Monday, February 08, 2010

The Journey to Hip-Hop...Milwaukee: Scott Knoxx

Scott Knoxx is a local figure in Milwaukee who's titles seem to be almost neverending. He is a rapper, DJ, Club Owner, and many more. But for him, it's about the music and its memories that give him the reason to do what he does. I was blessed to have the opportunity to speak with Scott regarding his history and so much more. Read up!

Talk about your first memories of music, especially Hip-Hop. What was the exact moment in time where you said "This is what I want to do"?

Scott Knoxx: My furthest memories go back to me & my neighbor sitting on the curb, listening to RUN DMC. I was pretending to be DMC and he’d Run. I also remember battling my brother in the kitchen while we cleaned up. I use to ask teachers to rap in front of class if we had down time, because Hip-Hop is something I’ve always loved from day one!


Being a figure in the Milwaukee scene, talk about some of your history in Milwaukee. What life experiences shaped your world view and helped shape your subject matter in your songs?

Scott Knoxx: I’m born & raised in Milwaukee, and didn’t know anything else until I was about 17, but music has always been my escape. I recall when I was about 8 or 9 years old, we stayed in a middle class neighborhood. After my parents split, we moved to Sherman Park, which is where I became a man. Life over there was different; I learned a lot from my hood, that’s why I think the folks in Milwaukee feel me, because I can tell the same experiences, so they can live through me.

What are some of your thoughts on the Hip-Hop scene in Milwaukee? What makes it unique?

Scott Knoxx: We really do Hip-Hop because we love to do Hip-Hop. If you rap here and people know who you are, it’s because your grind is crazy. There’s no strong radio presence here that’s supports home, just the streets and the club DJ’s, so that’s how you got to make your name. I run the #1 club in the city (Texture Night Club) so even if you don’t know I rap, you know who I am. I show love to the rappers from my hometown, so if you’re hot in the 414, then you’ve performed at my spot!

Talk about your discography here. What projects have you released and what makes each one its own body of work?

Scott Knoxx: I’ve done a ton of mixtapes, which can be found on datpiff.com, such as “Live from the Animal House”, “Independence Day”, “HoodFellas”, “Record Breaker Radio,” and so on. Independently I’ve released “Miltown Millionaire” and moved over 25,000 copies out of the trunk of my car. I’ve finally finished my new album, “Gorilla Monsoon: Miltown Millionaire Vol. 2”. I really wanted to establish the Animal House, since they showed me a lot of love and gave me a lot of heat. This album feels bigger, the music feels bigger, the songs are deeper, and it was done over a 2 year span. So it’s all over the place, But I feel like it’s the best project I’ve done to date. I’m also in the middle of recording a group project with Money B from Digital Underground M*A*S*K (Money B And Scott Knoxx) This is jus t one hell of a project, because we got DJ Premier Ras Kass, and Rhymefest just to name a few…. But recording wit Money B is just plain fun, and the music is always good!

Say you were showing a person around Milwaukee and its different locales for Hip-Hop. Which places to you are worth frequenting?

Scott Knoxx: Some of my favorites are Pak’s Jewelers, Envisions Clothing Store, Disc Man CD Store, and Live Wire Music. These are jus the spots that we frequent, and then a couple clubs, because I have tp show them how my Record Breaker DJ Fam run the clubs here!

Anything else you'd like to tell the folks out there?

Scott Knoxx: You can check me out here:
http://www.facebook.com/scottknoxx
http://www.twitter.com/scottknoxx
http://www.moneyb.net/


Scott Knoxx - Tonight



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