It may not be one of the hotspots for hip-hop, but there’s no doubt that Seattle is continuously bringing us some of the dopest up-and-coming rappers of today. One of them being Allen Deshae, a young hustler making waves in the PNW for his clever wordplay and dynamic delivery.
Allen Deshae is not about that typical modern hip-hop that focuses on partying, women, and materialism. Instead, he consistently lays down meaningful lyricism completed with a seemingly effortless delivery. It doesn’t get much realer in the PNW than Allen Deshae.
The proof is in his latest album, ‘Stalemate’ which released June 17th of this year. The songs on this album, which Deshae counts more as an EP/mixtape, were recorded over a span of the past five years. Five years that were some of the hardest years of the Seattle rappers life, going through multiple deaths in the family, and struggling to stay afloat. He credits this project and music in general to saving his life.
“Writing and recording became my coping mechanism. I truly believe that I wouldn’t be here today if I wasn’t making music. I wrote myself out of this really dark place in my mind.”
Allen Deshae
‘Stalemate’ is Allen Deshae’s most vulnerable project to date. He reflects on childhood and teenage experiences, and his early adult years. Through this, Deshae has truly found his voice and purpose.
“I realized that I have been working for a long time and was overthinking about wanting to put out a “perfect” body of work. People who had been supportive of my music really pushed me and kept telling me they were looking forward to hearing more.”
Allen Deshae
Allen Deshae rides hard for Seattle and its underground hip-hop scene
Although Deshae says he’s more introvert than extrovert, he stays involved and supportive to the underground music scene in Seattle. He grabs inspiration from Seattle’s boom bap influences and lyrical focus that many local artists present. You can catch him at local shows (when COVID-19 allows) going hard to different genres of underground artists.
“Some local artists that I’m a fan of and think everyone should know about are BIG JONE$, Bryce Bowden, Tre’ Ross, Tavion., MUNDY, and DAVE BYRD to name a few. And honestly, all of the artists that were at the Seattle Sessions are artists that the city should know about and deserve bigger audiences.”
Allen Deshae
He continues to speak Seattle Sessions, stating “Being able to meet and work with everyone there pushed me to grow as an artist. It gave me such an energy high being in the studio with so much talent. Shoutout Chase Fade for putting it together!”
What’s coming next for Allen Deshae
Deshae will be dropping visuals and merchandise for ‘Stalemate’ in the near future. Though he doesn’t have any features on this recent project, he plans to collaborate with other artists on upcoming work. Allen Deshae informs us, “As for another project, I don’t plan on waiting so long this time. I feel like I have some catching up to do but I was able to make some cool connections at the Seattle Sessions. I’ve been working with new people over the last almost 2 years and done some more growing as a person & artist. My catalog of music has grown and my sound has evolved. I definitely plan on releasing more music in the near future!”
“Seattle also has a really rich alternative rock history with bands like Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam being formed here. I’m hoping to tap into that sound more too.”
Allen Deshae
Allen Deshae is easily one of the most promising young hip-hop artists out of Seattle. Make sure to follow him on socials to stay up-to-date with what’s coming next.