The first-ever Town Love Hip-Hop Awards will be held on Monday, February 25th at the Pacific Science Center Laser Dome in Seattle, Washington at 7:30 pm. Hosted by KEXP DJ Stas Thee Boss, this unique event will count down the absolute best hip-hop records from Washington state. WITH LASERS. This is a party you do not want to miss.

The twenty nominated records have each achieved the perfect balance of critical praise and commercial popularity. They are vying for the title of “Record of The Year” and a prize of $500, provided by organizer Crane City Music, Seattle’s premier hip-hop record label.

“The best new music in America is being made right here in the Pacific Northwest,” says Gary Campbell, founder of Crane City Music and organizer of the event. “We’re planning a spectacular one-night-only hip-hop laser show like you’ve never seen before… Songs from all 20 nominated records will be played with laser accompaniment.”

The 20 nominees for 2018’s “Record of The Year,” listed alphabetically, are:

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Benadrill, “The Randolph”

Chong The Nomad, “Love Memo”

Fatal Lucciauno, “Kalito”

Gifted Youngstaz, “Revenge of The Iron Lung”

Isabella Du Graf, “Love, Love? Love.”

Jarv Dee, “Safe Travels”

JusMoni, “Sweet To Me”

Justin Hale, “Rain City”

Kung Foo Grip, “2KFG”

Lil Mosey, “Northsbest”

MariBased1, “Mariotto Mixtape, Vol. 1”

Micstro & D. Mikey, “Cookie Jar”

MistaDC, “Sorry We Lost You”

Parisalexa, “Bloom”

Perry Porter, “Channel Surfing”

Raz Simone, “Drive Theory”

Sango, “In The Comfort Of”

Sendai Era, “Lakas”

Travis Thompson, “YouGood?”

Vitamin D, “Born Day 3”

How were these 20 records chosen?

Any project released by a Washington state hip-hop artist in digital or physical format between January 1 and December 31, 2018 and containing at least three songs was deemed eligible. Under these criteria, 267 records were therefore in contention for “record of the year.” Over two weeks in January, Washington’s community of rappers, singers, beatmakers, and fans were invited to select their favorite projects in a public ballot. With 5,498 votes cast and tallied, this shortlist of twenty records represents the best of the best, each one having won the widespread respect and admiration of their peers.

Who is Crane City Music?

Crane City Music proudly promotes the distinctive hip-hop culture of the PNW, with a focus on underground musicians, women, and queer artists of color. These voices are often underrepresented in mainstream hip-hop and expand our definitions of the genre. The company’s record label arm has released acclaimed and award-winning vinyl albums by DoNormaal, Kung Foo Grip, Gifted Gab (of B.A.G.), Chong The Nomad, and solo projects from Stas Thee Boss and SassyBlack (formerly known together as THEESatisfaction).

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