Those who have been following local hip hop before the burst of music blogs and independent music labels, Neema aka Mr10K, is a familiar but still relevant name. His journey is full of ups and downs, surprises, and the usual reflections on life and the biz.

His life has run parallel to the story of how hip hop went mainstream. From a hobby and selling CDs out of the trunk of his car to working with Twista and offers to collab with unknown producers of that time like Kanye West, Neema was just trying to figure out how big this hip hop thing could really get, and then make sure he was making the right moves.

He’s full of stories and insights I have yet to hear about. Story time with Neema could take days, weeks, and will involve a lot of music in between.

They say that each album is often a reflection of what that artist is going through at the time, from Adele’s hearbreak to MGMT’s newfound fame, and Jay-Z and Kanye West’s burden of success, an honest album can tell you more than any magazine interview. 

Neema’s not one to hold anything back, but I have a feeling his upcoming album, The Cigar Room, is going to be more candid than any conversation we could ever have.

The Cigar Room album release party is May 12 at the Crocodile and will be hosted by Grynch. Thaddeus David, Th3rdz, AD, Keyboard Kid and DJ Swervewon will also be in the house. 

I pointed out in my introductory blog post for Go Hard. Superstar. that we’re not creating this community from scratch, this is not the beginning of it all, just a continuation of what we already have in the NW, a community of artists that respect and support each other, show it, and know each other’s stories. I was referring to this special something that I noticed in the artists that rep “The Town.” 

I don’t know everyone in this camp personally, nor do I pretend to, but I’ve always been watching. Geo invited me backstage for Grynch’s “Perspective” Album Release Party over the weekend and even though it seemed like everyone knew each other, every person I came in contact with looked over and said, “Hello, how are you?”

I’ve been backstage enough to know that this doesn’t always happen. Backstages are either filled with random people with cameras and free t-shirts that you can walk past without making eye contact, or close friends. And if you’re picky about who you surround yourself with, you’re curious to know who the “stranger” is.

This was an example of what I envision is going to “put Seattle on the map.”

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