Focus
In the delicate work of maintaining and strengthening relations with this nation's military partners that the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade advises, small things matter. Activated in May 2020, the brigade's approximate 800 volunteer soldiers conduct security force assistance (SFA) missions in the Indo-Pacific Area of Operations (AOR) to advise and
Music
Tacoma doesn't have the strongest hip-hop scene. It's often overshadowed by what's going on in Seattle. The one thing Tacoma hip-hop does get credit for is having authentic street MCs who make hardcore hip-hop. The Seattle scene is known for Macklemore, Blue Scholars and other good hip-hop in that vein.
Music
Tom Hutch is only 22 years old and he makes the type of music you'd expect a 22 year old to make: heavy on the radio copy-cat tip. He's still freaking the auto-tune and trying to hit Drake-like melodies. What makes Hutch a standout is the amount of music he
News Front
For the first time in over a decade, the 62d Airlift Wing hosted 14 teams of aerial port professionals during the Port Dawg Rodeo at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, June 22-24, 2022. The rodeo is an annual tradition amongst aerial port squadrons, where airmen showcase their skills, enhance their job proficiency and
Music
Leezy Soprano, the M.C. from 45th and perhaps the most popular MC from Tacoma right now, just released an official album titled "All Due Respect." It's a pretty clear message. Soprano feels he's the best doing it in Tacoma and he's out to get his props. Leezy is locally big
Entertainment
We often see profile pieces in which someone of a certain age is asked what they would say to their younger self - what type of wisdom they'd impart, the advice they'd give, that sort of thing. I never have to worry about that, because Doc Brown gave me a
Housing
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - Toward the end of 2021, Joint Base Lewis-McChord began recruiting community mayors for its five base housing districts. These mayors serve as a voice for the communities and advocate for quality-of-life initiatives. "Each of those districts has the subordinate 22 communities," said Col. Phillip Lamb, JBLM commander.
Veterans
The early bird gets the worm and that can be the case when looking at your earned military benefits. Don't wait until you separate from the military to apply for VA service-connected disability compensation. The Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program allows service members to apply for VA disability compensation benefits between
Music
It's pretty annoying when I hear people say, "I'm gonna put Tacoma on the map" when I know about all this awesome stuff Tacoma hip-hop artists are doing right now. Do people that say this know that a Tacoma producer just produced a track on Raekwon's "Unexpected Victory" album? Do
News Front
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army, for the first time, is offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to highly skilled recruits who join for six years, The Associated Press has learned, as the service struggles to lure soldiers into certain critical jobs amid the continuing pandemic. Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, head
Music
Tacoma is a hotbed of talent. I've shown in this column before how even though T-Town doesn't get all the credit, we are often making big moves right under the surface (check out my columns on Erik Blood, OC Notes and Thee Satisfaction). Another huge player behind the scenes is
News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - Every airman has their own story about deploying, whether they're about to retire and haven't deployed once or a junior airman deploying for the third time in three years. At McChord Field, airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing, along with other C-17 Globemaster III bases within Air
Music
A-Hyp's show "Hip-Hop Is Alive Part 3" is back this Saturday night. This is almost a monthly show Hyp plans, books, and promotes himself at the Taproom Underground. The venue has good food and drink and it has a smaller more chill-vibe than most spots in Tacoma. It's got a college
Music
The New Century Justice Network is a local, newly formed social justice organization, formed after the murder of Trayvon Martin. It is a group of concerned citizens of Tacoma who came together to fight for change in the community by educating, connecting, and working together. Working with the NCJN is
Music
Q-Dot, a true 253 hip-hop statesmen, has been getting active lately. Not to say that he was ever sleeping. Last year he damn near single handedly gave Tacoma the second Grit City. Planning an event like that is a full-time job. He stacked the city full of some of the
News Front
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD - The Department of Defense recently approved a request for assistance from the State Department to provide temporary housing, sustainment, and support inside the United States for Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) principal applicants, their families, and other individuals at risk, at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and Fort Bliss, Texas,
Music
A few columns back I brought to your attention the video from Dip of The Nuggz, "I'm a G." Now it's time to school ya on The Nuggz. Not only is that a great name for a hip-hop group, it does actually stand for something, Never Underestimate God's Gift. Now
Music
It looks like Friday is the night to see the best in 253 Hip-Hop. The Prince of the 509, Shao Sosa, is having a Birthday Show at Stonegate Pizza. The show is sponsored by Razor Tongue Radio and it's a who's who of local underground Hip-Hop with a few heavy-hitters
Music
Hip-hop's history is living - it is still being made. The innovators and originators are still around to tell their story. Our musical story is alive because they are alive to still tell it. They are still making it to this day. Enter Miztah Zelle. Zelle was born in Tacoma and
News Articles
The Air Force has authorized airmen across the service to wear tactical operational camouflage pattern caps, which have the appearance of military-grade baseball caps. "If you have a Tactical OCP Cap, as identified in the official Air Force guidance, you are authorized to wear immediately," Chief Master Sgt. of the Air
