For much of the 90s, the city of Seattle was synonymous with the grunge scene. It went much farther than music, though; flannels and combat boots became mainstays in fashion (recently making a comeback, but that’s another story…), influenced heavily by what the kids at the shows were wearing. Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s anthem “Baby Got Back” not only challenged the status quo when it came to female attractiveness and desirability, it also put a face on Seattle that wasn’t, well, white. Of course, Seattle was never a monolith. Jimi Hendrix hailed from the Emerald City and changed rock and funk forever.
For nearly two decades though, it seemed Seattle’s glory days as a music epicenter were done. Although the city boasts the Experience Music Project (EMP) museum, which is a sort of Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame for the social media generation, it appeared to the rest of the country there wasn’t much brewing. Enter Macklemore. Macklemore’s four Grammy Awards (and his turn as The Source’s Man of the Year) put Seattle back on the map overnight.
The artists now emerging from Seattle are not merely copycats or wannabes, they each have distinct sounds directly influenced by their city. One such artist is Huey-P, a 26 year old rapper representing the Seattle-Tacoma area. Huey P has opened for numerous well known artists in the Seattle area and recorded tracks with hitmakers like Ty Dolla $ign, Wale and Cassidy. His debut EP, Did You Get The Message, was released yesterday [Thursday, December 10] on iTunes. He’s also sponsored by a cannabis dispensary called “Have a Heart,” one of the biggest in Washington state. You may recall in 2012 Washington state was a leader in legalizing cannabis, so this is more than just a “fun” endorsement—it’s a fitting one.
Huey-P is adamant about sounding like Seattle. “I’m very diverse when it comes to the music that I listen to. We have a huge rock culture, Nirvana and Jimi, that’s naturally incorporated,” he says. “It’s important to have a sound that sounds like home. I don’t want to sound like I’m from the south, or the east, or Cali, we have a very different sound [here in Seattle.]” In 2016, Huey-P will follow up his EP with a major collaboration with DJ Drama entitled 206-253 (named for the two area codes in the region).
Another band staking claim to the Seattle sound: the Staxx Brothers. They’re a rap group led by rapper and singer Davin Michael Stedman. Stedman long ago discovered the secrets to channeling the voodoo of seminal bluesmen like Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James and Little Walter through his harmonica and story raps. The results are chilling. The closest comparison to what The Staxx Brothers did with Hip Hop is what Taj Mahal did for the blues. It’s ethnomusicology for the block party. They call it “Hard Ass Soul.
Needless to say, the Pacific North West isn’t down for the count nor is it planning to ride Macklemore’s coattails. Other artists worth a listen if you’re trying to get a feel for Seattle:
Dave B:
http://soundcloud.com/davebmusic/sets/punch-drunk
Nacho Picasso:
http://nachopicasso.bandcamp.com
