Historylink
Last week Historylink.org, a free online encyclopedia of Washington State history, posted an article chronicling the epoch of Seattle hip-hop and its tumultuous beginnings. The retrospective vignette by Peter Blecha highlights the 1987 Spring Rapfest held at the Paramount in and the events surrounding the concert. With the advent of rappers such as Sir Mix-A-Lot entering the scene it was an exciting time for Seattle hip-hop, but also a turbulent one as Blecha points out in the dissertation. With chaotic clashes and between police, fans and media, Blecha writes, “It was a scene probably not seen in Seattle again until the WTO protests of 1999.” While these events created quite the controversy at the time, they heralded the sheer energy of the Seattle hip-hop era yet to come. To read the Seattle rap culture infused exposition follow the Historylink above and get ready for some old school hip-hop community history.