The Best Hip-Hop of the Pacific Northwest
At the top of the West, hip-hop is thriving. From the righteous rhyme of Blue Scholars and Ohmega Watts to the infectious party-rap of The Saturday Knights, here’s a taste of the region’s best hip-hop.
1. Blue Scholars
‘Back Home’
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- “Back Home”
- CD: Bayani
- Artist: Blue Scholars
- Label: Red Urban
- Released: 2007
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The Seattle hip-hop duo follows its excellent self-titled debut and the equally strong
Long March EP with a stunning album that sets the bar ever higher for Northwest hip-hop. Sabzi’s production is still warm and soulful, but it’s more confident, varied and distinctive. Geologic continues to grow as a rapper, combining his smooth, laid-back flow with smart, plain-spoken rhymes rooted in being a self-professed ordinary guy. His blue-collar perspective shines a bright spotlight on race and class issues, while also providing stirring inspiration for the city and country to do better.
Bayani (Rawkus)
2. Ohmega Watts
‘Found’
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- “Found”
- CD: Watts Happening
- Artist: Ohmega Watts
- Label: Ubiquity
- Released: 2007
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This Portland rapper/producer’s second solo album is another expansive set of underground hip-hop, combining an eclectic sound and a variety of styles with socially conscious lyrics.
Watts Happening (Ubiquity)
3. Othello
‘Rot’
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- “Rot”
- CD: Alive At The Assembly Line
- Artist: Othello
- Label: Hiphop Is Music
- Released: 2007
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The third solo album from this Seattle born-and-raised member of Portland hip-hop crew Lightheaded is a first-rate, flag-free set of upbeat underground hip-hop with plenty of old-school flavor.
Alive at the Assembly Line (Hip Hop Is Music)
4. Grayskul
Part of the Northwest hip-hop collective oldominion, the Seattle duo of Onry Ozzborn and JFK brilliantly reconstruct a variety of hip-hop styles on
Bloody Radio. While the sinister vibe of the group’s debut can still be found here, it’s filtered through everything from crunk and double-time to underground emo, bringing a wider stylistic range for the duo’s smart and imaginative lyrics.
Bloody Radio (Rhymesayers)
5. The Saturday Knights
‘45′
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- “45″
- CD: Saturday Knights [EP]
- Artist: The Saturday Knights
- Label: Light in the Attic
- Released: 2007
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This Seattle group makes its debut with a fun four-song EP of irresistible, party-rocking hip-hop with live instrumentation, including some crunchy rock guitar riffs.
The Saturday Nights (Light in the Attic)
Kevin Cole hosts The Afternoon Show on KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle & KEXP.org. Discover music through a diverse mix of new releases, “sneak-peaks” at forthcoming releases, seminal vintage tracks, rarities, B-sides, and exclusive in-studio performances.
Seattle-based KEXP presents a diverse mix of music, live performances and podcasts from indie-rock, punk and hip-hop to old-school soul and world music.
NPR Reports about Northwest Hip Hop… but doesn’t mention much about Portland Hip Hop. Oh well, what does NPR know about Sandpeople, Illmaculate, Bad Habitat, Sleep, Luck One, etc. While Portland hip hop hasn’t blown up nearly as much, it has gained a lot of fame worldwide in the underground hip hop community.
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