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: Mr. No Good

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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

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Hollow Point Lyrics

Dividenz is a rap duo consisting of C.O.L.A. and Notes. Their first album is called Hollow Point Lyrics, and it came out in 2003 on D-Sane’s Street Level Records. Notes brandishes a bullet on the album cover artwork, while C.O.L.A. holds an umbrella. Skuntdunanna helps to fire up the party, dropping a punchline-filled verse on the album’s first cut, “It’s All Official.” “Too Much” featuring Bullet is one of my favorites on the album for its simple, gangstery beat and Nate Dogg-ish vocals on the hook sung by Jazz.

“Million $ Mouthpiece” features Seattle rap legend Byrdie, who had dropped his solo debut Poetic Epidemic two years prior in 2001, also on Street Level. Although the beat is catchy and smooth, the lyrics fall into the rap-about-rap trap, which limits the content of the track to solipsistic musing about being an MC. There are happy exceptions however, “I’m rollin by señoritas, yelling mama mia, they dream like they got shot with anesthesia,” raps Byrdie.

Fans of Hall & Oates may appreciate “We Don’t…” which interpolates H&O’s 1981 classic “I Can’t Go For That.” “I never been a sucker, I’m just a young hustler trying to have the world spinning in my hand,” goes a nice line from “We Don’t…” Overall, Hollow Point Lyrics is a solid debut. Six years later in 2009, the group would drop a second Street Level album, 10% Rap 90% Hustle. Written by Novocaine132

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We're Back Seattle!

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We're Back Seattle! was created in and features appearances from:

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Finally

Finally was manufactured in 2001 by Sea-Sick in Seattle, home to releases by RC Tha Trackaholiq, Skuntdunanna, and Central Intelligence. However, the album is not technically on Sea-Sick, but rather Emerald City Records, which also worked with local group Dividenz. In fact, the credits of Finally tease an upcoming Dividenz album which eventually came out on Street Level Records.

Label details aside, Oxagin consists of two members, Sli and Loe. Their debut Finally is predominantly a story of hustling, street life, and crime. For example, in the skit “Tha Jack Move,” they steal a car from a hapless fellow citizen. “On A Roll” continues the carjacking story, “I can’t blame him, I would have shot him, I spot him, and if you would have missed, I would have got him.”

The sultry track “I’m Chok’in,” featuring singer Francci, is all about the large quantity of weed smoked by the group. Vampire movie fans will like “Lost Boys” which repurposes the eerie choir-boy chants from the movie’s soundtrack. “Thou shalt not kill…” For a taste of Barry White, check out “Realer Than Real,” which flips the famous ascending bassline from “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More Baby.” “Takin Over” featuring DMS is a solid effort by both groups.

To me, the most interesting track on Finally is “Send Me An Angel,” produced by Scott. Australian synth-pop band Real Life had a worldwide hit in 1983 with their emo song of the same title. Oxagin repurposes it here for a dirge-like tale of a character killed in a drug deal gone bad. “You should have known that life falls just like rain, you should have known they killed you for that cocaine.” This track captures the despairing, helpless tone of the original, and shows the ability of hip-hop to basically reintroduce us to songs that are already familiar. Music never dies, it just whistles a new tune. Written by Novocaine132

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