In the mid ’90s a South End duo named 46th Street Hustlers released several local tapes, and their candid take on street life captivated fans. Don G and Gotti both have an easy rap style with brags about their cash flow, and their success with women. The group recorded a 1996 vinyl promo maxi-single titled “On Tha Run” for Silver Shadow D’s brand new record label Lost And Found Records. Incidentally, Lost and Found put out Silver’s debut CD Sleepless “Tha Brickkks” that same year.

Lead single “On Tha Run” is upbeat and fun, with lyrics about smoking weed, dealing drugs, and generally getting into trouble. “Watch out for (Police) Po Pos,” goes the refrain. Track number two, “Spread My Hustle,” is a little slower and more sentimental sounding. “Spread My Hustle” contains useful slang and ‘game’ related to the hustling life. “I can be what I wanna be: a Southside G,” says Don G. On verse after verse the crew represents hard for their South Seattle neighborhood. Silver himself lends some background vocals, and he is credited on the first two tracks.

My favorite on the maxi-single is the B-side, “Streets Ain’t Made For Everybody.” “Never hate a player, just hate the game,” the lyrics remind us. This song has a ton of bounce thanks to the eclectic beat, and for the icing on the cake, guest rapper Clip drops some excellent flows. One minor complaint is the length of the songs, all three are close to seven minutes long and could benefit from three or four minute ‘radio edit’ versions. I’d love to hear more from this Seattle group, very little info exists on the net. Written by Novocaine132