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Tag: Scratch Master K

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

That's The Way It Is

After Big Boss Cross and Gary Jam quit Jam Delight around 1986, their DJ Scratch Master K wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, so K began the next chapter for the band. He and his cousin Kool Tee called the new project Jam Delight Posse (JDP), because they intended to let a big number of rappers into the group. In 2012 JDP dropped a dope compilation CD titled That’s The Way It Is containing 19 tracks.

One of my easy favorites here is the title track “That’s Da Way It Is.” With a groovy beat and lyrics, this cut is fun and radio ready. The good life here is about, “Late night big money deals and liquor store runs.” Another song on this JDP compilation that really appeals to me is “Mankind” by Baldy Loc which uses clever wordplay over a sparkling beat, and asks poignant philosophical questions. “Never been blind to the ways of mankind, but man ain’t kind so why should I be?” the rapper asks.

Dee.aLe from DMS drops a paranoid cut called “Thru The Blind.” This brilliant song tells what it’s like for a drug dealer who only sees life through a crack in the window blinds. The protagonist is in a hopeless situation, stuck with, “Top Ramen, hot dogs, four days (in the) same drawers.” For all the car enthusiasts, Baldy Loc does it again with “Lo Lo” about hittin’ switches in the low rider. This song is complete with a barrage of sound effects which place you right in the car.

For a true G-funk banger, look no further than “Do You Wanna Ride?” which slinks out of your speakers like $80 slippers. Over the years, Scratch Master K and Kool Tee recorded hundreds of JDP tracks in various studios. Hopefully some of that material will be released in the years to come. Written by Novocaine132

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Come To The Party

Along with Terrible Two, Jam Delight can certainly make a case that they were Seattle’s first rap group. In late summer of 1981, Jam Delight bested the Terrible Two at Lateef’s in one of Seattle’s first documented rap battles. Then in 1984, Big Boss Cross and Gary (sometimes spelled Garry) Jam recorded and released “Rhyme One Time (For God Almighty)” on TLP Records. By 1985, Scratch Master K had become Jam Delight’s DJ, and the trio regularly practiced at Scratch Master K’s apartment in Lakeshore Village.

During these practice sessions in 1985 they recorded three songs. The first is “Come To The Party” by Big Boss Cross. This funky seven minute freestyle extravaganza shows the easy style of this Seattle rap pioneer. Cross throws lots of familiar old-school phrases into his lyrics, while K lives up to his name scratching “Body Work” by Hot Streak up and down to the beat. “If you want to know why I rock it so good, ask me why, I’m in Hollywood,” Cross boasts.

The second track is by Gary Jam and it is called “Ready And Set.” In this tour-de-force, Jam runs through his bars methodically and perfectly on beat. “The one and only rapper Gary Jam I am a ruler. I’m so cold crush I’ll freeze a California Cooler,” he says, referring to the alcoholic beverage brand that was popular at the time. Jam is a true rap technician on the mic and his verses flow like Snoqualmie Falls. Once again K is fast on the cut, this time interposing Malcolm McLaren’s “D’ya Like Scratchin” against the obscure beat of a 1985 Dynasty & Mimi B-side titled “The Bugging Animal Farm.”

The last song “Can I Cut A Rhyme?” is performed by both Cross and Jam together. This track shows their fun interplay with each other, and the chemistry that made them true Seattle legends. “We’re ready to fight all the sucker MCs, bring each and every one of them down to their knees,” warns Jam. Then Cross reminds that, “We will rock this party from day to night, we are the devastating crew we’re called Jam Delight.”

The following year, Big Boss Cross went on to release “Party Invader” on Macola Records in California. According to Glen Boyd in the Rocket, by 1987 Gary Jam was pursuing a singing career rather than continuing with rap. In 2016 Cross passed away, and ten years later Scratch Master K found the original cassette single and released the tape for the first time in 2026. This is that old-school Seattle rap that you have been looking for! Written by Novocaine132

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