Maccniph

Gangsta Leene

Maccniph is a Sacramento-based rapper who first recorded as Gangsta Leene, a name he still uses on his YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp pages. He describes himself as a descendant and active member of the Pit River Nation of Northern California, and his artist profiles say he was born in San Francisco's Mission District and raised between the mountains of Northern California and the cities of the Central Valley. He calls himself the top Native American underground rap artist on the West Coast, and records under his own Native Savage Entertainment banner.

The Smokehouse

In the early 2000s he ran a home studio in the Karuk housing in Yreka that he and his friends called the Smokehouse Studios. That is where Frizzo, back from Michigan with a Korg Electribe and a rhyme book, started recording with him. They cut songs and put tapes out in the neighborhood, including “Summatime,” credited to Frizzo & Gangsta Leene. Another of their songs, “When We See You,” was #1 on MySpace's Michigan rap chart in December 2005.

THEM NDNZ

Maccniph is the first cousin of Sacramento rapper Foe Loco, of Brotha Lynch Hung's Locced 2 The Brain crew, and the two record together as THEM NDNZ. Their tracks include “Real Loc's” and “Medusa,” distributed through The Orchard. His credits also include Foe Loco's “Crime Payz,” Bigg Q Getts' Mayor of Highville and DJ Loot's Cali Fire Vol. 6 compilation.

Still active

Unlike many of the artists he came up with, Maccniph never stopped. He keeps releasing music on his own, including “ZipperZ,” “Almost Heaven” and “Tha DOSO,” and works as a songwriter and vocalist for other artists.