Seattle Subsonic

Label Spotlight pt. 2 - Interview with Sportn’ Life Founder DeVon Manier

November 19th, 2008

You’ve been in the local scene for a long time and have had you label for almost 6 years now. How has the town’s view of hip hop changed since you got started? Is the city more open to hip hop and live shows?

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No doubt that the city is more open to live shows, hip hop artists are not only booking local venues and throwing successful shows & events, but a lot of other opportunities have become available to us as well, from the likes of radio play, festivals bookings, various spotlights, tours, shows at colleges & high schools, spotlights & features…. oh yeah, and money.

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How do you figure smaller clubs and venues got hip to live monthly events and started to respect hip hops draw in the 206? Is Seattle becoming a hip hop city?

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For the last year or so, more venues have definitely opened their doors to hip hop acts. I guess that just comes with the evolution of the scene and the buzz that’s growing. As far as Seattle becoming a hip hop city, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. It sure feels like it is; there’s people doing real big things on a national level, a few are doing great things regionally and of course on a local level it’s growing very rapidly, not all of it is good, but it growing. I’d like to see Seattle Hip Hop continue to grow and become as strong as Seattle’s Indie Rock scene.

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Seattle has many different niches when it comes to hip hop: conscious/backpack rap, pseudo-revolutionary rap, hipster/electro rap, street rap, ect. I know most of the artists respect each other’s work and hustle, but do you feel as though the fan base here is diverse enough to support each part of the scene or could it be spreading itself a little too thin?

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I’m an old school guy; to me it’s all the same, Its Hip Hop. I don’t think as a whole that local live hip hop shows have the fan base to support all of the separatism of sub genres. It kind of thins things out. People should just look at it as music.

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You label has an incredible ear for talent. You started working with D Black at Fatal at a very young age and saw potential in and developed artists like Dyme Def and J. Pinder. What draws you to young talent? Does it bother you at all when acts move on from the label when you helped them refine their craft and hustle?

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Yeah, D.Black and Fatal have been with the label since day one and they are both a great part of who we are as a label. We spot potential in younger artists, mainly because a young artist is easier to develop, and I feel it’s my obligation to bring to show the community that black people do make hip hop in Seattle.

I wouldn’t say that we developed Dyme Def or J.Pinder. We definitely aided in them both being recognized in Seattle and the NW region. Loosing an artist always hurts a little, but its part of the journey. Whether they leave you, or you help advance them to a better situation, it’s all part of it. I do this for the journey of music from beginning to end, no matter what the outcome.

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What was the feeling you got when you heard the first versions of “God Like” and “Big Homie Style” off of WVM? Those were some huge moments for SnL in my mind.

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Yeah, it’s a big deal to have two of our artists be a part of that project. When I first heard both songs I was proud of D.Black and Spaceman; I felt like they both made a strong contribution and even stood out against some of the current heavyweights, and feedback on both songs has been incredible and is a testament to that. It’s also exciting to see “God Like” stirring up quite a buzz on the national level.

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What projects can we expect to see from the SnL camp in the coming months?

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You can expect to hear a mix tape/CD from Spaceman soon. The buzz about him is growing every time he performs, so it’s only right that we make some music available to the people ASAP. Other than that D. Black’s sophomore album “Rejuvenation” will be released in the first quarter of 2009; the project took a new direction than first intended so it has been pushed back, but I think it’s worth the wait, the growth on the album is evident and I think his fans will really appreciate it.

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Is your roster pretty much set for the foreseeable future or do you always keep your options open regarding new talent?

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One day hopefully we can open the doors to other acts, but in the interest of not spreading our selves thin and to continue toward our goals, it has to be family affair for now. Traditionally, if a new artist comes on board with Sportn’ Life, it’s an inside recommendation.

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Explain your relationship with D. Black. You gave him partial ownership of the label, correct?

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When Sportn’ Life was started, Damian (D.Black) was solely an artist and just fourteen years old. His father was one of my partners and as an eighteenth birthday gift he gave up his share of the company to D. I was more than okay with it because D.Black and I have pretty much seen eye to eye since day one. So, he’s the labels flagship artist, he’s my business partner, and a good friend.

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What do you see happening in the town musically in 2009?

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I see a lot of trends coming. I also see artists and labels all taking a step forward, getting stronger independently.

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How does a Seattle-based label like yourself feel about the lack of opportunities to get your music onto mainstream radio? Do you see a need or demand for an expanded local show/playlist?

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It seems like achieving mainstream airplay gets more difficult for every generation of music. At least now with today’s technology, there are many different avenues to get your music heard by the masses. Satellite and internet radio are both great outlets, and in answer to your second part of the question, yes in Seattle there is ALWAYS a need for an expanded local show/playlist

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Come chat with DeVon, the Sportn’ Life crew and some of us blog peoples tomorrow the 20th @ MOE BAR for Seattle Subsonic Happy Hour.