Features Feb 29, 2012 at 4:00 am

Women who rap almost never produce their own albums. Katie Kate did just that—and in Seattle, she’s not alone. THEESatisfaction are next! Move, boys—get out the way.

Jenny Jimenez

Comments

1
Charles, you have 10 seconds to name 2 female producers in any genre of music. No google. Oh, and no desperate references, natch.

I can name more female hip hop producers than I can in any other genre but I don't want to undermine your narrative so go ahead.
2
A building manager who is a dubstep producer sounds like my worst apartment nightmare come true.
3
how is Missy Elliott a 'desperate' pick? She's a genius (IQ proven), a multi-platinum producer who more women she aspire to be like. Shout out to Katie Kat though, I think we're FB friends. Out For Stardom is the shit as well... undoubtedly P Smoov might have taught her a few things.
4
You just had to mention her "little kitchen," huh?
5
I wasn't to happy with the way Katie Kate and Radjaw were treating people back stage at The Crocodille when we played with them. Rude rude rude.
6
Flatland is a brilliant fucking record! Glad to hear her getting more recognition.
7
Ok, so we've got a barista/DJ/rapper, a building manager/dubstep producer, and a rich white girl with Skrillex hair...I think we've reached hipster critical mass here. Eject, eject!
8
Turns out I was wrong, Katie Kate is a class act and is most excellent. She is going to do very well I think.
9
@7 Good point. Affluent people often get bored counting their vast wealth and commonly fill their free time making lattes for other people.
10
Proud of our alums, Katie Kate and Catherine Harris-White. (The Pollens, appearing with Katie Kate at the Sunset, are also Cornish alums!)
11
this music sucks...
12
So tired of seeing the column inches devoted to subpar, but hipster-marketable acts when so many struggling men and women in the city are creating material on such a higher level, both in terms of artistry and technical ability - who actually represent the voice of urban minority youth.

I also see this with Segal's relatively narrow choices in how the local electronic music community is represented as well (although the effort for both authors to stretch their horizons is also noticeable, and I thank them for that), and can only imagine that necessities for appealing towards an overwhelmingly white and indie-subculture identifying demographic is what is forcing the hand of these music journalists to forgo promoting locals who display greater mastery over their craft.

Dash EXP for example - he's actually a very inept producer technically, no remarkable than a random kid's soundcloud that picked up a DAW last year - but he does very well when it comes to social connections, and may work very hard to support a club night - but he's still the guy whose tracks aren't really ready yet, because he hasn't put in the time. He's also very good at padding his artist "blurb" by mentioning avant garde movements like musique concrète, while actually showing up to his show reveals a lot of cut 'n' paste, not-quite-ready-to-show-people-yet wobbly brostep.

Ultimately, it would be nice if these few inches of media space would feel like the were coming from cultural insiders, as opposed to outsiders marketing music towards people who are even further removed from these scenes. It's frustrating to see the only rag in town that has any kind of young readership make it clear that it's still who you know, and not necessarily what you're doing.
13
Yo charles, female rappers are coming up in seattle. Katie kate and theesatisfaction are the leaders, but peep my girl gift of gab on moor gang/ cloudnice
14
Rich white girl? Who the fuck is that? I'm sick of you posers and wanna bees bein all nasty and stupid. R you sayin only black people are legitinmate in hip hop? That sounds like a racist attitude to me. Knock off the BS and focus on the music. In Katie' Kate's case its fuckin good so deal with it.
15
Peaches makes her own beats.
16
She makes beats: I give a fuck
17
M.I.A. Although she may not be hip hop? I think she produces or has a record label. one of her proteges is Rye Rye. Anyway, I did hear a katie Kate song (amazon) on KEXP and 19 year old daughter asked me to look it up, so it must be pretty good for the genre. I myself thought that song sounded influenced by MIA
18
I must say, her performance at the Chop Suey on New Year's Eve was inspired. I just had to let her know that I was buying her album!
19
If you haven't checked out Kate's new release you are really missing out. Flatland is... I'm gong to say it... brilliant.

Kate was a fixture at one of our regular haunts - The Joe Bar. One night she very casually mentioned she was a musician and I should check out her new CD. I bought her album in December and was blown away my the breadth of talent and genre mixing it displays.

I've listened to it nearly everyday since. "Uh-Oh" and "Thickstacks" particularly. I honestly can't wait to her live in Ballard.

I'm betting on her going places for sure. Way to go Kate.
20
wow this fucking sucks. what are people hearing when they call it brilliant??
21
Not so much a fan of Katie Kate (I would have thought its consumerist allusions wouldn't have slipped by Charles so quickly) but am COMPLETELY on the THEESatisfaction train, where are we going girls, I want to go there. 'QueenS' is so so good.
22
This is the first I have heard of Kate Kate, I will be buying the album after I get off work! Love IT!
23
I googled and found her on myspace, and listened to about 20 seconds of totebag. Dang, that is some tepid, lame stuff. But I suppose it is just the kind of overly clever, quirky breathy (breathless) souless fluff white urban types seem to want to hear in all genres these days. I knew it was just a matter of time before white artists took a great art form and messed it all up. While there are some good white hip hop artists, can we just make up a new term for this new hipster sound? Christ, I would rather listen to Vanilla Ice.
24
This seems relevant:
http://gu.com/p/329q6
25
I do believe you missed out on a female producer for your story! Queen Latifah produced and mixed some of her first albums. As well ast the Dana Owens Album with Tondy Bennett.
26
This chick is NOT good. Sorry....This sucks. Absolutly souless drivel. This music has no feeling or a message.
27
This chick sounds terrible. She sounds souless. It helps if music has a soul and a message to go with it. This is NOT good rap or music period. But hey lets just say how awesome the little white girl is for making edgey sounds :)
28
Ummm, this is good music? I guess I have bad taste.
29
So this is super shallow of me but i can't get over how truly awful that photograph of her is. Posture that gives her a hunchback, tight off the shoulder dress, undershaved head/weird hairstyle i am not cool enough to understand, from a high angle where she almost in the the center of the picture?

I applaud people who bravely put the things they've created out there into the world of haters, but man, any other photo of her has to be better than this one. Not a huge fan of the music either, but then, we all have preferences.
30
@29 -- You're totally right. And it's all my fault. The image has been swapped for a better one.
31
Muuuuuuch better, in my humble opinion.
32
I'm not a superfan of the music, but anyone here disputing how hard Katie works or her character can suck balls. I've only worked with her once, long ago at Cornish, but she was professional, hardworking, exceedingly talented, and a pleasure to work with.

Those of you referring to her as a rich white girl with no talent have no idea what you're talking about.

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