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