Part 4: Shake You Down For Sure
Seattle’s homegrown hip-hop scene is born from DJ-led dance parties put on by school-aged kids for their friends in backyards, rec halls and community centers. With the arrival of the TDO, these events draw scrutiny from Seattle police, who seem particularly intent on interfering with—and extorting—Black culture. But hip-hop finds a way to thrive, and soon Seattle artists are playing underground shows, building community and blowing up.
Listen to the official Let the Kids Dance! playlist on Spotify.
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Jonathan Zwickel
Host, Let The Kids Dance!
Jonathan Zwickel is a veteran music journalist whose writing credits include Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Believer, The New York Times, SPIN and other major publications. Since 2007 he's covered the creative community of Seattle for almost every outlet in the city. His first book, Beastie Boys: A Musical Biography, was published in 2012 by Greenwood Press. Jonathan has served as president of the board of directors of the Vera Project, Seattle's beloved all-ages concert venue, since 2019. He lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood with his dog Edison.
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Matt Martin
Podcast Producer
Matt Martin is a podcast producer who has worked on many different show for KUOW. He pitched and created THE WILD with Chris Morgan, a rich and experiential podcast about ecology and conservation. Matt also produced the Seattle music history podcast Let the Kids Dance and the award-winning Ghost Herd. Before moving to the on-demand side of the station, Matt worked as a producer on The Record, KUOW's local news show. He has also worked as a general assignment reporter and host for public radio stations in upstate New York and rural Alaska. Matt got his start in media as an intern with StoryCorps and Aljazeera America.
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Jim Gates
Senior Editor
As Senior Editor Jim heads up the development of podcasts for KUOW’s AudioShop and helps guide reporters and producers through their stories. He helped develop KUOW’s daily news podcast Seattle Now and currently oversees THE WILD with Chris Morgan and Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai.
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