Source Of Labor

The Seattle-based crew Source of Labor were an integral part of the Pacific Northwest hip-hop scene from their first release in 1995 until the group disbanded in 2004. Source Of Labor gained their share of underground respect. The group was formed by rapper Wordsayer along with fellow MC Blahzay Blah, plus producers Negus 1 and DJ Kamikaze. Wordsayer and Negus 1 were brothers who were born in Seattle then spent time in Atlanta; they returned to the Northwest in the early '90s and founded the group. They also started up a label, Jasiri Media Group, and were heavily involved in the community (Wordsayer as a creative writing teacher at Seattle's Franklin High School, Negus 1 as the director of an after-school program). Blahzay Blah left the group after the release of the Balance CD single. Source of Labor worked with legendary Seattle producer Vitamin D to put out their debut full-length CD, Stolen Lives in 2000. The album was picked up by Subverse in 2001 and was subsequently distributed worldwide, leading to several 12" singles including "Wet Lands" and "Full Circle." The group broke up in 2004. Jonathan "Wordsayer" Moore passed away in 2017. They opened for a diverse range of acts, including Gil Scott-Heron, Goodie Mob, Nas, De la Soul, Pharcyde, and Ice Cube