KNOC-TURN'AL  (May 2011) | Interviewer Justin Melo

..........................................................................................

Interview was done in May 2011

Questions Asked By: Justin Melo

Dubcnn: The album starts off with the title track, “Knoc’s Ville” featuring One-2 and produced by J-Beam.

Knoc-turn’al: I’ve always given my affiliated artists a chance to shine on my albums. I had L.A. Confidential with me in 2002 and 2004 and now I have Treacherous Records and MathMadix Entertainment. That’s something [worked with new artists] I’ve been doing my entire career, and something I will continue to do because I have that much love for my coast.

What I mean of course is the guest verse from One-2 of Treacherous Records and this song is produced by J-Beam from MathMadix. J-Beam did the majority of Tash’s last album. This is a good introduction to both of these guys and I really believe they shined on the opening track.


Dubcnn: Where Have You Been.

Knoc-turn’al: “Knoc-turn’al, where in the fuck have you been?” (laughs). That’s something I hear a lot when I’m seen in public. When are you coming out with a new album? Where did you go? I disappeared into my bat cave to get my life together and although I’m sorry to my fans, I needed to do that to keep my family together. I was on the road and missing birthdays and everything. I have two children from my wife. This is a real melodic beat produced by MG that I think all Knoc-turn’al fans will agree fits my style to a tee. It’s a nice album cut.


Dubcnn: Amen

Knoc-turn’al: This is some grimeier, street shit. The beat bangs hard and I’m spitting on here. Sometimes people classify me as a hook crooner but I like to show that I can do both. I feel like I can spit with the best of them and I think I prove that on here. When The Source put me in there magazine, they compared me to Nas and called me a “New York” emcee. That’s because they saw the backpacker in me. This one is produced by 51-50. I had to get some shit off my chest. “They blamed it on the drank, huh? That wasn’t it, I wrote a lot of Dre hits off a fifth.” A lot of people like to talk about me and say certain things, but I don’t have any habits that I didn’t have when I helped write 2001. I had to put that out there because people say I have a drinking problem and that’s why I disappeared, but that’s not true. Dr. Dre will tell you that!


Dubcnn: Mind Yourself

Knoc-turn’al: I love this record right there. This is Komplex on the beat and DJ Wizard came up with the scratch hook that uses some of my old songs like The Knoc, The Way I Am & L.A. Nite-n-Day. Wizard came up with this brilliant hook and Komplex made a real melodic beat around it. Again, this one fits my laid back style and flow perfectly. This is one of my favorites.


Dubcnn: Half Way Loved You

Knoc-turn’al: I love this record right there. This is Komplex on the beat and DJ Wizard came up with the scratch hook that uses some of my old songs like The Knoc, The Way I Am & L.A. Nite-n-Day. Wizard came up with this brilliant hook and Komplex made a real melodic beat around it. Again, this one fits my laid back style and flow perfectly. This is one of my favorites.


Dubcnn: Theme Music

Knoc-turn’al: This track was produced by DJ Battlecat’s brother, Blaqthoven. I know Blaqthoven is working with Dr. Dre right now so that’s a good look. I’m not gonna’ front, we did this track a few years back but it’s never been released on anything. I feel very strongly about this cut so I decided to use it on the album.


Dubcnn: Gangsta Lean

Knoc-turn’al: The album version is slightly different than the version that was leaked and used on DJ AK’s album. There are some vocal adjustments that are very obvious. DJ AK is brilliant, that’s my dude out in France. I just did one verse on this track but it was a vicious verse. I let DJ AK take over after that on the talk box. This is a classical west coast sounding track; an anthem at that.


Dubcnn: Sorry I Left You

Knoc-turn’al: We leaked this track a while ago but I know it’s been a fan favorite since the day it came out. That’s Komplex on the beat and I feel like this song was the beginning of my return, so it was only right to go ahead and include it on the album.


Dubcnn: Drop That Lame

Knoc-turn’al: This is the introduction to my brother Jaguar. Komplex did the beat. I feel like me and Komplex have excellent chemistry together. We know what one another likes and I comfortably go on record saying Komplex is the best up and coming producer not just on the west coast, but in the game right now. Again, Jaguar is an artist I’ve taken under my wing and he’s learning quickly. He’s improved drastically over the last few months.


Dubcnn: I've Been Here For Years

Knoc-turn’al: This was the last track we did for the album. I felt that it wasn’t right to not have Crooked I on the album. That’s my Long Beach homie and label mate over at Treacherous. I want to congratulate him on the Shady deal and all of the success with Slaughterhouse. He’s come a long way and he deserves it, because not too many emcees can go toe to toe with Crooked. I’m glad to have so many tracks with him. The legendary Big Hollis produced this track and his artist James Elizabeth is also featured to give it a different flavor.


Dubcnn: OOOOO-WEEEE

Knoc-turn’al: This is an auto-tune inspired record produced by Komplex. But don’t get it twisted; I’m clowning auto-tune on here; that’s why I switch back and forth between auto-tune and my actual voice. Honestly, I wish I got a chance to release this before Jay-Z released “D.O.A” because I did it before him. But it’s all good, that’s the east coast homie so it’s all love. I’m flirting with the idea of shooting a video to this.


Dubcnn: Can We Do Our Thing

Knoc-turn’al: This is more for the ladies but it’s very west coast. Komplex produced it once again and I just feel like it’s a nice overall joint that flows perfectly after “OOOO-WEEE.”


Dubcnn: Let Go

Knoc-turn’al: People are gonna’ think Dr. Dre or Scott Storch produced this west coast club banger once they hear it. I’m sure all my fans and west coast fans in general are gonna’ love this one. It’s a pure west coast club record at its finest. I’m very melodic on here singing the hook and the verses go hard.


Dubcnn: Sorry I Left You Remix

Knoc-turn’al: I wanted to re-introduce this record by creating a classic remix to it and I’m extremely confident in saying we achieved that. This is “Let’s All Roll” part two right there; a classic west coast posse cut. I went out and grabbed three of the hardest west coast emcees to come rock with me on here; that’s Jayo Felony, Yukmouth & Sly Boogy. I’ve known all three of these guys for well over a decade so it was all love. This is gonna’ be on your iPods ten years from now!


Dubcnn: Im Back

Knoc-turn’al: Just like I started the album, I end it with One-2 and J-Beam. What better way to end the album with officially closing the book on my comeback project? This is a dope song.


Dubcnn: Thanks for this Knoc. Do you have any last words or final statements? Shout outs?

Knoc-turn’al: First off, a big thank you goes out to Dubcnn for supporting me from the beginning, and continuing to support me today. Thanks to Tico, Mickey, Justin, Jonathan, Chad, Sabrina, Hoopla Media Group, Urbanista Graphix, LRT, Universal and all of the artists and producers who rocked with me on here. I wanna’ thank Dr. Dre for giving me a career in the first place; I’d probably be dead or in jail if it wasn’t for him.

To all of my fans, thanks for your patience and continued support. I promise I will never go away for that long again. You may actually get sick of me I’m planning on releasing so much music (laughs). We have “The Book of Knoc” coming soon, and we’ve actually already began shooting music videos for it. You can never prepare too early.


Go out and support “Knoc’s Ville” here: iTunes

Advertisement

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................