Sir Mix-A-Lot Breaks in the Cloudbreak Music Festival at El Corazon
Sir Mix-A-Lot takes the stage in front of a packed house at El Corazon for the inagural performance of Cloudbreak Music Festival (Photos by Jordan Somers)
After two-plus years of venue closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cloudbreak Music Festival is celebrating a return to live music. The festival commenced on Thursday evening, featuring one of Seattle’s hip hop legends and pioneers, Sir Mix-A-Lot, as the opening artist. El Corazon, one of twenty-eight participating venues, hosted the revered rapper and producer, who was joined by Grynch, LIVt, RUB, plus DJ Stas THEE Boss. Mayor Bruce Harrell was also in attendance on Thursday evening, decreeing November 3 to be “Sir Mix-A-Lot Day” in Seattle.
Sir Mix-a-Lot, A Central District native, gravitated to the hip-hop scene in the early eighties, DJing for a variety of parties and venues. His talent and propensity for music led to his first record label in 1983. He went on to release “Posse on Broadway” in 1987, a Top 100 hit and revered Seattle classic. Sir Mix-A-Lot rose to global stardom in 1991, when his single, “Baby Got Back” went double platinum. He went on to win the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. He has since collaborated with a multitude of artists, and has been continuously featured and sampled in film, music and television.
The space and intimacy of El Corazon served as a reminder of Seattle’s prominent identity in the music scene. Sir Mix-A-lot was face-to-face with his audience, exchanging hand shakes and fist bumps throughout the evening. He performed a wide array of his hits, including the aforementioned “Posse on Broadway” and “Baby Got Back,” while also honoring other Seattle artists like Nirvana, singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and paying homage to the late Kurt Kobain.
The Cloudbreak Music Festival runs through November 23 and will feature 28 venues, 150 artists and 68 concerts. More information can be found at https://cloudbreakmusicfest.org/.
Photos by Jordan Somers
