'Repping suburbia in a city hip-hop scene

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scene scen THE

Arts and entertainment for the Eastside

March 2011

Hip-hop

Eastside artists rep suburbia in a city music scene

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the editorial note

Take pride in 425

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A guide to get your Irish on March 17

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or Jay-Z, it was the “concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” For Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and countless gangster rappers, it was the City of Compton and for Blue Scholars, it was The Ave., where they attended UW. For Eastside rappers, it’s the 425 area-code, and the suburban neighborhoods that made them the artists they are today. Rap music is more than its gritty reputation of offensive lyrics and half-naked women. It’s art; sacred sound and lifeblood for those who dedicate their lives to it. For the people in our cover story, it’s everything from how Neema Khorrami carries himself to how he feeds his family. For Jason Chen and Michael Akrish, it’s an outlet for them to throw their stories, joy, emotion and pain into, more expressive of who they are than any essay they wrote in college. Although many great genres of hip-hop exist from crunk to underground, skeptics may not realize how intellectual parts of hiphop are. Listen to Macklemore or artists signed to the indie label Rhymesayers Entertainment. You’ll hear songs about politics, class, diversity, recognizing privilege and breaking stereotypes. On the lighter side, you’ll hear music that rejoices in an artist’s hometown for providing an identity, local culture, life lessons and pride. You may not know it Bellevue, but you are also referenced in rhymes, spit about in recording sessions and repped on stage.

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Gabrielle Nomura, Assistant Editor gnomura@bellevuereporter.com

Funnnyman Maniscalco toured with Vince Vaughn

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Hip-hop artists rep suburbia in a city scene

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17 OUT & ABOUT

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Publisher Janet Taylor

Assistant Editor Gabrielle Nomura

Where to go, what to see

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The Scene is a publication of the Bellevue Reporter. 2700 Richards Rd. Suite 201, Bellevue WA, 98005. 425.391.0363 thebellevuescene.com

Managing Editor Craig Groshart

Follow us on Twitter@bellevuescene

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Contributing Writers Nat Levy, Celeste Gracey and Heija Nunn Layout Designer Tek Chai Photographer Chad Coleman Advertising Kali Stanger, Sales Manager 425.802.7306 Advertising 425.453.4270. A division of


the cover

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Eastside rappers: Repping suburbia in a city hip-hop scene BY GABRIELLE NOMURA | PHOTOS BY CHAD COLEMAN

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ifteen years ago, Jason Chen was a skinny TaiwaneseAmerican kid in the Bridle Trails neighborhood copying down the lyrics to “Gangster’s Paradise” on the radio. Since then, he’s accumulated a few things: a diploma from Sammamish High School, a degree from University of Washington and a career-type job in Seattle’s International District, but the 25-year-old Eastsider never outgrew his love for hip-hop music.

Neema Khorrami (above, far left) is a recording artist, like Jason He’s grown up and graduated in that department too: Chen (pictured on page 10), raised in suburbia before entering from eager listener to full-on emcee (known by his stage name, “Know Choice”). Chen’s opened for some of the Seattle hip-hop scene. Seattle’s most well-known acts: Blue Scholars, Common urban art. It’s been the outlet for cries of people living in Market and even big-name headliners such as Gift of Gab poverty and oppression, an art that Lauryn Hill called, and Zion I. Seattle Weekly gave Chen props for his stage “The spiritual movement of the blacks.” presence (especially the former Bboy’s dance moves). Chen, a Bellevue-born artist, has to work harder to NW Asian Weekly commended him for his lyrics about be taken seriously than people who rap in Seattle–the race and defying stereotypes, too. region’s dominant hub for hip-hop music, and the city Like the many other non-black rappers who pervade where most of the venues and opportunities are. Chen is the local hip-hop scene, Chen often wonders how to from the Eastside, not the East siiiide. And while growing approach his music without stepping on turf historically up a racial minority is not necessarily easy, his story is reserved for African Americans. After all, hip-hop is an

[ more EASTSIDE RAPPERS on page 10 ]


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10 | thebellevuescene.com | march 2011

Pride for one’s hometown

Jason Chen [ EASTSIDE RAPPERS from page 9 ]

not predominately of struggle and hard times, but of a moderately-affluent upbringing in suburbia. “I used to be embarrassed that I grew up here, some of my friends growing up were like bougie frat boys,” Chen says. “But in my heart, I can’t escape that I’m from Bellevue. Now that I’ve grown up, I embrace that I’m from here.” That took a while. In the hip-hop world, pride for one’s hometown is a big deal: A hometown can be an inspiration for a song. When a rapper mentions the local area code on stage, it’s an easy way to pump up a crowd and inspire pride for where one comes from. Jason wrote a song about his city. But instead of being meant to make the audience go crazy, it’s an honest story of his sometimes difficult relationship with Bellevue: “See, I was raised in a red town, where I rep now/ In a neighborhood where it’s a lot less brown … Me and my city think so differently … [But] It’s part of who I am, it’s my history.”

Bellevue-raised rapper Michael Akrish, 26, says being from an affluent city makes some people not sure whether they’re worthy of being able to rhyme. “In Seattle, there’s often a negative connotation with Bellevue because of its wealth,” says Akrish, who, with a mom who worked for radio station KUBE 93 and a DJ father, grew up listening to alternative hip-hop artists such as Talib Kweli. This negative connotation presents an opportunity for Akrish and Chen to make songs that break that stereotype. While some of their high-school classmates did indeed drive new BMW’s and owned boats, others lived on food stamps and ate free/reduced lunch at school. It presents an opportunity for songs about middle-class, heterosexual, male privilege and even about the struggles they’ve encountered: Akrish’s road to recovery with alcoholism and witnessing of a friend’s death, Chen’s encounters with racism in public school, like being asked by a teacher, “You’re Asian. Why aren’t you good at math?” Negativity associated with Bellevue also presents

challenges, like being hesitant to tell someone where home is, for fear of being looked down upon or not taken seriously in an urban scene. Not all Eastside rappers feel that way. On a Friday night in February at Club Broadway in Everett, the words: “When I say four-two, ya’ll say five …” echo from rapper Neema Khorrami’s microphone. Khorrami was born at Overlake Hospital, but grew up in Kenmore. Still, he feels like he’s part of the Eastside. And he’s not ashamed. Nor have his suburban roots seem to have affected his street cred. The 29-year-old veteran (who’s known as “Mr.10K” on Twitter for the feat of having sold 10,000 CDs out of his trunk in a little less than a year) has perfected his act. Clad in a Seahawks jersey and black fitted cap, he raises his blue cocktail in the air, inspiring the audience members to raise their beers and mixeddrinks in the spirit. When he says bounce, the people dance. Hands raise above heads, pounding up and down to the heavy beat that Khorrami shouts his lyrics over, expressing himself with the moving gestures, points and


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n is a big deal in hip-hop

Michael Akrish hand motions, that only a rapper looks cool doing. For novices, Khorrami looks like success. He doesn’t have a day job, he raps for a living. He’s owner and CEO of his own record label “The Art Music,” and his upcoming release “The Essence” was picked up by national distributor SMC Recordings/Fontana Distribution. He only uses “Mr.10k” because it’s got a nice ring to it. In reality, Khorrami has sold more than 40,000 CDs since 2002. He’s a crowd-pleaser and a hustler – both good things. “Hip-hop to me is an art form that I love,” Khorrami says. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s the way I carry myself. But it’s an art, first and foremost, and I’m an artist.” As far as local hip-hop goes–Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Kenmore–everyone, no matter where they’re from, is entitled to a chunk of that Seattle hip-hop scene as long as they’ve got talent and drive, Khorrami says. Chen may not have the grimy roots of a “proper” rapper, but he certainly has the drive. At his friend’s home recording studio in Shoreline, Chen

Neema Khorrami spits a song with precision. His jaw, inches away from the microphone, smiles for a split second when he messes up before trying another take. The baseball player on the logo of his Mariner’s cap dances up and down as Chen bounces to the track he hears in his headphones.

audience blush. A few weeks later, he’s rapping with one of the groups he performs with, That1Show, at the Nectar Lounge. Recording, performing, hustling to get it all done – thus is the life of someone walking down the road paved by the high-top Nike sneakers of local veterans like Khorrami, Macklemore, Grieves, Sabzi and Geo. And when Chen finally reaches hip-hop glory, he’ll tell everyone exactly where he’s from.

As he lays down the vocal part of the song, the beat bumps in the control room next door, where his friend, Luke Redford, facilitates the recording on the computer and plays back the vocals for Chen to listen. Chen’s vocals hit the amplifier and compressor, which squishes everything and eliminates the high sounds for a more Jason Chen, “Know Choice”: Member of group, even audio. It’ll take about five hours That1Show (thatoneshowtv.com) and solo artist (knowchoicenow.com). total for Redford to complete the final product.

Info on the artists:

The week after the recording session, Chen performs as a guest in another emcee’s show at a bar in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, taking the stage with a husky-smooth voice and a smile that makes girls in the

Michael Akrish, “Akrish”: akrish.bandcamp.com. Music available on iTunes.

Neema Khorrami, formerly known as “Unexpected Arrival”: myspace.com/unexpectedarrivalmusic


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