Cool Out TV celebrates 18 years

A milestone was met this past Monday, April 6, when Seattle-based Cool Out TV Network celebrated its 18th birthday in grand fashion at Contour in Seattle. Contour is renowned for having the longest running hip-hop night on the West Coast at least — hosted by elite 206 DJs Roc’Phella and Top Spin. However, on this fateful night alllll the freaks came out to party — so I had to be there!

The dope part about this show was that it almost didn’t happen. In an instant message exchange between Cool Out TV founder and director Georgio Brown and I — he was not convinced that his idea of having 18 performers hit the stage that night would work. He was unsure if the multifaceted Seattle and extended Northwest hip-hop community would buy in to the celebration. He remained in caution about the possibility of having such a shindig with the backlash against hip-hop in Seattle … and generally speaking, it is a task-and-a-half to put 18 artists on stage. But the fun part of believing is … that it worked! From the Gs (Fatal Luciano) to the conscious (Gabriel Teodros) to the Mighty 206 Zulu Nation (Silver Shadow D and more) — everyone touched the stage and displayed a natural unity that should be replicated WHENEVER possible. The 25360 was in the house as well with Wojack and myself in the house. If you didn’t make it … you really missed it! Congrats to Georgio Brown and Cool Out and thanks for the work you do!

Shows, Ohs & 40oz!!!

Here some shows to be up on …

Wednesday, April 15

D. Black/Spaceman/Fatal Lucciauno/S.K.
Hell's Kitchen, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, doors @ 9 p.m., $5, 21+

Thursday, April 16

Living Proof/Kruse/Lessin/Puget/DJ Deadbeat
The Royal, 311 N. Capitol Way, Olympia, doors @ 9 p.m., $5, 21+

The Most Valuables: Too $hort and $hort Dog's In The House

For me, Todd Shaw, aka Too $hort, stands alone. He has more albums than most MCs … He started the retirement trend … Everybody bites his signature word (“Beeeeyaaaatch”)… He’s brilliantly intelligent … He’s one of the so-called “nasty rappers” (see Uncle Luke and Akinyele), and he is one of the artists who when their album drops it’s a mandatory purchase. His first two albums on Jive (Born To Mack and Life Is …) were both classics, but with $hort Dog’s In The House he completely changed the game. With production from Sir Jinx and an unforgettable duet with Ice Cube (“Nothin’ But A Word To Me”) Too $hort took the Pimpin’ baton from Ice-T and went where no MC had gone before. For one, Too $hort started the trend of duets with your favorite MCs on the same track … this was NOT happening prior to … In The House. One part of the brilliance of Too $hort is that he is NOT a liar — he tells the truth, and he educates and celebrates. He educates about street life (“The Ghetto,” “Dead or Alive” and “It’s Your Life”) and celebrates his womanizing (“Punk A** B***h,” “Paula and Janet” and “Pimpology”) and self-defines who he is without a morsel of apology (“$hort But Funky” and “In The Oaktown”). A fine recipe of the legends … I have all of his albums, but this one is raw, uncut dope from a true MC. Not for the faint of heart and those scared of the unabashed truth from the streets of The City of Dope …

Winners Train, Losers Complain… Do Yo’ Thang!!!

Peace & Love
 
Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. is an editor, writer and producer. A graduate of Washington State University and student at The Evergreen State College, he writes and edits the Pacific Northwest section of OZONE Magazine and hosts and produces Live From I-5 Radio (since ’89) every Friday at 3 p.m. on KAOS 89.3 FM (www.kaosradio.org) in Olympia.