A few days ago I was invited to perform a couple of songs on a friend's set at a local freestyle competition. This event is called The Lyric League and it is put on by a couple of local friends of mine. I had been looking to expand Rival Tribes into a review blog for events and albums, as well as the artist based interview site that it has already established itself as. I figured The Seattle Lyric League would be a perfect opportunity to experiment with this idea, and so I grabbed my camera and the crew (my girlfriend and her brother) and we set out toward The Central Saloon in downtown Seattle, to experience their first organized rap battle, and my first in the Pacific Northwest.
As we drove into the city it was raining, as it does in Seattle, and we were blasting 90's hits and singing at the top of our poorly trained lungs. I was riding in the back seat, as I usually do on these trips, so I could get some pictures from the back, and so the siblings could entertain me. As we got closer to the city, I struggled more and more with the anxiety of having to interact with people.
When we finally got there, we were not sure it was the right place. It was pretty empty, save a half full bar and a table with a computer and some equipment on the stage at the far end of the building. A man stood in the shadows behind the table and it wasn't until he walked into the light that I recognized him as Madshroom, an artist from Black Magic Noize, and a person I have performed with at a couple of shows in the past. I didn't initially say hi, because I'm bad at being social, and because he seemed busy being constantly greeted. I wasn't there to be NKNGS, anyways.
My brother-in-lawless and I decided to venture outside. He to smoke a cigarette, and I to get a couple pictures of the front of the building. Right across the street lies the Butnick MFG CO. building, and next door is a small market with a hot dog cart out front. I didn't get to sample them, but next time I will, I promise. My girlfriend joined us soon after and as we stood outside smoking, the rain poured down, and we looked to our right to see a couple of friends in a small covered entranceway, and they invited us to share in their warmth. We promptly agreed.
As we smoked and conversed, I noticed Madshroom walk outside and I waved him down. He ran over and joined us in the entranceway, and brandished a very interesting glass pipe full of amazing herb. He hit it and passed it and we spoke of things I don't remember. I explained why I would not be participating in the competition that night, that I was there as a spectator and not an artist, but that I may return as an artist in months to come. He was completely understanding, and encouraged me to enjoy myself. After a few more minutes of conversation, we decided to head back in and try to find some more people we knew. Namely, SmaR-T JoneS, the friend of mine that had invited me to the show to perform the songs with him.
When we came back in, the place had filled out a bit more and we decided to have a couple drinks. My girlfriend and I decided to share a dirty martini, while her brother had a cider. I ended up drinking more of his drink than ours. A few minutes later, SmaR-T came up and said hey to us, and left his bag behind the chair I was seated in. SmaR-T had won last month's battle and was a guest judge this month, so everybody was calling for him and waving him down. I said hello and let him make his rounds. After a few moments we decided to order a basket of onion rings, which ended up being more like a halved, fried onion. The slices were too thick and oniony for my taste, but I had a couple bites of the fried crust lathered in ketchup. It was 'bar food', at best, but I wasn't there for the food. As we finished up our onion rings Madshroom took the stage, people began piling in and the music started to get louder. Madshroom grabbed a mic and explained how the event was going to work. There were to be as many rounds as necessary until all the artists that signed up had a chance to compete. There were 8 topics, or game styles, that would be chosen at random, for each one on one round to take place. The winner of each round would move onto a secondary competition with the winner of another, previous round. It seemed simple enough, and yet so difficult I declined signing up for it. There would be three judges: Nocturnal Beats (A producer, rapper and visual artist from FFU and Black Magic Noize), SmaR-T Jones (Last month's winner) and the crowd.
Madshroom asked if we understood the rules, and insisted that we make some noise, and with a swell of claps we began Round 1...
ROUND 1
C-Dubb vs AV
The first round was on the topic of 'Urban Politics'. In this round, both artists would have to take a pro/con debate stance on the topic, and freestyle a verse about it from their appointed stance. As the winner from the month prior, SmaR-T was asked to choose a topic. He, as if finding pleasure in their pain, chose the private prison industry. Both artists immediately smiled, but that smile quickly turned to a look of concern when they realized that they would both have to, at some point, defend the system they both so clearly despised. A coin flip decided who started, and as C-Dubb called the winning side of the coin, he was allowed to decide which stance was taken by which artist to start. Unexpected by just about everybody, C-Dubb decided to take the pro stance first round, and gained a few points for taking that leap. Since C-Dubb decided to take the harder stance, he gave AV the beginning bout, claiming it was only fair.
As the beat came in, AV took a second to feel it out. When he started, he came with a solid, confident flow. It was nothing spectacularly original, but as the beat swayed, his flow swayed and the crowd swayed, so it was clean and smooth. I don't remember a lot of the subject matter, but I remember it stayed on topic for the most part. A couple of lines about being afraid of getting locked up. A couple of lines about who profits and who pays from the prisons in general. I remember a line or two about the privatization, but for the most part it was about how fucked up the system was. I did not, however, hold that against him as he was the first artist of the night to be on the mic, and when it comes to freestyling, everybody needs to warm up. Staying on topic is hard enough.
Next up was C-Dubb, from the stance of a privatized prison advocate. Respectably, this was an extraordinarily difficult stance to take- especially when you're a black male in America. Sitting in the crowd I remember trying to decide what I would say, and when it came to a pro-prison standpoint, I drew a complete blank. I am not even sure I would have been able to do it at all. That being said, C-Dubb had a grittier flow, that I have heard before and while his subject matter was more consistent, it was still not completely on point and therefore drew attention away from the overall freestyle.
Next they had to switch roles and, this time, AV had a difficult time staying on topic. C-Dubb had a much easier time with his cohesiveness and could work on his flow on the second portion of Round 1. In the end, SmaR-T voted on AV, acknowledging that C-Dubb had the content, but that AV was just a bit more 'Flowey'. The second judge, Nocturnal Beats, also voted for AV, but the crowd seemed to disagree, but since they were already outnumbered, AV won and was passed into the net round. It was a close and competitive round and left me feeling excited for more.
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ROUND 2
Lady Rich vs Seer
The second round's topic was called 'Once Upon A Rhyme', and in it both participants had to tell a cohesive story in their freestyle with a beginning, middle and conclusion. Upon hearing this round's description, I got a little excited. I don't freestyle often, but when I do it successfully, it tends to end up in a story line, sort of on it's own. I hoped this would be my selected category when and if I decided to participate in future Lyric League competitions. As the round started, Seer offered the coin flip to Lady Rich as, what I'm assuming was, a form of ill-chosen chivalry. She lost the coin toss, anyways though, and it was up to Seer who went first. As if realizing his prior mistake, and acknowledging the opportunity at hand, mended the error in a manner reminiscent of a chess player who's accidental knight movement went overlooked. Lady Rich was a force to be reckoned with and did not need any handicaps, at all. The more she stood there, the more Seer could tell. With the playing ground evened, and Lady Rich chosen as the round starter, we were ready to begin and Madshroom brought in a classic sounding, Atmosphere-esque instrumental.
As Lady Rich began her flow, it was surprisingly confident and smooth. She started off by telling the story of a hard working woman who woke up in the morning, took care of her family, went to work, and came home to do it again. Not the most interesting of concepts, at it's core, but something many people can relate to. When it came to her flow, she was certain and clean, but she kept a pretty consistent theme the whole verse. It would have been nice to hear her transition a couple various flows in there, but over all it was surprisingly well done. The fact that she concluded the story with a feeling of the day ending gave her a couple bonus points, in my opinion.
Next was Seer, and his concept was a bit deeper. When Seer started spitting, he appealed to the artists in the room. His concept was a lot less about relating to a day in the life, but more about where he had been, how far he had come and how much art and music had to do with that progress. His flow was a bit more polished, and definitely transitioned more often than Lady Rich's, but he also had a harder time staying on topic because of that choppiness. Seer has been a champion of the Lyric League competition in the past, so his position was of someone there to practice their craft and enjoy themselves. Lady Rich was much more competitive, and I think that may be why she ended up winning the round. When SmaR-T was asked to judge, he placed his vote toward Seer. I believe Nocturnal voted Lady Rich, and so it was up to the crowd... They voted for Lady Rich. She was on to the finals.
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ROUND 3
Dsquared vs Wise Lee
Round 3 was between 2 friends, it seemed. When they took the stage, they immediately started ragging on each other and smiling like crazy. When it came the time to introduce themselves, Wise Lee opened with a rhyme. Within seconds, Dsquared had mimicked his flow and scheme, and turned it around to be his own introduction. Wise Lee noticed and, while taking the hit in stride, definitely saved it in his memory banks for revenge later on. This was one of the more entertaining rounds, as the theme was 'Rock The Crowd'. The artist's job was to create a hook, get the crowd moving, spit a 16 bar verse and then finish with the same hook they had started with. To a seasoned vet, this may seem like a very simple thing to do, but on the spot it can prove to be quite a challenge.
Up first was Dsquared. Since the round was called 'Rock The Crowd', he started his chorus with the catchy hook, "The Crowd Dope As Fuck!", which obviously got people rocking out. Crowds love to be told how dope they are, and how appreciated they are. It's part of why people go to shows, and so that was a very smart move on his behalf. When his verse came in, it stayed on beat pretty consistently, throughout. The content was nothing spectacular, but the flow was on point. When the chorus of the beat kicked in, he caught the lyrics and ended on a good note. A few minor stumbles, but nothing notable, and definitely hype enough to get us all putting our hands up.
Upon starting his chorus, we could tell that Wise Lee was looking to win. He was one of the only artists to get aggressive with his freestyle, and when he came in with the lyrics 'Shut The Fuck Up!' for his chorus, we knew it was going to be a harsh round. Wise Lee tore into Dsquared, and went hit after hit on some rugged freestyle shit, but when it came time for him to return to the chorus he came in a measure too early. I think he probably just got too caught up in the moment and the energy of the battle setting, but since the round was not about insulting, it definitely counted against him that the chorus wasn't properly done. However, this round was one of the most intense ones, and Wise Lee is a scary dude to be pinned against in the vocal ring. When it came time to vote, SmaR-T gave it to Dsquared, because of his consistency and ability to stay on topic. Madshroom informed us that any and all jabs are accepted, and encouraged, and so Nocturnal voted for Wise Lee. The crowd was 50/50 for 3 consecutive votes, until they finally decided on Dsquared. This was probably the closest round of the night, that I witnessed.
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ROUND 4
Douchey Dan At Yo Mama's Crib vs Araless
Round 4 was the only designated battle round I caught that night. The name of the topic was 'Thick Skins', and the entire point of the round was to insult and attack the other artist, in an attempt to get under their skin. Some good, old fashioned, classic rap battling. Araless is an artist and a friend of mine, that I met when I had my first show in Seattle. He's a huge member of the hip hop community in the Seattle area, and even has a show with local legend Sadistik and East Coast celeb: Cage Kennylz, next month. Douchey Dan At Yo Mama's Crib was, apparently, old friends with Araless, and as soon as they both got on stage they were calling each other the most comedic of names, and cracking jokes at each other like old siblings. At one point, while Madshroom was bringing up the beat, Araless commented on how they didn't need a beat, and how they could be their own comedy routine. It was true, everybody was laughing.
The first up was Douchey Dan, and he went crazy. Dan is a bigger guy, with a big, brown, grizzly beard and a plaid lumberjack shirt on. When he started rapping, it was guttural and grumbly and full of faux-anger. He made cracks at Araless's size, skin tone and hair color- calling him a leprechaun, and a Keebler elf. Araless laughed harder than most of the crowd at the jokes, and waved his arms around in mock surprise at all of the friendly jabs being tossed his way. When it came to a flow style, Douchey Dan was gritty and raw, but not very polished. The vibe was overall joking, regardless, which takes away form the ability to truly show passion or emotion in the flow. In addition to the fact that most of his rapping was so grumbly that I couldn't make it out, it would be hard to compare it to a seasoned performer like Araless, but easy to admit how fun it was to watch.
When Araless began his turn, he had to struggle to stop himself from laughing his flow away. His flow started a bit weak, because he was still so distracted from the thoughts of the insults previously received. I don't remember a lot of the content Araless focused on, but I remember that about 15-20 seconds in, he really found his niche and started to tear apart the flow and show his true colors. At this point, all Dan could do was nod his head and laugh. Both artists were extremely good at attacking each other without crossing any boundaries. When all was said and done, Araless was the unanimous winner, but not without every judge showing love to Douchey Dan, in all his raw and bearded glory.
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ROUND 5
Nate vs Cube
Nate is the bouncer at Central Saloon, so when he decided to sign up for the competition, it was an awesome statement to the mutualistic relationship of the venue and artist. When Cube got on stage, he stood about a foot shorter than Nate and weighed in a hell of a loss less than that, but it didn't stop him from exercising his cockiness. Cube was cracking jokes at Nate in seconds and showing him that it didn't matter who you were off the stage, when you stepped foot into that battleground, you were fresh meat. Nate cracked a smirk, but that was about all Cube could get out of him. The round topic was "Soul Searching", and it was to be an A Capella round. Spoken Word is a craft all it's own, and I don't think either artist was prepared to be spitting lyrics they were making up on the spot, with no beat, about something deep and meaningful. They did not, however, have much of a choice.
Nate was chosen to start it off, and he accepted the position without hesitation. After a few moments to contemplate where he would begin, he started with a smooth flow that reminded me of some early 90's Nate Dogg or something. It was part singing, part rapping, part poetry. He started talking about, what I can only assume was, his daughter. He spoke of how he would protect her and raise her right and watch her grow. As he spoke, his flow began to turn from rap to poetry more and more, as the orderliness of it became more misconstrued. By the end of it, he was grasping for things to say, but the subject matter became no less apparent. Everyone in the room was silent, and while he wasn't the most polished rapper or poet we had heard that night, we all knew that he was giving it everything he had.
When Cube started his verse, it was less emotionally gripping but a lot more polished and fluid. Not a lot of Cube's subject matter stuck with me, but I remember him speaking of hardships and humanity. Cube rapped and rapped until 'Time' was called, and that made his verse much more noticeable. On grounds of freestyled lyrics alone Cube was ahead, but it was still anyone's game. When SmaR-T was asked to judge, he gave huge props to Nate for coming up and doing his thing, but ended up giving it to Cube in the end. I believe that choice was unanimous, because Cube ended up winning the round. Personally, I'm still torn on this round, as it was a literal portrayal of raw emotion vs polished skill.
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ROUND 6
Madshroom vs Smart Alex
Smart Alex (not to be confused with SmaR-T JoneS) was the extra wheel that night. At the end of the sign up period, there were an uneven number of competitors, and so Smart Alex took one for the team and decided he would conduct his first freestyle battle EVER against the king, Madshroom. This battle was more for show than for competition, as Madshroom was the host of the event and could not, rightfully, go on to compete in the finals, or to win the grand prize. This was, however, a beautiful display of what hip hop and freestyle events are about: The show. Not a lot of people know what the terms Emcee or MC means, but it means Masters of Ceremonies. When it comes to MCing, Madshroom is a king. He and Araless of Black Magic Noize have been at, or hosted, every single event I have been to in Seattle, and they do not let a show go un-hyped. Madshroom passed the computer and beats to his homie, and grabbed the mic to get the final round started.
Smart Alex won the coin toss and insisted that Madshroom go first. The round topic was 'Target Practice', and this meant they had to stay on the subject designated to them by SmaR-T JoneS. SmaR-T, in all his wisdom, chose 'Polka Dot Party Pants' as the topic, and the look of defeat washed over both opponents faces like a wave. Everybody laughed. Hip hop is changing, and it's pushing every artist in a new direction. There would not have been a freestyle competition in the 90s that was comfortable having a battle over 'Polka Dot Party Pants'. Madshroom started his round smooth enough and didn't push himself too hard, but got the crowd hype and stayed on topic the whole time. There were lines about how he acquired the pants, and some about where he wore them. Overall it was just what you would expect from an MC that was not trying to outshine his opponent. Nothing memorable, but fun to listen to and full of community love and energy.
Smart Alex had never freestyled before, but he was a character. I imagine him being the kind of person that just found a new love for the craft, and is looking to push himself in directions he wouldn't normally go. I like that in a person, and so I had a little underdog soft spot for him. His bout wasn't nearly as clear, cohesive or grounded as Shroom's, but he kept flowing through the whole beat. He fell off, but picked right back up and didn't let himself get caught up in his mistakes. It was a great sign of personal fear conquering, and it took me and every other artist there back to a time when we weren't really sure we could do this. Smart Alex won the round by default, but I'm glad, because I hope it promotes his return and gives him the confidnce to keep pushing himself out of his comfort zone. In a way, that's exactly what I'm doing with this blog, and so I commend Smart Alex and anyone else doing that, to the fullest.
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After the first round of freestyle competitions, there was a small break and then SmaR-T JoneS performed a set of his original music. He was featured as a guest judge, and given the half-time performance, because he won December's Lyric League. I recently did a blog entry on SmaR-T JoneS, in which I followed him around the streets of Seattle for a day, and documented how he conducts business, or what he calls 'CDeals'. Tonight, however, was a different environment entirely. A full, 30 minute set of original music for a room full of artists and hip hop heads. I was asked to perform 2 songs with SmaR-T that night, and so I knew it would be a short period of time before I was asked to come on stage and perform. All day I had practiced the 2 songs I thought I was going to perform, and I was confident in my abilities.
A few songs in, SmaR-T asked Seer to join him on stage and they performed a song that they had written together. At this time most of the crowd had moved forward and was dancing in the cleared out area in front of the stage. At some point SmaR-T performed a song over a beat that my producer, AMOTBEATS, created. We actually recorded the vocals to it in my studio, Biggest Pit. When I heard the beat come on, I immediately recognized it and began to get more energetic and excited to perform. As I stated before, I had been practicing 2 songs all day. Both of which I had written or recorded in person with SmaR-T.
Suddenly a song comes on that I recognized, and I hear SmaR-T call for 'NKNGS'. I realize that this song is a song that we used to perform on tour, but it was NOT one of the 2 songs I had been practicing or expecting, all day. I closed my eyes as I walked on the stage, and in my head I see a flash of a text message from earlier, in which SmaR-T had reminded me that he was doing this song instead of one of our others. I, simply, shook my head and laughed at my pothead forgetfulness. Despite my lack of preparation, I picked up on the chorus almost immediately, and by the second time through the first chorus, I was on point and ready for action. After we finished that song, another AMOTBEATS instrumental came on, and it was a song we've been performing for a while. It's a song called 'This Stage', and you'll hear it when the video is completed, or at one of our live performances. A lot of our friends were there that night, and so the crowd got very energetic when we performed that song.
When we were finished, I thanked SmaR-T for having me and walked off stage. My girlfriend and I both decided that we would have to start heading home, as our dogs had already been inside for a few hours and probably needed to go out. We began to gather our things after a smoke and short conversation with some friends in the alley. There were still the secondary rounds coming up and we had to inform those we could find that we would be leaving, but before we actually got out of the building we saw a round of Lady Rich vs Smart Alex, in which they had to impersonate a famous artist. Lady Rich was to impersonate E-40, and Alex was to be Tupac. An interesting choice, and a great battle. We didn't stay for the judgemental calls, but I'm assuming that Lady Rich won, because I heard that she ended up going through to win the entire competition that night.
While we were heading back I reflected on the night and what my honest feelings were toward the event as a whole. I tried to remind myself that I was looking at it from the eyes of a critic, and not a friend. I am, however, still who I am. I like what I like, and I tend to like community. I like art, and I like expression and I like acceptance of those things. So, while I sat in the back seat, thinking of how I would judge these sort of events, I decided that I would start taking my own opinions into consideration. I like dirty cities, gritty lifestyles, edgy music, community efforts, destructive-constructive criticism and anything that personifies true freedom. I doubt I'm the only person who feels this way, and so that's what I'm going to judge these events on. When it comes to realness, I don't think this event is what I would consider "Raw" or "Gritty", but it is most certainly real. This event does not portray the dark lifestyle of the ghetto that hip hop was created to portray, but it does show a modern community effort to bring people together in an accepting and positive environment. The location was friendly and clean, small enough to be attentive but big enough to accommodate. The sound was pretty good, but I spent a lot of time right up front, so it's hard to tell what it as like anywhere else, but on stage the monitors were great. The lighting was very dark, and it was hard to take pictures without flash, or without turning my ISO up so high that the pictures distorted, but that's a problem with my camera, not the venue. It was very intimate and personal. I would recommend this event to any and all hip hop artists and heads in the Seattle area. It's once a month, and features some of the most prominent underground artists I've had the pleasure of working with in the area, as well as a bunch of unknowns and newbies.
In my opinion, there could have been a little bit more order in the way the rounds were established, and also how the beats came in, went out and were chosen. A few times there were long pauses in between rounds, because Madshroom, or whoever was DJing, would be looking for a beat. I might suggest finding a designated host, and a designated DJ, but this event is relatively new, and is still working out it's kinks. As far as the cons, that's really all I have. With time, this event could become a pillar in the community, and the more people that come out and show support, the more likely that is to happen. I know that this event has already changed locations, at least once before, and so it is proven to be a die-hard effort. As far as I can tell, it has only been around since 2014, and that means that it's already making huge progress, because there were a lot of people there. Overall, I'm going to give this even 4 vinyls. I'm definitely going to be returning, and intend on doing another review in the future, when the event is more established. I only see it going up from here.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/TheLyricLeague
https://www.facebook.com/BlackMagicNoize
https://www.facebook.com/hoodknownrecords
https://www.facebook.com/MadShroom
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SmaR-T-JoneS/167019556695294
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nocturnal-Beats/1470214986560168
