Another notable release from the early days of Tacoma rap is this 12” single from 1991, Jealousy, by Mac 10 Posse. The trio was composed of Alcatraz on the beat, DJ Razor Ray with the scratches, and MC Kazy D on the mic. In his lyrics, Kazy D explains his arrival to the Northwest—from Texas—as part of a Navy deployment. (Military connections shaped a lot of ‘90s NW rap: Kazy D has this in common with contemporaries Chilly Uptown, Whiz Kid, and Bobby G.)

This vinyl single includes four versions of “Jealousy.” The song starts with a challenge to “do something dope” and “blaze a trail.” What follows is an autobiographical tale of success in the face of all the haters. The drums bang like car doors and there are synth stabs galore. At the song’s crescendo, after revealing his truths, Kazy D asks “So why ya gotta be so jealous?” before pausing to add “…Suckers!”

The song straddles common attitudes from early gangster rap with Tacoma’s hopping ‘80s B-Boy scene. Long instrumental breaks throughout the song are perfect for breakdancing. There’s also a six-minute all-instrumental mix, too.

In the lyrics, Kazy D refers to this as his third record, but we can’t find any evidence of anything before this one. Regardless, from here, Kazy D launched a Northwest legacy. He was one of the state’s first nationally distributed independent artists, and he and the Posse released many, many more records after this one.