Happy Lunar New Year of the Rabbit. If the remainder of 2011 goes how January went, moves are bout to be made! Since I've been in the lab brewing up some new projects for your listening pleasure...(expect in the next few months the brand new JulieC E.P, a new Knox Family project, and the extra new Murder She Wrote featuring myself, Sista Hailstorm, and DJ BGirl), I thought it a good time to reach out, reconnect, and give a shout to all the folks that make Seattle Hip Hop what it is!
Lemme start off my recap showing love to my fam, Greg and Jerome, for allowing me to rock with them at Faire Gallery on the 10th. This small, intimate joint was a going away show for a comic, but it was also my first performance of the New Year, and my first time rocking at Faire. Prior to my young 24 bar feature, I was able to check a duo from Everett's Black Magic Noize, for the first time too. Dope cats, definitely worth a listen.
Later that week, on the 14th was Hip Hop Period: The ReRival at Wapifasa, organized by the young n fresh emcee Dakota. I first met Dakota while teaching Urban Debate a few years ago at Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, and it's been a pleasure watching this cat blossom. Since I missed Wapi's open house, this was my first time checking out the youth organization's new digs in Columbia City and the spot is dope! The show, hosted by Gabriel Teodros, featured Rogue Pinay, ArtofVerse, Language Arts, JRain, and Los Tainos, which is a new group consisting of mi familia Mic Flont and Khingz. Shouts to Suntonio Bandanaz, Dox, Sista Hailstorm, and Korvus Blackbird for rocking with me that night. Also, big ups to Wish Curtis of Emerald Roots, Otis from Streetfights the Hip Hop Show, Cecily Madanes, and Nathan Meernik for holding down the media that night! You can check out photos from this show by Teodoro here! Be on the look out for more events coming from the WAPI youth real soon, and if you know a young person who could use some plugs, do urge them to advantage of some of the programs and services Wapi offers in the community.
On the 27th, was Hip Hop Kitchen, an invite-only networking/bread-breaking dinner party, hip hop style, hosted at the home of my girl Cassandra William, along with the ill emcee and amazing cook Dice (check her new video with Willie Joe here) and her manager K_Adele. These women, with the help of Tishauna, were throwing down some Thai in the kitchen like I've never seen done, while Cass was screening throwback War of the Words footage from years ago. It was dope connecting live with Boss Lady Jazz, Boom Box, MicPhenom, Five Flat, Tamiko from Triple R, Casey Carter, Gene Dexter, OutrageousI5, Mrdutch, RyanonaMission, Kitty Wu & Georgio Brown from Coolout Network and everyone else I may have left out. I can't wait for the next installment of this event. Good shit. Be sure to check out Seattle Soul on Blast February 19th at Chop Suey to see Dice, Choklate, Darrius Willrich, JusMoni, Zach Bruce, and more. Just to wet your whistle, here's some footage of a Hip Hop Kitchen Cypher, featuring some of the artists just mentioned (Thank you, Triple R for this!)
And FINALLY, this brings us to All City Jump Off that went down Friday, the 28th at Lofi, organized by my brother Zechariah tha Barber of AllCityChop. The AllCityChop series, part of the Barber's multifaceted BUMP LOCAL campaign, features a wide variety of Northwest artists from all corners of the Hip Hop scene, chopped n screw'd. Hosted by the charismatic and talented Lady Scribe, this show was the ILLEST I have ever seen and had the privilege to rock at Lofi. The talent was beyond palpable. The stage was shared by artists featured on 3.0 and 3.5 All City Chop mixtapes, including Luke Rain, Language Arts, Delton Son, Beloved1, Piece, Lady Tasz, Black Stax, KingDRO, Ditta Mac, Larue, Tyrone, Saturday Morning Cartoon (wanna hear a secret SMC featuring Julie C track? Click here), Helladope, Metal Chocolates (OC Notes & Rick Rude), Meez, Dougie, and G-Red. The Alpha Platoon segment of the night featured my crew's own Haj, Inkbiz, Knox Family(myself, Julie C & Jerm D), and Suntonio Bandanaz, not to mention DJ's SeaBefore, DJ Khunex, Nim Almighty, and Austin Lee. Check some footage of Black Stax rocking this night right here, posted by Lady Flava. If by now, you haven't opened www.AllCityChop.com in a new window and began your free download of the mixtape, STOP DRAGGING.
So with that, I'ma wrap this summary up with a few thoughts. Well wishes and rapid recovery to the founder of the game, Kool Herc. Check this article called "Kool Herc, Hip Hop, Healthcare, and Humanity" by Shamako Noble, for more thoughts on this issue and how it relates to our day to day. Finally, peace to all the brave men and women who have been holding it down on the streets of Egypt this month. We stand in solidarity with the global resistance. ONE LOVE.
