Today award-winning producer, acclaimed engineer, and burgeoning artist Pi’erre Bourne joins us to discuss his involvement with Pepsi Music Lab‘s Inaugural launch.
Photo Credit: KPShotIt
Canarsie, Brooklyn’s Dusty Locane is is making a name for himself and is only just getting started. Similar to some of his counterparts, Dusty turned to music as a positive alternative to what the streets had to offer. He turned to music out of necessity and has never looked back. Initially Dusty had hoop dreams, but after a few short stints in jail Dusty knew it was time to switch lanes and focus his energy on music. Dusty began by dropping freestyles and started generating buzz, quickly catching the attention of Empire. Today Dusty joins us to share his debut project Untamed which includes gold-certified hits like ““ROLLIN N CONTROLLIN FREESTYLE” which alone has amassed over 200 million streams. Untamed also includes features from Yung Bleu, OBN Jay & Rah Swish. Last week we attended Dusty’s album release at Goldbar and earlier this week we got to sit down with Dusty to discuss his quick rise to fame, his latest project, working with Empire and switching up genres on Untamed. Find out more in our exclusive interview below:
The Knockturnal: How old were you when you first experimented with music? Singing, rapping etc?
Dusty Locane: Around 18-19. That’s when I made my first freestyle with the gang. Just playing around, pulling out Youtube and pulling out beats and we just did freestyles. I would sing to my mother but my go to is rap.
The Knockturnal: What motivated you to try?
Dusty Locane: Back against the wall. Not really having no option outside of it. I just did what I thought could help me and the people around me in a positive way. Because what we were doing thus far was taking us down.
The Knockturnal: Was your family supportive of your career?
Dusty Locane: No. My mother, my father initially were not – they love me to death no matter what we went through and they just didn’t understand and it was a lot for them to take in at first. Gradually they saw I was trying to bring out the positive in this and myself so they were good.
The Knockturnal: I’m sorry to hear about your sister-in-law’s passing, rest in peace, can you talk about the role she played in your music career? I read that she was the one who told you when you were in high school that you’re destined for greatness.
Dusty Locane: My big brother was a smooth criminal, he was always in another situation but she held him down. So to watch how she had to raise the tough one and be behind him and push him out the way made me respect her for that. She never ever kept how she felt from me. If she felt a way she had to let you know then and there. I feel like I adapted that from her. I kept that with me. She was somebody that I could talk to but even when I was scared to talk to her or feel uncomfortable, she would try to start a conversation with me. She was always cool.
The Knockturnal: At what age did you start rapping seriously as a career? What triggered this?
Dusty Locane: 20. I was remanded from doing stuff. I came home and like I said I needed a bag, I couldn’t wait.
The Knockturnal: How did you learn and grow from your stint in jail? From what you’ve said about your time there it seems to be a period of growth for you?
Dusty Locane: Yeah, it was a short period but it definitely gave some light because I’m still fighting some situations but it gave me more of an understanding of how it really goes, like who’s pretending, who’s fake, what’s what. It definitely made me realize what it’s like. I could do anything I put my mind to, nobody could stop me.
The Knockturnal: Who’s another artist in the industry that’s shown you a lot of love or supported your career so far?
Dusty Locane: Yung Bleu, that’s my boy. He reached out to me! I was bumping him before I ever thought about music. Watching him take a liking to what I’ve got going on, I respected that. That’s my dog.
The Knockturnal: What have been the 3 biggest highlights of your career so far?
Dusty Locane: I would say getting signed, being able to take my boys with me from the beginning, not having to worry about anything, and lastly I would say is my recent show in PA, Philly, Penn state showed out. The energy from the show was really receptive and there weren’t any issues and it was just a vibe.
The Knockturnal: How has your experience releasing content gotten better since ganging the Empire team vs. not having a team?
Dusty Locane: Prior to meeting Empire it was me. It was self marketing and knowing if I do this I would get this reaction, playing around with it. Getting a team like Bobby and everybody at Empire was definitely a blessing. It took a lot of weight off my shoulders but at the same time it gave me the freedom to do as I please, having creative control, I believe every artist should have. I’m appreciative for that. This independent work is not a walk in the park, you gotta be ready for the bumps and bruises and just keep pushing.
The Knockturnal: How does it feel to release your album, Untamed?
Dusty Locane: I don’t even like the word album, let’s stick to project. The way we went about it – I was creating music with my team, we didn’t know what order this could be in but we just made some good ass music. We understood that and turned it into a project. This isn’t an album, my album is gonna have a lot more feeling and emotion put into it. This is just the beginning.
The Knockturnal: What is the meaning behind Untamed? And how did you land on that title?
Dusty Locane: At first it was called Life of a 5, that’s when Ghazi pulled up on me, I was having second thoughts and we said a few other names like Undeniable. Then I came up with Untamed. But there was also Undeniable, we thought it could be a second one or third one. But right now I am feeling Untamed. Everything that helped me grow was Untamed. Not allowing anyone to knock me off my path, not being able to easily be manipulated or not being gullible. It is just that word for me holds a lot of meaning and I forever believe I am Untamed.
The Knockturnal: What’s your favorite track off of the project?
Dusty Locane: I don’t know man, they’re like kids to me. You just have to understand the importance of each and every one of them. Everytime I made a track it was in the mood I was in. The feeling and mood I was in is what you got, but if I could say a few it would be, “Rewind,” “Get Money,””Rumble” and “What You Need.”
The Knockturnal: I know you sing in this project, how does it feel to show the world other sides of you?
Dusty Locane: It’s a relief because everybody was under the impression that, that’s all I could do, rap and that I can’t melodize. “Intro 2 Me” did give a little hint of that if you really look at it, but it was so different that they didn’t know what to categorize it as. On the project I got the opportunity let people know I switch lanes and still f*** s*** up regardless.
The Knockturnal: Can we expect more visuals from the project?
Dusty Locane: yes, a lot more. We got “Rewind,” Change You,” “Floss State of Mind”& “What You Need” featuring Yung Bleu.
Inland Empire rapper KingMostWanted is coming for the throne on his latest project Time For The Throne. At only 19, King’s become a hometown hero and gone viral on Tik Tok several times with hits like “In My City” which generated over 15 million cumulative streams and over 1 million Tik Tok creations. The 8PETOWN & Vydia artist puts on for his city and has even collaborated with West Coast artists like AZ Chike, label mate MCM Raymond & KayDaBandit on his latest project. Time For The Throne delivers the hard hitting bangers that King is known for while also showing fans another side of him with emotional tracks like “Couple Questions” & “Always Right.” King recently visited New York for the first time and we had a chance to sit down with him to discuss his latest project, his musical journey, viral fame & opening up in his music. Find out more in our exclusive interview below.
The Knockturnal: How long have you been making music?
KINGMOSTWANTED: I’ve been making music for 2.5 – 3 years.
The Knockturnal: At what age did you start experimenting with music?
KINGMOSTWANTED: When I was 12/13 years old.
The Knockturnal: So who would you say around you kind of encouraged you to try your hand at rapping?
KINGMOSTWANTED: One of the female workers at the juvenile home.
The Knockturnal: Can you elaborate on that a little more?
KINGMOSTWANTED: I was in a juvenile home, rapping with one of the homies and we were talking sh**, and after she came up to me when she was putting me in my room, she was like, ‘hey king you was talking nonsense but like you know how to put the words together and you know how to rhyme well and it was nonsense but that came together really well, you should really try it out, you might be good at it.’ Ever since that I never wrote real songs or recorded anything but I started doing freestyles at school and on the gram.
The Knockturnal: At what point would you say you started actually taking music seriously? As a career?
KINGMOSTWANTED: I started taking music seriously right before I started blowing up so like 16 but like when I first turned 16 in January.
The Knockturnal: How did it feel to get discovered at 17 and start blowing up at such a young age?
KINGMOSTWANTED: It felt good, it felt crazy. It was like d*** this sh** Is happening. I was like this is happening sooner than I thought though, I knew it was going to come but it happened sooner than I thought and faster.
The Knockturnal: Leading up to your later teen years, before you were 16/17, did you have that goal in mind to be an artist?
KINGMOSTWANTED: Not at first, I was just trying to perfect it and find my flow but I was just like I’m going to put music out just for fun. Let the homies hear my sh** and then where I was living at in Victorville when I put my first song out that sh** was doing good Victorville wise. It was everywhere in Victorville.
The Knockturnal: What have been the 3 biggest highlights of your careers so far?
KINGMOSTWANTED: I would have to say when I dropped in my city and it started going viral before I even knew what Tik Tok was or anything it was already going viral. My second would be when I dropped “High Power” and it started going viral even though it got taken down due to clearances that sh** was hitting like a mill a day. And then my third highlight I do not know if it has to relate to fame and music and stuff but when I signed my 3rd or 4th deal for my album and we went to Vegas.
The Knockturnal: How does it feel to go viral? You’ve gone viral around 5 times. Do you feel like it’s a right of passage for artists today?
KINGMOSTWANTED: It felt good, it is one thing to go viral but like you can go viral in a bad way and all my virals have been good as fu**, like oh sh** they fu** with me, from like out of state they are tapping in. Even when I was on the East Coast beat saying I was a “West Side baby,” they were not mad at me because I honestly didn’t even know if they were from the East Coast. The right of passage, I don’t know because I have a couple of homies that are not viral and they have the right of passage, but I guess it just depends where you’re from because certain cities, even in Cali and sh** you do need the right of passage.
The Knockturnal: What was it like working with AZ Chike, Bino?
KINGMOSTWANTED: It was fun, it was a good experience and we went viral so I showed out, we both did.
The Knockturnal: What was it like working DJ Five Venoms?
KINGMOSTWANTED: Working with DJ Five Venoms, that was a different experience, the first like different thing I did with music. I like how he did his thing on the tracks and didn’t even tell me he was doing that I thought he was just hosting it. He did his sh** though.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell me about your latest project?
KINGMOSTWANTED: The title of my album is Time For The Throne. When they listen to it they are going to understand because I really put a lot into that album. One of my favorite songs off of it I would have to say, I always switch it up in every interview so like right now I am going to have to say, “couple questions” that’s one of my favorites. That song is my favorite, because I was taking drugs and getting high and I was like, ‘man I want a different type of high, I want a love high again.’
The Knockturnal: There are some records on the project like “Couple Questions” & “Always Right” that are more emotional how does it feel to tap into your emotions a little bit for this project?
KINGMOSTWANTED: It feels good because I wasn’t like that at first. I didn’t think I could do it, I would always make songs and I would just be like I want to talk about this but I don’t think they are going to hear me and I did it but that’s why I am really proud of this album because I got every feeling and vibe on there.
The Knockturnal: What else can fans expect from you?
KINGMOSTWANTED: They can expect the deluxe from me.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about upcoming visuals? I got a sneak peak of “Hood Star Celebrity,” can you talk about working on that video?
KINGMOSTWANTED: “Hood Star Celebrity,” I was in the studio with Uce, I have a couple of songs with him, a bunch of them actually and he showed me the beat, I don’t know if he showed me or produced it in front of me he does both. I was just in the studio and I always talk about how I want them to remember me even if it does stop like I just want to be remembered, like make my mark. That’s basically what I was talking about but I also was like but I don’t just want to talk about that I want to talk my sh** too.
The Knockturnal: Who would you like to collaborate with?
KINGMOSTWANTED: I get asked this a lot, I really don’t listen to a lot of people that would be accessible right now. I listen to Billie Eilish but just whoever my team brings to me, or my manager and show me or tell me who they think I would sound good with, I would check them out and listen to their music and if we can make it happen, let’s do it.
The Knockturnal: What are some of your favorite tv shows?
KINGMOSTWANTED: My favorite tv shows, it would have to season 2 of Narcos: Mexico, BMF for sure, that just came out but I f*** with it heavy. Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, and all the spin offs to Vampire Diaries, Originals, Legacies, I watch it all.
XXL Freshman Toosii is no newcomer to fame and attention. After moving to Raleigh, North Carolina from his birthplace, Syracuse, New York, he struggled with the transition at first, but over time through sports and the stage he found a place where he belonged. Both Toosii’s father and brother were rappers, and he credits them as being the main reason why he started making music. By 15 Toosii was the youngest member of a group called Vest. Albeit the youngest rapper in the group, Toosii was still one of the best rappers, if not the best and eventually generated his own buzz. After leaving the group, he began to seriously pursue a solo career in music.
Toosii faced many challenges on his road to success, but stayed on his path eventually signing to South Coast Music Group and then subsequently Capitol Records. Recently Toosii released his deluxe project Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation) with features from Latto, Fivio Foreign, Hotboii, Key Glock and many more. In support of his latest project Toosii is also on his first headlining tour, selling out nearly every tour date and upgrading venue sizes to accommodate fans. In addition to his own tour, Toosii’s been killing the festival circuit including Rolling Loud Miami, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Day N Vegas and up next it’s Rolling Loud Los Angeles. Toosii also made XXL’s Freshman list earlier this year and went platinum with his hit “Love Cycle” featuring Summer Walker. It’s safe to say 2021 has been Toosii’s year, but he doesn’t plan on slowing down in the fourth quarter. In our exclusive interview Toosii fills us in on his upcoming project dedicated to the ladies, upcoming collaborations, how he got started in music and his favorite tracks off his latest project.
The Knockturnal: How long have you been making music?
Toosii: I have been taking music seriously for the last 3-4 years.
The Knockturnal: At what age did you start experimenting with music?
Toosii: Probably like 13.
The Knockturnal: Did you have a musical family? Did they support your career?
Toosii: Yes, my brother and my dad were rappers. Yeah, they’re the reason I started making music.
The Knockturnal: When did you know you want to pursue music as a career?
Toosii: Probably like 17 that’s when I found out music is what I wanted to do. When I have 15, I was in a group called Vest. I was the youngest in the group, but I really use to know how to rap. I was probably one of the best rappers in the group at 15 years old. I used to just go to the show and be the young dude who used to get in the show with them. I used to watch them do their thing and it just got to the point where I had a buzz for my name, and they would perform and then bring me on stage, and I would perform with them. My name just started to buzz, and then I ventured out and started to do my own thing and became who I am today. It was just a matter of getting a buzz in the city first.
The Knockturnal: What are the three biggest highlights of your career so far?
Toosi: Going on tour, going platinum, and signing my deal to my major.
The Knockturnal: How does it feel to be a XXL Freshmen?
Toosii: Blessings. It feels good word up. It’s one of those steps you gotta go through to be where you want to be. Not gotta go through, but a lot of greats went through it.
The Knockturnal: How did it feel going platinum with “Love Cycle”?
Toosii: It’s crazy cause I just got my plaque the other day. When I went home, I just got my plaque but it feels good. They say when you get your first plaque, many more start to come. So, I’m just ready for the rest of them to start bubbling.
The Knockturnal: Can you talk about releasing the deluxe for Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation)? What was the inspiration behind the title?
Toosii: The title behind Thank You For Believing came from just the people who helped me get to where I am today. They really pushed me to go harder every day and become who I am. So, this project is just dedicated to the people who helped me get to where I’m at. Thank you for believing in me. It was my first time recording a project in a studio instead of an in-home set up.
The Knockturnal: What’s your favorite track off the project?
Toosii: “Dats Real,” “5’5,” “Greater Storm,” “Icky Vicky.”
The Knockturnal: Why Those songs?
Toosii: “Icky Vicky” there was so much thought behind that, I actually sat and created the beat with the producers and told them exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it to sound as far as the guitar acoustics in the background, I told the guitarist how I wanted it to be played, there was a lot of thought put into it that, that’s why that’s probably one of my favorites and with the whole Toosii Skylark thing.
The Knockturnal: How is the tour going? How does it feel to be back outside and see your fans again?
Toosii: It’s a blessing. It’s a blessing just to see how many people support. I have been going to all of these shows and selling them out. It’s just crazy. The show was sold out. My favorite city so far between DC and Boston. But they all been crazy.
The Knockturnal: What are you currently working on? What do you have on the way?
Toosii: Right now, I’m working on a capsule project called Pretty Girls Love Toosii, it’s going to come out this month. Something short and sweet, nothing too long. Short and simple. Not too many songs. I got a collaboration with Jacquees on it. It’s dedicated to the women.
The Knockturnal: I hear you’re a gamer too! What game you would you want to see your music on?
Toosii: I would love to see my music on Warzone, Call of Duty, Fortnite.
The Knockturnal: What are your thoughts on NFTs and crypto? Do you want to release your own NFT like Tory Lanez did earlier this year?
Toosii: I’ve got some Ethereum and you know what’s crazy Tory’s actually the one who put me on to it. Yes, most definitely we’ll see what happens in the future.
In just few years Manchester rapper Aitch has gone from studying at college to becoming a household name. In the past year alone, Aitch was nominated for a BRIT award and attended the event with Lyor Cohen. In addition to that, he received co-signs from Ed Sheeran, Tay Keith, Stormzy, Stefflon Don, Lewis Capaldi, Skepta, Sam Smith, and more. Aitch also won the MOBO award for “Best New Artist,” is now a platinum certified artist in the U.K. and his breakout single “Rain” was the most viewed video by a UK artist in 2020. Since 2019, Aitch has had 10 songs chart on the UK top 100, hitting the top 10 twice.
By his second year of college, Aitch’s online presence began growing swiftly eventually prompting him to leave, but at this point he wasn’t able to live off of the music alone quite yet. After leaving college he began working as a laborer for his grandfather, but this only lasted a few months. While working for his grandfather, Aitch released his hit single “Straight Rhymez” and most of you know the rest. This release brought Aitch real label attention allowing him to fully take the leap of faith and focus solely on his music. Today Aitch joins us to discuss his journey, success, and latest releases.
Photo Credit: Taylor Oliphant
The Knockturnal: How long have you been making music?
Aitch: I’ve been making music since I was 16.
The Knockturnal: At what age did you start experimenting with music?
Aitch: I started rapping because of scary movies. Because in the movie Scream, Scream’s rapping and we just used to remix that, but I never used to rap out loud, just write and read it. And then one day, I don’t know the day I wish I did, but I put a beat on and I started spitting. I think I was 15 in high school. The first thing I put out was the iPhone video, it got almost half a million views on YouTube, not straight away but over time.
The Knockturnal: Did you have a musical family? Did they support your career?
Aitch: Not necessarily. No one did music. I think my uncle played music for the British army. They are big on listening to music, big music fans. I think I’m the first one to start music. They were supportive from day 1. They were shocked at first like, ‘oh crap you can rap.’ They were happy.
The Knockturnal: You started to gain traction while at university, what was that experience like?
Aitch: I was a little bit used to it. In the UK you do high school then you have an option to go to college. You leave high school at 16. As my video got popular there were people who knew me. It felt good but obviously sometimes it was a bit awkward because I was at a certain level in college, and I was like I shouldn’t be here right now.
The Knockturnal: Who are some of your inspirations?
Aitch: 50 Cent one hundred percent. I went through a phase of being Wiz Khalifa’s number one fan. I went to see him every time he was in Manchester and of course some influences from the UK.
The Knockturnal: What have been the 3 biggest highlights of your career so far?
Aitch: Biggest highlights of my career would be being in the top 2 and being on the remix of Ed Sheeran’s “Take Me Back to London”. I like cheating myself into getting to number one and pushing myself for number two, but also having platinum records and playing shows.
The Knockturnal: How does it feel to get love from people like Ed Sheeran, Tay Keith, Skepta?
Aitch: It’s good. It reassures you that you’re doing something right and seeing people’s opinion whether or not you like it, but you get certain opinions of people who actually matter to you it’s amazing.
The Knockturnal: How did it feel to have the most viewed video by a UK artist in 2020 for “Rain?”
Aitch: That was just good because AJ is my friend, music aside, and it was great to share that experience with him. We knew Rain was going to be a big tune while making it.
The Knockturnal: What was it like collaborating with Subway?
Aitch: If anything, that was one of the highlights of my career. I was looking at my archive a couple days ago on my story to see a picture of me and Subway saying, ‘where’s my deal?’ It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I’ve always liked Subway. I made some sandwiches, fed the people.
The Knockturnal: Can you talk about directing the “Learning Curve” video?
Aitch: That was just a thing when KC pulled up and asked what I wanted to do for this video and I kinda just paced my kitchen and I wrote it all day and got it cracking. That’s the best video I’ve done.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about your new single, “Party Round My Place?”
Aitch: We had the single just sitting and FIFA wanted the single for the new game so we put it on the new FIFA but because we didn’t want people messaging us 24/7 saying, ‘we hear the song on FIFA but it’s not out like where is it at?’ so we just thought we’d shoot a video and put it out. It kind of worked because in the UK, covid was like over. You didn’t have to wear a mask anymore and you could mingle with people, so it made sense.
The Knockturnal: What are you currently working on? What do you have on the way?
Aitch: I’m currently working on my album right now. My albums are coming early in the new year. I have a new single dropping at the very start of the new year.
The Knockturnal: What piece of advice do you have for aspiring artists?
Aitch: Be yourself and don’t take people’s opinions too much. Stick with your gut and don’t take no sh*t.
The Knockturnal: Can you also talk about taking a break from IG and mental health in the music industry?
Aitch: Even for young kids and whatnot you see certain things and it’s sad that you realize that in 10 years that what you tried to be is no more. I did come off Instagram to stop myself from doing that.
Photo Credit: Calvin Schneider
Houston’s own Ken The Man just dropped her latest project What’s My Name? via Asylum Records. The 10-track project pays tribute to her stage name and proving to the world why she really is “The Man.” Approaching this project with a spitfire delivery, KenTheMan isn’t playing any games on this new project.
In our exclusive interview KenTheMan discusses how her interest in poetry sparked her interest in writing music and how growing up she sang in choir but never imagined that she’d one day be a rapper. KenTheMan had planned on being a therapist in the hopes of helping people, but the universe had other plans. While in college Ken began singing in girl groups and rapping. In 2015 Ken began dropping freestyles and in 2017 someone on Twitter challenged her to make an original song and the rest is history. KenTheMan shares with us that when she first created her now popular stage name that she didn’t put much thought into the name, it was just a handle she created to be able to release music. Over time the name began ringing bells and started growing on her, not only that, KenTheMan opens up about her close relationship with her father and how he heavily influenced her perspective on life. Ken was raised by her father and always felt she had the ego of man because she was brought up seeing the world through her father’s eyes. In many ways Ken has always been “The Man” and she reminds her fans of this on her latest project What’s My Name?
In addition to telling us about how she got started in music, Ken also shares what it was like creating her first viral hit “He Be Like” while delivering food for both DoorDash and Uber. KenTheMan is excited to show her fans how she’s leveled up in her latest project and also reflects on what it was like partnering with Asylum for this release. Check out more from our exclusive interview below.
The Knockturnal: How old were you when you started experimenting with music?
KenTheMan: I was 18-19 maybe.
The Knockturnal: I know in the third grade you started out writing poetry. Did you ever imagine it would grow to become what it is now?
KenTheMan: Never because I was in choirs and it was never rap. In third grade I didn’t know I was going to rap but I knew I would do something musical because I enjoy singing and writing.
The Knockturnal: When did you start taking music seriously?
KenTheMan: I would say around 2017. I would freestyle, I was still testing things out. I didn’t know for sure that I could really do it. I just thought it was something fun. I didn’t know it was something I would take as a career until I realized I really like rapping, so I was trying to make original songs. I remember this guy on Twitter who saw my freestyles but was like, ‘can she make a song though? He put me to the test because I made a song, and it went viral too. The first song I ever made, and it went viral.
The Knockturnal: How did you go from studying psych to rapping with your best friend?
KenTheMan: I always wanted to do therapy in some kind of way. I’ve always wanted to help people and I knew I couldn’t do blood and nursing stuff. So, I thought about what was another way to help a person so I wanted to be a therapist because my friends would come to me for advice. I was taking it up in school. I just stumbled on knowing how to rap. It’s like nobody knows when they picked up a pen and was like let me try to write this down and even poetry too. I really can’t tell you what made me just do it, it just came to me.
The Knockturnal: Where does the name Ken the Man come from? I know Kentavia is your name.
KenTheMan: It was a SoundCloud thing. It was when I first put out my freestyles, so Ken wasn’t available, like my actual name so I just put “the man.” It was nothing serious like I created my stage name, it was just something I did to drop music and then the first feature I did this guy said, ‘you go by Ken?’ and I was just like ‘KenTheMan’ because it rang a bell. I just thought about it and people were saying it was dope and they were calling me that anyways. It started growing on me. I always knew that my ego was not that of a woman’s, it was always bigger to me, more masculine and I was raised by my dad, so I was literally brought up through life through a man’s life and feelings of how a man told me how I’m supposed to feel. I just learned everything from him.
The Knockturnal: Is it hard to balance being a parent and a rapper?
KenTheMan: The hardest part is missing him. 2-3 days I have to see him because I miss my baby. I prep him for the weekend. It’s not hard and he’s at the age where he understands that it’s work, and he understands that it’s not neglect. I think it’s a little bit easier that at his age he can make his own stuff. I’m glad we communicate all the time. He picked up on Michael Jackson, I got videos of him moonwalking and he studied it. I had to buy him a hat, jacket and gloves.
The Knockturnal: Has your family been supportive of your career?
KenTheMan: My dad is a very big supporter. He got CDs and put them in his job. I’m all over his Facebook, there’s KenTheMan everywhere.
The Knockturnal: Can you talk about some of your musical influences growing up?
KenTheMan: Growing up I was all over the place with music. I thought my music taste was so weird, I used to have every type of music. I used to burn CDs and my playlist would be all over the place. I feel like my favorite artists, I could say were Eminem, Nicki, Wayne, Tupac, those were my top 4 favorite people.
The Knockturnal: I understand that when you wrote your breakout single “He Be Like” you were working for DoorDash and Uber, tell me what was your headspace like, and did you imagine that, that was the record that would blow you up?
KenTheMan: No, I just knew that delivering in expensive ass neighborhoods was not going to be my career forever. I would put on some beats while doing it because it was a break away job, but when I started DoorDashing it gave me that. I would start writing in my car and put on the beat. I started rapping and it was totally different at first and I just did it. I never thought it was gonna go anywhere. I feel like if I were to write in the car again, I would be deep, deep, deep in my bag. The best things come out when you’re doing nothing in a car. It was a wakeup call for me.
The Knockturnal: What have been the 3 biggest highlights of your career so far?
KenTheMan: I would say everything I did as an individual and an artist. Accomplishing things people told me I would not be able to do without help and I did it, that was a highlight, to chart number 9 on my project and people know me in New York, I go there a couple times a year. The last time I came I had dinner and then a person came up and said, ‘are you KenTheMan?’ and I was like no way. Then signing with Asylum was different, they saw me, and it was cool to be asked what I want and what I’m comfortable with and being able to be a part of something instead of a dictatorship, telling me what to say or do and how to do something. It’s always what’s your favorite song and what you feel, and I like that about Asylum. It’s like we met each other, and it was some way to meet in the middle instead of going all the way. They respect what I’ve done already and appreciate working hard and they give me my credit too.
The Knockturnal: Who has been your favorite collab so far and who do you want to work with?
KenTheMan: My favorite collab I would say is with Kali on the “Aint FWM” song. It was fun because we wrote it together. I would like to collaborate with Summer Walker, Jhene Aiko, and Lil Baby.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about What’s My Name? The meaning behind the title and your favorite tracks?
KenTheMan: The meaning behind the title was about me being arrogant and cocky because people are always asking me what’s my name like why the name. It’s such a staple piece in my life for some reason. In the tracklist I wanted to prove why my name is what it is so I feel like I gave a different delivery. I would say my favorite tracks are “Love Yourself” because it’s deep. I love “Onnat” because I’m freaky. I am embarrassed to let people hear it because I feel like they judge me. It’s me but don’t be taking it home with you. Then I would say “Rose Gold Striper Pole.” I never walk away with stuff I don’t like, I have favorites, but I don’t ever just walk away.
The Knockturnal: How was the process different putting out a project with Asylum vs. independently?
KenTheMan: I didn’t bother them; I sent my project to them and they didn’t really have to do anything. We just went and recorded it. It’s so much better to have people helping. It lets us do our jobs instead of everybody’s job.
The Knockturnal: How does it feel to release your debut project with Asylum?
KenTheMan: It feels great. I felt happy. I’m ready to do new music. This is not even a fraction of what’s about to go down I was just ready to let it go. I started focusing on other songs and once I focused on them, I started really liking them. I really just create new things the way I like. I want to see what other things I can make and I’m ready to make more music. They make me feel so good in what I do, and they understand me, they don’t tell me to calm down.
The Knockturnal: What else are you currently working on?
KenTheMan: I want the fans to know that I’m very appreciative always for my crazy mind and where I take my music, they run it up and they are supportive of me telling me it’s a 10/10. So, shout out to them they’re the reason why I keep doing music. I want to put out a deluxe and I definitely want to do a remix, a big one.
Photo Credit: Calvin Schneider
Recently cannabis lifestyle and apparel brand GUMBO hosted its first New York pop up and midnight brunch.
Recently New York City gathered at Terminal 5 for the illustrious LegendsNFT launch party.
Recently HDBeenDope hosted a listening party in New York City to celebrate his latest project.
Friends and fans gathered at Daily Paper’s Flagship store in New York City to celebrate HDBeenDope’s newest collaborative project, produced entirely by Earl On The Beat, titled Side A: The Preface. Excitement and good vibes were in the air as everyone showed out to support HD’s latest release. The event featured complimentary cocktails courtesy of D’usse, Millhouse NYC was on the ones and twos and Goldie Harris hosted the intimate the affair. Everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great night especially when HD took center stage and started playing his project for everyone. It was clear from HD’s performance just how much thought and care he put into it. We event got to catch up with HD at the end of the night regarding his new project.
The Brooklyn native’s latest project Side A: The Preface is a 4-track EP with features from Roc Nation artists Maeta and Landstrip Chip. HD views this project as just the beginning and wants this project to serve as his introduction to the world. In addition to releasing the new project HD also dropped a new music video for his track “Hold It Down” featuring Landstrip Chip. Not only did HD drop a new project he also performed at Rolling Loud at the end of last month and just finished up a college tour. Find out what else Hd had to say in our exclusive interview below:
The Knockturnal: At what age did you start experimenting with music?
HDBeenDope: I probably started fucking with music at about 9. That’s when I got introduced to 50 Cent.That was like the start of it. I started writing raps in this little book that I got that my third grade teacher gave me. She said I was a good writer. She gave us a journal.
The Knockturnal: How important do you think it is to be a good writer if you want to be an artist?
HDBeenDope: I feel like at the core of this music shit, people need sh*t that they’re going to feel. But the core, the shit that’s really going to last and stick with you, the writing got to be something. They have to be saying something that makes you feel something. Give me feelings, that’s necessary.
The Knockturnal: What would you say are the three biggest highlights of your career so far?
HDBeenDope: Definitely first 10,000 views on Youtube. First show in Paris, and the first time I made some sh*t that I was really proud of. Like it meant something to me.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell me about your new project? How important is it to have people you know and love on this project?
HDBeenDope: This project was different in a sense that everything was about getting uncomfortable. Normally I’m making all the beats and mixing and doing everything inside my bedroom. I wanted to get with a producer because one it’s forcing me outside of my comfort. I’m not the one who is behind the board the whole time. I’m not in control. I’m giving up control to someone, so that was different. Then being around my friends and making music was different. I normally make all my songs in my bedroom, finish them and then it goes out and the people around me say oh word ok that came out. This was the first time I was making music and playing it for my friends.
The Knockturnal: Who are some music influences?
HDBeenDope: 50 cent was the start, then Lil Wayne, and then J. Cole.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell me the meaning behind the title of your project Side A: The Preface?
HDBeenDope: This is the beginning, this is what is going to introduce me to the world. This is the one to do that and put the footsteps down.
Get to know rapper Eighty8.
Miami based artist Eighty8 signed with Cash Money in 2020, but his musical journey began long before then. As a child Eighty8 was heavily inspired by his Jamaican and Haitian heritage and music. Growing up in Miami, also allowed Eighty8 to be exposed to a variety of cultures and music. At the age of 3 Eighty8 would spend hours watching VHS tapes of Michael Jackson while singing along. Eventually his interest in music grew and he began performing at talent shows and pep rallies before joining R&B group 4th & Ocean and signing to Warner Bros. Records. Following the group’s disbanding Eighty8 continued to pursue his passion for music and even went viral with his hit single “Pree.” In 2020 Eighty8 caught the attention of Cash Money Records and joined it’s roster.
Eighty8 fuses R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop and island music to create a truly new and innovative sound that transcends genres. He cites Tupac, Biggie, Chris Brown, Buju Banton and Jeezy as his biggest musical influences and has worked with artists like Usher and Betty Wright. Recently Eighty8 released new visuals for his single “HIT” as well as a visual mixtape teaser of what fans can expect from him in the near future. Find out more about Eighty8 by checking out our exclusive interview below.
The Knockturnal: When did you first start experimenting with music?
Eighty8: As far as I remember, because my mom always tells me the story, I was pretty young, but she says that I was kinda obsessed with Michael Jackson videos and sitting in front of the TV watching music videos. She knew I could sing by the age of 3. I was holding notes, you know when kids sing along to songs. She knew. I knew later on in middle school and that was when I was like I want to do this.
The Knockturnal: Can you talk about your Haitian and Jamaican roots and how that influences your music?
Eighty8: My mom is Haitian and my dad is Jamaican. That mix alone is crazy. My mom was Haitian so I grew up with predominantly Haitian heritage. My mom always kept me in touch with my Jamaican roots, and being from MiamI it’s a big mixture of cultures down there. I was never too far away from stuff and I grew up with a mixture of music. It wasn’t one sort of sound, I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music.
The Knockturnal: How old were you when you started taking music seriously as a career?
Eighty8: At first it was football, when I was 10 or 11 going into middle school and doing a couple of talent shows. It was just a hobby and I knew I was good at it. I always loved it but it wasn’t really something I wanted to do until I got to see Chris Brown and then this was something I could do. From there I linked up with some dude who was supposed to get me into the studio. He never got me in the studio but I never got the bug off me, so I kept bugging my mom until I found my way and I got into high school and it’s been a wrap since then.
The Knockturnal: How did it feel to be part of R&B group 4th & Ocean while you were a teenager?
Eighty8: It was dope because of all the experiences. Being in the studio long hours and doing what it takes to do a great song or a song that everyone likes, learning how to perform. Touring for the first time and meeting executives. It was really the hook, I was able to experience it for a bit and never turned back. Before I got in the group I was with one of my childhood friends and we were always working in the studio. It was always a mixture of R&B and rap when I got in the group. It was what was needed and I’m a team player and did what was needed at the time. Musically, growing up from North Miami, the west side, our music always had the influence of singing and a street type of vibe. It wasn’t really a pivot, it was really like a thing where I was holding myself back. I was just doing what we needed to do to get there.
The Knockturnal: What have been the biggest highlights of your career so far?
Eighty8: For one, signing to Cash Money. Two, getting with my team just because we were able to accomplish a lot independently and now we are able to take it to another level. Those are kind of the highlights from me, as far as what music is right now. There’s a couple things I want to put in there like my record called ‘girlfriend’ getting on the radio but I wanted to keep it big.
The Knockturnal: How did it feel to sign with Cash Money?
Eighty8: It was amazing to be real. It feels right, me and my team didn’t want to do anything that felt like it wasn’t going to go anywhere. It felt right and it feels good to be on the same label with the top 3 right now, Nicki, Drake, and Wayne. The most valuable thing that I’ve learned from signing the Cash Money team was to be very humble.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about “HIT?” What was it like making your Cash Money debut?
Eighty8: “HIT” is an introduction record, it just gave an introduction of who I am and what made me who I am and what my sound is and how I flow through stuff. There’s going to be a lot more of that and I’m about to have a lot of fun with it. That’s why I think “HIT” is a record that gives you a proper introduction into what I am.
The Knockturnal: Is this a preview of upcoming music? I remember some of these songs from your performance. Is Trilly Wonka out already right?
Eighty8: “Trilly Wonka” isnt released yet. All the records that you heard are going to be on the mixtape. We definitely wanted to make sure that once people were interested and engaged they would be interested in listening to more. There are going to be some more records but we haven’t really figured out a tracklist yet.
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about what else you’re currently working on?
Eighty8: Before the new year we are dropping a tape. I gotta get to work and finalize the name. But right now I’m just making some music that would actually touch the world and make people feel something because a lot of stuff right now is regular and no disrespect to nobody. Just something to stand out. So that’s what I’m here doing you know cracking out my brand and my
team and right now we are just working on some new music. We got some freestyles coming out though. We are definitely here working.