“Who Is… Suntonio Bandanaz?!” Official Debut & Global Release Party “Enter the Madness” 10year Anniversary Screening & Birthday Bash for KING KHAZM!Thursday, February 25th 2010, 8PM
@ Chop Suey, Seattle WA
Tickets $8 Advance: www.ticketweb.com
On Thursday, February 25th, Seattle’s Independent Label, Fresh Chopped Beats/MadK, will celebrate its first 2010 project: “Who Is… Suntonio Bandanaz?!” This momentous occasion will umbrella a 3 part celebration: the FIRST “official” professionally pressed and internationally distributed CD Release of Seattle Underground Hiphop legend Suntonio Bandanaz; the 10 year Anniversary of MAD Krew’s Northwest Hip Hop documentary “Enter the Madness” (produced by DJ Scene and directed by King Khazm); and a big birthday party for Seattle Hiphop luminary King Khazm (206ZULU, MAD Krew).
Starting the evening off will be a movie screening of MAD Krew’s Northwest Hip Hop documentary “Enter the Madness”, which commemorates the 10th year since it’s national debut. This classic film produced by DJ Scene and directed by King Khazm swept the country by storm giving national exposure to Northwest emcees, deejays, b-boys and writers such as Swollen Members, Khingz, Massive Monkees, Alpha-P, Kutfather, Cause-B, Jabs, Lifesavas and many more during the late 90’s era. Live Performances and the CD Release Party will begin following the screening with Suntonio Bandanaz, special surprise guests and DJ’s Dev and Gumbeaux.
The question of the night of course: “Who Is Suntonio Bandanaz?!” A listen to the CD reveals a highly skilled, verbally dexterous emcee with a hard edge smoothed by elevated flow, and ability to chop at a pace that smartens the listener’s ear. A sophisticated lyricist committed to keeping rap clever, his distinctive style has influenced many other local up-n-comers over the years. Suntonio Bandanaz is a core emcee and spearhead of the pioneering hiphop collective Alpha P. (1st Platoon). One of Seattle’s most prolific in “Underground Hip Hop”, Suntonio Bandanaz (aka Asun, aka Maddwon) has appeared on hundreds of tracks and indy-released over a dozen projects. Master of the hustle, he is a local legend who has moved over ten thousand units– mostly hand to hand on the streets. Over the years Bandanaz has shared stage with the respected likes of Afrika Bambaataa, Dead Prez, Percee P, The Jacka and Living Legends; and collaborated with many of Seattle’s prominent emcees.
“Who is Suntonio Bandanaz?!” is widely considered the best solo album from Alpha-P recorded to date. Featuring production by dj100 Proof, PhreeWil, WD4D, Audeos (as well as Blake & Dead Noise) and with appearances by Gabriel Teodros, Khingz, Macklemore, Julie C., Kas-1 and Skim, the record is one of the most anticipated, groundbreaking new projects from the Northwest.
Thursday, February 25th
“Who Is… Suntonio Bandanaz?!” Global Release Party
Suntonio Bandanaz with Special Guests
DJ Dev & DJ Gumbeaux
A special Birthday Bash for King Khazm
also featuring:
Screening of the NW classic documentary “Enter the Madness” 10 Year Anniversary
Chop Suey
1325 E Madison St
Seattle, WA
8pm – $8 adv. – All-ages & 21+
What: 4th Annual Hip Nic
Where: Saint Edward State Park (14445 Juanita Dr. NE, Kenmore, WA)
When: Saturday, August 8th from 1-9PM
Come out to the 4th annual Hip Nic at Saint Edward State Park Saturday, August 8th at 1PM. This day long Hip Hop picnic brings urban arts into state parks and provides an opportunity for inner-city youth to experience nature and outdoor recreation.
Here is what you can expect at Hip Nic!
*Family Friendly Positive Hip Hop
*Hip Hop Workshops including Breaking, Deejaying, Urban Art, Spoken Word, Beatboxing and more!
*BBQ Lunch and Snacks
*Live Performances by Local and National Urban Artists
Hip Nic Schedule:
Workshops 1-3PM
BBQ Lunch 3-5PM
Live Performances 5-9PM
This event is FREE and open to all youth. Please pre-register by emailing Jen.hipnic@gmail.com or call 206-910-7920. Transportation will be provided and arranged after pre-registration.
The Hip Nic is a part of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission’s Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program in partnership with Northwest Heritage Resources. Funding for the Hip Nic comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington State Arts Commission, and the Washington State Parks Foundation.
Past teaching artists and performers include:
Laura “Piece” Kelley-Jahn of Piece Productions
Jeromskee of Massive Monkees
DJ Kun Luv of Seaspot Media
Toni Hill of Siren’s Echo
DJ B-Girl of B-Girl Media
Gabriel Teodros of Abyssinian Creole
Mackelmore and Xperience of the Step Cousins
Taybot of KEXP’s Street Sounds
Beloved 1 of 206 Zulu
Blak of Black Stax and Silent Lambs Project
Aaron Walker-Loud and members of the Big World Breaks
Amos Miller of Buttermilk Studios
Charms Won of Art Primo
206 Zulu King Khazm
Orbitron of Circle of Fire
DJ Topspin and more!
We sat down with longtime Seattle dj/producer B-Girl Chillz from the Emerald City-Seattle. She just released her 4th album ‘Love and Fate’ which has been getting rave reviews. During our interview we covered alot of topics including the importance of being seen and known as a B-Girl. She explained that she’s a practioner of all 4 of Hip Hop’s elements and that she wanted to rep the culture to the fullest by being all encompassing. She also explained that it was important to highlight the b-girl who has always been alongside the b-boy from day one.
We talked about the Seattle scene as B-Girl Chillz talked about many of the pioneering female figures like; Laura ‘Piece’ Kelly, Toni Hill, DJ ms Broadway and many more who helped shape the sound of the city. Chillz talked about Seattle’s evolution after the country was introduced to Sir Mix-A-Lot. She talked about the important role producers like Vitamin D played in bringing national attention to the city as well as groups like Blue Scholars and their Massline label.
During our interview Chillz talked to us about the challenge facing female producers and how she goes about executing her craft. She talked about the equipment she works with and went through the process of recording a record and how she engages the many artists who come through her studio.
Joining us in the interview was well know Seattle organizer and emcee Julie C who is prominently featured on the album. She is newly signed to B-Girl’s independent record label as one thrird of the newly formed group ‘The Knox Family’ which includes B-Girl and a cat named Jermz.
We talked abiout the recent attention being paid to female emcees thanks to MTV/VH1’s new reality show featuring ‘Yo-Yo’. Chillz described the attention as the industry shining a flashlight and rediscovering a big part of Hip Hop that never left and has always been there.
We concluded our interview by talking about the music business and how Chillz stays sharp and gets her hustle on, not only as a producer running her own label, but also as someone who starting to licence her music to commercials and TV shows. She also talked about how one should get their international game on.
Erika White, aka Kylea of Beyond Reality, is a Seattle icon and veteran of Northwest hip hop. “I was in the sixth grade when hip hop started coming along, so I’ve been involved in hip hop culture since the ’80s,” she explains. “Look at a picture from 1985 to 1987. Everyone has a picture with your Run DMC shirt and your arms crossed.” But unlike many of her fellow hip hop enthusiasts, Kylea took her high school passion for rhyming to the next level: she released, marketed, and received critical acclaim for her single, “I Reality,” and, years later, for her solo album produced by Bean One called A Soul’s Journey. Kylea’s involvement in hip hop, however, goes well beyond her released work.
In the mid-’90s, Kylea co-founded Jasiri Media Group and was at the forefront of the burgeoning Seattle hip hop scene. She can tell you stories about everyone from Sir Mix-A-Lot (”In high school he would dj and make mixtapes, compilation tapes, put on little shows… Anyone who was hating on Mix, that’s just because they’re haters”) to Jonathan Moore, aka Wordsayer, from Source of Labor (”He was the founding person getting the local scene opened up, doing shows with artists coming through town like Ice Cube and The Roots”). Kylea can track the growth of the scene from virtually no local performers back in the late ’80s to the present day, when “a rapper in town is a dime a dozen.”
“The Seattle hip hop scene is about who you know, and who they know,” Kylea says. “More than money, you have to have support. And money can’t necessarily buy you that all the time.” Beyond Reality is a family business these days, though it began as a collaborative effort between Kylea and one of her best friends from high school. Kylea’s son, now 10, acts as hype-man and her nephew, AB, backs them up on the 1’s and 2’s. Organic, feel-good, soulful: The Stranger has dubbed Beyond Reality “true school” and named Kylea the top female emcee in Seattle “since the mid-90s”.
Performances are few and far between nowadays, but Kylea’s not complaining. “I feel like I’m a dope emcee. I can put out a lot of these cats that think they’re dope emcees hands down, with my mouth covered up. … I could still pull it off if I wanted to, but anyone who knows the history or wants to know, they can go to EMP, holler at me, do some research, and they can find out about me. …There’s other things in life I want to do that don’t necessarily involve me being an emcee.”
What is Kylea doing now? “I’m djing. I throw parties, and I cook… My son’s getting ready to be ten. I don’t have to be rhyming, but music, food and friends are always gonna be something that I’ll be involved in.” Kylea’s also talked about opening a restaurant. Her advice to women getting started in hiphop: “Stay true to yourself, build alliances with other people, and do your research. Take criticism, but don’t let anyone tell you to dress like this or do this or say it like this if that’s not really you. Go out, check out the scene, find a way to find your place and do what you have to do.”
The Knox Family brands itself as a mix of “street and scholar.” While Seattle hip-hop is no stranger to that particular cultural mashup, this trio is not just another group of scholars wearing blue collars. A collaboration among DJ B-Girl, Jerm, and Julie C—all of whom are righteous MCs and DJs on their own—The Knox Family is a hip-hop/activist powerhouse. Combining a heavy gangster element with catchy melodies and poignant subject matter, The Knox Family is the kind of group that inspires audiences to get off their butts and move (both physically and politically). BJB
Musicians can sometimes be too quick to box themselves into categories. Sometimes that’s a record label’s doing, other times it’s just mental laziness. But if you’re not trying to conform to industry standards and are lucky enough to be on a local label that understands you, why not have fun and smash all the boxes you can?
That’s a question MCs Jerm and Julie C started asking themselves a year ago when they formed the Knox Family along with local producer/label head DJ B-Girl. Although all three are involved in various other projects—Jerm also fronts Helladope, while Julie C works with Hip-Hop Congress/206 Zulu and DJ B-Girl heads an indie-media company—they found time to record songs together with the intent of challenging the expectations of Seattle’s hip-hop audience. Jonathan Cunningham
Toni Hill has been blazing the mic from coast to coast for over a decade. Through her own solo projects, as half of the revered female duo, Sirens Echo, and as a member of the crews, Hungry Mob, and Oldominion, she has shared stages with such notables as Gil Scott-Heron, Saul Williams, KRS One, Black-Eyed Peas, Fishbone, E-40, Zap Mama, Common, the legendary Roots crew and the Coup. Ms. Hill has also collaborated, written and/or recorded with Braille, Sleep, Grayskul, Big Drawz, Kindred the Family Soul, and Francesca Maria, to name a few.
Toni Hill grew up immersed in the arts. Active not only in music, but also theater, dance, television broadcast, and modeling, she has a lifetime of experience captivating audiences. She has produced several earlier projects including the Sirens Echo, “Psalms of the Sirens” album and a DVD documentary.
Toni is also a dedicated educator and activist who lends her energies to several organizations in the youth empowerment movement including: Feed The People (Atlanta), Guerrilla Theatre (Portland), Sisterz of the Underground (San Francisco), Power Of Hope (Seattle) and the Seattle Debate Foundation. Partnering with Evergreen State College and the Gateways Program, she is a teacher and mentor to incarcerated youth at the Maple Lane and Green Hill facilities in Washington. Toni has also been a guest speaker, panelist, and lecturer at colleges and universities throughout the country.
The Knox Family brands itself as a mix of “street and scholar.” While Seattle hip-hop is no stranger to that particular cultural mashup, this trio is not just another group of scholars wearing blue collars. A collaboration among DJ B-Girl, Jerm, and Julie C—all of whom are righteous MCs and DJs on their own—The Knox Family is a hip-hop/activist powerhouse. Combining a heavy gangster element with catchy melodies and poignant subject matter, The Knox Family is the kind of group that inspires audiences to get off their butts and move (both physically and politically). BJB
Toni Hill has been blazing the mic from coast to coast for over a decade. Through her own solo projects, as half of the revered female duo, Sirens Echo, and as a member of the crews, Hungry Mob, and Oldominion, she has shared stages with such notables as Gil Scott-Heron, Saul Williams, KRS One, Black-Eyed Peas, Fishbone, E-40, Zap Mama, Common, the legendary Roots crew and the Coup. Ms. Hill has also collaborated, written and/or recorded with Braille, Sleep, Grayskul, Big Drawz, Kindred the Family Soul, and Francesca Maria, to name a few.