Seattle hip hop is part of the larger North West hip hop which has unique features that distinguish it from the popular west coast hip hop (Collins, p. 12). Historically, hip hop music in Seattle has been more of an underground genre though of late it has crept into mainstream music. The style of hip hop music has of late been socially conscious and friendly to the radio audiences. The latest hip hop hit from Seattle is titled “Home” which is a rap song by an artiste called Jake One. The beat on this song is a bit low key as compared to underground Seattle hit of the eighties, including the popular “Posse on the Broadway” by Sir Mix a Lot (Clarke, p. 56). To understand how hip hop in Seattle has over the years, it is important to compare and contrast the two songs. In the song “Home” by Jake one there is a lot of sentimental waxing which is a recent hip hop feature that was absent in the eighties. The song that was produced in Seattle in the eighties had hard beats and lyrics that were far from sentimental. The two songs are similar in at least two ways. To start with, the content of the songs is about life in Seattle and the two songs give praise to the city and its unique people and style of life. Secondly, the two songs have clean lyrics though the lyrics in the posse on the Broadway are a more hardcore that the lyrics in Home than Jake one. Both songs are Radio friendly and this makes Posse on the Broadway a unique song because most songs that were produced during the eighties were not radio friendly. Home by Jake one may be one of the popular songs in the Radio in Seattle and across the United States of America because it was produced for the mainstream audience, but Posse on the Broadway by Sir Mix a Lot never enjoyed the airplay that Home has enjoyed because it was specifically produced for an underground audience. In the eighties, very few hip hop songs got airplay in the radio.
In Home by Jake one the main character is Seattle itself. The song is all about Seattle and to emphasize the message about Seattle, the video of the song features one of the Seattle legendary rappers; Sir Mix a Lot himself. Featuring Sir Mix A lot in this 2008 video brings fond memories of the Seattle of the eighties and helps to connect the past with the present (Blush, p. 34). Secondly, most people thought Jake one is from New York meaning the song serves as a revelation to his fans the world over. The song elevates Seattle to a landmark status with the display of various aesthetic points within the city which include the Capitol Hill, catfish corner and the MLK and Cherry. Unlike Posse on the Broadway by Sir Mix a Lot, Home by Jake One has a full bleed and has a lot of color saturation that creates instant Nostalgia to the song giving it a style that is very perfect for home. The differences between the two songs highlight how Seattle has changed over the years especially because the city has become more cosmopolitan which has influenced cultural and social changes.
Works Cited
- Blush, Steven. American Hardcore: A Tribal History. N Y: Feral House, 2001
- Clarke, Donald. The Rise and Fall of Popular Music. WA: St. Martin’s Press, 1995
- Collins, Ace. The Stories behind All-Time Greatest 100 Songs. Chicago: Boulevard Books, 2008.