My first encounter with local Olympia rapper Afrok was in 1999 while he was DJ-ing under the name Spoons.  Afrok's weekly hip-hop night at Le Voyeur was catching a buzz around town because it was the only all ages hip-hop night in Olympia at the time. DJ Andrew James and Afrok would play underground hip-hop all night and would even turn mics on occasionally for local rappers to cipher or test their battle skills on each other.  It was one of the best things Olympia's hip-hop scene had going at the time, so much that it even attracted DJ Take One, who was Olympia's biggest hip-hop star back at the turn of the century. 

"Take One was a massive influence on me and helped me become the artist I am today," says Afrok, recalling how he and James, formally The Capital City Squad, were taken under Take One's wing.

In 2000 Afrok decided he wanted to do something different with hip-hop. 

"I felt like I had things I wanted to say that people might enjoy hearing through the voice of an MC," says Afrok. "At that point I decided I was going to pick up a pen and paper, make the name change from Spoons to Afrok, and begin my career as a rapper."

Afrok's music quickly fell into the category of conscious hip-hop, like a lot of Northwest hip-hop at that time.  Much of Afrok's music, especially early in his career, had this vibe, though he admits today that he doesn't really want to have a tag on him anymore. 

Read Nic Leonard's full feature on Afrok in the Music Section at weeklyvolcano.com.

Hip-Hop 4 The Homeless Celebration Show

Afrok and The Movement, Antonio Pito Edwards,
Collective Love Unlimited, DJ Drastic, Speaker Minds,
DJ Budget Money, Khingz & OTOW Gang, DJ Tee, Free Whiskey,
hosted by Luvva J
Saturday, March 10, 6 p.m., all ages
donation of food or clothing
The Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way SW, Olympia,