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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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Reigncraft, Volume 3: Supply and Demand

Reigncraft Volume One was an excellent showcase of Seattle hip-hop across a broad spectrum of styles and genres. Volume 2 continued the pattern, and gave listeners a taste of diverse rap talent from our industrious, productive city. The third in the series is Reigncraft Volume 3: Supply And Demand, released in 2004. Supply And Demand is as ambitious as its predecessors, and it’s a very fun listening experience.

The first song that stands out for me is “Ra-M-O-S” by No Good Therapy. This one previously appeared on No Good’s 2003 indie CD We’re Back Seattle, which was re-released by California’s Thump Records with the title Come N Get It. “Ra-M-O-S” is a well-produced track from Beezie 2000 with lots of sonic twists and turns. Greasy Earl aka Ricky Pharoe absolutely nails it with “New Earl Order.” The sinister Isaac Meek beat looms threateningly like a second American Civil War. “A lot of people have tried to silence me…all of them failed,” goes the sampled movie quote throughout the song. Pharoe is the master of the sardonic, here he conjures up a maniacal dictator not too distant from George HW Bush.

Ricky Pharoe isn’t the only artist here with an alias. Seattle rap veteran Silver Shadow D gives us “Yum Yum” using his alter-ego Ferrocious. Shadow picks a solid beat here by producer Loop to drop some Jamaican-inspired lyrics in an energetic Patois. Dim Mak create a universe that is moody and full of emotion on “Breathe,” which was featured on their EPoch release. In another sampling victory, “Breathe” fades out to mysterious dialogue, “I studied day and night, to learn of those unseen forces that hold this world together…beneath the surface.”

Gangsta supergroup Lac of Respect bring that Street Level vibe with “They Know.” As a side note, Street Level founder D-Sane also produces “Take This Flight” by Crytical, and “Intro” featuring series host KNDNM on vocals. “Revel In Relevance” by Asun is unique in several ways. Asun is one of the more non-commercial artists to come from Seattle. Each time he goes out, he seems to be experimenting, and always reaching for different themes or flows. “206, that’s what I represent,” he reminds us in the chorus. Volume 3: Supply And Demand has a ton of different tracks to delve into, and don’t forget to check out the top-notch CD graphics by Billy The Fridge. Written by Novocaine132

Reigncraft, Volume 3: Supply and Demand was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Wet

In 1997 Mr. D.O.G. dropped his mini EP titled Gettin Paid, including two complete songs and four shorter teaser tracks. The two full songs were “Gettin Paid,” and “Leave Yo Strap Down.” The following year saw a full-length album from Mr. D.O.G. called Wet, which contained an arsenal of new gangsta rap tracks.

With a beat by Mike Wingo, groovy opener “Playa Playa” brings along Cool Nutz, YP, and Squeek Nutty Bug, some big names from the Northwest rap game. “Str8 Smashin” is a good effort, but to me it’s like a plane on a runway that never gets enough speed for liftoff.

Mr. D.O.G.’s ’97 single “Gettin Paid” appears on Wet twice. The Eugenius-produced OG version is first, then later in the album we get the unruly chopped and screwed “Underground Mix” by producer Squeeze. I enjoyed the bouncy melody and the universal themes of the chorus in “Kennel Music Thing,” it’s a low key head-nodder. “Front, back, and side to side…” I found the slow, gloomy minimalism in “Cold World” to be effective, with a lot of open space for your ear to explore.

Title track “Wet” is probably the most radio-ready cut on the album. Over a slinky D-Luv beat, D.O.G. drops smooth speedy, triple time lyrics. “Burn ‘em up like mesquite,” he brags. The hard-hitting “Aquaman” also feels like it could be a big hit. Wet was a strong first album, and Mr. D.O.G. went on to put out his sophomore project Ghetto Politics in 2000.Written by Novocaine132

Wet was created in and features appearances from:

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