The Situation It’s getting close to 1 a.m. on a quiet Wednesday, July 28. I’m at Capitol Hill’s 611 Supreme with the hip-hop trio State of the Artist—MCs Thaddeus Turner (“TH”), Nate Fihn (“Hyphen8d”), and Parker Reddington (“Parker”).
Intoxication We’re chill—Fihn and Reddington are having Maritime pale ales with me, while Turner opts for a somewhat feminine Cape Cod. “I wanted something more refreshing,” he says. That’s how I figured out how young they all are—I don’t know any established male drinkers who count a cranberry/vodka as their drink of choice. It’s cute.
How He Got Here None of them have jobs. So how exactly do local unemployed musicians spend their off days? Wednesdays are meeting days with their label, Members Only. Turner made cheese quesadillas. Fihn did some sunbathing. Reddington says he has money to pay about half his rent next month, saying, “Every month, something always comes up.”
Shop Talk State of the Artist’s Seattlecalifragilisticextrahelladopeness is currently a top seller at local record stores. They bicker about who actually came up with this breathtaking title. “It’s the most obnoxious album title ever,” says Fihn, proudly. The record’s collaborators are a veritable who’s-who of Seattle hip-hop. “Everybody is hungry,” says Fihn. “Everybody is communicating. I feel like it’s a new thing, for people to be as open with each other as everybody’s getting right now.”
BTW: These dudes aren’t as innocent as they look. Turner’s the group’s “sartorialist”—I ask him where he picks up his duds. “Macy’s, Barneys,” he lists off. “The booster.” The what? “The booster’s the guy that steals clothes and then you meet him downtown and he’s like, ‘I just got this Moncler jacket; it’s $500, you can get it for $250,'” he says. “I can get you a bottle of Veuve Clicquot or Moët too. For the price of the couple of those [beers].”
