At present, two labels dominate the local indie hiphop scene: Mass
Line, first, and Sportn’ Life Records, second. The two have clear
identities and areas of representation. Mass Line is essentially out of Beacon Hill and represents global Seattle, the
part of the city that’s connected with immigration flows from the East,
the Far East, and East Africa. Sportn’ Life, on the other hand, is
essentially out of the Central District and represents the black
American experience. In fact, the very reason for Sportn’ Life’s
existence, which began five years ago, was to rebuild and recenter
hiphop in a neighborhood that was devastated by crack, gangs, and
violent crime.
The Central District is hiphop’s first home in Seattle. It arrived
here in the early ’80s, and by the early ’90s, it had produced a
superstar rapper, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and the highest-selling single in the
history of the Pacific Northwest, “Baby Got Back.” But after
Mix-A-Lot/Kid Sensation/Nasty Ness peaked, the neighborhood lost much
of its visibility. Hiphop, of course, was still an important part of
the street and club life of the CD, but little was happening beyond
promoting hiphop shows and dance clubs.
“The reason why we started Sportn’ Life back in 2003,” says the
label’s part-owner and founder DeVon Manier, “is because there hadn’t
really been a voice coming out of our community, our black community,
in a very long time. There hadn’t been a source for some quality music
in the hood. The Central District and South Seattle was almost out of
the picture.”
In 2003, Sportn’ Life released its first CD, a compilation of acts
primarily from the Central District area: Vitamin D, Silent Lambs
Project, and the great Central Intelligence. Also on the compilation
was Oldominion, whose center is really Capitol Hill, and BeanOne, who
builds beats in the basement of a University District house. But
Sportn’ Life really didn’t become substantial until last year, when it
released D.Black’s debut, The Cause & Effect. What marked
this release from the earlier compilations and mixtapes was the
professionalism of the marketing and production.
Few hiphop labels in this city can match the kind of organization
that Sportn’ Life has built over the years. The label aggressively
promotes its acts, hires the best local producers, works the streets,
gets its artists on stages, and provides the media with new material
months before it’s released. For example, everyone knew about D.Black’s
debut almost four months before the record hit the streets, and as for
J.Pinder, if you don’t know about his debut CD, The Backpack
Theory—which will not see the light of day until late
fall—you know nothing about local hiphop. The only other indie
label in town that has that kind of preparation is Mass Line.
Despite Sportn’ Life’s strong work ethic and commitment to high
standards, the label still struggles to obtain the brilliant
recognition that Mass Line basks in. Why? Because many of its acts are
from the streets, they rap about thug life and gang realities.
“The Seattle market is harder for us than the national market,”
explains Manier. “When you do a gangsta record that’s about shit
happening in your own backyard, the buyers here tend to freak out and
stay away from it. But a gangsta record from out of town, like G-Unit
or Jay-Z, they’ll buy it. Seattle wants a safe distance from hardcore
rap.”
Indeed, one of Sportn’ Life’s rappers, Fatal Lucciauno, is presently
serving an 18-month sentence for some street-related hustle. “But we
not only do gangsta shit,” Manier says. “We also have J.Pinder, who is
much more in the Common/Kanye West school of hiphop. So our label is
really about the diversity of the streets.”
Another curious characteristic of Sportn’ Life is the youth of its
artists. Not one of the rappers and singers in its camp are over the
age of 21. And this is something Manier, who is 37, wants to emphasize.
His label is not for his generation, but the youth.
“That’s what I have in common with BeanOne,” he says. “We’re old,
but we prefer youth energy. That’s what gets us excited. I started
working with D.Black and Fatal Lucciauno when they were 14. And I even
have turned over half of the label to D.Black because it’s really about
the young cats.”
As for the label’s name, where does it come from? To my surprise,
it’s not the name of the mischievous character in the opera Porgy
and Bess, Sportin’ Life, but instead taken from ’80s street
slang.
Explains Manier: “You know back then, you would say, sporting this,
sporting that. Well, this label is sporting life.” 
