Wednesday, February 25, 2009

What comes to mind when you think of the Pacific Northwest?  Rain, coffee, runaways, and that big pointy building? Those are very present, true, but the major NW cities also have a quirky and interesting hip hop history, and an explanation for how underground artists from said cities are becoming nationally known, so pull up a chair that doesn’t explode and I’ll tell you about it:

For the longest time in the eighties, the only actual hip hop to come out of Seattle and the NW was Sir Mix-a-Lot, and, hey, a lot of people don’t even consider that hip hop - just a novelty song that white people could sing at karaoke and use as a way to pretend to be hip.  In 1985, Seattle passed the draconian Teen Dance Ordinance that precluded minors from attending shows for fear they might (gasp!) DANCE and be corrupted! (Footloose anyone?) The ordinance required patrons under 15 years old to have an adult guardian, and anyone over 20 years old to be an adult guardian for someone under 18; it also required a minimum of one million dollars in liability insurance, which is an untenable arrangement for any small club.  This, combined with the explosion of grunge music in the region in the nineties, forced many hip hop clubs out of business because they couldn’t afford all ages shows. 

So how did hip hop in the Northwest bounce back from these many obstacles?  After tremendous lobbying efforts by an organization called JAMPAC, founded by Krist Novoselic, the Teen Dance Ordinance was repealed and replaced with the slightly less-restrictive All-Ages Dance Ordinance.  From there, the politically charged and socially conscious spirit that already imbued Portland and Seattle, was allowed more room, and now flourishes through a powerful word-of-mouth and community support structure.  From such a strong network sprung such acts as Blue Scholars, Common Market (Best of 2008 in my January SOTO column), the Sandpeople, Boom Bap Project, the Lifesavas, and Jake One.

Today, I highlight some great underground acts with recent releases from the region:

:Blue Scholars - Butter And Guns (Loyalty II):  With a name that plays on "blue collar," the Blue Scholars may be the strongest act out of Seattle in recent memory.  This track, off of the EP of the same name out in early 2008 is a prime example of DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic at their political best, railing against politicians, cops, and the system in general with a slow, soulful beat and guitar riff.

:Sapient - The Screen:  Portland artist Sapient (aka Sape) is best known for producing tracks in the Sandpeople collective, but on October’s Letterhead, his first full-length solo release, he proves he bring the vocals as well as produce.  I’m a big geek, raised on a lot of 90’s TV, so the references to pop culture in this track made me swoon, in the hippest way of course.

:Mic Crenshaw - Take Em Out (Featuring Gen. Eric And Nightclubber Lang):  Mic Crenshaw is another Portland MC who doesn’t just rap about social change and positive thinking, he walks the walk: he founded a refugee aid non-profit called Global Fam as well as an anti-racist skinhead group called the Baldies.  This track features other NWers, Gen. Erik of Focused Noise and Nightclubber Lang of the Boom Bap Project.  I like the call-and-response in this track because it satirizes mainstream DMX-style-violent-street-crime-rap while imparting a spicy political message.   I’m also a sucker for a Stephen Colbert reference!

- Leah Manners -



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