Overview of edits:
Andy Huynh - Adding communities section and Seattle communities (Massive Monkees and 206 Zulu Nation).
Tim Welsh - Adding photos and more discussion of graffiti as well as more indepth analysis of THEESatisfaction
Jared Robinson - add information about Ryan Lewis (Macklemore's partner and producer) and UW Hip Hop community. I can look for more detailed info.
Kim Johnson - I'll do a bit on the MOHAI exhibit (including pictures) and on Freshtracks (the West Coast's first all rap radio show that started in Seattle).
Olivia Blust - more about Louie Louie its significance to the PNW. Also mention madNW and "The Otherside" documentary
Here are my edits(Tim Welsh):
(This should be added to the "2002 to present" section)
THEESatisfaction is an important group in the 2010s hip hop scene. The group THEESatisfaction uses hip hop as a place for people of all different
backgrounds to collaborate, they consider their concerts to be a “gathering place for blissfully different
social and cultural misfits” 1. As a group of queer black women, THEESatisfaction feels that that face
opposition in many places all over the world. However, when the member of THEESatisfaction met at
the University of Washington they were embraced by the Seattle music scene, playing many shows all
over Seattle before going on a larger tour 1. THEESatisfaction is an example of the progressivity that is
present in the Pacific Northwest Hip Hop scene of the 2010’s. Much of 2010's Seattle hip hop follows a
similar production model to THEESatisfaction. This model would be considered a "scene-based" genre,
as defined by Jennifer Lena 5, due to the organization form to be based in a local scene, and the ideal of
using music to create community. 5
Citations
1. http://www.colorlines.com/articles/theesatisfaction-were-proud-be-option
2. http://www.mohai.org/press-media/press-releases/item/2721-mohai-presents-the-legacy-of-seattle-hip-hop-september-19-2015-may-1-2016
3. http://www.seattlemuralproject.org/
4. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HIEQ59QresM/TF-GrOhdYuI/AAAAAAAAB9A/XDAgQqkzOpo/s1600/Specs.jpg
5. Jennifer Lena, “Music Genres,” Banding Together: How Communities Create Genres in Popular Music (Princeton Univ. Press, 2012)
Adding to the section that already talks about Nasty Nes and Fresh Tracks:
Fresh Tracks was a 30-minute show that played on Sunday nights on KKFX 1250 (“KFOX” and formerly KKDZ), and consisted of a mix of new songs and a mastermix created by Nasty Nes (Stranger article). These mixes were made up of songs by The World’s Famous Supreme Team, Malcolm McLaren, Run-D.M.C. and others (Stranger article). Due to the show’s popularity, the station's producer allowed Nes to expand it to a Monday through Friday, 9pm to midnight show called NightBeat that featured prominent R&B songs as well as intermixed rap songs (Stranger article).
Source: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/going-way-back/Content?oid=50163
Communities
Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon
Hip Hop dance crew, Massive Monkees, operate a community-based center for learning and positive change. Based in the International District in Seattle, the Beacon offers various arts programs in dance and music, as well as a free after-school program for youths as an alternative to street life. The Beacon strives to create fun, promote creative expression and a safe place for the community. [2]
206 Zulu Nation
206 Zulu is a Hip Hop heritage project that strives to preserve, document and advocate the Hip Hop’s artistic practices. The goal of 206 Zulu is to “ document and preserve the History/Herstory of Hip Hop in its full scope within the last 20+ years of existence in Seattle and the Northwest.” [1] This project strives to create authentic representation of the historical significance of Hip Hop. 206 Zulu also promotes local events, including weekly community gatherings for each element of Hip Hop: breaking, mc, dj, graffiti.
Hip Hop at the University of Washington
Student groups such as the Hip Hop Student Association (HHSA) work to provide opportunities for all students at the UW to get involved in the Seattle Hip Hop scene. With a mantra of "Peace, love, and unity through Hip Hop," the HHSA holds events and activities to spread Hip Hop culture throughout the UW community.
Graffiti Crews
Much of the early hip hop scene in the PNW was heavily influenced by the hip hop scene
of New York City. Graffiti was one realm that was directly connected to this influence. From the early
days of PNW hip hop, graffiti has been users as a way for hip hop artists to create a presence for
themselves in the community. These uses of techniques are still in practice by artists such as Specs
Wizard and 206 Zulu Nation [2]. Graffiti is also widely celebrated in Seattle by the Seattle Mural Project
(external link3) which helps to enable street artist to do work without legal repercussions.
The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop at MOHAI
Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) curated and showcased an exhibit called The Legacy of Seattle Hip Hop from September 19, 2015 through May 1, 2016 (MOHAI sourced article). This exhibit was curated by Jazmyn Scott of The Town Entertainment and Aaron Walker-Loud of Big World Breaks.
Items on display included Macklemore’s fur jacket and scooter from his and Ryan Lewis' iconic “ Thrift Shop” music video as well as Nasty Nes’ NASTYMIX bomber jacket (Seattle Times article). There were several different sections of the exhibit focusing on different elements of Hip Hop culture. One section was devoted to music production. It featured two mixing stations that played tracks by Vitamin D and Jake One, as well as letting visitors interact with the tracks by using the mixing boards (Seattle Times article).
Another section was dedicated to breakdancing, highlighting some of the early b-boys and b-girls in the Seattle scene as well as well-known groups like the Massive Monkees (Seattle Met article). In the middle of the floor was a raised dancing platform (Seattle Met article) and on the walls were items like a Boom Squad jersey from the group that used to perform during halftime at Seattle SuperSonics games.
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/mohai-exhibit-celebrates-seattle-hip-hop/
Ryan Lewis (Adding to 2002 to Present section)
Born in Spokane, Washington and moving to Seattle when he was 15, Ryan Lewis was involved in music from a very early age. He joined heavy metal bands in middle and high school, and took charge of designing the band's websites and T-shirts. Lewis graduated from the University of Washington in 2009 with a degree in Comparative History of Ideas (CHID). During this time, Lewis began collaborating with local friend and rapper Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name Macklemore. Lewis and Haggerty went on to self produce their first full length album, " The Heist," released in October of 2012, a rare feat in today's music industry dominated by corporate labels. Collectively, the duo went on to earn a 2014 Grammy for Best Rap Song for their national hit, Thrift Shop, and MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip Hop Video, Best Video with a Social Message, and Best Cinematography, for Can't Hold Us, Same Love, and Can't Hold Us, respectively.
Louie Louie (Adding to Pre-1993 section)
The track Louie Louie, originally by Richard Berry, is an incredible staple of the music coming out of the Pacific Northwest. Following Barry’s debut of the song in 1956, hundreds of artists have since then made their own renditions of the track, making it legendary in the world of rock and roll. Versions by bands with significant ties to the Pacific Northwest, Rockin’ Robin with the Wailers from Seattle as well as The Kingsman hailing from Portland, OR, are among the most noteworthy. The controversy that followed this track, specifically that of The Kingsman, due to slurred words and potentially obscene lyrics heard throughout, sparked a huge movement in the amateur artist scene. With all eyes across the nation on the music scene in the Pacific Northwest, Louie Louie undoubtedly influenced the kick off of what has now become one of the most prominent music regions in the country.
The Otherside (Adding to new Communities section)
The Otherside, produced by MAD Northwest Films, is a documentary that tells the story of the rapidly up and coming Seattle hip-hop scene. The documentary takes place across the country over the course of 3 years, following the lives and stories of the many hip-hop artists that call Seattle home. The film primarily devotes its focus to early Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Sir Mix-a-lot, and Blue Scholars, while also giving spotlight to the handfuls of other Seattle based artists working to make a name for themselves and the Seattle hip-hop scene.
Citations to be edited:
http://www.massivemonkees.com/thebeacon/ [1]
http://www.206zulu.com/ourstory.html [2]
http://students.washington.edu/hiphope/about.html
https://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns-magazine/december-2013/features/ryan/
Overview of edits:
Andy Huynh - Adding communities section and Seattle communities (Massive Monkees and 206 Zulu Nation).
Tim Welsh - Adding photos and more discussion of graffiti as well as more indepth analysis of THEESatisfaction
Jared Robinson - add information about Ryan Lewis (Macklemore's partner and producer) and UW Hip Hop community. I can look for more detailed info.
Kim Johnson - I'll do a bit on the MOHAI exhibit (including pictures) and on Freshtracks (the West Coast's first all rap radio show that started in Seattle).
Olivia Blust - more about Louie Louie its significance to the PNW. Also mention madNW and "The Otherside" documentary
Here are my edits(Tim Welsh):
(This should be added to the "2002 to present" section)
THEESatisfaction is an important group in the 2010s hip hop scene. The group THEESatisfaction uses hip hop as a place for people of all different
backgrounds to collaborate, they consider their concerts to be a “gathering place for blissfully different
social and cultural misfits” 1. As a group of queer black women, THEESatisfaction feels that that face
opposition in many places all over the world. However, when the member of THEESatisfaction met at
the University of Washington they were embraced by the Seattle music scene, playing many shows all
over Seattle before going on a larger tour 1. THEESatisfaction is an example of the progressivity that is
present in the Pacific Northwest Hip Hop scene of the 2010’s. Much of 2010's Seattle hip hop follows a
similar production model to THEESatisfaction. This model would be considered a "scene-based" genre,
as defined by Jennifer Lena 5, due to the organization form to be based in a local scene, and the ideal of
using music to create community. 5
Citations
1. http://www.colorlines.com/articles/theesatisfaction-were-proud-be-option
2. http://www.mohai.org/press-media/press-releases/item/2721-mohai-presents-the-legacy-of-seattle-hip-hop-september-19-2015-may-1-2016
3. http://www.seattlemuralproject.org/
4. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HIEQ59QresM/TF-GrOhdYuI/AAAAAAAAB9A/XDAgQqkzOpo/s1600/Specs.jpg
5. Jennifer Lena, “Music Genres,” Banding Together: How Communities Create Genres in Popular Music (Princeton Univ. Press, 2012)
Adding to the section that already talks about Nasty Nes and Fresh Tracks:
Fresh Tracks was a 30-minute show that played on Sunday nights on KKFX 1250 (“KFOX” and formerly KKDZ), and consisted of a mix of new songs and a mastermix created by Nasty Nes (Stranger article). These mixes were made up of songs by The World’s Famous Supreme Team, Malcolm McLaren, Run-D.M.C. and others (Stranger article). Due to the show’s popularity, the station's producer allowed Nes to expand it to a Monday through Friday, 9pm to midnight show called NightBeat that featured prominent R&B songs as well as intermixed rap songs (Stranger article).
Source: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/going-way-back/Content?oid=50163
Communities
Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon
Hip Hop dance crew, Massive Monkees, operate a community-based center for learning and positive change. Based in the International District in Seattle, the Beacon offers various arts programs in dance and music, as well as a free after-school program for youths as an alternative to street life. The Beacon strives to create fun, promote creative expression and a safe place for the community. [2]
206 Zulu Nation
206 Zulu is a Hip Hop heritage project that strives to preserve, document and advocate the Hip Hop’s artistic practices. The goal of 206 Zulu is to “ document and preserve the History/Herstory of Hip Hop in its full scope within the last 20+ years of existence in Seattle and the Northwest.” [1] This project strives to create authentic representation of the historical significance of Hip Hop. 206 Zulu also promotes local events, including weekly community gatherings for each element of Hip Hop: breaking, mc, dj, graffiti.
Hip Hop at the University of Washington
Student groups such as the Hip Hop Student Association (HHSA) work to provide opportunities for all students at the UW to get involved in the Seattle Hip Hop scene. With a mantra of "Peace, love, and unity through Hip Hop," the HHSA holds events and activities to spread Hip Hop culture throughout the UW community.
Graffiti Crews
Much of the early hip hop scene in the PNW was heavily influenced by the hip hop scene
of New York City. Graffiti was one realm that was directly connected to this influence. From the early
days of PNW hip hop, graffiti has been users as a way for hip hop artists to create a presence for
themselves in the community. These uses of techniques are still in practice by artists such as Specs
Wizard and 206 Zulu Nation [2]. Graffiti is also widely celebrated in Seattle by the Seattle Mural Project
(external link3) which helps to enable street artist to do work without legal repercussions.
The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop at MOHAI
Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) curated and showcased an exhibit called The Legacy of Seattle Hip Hop from September 19, 2015 through May 1, 2016 (MOHAI sourced article). This exhibit was curated by Jazmyn Scott of The Town Entertainment and Aaron Walker-Loud of Big World Breaks.
Items on display included Macklemore’s fur jacket and scooter from his and Ryan Lewis' iconic “ Thrift Shop” music video as well as Nasty Nes’ NASTYMIX bomber jacket (Seattle Times article). There were several different sections of the exhibit focusing on different elements of Hip Hop culture. One section was devoted to music production. It featured two mixing stations that played tracks by Vitamin D and Jake One, as well as letting visitors interact with the tracks by using the mixing boards (Seattle Times article).
Another section was dedicated to breakdancing, highlighting some of the early b-boys and b-girls in the Seattle scene as well as well-known groups like the Massive Monkees (Seattle Met article). In the middle of the floor was a raised dancing platform (Seattle Met article) and on the walls were items like a Boom Squad jersey from the group that used to perform during halftime at Seattle SuperSonics games.
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/mohai-exhibit-celebrates-seattle-hip-hop/
Ryan Lewis (Adding to 2002 to Present section)
Born in Spokane, Washington and moving to Seattle when he was 15, Ryan Lewis was involved in music from a very early age. He joined heavy metal bands in middle and high school, and took charge of designing the band's websites and T-shirts. Lewis graduated from the University of Washington in 2009 with a degree in Comparative History of Ideas (CHID). During this time, Lewis began collaborating with local friend and rapper Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name Macklemore. Lewis and Haggerty went on to self produce their first full length album, " The Heist," released in October of 2012, a rare feat in today's music industry dominated by corporate labels. Collectively, the duo went on to earn a 2014 Grammy for Best Rap Song for their national hit, Thrift Shop, and MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip Hop Video, Best Video with a Social Message, and Best Cinematography, for Can't Hold Us, Same Love, and Can't Hold Us, respectively.
Louie Louie (Adding to Pre-1993 section)
The track Louie Louie, originally by Richard Berry, is an incredible staple of the music coming out of the Pacific Northwest. Following Barry’s debut of the song in 1956, hundreds of artists have since then made their own renditions of the track, making it legendary in the world of rock and roll. Versions by bands with significant ties to the Pacific Northwest, Rockin’ Robin with the Wailers from Seattle as well as The Kingsman hailing from Portland, OR, are among the most noteworthy. The controversy that followed this track, specifically that of The Kingsman, due to slurred words and potentially obscene lyrics heard throughout, sparked a huge movement in the amateur artist scene. With all eyes across the nation on the music scene in the Pacific Northwest, Louie Louie undoubtedly influenced the kick off of what has now become one of the most prominent music regions in the country.
The Otherside (Adding to new Communities section)
The Otherside, produced by MAD Northwest Films, is a documentary that tells the story of the rapidly up and coming Seattle hip-hop scene. The documentary takes place across the country over the course of 3 years, following the lives and stories of the many hip-hop artists that call Seattle home. The film primarily devotes its focus to early Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Sir Mix-a-lot, and Blue Scholars, while also giving spotlight to the handfuls of other Seattle based artists working to make a name for themselves and the Seattle hip-hop scene.
Citations to be edited:
http://www.massivemonkees.com/thebeacon/ [1]
http://www.206zulu.com/ourstory.html [2]
http://students.washington.edu/hiphope/about.html
https://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns-magazine/december-2013/features/ryan/