Emerald StreetThe first history of Seattle hip hopand hip hops role in Seattle history From the first rap battles in Seattles Central District to the Grammy stage, hip hop has shaped urban life and the music scene of the Pacific Northwest for more than four decades. In the early 1980s, Seattles hip hop artists developed a community based culture of stylistic experimentation and multiethnic collaboration. Emerging at a distance from the hip hop centers of New York