Our city is on fire. The streets are smoking with hot deejays, the buildings are blazing with passionate performers, the bars are burning wildly and the galleries are smoldering with artists you have never heard of. Seattle needs your help- but don’t grab the buckets, grab your friends and plunge headfirst into the fire-stoked madness yourself. If you haven’t noticed the smell of something big about to happen in Seattle, then you need to get out there and feel the frisson of energy in our city. I dare you.

Seattle is crawling alive with talented artists and performers pouring out their souls on stages, behind decks, on the canvas, on the microphone, every single night. You might think that the “Seattle arts scene” is reserved for cool, young people with crazy colored streaks in their hair who have no worries and plan secret parties under bridges and dance all night and live only to have fun. Well, yes, this is one of the blazin’ hot music scenes in this city. But there are more, so much more.

Seattle is stocked full of people who know that the transcendent experience of shared understanding through art does not discriminate; it goes way, way back into human history, beyond race, beyond gender, beyond class, beyond all the labels we want to separate ourselves with. This need to be understood through creative expression is universal and much more important to our happiness than any contrived consumer “needs” for big screen TVs or picket fences. It is an innate necessity in every single human on this planet, and I experience it every night in Seattle. I see middle-aged men with bad haircuts playing their souls out to a crowd of strangers on a Monday night. I hear singers like Vicci Martinez grabbing the ears of everyone in the Showbox with her open, clear voice; her tales of lost love overwhelm me, not because I am so into her music, but because she is. I wander into the sports bar Fuel in Pioneer Square and am completely bowled over by a random butt-rock band screaming and giving their absolute all to a mad, slammin’ crowd of fifteen. On Friday nights at Trinity the booty-shaking, bottle-full-a-bub Top-40 crowd proves that they too, must dance to the beats and gets down accordingly; I clap for comedians who live to make people laugh despite themselves. I see artists at events painting and bravely putting themselves out there to have their innermost expressions judged; I watch actors on tiny stages who have devoted hours and hours of their lives to entertaining YOU.

You may not be into bluegrass music or improv comedy or punk bands, but as a human you will appreciate the passion, the energy, and the enthusiasm that these artists create to make our world a little more colorful and exciting, a little more alive. Are you part of this world of creative expression, taking place all around you in Seattle, burning it down venue by venue with a flaming passion? You should be, and now you have no excuse. Get out there, I dare you. Follow your interests on CultureMob.com and meet your community; then go further and try something new, something weird, something a little uncomfortable. The notion that the secure, convenient experiences are the most worthwhile to pursue is just wrong. We spend our whole lives trying to create a safe little bubble away from weird situations and unusual moments, to pare down the excitement in favor of a warm cup of tea. I know the green tea is yummy and your couch is comfy, but get off it- no one ever had a soul-changing experience while Tivoing stories about other people’s lives.

What is your story? Is it full of amazing, random experiences that have changed who you are? Do you remember meeting that painter who transformed the way you think about art with the stroke of a brush? Have you been blown away by a musician who is channeling a higher power so much that his hands don’t even seem to touch the guitar? Have you been moved to tears by the words of an actress that will never win an Oscar? I have, this week, in Seattle, experienced this passion, this unabridged enthusiasm for life and art and the expression of the desire for understanding and communication that fills every single human being on this planet. Right here, in Seattle, every night.

Art is for every human being; we are all privy to the energy of the universe; all you have to do is follow your interests and find your community. Do you like offbeat, quirky theater productions? Multi-media art installments? Crass comedians? Quilting extravaganzas? Dance-offs? All of the above? Whatever you are interested in, there is a community in Seattle waiting for you to share your experiences and opinions, and you can find them at CultureMob.com.

Our city is on fire! Is your life? Get out there, Seattle, and add to the flames. I’ll see you on the dance floor.

Shilo Urban

Recently I visited YSL, who posts blogs for blogsiswatching.com (a Seattle hip-hop lifestyle blog).

by Cedric Ross

These are the…“initials of my Korean name which is coincidentally the same as some high end luxury brand.” States YSL. I asked him to give me a snapshot of the state of hip-hop in Seattle and he responded by telling me about the influence of corporate sponsorship in the hip-hop culture. Naturally I was intrigued. The interesting part is I simply set out to interview YSL for enough material to fill a paragraph or two. Two pages later I realized that I needed to rethink my plan. So, here’s what I’m going to do. This will be the first part of a 4 part blog series featuring YSL. If there’s enough interest, we may even consider making this a semi regular thing. Let’s get back to the story.

He shares with me that he’s noticed a trend where corporate America has been using hip-hop culture to promote their products. He pointed out that the hip-hop culture is being used in unconventional ways to send a message to consumers. A blogger from prohiphop.com (a hip hop marketing and business news blog) posted a comment and video about an online marketing and branding firm that created a video using a young performer named Little MG “spinning a rap” (rapping) for a branding firm based in Seattle. Go to prohiphop.com to read about it and watch the video. According to YSL, advertising agencies are also using the hip-hop culture as a marketing tool to connect to a younger audience (demographic). As an example, YSL told me to read about Jay Z’s latest venture as the chairman of Steve Stoute’s Translation Advertising company. You can read about it at nytimes.com.

We then moved onto who’s hot in the world of hip-hop. YSL came up with four Seattle artists/groups to look out for and one radio show to pay attention too. Dyme Def is “getting shine” says YSL. “They’re producing music people can vibe with.” The next group on YSL’s hot list is Cancer Rising, who are rappers Gatsby and Judas as well as DJ TilesOne. Gatsby (aka Larry Mizell Jr.) Has a weekly column called My Philosophy: Hiphop Ya Don’t Stop in The Stranger (a local magazine). Every member of CR has deep roots in the Seattle hip-hop culture. They’ve even got a green effort going by selling one of their CD’s with used CD jewel cases. YSL points me to the hiphopperss.com article to learn more about it. The third artist is Sonny Bonoho. YSL says he’s fun and he doesn’t take life too seriously. Sonny brings something different to hip-hop. Sonny is currently working on a new album and YSL is looking forward to it. In YSL’s words, “Sonny has flavor.” He also pointed me to bbskate.com to learn more about Sonny’s entrepreneurial business outside of rap. Finally, the one radio show all hip-hop enthusiasts must tune into is Streetsounds. You’ll find Streetsounds on Seattle’s own KEXP 90.3FM. Streetsounds is hosted by DJ B-Mello.

Just before we wrapped things up, YSL told me about one of his daily habits. Going online to 206.proof.com/forum/ and checking out the daily discussions that take place there. He goes there to get the insider’s commentary. Of course, there are a lot of lurkers there. I didn’t ask him what he meant by that.

Next week, I’ll share more about the inner workings of YSL. Stay tuned!

Wanna check out what YSL’s writing about? Go to blogsiswatching.com.

Go to CultureMob.com to find hip-hop events in Seattle.