As many Seattle neighborhoods experience growth, we often forget that there are others that might be getting left behind. Seattle hip-hop artist Draze recently released a music video for his song ‘The Hood Ain’t The Same,’ highlighting gentrification in the Central District and what may be the end of Seattle’s historically African-American neighborhood.
SEATTLE, Washington — It’s easy to see facts and figures charting Seattle, Washington’s real estate boom as a positive sign for the city’s economy.
But if you ask hip hop artist Draze, it merely charts the demise of his neighborhood, the Central District.
‘When I look at this place, I think it’s changing,” he said Tuesday. “In some regards, it’s over. It’s dead.”
Draze recently released a music video called “The Hood Ain’t The Same” about gentrification in the Central District and the end of Seattle’s African-American neighborhood.
“We have a responsibility to preserve it if we really want diversity,” explained Draze outside a long-abandoned African-American owned business, “We’re into diversity. We like the concept. But what is diversity if I don’t exist.”
Every time I go to South Seattle and the Central District, I see more and more homes being renovated and new apartment buildings under construction. This city changes fast.
But homegrown hip-hop artist Dumi Maraire, best known as Draze, sees something my eyes have missed: The forces of gentrification are uprooting the black community.
“These used to be all black families and black-owned businesses,” Draze told me as I sketched him on the steps of his childhood home on South Orcas Street. “Nobody is here anymore.”
Including Draze, who now lives in more affordable Renton. I reached out to him after I stumbled upon a video of his most recent song, “The Hood Ain’t the Same,” on YouTube. Since he posted it less than a month ago it has been viewed more than 25,000 times.
Draze’s lyrics mention many black-owned businesses that no longer exist. What once was Sammie’s burgers on East Union Street is boarded up and covered with graffiti. The Silver Fork restaurant on Rainier Avenue South closed the day after he brought his crew to shoot the video last summer.
As he drove me around his old haunts in Rainier Valley and the CD, Draze shared his view of gentrification as eloquently as he does in his rap song: “The city is thriving,” he said, “but my community is dying. That doesn’t feel good.”
Draze, also known as Dumisani Maraire Jr., has an unequalled lineage in the Pacific Northwest: Born in Seattle, he is the son of Dumisani Maraire (1944-1999), the marimba superstar from Zimbabwe who became a University of Washington ethnomusicologist while igniting a musical movement throughout Oregon, Washington and beyond.
His mother, Lora Lue Chiorah, is a multi-talented educator, musician and dancer. His sister Chiwoniso Maraire (1976-2013) was the celebrated mbira artist and singer-songwriter behind the celebrated “Rebel Woman” and “Ancient Voices” recordings — she was called the “Zimbabwe Mbira Queen.” His brother, Tendai “Baba” Maraire, currently tours the globe as half of the Sub Pop experimental hip hop group Shabazz Palaces. Draze’s 12-year-old daughter Nya-J is already making a name for herself with original hip hop music performances and music videos.
In November, I moved from Wedgwood to Mount Baker, city-side near Massachusetts Ave. I moved for many reasons—to be closer to work and in a more urban setting, near better transit options and with great walkability, and, yes, for a more diverse experience. Among other things, I wanted to live somewhere where everyone did not look or live like me—and to be stretched and enriched by these new relationships. My husband and I focused our home search mostly in the Central District, and by chance, landed further south. Everywhere we looked was in the midst of neighborhood gentrification—which raised many questions for us including whether we would we be making life harder for the neighbors we would chose to live among? And what was our individual responsibility in these larger demographic shifts?
As the inner city development boom shows no sign of lagging, the issues of gentrification in the Central District are on the minds of many. Writer Naomi Ishisaka wrote “Saving the Soul of the Central District” in this month’s issue, looking into the current community and city efforts to preserve “Africatown” in the area along 23rd and MLK between Union and Jackson. It’s clear much is being lost as African-American and African immigrants and their businesses are priced out of the neighborhood. Protecting what makes the area unique is a murkier enterprise.
Only a couple weeks ago, local hip-hop artist Draze debuted his song and video “The Hood Ain’t The Same” during an event at EMP. It’s a pointed and moving lament about gentrification in the C.D., where he was born. It’s long on loss but makes no prescriptions.
Seattle hip hop artist Draze released a music video for his single “The Hood Ain’t the Same” earlier this month. The video shows landmarks and community members throughout the Central District and other south end communities.
“We could have just shot a bunch of buildings but it is the people who give these structures life. We wanted to highlight some of the real people touching the real community at a grass roots level.” says Draze. “As artists I think we have a responsibility to tell our truth to the people, regardless to how uncomfortable it may be. My city is alive but my community is dying, maybe this is my effort or Eulogy to get someone to care.” says Draze.
Seattle-based rapper Draze delivers a dope music video and track dedicated to highlighting the effects of gentrification on Seattle’s Central area and south end communities. Throughout the video, the rapper takes his fans on a journey through the rapidly changing urban areas of Seattle.
this video is dope on multiple levels. lyrics, production, style, historical documentation… accuracy. it really captured an entire era. much respect Draze, Tyrone & Deven.
“used to own our homes, now we’re all renters
got folks moving south like birds for the winter
they asked momma to sell her home, she said no
but then we had to shake when them property taxes rose
i know you say you ain’t the ones in them white sheets
but these suits and ties are similar to me
don’t try to paint me as the black man who’s angry
when situs judi slot pragmatic terbaik you gut my community
it’s hard to build a legacy” – Draze
After Debuting these visuals at the “Through the eyes of Art” Art Exhibit for Black History Month at the EMP last week. Draze gives us the video. If you’re from Seattle and Born, Raised, or spent a lot of time in the CD or South End, then the visuals alone will make it worth a view.