and Dave (Pablo D) from Studio Narvaez; the two partnered in October for a Hip Hop Celebration at the Experience Music Project (EMP). Also attending were TYRONE “the Working Class Hero” Dumas, members of the North City Rockers, the Vicious Puppies, Massive Monkees, Seattle City Breakers, Circle of Fire, and other famous groups.

Sammy Tekle Vicious Puppies
Breakdancer and MC Sammy Tekle

Highlights of the night were an all-girl breakdance cypher which saw the return of Seattle’s old school b-girls Amber Jamieson and Jojo Tabora-Dyckhoff to the dance floor; as well as a “Seniors Classic” which featured “Seattle’s first b-boy” Junior Alefaio.

Judges for the night included the incredible Rigo Jones, Seattle City Breakers founding father Carlos “Slam” Barrientes, and consummate b-boy Rafael Contreras.

Donte Almenzor Junior Alefaio David Toledo Carlos Barrientes Raphael Contreras Robert Farrell
Old School Icon’s: (L-R) David Toledo, Donte Almenzor, Carlos Barrientes, Junior Alefaio, Raphael Contreras, Robert Farrell

Wrapping up the evenings events Sam “Preach” Dumas, founder of the (Masters of the Prep aka Party People in Action dance crew) issued a challenge to 1980’s dance rivals “the Ducky Boys” to meet at the same time next year for a “prep only” dance off; reviving a rivalry that goes back to 1985 and the Seattle Bandstand television show.   Will the Ducky Boys accept the challenge? We’ll know in exactly 12 months!

With construction estimated to take 9 months the event organizers hope that everything will be ready in time for the 2015 Hip Hop History Month celebration. Next year’s event promises to be on for the ages!

2015 JP Scratches

Story and photos may be reprinted in their entirety.

August 2013 Animating Cartoons Summer Day Camp – Ages 9-14 – West Seattle

Image | | King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

August 2013 Animating Cartoons Summer Day Camp

2013 Cartoon Animation Day Camp

August 19th – 23rd and/or August 26th – 30th

(Individual stand-alone weeks)

*Open Daily 8:30am – 5:30pm
(Parents Drop Off/Pick Up children at their convenience)

Unified Outreach@Ginomai Art Center provides a unique Summer Day-Camp option for Parents who are interested in seeing their child attain a stronger grasp of Arts & Technology in a fun and exciting environment.

An average afternoon of Summer Day-Camp will include educational exercises embedded in fun games designed to encourage personal growth, positive self-esteem and team building skills. The day will also include physical activities and outdoor time (as weather allows) including lunch in the park. But the highlight of each day will be working on the creation of a personal cartoon-animation using the kids ideas, stories, drawings and voices; of which they will have their very own DVD to show to friends and family.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Our students are coached by knowledgeable, skilled instructors who will work with the kids each step of the way; from story development, to character design, digital imaging, cartoon animation, and voice-overs using industry-level production software including Adobe Photoshop, Flash, Soundbooth, and more.

Doors open at 8:30am and close at 5:30pm – Parents may drop off their child at any time during operational hours. $200 per student/week.

Unified Outreach is a 501C3 Youth Arts Charity which has been Active in Seattle for over 10 years.

Please visit http://www.UnifiedOutreach.com or call 206-371-1139 or 206-333-8118 for more information on our Charity

2 Big Events for August/September 2013! Talent Show and Cartooning Camps!

Image | | King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

2 Big Events for August/September 2013! Talent Show and Cartooning Camps!

Two big things going on in August & September at the Unified Outreach Arts Program in West Seattle.

EVENT #1

2013 YOUTH TALENT SHOW

Music & Dance ~ Solo and Group Categories

Auditions August 17th @ 3pm

Talent Show September 7th @ 7pm

FREE TO ENTER ~ AGES 9 – 15

Over $1000 in Prizes

Please visit http://www.UnifiedOutreach.com or call 206-371-1139 or 206-333-8118 for more information on our Charity.

EVENT #2

2013 Cartoon Animation Day Camp

August 19th – 23rd and/or August 26th – 30th

(Individual stand-alone weeks)

*Open Daily 8:30am – 5:30pm

(Parents Drop Off/Pick Up children at their convenience)

Unified Outreach@Ginomai Art Center provides a unique Summer Day-Camp option for Parents who are interested in seeing their child attain a stronger grasp of Arts & Technology in a fun and exciting environment.

An average afternoon of Summer Day-Camp will include educational exercises embedded in fun games designed to encourage personal growth, positive self-esteem and team building skills. The day will also include physical activities and outdoor time (as weather allows) including lunch in the park. But the highlight of each day will be working on the creation of a personal cartoon-animation using the kids ideas, stories, drawings and voices; of which they will have their very own DVD to show to friends and family.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Our students are coached by knowledgeable, skilled instructors who will work with the kids each step of the way; from story development, to character design, digital imaging, cartoon animation, and voice-overs using industry-level production software including Adobe Photoshop, Flash, Soundbooth, and more.

Doors open at 8:30am and close at 5:30pm – Parents may drop off their child at any time during operational hours. $200 per student/week.

Unified Outreach is a 501C3 Youth Arts Charity which has been Active in Seattle for over 10 years.

Please visit http://www.UnifiedOutreach.com or call 206-371-1139 or 206-333-8118 for more information on our Charity

‘The Otherside,’ a history of Seattle hip-hop, starring Macklemore

| King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

 

This is not actually Shawn Kemp. This is Macklemore. (Image courtesy of Daniel Torok.)

This is not actually Shawn Kemp. This is Macklemore. (Image courtesy of Daniel Torok.)

From the beginning, “The Otherside” — director Daniel Torok’s documentary about “Seattle’s underground hiphop scene” — seems to attempt the impossible, to tell the story of a community with an erratic 30-plus-year history in a 49-minute runtime.

Though there are brief mentions and a summarizing montage of Seattle hip-hop’s true roots early on, rather than examining things from a historical perspective, Torok’s film basically takes a snapshot of the three-year period, beginning in 2010, in which it was shot. (Sir Mix-A-Lot’s interview segment, for instance, was shot a week prior to the film’s SIFF premiere.) Understandably, it gets a little bit caught up in the moment it intends to capture.

A great deal of the documentary’s focus — including the title credits and much of the ending sequence — falls on the city’s suddenly nationally-renown poster boy, Macklemore, but as firsthand witnesses of his historic rise to chart-topping platinum status can attest, it’s mostly justified. At the start of filming, Macklemore was opening for Blue Scholars at their sold-out hometown shows, by the end he’s a household name who’s performed on “Saturday Night Live” and is responsible for the first platinum rap single out of Seattle since Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.”

Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction, two of Seattle’s other more widely recognized musical exports, are notably missing from the film, and though Torok confirmed that both parties were  in the initial final cut, both opted out after seeing. None of them would offer any comment or reason for the last-minute editing decision. Nacho Picasso, another local rapper who has gained the attention of national blogs and publications (and helped pioneer a significant new local wave of dark, gloomy antihero rap) since his late-2011 “For the Glory” collaborative release with Blue Sky Black Death, is also absent until the film’s final moments, when he and fellow Moor Gang members Jarv Dee and Gift Uh Gab appear in footage from Sam Lachow’s “Young Seattle Part 2” video.

With these key omissions, it’s hard to not see “The Otherside” as Macklemore’s movie. But it’s likely just as hard for those outside of the local scene to see Seattle as anything but Macklemore’s city, at this particular moment. Torok’s film accurately captures this. And to those upset with these results, the director suggests,  “If [other artists] don’t want Macklemore to represent the sound of Seattle, then they need to get on their grind and make sure that they represent their sound to the rest of the world.”

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published on http://www.seattletimes.com

Seattle rapper Sax G drops romantic ‘Tu Me Manques’

| King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

New CDs released Tuesday, March 12, include Seattle rapper Sax G’s new, romantic “Tu Me Manques”; Eric Clapton’s “Old Sock”; David Bowie’s “The Next Day”; and Devendra Banhart’s “Mala.”

Sax G, ‘Tu Me Manques’ (Cloud Nice)

Seattle hip-hop music is enjoying a creative peak, and there are a few clear narratives running through it. Macklemore is the big one, a chaste, chart-topping success story. His flip side is rude dude with attitude Nacho Picasso. And then there are the spiritual seekers: Shabazz Palaces, THEESatisfaction, OC Notes, Kingdom Crumbs. Add Sax G to that list. He has abandoned traditional rap on his debut album “Tu Me Manques,” which means “I miss you” in French, and decided to explore his newfound passion for producing.

The result is intimate synthesizer funk, a continuous, smoothed-out listening experience that feels like hip-hop but features rapping only intermittently. Sax G would rather cede the vocal spotlight to local singer Choklate and sing a little himself. It works in the context of the album. All the lyrics are about love, and the music sounds like gentle touching. From his previously released mixtape material, we know he can rap, and about lots of topics. Maybe we’ll get that next time. But what we have here is a statement of style and focused emotionalism.

Previously published at http://www.seattletimes.nwsource.com

New York Times Magazine profiles Grammy nominee Frank Ocean

| King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

R&B singer Frank Ocean has received six Grammy nominations, putting him numerically in the same league as Kanye West and Jay-Z, each of whom is also nominated for six awards.

Among the major awards Ocean could win at Sunday’s Grammy Awards telecast are record of the year, album of the year (for the album “Channel Orange”) and best new artist.

The New York Times Magazine has published an extensive profile of Ocean (which will appear in print on Feb. 10) by writer Jeff Himmelman.

“Before ‘Channel Orange’ was released in July, Ocean was something of a sleeper in the hip-hop and R&B worlds,” Himmelman writes in a story that is highly detailed and illuminating.

“Like Ocean in person,” Himmelman continues, “the album is challenging. It demands to be taken on its own terms, and in places it puts you to work.

“For a first-time listener, things don’t fall into a ‘put this on at your party’ rhythm until the fifth track, ‘Sweet Life,’ and even then Ocean makes you stop immediately afterward for one of the album’s many non musical interludes.

“But once you’ve taken the entire album in, its internal logic — the interludes, the snippets of found audio, the song order, the sudden toggles between bravado and vulnerability in Ocean’s lyric style — begins to reveal itself.

” ‘The best song wasn’t the single,’ Ocean intones at the outset of ‘Sweet Life,’ and by the second or third time around you find yourself singing along, convinced.”

previously published by GENE STOUT

Gabriel Vazquez “DJBeats”

| King County News - Fresh Juice for the Northwest

I was able to interview one of my fellow friend that has took interset in becoming a DJ. He is very talented and does a great job at what he does. He became a DJ the summer of 2011, his older sister’s boyfriend is a DJ as well and he taught Gabriel (also known as DJBeats) everything there is to know about being a DJ. He mostly pefroms at clubs, and the fan’s seems to love is music, they are always dancing and no one has ever complained. He stated, “It feels good making the crowd pumped.” Five years from now he does see himself still being a DJ, he has no plan on giving his dream up anytime soon. He would love to pefrom for anyone that is throwing a party that is in need of a DJ. All you have to do is send him a email at DJBEATS427@gmail.com and let him know the information. He also has a fan page that anyone and everyone can like www.facebook.com/DJBeats427 .