Kony Brooks Interview | Respect the Artist
How did you get your Artist name?
In high school, I used to battle rap in my neighborhood. I was doing a tag team battle with someone who's name was "Pony", which stood for Prince of New York. One of my rebuttals were "If you're calling him prince then I'm the King". People instantly said Kony. I took the idea back to my group of people that I was creating music with at the time and it just fit.
How did you get into creating?
It started as a writing project in the first grade. My older brother was a DJ and producer. He would always sample my video games for beats or just be practicing at home. I would always hear that rap is poetry around the house. For this poetry project, I wrote a rap verse. I wanted to get his approval and he hated it (LOL). That's when I challenged myself to continue creating, which caused me to fall in love with the culture.
Where are you from?
I'm from the Bronx, New York.
What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?
I went to a program during high school that taught the basics of Hip Hop, songwriting, performance, and recording. From there I ran through as many cyphers and showcases that the city had to offer.
What does your current setup look like?
I have a home recording set up. I use a MacBook Air with an M-audio interface and Sterling mic.
Who inspires you?
My biggest musical inspiration is Notorious BIG. From writing schemes and concepts to just overall being comfortable in my skin, BIG showed me it was cool to have flaws.
What is your goal when you create?
My biggest goal while creating is to remembered as one of the greatest to ever do it. I want to be a legend as far as Hip Hop goes.
What's your go-to song right now?
I'm on a throwback wave right now lol. Lloyd Banks "Karma".
What is your dream as an artist?
To travel the world and truly leave my mark with the music I make.
What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream?: I would tell them not to quit and don't let anyone dictate the terms of your dream. No handouts, go out and grind for it daily until your heart says enough is enough.
Tell us about your most recent release: My most recent release is my single "Ghetto Gospel" featuring fellow Bronx heavyweight Haddy Racks. It was a really dope collaboration. We were able to really put pain on wax and give you a view of the world from where we're from.
Share a link to your most recent release: http://open.spotify.com/album/1kEZC4n05qUnGjw626ZZzL
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