Knowshun

Why did you choose the name Knowshun? My name is an acronym for a principle that I live by daily: K.nowing N.ecessary O.mniscience W.arrants S.uperiority H.aving U.nlimited N.irvana. Framing my music and my life by this goal, I strive to search for the knowledge that will bring me wisdom, which will lead to an understanding of what actions are necessary to succeed. How long have you been rapping for and how long have you been producing? I’ve been writing rhymes on a serious level for about eight years and producing on a serious level for about six of those eight. The earliest workings of my rhyme-writing and concepts began in 2000. I started freestyling in 2001 but didn’t take either seriously until I graduated high school in 2005. I started toying with the concept of making beats in 2003 because I didn’t like how much producers were charging, so I decided to do it all on my own. From 2004 until now, I’ve been sharpening my mind, speed, and concepts by entering countless battles. What sets you apart from other rappers? I consider myself to be an emcee that is true to Hip-Hop. I’m not in this for the fame, women, or lifestyle. I do this because I love to do this. My serious material is meant to inspire minds to keep moving despite any obstacle holding them back. Conceptually speaking, a lot of my songs are designed to help those dealing with thoughts, struggles, and pain that the average rapper doesn’t generally touch on. Lyrically, I try to be as creative as I can within reason. I try to exceed my previous accomplishments and the bars set by those that came before me to keep Hip-Hop evolving. Depth, diction, and diversity are three words I can say set my lyrics apart from other rappers. I have rhyme schemes, punchlines, concepts, stories, and I’m versed in all facets of the genre. Tell us about your first EP a bit. My first EP, “The Half-Empty Looking-Glass” was produced, written, and recorded in 2006 but I decided not to release it until 2012. My reasoning was that I wanted to promote myself as a freestyler and a battler to bring more attention to myself and build connections before I released anything. The Half-Empty Looking Glass is a collection of tracks inspired by my dreams at the time of the creation process. During the first dream I had, I looked in the mirror and any thought I had came to fruition. When I woke up, only half of the things I dreamed actually happened. The Half-Empty Looking Glass is about the half that people never see; the half of a person’s perception and perspective that no one can know when they meet someone for the first time. In short, “I have spread my dreams at your feet, tread softly, for you tread on my dreams” William B. Yeats. What inspires you to write? A lot of my material comes from freestyling. It breathes life into a lot of my projects. I often build off the ideas I come up with during a freestyle to make a complete connection with the beat. I sometimes just freestyle to brainstorm, generating lyrics until I can come up with a semi-formed concept or direction. If I have a direction before I start to write, I focus on it and let it guide me to a whole concept. I do research and read up on concepts if necessary, but it is rare for me to write about things I don’t already know. I take inspiration from many places outside of just freestyling. I take inspiration from books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, dreams I’ve had, conversations I’ve been a part of, and most importantly, the life experiences that have gotten me to this point. What sets you a part as a producer? Diversity. I can produce darker, grimy East-coast sample-based beats. I can produce dirty South synth/808-based beats. I can make beats that people can tell stories on or just rap about their lives to. The biggest compliment I get is the amazement people get from hearing the musical scope of the things I’ve produced. The better the sample-based beat is, the less recognizable the original sample becomes. I have been known to blend styles and genres in order to create unique beats that suit a variety of styles and techniques. My completely original beats are something I try to add personal flair to, since I see them as an opportunity to distinguish myself from my peers in this industry. KNOWSHUN is a true lyricist and producer. Chicago born, His music paints his journeys to light from the darkness. Hardcore, Conscious Rap.