Carl Roe - Stuntman

We're building up towards the release of the Blood Is One: We're On Everything mixtape and Carl Roe's EP The Broken Time Machine. Alot of time has been put into both projects precisely because we want these projects to be as solid as possible.

Carl's lead single "Stuntman" has stellar production, along with vocal contributions by Seattle phenom J. Bre. I like the concept alot and it takes down the haters that try to bring down artists without getting down in the trenches with them too much.

Stuntman ft. J Bre by carlroemusic

Seattle Outdoor Showing Of "Shaun Of The Dead"

Something to do if you're in Seattle:

One of the more loving homages to horror films of days past, Shaun of the Dead is that remarkable film that works as pitch-perfect pastiche but also stands on its own as a great film. Whether or not you treat Romero's original trilogy like texts of Biblical significance, you'll find much to love in this grim comedy about a zombie outbreak in London that forces two chumps to put down their PS2 controllers and spill undead blood.

The film, screened at Seattle's Fremont Outdoor Cinema begins at dusk.

L PRO - EQUILIBRIUM "ENCORE" PORTLAND STREETS

Gentrification Hits Portland and Seattle Hard

Before I get started in this article, Blood Is One is not going to be a political or social commentary journal. However, like Midwest Commentary and other related websites, I think it would be a good idea to expand on issues related to hip-hop and R&B.

The Economist has an article up about the gentrification of Seattle:

Although the black exodus is happening across the country, its consequences are especially vivid in Seattle and nearby Portland, two of America’s whitest big cities. In each of these cities, blacks were squeezed by restrictive property covenants and racial prejudice into a small but highly visible central district—black-majority islands in a white sea.

By 2010 the islands had largely gone. Seattle and Portland had become “smart cities”, magnets for hordes of young, highly educated and highly paid newcomers, most of them white and childless. Hungry for “diversity” and rushing into relatively rundown black neighbourhoods, they snapped up the only housing bargains left. White-owned banks were eager to make loans to yuppies. Tens of thousands of houses were gutted and rebuilt. As gentrification gathered pace, property prices exploded. Black homeowners cashed in, taking their windfalls to the suburbs. Black renters were squeezed out by higher rents.

“My clientele has all moved away,” says Charlene Williams, owner of De Charlene’s Beauty & Boutique in Seattle’s Central District. Her neighbourhood was 79% black when she set up shop in 1968. It was 58% black as recently as 1990. Now it is 21% black. Ms Williams once had 13 hairdressers on her payroll; now she employs none. The young Ray Charles once performed in black-owned nightclubs in the Central District. Those clubs are gone, as are the restaurants where Ms Williams used to buy pork-chop sandwiches and peach pie. Eateries now offer crepes, wood-fired artisan bagels and north-west fusion cuisine.

In describing the "island" of the Central District, the Economist misses a few things that probably just weren't put in for length's sake. The Central District was historically the second largest outpost of Black Panther political organization. The area now is a bizarre caricature of its former self, with drive in restaurants like Dick's suddenly surrounded wall to wall by restaurants with no parking.

The Central District is now completely overrun by hipsters who are probably blissfully unaware of this past. The soulessness and vapidity of indie rock music illustrates desperately lacks the quality of the soul, funk and hip-hop that Seattle has produced undercover. Quincy Jones is from here, as is the great Sir Mix-A-Lot, who like many Central District natives, including yours truly very soon, lives out in the suburbs.

It's not only the Central District that has been lost. Gentrification has hit the black population the most holistically but the general blue collar ethos that Seattle was historically built on has been uprooted. Seattle once had a great supply of military surplus stores, an effect likely of Seattle's longstanding past as a military town and airplane manufacturer. Chubby and Tubby's was a store with several outposts in Seattle and a source of everything from work clothes to Converse All Star shoes. Around 2002, it closed its doors.

Portland has changed itself even more from a former "hick town" to an outpost of hipsterdom. The television show Portlandia takes a brickstone to this, devouring the culture and all of its absurdities:



That feminist bookstore is a real place, actually called "In Other Words." The owners have a good sense of humor, apparently, as they allowed themselves to be mocked nationally. The owners of the store released a video about the bookstore, which can be seen on Vimeo, in which some of them consciously concede to being "part of the problem" of gentrification:

Moving In: A Non-Profit Feminist Bookstore and the Politics of Place from Dawn Jones on Vimeo.

Northwest On The Come UP

I'm in the process of putting together a mixtape to really put BOI on the map. The first

official Blood Is One mixtape will focus my sights squarely on my hometown - Seattle, Washington.

Seattle is a far away place. When hip-hop has traditionally popped out of New York City and southern California, it's easy to see why Seattle's contributions to the genre have been overlooked. After growing significantly, the Seattle hip-hop scene has made significant inroads in its local vitality but a national scale still isn't recognized on a national level.

You should be recognizing it though! Seattle has several goldmines of unbelievable talent. One of the most incredible and overlooked is the tenacious and unique Sonny Bonoho, a Tacoma rapper who can be seen in giant trucker hats and cowboy boots. He is something else. I dare you to watch the video for "Get Down," from his album Out Of State, without laughing out loud:



Even more incredible is Sonny here in his video "Zig Zag," with the esteemed Money B of Digital Underground!



You gotta love it.



JFK (Jeff the Filipino Kid), born Jeffrey Bautista, is from the same region as Sonny but produces a far darker blend of hip-hop. Signed to the esteemed and respected Rhymesayers Entertainment record label of Minnesota as part of the duo Grayskul, JFK has only just recently branched out with his own solo album. I interviewed him for that album in an article for Earthwalkers Magazine, a Seattle based travel magazine operated by the locally renowned Caroline Li:

Jeffrey Bautista, best known as JFK (Jeff the Filipino Kid) and nickname, Ninja Face, has been a lasting presence in the Pacific Northwest's hip-hop scene for several years. He started within the Northwest artistic collective, Oldominion, and eventually teamed up with fellow rapper Onry Ozzborn to form the rap duo Grayskul. As Grayskul they toured nationally through the United States and released two albums on the independent hip hop record label, Rhymesayers, based out of Minnesota.

Hip hop has taken him all over the world. He started touring in 1999 and has been throughout Europe, collaborating with artists such as Picos Pardos of Spain.

Performing overseas with artists from varying cultures and regional backgrounds has achieved resonance with JFK. "It's awesome to work with artists outside of the States. It's a good way to promote music that way. I hope to work with more artist oversees," he said. "The best party of touring to me is being able to share your music with people all over the map and being able to travel to cities you've never been to or to revisit other cities."

Visit Earthwalkers to read the entire article.


Both JFK and Sonny Bonoho are locally established, and the rookies of the NW game need their own attention. Carl Roe is an up and comer who just got out of the Army Infantry (Fort Lewis is not that far from Seattle proper) and is seeking to immerse himself in the national music scene. His songs are available at www.ourstage.com/profile/carlroe, where he is part of the Coors Light Search For The Coldest competition. You can help him by going to www.searchforthecoldest.com and voting for him.

Carl Roe is coming into music at a good time. Maybe it's due to the recession, social change or social networking, but independent artists are taking off like I've never seen before. With the ability to completely be their own managers and producers, there's no longer middle men and artists can get back what they put in.

JFK Flying Down

An article ran today on the rapper JFK, based out of Seattle, in Earthwalkers Magazine. JFK is one half of the duo Grayskul, alongside Onry Ozzborn (who also has a new album out) and has been doing hip-hop in the Northwest for a long time. I've met him on numerous occasions at concerts and have seen him once or twice feeding his children at restaurants, where I didn't approach him out of basic respect for him and his child. I hope the article lifts his profile among an international audience:

Jeffrey Bautista, best known as JFK (Jeff the Filipino Kid) and nickname, Ninja Face, has been a lasting presence in the Pacific Northwest's hip-hop scene for several years. He started within the Northwest artistic collective, Oldominion, and eventually teamed up with fellow rapper Onry Ozzborn to form the rap duo Grayskul. As Grayskul they toured nationally through the United States and released two albums on the independent hip hop record label, Rhymesayers, based out of Minnesota.

Hip hop has taken him all over the world. He started touring in 1999 and has been throughout Europe, collaborating with artists such as Picos Pardos of Spain.

Performing overseas with artists from varying cultures and regional backgrounds has achieved resonance with JFK. "It's awesome to work with artists outside of the States. It's a good way to promote music that way. I hope to work with more artist oversees," he said. "The best party of touring to me is being able to share your music with people all over the map and being able to travel to cities you've never been to or to revisit other cities."


JFK is also a father and has full time job outside of music. He admits his lifestyle is strenuous and trying. "It's not all fun and games like most would think, just imagine late nights and early morning driving every day out of the week for a month straight. Having to be in a new city every night is very exciting but it's a lot of work."

To put things in perspective, last summer JFK released his solo album, Building Wings On The Way Down. It was time to tell his story.

With a solo effort, JFK said he was able to really let loose with his own persona. "I had an opportunity to tell my story. I had a lot on my chest that I needed to get off and this record was a perfect way to do so. I wanted to make my record in an autobiographic fashion, [with] more storytelling style to get the listener to follow," he said. Songs from Building Wings On The Way Down, retrace significant phases and experiences in JFK's life that have led him to his current state of mind. While working on his solo album, he had the liberty to say what he wanted to say and express himself by sharing experiences that he wasn't able to when he had to share an album with other artists.

As much output as JFK has put with recordings, and he has done a lot, he attests that performing is his first joy. "I love to perform. I like being on stage performing whatever – solo material, group material, I guess I just like the attention. I've worked hard to create music and I love it when it is appreciated." With a masterful flow and verbal linguistic capability, it's no wonder that he likes to show it off.