Jonathan Moore collection, circa 1978-2018

Jonathan Moore (1969-2017), also known as J. Moore and by the stage names "Wordsayer" and "The Mayor," was a Seattle hip hop artist, rapper, DJ, lyricist, teacher, entrepreneur, music promoter, and manager. He was an influential figure and advocate in the Northwest hip hop scene for nearly 30 years.

Moore was born on April 21, 1969 in Seattle to parents Gwendolyn Jones and Johnny Moore. He grew up in the Columbia City neighborhood and attended Roosevelt High School in Ravenna, graduating in 1987. While in high school, Moore rented space at Seattle Center and organized dance parties for city-wide teens.

After moving to Atlanta to attend college (first at Atlanta Metropolitan College and later Morehouse College), Moore formed the hip hop crew Source of Labor (S.O.L.) in 1989 with his friend Upendo Tookas ("Negis I"), who was attending Morehouse, and DJ Kamikaze, a native of Atlanta. Moore was exposed to new musical influences in Atlanta, including drum circles, Rastafarian chanting, and live hip hop shows from groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, Naughty by Nature, Arrested Development, and Cypress Hill.

Moore and Tookas left Morehouse in 1992 and returned to Seattle with Kamikaze, where they rented an apartment together in the Central District near East Cherry and 30th Street. Source of Labor performed at community centers and churches in the neighborhood, including the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, where, beginning in 1992 Moore also coordinated regular open mic events and community hip hop shows featuring local talent, the first being African Echos–A Hip-Hop Continuum.

In October of 1993, Source of Labor performed their first show outside the Central District at the Crocodile Café in downtown Seattle. That same year, Moore founded the record label and promotion company Jasiri Media Group with Upendo Tookas and Erika Kylea White ("MC Kylea" of Beyond Reality). Jasiri Media Group released Source of Labor's records, as well as records from groups such as Beyond Reality, Felicia Loud, Piece of Sol, and Maktub.

Moore is credited for bringing hip hop out of the exclusive confines of the Central District and into downtown venues. Source of Labor and Jasiri Media Group promoted an educated and politically and socially conscious brand of hip hop that stood in opposition to the violent and hyper-sexed gangster rap image portrayed in the media at the time. Moore lobbied Caroline Davenport, booking agent for RKCNDY, a popular downtown music venue, to allow Source of Labor and other local hip hop acts to perform there. After a number of successful shows at RKCNDY and other clubs downtown, Moore was able to bring national acts such as De La Soul, The Roots, Blackalicious, Saul Williams, and Company Flow to Seattle.

Source of Labor released several singles and EPs on the Jasiri Media Group label, including the EPs Sureshotsingles Vol. 1 (1995) and Source Of Labor (1995); the singles Balance (1996), Overstandings (1997), and Wetlands (1999); and the full-length album Stolen Lives (2000). Stolen Lives was picked up by the New York hip hop label Subverse in 2001 and was subsequently distributed worldwide. Subverse also released the EP Full Circle (2001).

During the group's decade-plus years of activity in Seattle, Source of Labor went on to perform extensively not only at venues downtown and around the city, but also at local and regional festivals, including the Folklife Festival, Phunky Phat '95 at Evergreen College, and Bumbershoot in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. Later members of the group included Blahzay Blah and Derrick Jabbar Brown ("Vitamin D" of the studio The Pharmacy), who replaced DJ Kamikaze in 1997, Darrius Willrich, Kevin Hudson, D'Vonne Lewis, and Allen Matthews. Following the release of their full-length album, Stolen Lives, Source of Labor toured nationally with Ozomatli and Dilated Peoples in 2001-2002. Source of Labor disbanded in 2004, playing their last show at the Crocodile Café on May 8, 2004.

Moore began managing other artists full time that same year. For Jasiri Media Group, he managed artists such as Vitamin D, Bean One, Choklate, DJ Maseo of De La Soul, and Band of Horses. Moore also worked with the Seattle record label collective Stuck Under the Needle, managing many of their artists, including Oldominion, Sleep, Norman, and JFK. Later in his career, he managed acts such as THEESatisfaction and Shabazz Palaces.

Moore was a strong advocate for Seattle's youth. He taught urban poetry and creative writing at Franklin High School in Mount Baker and volunteered at the Miller Community Center in Capitol Hill. Moore also fought to repeal Seattle's Teen Dance Ordinance, which put onerous requirements on venues for all-ages shows, making it nearly impossible financially to put them on. Moore served as mentor to many fledgling Northwest hip hop artists, forging connections and opportunities for them in the local hip hop scene. In addition to the earlier all-ages community-based hip hop events he coordinated at Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, from 1999 to 2004 Moore and Jasiri Media Group organized Sure Shot Sundays, all-ages hip hop shows on Sunday afternoons at The Sit & Spin, a laundromat/café/music venue on Fourth Ave in Belltown. The shows were billed as family-friendly events, and were alcohol and cigarette-free. At the age of 15, Ben Haggerty ("Macklemore") performed there for the first time in 2000 with his group Elevated Elements. Source of Labor also performed alongside Mos Def, Beyond Reality, and Black Anger at the groundbreaking underage concert held at the UW HUB Ballroom in January 2000. It was the first show organized by the Student Hip Hop Organization of Washington (SHOW), which would go on to produce over 50 underage Seattle hip hop events by 2003.

After Seattle Mayor Paul Schell blamed hip hop culture for a shooting at the Bohemian Backstage nightclub in Pioneer Square, Moore and Jarisi Media Group organized a Hip Hop Peace Rally at Westlake Park on September 30, 2000. In July of 2003, Moore was awarded the Mayor's Award for Excellence in Hop-Hop by Mayor Greg Nickels. Moore was the second recipient of the award, which recognized a Seattle hip hop artist or label for achievements, service to the city, and community impact.

From 2004 to 2010 Moore and Vitamin D created and hosted the Big Tune hip hop producer beat battles, which became a national traveling competition sponsored by Red Bull and aired on BET. The event and its title were based on Jamaican sound clashes in which individuals compete head-to-head and the audience decides whose music wins the "Big Tune" contest. The traveling event also included an educational component for youth in each city.

From 2005 to 2016, Moore co-hosted the radio show Sunday Night Sound Session with DJ Hyphen on KUBE 93. The show regularly showcased local hip hop talent. Moore also served on KEXP's Advisory Council, and was involved in the local arts scene. He was owner of the 2312 Gallery in Belltown, curated exhibitions such as the Re:definition 2016 show "Illuminating Black Art in Seattle," and was active in a number of city arts organizations.

Jonathan Moore died on March 8, 2017 at the age of 47 from complications of renal disease following a rejected kidney transplant. After his death, Mayor Edward Murray and the Seattle City Council proclaimed April 21, 2017 "Jonathan Moore Day."

Moore had two sons: Upendo Selassie Moore, who is also a musician, with first wife Erika Kylea White and Miles Samuel Moore with second wife Caitlin Brower Moore.