10 Rappers From Alaska You Should Definitely Know About

Tayy Tarantino is the present and future of the Alaska hip-hop industry. The young rapper isn’t new to the music scene. He climbed to the pinnacle of the Alaska hip-hop world by linking to Vasco Vea and Bad Agenda Records.

His journey to the zenith of the industry is highly commendable. He had already made quite an impression in the market regardless of his young age. Presently, Tayy is a notable name in the rapping scene of Alaska.

Tarantino was featured in one of the videos of the local video series, Indie Alaska, in 2018. Tayy has been opening every major rap show in Alaska over the years. Undoubtedly, he is working effectively to put Alaska on the map of the hip-hop world.

The young rapper uses his local fame to draw significant attention from others. He started his career in the music industry by singing in the children and youth choir at his local church. Tayy stepped foot in the rapping industry when he was 10 years old.

Tarantino created a rap group when he attended Robert Service High School. The group performed in various talent shows during that time. It sure did help the rapper hone his skills.

The young rapper idolizes the OG artists like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Drake, J-Cole, and more. Tarantino started recording at a local studio and released his first project the mixtape titled ‘Half Step From Legendary.’

He dedicated the mixtape to his deceased grandfather ‘Otis.’ The rapper started recording in his senior year of high school. Tayy dropped three music videos from the project ‘Radio,’ ‘Brand New Day,’ and ‘Dead Presidents Remix,’ from the project.

It was a massive deal for a local artist to release these many MVs during that time. He was already paving his way into the world of hip-hop.

Later, in 2013 Tarantino thought of moving to the east coast to broaden his fan base and take a leap of faith to heighten his music career. Likewise, he also grabbed various opportunities to perform at multiple events.

SXSW invited him to perform at various music showcases in 2015. He incorporated his experience at the SXSW weekend in his single titled ‘Stadiums.’

Tayy returned to Anchorage, Alaska to work with Rawbeatzz to drop his full-length LP titled ‘Homecoming’ The LP under the Bad Angenda label was released in early 2016.

He dropped albums titled To Live And Die In AK, Not Broke Not Rich, and Xroads in 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively. In 2020, Tayy released an EP, All 4 Us, comprising six songs.

Tarantino’s latest album includes Creekside Story which was released in 2021. It consists of 12 songs including Made For This, Neptune, Letter To P, Trust Issues, and more.

He is approachable across various social platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Tayy is also available on YouTube with the username @BadAgenda.

The rapper’s most popular video ‘Why We Do It,’ on the platform has amassed above 25K views until this day.

Josh Boots is another pioneer of the underground Alaska hip-hop world. If you were to ask the local Alaskans to name the best rapper from the state, people wouldn’t take a second to call his name. 

The rapper raised the benchmark for quality in Alaska rap after Boots partnered with fellow rappers such as Akream, bringing Arctic Flow Records to life.

He has become the epitome of rising rappers like Keezy, and more. Josh has unquestionably influenced individuals in the state to come out and show what they got.

The rapper traveled the United States performing as a younger rapper. However, eventually, Josh had to make a fixed decision either to travel and spread the music or stay in the state being a father and a husband.

He later landed a job as a real estate agent and settled in the state. You can listen to Josh’s music on Sound Cloud and YouTube.

There is no doubt that Joshua ‘Alaska Redd’ is one of the most remarkable names in the Alaska music industry.

His musical journey took off with Fairbanks, Alaska- based Record label 50 Belo Records in 1994. During that time no one in Alaska knew anything about rap albums.

They were oblivious to the creation process of the rap. Alaska Redd stayed in the state itself regardless of the label’s relocation to California in 1998. He continued his pursuit of uncovering underground Hip-hop from Alaska to the world and vice versa.

He has been dubbed with various coveted titles so far. The rapper is also considered the ‘pioneer of Alaska’s Hip Hop scene,’ for his relentless work to help foster the culture of hip-hop in this state. 

Redd launched an independent record label named ReddDott Productions in 2000. Just two years later, the rapper started RedDot Recording Studios & DJ Services.

The rapper made his debut with an album ‘Orgnizdrkus’ in 2001. Alaska Redd has had the privilege of working with the likes of various coveted artists to this day. 

A year later in 2002, the rapper released ‘Clearer than Black and White.’ Likewise, in 2004 Alaska Redd dropped I.M.W (Interior’s Most Wanted).

Eventually, Redd started signing local rising artists to his label named as ReddDott Productions. Similarly, the rapper also extended his hands on production too.

The notable rapper expanded his business in the fall of 2007 with the start of a concert promotion company named Permafrost Promotions.

Not to forget, Alaska Redd is also an award-winning rapper. The rapper bagged Alaska Hip Hop Awards for ‘Best Male Mc’ in 2008.

Alaska Redd made history after organizing the first Alaska statewide Hip Hop tour in 2012. Until February 2023, he continues to inspire a lot and develop the scene of the music scene in Alaska.

Lately, Alaska Redd racked up the Alaska Hip Hop Awards Best Male Artist in 2018. He went on to bag the Alaska Hip Hop Awards Album of The Year -Snowsuits & Bunny Boots in the same year.

The rapper joined Strange Music’s !MAYDAY! in 2019 as a co-headliner of the ‘South of 5th Tour.’ He dropped an album titled O.G.A.R in 2022 comprising 12 songs.

Some of the songs from his latest album include Who Cares, Been Through It All, Open Your Mind, every day, Problems, Feeling Like, and more which are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.

Likewise, he is also approachable across various social platforms including Instagram and Facebook. Alaska Redd boasts over 3.4K followers on his Instagram account.

Every so often, Alaska Redd shares content on his Instagram with his daughter. She started her 1st grade in August 2022.

Duckman is the essential Alaska gangster rapper community. Representing the dark aspects of Alaska, Duckman has forged a name for himself in the agile industry of hip-hop.

He is lyrically very sharp and consolidates street lyricism with melody and style. He is an allrounder and stylish when it comes to rapping. 

Duckman makes raps that are acceptable to the wide market, ultimately drawing him significant attention and recognition in the rapping scene.

His musical journey came to a halt after he was incarcerated over the ‘biggest cocaine bust in Alaska history.’ The rapper spent his time behind the bars and made his comeback to the rapping scene by starting a group named ‘Bad Boy Nation.’

The group comprised fellow rappers King Coo and Untamed Kidd. As a group, he dropped two projects ‘Welcome 2 Da East’ and ‘Back 2 Da East’ on the web.

Likewise, they also put out high-quality videos that made the projects sophisticated. Duckman also released a local club track which gained immense love and support.

Duckman has dropped various albums and extended plays to date. He released his debut album titled Binary Assembler in 2008 and his debut extended play (EP) titled A Glitch in the Piano in 2012.

Correspondingly, his latest album includes The Dark which was released in 2021. Whereas, he put out his latest EP titled Blame Me in 2022.

He is available on YouTube with the channel name Duckman 907 which has amassed 2.76K subscribers so far. The rapper is also approachable on Spotify with 997 monthly listeners.

One of his most popular music videos titled ‘Yeah’ has amassed over 361K views on YouTube. Likewise, the rapper is also approachable on Instagram with over 10K followers.

Undoubtedly, Duckman was destined to become a huge name in the rap scene of Alaska for he got it all from the music, drip, momentum to whatnot.

When it comes to listing the rappers from Alaska, Keezy has always made his way to the list.

Josh Boots sees Keezy as the best rapper from and in the state. The coveted consideration coming from a notable rapping individual speaks about Keezy’s outstanding exhibition.

He is the frontman of the Sky Division. The frontman has made an enduring impression in the music industry with his outstanding works.

It was Marvel US Music and Josh Boots who discovered Keezy alongside Sk8God, Sky Divison, and Darius. Shortly, they went on to become the popular faces of the next generation of 907 hip-hop in Alaska.

Keezy relocated to Seattle in pursuit of his rapping career. That said, he hasn’t left the essence of the state and his notability decrement by dropping out of quality music.

He was also featured in a documentary titled ‘907’s Own’ that showcased the rap music scene in the 49th state i.e., Alaska. Correspondingly, Keezy also offered his hands on various local compilation projects including Crude Awakening and Tequila Sunrise.

He has been successful to leave an impact in Seattle too after the relocation alongside the rest of the Sky Division members who moved to the state with him.

Besides rapping, Keezy is equally outstanding as a producer too. He released a rap album titled ‘The Heavens Will Help’ in 2017 which is considered one of the best rap albums to ever be dropped out by an Alaska artist.

Keezy launched his own recording studio in 2019 according to his Facebook post. He is also available on Instagram with the username keez.open doors currently with over 2.2K followers.

The rapper is in a relationship with his girlfriend Andri. The couple has been together for over four years now. Adri wrote, 1,460 days later, in her caption of an Instagram post of February 2022.

He released an album titled, Don’t Cry When I’m Gone in 2022. The album consists of ten songs including Hold Up, Take The Pain, Mimosa, Dreams Are Real, Let’s Me Know, and more.

Timothy Blair, widely recognized by his name Tim Dawg is a rapper from Alaska. He is the most influential person for the rapper motivated and impacts a lot of people.

The rapper had a passion for cars. He adored cars and also knew a lot about them. Correspondingly, he was also an outstanding producer. He was a 6 feet 4-inch man with a big voice matching his physique.

He didn’t release a solo album; however, he certainly played or was an influence in the project if you were to make music in Fairbanks at that time.

Tim’s 2004 released song ‘Come Over Here’ featuring Don V is still available on Spotify. Unfortunately, Tim left everyone too early but left an impact on the rapping scene of Alaska.

To be honest, it was a big loss for Fairbanks to lose such a decorated artist. He will always be remembered and decorated in the history of the Alaskan rapping industry. 

Starbuks is considered the 50 Cent, known for his revolution in mixtapes, of the Alaska rap scene.

He is the individual one needs to acknowledge when talking about the rappers from Alaska although some love him immensely and some despise him.

Keeping aside his strong personality which comes off as a negative impression to many, Starbuks can be dubbed as one of the most determined rappers on the Alaska music map.

The rapper has worked with the likes of fellow Alakasan rapper Bishop Slice. The synergy released an influential rap album titled Gold Kingz that made significant rounds in the public domain.

They also dropped an accompanying video with the album titled, I’m From Fairbanks. With the release of the album, Starbuks became successful in imprinting his name on the Alaska rap map.

He released an official music video titled ‘What’s In Ur Head’ featuring fellow Alaskan rapper Tayy Tarantino in 2019. The song describing police brutality in urban America has amassed over 16K views on YouTube.

Bishop Slice has evolved as an outstanding rapper in the Alaska rapping industry. His music career was cut short after getting incarcerated for years. Nonetheless, Bishop Slice has been on a non-stop grind after the release.

The rapper didn’t waste a time and honed his skills when he was behind the bars. He was quite famous for spitting rhymes when he was at the Fairbanks Correctional Center.

After the release, it was no looking back for the rapper. Correspondingly, the locals of Alaska, as well as people from his hometown Fairbanks, showered him with immense love and support.

The Alaskan rapper is approachable across social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, his Facebook is almost dormant at this point in time.

Whereas his Instagram account is private with over 2K followers. In contrast, Bishop is religiously active on Twitter with 814 followers as of February 2023.

The rapper has attached the link to his apple music account on the bios on Instagram and Twitter. You can listen to him by clicking on the link.

He released a single titled ‘The Untamable Tongue.’ in September 2017. One of his most popular songs MV for ‘Bankstown’ featuring Lee Jones and E-Grit on YouTube has amassed 29K views to date. 

Joker The Bailbondsman is the first artist to get noticed outside of Alaska. In fact, he is the first one to start getting featured with prominent rappers. 

To sum it up, Joker has made history as the first of many things in the scenario of Alaska’s rapping history. No doubt, he has contributed a lot to the hip-hop industry.

There is a story behind how Joker went on to have a stage name Joker The Bailbondsman. He was earning a lot of money from selling substances even before Joker stepped into the rapping industry.

It was one fine day when the rapper and his friends were watching TV and a commercial for Fred’s Bail Bonding came up on the screen. All of them were high and at that moment the rapper thought how cool it would be if Joker could be his bail bondsman.

Joker’s friends liked the idea and since then he has been going with the name. The rapper added The Bailbondsman in his late teens.

He was into music from an early age. The rapper wanted to make his career in the music industry and showed affinity from his early years too.

It was in 1997, Joker, Sullivan, and Maurice King launched a music label named Inlet City Records. It wasn’t an instant thought but it was something they had been planning to do for the longest time.

He was living the best life until Joker was taken behind the bars for trying to sell crack to an undercover agent. His rapping career was on a hiatus while he was incarcerated.

The rapper spent over eight years in prison for the distribution of crack which he isn’t proud of. However, he hasn’t let his past mistake take over him. Joker learns from his mistakes and tries to be better every day.

He even started the “16 Bar Bucket Challenge” on Facebook after his return from prison. It didn’t take long for the rapper to cope with the technology and social media.

Although he is inactive in the industry, his contributions will always be remembered and decorated, and his presence is still felt to this day.

Regardless of Joker’s absence from the rapping scene because of his incarceration, he has still managed to accomplish more than most rappers out of Alaska.

Bay Dilla is also one of the rappers from Alaska one can look up to.  The rapper has taken over where fellow rapper Joker The Bailbondsman left after going behind the bars.

Dilla in fact took the bar to another level. Never in Alaska’s history had anyone seen anything as noteworthy as the synergy of Bay Dilla and Out Da Cutt Entertainment label.

The rapper was able to accomplish huge achievements than anyone before him; however, he had those days of hardships more than an average person. Regardless of going through tough times, Dilla withstood the turbulent times like a warrior.

Born on August 29, 1980, in Rochester, New York, the rapper’s early life appeared unstable and destined for an unhappy ending. Dilla was born as the eldest of five children to an 18-year-old mother and a 31-year-old father. 

The rapper’s father hustled a lot whereas his mother was addicted to substances. As his mother was unavailable most of the time all five of the children were forced to move to Anchorage, Alaska to live with their grandmother.

Dilla was obliged to work on the streets to make ends meet as they were limited to a small amount of money.

Bay and his cousins made it to their dream of emerging as music artists after narrowly breaking free from legal issues. Nonetheless, they forged their name as the first ones to put out a gangsta rap in the state.

The rapper was highly influenced by artists like Easy-E, Bun B, Jadakiss, and E-40. They reminded him of the fact that one can achieve success regardless of tough times.

In nearly no time, the rapper had risen to the competition level of the notable Alaska rapper Joker The BailBonds Man. However, the rivalry didn’t last long and they became friends.

Joker helped them in many ways including helping Dilla’s cousin to loop beats. The rapper and his friends went by a group named Dem Villenz. They dropped 3 CDs which acquired significant appraisal.

In 2002, Dem Villenz packed their bags and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Dilla returned to Alaska as their stay in Georgia was short-lived.

It was 2003 when Dilla made great steps in his music career. The rapper launched a recording studio named ‘Out the Cutt Ent.’ He also started a promotional company with the same name.

Dilla has had the privilege of working with the likes of notable names in the hip-hop industry including Kia Shine, Sean Paul of the Youngbloodz, Bun B., and more.

Correspondingly, he has been featured in various magazines including the ‘Patiently Waiting’ section of the Ozone magazine, and more until February 21, 2023.

He has released various songs on the web so far and two of his songs ‘Thats My Hood’ and They Know have stockpiled 2.2 million and over 1 million views on YouTube respectively.