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In the early 1980s, a subterranean shift in Seattle’s music scene began. Disco’s reign over parties and dance clubs faded, and hip-hop became the new attraction. A generation of young musicians emerged, and local rappers catapulted the genre into the spotlight. From Sir Mix-A-Lot, who won a Grammy in 1993, to Silver Chain Gang and Jam Delight, the Emerald City produced some incredible talent. These formative years of hip-hop set the tone for the decades that followed, and this once-fledgling music still resonates in pop culture today. Author and producer Novocaine132 explores Seattle’s early rap artists and their groundbreaking sound.

Welcome to
The Birth of Seattle Rap!

This book is an attempt to document rap music in Seattle from its origins until the end of 1985. It is the result of many conversations with key figures in the scene, and the people who were part of this movement share their memories and experiences.

The Birth of Seattle Rap mostly looks at the rap element of hip-hop, but that’s not to minimize the contributions of the other three elements—far from it. All the hardworking DJs, graffiti writers and breakdancers in Seattle deserve to be recognized for their amazing work.
As a journalist, my love comes from combing through the lyrics of early rap music. I enjoy seeing how the stories and rhymes reflect the experiences of an entire generation. Hopefully, The Birth of Seattle Rap can give a little context to the history of how this rhyming culture began and highlight several people who haven’t made it to the history books yet.

My love of Seattle-based rap dates to 1988, when tapes of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s SWASS circulated among my classmates at Blanchet High School. In 1995, I was blessed to write at The Flavor, a hip-hop magazine. After putting in several years work at Tribal Music, promoting a rap compilation called Do the Math, I took a break in 2001 to travel and experience life. Now that hip-hop culture is more than fifty years old, I want to help tell the story of how rap music in Seattle was born.

The Birth of Seattle Rap is not a complete encyclopedia of everyone who rapped in our city. It is my wish that anyone not mentioned in the book will also have their story told in one way or another. This book is just a small step toward learning the full history of how the revolutionary sound of rap music emerged in Seattle.
Cheers!
Novocaine132