KnowMads - "Happy Simples" x "Who Are You?"

Two underrated songs KnowMad songs that both missed the final cut for the 64-song 206ness bracket. Both are off the first album, So It Goes, which I'm still astounded that the group made when they were sixteen and seventeen. The quality of the album is made all the more astounding when you listen Professor Macklemore's Open Your Eyes, which he made when he was around the same age. Where Open Your Eyes sounds like a rough demo cut, So It Goes sounds like a refined album with several classic Seattle songs ("Sunrise" made it to the Final Four of said bracket).

"Happy Simples" is a song that I often compare to Grynch's "Memory Lane." Its beautiful song about growing up and lost innocence that sees them rapping to Cheef's kid brother about the difference between life at his age and life as a teenager. It's an incredibly endearing song that demonstrated the KnowMad crew's talent from a very early point in their careers.

"Who Are You?" loses a lot of steam after Tom Pepe's first verse, but that verse is still one of my favorites from this very talented, young Seattle emcee.

Well I'm a big bad motherfucker waiting for his time,

I'm a millionaire Scarface waiting for his line.

I'm a million steps ahead of you, piercing through the sky,

Many will follow, but very few can fly.

If you like what you hear, make sure to download their first two albums, which they released for free.99 and support their latest effort, The KnewBook.

Peace, Love, & The 6,

Noah

"Happy Simples"

Note: "Who Are You?" is having errors uploading to Audiomack, if you want to hear it, go here.

206ness 2013: A Celebration of Seattle Hip Hop [Bracketology]

(Click to enlarge)

Live from occupied Duwamish territory, I bring you this massive post celebrating the Seattle hip hop scene.

I originally considered writing this article in my younger days when I first started this blog back in 2009, but decided against it for two reasons. The first was that I don't believe in ranking songs/albums/mixtapes as better or worse than each other. Good music should be appreciated as good music without the pressure of being quantified.

The second and frankly more pressing concern was that there wasn't enough of a Northwest hip hop scene to make it worthwhile. Had I put together this bracket four years ago, it would have been composed almost entirely out of Blue Scholars, Common Market, and Dyme Def songs and I would have had to stretch it to include 64 songs.

So, what's changed over the past four years? We've seen the continued emergence and growth of post-Massline generation acts like Dyme Def, The Physics, Fresh Espresso, and Grynch to name a few. We've seen the reconstruction of Nissim (formerly D. Black), the resurrection and subsequent explosion of Macklemore, and the emergence of talented young producers in P Smoov, Ryan Lewis, and Brainstorm.

For me, this post isn't so much about determining what Seattle songs are better, so much as celebrating the artists and songs that have transformed the city into a shining beacon within the hip hop community. Far removed from the draconian burdens of the Teen Dance Ordinance, hip hop in the Upper Left is alive and thriving.

The quality of the music has reached the point where, in the process of compiling this article, I narrowed down the potential songs to a quote-unquote "short" list of 187 songs. There are so many talented local artists that classics such as "Second Chapter," "White Privilege," and "North By Northwest" didn't make the final cut. Four years ago, I probably would have had to include "Baby Got Back." Today, it didn't even make the song short list (though "Posse's On Broadway" made the short list--the song is a lot better than memory serves).

Artists from 25 groups make at least one appearance on the list, pushing even the revered Blue Scholars song, "The Ave," (probably my favorite of their live songs) off the final 64 song cut.

The difference between #42 and #90 was minuscule, so an argument could be made for many more songs making the list. If you can't believe that I left off Song A or had Song B beating Song C, please be sure to give your preference and describe, in great detail, precisely how brain damaged you believe me to be in the comments section below. I encourage the conversation and enjoy hearing what other people's favorites are (especially if you believe that I overlooked an artist).

Considering the songs that just missed, the final 64 is a fairly select group that's also fairly representative of the music scene as a whole. As I mentioned, emcees from twenty-five local acts make at least one appearance on the list with Massline, Sportn' Life, Out For Stardom, and most local consortiums being represented. But enough of me talking. You want to hear the music.

KnowMads - "How We Live" x "Imagine"

It's good to see this 206 trio bounce back after their lackluster Seattle album from a couple years back.  Bus Station isn't as consistent as the KnowMads' near-classic debut and sophomore albums.  A lot of the freestyles over classic beats tend to fall flat as they (and most emcees) simply don't match or exceed the original renditions (they kill "Monster" though), but there are more than a fair share of cuts on the tape.  The one track that could become a classic ode to the group's musical roots if they refine it is "Headphonez," which starts strong, but loses steam as soon as the chorus comes in.  Choice tracks include the soothing "DoitFortheLove" and certified bangers, "How We Live" and "Imagine."  As a whole, Bus Station continues to grow on me.  If you liked So It Goes. and Saturdayzed, the tape is definitely worth the free.99 you'll pay for it.  Here's hoping the KnowMads continue this upward trend in 2011. Hit the jump for the stream/dl.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

VoodooChild

KnowMads - "DoitFortheLove"

To be completely frank, I hated the last album put out by the KnowMads.  I could overlook the arrogance that the group had in naming their latest work Seattle, but what I simply couldn't get past was that, for the second straight release, a group that had showed so much potential on their first two albums had failed to improve, and actually had regressed.  While the production has improved (though the skits tried too hard to imitated Wu-Tang and others), I found the content to be repetitive and very indicative of their age (which, even as a guy around the same age, gets repetitive).  But the most glaring hole came in the lyrics and rhyme schemes which were at times stale and and other times down-right lackadaisical, often relying on "white boy rap" (aka just rhyming the last word of each bar, and sometimes not even making the effort to do that).

It's more than acceptable for artists to have a down album or two.  At the end of the day, Nas won't be remembered for I Am... or Nastradamus (or his tone-def singing on "Street Dreams"), Jay-Z won't be remembered for The Blueprint 3, and Em won't be remembered for Recovery.  Instead, they will be remembered for their multitude of classic albums.  I consider the Knowmads' first two albums to be underappreciated classics (so much so, that I featured them on this blog's first post), and I consider "Sunrise" to be a timeless, beautiful track, but the simple truth is that they are not on that level yet and can't afford to take huge steps backward.

I don't write this post as a "hater" that I will likely be accused of (funny how that word is often thrown around in an attempt to deflect honest criticism).  If you follow the blog, you've probably noticed that I generally write mostly positive things about the music that I post.  I don't post songs I don't like and can't, in good faith, place my seal of approval.  You'll be hard pressed on this site to find the latest Drake (though some of his older material sneaks on from time to time), Trey Songz, or Waka Flocka Flame.  If you want that kind of music, there are plenty of other sites that feature it.

So when you read this post, realize that I have no beef with anyone.  As a supporter of Seattle hip hop and good music in general, I wish the group nothing but the best.  I simply have a distinct problem with a young group that displayed so much talent on their first two releases and is shying away from their potential.  There is still plenty of time for KnowMads to turn it around and, if this song is any indication, they are in the process of doing just that, but the group has to continue to take risks to grow instead of remaining complacent.  At this point, the group has to realize that they are at a crossroads.  They can either shrink from the challenge and be remembered in their circle of friends for what could have been, or they can step up and take their place among the leaders of Seattle's next generation of rhymesayers.

KnowMads has the potential to go as far as they want with their music, but it is now there choice of where they wish to take it.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
VoodooChild

P.S. Props to fellow Garfield grad, Tim Willis for co-directing this dope video.

KnowMads - "Saturdayzed"

I realize that I featured this Seattle trio and the album that garners it's name from this song with my first post, but I felt that this song needed appropriate re-emphasis.  At the end of the day, this song is just a fun, humorous certified classic (party) song.  If you like what you hear, I definitely suggest copping their first two albums, which they released for free and can be downloaded here.  As I mentioned before, KnowMads is more than just party tracks (though they do make the perfect party songs) and supported good hip hop by purchasing their third album, The Rooftop (available on iTunes and Amazon).  Enjoy.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Knowmadic Noah

A Hip Hop 101 Aloha

I guess this post is a hello and and a goodbye.  I'm headed back East to NYC for my second year at school (so drop me a line if you're in the city).  So, even though it's not where you're from, it's where you're at, I'm kind of inbetween right now, so I'm going to drop you two tracks from artists from both of my homes.  The first is by Seattle's KnowMads.  It's called "Home," the opening track off of their sophomore album, and one of my favorite songs about going away/coming home.  The second track needs no introduction as it is Nas' classic "N.Y. State Of Mind" off his debut Illmatic.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
NY-Bound Noah


"Home"

KnowMads - So It Goes. and Saturdayzed

The next twenty posts or so are meant to catch you up on what I've written on my e-mail blog thus far...

My debut entry features a group that I consider to be a hidden gem.  Maybe it's just because I'm a kid from North Seattle, but I consider this 206 trio's first two albums, So It Goes. and Saturdayzed, to be near classic status.  Their third album, The Rooftop, has some cuts, but is not as complete as the first two.  While the group has it's party anthems (check out the title track off of Saturdayzed, it cracks me up), they also show remorse over their lifestyle ("Happy Simples") and have several tracks regarding political activism ("Oh Well," "If").  On all of their songs, one thing remains constant: their humor, lyrical prowess, and dope samples.  For me, I love the opening track off of So It Goes. and definitely suggest copping the first two albums, which they released for free and you can download and streamed below.

KnowMads - So It Goes.

KnowMads - Saturdayzed