Emerald Street: A History of Hip Hop in Seattle by Daudi Abe

Author:Daudi Abe [Abe, Daudi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780295747576
Google: wcuLzQEACAAJ
Publisher: U of Washington Press
Published: 2020-09-15T20:21:49+00:00

Management and Promotions

Individuals and companies that focused on promoting and presenting shows and activities played an important, and necessary, part in growing Seattle hip hop during the 2000s. One example was Soul Gorilla, founded by Josh Berman, BBoy, ‘Preme, Benito, and Chern in 2004.94 Soul Gorilla worked on various levels within the industry, from managing artists such as Sportn’ Life Records trio Dyme Def to copresenting the Seattle Hip-Hop Career and Business Expo with the SHHSAN.

Melissa “Meli” Darby was one of several former members of the Student Hip-Hop Organization of Washington who remained active in the local scene after college. In 2004 she launched Obese Productions (the company became ReignCity in 2008), which booked shows and formed a partnership with the Vera Project. While promoting shows with national artists, she focused on developing hometown talent by producing such events as the Make It or Break It series, quarterly exhibitions of local artists who were selected on the basis of word-of-mouth promotion and ticket presales. The goal of these competitive methods was to spur an attitude shift. “There are a number of very lazy artists in this town that feel entitled to shows and privileges, and that bothers me when there are so many talented artists starving for the same opportunities,” Darby explained. “I want to help train artists to be self-sufficient, show them how to hustle like I do. I want Obese and its resources to be a kind of focal point for artist support. We have a very big responsibility in Seattle to make sure that the music is available to our youth, to strengthen our community.” 95 The promotional/managerial groundwork that developed served both to support and challenge local artists. This combined with events and physical spaces to form the vital fabric of infrastructure necessary to nurture the still maturing hip-hop scene in Seattle.

Multitude of Styles

An eclectic variety of artists was creating more and new buzz around Seattle’s hip-hop scene. An incredible stylistic range included street, blue collar, abstract, a celebration of home, and other approaches all combined to inform this resurgence. Still, due to a variety of factors, some found the going harder than others. The five-year anniversary of Sportn’ Life Records in 2007 illustrated some of the complexities that lay in marketing different types of local rap music. Sportn’ Life emerged from the Central District and represented the Black experience in America, Charles Mudede argued. “In fact, the very reason for Sportn’ Life’s existence was to rebuild and recenter hip hop in a neighborhood that was devastated by crack, gangs, and violent crime.” 96

Sportn’ Life had a reputation for aggressive promotion, developing relationships with venues, and cultivating contacts with local media. However, “despite Sportn’ Life’s strong work ethic and commitment to high standards, the label still struggles to obtain the brilliant recognition that [Blue Scholars label] Mass Line basks in. Why?” Mudede concluded, “Because many of its acts are from the streets, they rap about thug life and gang realities.” Sportn’ Life founder Devon Manier agreed. “The Seattle market is harder for us than the national market.

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