Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s ‘impromptu boogie’ with Seattle rapper draws public safety criticism

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s dance moves are making headlines.

You may have seen the video on Instagram, originally posted by Seattle rapper Y2K. Wilson stands next to him at a sports field and bobs to his anthemic track “SEA.” Her team called it an “impromptu boogie” and explained she’d met the up-and-coming artist at a Seattle Somali Week soccer game. But some are concerned about the message it sends.

A source pointed to a video posted the same day as the post with the mayor: a teaser video for an upcoming release called “New Bae” where Y2K raps along with masked collaborators who flash guns and reference drugs.

Another video for “My Dawgy” shows someone pointing a handgun directly at the screen. Some of the lines from the song are: “In the field trying to catch them with that nine,” “No you don’t see me with nobody unless it’s my n*****s,” and “Got that switch up on that glock, got the power of like five n*****s.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by dubseamusic (@dubseamusic)

A switch is a device that turns a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon. They are illegal under local and federal laws, but law enforcement continues to recover them during arrests and searches.

One was recovered after the Bite of Seattle shooting, where police believe rival gang-affiliated groups started shooting at each other. Three people died, including a 19-year-old believed to be one of the shooters. The other shooter, police say, was a 15-year-old who was disarmed during the melee and arrested. There may be more suspects that haven’t been described publicly.

This year, Seattle has grappled with repeated high-profile shootings involving teenagers, including the murders of two Rainier Beach High School students who were shot at a bus stop outside their school just after class. A teenager from Renton was eventually arrested in that case. The family of Tra’veiah Houfmuse, one of the victims, has filed a claim against Seattle Public Schools (SPS), accusing the district of not following a safety plan designed to protect him.

Two years ago, 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine was killed in a shooting outside Garfield High School at lunchtime. Investigators believed he was trying to break up a fight.

In previous conversations, nonprofit and community leaders have repeatedly pointed to perceived slights or rivalries between individuals and groups that boil over into confrontations. Some of that starts at school, they say. And the seemingly unprecedented availability of guns for teenagers who want them is a deadly combination.

On Instagram, Y2K showed at least one performance at a school in Seattle. SPS did not comment on his references to guns in his music or online.

“Seattle Public Schools can confirm that Y2K made a brief appearance at Cleveland High School on June 9 as part of end-of-year celebrations. The artist’s appearance was free. No district or school funds were used,” an emailed statement read. It is our understanding that the artist was vetted and delivered a positively received performance. Y2K is a Seattle-based artist with a strong local following and is familiar to many young people in our community.”

A closer listen to the original song from the video with the mayor reveals references to rivalries and guns, too: “a nineteen in my North Face jacket,” an apparent reference to the Glock-19 handgun that’s popular for concealed carry. At that point in the music video, someone opens their jacket and flashes a gun at the screen.

The song also has its own choreographed dance. Part of it includes covering your face like you are crying, and then miming shooting at the camera. The full dance wasn’t included in the video with the mayor, but it is in other posts.

Negative comments started to stack up on the post

“Wow, is this the public safety plan?” one comment read.

“Annnnnd she just RECALLED,” another comment stated.

“Not the move.”

“Mayor’s social media team let this happen? Is her whole team a bunch of kids doing their first paying job?” an additional comment asked.

It prompted Y2K to post yet another video, again on Instagram, defending the mayor.

“It was an innocent video. Just to make an ‘SEA’ video for community,” Y2K said. “People turn a fun moment into a negative moment. I don’t know why, what’s wrong with y’all. I get you can have your own opinion about somebody. But she was actually in the community, actually with us and supporting us and being a part of us celebrating us. I lived in Seattle my whole life, and I’ve never seen a mayor do that.”

The interim communications director for Mayor Wilson said the mayor is not part of an official music video and is not working with Y2K.

“I’ve learned this was an impromptu boogie,” Wilson’s communications director said in a statement. “Mayor Wilson did not know the person beyond meeting them that evening. The event aimed to promote unity, celebrate diversity, and uplift underserved communities through positive programming and leadership opportunities.”

The mayor’s team added that appearing in the video isn’t an endorsement of the rapper’s message or other content, even though the mayor’s official account was tagged in the video and it liked the post.

I showed the video to people in leadership positions at five nonprofits dedicated to youth violence interruption, diversion, or re-entry efforts. All wanted to be anonymous because they receive funding from the City of Seattle or King County.

“No, it’s not a good example. Who are you standing for?” said one. “It sounds like there’s no diversity in that office.”

The city and the school district have increasingly put resources toward protecting young people.

In the aftermath of Amarr Murphy-Paine’s death, Seattle Public Schools doubled the number of safety and security specialists. This summer, the new superintendent proposed adding specialized weapon detectors.

The City of Seattle has devoted millions of dollars to community-based solutions to youth violence, including $15 million in September 2025 and an additional $14.7 million under Mayor Katie Wilson in March that would go to interrupting cycles of violence, including school-based safety services and violence intervention.

“My team and I have spent time grieving with victims’ families, connecting with community members, and talking about the changes that we need to make as a city,” Wilson said in a press release when that funding was announced. “We have to do better for our kids. Hope alone is not enough—our responsibility is to turn hope into action. My job is to do everything I can to make our communities safer and give every young person in Seattle the chance to grow up free from the fear of gun violence.”

Read more of Jillian Raftery’s stories here.