Online message boards and forums have been a part of sub cultures since the internet gained mainstream appeal during the American Online takeover of the 1990’s.
Hip hop is not an exception–rappers and fans have gathered online to share their opinions about their favorite and least favorite rappers, share links to their own music, trade music, and even battle via text and/or audio.
The great thing about forums is that people were able to find a forum for their specific niche; it didn’t matter if you were a rock-n-roll fan who liked cats in baseball caps or a rapper from Colorado.
About a decade later, 206proof.com was created and became a popular place for hip hop fans in the Seattle area to gather and hate on everything. The nice thing about “The Proof” was that people generally didn’t get offended by what was being said. It was expected that you were going to get clowned on if you entered the arena (and often times even if you didn’t).
Huge thanks to Geo, Kublakai and Billy the Fridge for taking the time to answer a few email questions about The Proof.
So when did you start posting on 206proof? How did you hear about it?
Kublakai- I think I started posting on there around ’07. I stopped in ’10. I think I heard about it at the studio I record at. I also got an email on MYSPACE (dated…) about it and to come check it out.
Geo- Sometime in 2007, I can’t remember exactly when, but the homie was like “yo, they’re talking shit about you on this forum bro.”
Billy the Fridge- I started posting on 206proof a couple weeks after it opened. I worked with Ripynt at a pawn shop and he was always on that site instead of working. It had just started up. At the time, I was usually on the Northwest forum on Siccness.net so I didn’t think I needed another internet rap forum in my life. I ended up giving in though, because I’m good at the internet. Everything clicked and I had found my new home online.
Why do you think it was so popular within Seattle’s Hip Hop community, and why has its popularity dropped in the last few years?
K- It was the first time people really had a site to connect with each other, and it was very user friendly and sociable. It was a smart interface. One page, if the thread was popular and people commented on it, stayed at the top, and the page would drop if it wasn’t. Kinda like reddit before we all knew about it. There were a few Seattle boards before it, Massline specifically, but it got infiltrated by spam and wasn’t as user friendly in my opinion. Also, it was very tailored to the Massline artists and the proof was for everyone. It was kinda like a PC while the proof was a mac–easier to use and a little cleaner of a look. I miss the Massline boards though.
I think it declined because of the negativity. People got brutal with new artists sharing their music and there became a sort of hierarchy. The funnier the insult, somehow the more clout you had on there. I’ve heard that that was the point of the proof–to weed out the wackness in the town. There was this mentality of, “it’s 206 proof strong, if you can’t handle the moonshine, take your ass elsewhere.” And a lot of people did, myself included. The negativity–and strange inside jokes that tend to target people–was pretty awful. I think a lot of people saw that and didn’t want to spend their time being a part of it anymore.
G- I think it was popular for the same reasons any online forum becomes popular–there were enough people who shared a similar interest—rap–who shared a similar demographic–geographic region, constant access to the internet–who didn’t otherwise have a niche outlet anywhere else online to communicate. I don’t know the specific reasons why this particular forum dropped off lately, but I know that forum/message board activity as a whole on the entire internets has decreased as social media and usage of the word “swag” has increased.
B- At the time, 206proof was filling a void that was left when the NWXplosion forums closed down. Many of the proof’s original members frequented there. I was always a Siccness guy, because I’m from Mr. D-Sane’s neighborhood. Everybody in this part of the town thinks they were in a gang, or were in a gang. I don’t know the math. I think the popularity dropped when Twitter started to rise. It’s easier to @Reply somebody and jump in on a real time conversation than deal with individual threads.
What is the story behind the sites origin?
K- I’m actually not sure. I think I asked Larry once, but I was probably drunk and he was probably being coy and vague so I have no idea.
G- This, I do not know. But I did once read somewhere that it was supposed to be “the streets” on “the internet” or something like that. I know some of the first proofers were folks who initially tried out SuperHappyWax or Massline or some other small regional rap forum and were like “those message boards suck because there are too many fanboys over there while over here I can hate freely.” There was this initial attitude that the proof was The Refuge for those who wanted a place apart from The Local Rap Hegemony and its perceived cliquishness–an irony that unfolded as succeeding waves of proofers arrived accusing the first wave of perpetuating the very thing it was created to oppose.
B- I’m not 100% sure, but I know that the NWXplosion board had some questionable leadership matters. It kind of fell apart and Larry Mizell Jr. and his merry band of webmasters/horse thieves decided to set up a trading post for all of the rap nerds in the city. It just kind of grew from there. You had just the right mix of geniuses, dumb asses and cool guys to keep the masses entertained.
What are some of your favorite moments in the sites history?
K- I don’t know of any specific favorite moments, but I just remember the feeling in the beginning before it got really nasty. There was this feeling like, “This is it! This is what will bring the town unity together and make us a National spot!” Which I honestly think it did in many ways. I feel like Seattle is beginning to be seen on the National stage seriously for the first time with BS, Macklemore, Sol, Grynch and The Physics. The Proof may have played a very key role in that. Hopefully we can persevere without it as I don’t think it plays a role anymore.
G- I was never really heavy on it, but I was always around people who were, and the one thread that kept pulling me back was the Seaclipse one.
B- There were many golden moments. The big money for me though was the way it enhanced events, or even made them happen. You’d have proof drama popping off and you’d wonder if somebody was going to get called out at a show. It’s like, usually, you can just hide on the internet. On the proof though, you had shows that you KNEW you’d have to be at. So it was inevitable that drama would catch up from the internet. The other great moments were the Proof meet-ups, like a 20 person deep Mystery Science Theater excursion for the 30 Days of Night movie release. Or the Proofie Awards. Online became reality.
Who were some of the most active people on the boards?
K- I’m not sure anymore but when it started. Larry, Npha, Suge, Barfly–who was my personal favorite person to watch post on there–Billy, Type… That’s all I can really think of at present.
G- Gatsby, MTK, Nphared, those are some of the ones I know personally. Most others I’ve never met in person or barely know.
B- DJ Nphared was one of the busiest members of the 206proof. It seemed like he had his hand in most of the dramas as well as some of the greatest caps. His Photoshop skills got put to use for some classy Prooficons too, I believe. Barfly was another god when it came to Prooficons…. the in-crowd jokey images that would repeatedly be used as auto-replies to some posts. The term SOYGNH heavily featured on many: Stay On Your Grind, No Hate.
How did it help change the culture of Seattle hip hop?
K- Like I said before, I think it had a very uniting factor in the town. A place where everyone could come and see what was going down, what was new with music in the town and kinda just chop it up–if only on the webz. I used to use it to see where to go on any given night.
On the flip side of the negativity coin, I think it hardened a lot of cats. I took a lot of flack via that site knowing that it was just people holding grudges, and I watched it happen to other people as well. The homies of the moderators got praised when they were mediocre, and the mediocre cats got ripped apart when they probably didn’t deserve it. It was weird, still is weird, but it played its role and I feel like it was cool to have watched it and been a part of it for a while.
G- Hard to say how it changed it, but it definitely facilitated some relationships and ruined others. It helped many people, myself included, understand why catching feelings on the internet is a really, really bad look and for that I will be forever grateful.
B- Beyond the change, it helped facilitate awareness. You’d have people from all types of circles coming to 206proof and then collaborating and making more of everything. Seattle’s hip hop scene has had a ridiculous amount of growth since 206proof came about. Everybody who is anybody out here was either a part of it, or talking about parts of it behind the scenes. It allowed you to see people for the ass-hats they really are, as well as celebrate with others as they made major steps to success. If the Seattle music scene was a blockbuster movie, then the 206proof was its DVD extras. It enhanced the community.