By Yuriy Andriyashchuk
Hip-HopVibe.com Staff Writer
For quite some time, the West Coast has gotten its props in hip hop and been fairly represented. Most people think of LA, but it was actually the Bay Area that was the first West Coast area to pop off. Since then, nearly every area has a bubbling hip hop scene.
The West Coast is still mostly California, for the time being, but there is a movement in Portland, and in Washington State. There has been some moderate success from Seattle, but Washington is more than just one city. In Yakima, there are two guys making it happen.
Bonaphied is a two man crew that is making some noise. Over the summer, they released their single, “Strip Club,” to much fanfare, and it’s still making noise. The two recently took time out to speak with the HHV team about all they have going on.
Read the entire interview below:
Why do you think the hip hop scene in Washington State has yet to blow up, despite Seattle being such a huge city? That’s a tough one. I feel like our state has never had a huge hip hop scene that attracted the music industry. Or it could be that we haven’t hosted any major events that would bring in a different type of audience to our area
Can you talk about some of your influences and how they shape your music? We both are heavily influenced by R&B music. From New Edition all the way up to Chris Brown. Unfortunately the two of us weren’t blessed with amazing vocals. We also are inspired by hip hop artists like Snoop Dogg, Drake, Nas, J. Cole, Lil’ Wayne to name a few. We think by us living in the northwest we were able to appreciate different styles of rap music, which inspired us to be more versatile when it came to creating our sound.
Do you feel like your single, “Strip Club,” is going to be a big hit? Who knows? Lol. We think that it’s a song that could have a huge commercial success in the right markets. It’s a dope record that people will enjoy for years to come.
What do you have coming up to follow that single? We have a club smash, called “Motion,” that’ll definitely reach a lot of sub genres. We also have a tracks like ‘Real Ones” and “Used to be” that so many different types of people can relate to
How would you best describe the “feel good music” that you create? Good vibes. Our music is usually created from having a good time. We’re all about surrounding ourselves with good people with appreciation for life. Turnin’ up, big chillen with the fam, and grinding are the ingredients to “Feel Good Music.”
When do you all intend to drop your next project? We don’t have set date at this time, but we plan to drop a new EP at the end of October for sure.
Watch “Strip Club” by Bonaphied ft. JC below:
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