Silas Blak is Seattle Hip-Hop’s Hidden Gem
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]D[/dropcap]iscovering Seattle rapper Silas Blak left us dumbfounded. How could an artist so original, so earnest and so necessary, be an established part of the Seattle hip-hop scene and remain so under the radar? As soon as that issue was corrected on our end, we had Blak on constant repeat. The video for “Cops On My Back” in particular, left our space bars a little looser. “Cops on my Back” was a track off of Blak Friday: The Mixtape. Four months ago, Blak released the Blak Friday mixtape in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. But that’s not where Blak got started in Seattle.
About 15 years ago, Blak was part of Seattle hip-hop group Silent Lambs Project (SLP). SLP performed all over Seattle, and earned a reputation as serious, heady hip-hoppers. Next, Blak joined the Seattle group Black Stacks, who released their first album in 2010. Along with members MC Jace ECAj, vocalist Felicia Loud, the Black Stacks left an indelible mark on the Seattle scene. Known for their thoughtful lyrics and amazing live shows, the Black Stacks were a perfect Seattle launching pad for Blak—and launch Blak has.
Not wasting any time after releasing Blak Friday: The Mixtape in June, Blak released a full-length album November 13. Editorials: (wartunes), Blak’s latest album, was released in conjunction with local labels K Records and Cabin Games. Kjell Nelson of the futuristic Seattle band Hightek Lowlives (Cabin Games) lent his hands in producing the album. Just before the album release, Blak made time to answer a few questions for CULTURE.
When and how did you get started as an artist?
Silas Blak: I started rhyming automatic . . . when I heard Ultramagnetic. I don’t actually have a start date, but I’m def OMC [Original Emcee].
Where are you from?
I’m from Camden, New Jersey originally but I also spent my teens in Maysville, North Carolina.
What artists have influenced your work?
The list is long and all over the place. From KRS-ONE, to the mighty R, hip-hop first class basically. The rest are just like timepieces that affect the spit whenever I look or listen. But I think that’s pretty much the body of work emcees eat from, period.
Has the cannabis culture of the PNW impacted your art?
Most definitely; you can’t avoid it. I think it helps define the depth sometime and sometimes it just serves as backdrop to prolific or political rhyme matter that seems to be status quo in the pacific Northwest. I mean we blow all Primo all the time. Crazy cerebral.
Do you have a favorite piece of work to appreciate while under the influence of cannabis?
I mostly listen to “town” production when I’m under. The illest is the Green Lover cassette, classic from the artist Specs One.
