Seattle has always been a city known for music, especially when it comes to alternative rock genres such as grunge, metal, punk, and garage. Lately though, Seattle has been increasingly known for its hip hop scene.
Until recently, Seattle hip hop has been largely associated with Sir Mix-A-Lot’s success in the ’80s and early ’90s. Now we have a mainstream giant in Macklemore gathering Grammy awards such as Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video. While Macklemore’s success is bringing Seattle more exposure, here are three artists to help you discover more of Seattle’s hip hop talent.
Mackned and SneakGuapo of THRAXXHOUSE
Hailing from West Seattle, SneakGuapo and Mackned are part of the rapidly rising group THRAXXHOUSE. With 40 diverse artists and members, the THRAXXHOUSE collective not only features rappers, producers, and singers, but includes fashion designers, artists, videographers, and even skateboarders. This diverse roster has allowed the group to connect with a wide range of people and develop a cult following across the country. Their mix of hip hop, goth, and punk creates a unique sound – once the music starts you know it is a THRAXXHOUSE production playing in your headphones.
Mackned is the co-founder of THRAXXHOUSE and the lead producer, while SneakGuapo is one of several affiliated rappers. These two have been frequently putting out free singles, EPs, and albums while going on tour to play for their West Coast fan base. Mackned’s 2015 album “Female” was a success in Seattle’s hip hop scene and his 2016 album “Celebrity Etiquette” is now on Soundcloud along with his new single “G funk” produced by The Flavr Blue that he dropped last Friday. “SneakGuapo’s “Glasshouse” EP and “Konica” EP both made waves throughout the local hip hop scene building his rep even more. SneakGuapo is expected to drop another project in early May. THRAXXHOUSE has already sold out numerous shows including one at The Crocodile back in November. You can find more of their music on their Sound Cloud pages: Mackned, SneakGuapo. Connect with them directly on Twitter: @Nedsworld, @SneakGuapo, @THRAXXHOUSE.
Young Junne
Another artist on the rise in the Seattle hip hop scene is Young Junne. Originally from Pittsburgh, Young Junne moved to Seattle at an early age because he was in and out of juvenile detention centers and wanted to get out of that lifestyle. Once he got to Seattle he began to pursue his passion and work toward becoming a hip hop artist. Young Junne is an inspirational artist who talks about the struggles he has gone through throughout his life. His most popular song, “Visionary Part I,” tells the story about growing up in the struggle, working two jobs while trying to make it in the music industry. The “Visionary Part I” video showcases the city of Pittsburgh which is where he originally experienced this struggle and learned so much from this experience. Since “Visionary Part I” he has released “Visionary Part II” that features King Leez and Lorine Chia. For a short period of time Young Junne was working closely with Master P and No Limit Records, one of the top hip hop labels in the late ’90s with multiple gold and platinum releases. But in the end Young Junne didn’t see eye to eye with the label. He is now pursuing his career as an independent artist. Check out Young Junne’s most recent song “The Goat” produced by MetroBoomin on YouTube and follow him on Twitter @Youngjunne.
