The following night, April 12, Vera is hosting Downtown Showdown, a b-boy--that's breakdancing to most white people--competition that will award a $300 cash prize to the winner of this three-on-three battle. Crews invited to compete include members of Massive Monkees, Circle of Fire, Vivid Vixens, Fraggle Rock, BYC, Dance Broomz, and Battle Reflex. With host Dirty Devin (Hip-Hop 101) and Yo, Son! staple DJ Scene on the wheels, it's sure to be a fun night. Shout-outs go to all the sponsors of this event--including Kun Luv of the Seaspot Media Group, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Well it's finally official: Brainstorm 2, the long-awaited DVD version of last year's historic MC battle, is finally out and in stores (mostly the indie spots). William Lemke directed this documentary that features performances from One Man Army of Binary Star, Eyedea & Abilities, and Atmosphere. The real blessing comes in the extra rejected scenes, however, as the cameras do not lie--this film is a lesson to all aspiring emcees not to jump in the water before checking the temperature. I don't think anything is funnier than watching an emcee genius enough to wear an outfit in the colors of the American flag. (A definite no-no in an emcee battle. You're just setting yourself up for slaughter.) But this guy's killing becomes self-inflicted as he produces a written freestyle that he's forgotten the lyrics to, but then sloppily tries a second time to repeat. You've got to see this for yourself to believe it, as Lemke added a twist to the entertainment that makes the DVD official. We'll see if defending champion Presence comes back out to Seattle in July when Brainstorm 3 takes place. He'll have a lot of people gunning for him, especially the Chinese American emcee L-Dubble.
Coup d':tat, J-Live's former label and current home to artists like Rasco and Akrobatik, is putting out a hot new compilation called A Blow to the State, featuring production work from Seattle stalwart Jake One. Jake produced a cut with Rasco called "We Get Live" that's another banger from the 206 and was mentioned in URB magazine's "next 100." Long overdue! With Jake cracking that list, it's inevitable that more artists from Seattle will soon follow. Congrats go out to the man who might single-handedly revitalize Busta Rhymes' lagging career. It's a shame what happened to the leader of the Flipmode Squad--his new album, It Ain't Safe No More, is absolutely depressing. The album title gives clear warning: It definitely ain't safe to blindly purchase records off the strength that Bus made them. Speaking of "next 100," though, judging by the crowd's negative reaction to the set by Cherrywine (AKA Butterfly from Digable Planets, AKA Ishmael Butler) at the Sharpshooters show the other night, URB magazine definitely made a faux pas putting Butterfly's new group on its list. Back to the drawing board for Mr. Butler, apparently.
Regarding the battle of 7L & Esoteric vs. Copywrite: I admit, Copywrite definitely got herbed on a recent song by those cats, as well as on a semi-popular, backpacker-friendly message board not too long ago. But really, who remains victorious? If you ask me, they both lose, as neither has made a record that didn't make me press fast forward. The only song worth listening to from either was "Speaking Real Words" by 7L & Esoteric with Inspectah Deck of the Wu-Tang Clan, which, if memory serves me correctly, was the only time they did just that. SAMUEL L. CHESNEAU
REQUIRED LISTENING 1. M.O.P., "I Gotta Go" (Sony)
2. Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek feat. Buckshot & Main Flow, "Heat" (Philaflava)
3. Mobb Deep, "Survival of the Fittest" (Loud)
4. Sadat X, "Stages & Lights" (Loud)
5. Murs, "They Still Call Me Murs" (Philaflava)
6. Storm the Unpredictable, "Up in You 2002" (Ty-She)
7 Main Source, "Fakin' the Funk" (Wild Pitch)
8. Wildchild feat. Vinia Mojica, "Party Up" (Stones Throw)
9. Supastition, "Me Minus You" (Philaflava)
