Attention: We have all recently been exposed to high levels of cabin
fever. Snow shut this motherfucker down, and all I had to show for it
was a bunch of canceled places to be. Immediately followed by
Christmas—which was cool, but not long after that people were
praying for the thaw, trying not to shoot anything that played
Christmas music, trying to shake it off. Hopefully you managed to
accomplish all of that by New Year’s Eve—and hopefully that went
off without a hitch.
I spent the first second of the New Year (by this imperialist
Western calendar) kissing my girl at the 10th edition of the Corner,
which my bro Candidt only premiered in March and has managed to pack
with local talent both tested and new jack in the months
intervening.
Another “10” that rings to mind is the (Jeremy Piven voice) 10 years
that Cool Nutz has thrown his PDX rap fest POH-Hop out in Portland.
Nutz is truly a NW classic and a leader of men—he puts on for his
city, as you should. He puts on for the whole of Cascadia, too,
currently with his NW Breakout show (107.5 FM or www.jamminfm.com) airing the best of
northwest hiphop, prime time on Saturday nights. Catch Nutz in Seattle
on January 12 down at the Contour with Onry Ozzborn, Spaceman, Kenny
Mack, and Language Arts, for a listening party for his upcoming The
Miracle LP. So peep NW Breakout on Saturday, peep B-Mello on Street
Sounds, and DJ Hyphen and J. Moore on KUBE’s Sunday Night Sound Session
the next night (and if you’re sleeping on these, you’re already
basically in NW-rap special ed), then check out the King of NE Portland
downtown on Monday night. See, I just planned your weekend. You’re
welcome, chumley.
If you’re feeling especially spry, Sunday, January 11, would also be
a good time to take in some 253 hiphop, right here in Seattle. No less
a 253 boss than General Wojack will be rocking at the Rendezvous, with
Life Cycle and Josh Rizeberg. Let’s run the numbers a touch on the
rapper/producer known as Wojack—dedicated to his craft since
“Rapper’s Delight,” Wo was a part of Nastymix’s classic Tac crew
Criminal Nation, which caught some good burn for its albums Release the
Pressure (1990) and Trouble in the Hood (1992). After the house that
Nes and Mix-A-Lot built crumbled, he came out with the hood classic
Where Ya Goin Wo? in ’96, the first of a string of solos. Not for
nothing, neither—Wo has the authoritative voice and hard West
Coast bounce to his flow everyone needs in their diet. Check out an OG
and tell a friend—’cause it’s all about a well-connected NW in
2009. Vancouver, where you at? 