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Tag: Gangsta Nutt

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The Status Is Active

Throughout the early 2000s, rappers Twin-G and Gangsta Nutt both established themselves as strong voices in the Northwest rap game. According to Twin-G the two never had beef between them, but they did harbor a minor rivalry. In 2008 they put any doubt aside and teamed up to create a new duo called The Status. An album soon followed called The Status Is Active.

Twin remembers that Messy Marv happened to be in Seattle one night, leading to the song “Certified” which opens the album. The first time I heard “I Wanna Be Like You,” I got goose bumps from the children singing the hook. It turns out that they are Twin’s own kids, and “I Wanna Be Like You” is a powerful reminder that each of us is a role model to someone, for better or for worse. “Keep A B**** Broke” is a somewhat experimental-sounding departure from the typical gangsta vibe of the album. The track is rough and herky jerky, like a comical Flintstones car rolling on stone wheels.

“Sometimes I Cry” is an emotional look at how people can get trapped in the gang life from a young age. Two of the biggest singles from The Status Is Active, “Does The Hood Love Me?” and “Hoover Love” both appear together in a Youtube tribute video produced by Twin-G for his deceased friend George “Peanut” Hendricks. “Does The Hood Love Me?” features catchy singing in the chorus, and the song is a true classic. “We paid the cost to be the boss and never let up, cause banging in the hood is more than just throwing your set up,” raps Nutt. “Hoover Love” interpolates the classic Zapp & Roger song “Computer Love” for a groovy result.

Going on to establish himself as one of Seattle’s realest to ever play the game, Gangsta Nutt dominated the underground until his passing in 2021. Twin-G has also continued to make waves, including his 2013 project I Shouldn’t Be Alive, and he has become one of the true OGs in the 206 rap game. Written by Novocaine132

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The Rebirth

Gangsta Nutt dropped his first album Save Me in 1999. “Criminal Life,” and “My Micasa,” are two Save Me highlights, spinning gangsta tales of Nutt’s life experience growing up in West Seattle’s High Point housing project. Then his second CD Crown Royale came out in 2003, with tracks such as “Changes,” and my personal favorite, “Mo To Grab.” By 2004 Gangsta Nutt was on a major roll and he put out two albums that year, the flashier Checkmate featuring many guest stars, and the more subtle effort of the two, The Rebirth.

The Rebirth is a solid album with 12 sizzlers coming at you. “Can’t Stand Me” is a fun interpolation of 1986’s “Candy” by Cameo. “Haters can’t stand me,” he sings. Things really heat up with the excellent “Losin My Mind.” This lovely, expansive beat by RC The Trackaholiq is perfection, the cut just rides. Next is the more contained “Holla At Me,” also produced by RC. Both of these two songs really use the space wisely, it’s hard to explain. Wherever there should be a Nutt line, there is, wherever there should be a snare or bass hit, there is. It’s like looking at a painting where every inch of the canvas is being incorporated, and not every rapper/producer team realizes how key this is when making a hit song.

“Highpoint 44” has rowdy bluster from the very start of the track. Nutt reminisces about the wild days of being young, “Nights in the arcade, finger f***ing at the gym on the backstage.” The stark Neptunes beat for “Grindin” dominated mixtapes throughout ’02 and ’03, and Nutt does his own riff on the theme with “Rhymin.” The album ends with the honest and heartfelt “To My Momma,” which documents the hardships that his mother faced while raising him. Compared to Checkmate, this album is subdued and contains a more singular view into Nutt’s philosophy and verbal style. The Rebirth shows a rap artist who is justifiably proud of the status he has earned in the 206. Written by Novocaine132

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Checkmate

After recording three albums in six years, Save Me in 1999, Crown Royale in 2003, and The Rebirth in 2004, Seattle rapper Gangsta Nutt was ready to go even higher. He assembled a star-studded guest list and dropped the epic double-CD Checkmate as his second album of 2004. Coming in at 31 tracks, Checkmate might be the longest album ever from a Seattle rap artist.

Standout tracks on disc one include “Ten Toes,” which gives the listener a dramatic contrast, hard lyrics set to a soft and sweetly gentle beat. Nutt admits that life, “Got me heavy on some real s***, my mind on some meal s***, I’m living to die, so I’m on some murder, death, kill s***.” Somewhere around the halfway point in “It Goes Down” (featuring Yukmouth) I started involuntarily nodding my head and really catching the vibe.

“Heavy On My Mind,” “Bout That Drama,” and “Dangerous” are solid gangsta cuts which explain Nutt’s perspective through his confessional lyrics. His gravelly voice somehow captures the urgency of living in the streets day to day. “A petty-a** beef took him from his wife and kids,” goes a sorrowful line from “Heavy On My Mind.” One of Nutt’s achievements on Checkmate is the desperate conviction with which he performs his lyrics.

The pleasant and melodic “Listen To My Demo” (featuring Budder) describes how difficult it can be to get a foothold in the constantly shifting music industry, especially for someone trying to escape a former life of crime. “All I Ever Wanted” is a celebratory cut about material success. “All I ever wanted was a plushed out crib, with a super bad b**** in my plushed out whip,” dreams Nutt in the chorus.

The last track on disc two, “King Of 206” might be my favorite on the album. The beat has sinister bounce, while the lyrics brag and boast. Gangsta Nutt had accomplished all he set out to, but as he phrased it on one of his early hits, there is always “mo to grab.” I gotta give a shout out to RC The Trackaholiq who produced much of this album. The beats on Checkmate will rattle your trunk or your living room, and that’s a promise.

In 1982 according to legend, producer Quincy Jones considered almost seven hundred different songs for Thriller. Eventually Jones recorded thirty songs and then picked the best nine for the final record. To me that’s more fair to the listener. To be honest, Checkmate is a little exhausting, and a few of the songs probably could have been left off. But for those who have an unlimited appetite for gangsta tales, this double album will be the answer to their prayers. Written by Novocaine132

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Crown Royale

Gangsta Nutt’s first album Save Me in 1999 introduced him as a West Seattle OG, ready to tell his story. On hits like “Criminal Life,” and “My Micasa,” Nutt unveiled his hustling pedigree. The album made waves, and he continued recording over the next few years, dropping his sophomore album Crown Royale in 2003.

Crown Royale continues the themes of Save Me. The rough “Ride 4 Tha Cause” and the more funky “Parle” both feature Tasty T. “Mo To Grab” reminds us that we should never rest on our accomplishments, but rather continue reaching for greater and greater heights. I like the chorus, “Lord how I appreciate this life that I’ve had, but I feel there’s more to grab.” The excellent “This Ain’t Livin” has a smooth R.C. The Trackaholiq beat that carries Nutt’s lyrics like a boat on glassy water. The song was previously featured in 2002 on R.C.’s compilation titled When It Rains.

Local Seattle group Mob Related appears on three tracks here. “The Heat Iz On” features Mr Cashflow, who is also the executive producer of Crown Royale. The other two songs are “Point Of No Return,” and “Survival Of The Fittest.” The credits mention an upcoming Mob Related project, but according to Discogs, that second Mob album never came out.

On “Lost Souls” and “Changes,” Nutt pens his most revealing lines. “Hello God, I know it’s been a long time since we conversed,” he admits on “Lost Souls.” The theme of “Changes” is for each of us to live our lives in a positive way, avoiding an early grave. He dedicates this track to several of his fallen soldiers at the beginning. Gangsta Nutt, real name Lanell Jackson, passed away in 2021, rest in peace. Written by Novocaine132

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When It Rains

Ryan “RC The Trackaholiq” Croone has been down since day one. His older brother James Croone was a member of Emerald Street Boys, one of the earliest rap groups in Seattle. As a young man, RC got into rap production, and in the mid-1990s he teamed up with rhymer Squeek Nutty Bug. They went in the studio and subsequently dropped Really Cheat’n, one of the all-time, five-star Seattle rap albums.

There are more than two dozen different rappers on RC’s 2002 compilation When It Rains, it’s a prodigious project. Loosegroove put out 14 Fathoms Deep in 1996, and as a theoretic successor, When It Rains could reasonably be nicknamed “24 Fathoms Deep.” This is guileless rap, concentrating on reporting life experiences. Put it this way, you won’t find anyone here looking through the dictionary trying to find five rhymes for “illuminati.”

“They Never Knew,” by sibling team Twin-G and Skuntdunanna is excellent, “possibly the first song they ever did together,” remembers RC. “You’re a one hit wonder, like Young MC or Jody Watley,” says Twin-G mockingly. I especially appreciate the spacey half-minute instrumental flourish at the end. Actually, Twin shows up again on “Greedy Made,” this time joined by Chedder Hound, Culpepper, and “Drop Top” star E-Dawg. “Greedy Made” has unpredictable, punchy energy from the start of verse one. E-Dawg explains, “I bust a tight verse and make St. Helens erupt,” referencing the May 1980 ash cloud which blasted across the region.

The late Gangsta Nutt represents hard on the g-funk blazer “This Ain’t Livin,” which is a textbook example of true synergy between a producer and a rapper. Nutt’s cadence goes together with the Trackaholiq beat like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Another notable cut is the menacing “No Fabrikashun” by Crafty. Famous Seattle turntablist DV One does the scratches on the cut, and the beat creates drama and suspense. Meoshi drops a respectable verse on her edifying track “My Eyes.” “Some take the easy route, some take the pills to the head, because their problems overwhelm them y’all, they’d rather be dead,” she raps. But all is not lost, she reminds aspiring artists to, “strive to be the one immortalized from your hood.”

When It Rains is an ambitious project, it’s really a one stop shop to learn about the diversity of rap talent in Seattle. In 2022, RC celebrated the 20th anniversary of this release, and he recently told me that the compilation wouldn’t have been possible without the help of two key people, G Prez and DJ Kun Luv. G Prez ran Sea-Sick Records which put out the CD, and Kun Luv was the head of Seaspot Promotions, one of the largest media organizations for Seattle hip-hop culture. Thanks gentlemen! Written by Novocaine132

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Save Me

Seattle’s Point Side Records entered the hip-hop game in 1998 with the release of Self Tightld’s Hustlin-N-Hell album on cassette and CD. A promising West Seattle raised MC named Gangsta Nutt guested on two Hustlin-N-Hell songs, “Problems,” and “Negatives.” Nutt had the fire in his gut, and he recorded his own solo album Save Me on Point Side the following year in 1999. Save Me is all about gangster life and hustling. According to Nutt’s ReverbNation page, “Even though Gangsta Nutt’s “ghetto experience” has seen its share of adversity, he says he doesn’t regret any of its negative elements, because it has made him the Man, the Father, as well as the MC that he has become.”

Some of the cuts on Save Me don’t quite come together. For instance, opener “The Twist” is muddled by the persistent beeping sound of a truck backing up. “Letter To The Pen” features a distracting off-key melody in the chorus that pulled me out of the vibe. Despite small missteps, the album on the whole is a strong debut. Gangsta Nutt is a practiced rapper who knows how to tell a story and get his point across. “Love Clutch” and “Don’t Stop” tackle the subject of women and relationships. “Last Word” and title track “Save Me” both illustrate the bleak choices that many young people face growing up in America. I have to admit that I like the multiple meanings of the album title. Does he mean save his soul for Jesus? Save him from a life of crime? Save this album to my iTunes list?

Highlights include track five, “Criminal Life,” with a slinky beat produced by RC The Trackaholiq. “Criminal Life” features singing by Francci and raps by legendary Los Angeles veteran King T. Another strong cut is the sentimental “My Micasa,” which is a look back at how Nutt fell into a life of hustling. After a long and successful rap career, Gangsta Nutt passed away in June of 2021, rest in peace to an OG. Written by Novocaine132

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Hustlin-N-Hell

From the very beginning of Hustlin-N-Hell it’s clear that Central District representatives Self Tightld are going to take the listener into a dystopian drug dealing and gang banging lifestyle. The cover art shows a chaotic scene in which a cigar smoking skeleton, itself a symbol of death, appears to be wreaking havoc on Seattle. Self Tightld came together in the mid 1990s founded by Maine 1 who teamed up with four other members, Rob Doe, Popsykle, Sikface, and 2elevn. Whether the album glorifies the gangster lifestyle or warns against it will probably depend on the listener, for the tales are rich with ups and downs, victories and defeats, and of course the notorious legacy which comes with going out in a blaze of bullets.

Track two, “Hustlin In Hell” is emblematic of the album’s themes, namely survival is not guaranteed and you don’t get what you deserve but only what you bargain for. “Hustlin In Hell” drops a bread crumb which leads to another famous street rap from Seattle, “I’m not from Union but I’m hustlin,” referring to “Union Street Hustlers” by Ice Cold Mode. The album continues with bleak rhymes about violence in the neighborhood on “Northwest Gunfest,” “Ill Thoughts,” and “Problems.” “Leave these crimes alone and your life just might pop, or a pistol might pop and give your life an early stop,” goes one of my favorite lines on “Problems.” Lack of opportunity for youth is addressed in tracks like “Self Tightld,” “Live4Today,” and “Negatives.”

The group doesn’t only rap about gunplay and trap life, there are also songs like “MC Fo Short,” and “Rhymes Top Of The Line,” which show off verbal skills and drop challenges to other rappers. To their credit, Self Tightld don’t delve too deep into the “Rap about rap” rabbit hole in which rappers spend all their energy talking about their record label or other rappers.

There are several highlights on Hustlin-N-Hell including “Pleasure Pouches” which features an appearance from California’s B-Legit. “Pleasure Pouches” is predictably a paean to pot smoking, and the group celebrates cannabis with various clever rhymes. “Watch That B/N” is a reminder to be careful who you trust, because there is a hustle lurking around every corner. Another track that shines is “Growth And Development,” a very meta message about how to choose the right path in life. Each of us is “Chillin in a crossroads,” as the song puts it, and we must do the right thing or risk a literal dead end. Due to its popularity, Hustlin-N-Hell was re-released by Point Side four years later in 2002. Rest in peace to group members Rob Doe who passed in 1998, and Popsykle who passed in 2018. Written by Novocaine132

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Hustlin-N-Hell EP

Self Tightld was a five member rap group from Seattle, and according to Discogs the members were Maine 1, 2elevn, Popsykle, Sikface and Rob Doe. Their CD Hustlin-N-Hell came out in 1998. That same year, the group dropped a promo-style vinyl EP containing four songs from Hustlin-N-Hell, and the EP is a good introduction to this prominent Seattle rap crew.

Track one on side A, “MC Fo Short,” is all about how ‘MC’ stands for Mangle Competition. For instance, “I rep from the Central District of Seattle, competition will agonize and die from the battle.” Next up is “Pleasure Pouches” which is all about smoking grass. “Pleasure Pouches” features one of my all-time favorite rappers, B-Legit from The Click who sounds like he’s having fun here. “Seattle’s got greens like California,” he raps in his syrupy style. The third song is “Watch That B…N,” which reminds the listener to always be on the alert for someone trying to hustle them.

Side B starts with a clean radio version of “MC Fo Short,” a smart move for any group trying to gain exposure. If you make it easier for radio to embrace you then you will get more spins, it goes without saying. The last cut on the EP is titled “Negatives,” and features guest appearances by turntablist DV One and Northwest rap heavyweight Gangsta Nutt. “Negatives” sounds vaguely like 1995’s “Gangster’s Paradise” by Coolio with the same moody type of operatic string melody in the beat. During a decade when vinyl was nearing its lowest sales point, Self Tightld still chose that specific format for this EP, which showed a commitment to DJ culture and keeping wax alive. Written by Novocaine132

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