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Tag: Dee-Love

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

The Life In The Central But The Ways Of The World

Seattle rapper Walt Nut The Real One put out this full album in 1997 on cassette and compact disc. The Life In The Central But The Ways Of The World is an emotional look at the neighborhood around him. Walt Nut tells tales of selling crack and trying to survive in Seattle’s Central District. On the slow reflective “I Can Just Think Of Things” he remembers his grandma succinctly warning him, “live fast, die fast.” Most of the cuts on this project are slow creepers, but “Out In Traffic” switches to a faster, more peppy rhyme style. That one is probably my favorite on the album.

There was actually a vinyl promo single released for track six, “Keep Standin.” “Keep standing like a soldier,” goes the refrain. “Don’t Tip My Scales” throws an interesting slinky beat at the lyrics. “I just want harmony, but enemies are out to harm me,” is a clever line that stands out.

I thought “Murder Proof” was skipping, but the song just contains the words “murder proof” about a million times. In the meditative “Should I Or Should I Not,” Walt Nut asks himself how he could consider committing another crime when he knows full well the consequences. The album is steady and features production from Beezie Mack and Dee Love. Kevin Gardner, Mike Mosely, Paul Hubert, and Mike Wingo also get production credits. Written by Novocaine132

The Life In The Central But The Ways Of The World was created in and features appearances from:

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Show Me The Money

Show Me The Money by Seattle rap artist D. Love is entirely produced by Eugenius of Criminal Nation fame. A comical quasi-legal disclaimer comes before the music, and D. Love snuffs any chance of a refund if his customers don’t like the album. The first song is a party track called “Let It Bounce.” Next, the upbeat “Why?” asks big rhetorical questions about keeping it real, a major hip hop tenet in 1996. Track four is “My Dream,” a slow, g-funk cut with autobiographical themes. “I spent my whole life savings on studio time,” D. Love admits.

Guest rapper Spy-D is featured on three tracks including “Playas Run The Street,” a chilled-out, tropical-sounding excursion. This song evokes palm trees and beautiful ocean sunsets. By contrast, the next track “Movin’ On” feels a bit slow and claustrophobic.

To me the album heats up around track seven, “Show Me The Money.” This one is about getting paid, and D. Love continues the topics he introduced on “My Dream.” The gloomy “Lil Something” might be my favorite on the album, mostly because the tone and content of the vocals match the beat better than some other tracks.

“Check Game” featuring Spy-D includes shoutouts to the Pacific Northwest and Seatown. The surprise on number ten “Can You Feel Me?” is rapper Baby-G on a verse. Her rhymes bring a little needed variety to the album. Track eleven “A Day In The Life” is exactly what it claims to be, just another 24 hours in the life of D. Love. Written by Novocaine132

Show Me The Money was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Phamily Orientated

Hmmm... There’s not a lot of information about this record in the museum encyclopedia.

This TOWN LOVE website was created in 2021 as a pandemic-era project. It was a volunteer-led effort to help document and celebrate the complete history of Northwest hip-hop between the years 1981 and 2020. This public archive we built is now available for free online for everyone to read and explore.

If you'd like to contribute, and you know something about this particular record--a story, a memory, or a favorite lyric--please email us a short write-up, and we’ll add your thoughts to the archive when we get the chance.

Thanks for your help in preserving the history of our scene!

Phamily Orientated was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Hole In The Chest

Hmmm... There’s not a lot of information about this record in the museum encyclopedia.

This TOWN LOVE website was created in 2021 as a pandemic-era project. It was a volunteer-led effort to help document and celebrate the complete history of Northwest hip-hop between the years 1981 and 2020. This public archive we built is now available for free online for everyone to read and explore.

If you'd like to contribute, and you know something about this particular record--a story, a memory, or a favorite lyric--please email us a short write-up, and we’ll add your thoughts to the archive when we get the chance.

Thanks for your help in preserving the history of our scene!

Hole In The Chest was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Time Flies

Phamily Tribal Gang combined the rhymes of rapper Dee-Love (Dwayne Love) with the talents of producer Big Beezie Mack (Fred Byrdwell). Time Flies was the group’s three-song cassette debut.

The song “Time Flies” opens with lone piano notes and drum hits that explore a distant, vast expanse. The sparse instrumentation slowly coasleses into melody. Guitarist “Biggie” Lewis and singer Lisa Allen join in. Dee-Love raps his thoughts about the passage of hours and days. He feels like “Time is goin’ at record speed.” Suddenly, it’s last call at the party. He tries to hook up with his ex, but she ain’t havin’ it. The next day, he’s chilling at the crib with friends. After everyone leaves, he reflects, “Thank God for one more day.” The tape includes two additional songs, “Old School” and “Phuck Me.”

Beezie Mack was part of the posse behind Def In The Family, a record store located on the corner at Broadway and Jefferson. They’d carry explicit rap CDs and tapes that other stores wouldn’t. Their shop also incorporated a small recording studio where many locals cut their first rap tracks. It served as an important hub for the city’s music community. The Def In The Family space was operated by Emery Buford, Godfrey Chambers, Sean Mcafee, Tunde Salisbury, and Damani Williams.

Phamily Tribal Gang followed up this single in 1995 with a 17-song album called Hole In The Chest. The CD’s cover art has no tracklisting or credits, leaving its many contributors and song titles a mystery.

In 1996, Beezie Mack and Dee-Love produced and recorded Phamily Orientated, one of Seattle’s earliest hip-hop compilation albums. Many new artists are featured, including Shabazz Coalition, a new rap collective led by former Di-Ra Boy Sean Malik.

Over three decades, Beezie Mack has contributed musical mojo to dozens of street-level Seattle albums including turn-of-the-millennium gangsta classics from No Good Therapy, Sarkastik, Self Tightld, and Walt Nut. Around that time, changed his moniker to Beezie 2000.

Dee Love dropped his own solo debut in 1996. The album, Show Me The Money, was produced by Criminal Nation’s Eugenius.

Time Flies was created in and features appearances from:

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