Meet Tang Sauce: The Jazz-Loving Rapper Reviving Hartford’s Hip-Hop Scene
Discover the story of Tang Sauce, a Hartford-born rapper blending jazz, hip-hop, and positivity. From cornet lessons to the theater stage, his journey is both inspiring and unique.
Jul 22, 20257.1K Shares231.6K Views
Biography
John Manselle‑Young, who goes by Tang Sauce, was born on August 24, 1991, in Hartford, Connecticut, a city he still calls home. His parents are Joe Young, a cartoonist and filmmaker, and Leslie Manselle. He grew up with two brothers and a sister.
From around age eleven, he learned to play the cornet, and later picked up guitar and piano in high school. He studied jazz music and tap dance through Hartford’s Artist Collective and played in the Youth Jazz Ensemble. He also joined the jazz band at Manchester High School, where he graduated.
While attending Capital Community College, he developed his skills in dancing, rapping, and acting. He was inspired by hip‑hop artists like Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Will Smith, and Nick Cannon, and performance legends like Sidney Poitier and Lee Morgan. After watching the dance film You Got Served, he took breakdancing seriously and started performing in theater productions such as The Wiz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and A Raisin in the Sun.
His artistic name “Tang Sauce” began to take shape around 2010, inspired by a nickname from friends referencing the Wu‑Tang Clan and his personal flair. Early in his career, he performed local shows in Hartford, blending jazz‑inspired beats with positive hip‑hop, often compared to pioneers like KRS‑One and Wu‑Tang Clan.
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