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.

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Tag: Citizen Cain

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N Flight

Seattle rapper Byrdie dropped his debut CD in 2001 titled Poetic Epidemic. Guest appearances on tracks by Skuntdunanna and Unexpected Arrival kept Byrdie’s name in the spotlight, and by 2004 he was ready to put out his second album, the epic N Flight. His manager at the time was none other than Jonathan “Wordsayer” Moore from Jasiri Artist Management. During this era, Wordsayer was the unofficial “Mayor of Seattle” to nearly all hip hop figures in the town.

With maybe the exception of The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, N Flight is one of the most mainstream albums to ever emerge from the Seattle rap scene. Byrdie was clearly courting pop success with this body of work, and somewhat rejecting his Street Level Records roots in gangsta rap. The first song “B.Y.R.D.I.E.” is ready for radio. Produced by Vitamin D, the song is solid and funky to a high degree. The reliable “All Out” by Bean One might be my favorite cut on the album. It is a basic but effective party track, and I can’t lie, the chorus gets me hyped.

“I Wanna Know” featuring Darius Willrich is about commitment in relationships, and Byrdie weaves a vividly textured story. Keeping it in the emotion zone is “Move On” featuring singer Choklate, which is about the struggles of growing up, and facing the results of the choices we make. Both “I Wanna Know” and “Move On” are produced by Sekken Thaughtz, who went on to make beats for Clockwork’s debut album in 2006. As evidenced throughout N Flight, Byrdie had a Tupac-like ability to describe complex situations in lyrically poignant verses. The feel-good “Wanted” is a smash hit featuring Reggie Watts. It’s a sweet innocent love song to a crush, “the prettiest girl in my classroom.” This one will be in your head forever.

Not everything here is a hit, unfortunately. For example, directionless “Scattin’” recycles a line from “B.Y.R.D.I.E.” which lessens the punch of both songs. “The Ways Of The World” is a little too self-serious and politically on the nose for me to enjoy it. The most intense track on N Flight is the autobiographical “Where Were You…” in which Byrdie addresses his estranged father. Byrdie had a wild ride to the top of the Seattle rap scene. His Big-Pun-esque voice, combined with a charismatic heart of gold, carried him far. He battled cancer for years, and in 2013, Jesse “Byrdie” Watson finally passed away at the age of thirty-five. Written by Novocaine132

N Flight was created in and features appearances from:

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The Sport-N-Life Compilation Vol. 1

Sportn’ Life Records launched in 2002 with a two-song, twelve-inch rap single. The A-side was called “We Are” by Last Men Standin, and the cut lyrically served as a rectangle-sticker-on-their-chest introduction to the group and the label. The single’s B-side was by Danger, later known as D. Black and now Nissim Black, and titled “You Need A Thug.” Both tracks were produced by Vitamin D of Tribal Productions fame. Sportn’ Life co-founders Devon Manier, Emery “Slim” Buford, and Jamal Henderson quickly began to attract talent, and in 2003 the label put out a massive collection of Seattle hip-hop called The Sport-N-Life Compilation Vol. 1, containing twenty one tracks.

Let me apologize ahead of time to some of the fine artists that I will not have time to mention, there are too many tracks here to cover them all. Danger and Fatal Lucciauno start things off with their excellent “Make A Change.” Both performers have an economic way of rapping, using supply and demand to create phrases, sentences, and verses of extreme value.

The aforementioned Vitamin D carries some weight on Compilation Vol. 1, producing four cuts on the CD. Besides the two songs from the 2002 Sportn’ Life single which both appear here, Narcotik’s easy-paced Seattle classic “Chips To A Cell” from the group’s 1995 album Intro To The Central is also featured. Vitamin’s own track “Pimp Of The Year,” is yet another example of his talent both in the booth and twisting the knobs.

Producer J Bellamy gets flutey on J. One’s pop-sounding “Tonight,” featuring a short rap by Wojack and vocals by Sophia. “No Ordinary” by Footprints is one of my favorites of the whole set. “The rumor is I’d make a million overseas. America, she’s so hard to please,” is one of Proh Mic’s effortless lyrics. Mall Saint also entertains with “Caught In The Red,” showing off his very unique, speedy rapping style.

Three huge names finish the long compilation, Silent Lambs, Fleeta Partee, and Candidt. Sportn’ Life managed to accomplish so much with this ambitious CD. The thoughtful project brought together artists who may not have otherwise appeared together, which added so much character to the listening experience. I would be remiss if Bean One did not get a shout out too, for producing over a dozen beats on Compilation Vol. 1. Written by Novocaine132

The Sport-N-Life Compilation Vol. 1 was created in and features appearances from:

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C.I.

Central Intelligence was a five MC hip-hop group from the 206 active at the turn of the millennium. Their sole album, C.I., was released in 2002. It’s bars upon bars upon bars, handing the mic between Citizen Cain, Dialect, Diopolis, LowKey, and SeaJay, backed with beats from Vitamin D and Bean One Everyone’s at the top of their game here. The track “Handle These Deeds” is a rapped autobiography, detailing how the group came together and how five opinionated emcees came to a consensus. “Dear Poppa” explores a child’s anger at an absentee father. “Real Estate” is a hidden track and a biting criticism of the gentrification of the Central District: “Watch the city rezone my hood and change its name—forced to sell the land we can’t afford to maintain… Waking up to the smell of a new Starbucks smack dab in the CD.” The whole C.I. record is one of powerful opinions, and an urgent call to action, like on “Call It As I See It,” that confronts the history taught in school, voicing that “blacks are often left without a past to trace.” With five emcees trading verses, there’s a lot to digest here. Vita and Bean keep the beats simple so the bars can shine. But it’s also not all life lessons. As the group spits on one track, “When you need that ass droppin’, the beats hard-knockin’, you’re left with one option. Who do you call? C.I.!” The song “Move!” with guitars from H-Bomb is particularly poppin’.

Here’s another take:

Criminally overlooked, Central Intelligence was among the greatest Seattle hip hop acts in the ’90s and early ’00s. Similar in sound and style to Black Anger, Source Of Labor, and Narcotik, these five emcees spit knowledge in styles that were concrete, definitive, and mature. The subject matter on this self-titled album from 2002 ranges from the personal to the political, spoken in 5 distinct, articulate voices. With like-minded beats from two of the major architects of the sound, Vitamin D and Bean One, this album is a hidden classic of the Tribal era. Besides this album, CI also contributed to the crucial Sportn’Life Compilation from 2003. They also were reputed to put on a mean live set. A slim but 100% quality legacy. (This review originally appeared on the Bring That Beat Back blog and was written by Jack Devo.)

C.I. was created in and features appearances from:

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