KNoWTe sat down with Stereotype Co to share his story and discuss his latest single 'Unchecked'.

How did you get your name?

From my mom! I started this music journey back in 2015/2016 making instrumentals and beats. However, my beats would be built melody first, or the "notes." Once I got into a space where I wanted to share my works with my family and the world, my mom suggested that I call myself "Notes" for this reason. I knew however, this name would not be enough to stand out. So I decided to break the word down even further. Changing "No" to "Know" and adding the "-te" from the word "note" which ultimate created the name "KNoWTe" you see today.

How did you get into creating?

I've always been drawn to creativity. It was my safe space from a young age. However, it ultimately ended up being my Dad who got me into wanting to pursue music as an artist. In his teens and early 20's, he pursued a music career under the name "PHD," which stood for "Poetry, Highly, Dangerous." However, when he had me, he had to choose between pursuing an unstable career in music, or hang it up and take the stable office job to support his growing family. He picked the office job, which I admire him much for doing as he made sure me and my siblings had what we needed to thrive. But he never got rid of his equipment. So when I got older and found I was being drawn to writing/recording music, he allowed me to use his equipment to create my first bodies of work.

Where are you from?

I grew up primarily in a small town in New Hampshire called Pelham. After graduating High School I made my way to Hartford, Connecticut for college, which is where my music career truly began. After college I lived in the Bronx, and now I'm in Jersey City.

How did growing up in your neighborhood/city affect you?

I am biracial. My father is black, my mother is white. The thing was though, the town in New Hampshire I grew up in had little to no other people of color. So I was constantly bullied and harrassed for being the mixed kid in a primarily white neighborhood. My skintone, the way I spoke, my hair, was all foreign to them. As a kid I didn't understand why I was being targetted. But as an adult looking back, there was a prejudice for sure against my family and I for being one of the few black families in the suburbs.

What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?

I went to college at the University of Hartford and pursued a career in Audio Engineering. This taught me everything I needed to know to be able to mix, master and professionally record all my music.

Plus, the college had a free state of the art studio that was open to any students. I lived in there all my 4 years learning everything I could. Recording myself and other artists. Doing this also allowed me to build a network which helped me get on shows and build a small base early in my career.

What does your current setup look like?

My setup now is a home studio which sits at the opposite side of my bedroom. My setup consists of my MacBook Pro with Fruity Loops loaded. I then record all my vocals using Blue Bluebird SL into my Scarlett Solo, a home studio staple. For mixing/monitoring I got my AKG K240's as my headphones and then I got my Genelec 8010A's as my speakers. I highly recommend these for any small home setup as they are small, but pack a punch and give you a quality reference when mixing.

Who inspires you?

It's not one single person that inspires me. It's my family in general that inspires me to keep going. This being a musician/creator thing can eat at you. My family keeps me grounded and reminds me why I'm doing this all in the first place. I'm extremely family oriented, which makes sense why I call my supporters the "Worthy Family" as each and every one of them truly become family to me.

What is your goal when you create?

My goal is often times to top myself from the last record I created. If the song is not on par or better than the last song I created, then I won't put it out. It creates this internal competition that I enjoy as I want to become better and better.

Why do you create?

I create because I was once the lost kid with nowhere to go but to the words of the artists/musicians who made me feel heard and at home. If I can do that for someone else with the words I say, then my whole existence in this industry is justified to me.

How has choosing your creative path affected your life?

It's affected my life greatly. Becoming "KNoWTe" the in your face, high-energy, alternative hip-hop artist has opened so many doors for me and has allowed me to grow as a person. As I mentioned before, I grew up being bullied just for being me. This created a complex where I became afraid to be myself. KNoWTe has no fear when handed a mic, a stage, and a crowd to entertain. I've gained a level of confidence people gravitate to and want to be around. Being KNoWTe has shown me that to make the impact you want to make in the world, don't minimize yourself. Be your truest, rawest, most authentic self and be proud of that person. Then soon you'll find the people who truly love you for you.

Did you have to overcome any obstacles along the way?

Tons! As an alternative hip-hop artist I was often tossed on a variety of bills when I first started booking shows. I would be on the hardest of hip-hop bills with extremely lyrical street or drill artists. Then next I would be on a bill with indie rock bands or screamo bands. People didn't know how to categorize me as I blend both sides of the alt hip-hop coin. So it became tough finding the right crowd who would truly get the most out of what I am contributing to the music industry. Over time after doing what feels like hundreds of shows, driving nearly 6 hours to some of them, I began to find my niche in this world.

But I'll never forget the days of being on bills supporting Dave East or Cam'ron and here I come with a whole new energy and the crowd goes nuts because they haven't seen someone like me before.

What's your go-to song right now and why is it important to you?

Personally, my go-to song is my most recent release "Unchecked." The reason being is because it's me finally letting loose and being my truest most authentic self.

If you're asking what's my go to song I listen to, it varies on the given week. But these days it's the uncut record from Linkin Park's Meteora album, "Lost." I'll always miss Chester.

What is your dream as an artist and what steps are you taking to reach your dream?

My dream is to one day sell out MSG with a sea of people I know I've impacted in a positive way. Right now, I'm playing every show like it's my last and making sure each and every person who takes a listen to what I have to say, knows how special they are to me.

What would you tell someone else with a dream?

It's going to be difficult. But it will be worth it. Win or lose, you'll be able to say to yourself that you gave it your all to make your dreams come true. Which is more than what most people can say, so being willing to chase your dream is something worth being proud of.

Tell us about your most recent release

Unchecked is my favorite track that I've released! And I've released a lot of music since 2016!

Released on May 26th, 2023, It's my first rock inspired track! It combines all of your favorite elements of the early 2000's rock era when Linkin Park and System of a Down ruled the airwaves, with the modern hip-hop elements from artists like J.I.D and Joyner Lucas.

Killer guitar, a chorus you won't be able to resist head banging to, and verses that would grab your attention the whole way through as it tells a story with an infectious rhyme scheme.

It was a pleasure putting together this record with the one and only Matty Beats (@mattybeatsmusic on TikTok). He did his thing on the production of the record!

You will love it if your a fan of Hip-Hop, but never truly left your rock phase from when you were younger. It's the perfect blend and I can't wait to play it live all summer!

Listen to 'Unchecked'

https://open.spotify.com/track/7IKViKBbXHUHSsYqQtkfY1?si=3833d4dfc4d441a9

Connect

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowte_worthy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/knowte_worthy

Facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/knowtemusic/