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: Neema Khorrami (Unexpected Arrival)

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Byrd's Eye View

Byrdie was a unique talent in the Seattle rap scene who was taken from us far too soon. Byrdie got his start in the late 1990s as a gangsta rapper on Street Level Records. He was a member of F.T.S. on their second album Money Motivated, and Byrdie stood out from the nine members of the group as a hard-working rookie with heart and a lot of hustle.

Byrd’s Eye View was released in 2015 as a tribute to the life of this notable 206 artist. After a voicemail intro, the album begins with the orchestral “Lift Off,” produced by D-Sane and featuring scratching by Bean One. Radio-ready “Cool Wit It” featuring the T-Pain of Seattle, Roc Phizzle, is breezy and easy. The sexy “Keep It On The Hush (Remix)” puts a new lens on a sultry hit from Byrdie’s first album, Poetic Epidemic.

R&B singer Jazz Digga is featured on six different songs, and I think my favorite Jazz Digga cut is “Lord Knows I Try,” for its realism and drama. “You can’t try to hide from life,” Byrdie instructs on this somber cut. Another standout song is “Talk Of The Town” produced by Funk Daddy, and featuring rapper Livio. The album’s title track, “Byrd’s Eye View,” is the last full song on the album. D-Sane reminisces about knowing Byrdie, “since Mercer Middle School,” as he puts it.

D-Sane organized a Byrd’s Eye View release party at Nectar to celebrate Byrdie’s life in 2015. It included performances by Jazz Digga, Jewels Hunter, Certified Outfit, Clockwork, and Grynch. The whole video is available on YouTube, and I recommend checking it out. Rest in peace to Jesse “Byrdie” Watson, 1978-2013. Written by Novocaine132

Byrd's Eye View was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

The Blank Canvas

Filmmaker and hip-Hop musician Rafael Flores spent six years making The Blank Canvas: Hip-Hop’s Struggle for Representation in Seattle. The film attempts to document the unique identity of hip-hop culture in Seattle, through interviews with over 100 rappers, producers, DJs, graffiti artists, break-dancers, fashion designers, and promoters from The Town.

It takes us on a journey that investigates the origins of Hip-Hop in the Northwest, the legacy of Sir-Mix-a-Lot, the notorious 1985 Teen Dance Ordinance, Clear-Channel’s dominance over commercial Hip-Hop radio, the increasing popularity of white rappers in Seattle, and hip-hop’s struggle for representation in a seemingly liberal city.

The full 96-minute film is available for rent on Vimeo for $5. Watch the trailer below.

The Blank Canvas was created in and features appearances from:

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COLORS

One of my many favorite moments on COLORS by Eighty4 Fly happens 27 seconds into the second track when the beat reverses just as the verse begins. To say COLORS is a great album is as obvious as saying the Mona Lisa is a great painting. It’s a nearly-perfect first mixtape that emerged fully-formed from marble, effortless, and commanding, with endless top-notch studio trickery and constantly entertaining rhymes. ‘Fly stepped away from the scene after releasing this in 2012–like everyone, I wait with bated breath for whatever he might release next.

COLORS was created in and features appearances from:

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Mr. Fantastik

I was up in Everett when I came across this Seattle hip-hop gem, Mr. Fantastik by Faded Theory, from 2009. I’ve put all three members of this rap group on vinyl: Mario Casalini, Raven Hollywood on DoNormaal’s double LP, and Max Watters on Gifted Gab’s Cause & Effect. Ten years earlier, they were a threesome of emo experimental Hello Nasty-era Beastie Boys, dropping this seven-song EP with cool Seattle O.G. Neema. It begins with a groovy as hell bass line, as the opening track asks the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Casalini kills the verse here, it’s a boxing match with the beat, sidesteps, and uppercuts. Watters’ guitar on the title track is smooth like taught fabric, and I always laugh when Raven name-drops Sir Mix-A-Lot. Rumor has it that this record–and their other project, HellaWeirdo–was inspiring to a young DoNormaal and was part of what brought her to Seattle. Search for Faded Theory on SoundCloud. Definitely worth a spin to hear the beginnings of three local legends.

Mr. Fantastik was created in and features appearances from:

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Reigncraft 6: Gotta Do It!

Reigncraft 6: Gotta Do It! is a compilation of some of the best rappers and producers in Seattle and the greater Pacific Northwest. The series began in 2003, and Gotta Do It! which dropped in 2006 keeps the party going. Early in Reigncraft 6, two earnest and heartfelt tracks emerge. First, Xperience exercises an easy poetic dexterity in his lyrics to “The People’s Anthem.” It’s a spoken-word-feeling, game-filled pep talk from someone who has seen it all. “Life ain’t all about the fame and the afterparties,” he reminds the listener.

Second is the spectacular “Ego” by Macklemore. His win at the Grammy Awards was still eight long years away at this point, but even in back 2006 he was clearly a superstar. Mack is an artist who found his sweet spot somewhere between street and square and rode it to the top. This track is very mature, and spreads a valuable message that we need to remember. “Ego” was previously featured on Language Of My World in 2005. In retrospect, his jealousy of Boom Bap Project and Grayskul in the track is comical, considering the heights to which Mack’s career would eventually elevate him.

After those two inspirational songs, let’s examine a couple from the opposite side of the spectrum. “Reality Check” by Skuntdunanna is a nonstop blitzkrieg attack, full of sizzling slams and insults. Most of the punches are above the belt, “If I had your flow in my notebook, I’d be asking God, why me?” is one that always gets me. But unfortunately, Skunt sometimes tosses homophobic slurs which can detract from the final result.

Another punchline expert is Livio. For his track “Hit Em Up,” producer Funk Daddy flips Grieg’s 1875 “In The Hall Of The Mountain King,” and lays it with cocking shotguns and hammers blasting. It’s genius, and the rousing music enhances Livio’s hilarious stream of jokes. “Livio’s a madman, what you think a Magnum’s for? Man I’m on some bullshit, I hope you’re a matador,” is one that stands out. “Hit Em Up” can also be found on Livio’s sophomore album Cruel Intentions.

I don’t want to forget dRED.i’s “Freedom 4.” DJ Roc Phella and Kenyatto “Moorpheus” McThomas are the two musicians in this excellent group. This particular track is an anthem about mind body and soul, and the freedom sought by all. The lyrics are very conceptual, yet simultaneously down to earth and useful. “Teach by example, boy, it’s more than something you can preach.” Well said. Written by Novocaine132

Reigncraft 6: Gotta Do It! was created in and features appearances from:

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Reigncraft, Volume 4: The Labor

After three successful compilations, Reigncraft series founder KNDNM could have just thrown in the towel and decided that the innovative Seattle rap series had run its course. Thankfully for rap fans across the Northwest, that’s not what happened. This Reigncraft Volume 4: The Labor compact disc dropped at the end of 2004, and it is yet another action-packed assembly of varied hip-hop talent from the 206.

“Questions” by Unexpected Arrival presents a number of deep thoughts to chew on, set to a compelling, stark beat. “Dammit all to hell, my life feeling like a jail. We won’t win the war if we’re still fighting amongst ourselves,” goes a heartfelt line. “Questions” was also featured on Unexpected Arrival’s third album, My Life For Sale in 2005. Bad Luk is a Reigncraft veteran who had a track featured on each of the first three CDs. His cut here, “Expectations” is excellent, and it shows that his hard grind really paid off. Bad Luk’s voice carries a devastating urgency, and the lyrics are very personal. “I wish you had to wear my shoes, so you felt my scars, so you could deal with real life when you was dealt my cards,” he raps.

The strange, zippy Kuddie Mack beat on “Dents In The Trunk” is intriguing. Stretch uses a conversational tone in his lyrics, which makes his voice approachable and familiar sounding, removing the distance between listener and performer. Because of the subject matter, “Dents In The Trunk” reminds me of the 1988 classic “Cars With The Boom” by L’Trimm.

“Pick Me Up” by Cyphalliance and “Stomp” by A-OK both bring the backpack, freestyle-circle vibe. These two songs explore the “metaphorical oratorical” to use a line from “Stomp.” The whole point of Reigncraft is to place tracks from the wordplay world against other more gangsta-oriented type of joints. Now, twenty years later, the genre of hip-hop continues to expand into a splinterverse of styles and experimentation. Reigncraft Volume 4: The Labor reminds us that it all comes back to hip-hop, and we are all part of the same family. Written by Novocaine132

Reigncraft, Volume 4: The Labor was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

If We Try...

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!

If We Try... was created in and features appearances from:

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Unexpected Arrival

Neema “Unexpected Arrival” Khorrami put out his debut album Unexpected Arrival in 2001. The pillow-soft “Introduction” is rather unusual for a rap project, whispered voices mingle with feathery music not unlike the opening credits for a soap opera. But don’t fall asleep, suddenly “Millennium” comes in with a loud, gruff, Twista-style speed rap, and it’s a peppy kickoff to the CD. The somewhat somber “Life” examines social issues and the choices that we make. “So what’s life? It’s about the good, the bad. So what’s life? It’s the happy times, the sad.”

Some of the songs on Unexpected Arrival reveal the MC’s sensitive side. Things get explicit on “Take Control,” and Unexpected Arrival lists the many ways he will “keep you satisfied.” “Other girls wish that they could be you, and you know I’m always gonna want and need you,” he assures. “Julie” is slow-paced, and starts with the sound of thunder and emotional singing, which fades to rap verses about the titlular character. Unexpected Arrival wants to win her heart, but questions of loyalty and honesty are complicating their relationship. “I told you that I love you, and I hope that you believe me.”

“How We Do” brings an atonal, sandpapery roughness which sets it apart from the smoother production prevalent on the album. “The Arrival” has a hint of West Coast gangsta bounce to it, and a few more punchlines than Unexpected Arrival’s other cuts. “I’ll be getting the five mics if The Source ever get a hold of this,” he brags. “You Know Me,” and “What Do You See” both have slightly more momentum than other songs here, and hint at potential for this new artist.

According to a November 22, 2002 Seattle Times article, in August of that same year a remix of Neema’s cut “Take Control” was the number one KUBE93 request for several days in a row. That “Take Control” remix would be featured on Unexpected Arrival’s second album, If We Try… shortly after. Written by Novocaine132

Unexpected Arrival was created in and features appearances from:

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