Knytro's been on our radar for a little while now, and with his unique choice to practice the relatively American music of Hip Hop across the pond had gotten us wondering, who is Knytro? We talked to him about what he's been up to over the past year and where he's going to next…
EARMILK: Hey Knytro! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Real quick, can you do a quick introduction of yourself for us?
KNYTRO:What's poppin' EARMILK! The name is Knytro, the K is silent like the D in Django.
EM:So we heard that you’ve moved from the US to the UK, what prompted the change in location?
K: I just wanted to expand my horizons really, I thought it better to tackle this music of mine outside of my American comfort zone.
EM:How has the UK changed your rap? Many artists I’ve talked to look to the US for hip hop innovation, but what does the UK have that has helped you grow?
K: The UK hasn't changed my rap per-say, because the things I rap about could've happened in Siberia somewhere in the depths of my mind. Though being here now I feel more connected with my roots; that being Jamaica.
EM: Who would you say are your biggest inspirations?
K: Many of my biggest inspirations have all past away, but if I were to choose a few today I would say: ONYX, Talib Kweli, Nas, Mos Def, DJPremier, ATCQ And the rest should be easy enough to figure out from there ;)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01yUzXQctcM[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSztF78vJIc[/youtube]
EM: Where do you see rap and hip hop as a whole going this year?
K: I see rap as a mediocre form of hip hop, but as a whole, together this is definitely the year of the sleeping giants, We're awakening.
EM: What have been some of your favorite shows (that you’ve played) so far?
To me, every show is a favorite show, but the one that's stuck in my head forever was at the Nest in Dalston, That night I saw the tight crowd explode after High Frequency and I dropped "Still Standing" live! Even the ladies in the front row were fighting for a feature.
On a random note, can you tell us a bit about how you came up with your name?
Long story short It all started as "Killa Nitro" at the age of 13, then went onto transition into "K"- N – "Y"- T-R-O dropping off the "Killa" and taking on the form of a Knight in Nitroglycerin, in time it grew to form the full meaning over the years listed below:
Knowledge
Navigated (by)
Yesterday's
Truth
Respect (&)
Originality
What can we expect from you in 2014?
Expect the unexpected Of course, I'm taking hiphop home with me this year,.. Please believe.
Thanks Knytro for talking to us! Make sure to check out his most recent lyric video (posted below), as well as his most recent LP, Project Harpoon out via iTunes.
