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.
"The Hood Ain't The Same" is a song dedicated to highlighting the effects of gentrification on Seattle's Central area and south end communities. Throughout the video, Draze takes listeners/viewers on a journey through the rapidly changing urban areas of Seattle. Lines like "I don't reminisce when I drive through this hood I feel pain, I ain't proud of these new developments I feel shame..." are illuminated as viewers are treated to images of several restaurants and staples of the community that once thrived but are no longer in existence. Along with capturing the changing faces of Seattle, the video features several cameos from Seattle area artists and patriarchs past and present. "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.
· Seattle hip-hop artist chronicles loss of Central District [King5]
· Draze Official Site [Draze 206]