Results tagged “localhiphop”

Local rapper Grynch's recently released track, "A Dream Undeferred," was produced by national producer Illmind--and the song is golden enough that it landed Grynch a spot on Illmind's latest mixtape, flooding music blogs and websites today.

STRONG, WILY OL'D MAN: My! Oldominion, a legendary and superdope Northwest hiphop collective boasting members who happen to be some of our area's strongest and most creative artists, certainly has aged well. The group turns ten years old this year, and to celebrate, they're throwing a family reunion/party/show combo at Neumos this weekend. On the bill: The Saturday Knights, Grayskul, and assorted extremely important members of the crew. We're just saying, Oldominion knows how to party.

">Skullcrusher Mountain," is about an evil genius who analyzes the problems of his would-be relationship with his beautiful victim. Coulton is goofy and clever, and his show should be wonderful.

Carlos Bernadez, 18, has entered a "not guilty" plea in response to the first-degree homicide and assault charges brought against him for the murder of Joseph Ryan (rapper 29-E) in the tragic shootings at Chop Suey earlier this month. The older man charged in connection to the shootings, Roger La Branche, has also pled not guilty to his drug possession charge. There were several witnesses to 29-E's murder, as we understand, and to the shots that left Prezwell Jackson and Trama of Black Senate injured; not sure how much water this "not-guilty" plea will hold in court.

WHO IS INVERSE'S INVERSE? California hiphop duo Inverse are named thus because, to a potentially undiscerning eye, the two rappers' backgrounds don't have very much in common with each other. Sometimes opposites make the best hiphop, though, each side bringing its own wealth of experience and musical influences. According to their Myspace, Inverse raps about "happiness, pain and everything in between." With locals Cancer Rising, Akrish, Notion, and Know Choice opening up for them, this is going to be an easy-going, sunny hiphop show that will do right by you this weekend.

Black and white film classes up a cute video for "Carry Me Home" from local emcee GMK. WesGoodLife did a great job with the direction and editing on this one, and it's all set in the University District--see if you can recognize the restaurant where GMK and his new girl are eating breakfast.

ONE MAN ARMY Rap gods be praised, One Be Lo is back in town! This man's sharp mind never fails to astound and inspire us. What we've said in the past: "He is a master lyricist, an assertive, seasoned spitter of rhyme and reason." On the bill with him are Spaceman (he slays every stage we've ever seen him on), Othello outta Portland repping Lightheaded, and Helladope, the latter of which has been getting some love from The Stranger recently.

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.

THE BEAT NEVER DID STOP: YO, Son!, possibly the best hip-hop club night in Seattle (featured in Rolling Stone, at one point, even) and one that's been going strong for years, is having a "Classic Edition" 7th anniversary party at the War Room on Saturday. B-Mello and DV One will be spinning classic hip-hop (yesssss) all night. The party should rock hard and steady late into the night, if we know hip-hop heads in this town (and we do), so come early and stay until the wee hours to get your fix for the weekend.

JUST LIKE CLOCKWORK: This is your best bet for smooth grooving local hiphop this weekend. Clockwork probably make you very happy, but Macklemore is guaranteed to do so; his live show is unstoppably entertaining and his songs are both thoughtful and hilarious. This is his first show in town since July, people. Plus, XPerience might sing and Candidt might do "VooDoo." All of those prospects in combination are absolutely worth the rainy drive to Nectar.

FLEXIBLE MIND, FLEXIBLE BODY: Why not practice some venue-sanctioned yoga in the Northwest Film Forum's lobby before you hit the bars on Saturday? The 1.5 hour class is for all skill levels and ages, and is being held as a fundraiser for the arts center. We think this sounds like a great chance for you to limber up with your neighbors, center your energies at the beginning of the holiday season, and do something supportive for the arts community.

One of Seattlest's absolute favorite local hiphop groups, Cancer Rising, just released a new video for "Let's Start Some Shit (ft. Bruce Illest)" off their most recent album. There should be more Rock Band-themed rap videos.

Dope stuff drops this week in local hiphop! Grynch's EP Something More is finally available, and for free, at GetGrynch.com. And Grieves, currently traveling the nation with Mac Lethal on a Happy Holidays Tour (yes, the holidays already), just released this video for "Black Clover Posse Cut" off the fresh LP 88 Keys And Counting. The album features Budo on the production end--he's one of our favorite producers right now. (Check the selected new tracks on Grieves' MySpace, and don't skip the older tracks posted--hearing "I Ate Your Soul" again was a nice addition to our morning). As for the video, it's weird in that very special stylized dirty/WT/cute/"guy you feel like you know already" Grieves kind of way. Make up your own mind:

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.

A great mom is worth celebrating every single day, as Seattlest was reminded when our own good mother fell gravely ill in early 2008. Sometimes you have no idea how great you have it until you think you're losing it, and then--well, then you realize how important it is to appreciate and love on the people nearest and dearest to your heart while they are still around. That's why Yo! MAMA, tonight's benefit show at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre ("Educate. Enrich. Empower."), seems like such a great idea.

Local producer Jake One and Rhymesayer emcee Brother Ali co-hosted KUBE 93's Sunday Night Sound Session this week to discuss and play a bunch of tracks from the most excellent new album White Van Music. DJ Hyphen's blog Audacity of Dope has the Sound Session download and streaming links posted, so get it while the getting's good! While you're in Jake! One! mode, Raindrophustla has a longish video from DJ Nphared featuring footage of Brother Ali and Jake hanging out in the station's studio as well as an extended glimpse at Npha's car's dashboard. Note: White Van Music is the next big thing, and for very good reason.

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.

Ra Scion stars in Common Market's newest offering: a music video for their Tobacco Road single "Trouble Is." Directed by Sabzi's brother Zia Mohajerjasbi, the video's set in the small-town South and features a very funky gospel choir, gorgeous old-timey aesthetic accents, and oodles of cameos by local hiphop heads. This is a case where the video adds to the song rather than distracts from it. Well done, Zia!

We are totes crushing on Tilson from The Saturday Knights, and if you watch this video from the most recent Songs For Eating And Drinking, you'll see why. Not only is he plain ol' attractive, but he is a really, really good (genius-level) rapper; his freestyles are mesmerizing. He's been in the biz but not of the biz for a long time now, and we know he'll stay that way--just out of reach of all the bullshit, with a lyrical hand extended back to the rest of us in case we want to leave it behind too. Woof....We think he's cute!

We'll take it for granted that you will get pleasantly buzzed on nutritious, delicious microbrews at this year's Fremont OktoberFest, which might as well be called BeerFest. Someone else will have to fill you in about all the different kinds of beer this weekend (we heard there would be something like thirty breweries serving up!) at another time, though, because we would prefer to discuss the excellent local music offerings at this event. Seattle's ramping up for fall, which will come sooner rather than later; this is the perfect time to find a couple new local bands to love this winter.

Seattlest listens to a lot of local hiphop, and after awhile most of it starts to sound the same, save a few favorite groups (The Saturday Knights, Cancer Rising, and Grayskul, to name a few). Enter the latest two albums from Seattle hiphop staples Sabzi and Ra Scion. When their powers combine, they are Common Market; they're fighting on our planet's side to take (mind) pollution down to zero, with intricate, erudite-bordering-on-incomprehensibly thick lyrical miracle projects with the themes of rural Kentucky and the tobacco industry.

SYNTHS, BLEEPS, AND BLIPS: Naw, we're not talking about party politics. We're talking about the bright, accessible electronica of Ratatat, and about how you should have bought tickets months ago for their sold-out concert tonight. Ratatat's eponymous debut and their '06 release Classics get regular and beloved play in Seattlest's living room; we haven't heard LP3, but it's probably just as perfect to put on if you want to dance a little while you make dinner. If you have tickets already, enjoy the show; if you don't, go see Hellboy II: The Golden Army somewhere instead. You can listen to Ratatat online later.

An afternoon treat: Grayskul's video for "Missing," a creepy-cool verily addictive substance of a rap song from their latest album Bloody Radio, is now playing...on MTV! Holy crap! That is a really, really good look for Seattle locals JFK and Onry Ozzborn. This video was directed by another local, Christian Hansen, and may we just say: deeply awesome. E-Hats should be tipped to 206Proof.

That is, get Mingle, The Saturday Knights' latest all-star party album that is blowing everyone's minds in the music world and beyond, for free right now. Go to music blog Seattle Subsonic for the download link, and do it now, because soon Seattlest's favorite hiphop/rock/?!! album of the year will cost you money again! Our favorite tracks: "Dog Star," "Private School Girl," and "Nobody Beats Us." But we could have said any three tracks, really, because the entire cd rocks our face off.

Yes, you read that correctly. Donut! Eating! Competition! Are your artery walls closing in yet? Don't worry, because all calories from the donut consumption on Saturday will be null-and-voided by the blast of hiphoppy surfer punk rock played live by The Saturday Knights while you cram your mouth full of cakey, frosted goodness at the downtown Top Pot on (appropriately) Saturday. Last year, Bob of The Blakes won; this year, our money's on a very special someone named Billy The Fridge.

Philly rapper Freeway at Chop Suey on Saturday: gruff, powerful, in control. Prodigious beard. His set was a pleasure to behold, with thick, thumping, meaty beats over which his growl sounded just right. Such sparkly bling, too! Our only complaints are that he cut off "It's Over" way too early and there were a couple too many a capellas, but the man can keep filthily perfect time and impresses regardless of the beat behind him. Freeway's a professional, plain and simple, and we hope he returns to Seattle now that he knows we'll show him love,Sportn' Life family style. (Who caught his rap session with JFK after the show? Put details in the comments!)

        

We had a laid-back, happy time at Dope Emporium on Saturday. It felt like a hiphop block party: a family affair with barbeque, a beer garden, and kids running around doing cute things like breakdancing. There even was a producers' battle from which MTK (of Himalayan Rickshaw Run fame) emerged triumphant. Check out some photos from the event, taken by Seattlest and Terry Creighton.

The Saturday Knights/Budos Band show at Nectar on Friday night was sold out by 9:30 p.m., as in guest lists closed, no further entrance, and crowds of people partying outside the gates. Seattlest arrived at a normally respectable hour of 10:45 p.m. to find the Budos Band's shiny brass horns blaring, congo drums thumping, and every inch of Nectar packed with happy people.

THAT'S SO DOPE: Dope Emporium is a free festival of all things hiphop: DJs, MCs, spoken word artists, graffiti artists, and more. It's going down as part of Artopia, an arts extravaganza in the extremely dope neighborhood of Georgetown, so hop on a bus and experience some of the best Seattle hiphop has to offer. Our picks: Candidt, Orbitron, B-Girl Bench, Waves of the Mind and Dim Mak. Hot!

It's a great weekend for hiphop, Seattle! On Saturday, Grynch is headlining a show with D.Black, XPerience, Khingz, and the hilarious Sonny Bonoho at Chop Suey. It's a well-balanced bill full of funny, talented performers who draw big crowds on their own steam, so on a line-up together--well, Chop Suey will be alive and on fire Saturday night!