MY THOUGHTS: Why we cant just do us?!

[MrSniccrs]

Do we even know who we are in the Northwess?! Follow me for a minute, peoples...stop me if Im movin too fast:

the Bay get Hyphy, Stoopid, Dumb...that slick talk. Foundation for slang.

Down South they screwin it, choppin it, snappin, poppin and sippin. Gumbo, grits and crawdads type of shit. Simple and plain for the most part...to the point and precise.

the Midwest is split into 4ths right. Listen. You got the Eastcoast influenced Midwest (i.e. Common, Kanye, Lupe), Southern influenced (i.e. Shawnna, Nelly, Chingy), Westcoast influenced (i.e. Tech-9) and Midwest originals such as da Brat, Twista, Bone, etc.

the Eastcoast got NY. Period.


Why do we follow trends instead of MAKE em? Niccas is dummin out up here. We got niccas snappin, leanin and rockin. You got Northwess niccas tryna screw and chop shit cause they think its cool. What down south nicca is listenin to your shit to where you feel you gotta do that? Some niccas wanna Bone thug-it the fuck out. Im lost. If our region is filled with so many carbon copies what the fuck are we?



"There's a very fine line between being influenced and dick-ridin..."
Line from MrSniccrs' "Whatchu Doin NW?" Song coming soon!

 

[Da Gu]

i feel ya man. gotta know what our own stilo is. gotta be different from tha other regions.

 

[MrSniccrs]

But if we push too hard on being different its manufactured.

 

[xpanther206]

I think that right there was your most insightful post, and I've read them all the last few weeks.

We're at a natural geographic disadvantage for so many reasons:

1) we have no black people (relative to the other regions, except Cali), call me racist, I'll laugh in your face, we're talking about RAP MUSIC here people.

2) rootlessness (the point you brought up), we are a region of first and second generation people, not a whole lot of people in the NW, black, white, asian whatever, have been here for 3, 4, 5 generations. I don't know if this generally leads to an inferiority complex, or feeling weaker ties to your home state than other people, but it definitely has something to do with this.

You're referring specifically to musical style, and I think points 1-2 have a definite impact with what you're pointing out (correctly, very correctly).

What I think these two factors have lead to is people lacking a certain pride/confidence in ones self that it takes to be down with local music. I don't know if its an inferiority complex, but it is fucking annoying that we don't support our own. I go to the mall and I want to get one of those SLICK New Era caps of a re-worked Mariners logo on suede, checkers, whatever. But they don't have hardly any of these "urban" options for the Seattle teams, because the demand for them isn't there.

I'm going to post a 2 minute audio piece by a guy out of DC, saying precisely this same thing, it is obviously not Seattle, BUT THE GUY'S PSYCHOLOGY IS WHAT I FEEL, EXACTLY WHAT THE NW NEEDS: LISTEN TO SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT
Multiple Man - A Message to DC

 

[Premo]

u got funk daddy that did hella beats on e40s biggest album "in a major way" u got syk doin the dre shit and beats for whoever bosko whoever those are just a few examples weve been had an identity

to me its like the NW should be synonymous with cali people out here wanna be on some ol fuck seattle cuz it aint cali , not everybody just some ,

I-5 run all the way from sd to sea

point being its all west west and there shouldnt be a seperation between regions like so cal norcal and the NW , unfortunately there is

i think its possible for there to be a whole west coast movement that encompasses all angles like we know the bay area aint no one trick pony
hyphy is just what we used to kick the door down feel me .

i explained this alot better a minute ago then i accidentally erased my post dammit

 

[MrSniccrs]

Never. The Northwess will never, can NEVER be synonymous with the Wesside. We are in fact the NORTHERN kin to these dudes. I dont care what beat who made, its not gonna happen. Why would we be mentioned in the same breath as Cali niccas when the state of California is seperated by North and South like the Dakotas and Carolinas. And the seperation is well-defined because lifestyle variants.

I LOVE the thought of the Wess being unified, but if niccas is not workin together within their own regions, how the hell are we gonna Unite as a whole Coast? Not gonna happen...any time in the near future anyway.

In response to Panther, man, we gotta make due with what we got. I can kick, bitch and scream and all that bullshit for the site, but its only touchin a few. Unless I say "hey, TFE, THAT'S whats up. Email me!" and we start talkin and workin TOGETHER on shit. Lettin styles blend and ideas mix...kinda like these lil baby's runnin round up here :lol: we gon be on rap's backburner for a minute.

 

[D'struction]

apples and potatoes man

 

[xpanther206]

Cali vs. Washington:

We'll never be united because we are so far apart. Chicago is an 8 hour drive from anywhere in the Midwest. 10 hours from a Northwest city of any substantial population, and you aren't in Cali, not even close.

Think about the East Coast, Seattle to the Bay = New York to Atlanta. It equals Boston to Charlotte. It equals DC to Tampa Florida.

I like the idea of a West Coast movement to but the Cali people won't be having us I don't think, they're too into themselves.

 

[MrSniccrs]

Takes me 10 hours to get home from Tacoma.

 

[Premo]

thank u ^^^ wtf r yall drivin lol its 2 hours to portland

 

[D'struction]

u got funk daddy that did hella beats on e40s biggest album "in a major way" u got syk doin the dre shit and beats for whoever bosko whoever those are just a few examples weve been had an identity

How many of your favorite NW rappers can afford those tracks?

 

[Premo]

im just saying that producers from the NW produced some important cali shit and
had some influence in what it is or was

shit that other producers in cali prolly bit off

and who cant get a beat from syk or funk they both coo dudes im sure they got em for joog !

 

[Premo]

basically like man

artists from daygo and the bay and la and seattle already fuck with each other

and they been fuckin with each other

think as far back as DMS they were signed with d-shot from vallejo and thats just a small example

thats why i think a whole west movement is a possibility

 

[Mr. Samos]

I've been doing my own thing for awhile, I don't follow shit.

Preemo: That's identity inside of a circle. Average person doesn't know who those producers are and probably has never heard of them.

XPanther makes a good point, it's not like we can't network with California on an artist tip, but I doubt the fan-base there will embrace the NW like they do their own, unless your really out there all the time consistently doing shows.

And your right about the demographic too. However, facts show that white people support the fuck out of rap music just as much or more than black people, especially when it comes to sales.

If your trying to follow something like a sound or something then I don't know what to tell you. I just make music that I feel, I don't follow anything and I don't try to separate myself or try to be so different either, I just do ME. Make music that sounds great that's all we need to continue to do.

And the the whole gangster image is getting old around here, everyone thinks they are a thug these days it's pretty funny but just do you don't follow no trends.

 

[xpanther206]

And your right about the demographic too. However, facts show that white people support the fuck out of rap music just as much or more than black people, especially when it comes to sales.

You're absolutely right.

I was using that from the creation of artists perspective. We're less likely to do that than other places b/c of the demographic thing. And I also think that the whites in the NW are a little reluctant to support local rap music b/c they KNOW what the demographics are, i.e. they don't feel comfortable supporting black/rap music b/c they feel it must somehow not be as 'authentic' or 'real' as that coming from other 'blacker' cities.

I know I have had an IMPOSSIBLE time getting my buddies into anything w/ a gangsterish lean to it for this simple reason (they think it must be fake if it's gangster and from the northwest)

 

[Dirty Shoez]

I like the idea of a West Coast movement to but the Cali people won't be having us I don't think, they're too into themselves.

Early favorite, Quote of the Year 2006.

 

[SteadyMobbin]

I was talking to my brother about this shit the other day who stays in the 253..There are people here in Cali who are willing to work with artists from the NW believe it or not. You got rappers from fuckin Oregon fuckin with rappers in The Bay.. I do see some talent out there. I mean, if youre still trying to rely on Sir Mix Alot to make a comeback...then you aint goin nowhere. You dont have to duplicate Dipset or have a down south flow to blow up.. keep it West Coast. Be true to yourself and be an originator. People are constantly looking for something new..and I do believe the NW will blow up one day. Keep ya head up. peace

 

[ElroyCalrician]

I would not say there is a specific style of beats for the northwest as their is not a prominent beat maker that sets the sound like Lil Jon does in the south. I would say their is though a definate style of rapping in the northwest. It is mainly in the sound. A lot of people on SLR and other northwest rappers sound the same and I might mistake one rapper for another. It is hard to describe a sound of rappers voice, but their is a definate sound just like down south rappers ,nyc rappers , bay area rappers, and los angeles cali rappers. Personally if Seattle ever wants rappers on big labels we need to be viewed as part of the west coast.

 

[ElroyCalrician]

Bad boy has a bad boy south. It would be cool if like their was a def jam west with somebody like crytical, redheadsteven, or 151 from seattle, cool nutz from portland, mac mall or nickatina from the bay, crooked i or somebody else unsigned from l.a, and maybe even a rapper from tijuana. The latino market is big in the States but it seems like only the latinos from the islands like peurto rico are being covered right now. It would be nice if there was somebody like Lil' Rob but maybe a little more talented repping the Mexican lifestyle.

 

[2real Ridaz]

I just do me I'm a turf nigga born and raised so I try to make music that is real that everybody can feel!