Seattle rap group Source Of Labor are true legends in the Seattle rap history books. The group first consisted of three members, Jonathan “Wordsayer” Moore, Upendo “Negus I” Tookas, and Joel “Kamikaze” Lozano, who all came together while living in Atlanta. Moore and Tookas were good friends who met in Seattle in 1989. They were not related, but Moore would often use the term of endearment “brother” describing Tookas. In fact, Moore’s mother Dr. Gwendolyn Jones confirmed that they were not brothers, and she told me that, “Jon considered Upendo to be his brother from another mother.”

Moore, Tookas, and Lozano returned back to Seattle in 1992. In 1994 they added their fourth member, Igbnifa “Blahzey Blah” Fadoyamin who had moved to Seattle from Chicago. The foursome dropped a four-song, self-titled EP in 1995, and Seattle noticed. While the iron was still hot, Source Of Labor struck again later that same year with a twelve-inch vinyl release. This one was called Sureshotsingles Vol. 1, and it contained two innovative new tracks. Also along for the ride was a remix of “Come With We” from the earlier EP.

The A-side is Quietly Resurrect, abbreviated as “Q.R.” Blahzey has the first verse, and the minimal vibraphone-based beat allows Blah’s booming voice to resonate. Wordsayer rhymes second, in a freewheeling verse. “I’m a child of the sun, I’ll make the coldest crew sweat,” he insists. The instrumental is included, and the Negus I beat transmits deep emotion through the subtle melodies.

Side B of Sureshotsingles Vol. 1 starts with the aforementioned remix of “Come With We,” done by the one and only Vitamin D from Tribal Productions. Vitamin completely reimagines the original beat, removing the Eric B & Rakim sample, and the lyrics are different in many places. But the biggest change is the addition of a verse by Erika “Kylea” White. Kylea and Wordsayer had met in May of 1994, and by 1995 they had become a couple. “It’s that ultimate crew with that ultimate sound,” she brags.

Continuing side B is a Kamikaze-produced banger titled “S.O.L. Control.” The celebratory vibe is infectious, and this song makes me want to smile every time I hear it. “We’re four bad brothers with soul control,” the MCs rhyme together. This is the ultimate party song to get people dancing. Trumpet work by Cecil Young on both “Q.R.” and “S.O.L. Control” adds depth and integrity to the recordings as truly live creations. This was Source Of Labor’s second release, and it showed a group on the rise. Written by Novocaine132