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Monday, February 20, 2012

Album / #1 Fan Av Young Blaze Will Have His Revenge On Seattle

Posted by Larry Mizell, Jr. on Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 5:57 PM

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I could write a long spiel about this guy Av Young Blaze, the tension inherent in his dual allegiance to his Russian roots and his Central District block family; I could tell you all about his newest banger The Humble Villain too, but experience tells me that Line Out readers are not listening, even if it seems like the streets finally are. Av himself says that THV "captured the most emotion out of any of my projects." It sounds like he had a lot to put in there. "Yeah, I had a 5 year (relationship) breakup, my best friend got shot and went to jail, and I caught a gun charge, all at the same time." Maybe he needs to kick some nonthreatening, more life-affirming raps. Maybe he needs to pick up a banjo. Maybe, like Seattle's other world-class street rapper, Fatal Lucciauno (who appears on Villain's "Where That"), a lot of people out here just don't relate. For those that do, and those numbers are growing everyday, preview it, and if you're feeling it, download it. Seattle, this is your own son here, get to know the kid.

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When I saw this tweet today, I had to ask Av how Cobain influenced him, of all people. "I idolized him since I was a kid; my mom told me I cried when he died, I was like 5 or something." He forwards me a text his mother sent him on the subject:

He died in April 1994. You were 5. Your dad and I played his record a lot! We went to the Crocodile to see him before he was famous. You listened to him since you were a toddler. You were blonde and I grew your hair out to look like him. When he died, you and I were in the car driving passed Marymoor Park; we heard it on the radio and you burst into tears.

"His whole message on societal perception, his honesty...nobody was as honest as him. People are afraid of honesty." Seattle MC's (and even some just visiting) hold an earnest appreciation for Cobain, as they do all their dead; it would probably be corny at Linda's, but you know what it is...