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: Silver Shadow D

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

The Criminal Nation Movie

During 2020’s Coronavirus pandemic, MC Deff (aka Wojack) set about to tell the story of his ’90s gangster rap group through video chats and a simple question: “When did you first hear about Criminal Nation, and what does the group mean to you?”

What follows is a series of touching video voicemails and personal stories from rappers and producers across the Northwest, including Silver Shadow D, J-1, Squeek Nutty Bug, Josh Rizenberg, and many others. This film has a real feel of hanging with the homies. Clearly, this music meant a lot to a lot of people, and this footage is intercut with photos of memorabilia and record covers.

Many of the interviewed artists were youngsters–only 12 or 13 years old–when they first heard the staccato synth opener of Criminal Nation’s mega-hit “Release The Pressure.” Each was thrilled to have hometown heroes on the radio. Awall Jones talks about the beats and his amazement that “they’re from Tacoma, too?!” Un The Rhyme Hustler says, “I was trying to be MC Deff,” echoing the sentiments of many. Several of the artists rap and sing their favorite Criminal Nation songs, too. It’s charming.

Wojack himself does a freestyle summarizing his thoughts on “Day 34 of quarantine.” Notably absent from this project is Wojack’s Criminal National collaborator DJ E (aka Eugenius), though he and the rest of the NastyMix crew–E-Dawg, High Performance, Kid Sensation–all get plenty of props for their roles in establishing the early Northwest sound.

The Criminal Nation Movie was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

The Coolout Legacy

NYC filmmaker Georgio Brown moved to the Northwest in the early ’90s. In 1991, along with VJ D, he founded The Coolout Network, a public access show on cable television that would record the evolution of Seattle’s early hip-hop scene. As Georgio says at the beginning of this film, “we went to the community centers, parks, schools, clubs… Every place that hip-hop was happening… We wanted to cover it.” They certainly did. Coolout ran for 16 years on television, from 1991 until 2007. Various forms of the project continue online to this day.

This particular film, The Coolout Legacy was made by Georgio Brown himself. He narrates and reflects on the impact of the show and its importance to our local hip-hop community.

There’s vintage footage here galore: A teenage Funk Daddy shows off a trophy “taller than me” that he won at a DJ contest, before showing us some of the moves that earned him the victory. Laura “Piece” Kelley addresses the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated rap scene. She often faces the insult that “she can rap pretty good for a girl.” But she replies, “I rap good for the world… And I don’t rap good. I rap well.”

Rapper H-Bomb heaps some well-deserved praise on Specswizard: “Nobody’s been doing hip-hop in Seattle longer than Specs.” We then catch up with the ‘Wizard and he shares a book of graffiti sketches from ’93. The late, great J. Moore shares his wisdom for success and acknowledges the importance of that Coolout played in “coalescing a scene.”

There are numerous live performances and freestyles of Seattle legends in their early days, as well as national acts like Mary J. Blige and Leaders of The New School. Brown talks about encouraging young artists who bravely stand on a stage with a mic and bear their truths. It’s hard. But with Coolout filming you, “every little victory helps,” adds Ghetto Chilldren’s B-Self.

The Coolout Legacy was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Gab The Most High

This artist needs no intro. I’m assuming y’all already big fans of the self-proclaimed “queen of Seattle,” Gifted Gab. Throughout the year I’ve had love affairs with other records, but it’s Gab The Most High, released in May, that I’ve consistently returned to again and again. Few records have felt so confident, demonstrating such complete command of instruments, writing, rapping, vocal sampling, and on. Gab is a magpie, collecting threads from multiple genres: funk, R&B, and reggae; and then layering in new textures, including showing off a soulful singing voice. The album release party featured a full Motown-style backing band.

Gab The Most High was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Gab The Most High Swishahouse Remix

I’ll confess that I wasn’t super hip to the whole Screwed and Chopped scene before Gifted Gab started hyping this record and the unique remixing style of DJ Michael “5000” Watts. Starting with Gab’s startlingly great release Gab The Most High, Watts slows down every track by 1/3, and then introduces skips and repeats and scratches. Anyone who knows me already knows how much I love the source material, and here, slowing the music down illuminates the tiny musical details, and the repeats put the focus on the nuances of Gab’s lyrics and wordplay. Listening to these remixes makes me love the original album even more. (And this isn’t just a few tracks—Watts remixed the whole damn album.) This Swishahouse remix confirms Gab’s right to serve as Queen of Seattle. Please give her the Royal Warrant pronto.

Gab The Most High Swishahouse Remix was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Cidewayz: Full Circle

Hmmm... There's not a lot of information about this project in the museum encyclopedia. We'd love your help! TOWN LOVE is maintained by an awesome community of passionate volunteers who keep it all up to date.

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Cidewayz: Full Circle was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Coolout 18

This film drops you into the crowd at the 18th-anniversary party for The Coolout Network, in 2009. Show creator Georgio Brown says the event was something of a dare: When he proposed a showcase featuring 18 of the top talents from The Town, everyone told him, “18 acts in one night? You can’t do it.” Nonetheless, this party proves the skeptics wrong.

There’s some wild live footage here, such as Sinsemilla performing their 2000 hit “Destiny,” or Silver Shadow D showing off his ability to rap and beatbox simultaneously.

Gabriel Teodros explains how meaningful both Coolout and Georgio himself have been to his growth as an artist. He recalls being 18 and rapping at the back of the bus, and Georgio walked up to him, handed him his Coolout card, and said, “You’re tight. You should do your thing.” You hear similar stories from many of the other artists in attendance, shouting out Georgio for “holding it down and documenting the scene. Y’all seeing history right here.”

This movie captures those elusive feelings of camaraderie and casual socializing: Watching it, you really feel like you’re hanging out at a Seattle hip-hop show on a Tuesday night, and everyone’s here and nobody’s in a rush to get anywhere.

Coolout 18 was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

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

The Streetz Iz Enough

Skuntdunanna dropped his CD, Trapped In Da Hatrixx, on Sea Sick Records in 1998. By the time his next album The Streetz Iz Enough came out in 2003, Skunt had joined D-Sane’s Street Level Records, home to Syko, IK, Byrdie, and the label’s marquee group F.T.S. The Streetz Iz Enough is a tour de force from one of the slickest rappers to ever emerge from Seattle. Spending all his time and effort in the studio paid off, allowing Skunt to develop a unique personality and character on the mic in real time, and the listener can hear him shifting gears between gangsta, hustler, pimp, comedian, and stone cold MC.

To me, one of the best things about Skunt’s material is the steady flow of truly hilarious punchlines. “Must have got help from the Post Office, because they turned thug overnight,” is one that always makes me chuckle. He makes joke after joke, using wordplay and insults, generally staying three or four steps ahead of the listener. Because his flow is so asymmetrical, there’s no way to know what he’s going to say next. Guest appearances enhance many of the tracks here. Wanz sings the groovy hook on “All I Got,” rap veteran Silver Shadow D lends some ragga chanting to “Soundproof,” and golden-voiced Byrdie drops a delectable verse on “Shake It.”

My favorite cut on this album is the title track, “The Streetz Iz Enough,” featuring underground Seattle rap hero Framework. This song goes so hard with lines like, “Memories of childhood days, but now instead of playing ball, I’m dropping flowers on graves.” Another hot track on this CD is simply titled, “Skuntdunanna.” “Pronounce the f***ing name right, dog,” he exhorts the listener. “Crazy Life Pt. 2” is an autobiographical piece which tells Skunt’s story of coming up in the Seattle rap game. There are even a couple of skits, “Rap Right Commercial,” and “Rejection Hotline,” which add to the entertaining vibe of the album. The cover artwork says this is the first official Skuntdunanna album, and the musical partnership between Skuntdunanna and D-Sane continued to grow throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Written by Novocaine132

The Streetz Iz Enough was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Enter The Madness

Enter The Madness is an hour-long film from 2000 that provides an essential time capsule of turn-of-the-millennium hip-hop in the Pacific Northwest. It was directed by King Khazm and produced by DJ Scene, and includes flashes of late-’90s Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, too.

The film adheres to the four pillars of hip-hop, devoting a roughly equal amount of time to riveting turntable battles, incredible, lengthy breakdancing sequences, freestyles, rap battles, and walls painted with now long-gone graffiti. The film captures many moments that even at the time were fleeting… That today would be forgotten were it not for the existence of this film.

There are some curious editing choices here–like, say cutting back and forth between graffiti and a peeing elephant–or the addition of picture frame borders, fisheye lenses, and inverted film negative effects, but there are also dozens of blink-and-you’ll miss cameos from Seattle hip-hop greats like Silver Shadow D, Kutfather, Asun, Khingz, and others. Sit back with your favorite accompaniment and enjoy this visual spectacle.

Enter The Madness was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

On Tha Run

In the mid ’90s a South End duo named 46th Street Hustlers released several local tapes, and their candid take on street life captivated fans. Don G and Gotti both have an easy rap style with brags about their cash flow, and their success with women. The group recorded a 1996 vinyl promo maxi-single titled “On Tha Run” for Silver Shadow D’s brand new record label Lost And Found Records. Incidentally, Lost and Found put out Silver’s debut CD Sleepless “Tha Brickkks” that same year.

Lead single “On Tha Run” is upbeat and fun, with lyrics about smoking weed, dealing drugs, and generally getting into trouble. “Watch out for (Police) Po Pos,” goes the refrain. Track number two, “Spread My Hustle,” is a little slower and more sentimental sounding. “Spread My Hustle” contains useful slang and ‘game’ related to the hustling life. “I can be what I wanna be: a Southside G,” says Don G. On verse after verse the crew represents hard for their South Seattle neighborhood. Silver himself lends some background vocals, and he is credited on the first two tracks.

My favorite on the maxi-single is the B-side, “Streets Ain’t Made For Everybody.” “Never hate a player, just hate the game,” the lyrics remind us. This song has a ton of bounce thanks to the eclectic beat, and for the icing on the cake, guest rapper Clip drops some excellent flows. One minor complaint is the length of the songs, all three are close to seven minutes long and could benefit from three or four minute ‘radio edit’ versions. I’d love to hear more from this Seattle group, very little info exists on the net. Written by Novocaine132

On Tha Run was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Jace

Hmmm... There's not a lot of information about this project in the museum encyclopedia. We'd love your help! TOWN LOVE is maintained by an awesome community of passionate volunteers who keep it all up to date.

Do you know something about the history of this record? Do you have a favorite lyric or a favorite memory? Send us an email on why this is one of the great hip-hop albums from the Northwest. Thanks!

Jace was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Come Fi Love

One could say that 1996 was a good year for Silver Shadow D. He produced “Keep Da Change” for DMS, which appeared on the 14 Fathoms Deep compilation. Then he helped Southend rap duo 46th St. put out a promo single titled “On Tha Run.” In addition to these accomplishments, he completed his debut solo CD and cassette titled Sleepless “Tha Brickkks” on his new label with Gene Dexter called Lost & Found Recordings.

This ragga twelve-inch single “Come Fi Love” from Silver also dropped in 1996, but the track doesn’t appear on the Sleepless album. Silver Shadow was heavily influenced by Jamaican dancehall and ragga style music during the mid-1990s, and this Patois-filled song is living proof. “Come Fi Love” is a sexy track and the beat is produced by RC The Trackaholiq, one of the hardest working producers in the Seattle rap game. The B-side is Silver’s self-produced mixtape cut “None Want Test,” which is also not found on his full album.

In 2007, RC included “Come Fi Love” on his Hood Classics Vol. 2 compilation, giving the song a new audience. Spin it today and get a dose of Silver Shadow D. Written by Novocaine132

Come Fi Love was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Sleepless "Tha Brickkks"

According to Wikipedia, “The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is a full-sized luxury car produced by British automaker Rolls-Royce in various forms from 1965 to 1980.” Seattle rapper Silver Shadow “D” gained local respect during the ’80s as one of the hardest working b-boys around. His group Duracell made waves with demo tapes, but never got signed. In 1996, Silver Shadow dropped a twelve-inch single called “Come Fi Love” on Lost & Found Recordings. That same year he put out his debut full-length solo cassette and CD Sleepless “Tha Brickkks” which also carried the Lost & Found logo.

At sixty-eight minutes long, the album takes you on a marathon ride through all types of music. Speedy “Do What I Gotta Do” samples “Boogie Down Bronx” for a throwback, old-school feel. Silver performs a good public service on “Skullcap,” reminding listeners to practice safe sex and use a ‘jimmy hat’ every time. The distinctive, high nasal voice of revolutionary punk rocker Jello Biafra gives extra flavor to “Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt.” Title track “Sleepless” uses the instantly recognizable “Ike’s Mood I” piano from 1970 to end the album with a whisper.

“Ain’t No Love Lost” is one of the stronger tracks on the album, and the lyrics tell about how Silver is getting jerked around in the rap biz, and how difficult it is to find a label that can put his record out. “Way 2 Much” and “Da Bluntfunk / Where’s The Party At” are two other tracks that merit attention. All three of those jams feature singing from Gina Douglass, that can’t be a coincidence, can it? Something about her vocals mingling with Silver’s raps just seems to work magic. Some of the eighteen tracks on the album might have been culled to make a tighter project. Both versions of “How Many Days” have cluttered beats which lack momentum and could have been left off the album. “Troublemaker” isn’t bad, but the story’s themes of a good kid gone wrong don’t really break any new ground, and it also could have been left off.

Silver was heavily into dancehall and the ragga-chant style of delivery, and on Sleepless “Tha Brickkks” he shifts between this Jamaican Patois and more traditional American rap cadences. This makes for a somewhat schizophrenic listening experience, and the dual sound makes it a little harder for Silver to really connect and present an easily identifiable brand. Silver Shadow is still in the music game, now using the name Derrick X, and in 2018 he released a new single called “Still Sleepless.” Keep up the good work! Written by Novocaine132

Sleepless "Tha Brickkks" was created in and features appearances from:

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