So far, we've been absolutely blown away by the shows City Arts Fest have brought us. Incredible bands at all our favorite venues throughout the city. We knew it was going to be interesting, but they've lived up to the hype and then some. The Weepies show last night was heart-breakingly amazing and the Hip Hop fiesta at the Paramount on day one was epic. There's still a couple days left. With Blitzen Trapper and the Vaselines tonight and a full day of shows tomorrow, we're keeping busy. Here's what we think you should head to on Saturday. more ›

• Don't play with fire, the Washington DNR said so. So there.
• Capitol Hill has pretty trees and presumably, pretty bad allergies now. Yay, Spring!
• A case of guilt by association: Seattle rapper Fatal Lucciauno, pulled from The Crocodile's April line-up.

We're starting to go stir-crazy at Seattlest HQ, though a spicy tuna roll and some grapefruit juice have provided a much-needed bracing nutritional slap on the back to keep us moving through the afternoon. The video below helped a lot, too, and so we're sharing it. Georgio Brown, with Coolout TV, has been filming and archiving Pacific NW hip-hop for almost eighteen years now. He's finally started to post some of his material on YouTube, and this one warmed our heart's cockles in particular because it features four of the best artists in local hip-hop today--all in one, condensed segment with astonishingly good audio quality. Dyme Def, Macklemore (performing the famous "White Privilege"), Fatal Lucciauno and D. Black star in this installment. more ›

Tonight: the Wu-Tang Clan and Fatal Lucciauno are throwing down at the Showbox SoDo. The Wu speaks for itself (hello), but Fatal is a Seattle rapper you need to know about. It might be too late to change your plans and get to this show. It's never too late to watch this video, though. more ›

This weekend smells like autumn. But if you point your nose in just the right direction, you'll smell something a little brinier, a little boozier; you will catch a whiff of some of Seattle's most creative hiphop, a scent emanating tonight from the High Dive (Grayskul/Champagne Champagne) and at the Rendezvous (They Live!/Fatal Lucciauno) for "The Corner." It's your call where you fork over your cash, but either way you're going to be in the company of Seattle-drenched hiphop greatness. more ›

Some of the best hiphop artists in Seattle today are affiliated with Sportn' Life Records. The best example is the name on everyone's lips right now: Fatal Lucciauno, a reknown battle rapper back in action after an unfortunately timed hiatus last year. Sportn' Life just released a free download of their 2003 compilation album, available for "a week or two" (according to CEO Devon Manier), and Seattlest cannot recommend strongly enough that you please download the album while it's available. Go! Go! Fatal's on there, as are D.Black, BeanOne (he even raps), Kuddie Mak, Silent Lambs Project and many others. more ›

DJ Nphared spins for Sportn' Life artists, including D. Black and Fatal Lucciauno, and he also DJs for Grynch. Seattlest enjoyed his mixes at the Parker Brothaz show on Monday, so we set out to learn more about this guy's ethos. more ›

Kingzmen came out in matching striped jumpers, which was cute. They certainly have charm, Nphared's beats were beautiful again, and if the Kingzmen tighten up their presence just one notch further, they'll make our list of groups to be excited about. Here's who we ARE excited about: GMK. Bright, bursting energy, hustling like a pro. This guy is flying, he's got the spark, and everything about his act works really well. He only had fifteen minutes on stage, but after the Parker Brothaz (not bad, just... flat), it was clear GMK deserves to headline. The Parker Brothaz were formulaic, packaged, commercial ("Where's your iPhones? Where's your Sidekicks?" is the refrain in their latest single), but admittedly smooth. Smooth, but not inspiring. GMK, on the other hand, got the crowd swooping and bouncing right along with him. Good man, good man. "Baby wanna drop that? Go ahead, drop that." Encore! more ›