TOWN LOVE is an online art museum dedicated to celebrating the vibrant past and present of Northwest Hip-Hop. You can browse by artist or browse by year.

This gallery page is organized to highlight the creative work of

Artist: Creative Choice

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Streetwise

For many, the word “streetwise” brings to mind the critically acclaimed but extremely jarring 1984 documentary film about at-risk youth on the streets of Seattle. In 1989 rap group Creative Choice had enough songs for a sophomore album. Their debut the previous year was Real New York Style, a rough and tumble lyrical ride through Seattle. One of the group’s new songs was called “Streetwise” and it became the title track for the project. Neither album was officially released at the time. Daddy D saved the cassettes and presented a deluxe CD edition of Real New York Style in 2025, and a matching version of Streetwise in 2026.

Streetwise the album starts with a cool easter egg from the first release. “In The Booth” is actually a short fly-on-the-wall studio recording taken during the making of “How Much For The Brew?” from Real New York Style. Then Colonel G opens the album with a Jacksons sample on the smooth “It’s Time To Break.” Mellow Mike covers dozens of topics in the wide-ranging “Did You Know?” In one verse he describes a soldier’s traumatic war experience, “scrap metal hit your eyes, and now you’re blind.”

Track four is the truly impressive title track, “Streetwise.” At more than ten minutes long, this is the “Stairway to Heaven” of Seattle rap. The beat incorporates elements of “Looking For The Perfect Beat” by Afrika Bambaataa and “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash. Daddy D and Mellow Mike take turns rapping about serious topics both local and international. “Eighty-eight, and a movie called Colors, just another flick about the killing of brothers,” begins one of Mellow Mike’s lines.

“Colonel G Is Back” hits hard with boasts and clever poetry. “I used to snap and crackle, but now I pop,” is one lyric that makes me grin. After a grand and rapturous “Interlude,” Mellow Mike and Daddy D team up again with the entertaining “Talk Is Cheap.” Mike raps solo on track eight, “You Don’t Have The Rhymes.” Streetwise ends with an uptempo “Outro” which samples the horns from “Did You Know?” to a scorching breakdancing beat.

Beats and scratches throughout the album are provided by brothers Frostmaster Chill and DJ Pace. Also on the production is local Seattle legend Kevin Gardner. Automatic Crush and DJ EZ Shock were also both part of the Creative Choice crew. Streetwise is an outstanding album from 1989, and should be included in any top ten list of Seattle 80s rap albums. Written by Novocaine132

Streetwise was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Real New York Style

After Seattle rap group Freeze MCs broke up at the end of 1985, a new crew soon formed with many of the same musical artists. A March 1986 Rocket newspaper article showed a photo of four members who had named themselves Creative Choice. They included DJ EZ Shock, Daddy D, Colonel G, and Mellow Mike. Creative Choice recorded a number of songs between 1986 and 1988, often at Kevin Gardner’s house or Frostmaster Chill’s basement. In 2025, Daddy D discovered a cache of somewhat degraded cassette tapes containing the debut Creative Choice album, Real New York Style, and with the help of the group the project was re-released on Compact Disc.

After an intro, the album kicks off with fuzzy-voiced, old-school Seattle superstar Mellow Mike. His cut “B-Boy Gadget” repurposes a somewhat obscure 1985 twelve-inch by The Kartoon Krew. Then Daddy D goes for broke with “Risky Business.” His both-barrels approach hits you hard and fast. Track four is the epic “Rhymes Of Fury” rapped by the inimitable Colonel G. This heat rock is a searing display of high-speed rap creativity mixed with daring audio, and it’s my favorite track on the album.

“How Much For The Brew” has a slow Eazy-E cadence that grows on me each time I listen. The scenario at the beginning is priceless! “Seattleram” comes from a Frostmaster Chill mixtape, and Daddy D raps over the instrumental of Toddy Tee’s 85 hit “Batterram” expertly spun by Chill. “MC Slice” shows Mellow Mike doing what he does best, rapping the most complicated and abstract lyrics this side of reality.

The last cut on the album is the title track “Real New York Style.” This collection of songs is truly impressive, and we must remember that it was completed the same year as SWASS and I Got Rules. Creative Choice would continue recording throughout 1988 and finally broke up in 1989. Lucky for Seattle rap fans, the group finished a second album in 1989 called Streetwise. This is some truly early rap from Seattle, and it gives us a peek at what our city’s scene was like in 1988. Written by Novocaine132

Real New York Style was created in and features appearances from:

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