Kateel

Under the shadow of the Space Needle, Seattle-born rapper, songwriter, and producer Kateel transmutes the rainy vibes of his hometown into eloquent, engaging, emotional, and entrancing hip-hop. As a child, music surrounded Kateel. Primarily raised by his grandmother (who also would sing around the house), he stood out as “the only kid who was always in key” during choir. In between excelling on the basketball court as part of a championship team, he started to produce and record music of his own inspired by the likes of Nas. He uploaded dozens of songs to Soundcloud throughout high school before gaining traction with Innocence Is Ignorance in 2017. After graduating, he grinded in L.A., endured homelessness, and wound up back up North. He continued to make waves with the Mind Over Matters mixtape in 2020. The NBA championed him early on with syncs on ESPN and ABC for tracks such as “I Ain’t Forgot” and “High Note.” Premiering the music video for “I Ain’t Forgot,” The FADER attested, “the 21-year-old rapper and producer has shown early signs that he has the artistic ability to spar with some of the genre’s brightest talents.” Maintaining this momentum, he also teamed up with Lil Kari for “Stressin” and “Santa and the Grinch” to cap off the year. After racking up millions of streams independently and receiving acclaim from Seattle Times and more, he perfects his “Rain Sonic” sound on the 2021 Don’t Be A Hero EP and much more music to come.