Exclusive Interview with 'KNOWTE'

KNoWTe is an upcoming Hip-Hop/Rap artist from Southern New Hampshire, but he is now pushing to conquer NYC after earning his degree in Audio Engineering at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Independent artist KNoWTe has been compared to early Childish Gambino, J.I.D., Hopsin, and many of his musical influences, including NF, Dizzy Wright, and futuristic.
KNoWTe started his career in 2014 by writing and performing spoken word poetry. In 2016, he recorded the music he had written and performed. His musical writing still reflects these poetic influences today. Combining subtle story telling with intricate rhyme schemes while maintaining a unique energy and style. KNoWTe takes pride in making each song and performance special for the viewer and listener. Creating music that is both about them and a window into his own life.
Since he began his musical career, he has released two albums, an EP, and a number of singles. The most notable album was “20/20,” which gave him the opportunity to support Cam’ron in Hartford, Connecticut, on The Webster Main Stage. Since then, he’s been creating new music and establishing “Worthy Productions,” an independent record label and artist development group that features other incredible alternative musical acts!

He most recently released “Trust The Process,” his biggest album to date, on July 8th, drawing inspiration from these sources. He delved deeply into every emotion that came with being an artist, post-college graduation in a post-pandemic world, with a production cycle of almost two years. examining issues like self-doubt, fear, hope, love, anxiety, and most importantly, believing in your vision. Check out the album and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

KNOWTE: First off, thank you for this interview! Extremely excited to chat with you! I’m originally from Pelham, a small town in New Hampshire in the Northeast United States. Music was always part of my life. Growing up my Dad was an independent artist too, so when I transitioned from poetry to Music at the age of 16, his equipment that he used way back when was my first set of equipment. From there I moved to Hartford Connecticut, which is where my musical journey really started to take off! Eventually, life took me to Jersey City, New Jersey, which is where I live now.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

KNOWTE: Self taught! Like I said, music has always been a part of me. I can’t just listen to a song, I study the song and then try to see how I can take that influence and make it my own.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘KNOWTE’?

KNOWTE: Twenty One Pilots is one of my biggest inspirations and main reasons why I finally made the leap to get into music. Specifically, it was their song Car Radio that did it for me. I felt heard, I felt safe, I felt at home. I realized from that point on, I wanted to give that same voice to the next generation. To this day, I keep their performance philosophy. Don’t just perform for the people who came to see you, perform for the people who work at the venue that see musicians all the time, perform for the people that didn’t come to see you. If you can get them to become interested in you, you know you won. I got my name from my mom actually. When I started making music I used to make my own instrumentals before I started working with producers. When I would make my beats, I would start with the melody, or “notes.” From there I wanted to play with the spelling to make it unique and was deep in this mindstate of expanding your knowledge base. From there I took the “n-o” from “note” and replaced it with “k-n-o-w.” And that’s how the name “KNoWTe” was born!

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

KNOWTE: It’s hard to pinpoint one word that describes my sound, however I would describe myself as an alternative hip-hop artist. I think the key elements in my music that resonate with my listeners stem from my poetic roots. I write from a real place, real emotions, I don’t trend chase. I got into this music thing to give back to the artform that gave me a home when I felt I had none. And I think people can feel that in every line I write.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as HIPHOP?
**KNOWTE:**
This is a great question! As I said in one of the earlier questions, Twenty One Pilots was one of my biggest initial influences. I started off rapping by memorizing Car Radio. From there I transitioned to more typical rap artists like Joyner Lucas, Dizzy Wright, Logic, Hopsin, Eminem, NF and Futuristic. Studying each of their styles, strengths, weaknesses, cadence, rhyme schemes. I would write remixes to their most popular instrumentals to hone my skills, eventually developing a style of my own.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

KNOWTE:

I think music speaks where words cannot. I know that can be an oxymoron coming from a “hip-hop/rap” artist who obviously uses lyrics to convey their message. But how the words are laid out in combination with the tapestry that is the instrumental, allow it to hit a certain part inside us all that makes us stop and reevaluate life. I think it’s incredibly important that music continues to play this role in society. I do touch on political, cultural, and spiritual aspects all the time in my songs. I used to be afraid out of fear of someone being offended by my opinion. But I’ve learned to accept that it’s okay because that’s the point of music. To spark the conversation either with ourselves or with others to come to a conclusion.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

KNOWTE:

I always want more, mostly because I expect so much of myself. However, I’m learning to live in the moment and appreciate the times where someone would walk up to me and say, “your music inspired me to chase my dreams.” Those moments are the whole reason I got into music, so the fact I’ve had that impact on at least one person this early in my career, I feel pretty fulfilled.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

KNOWTE:

My creative process happens over time. I think in concepts. A concept will hit me, I will write it down and then add story points within the concept. The mood, the chorus, or maybe key lines I want to build everything to. From there I dive deep into any and all instrumentals I may have on file and see which one fits the concept or vibe I’m looking to create. Once I find one, I just write until I can’t write anymore. Once the idea is completely fleshed out, I revise to see how I can make it better. Through this process I work with several different producers and people in my circle to get their take. Eventually, after trial and error a song is born!

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

KNOWTE: I would say balance. Breaking into this industry isn’t easy, especially now. The entertainment/music/influencer market has become so accessible that everyone is fighting for attention. It’s easy to get lost in it cause you never want to be the last one to a trend, you want to be a trend setter. However, in this process it’s very easy to quickly lose yourself and neglect the people around you. Either your family, friends, spouse, ect. They are your rock, so my advice to anyone trying to make it, lean on the people around you to keep you grounded. That’s what makes you human, and that’s how you will last. It’s going to be a long journey, don’t burn yourself out.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

KNOWTE: I would say my first ever headlining show! To see so many people out in the audience singing my lyrics back to me and having a great time will always be a surreal experience. Someone even asked for my autograph and said this has inspired them to keep going with their dreams! It was the single most proud moment of my career thus far, and I hope to continue to make this type of impact moving forward!