Utopian Knights
With over three decades of hip hop experience, Utopian Knights blends boom bap, sharp lyricism, social commentary, and artistic freedom. We explore the philosophy behind THE4EVANOW and beyond.
1. Utopian Knights draws from more than 30 years of boom bap, battle rap, B-boy lyricism, and underground hip hop. Looking back, what first pulled you into hip hop, and what has kept that passion alive for more than three decades?
After so many years being a fan of Hip Hop, it’s hard to access the memory of what first pulled me into my appreciation of the genre. I can say that over the decades of its existence, Hip Hop as an artwork has been a mainstay in my life. Lyricism, creativity, the passing on of blues, jazz, funk and all other genres that form an artistic algamation has been a consistent inspiration to me. Inconsider myself a lover of the arts, and Hip hop definitely touches on all pillars of artistry.
The same thing that draws me to the genre is the same thing that keeps the passion alive within me. As a creative, it’s second nature to embrace and interlopate the many influences and unearth new sounds or ideas to push further for myself and the artform as a whole.
2. You describe Utopian Knights as a movement built around “beats and rhymes,” with strong underground aesthetics and social commentary. What does the Utopian Knights philosophy represent to you, and what do you want listeners to discover beneath the surface of the music?
The Utopian Knights presents a pathway to artistic and self-exploration. Of course, there are songs where it’s just strictly Hip Hop for the sake of it. But the messages of self-actualization, transcendence and social commentary is the crux that hardens back to my love of artists like BDP and Public Enemy. Having a lens that goes deeper than the surface is where I think the albums are cemented as pieces of art.
The weight of cuts like “Superior Race” “The Conversation” and ” Drapetomania” makes those albums more than just rap albums. I want the audience to hear and connect as individuals and become inspired to make a change in their personal life, or the world. Or, if possible, those songs can play as affirmations to those who are looking to connect with a feeling that they haven’t been able to articulate.
3. Your music seems to exist somewhere between the past, present, and future of hip hop. How do you balance respect for the golden-era sound with your desire to keep evolving as an emcee and producer?
I approach creating music as a painter approaches their craft. The tools stay they same but the artist grows and matures. I never leave behind the influences when creating something new. Also, I stay open to the ideas that may stray from what is the norm, because my work is not imitation. My work is 100% an artistic journey that I am free to explore musicality in anyway I chose with Hip Hop as my fundamental ground zero.
4. Battle rap and lyricism are important elements of your approach. In an era where hip hop can often be driven by trends and commercial formulas, what does real lyricism mean to you, and what makes an MC truly stand out?
Real lyricism to me delves into the ability to intelligibly create rhymes that capture the listener. Enthrall them. Inspires them. But, art is subjective. And there are so many artists who connect to people in so many different ways. I tend to connect to the artists that have the ability to weave in and out of Hip Hops tropes. Definitive identities who leave a lasting impression by pushing the boundaries of what’s expected.
5. You are currently carrying Utopian Knights as a solitary movement, handling both the emcee and production sides. How has working independently shaped your creative process, and do you find being responsible for both sides of the music liberating or challenging?
Working independently in this nature has been incredibly freeing because it allows me to fully delve into my creative spirit. I’ve worked with incredible producers on my past projects, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. With THE4EVANOW, I had the opportunity to fully dive into my identity as artist. No confines and an absolute freedom to explore the whims of my creativity are on full display. This was the mindset I started from so may years ago. It’s a blessing to be able to come back to it.
6. Looking at this latest release, what were you trying to express through the music, and how would you describe its atmosphere to someone who asks the impossible question: “What’s the mood?” Also, what does the future hold for Utopian Knights?
THE4EVANOW is ultimately about the freedom to fall into what makes you “you”. It’s a homecoming album for me. I get to reconnect to my younger self and we get to go off and take the listener on that journey with us. It’s fun and funky and energetic and poignant. It’s all of these things and the can also be seen as none of them. The beauty is, i don’t give a f what anyone thinks because I’m now creating to appease an audience of one. Everybody else is invited, but the journey will have to be your own. The listener will have to connect to the “mood” themselves.
This year, I’ve released two full length albums with Invincible Summer and THE4EVANOW. I’m looking to end this creative burst with a third full length album entitled “alien” which delves into self-exploration and the true toll it takes to continue moving towards a life of self-acceptance and transcendence. It’s darker and deeper and I think what’s been written so far will have a perfect juxtaposition to the celebratory feel of THE4EVANOW.