Sheila Locke
Founder - NastyMix Records
Sheila Locke, known professionally as DJ Sheila E, has spent more than 40 years shaping the sound, culture, and infrastructure of Pacific Northwest hip-hop. She was a working DJ and the first Asian-American radio DJ on Seattle’s 1250 KYAC, an early platform for local rap and R&B. She also co-founded Nastymix Records, the independent label that sold over 2.5 million records and launched Sir Mix-A-Lot’s national career.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Locke helped build the region’s hip-hop ecosystem from the ground up. She owned and operated the nightclubs Zorba Foos and Area 51, key gathering spaces for dancers, DJs, and emerging MCs. Her work as a promoter, DJ, label co-founder, and organizer made her one of the central forces in Seattle music, helping move Northwest hip-hop from neighborhood parties into a regional movement.
Photo by Rachel Crick at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall
Transcript
One, two, three, two.
The first time I put Sir Mix-a-Lot and Nasty Ness together on the big stage was at the Summer Partay at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall in 1985. We had about 2,500 people in the house, including B-boys, B-girls, and Breakdance Crew's high performance and Emerald City Breakers.
Ness and Mix got the party rolling and the Breakers started the battle. Ness started inviting Breakers to the stage to battle and within a few minutes the stage filled up with Breakers and just about all of their friends.
I asked Ness to tell the non-Breakers to leave the stage. He really wasn't telling them. He was kind of asking them to leave the stage. They didn't listen.
Another minute of this madness and I had enough. I grabbed the mic and I sternly said, "Get the fuck off the stage right now!" The entire house and the madness on stage literally froze and only the music playing could be heard. It worked and within seconds there was a buzz in the house.
Suddenly I was a badass, earning "Don't mess with me" respect from all involved and in attendance. Days later I would continue to hear about what I did for Mix's crew and others.
Seemed like my prior reputation as a low emotion behind the scenes manager changed to a badass that you don't want to piss off. I was amusingly receptive to my newfound street respect.