So I realized I've been slacking—we've got some real business to take care of here. We lost some HUGE heroes of this hiphop shit in recent weeks, and I want to say rest in power to Grandmaster Roc Raida, one of the most innovative turntablists of our time—in fact, one of the key reasons "turntablist" is even a viable descriptor. With his crew the X-Ecutioners (fka the X-Men), he revolutionized the way a Technics Direct-Drive could be driven, and from all accounts he was a good, stand-up dude. RIP, and much love to his family and crew. I'd also like to dedicate this to Mr. Magic, WBLS radio host who founded the original Rap Attack, who with Marley Marl by his side was the first to bring hiphop to mainstream radio. Without his influence, who knows what would've happened? Hiphop, as powerful a force as it was even then, might have died on the vine, written off as a local phenomenon. (Take a lesson in this!) RIP!
On a more hopeful note, I want to send a shout to my homeboy James "Talksick" Sullivan—get better, G. We need you here to talk that shit and rep the true school (and 206 Zulu) right. I hereby promise to buy you a pitcher of beer, and if I could give you an old-school tape you didn't already have, I would.
On another hopeful note, I wanna shout out Federal Way MC/producer Q Dot, a very talented cat who has found his name on the 2009 Grammy ballot for Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best R&B/Alternative Song, and Best Short Form Video (holy shit). This doesn't mean he's nominated, but it means he's in the running, which I must say is pretty fucking major for a NW artist. Q Dot was kind enough to send me his recently released Underground Railroad album, and I see why it'd make their short list—it's commercial in terms of quality, production value, and wide appeal, but still not your typical emulatory radio rap. There's the expected odes to good living, but it's never at the expense of honesty, a balance I wish more cats round here could manage. Dude got bars, style, and soul, and is quite the double threat, as he handles all the production (which quite admirably bridges club-bangers and OutKast-bluesiness) himself. Just peep the cut "Music," which is a particularly great example of just that. He's on MySpace—go find him at /qdotmusic and get you some.
Lastly, I just wanna say how goddamn proud I am of this town and everything going on. If you're sitting there grumbling, you're doing it wrong—contribute something dope for public record, grind behind it, and uplift the shit if you're not feeling it. This year started out at its darkest for the local community, and now look. So don't a single motherfucker let the strides being made be tainted by petty grievances and fractiousness, no matter who you are—if there are issues, fucking figure it out for the good of everyone. Because that shit is done, period. Climbing off soapbox... now .