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.

This gallery page is organized to highlight the creative work of

Tag: Sekken Thautz

As you scroll, items are sorted from most recent to earliest.

A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Future Pastime

Seattle rap group Clockwork put in some serious effort in the 2000s. Their first album After Midnight in 2006 included party cuts like “Ride,” and “Dubs To Blow,” set against quieter reflections like my personal fave “Fallin Hard.” In 2009 the group returned with their second album Future Pastime. Producer Sekken Thaughtz is back for the second project, and he is joined by House, DJ Pro, and some beatmaking from Lace Cadence as well.

The easygoing, toe-tapper “Westinghouse” features Seattle stalwart DJ B-Mello on the turntables, and it reminds me fondly of summertime L.A. rap radio. “Welcome” aims to get listeners on the dancefloor, with its buzzword-heavy, singalong lyrics and snappy beat. “Blowin on dro, yelling out Fresh Coast,” goes one refrain of this rewindable hit. “The Weed Guy” is so ghostly that it had snuck in and then out like a cat burglar before I even noticed it was there. It’s as if the song is made out of see-through Megalopolis fabric, successfully merging itself with its surroundings. I’m not trying to dis, I actually like the track.

Clockwork filmed a standalone video for “Hold On,” which features the group in a studio and on location in Seattle’s industrial Georgetown neighborhood. This was a departure from the After Midnight videos which were, for whatever reason, released as two songs per video. There’s an easter egg in “Concepts of Reality” referencing the 1990s Seattle group that brought us Procreations and Everything is Nice.

The CD jacket for Future Pastime shows 17 songs, but if you let the disc run out, you will find two secret bonus tracks. One of the secret cuts, “Hard Times” is a fun exercise in rap skills and steady beats, and wins my pick for the strongest song on the album. According to Discogs, Future Pastime was the group’s second and final album. Written by Novocaine132

Future Pastime was created in and features appearances from:

Did we get it wrong? It happens. Send us an email and let's get it corrected right away!

A film about Northwest hip-hop from

After Midnight

Clockwork is a three man operation consisting of Lace Cadence, Rockwell, and Take One. In 2006 they teamed up to drop After Midnight. Most of the beats on the CD are by Sekken Thaughtz and Catch PHRASE. Clockwork are assisted in the scratch department by none other than DJ Scene on a couple of tracks.

“Ride” by Catch PHRASE unfurls to a hiccuping beat, and kicks the album into a party mode. It’s got a seriously fun g-funk vibe, and the delicate synth melodies transported me to a bygone decade. Local Seattle production legend Bean One offers two beats on After Midnight, a slightly plodding “If Ya Wanna,” and an even slower and more intimidating “On The Move,” the latter featuring beloved Seattle rapper Byrdie, who passed away in 2013.

“Dubs To Blow” is an enjoyable, lazy romp through the topic of toking. “It’s like apples and oranges comparing Vegas to Swishers,” goes one line. Garcia Y Vega and Swisher Sweet were, of course, two of the most popular cigars with which to roll blunts. I liked the flamboyant energy and experimental production of “Drop That,” but the song never really finds itself. “Fallin Hard” stands out for its three-dimensional mood and its soft, rainy atmosphere which evokes a couple of Cancer Rising’s more mellow cuts. Because it truly captures the unique, resilient vibe of Seattle, “Fallin Hard” is easily my favorite track on After Midnight.

In my opinion, producer Catch PHRASE has a bold Lil-Jon-esque pop sensibility in which the beats may sound annoyingly simplistic, but they stay in your ear. Lil Jon is a certified hitmaker, after all, love him or hate him. Sekken Thaughtz’s beats go into the territory of jazzy/obscure samples and chops, which show respect for a more traditional New York sound. The MCs are all solid on After Midnight, showing good breath control and rhyme writing. The group dropped their second album Future Pastime in 2009. Written by Novocaine132

After Midnight was created in and features appearances from:

Did we get it wrong? It happens. Send us an email and let's get it corrected right away!

A film about Northwest hip-hop from

N Flight

Seattle rapper Byrdie dropped his debut CD in 2001 titled Poetic Epidemic. Guest appearances on tracks by Skuntdunanna and Unexpected Arrival kept Byrdie’s name in the spotlight, and by 2004 he was ready to put out his second album, the epic N Flight. His manager at the time was none other than Jonathan “Wordsayer” Moore from Jasiri Artist Management. During this era, Wordsayer was the unofficial “Mayor of Seattle” to nearly all hip hop figures in the town.

With maybe the exception of The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, N Flight is one of the most mainstream albums to ever emerge from the Seattle rap scene. Byrdie was clearly courting pop success with this body of work, and somewhat rejecting his Street Level Records roots in gangsta rap. The first song “B.Y.R.D.I.E.” is ready for radio. Produced by Vitamin D, the song is solid and funky to a high degree. The reliable “All Out” by Bean One might be my favorite cut on the album. It is a basic but effective party track, and I can’t lie, the chorus gets me hyped.

“I Wanna Know” featuring Darius Willrich is about commitment in relationships, and Byrdie weaves a vividly textured story. Keeping it in the emotion zone is “Move On” featuring singer Choklate, which is about the struggles of growing up, and facing the results of the choices we make. Both “I Wanna Know” and “Move On” are produced by Sekken Thaughtz, who went on to make beats for Clockwork’s debut album in 2006. As evidenced throughout N Flight, Byrdie had a Tupac-like ability to describe complex situations in lyrically poignant verses. The feel-good “Wanted” is a smash hit featuring Reggie Watts. It’s a sweet innocent love song to a crush, “the prettiest girl in my classroom.” This one will be in your head forever.

Not everything here is a hit, unfortunately. For example, directionless “Scattin’” recycles a line from “B.Y.R.D.I.E.” which lessens the punch of both songs. “The Ways Of The World” is a little too self-serious and politically on the nose for me to enjoy it. The most intense track on N Flight is the autobiographical “Where Were You…” in which Byrdie addresses his estranged father. Byrdie had a wild ride to the top of the Seattle rap scene. His Big-Pun-esque voice, combined with a charismatic heart of gold, carried him far. He battled cancer for years, and in 2013, Jesse “Byrdie” Watson finally passed away at the age of thirty-five. Written by Novocaine132

N Flight was created in and features appearances from:

Did we get it wrong? It happens. Send us an email and let's get it corrected right away!