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Tag: The Emerald Street Boys

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

The Emerald City Beginning

The Emerald City Beginning was released in 2020 as the first episode in a planned, upcoming series about the origins of hip-hop in the Northwest. The show was created by E-Dawg and Rubik: two Town OGs who certainly have all the right credentials to deliver an authentic portrait of ’80s Seattle.

They sit down with Sir Mix-A-Lot, Nasty Nes, and J-Skee. The centerpiece interview is with James “Captain Crunch” Croone, legendary emcee of The Emerald Street Boys. “Nobody could out-bop him,” says J-Skee about Croone’s skills on the mic. “They were sophisticated. They had no weaknesses,” adds Mix.

Captain Crunch tells the story of how The Emerald Street Boys met: Sweet J stole a rhyme from Sugar Bear, or that was the rumor, and they went off to fight him. In 1982, Seattle-King County Visitors’ Bureau had a contest to find a new nickname for Seattle, and “The Emerald City” was chosen. The Emerald Street Boys were originally named so as to take advantage of the newfound tourism buzz.

You’ll learn about some other of the artists from the mythical start of Seattle rap: Silver Chain Gang, Frostmaster Chill, Big Boss Cross, Chelly Chell, and Supreme La Rock. And you’ll learn how clueless the East Coasters were (and continue to be) about the Northwest. When Nasty Nes first brought Mix-A-Lot to NYC, the record execs said rap from Seattle was impossible, in a place “where there are only horse-drawn buggies and green grass.”

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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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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide

50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide drops you into a literal roundtable conversation between Town legends old and young. James Croone of The Emerald Street Boys tells the story of discovering how “poetry on top of music” could carry a message. Spyc-E shares how she first learned to write rap verses, at age 11, and is kindly teased by the group into performing her first-ever childhood rhymes. Later, Khingz thanks Vitamin D for mentoring him early in his career, and for how it helped him achieve his own success. This half-hour documentary captures several charming, rambling discussions about the long history of Northwest rap. The whole thing is a delight.

Eazeman from ’90s group L.S.R. reflects on how major-label rejection shaped the scene early, saying “If you don’t want to show us for who we really are, then we don’t need you. We’re going to make our own party.” Rapper Candidit adds, “Don’t come if you’re not prepared.”

The group passionately rails against the evils of what they describe as “capitalist hip-hop,” which divides communities and makes local artists into commodities to be bought and sold. There’s a need today for more love and mutual respect and not so much focus on money and fame and numbers. Instead, they explain how everyone making art in the Northwest has a responsibility to fight back against the mainstream, “intended to pacify society” adds CPS da Scientist. Rapper DICE encourages artists to follow their imagination, saying “who cares what is new and cool now. Figure out what it’s going to be cool next, and then be the first to do it.”

50 Next was released as part of a larger online interactive experience by Aaron Walker-Loud and Avi Loud, “a multi-media time capsule of what was, what is, and what’s next…” The whole project is still online and is viewable here.

50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

EMP: Seattle Hip-Hop

This short film about the history of Northwest hip-hop was shot by Darek Mazzone in 2001. It was made to highlight the local scene as part of the “Hip-Hop Nation” exhibit put on by the Experience Music Project in Seattle.

There’s a lot packed into four minutes, including all-too-brief interviews with Sir Mix-A-Lot, DJ Riz, Wordsayer, Mr. Supreme, Kutfather, Piece, and others. They cover off what hip-hop is and whether or not it’s a fad. Supreme explains the four elements, you learn the story of NastyMix and The Emerald Street Boys, and Topspin does some cool scratching.

At one point, DJ Riz shares the most wonderfully Seattle thing ever: “Seattle was there right from the beginning, close to the origins of regular hip-hop.” Go devote the next four minutes to learning some new knowledge about the culture.

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Christmas Rap

According to Dr. Daudi Abe’s excellent history book, Emerald Street: A History Of Hip Hop In Seattle, a rap duo from the Central District called The Terrible Two (Captain Crunch & Sugar Bear) added a third member in 1981 (Sweet J) and obviously needed a new name. That same year, the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau had run a contest for a city slogan, and the winner was “Seattle, the Emerald City.” Sugar Bear was the one who suggested that the three of them use the slogan as the new group name, and Emerald Street Boys were born. A local musician named Tony Benton was having success with his band Teleclere, and Mr. Benton founded his own record label called Telemusic in 1982. Benton had access to Woodmont Beach Studio in Federal Way, and he invited Emerald Street Boys to record there. Teleclere performed the background music for the two rap tracks, “Christmas Rap” and “The Move,” which were released as a twelve-inch single on the Telemusic label just in time for Christmas 1983.

Emerald Street Boys idolized the Temptations, and they adopted that group’s synchronized movements and harmonies into a rap context. This meant that the group was like a single unit, with all three rappers rapping the same lyrics in unison to the beat. But just like a juggler who takes over for another mid-throw, each of the three rappers would rap just a few words of the verse and the others would finish the line, but the listener never knew which rapper would pop in next. Captain Crunch, Sugar Bear, and Sweet J each had a distinct style, and together they delivered a major holiday party record with dozens of clever rhymes. The lyrics included reworked lines from “Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer,” and a Christmas call and response section with backup singers playing the part of the crowd. The group also added a “Merry Christmas to our home town, Seattle…” line in the song, to represent Seattle for listeners in L.A. and New York.

“The Move” was the B-Side of the single, and it was all about their potential “move” to the top of the charts. This track showed off the well-rehearsed, synchronized rapping by the three MCs. Their voices projected confidence and agility, and they used their full vocal ranges from deep baritone to high falsetto while rhyming. The result was a group that could compete with anything coming out of New York. Emerald Street Boys performed at the KOMO ‘Summer Break’ event at the Exhibition Hall in 1984, but that was one of their last shows. In 1984 and 1985 Captain Crunch had begun to get involved in some of the more dangerous elements of street life, and this led to troubles with the authorities. The “Christmas Rap” twelve-inch was the group’s only record and it truly qualifies as a pioneering musical achievement.

As a side note, the group reunited in 2012 and digitally released a song titled “When Folks Was Real.” Rest in peace to group member Eddie “Sugar Bear” Wells, who passed away in 2019. (Written by Novocaine132.)

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