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: Tryfe

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

A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Never Enough

A while back, someone suggested to me that you could love a whole record because of a single drum break or perfectly placed sample, and Never Enough a 2014 release from Leezy Soprano has them in spades. There’s one moment in particular, in the opener “The Whole World/Problem Child” where, just as Tacoma rapper Leez says “Pour some liquor…” a sample of ice clinking in a glass emerges to form the foundation of a synth line that then carries through the song. If you do nothing else, go seek out this moment: I look forward to it every time I spin this record. (At the end of the track, he says, “I love y’all, and I love this beat, too,” and you know he knows it’s great. “Star” samples Madonna in a fresh way, too. What brings me back is all the real talk on racial injustice and the need for change. “Colors” suggests that instead of one-day protests, there’s a real need for better ongoing education programs in black history and accomplishments in our schools. Fun educational fact: Leez’s Supreme Being record was one of the first I ever wrote about, inspiring this whole long series of local hip-hop write-ups.

Never Enough 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

MCMXCII

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!

MCMXCII 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

Knock Out Kings

The 253 area code, or ‘5-Trey’ for short, was introduced in 1997 when rapid growth in the region prompted the NANP to split up the 206 code. Today the 5-Trey covers a wide zone including Tacoma, Kent, Auburn, and Federal Way. One rap trio from Federal Way was Black Diamonds, featuring Tryfe, Rion, and Q-Dot aka Quality. In 2002, Tryfe recruited some heat from the South End and he executive produced a rap mixtape/compilation titled Knock Out Kings. Many aspiring artists were added to the card, including producer J. Hen and his 219 Productions family. The list of bruisers on Knock Out Kings included Kuddie Mack, Stretch, K.J., Eclipse, Slim, G. Digga, and many more.

The cover image shows the three members of Black Diamonds joined by Rocka, the host of the compilation. Impressive artist K.J. is a dual threat, displaying earnest rhyming and singing on her ode to a dumped boyfriend, “U Messed Up.” There are two cuts by Black Diamonds, the peppy party starter “How It Get Pt. 2,” and the more serious slow burner “I Feel.” Kuddie Mack produces and raps on one track, the whispery, ASMR-inducing “Runnin Wit Us.” I’m always a fan of inspirational messages, and there’s a darn good one on “Darlin” by Eclipse. “I finally got past it, I’m feeling better now. I’m back on my feet, light as a feather now,” goes a catchy line from the song.

As a side note, two clique members, Eclipse and Stretch teamed up to form a duo called Parker Brothaz. According to Larry Mizell in the Stranger, “The two spitters are in a classic NW vein, combining West Coast savagery with an East Coast punch-line savvy.” Knock Out Kings displays some real South End talent, be sure to check it out. Written by Novocaine132

Knock Out Kings 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!