Breakdown FM: The Knox Fam-Destroy to Build

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Davey D

The Knox Fam consists of Seattle Hip Hop mainstays, Julie C, and Jermz from the super group Alpha P and well known producer DJ B-Girl. They came together to not only drop a nice album, but to also add to a serious community movement that the city’s Hip hop community has been sparking.

Breakdown FM: The Knox Fam-Destroy to Build

by Davey D

Click Link below to Listen to Knox Fam interview

Listen to Breakdown FM Interview of the Knox Fam

The Knox Fam

The Knox Fam consists of Seattle Hip Hop mainstays, Julie C, and Jermz from the super group Alpha P and well known producer DJ B-Girl. They came together to not only drop a nice album, but to also add to a serious community movement that the city’s Hip hop community has been sparking.

In other words Knox Fam are not simply rappers who are looking for commercial airplay or BET love. Sure, they’ll take it if offered. And they are more than talented to deserve it. However, what stands out first and foremost for the group is that they are community activists and organizers who are part of a larger more vibrant scene. Its not good enough to just flow on the mic. Nowadays many of the city’s heads are knee deep involved with some sort of organization or project. Maybe its 206 Zulu which has one of the larger and more exciting annual celebrations. Maybe its Hip Hop Congress which has Seattle as it the site of its conference later this year (July 29-Aug2). Maybe its community outlets like Umojafest Peace Center or B-Girl Bench. Whatever the case for many in Seattle, Hip Hop is beyond music and the Knox Fam personifies that.

DJ B-Girl

During our interview we kicked things off by talking with DJ B-Girl about the Seattle sound which has come along long ways since the early Sir Mix-A-Lot days. She explained that her production skillz and the Knox Fam has added to the underground sound as defined by stellar names like Vitamin D, Jake One, Blue Scholars and Gabriel Tedros to name a few.

We spoke with Jermz about the influence his two female counterparts Julie C and B-Girl have had on him. In an industry that is often criticized for being too male dominated, Jermz explained that the two forced him to step up his game and become more polished. He also talked about how he has built upon life experiences and reflect them in his rhymes. You’re not likely to hear him rhyming for the sake of riddling.

Later in the interview Julie C and B-Girl spoke about the strong presence of women in the Seattle scene. Julie C noted that many, including herself had been flowing and getting busy long before it became a trendy thing to focus on.. DJ B-Girl rattled off a long list of female emcees ranging from Canary Sing to Beloved One to Toni Hill who is featured on the Knox Fam Ep. There were so many names of people who who are putting out dope material there’s no excuse to not have a female on the ticket of any Hip Hop show. If you can’t find someone go to Seattle cause they rolling extra deep.

During the interview Julie C expanded upon the community projects that the group is committed to including the Hip Hop Congress Goes Platinum project which is a innovative fund raising tool for the organization.

She also talked about the concept behind the groups’ name Knox Fam. She said it was inspired by the movie Natural Born Killers and that the Knox Fam understands they have to Destroy to Build. In this case they are about breaking the chains and challenging the long held notions and paradigms that in many ways has stifled Hip Hop and communities in general.

For example, we talked about the fact that the album took more than a year to make… Once upon a time that was the norm. People took their time and perfected their craft. Nowadays in the days of instant gratification, people step in a studio literally freestyle an album in 10 minutes and put out half ass material. DJ B-Girl noted it was important to take time to do things right. For her its not just producing and editing, but also getting the business aspect correct. The Knox Fam is on an independent B-Girl media label.

Julie C added that the group did not want to compromise or shortchange their community activities. In fact if anything the community involvement helped make the group and album more accountable to the communities they wanna speak to..

All in all the Knox Fam EP is just a the start of great things to come from this talented trio from the Emerald City. Currently they are on tour and in keeping true to their words, their tour involvedthem connecting and building with local community centers. Julie C described it as a homecoming of sorts..

Click Link Below to listen to Knox Fam Interview

Listen to Breakdown FM Interview of the Knox Fam

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/breakdown-fm-the-knox-fam-destroy-to-build/

I've Been Listening To... The Knox Family, Jay $tay Paid, and Beats Antique

I've Been Listening To... The Knox Family, Jay $tay Paid, and Beats Antique
By Jonathan Cunningham in I Heard This
Wednesday, May. 20 2009 @ 2:02PM



One of the discs I've been listening to the most over the past week is the new Knox Family EP from Seattle's hip-hop clique of the same name. Comprised of MC's Jerm and Julie C with DJing and production being handled by B-Girl Mia, the trio recently put a solid 10 track EP that's as funny and clever as it is street savvy and honest. They spent roughly a year piecing it together and the finished product is definitely worth listening to and supporting. While there's three skits and seven songs on the disc, if I had to choose a favorite it would be "Boots Laced," with its outer galaxy style production and E-40esque vocals from Jerm. Toni Hill and Rufio add vocals on various tracks as well. Head to Knox Family's site for more info on the EP.



I'd almost forgotten that there was a new J-Dilla release coming out this spring from the late, great producer. I got a press release about it in February saying that Pete Rock and Ma Dukes (AKA Dilla's mom) were curating a project called Jay Stay Paid full of unreleased and rare Dilla beats. There's a number of guest MCs on the project: Black Thought, Raekwon, Frank N Dank, Blu, Phat Kat, etc., but publicity on the album hasn't been that high. But when Seattle DJs Top Spin and Marc Sense recently let me know that they're throwing a release party for the album at Chop Suey on May 31st and sent me an advance, I got excited all over again. Check out the sampler above for snippets of the album.



Everything about the new self-titled Beats Antique album reminds me of Morocco, Spain, Argentina, and the Chicago World Fair of 1925 at the same time. It's a fun disc full of rare groove, Middle Eastern influences, and electronic wankery that's makes for perfect lounge music.

The Knox Family Gets Animated

By Jonathan Cunningham in Free Stuff, Music Video

Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 10:17AM

In this week's issue of the Weekly, there's a mini feature on local hip-hop group, the Knox Family, who just put out their self-titled EP and are having a release party for it tomorrow night at Chop Suey. The group is getting a lot of good feedback on the project and anyone looking for a fun hip-hop event to check out on Saturday night should go and support the trio.

Interestingly enough, local musicians Mark Oi and Andrew Miller have a hilarious hobby that I've been meaning to write about for awhile now — and here's my chance. They make mini animated films (while they're totally baked no doubt) just for fun, but the hand-drawn sketches that they make, which they later turn into animated films are really good. The series is called Porch Jams. This week, they made a 1:46 skit dedicated to the Knox Family and you've got to watch it to believe it. It's full of comedy and good music — two things that the world needs more of so take a quick break and check it out.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2009/05/the_knox_family_gets_animated.php

The Knox Family: Natural Born Thrillers

This hip-hop trio’s out to crush the box you put them in.

By Jonathan Cunningham

Published on May 19, 2009 at 9:14pm

Photo by Marshall Reid

Details:

Knox Family CD release party With Black Stax, Black Aries, Razpy and the Vigilantes. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. $8 adv./$10 DOS. 8 p.m. Sat., May 23.

Musicians can sometimes be too quick to box themselves into categories. Sometimes that's a record label's doing, other times it's just mental laziness. But if you're not trying to conform to industry standards and are lucky enough to be on a local label that understands you, why not have fun and smash all the boxes you can?

That's a question MCs Jerm and Julie C started asking themselves a year ago when they formed the Knox Family along with local producer/label head DJ B-Girl. Although all three are involved in various other projects—Jerm also fronts Helladope, while Julie C works with Hip-Hop Congress/206 Zulu and DJ B-Girl heads an indie-media company—they found time to record songs together with the intent of challenging the expectations of Seattle's hip-hop audience.

"We want to change the boxes that have been created around the genres within hip-hop," says Julie C. "We're trying to break down certain paradigms, but also not be too preachy about it either."

She and her crew spent the last year slow-cooking a new album entitled Knox Family EP, which hits local stores this week. The disc contains seven songs and three skits that touch on the fun side of hip-hop through witty rhyming patterns and laid-back, almost hyphy-like West Coast production. But it also delves into the darker side of having to hustle to pay the rent in Seattle. "Boots Laced" bluntly sidesteps bling and bravado, speaking honestly from the perspective of two broke rappers trying to make it, while"These Streets" talks about local policies affecting communities of color.

"Some of our tracks aren't exactly 'Kumbaya' or peaceful," Julie C says. "They're more about 'This is what's going on in the streets, from the Central District to the South End or wherever, and this is why.'"

The trio takes the name Knox Family from Mickey and Mallory Knox of the film Natural Born Killers. "We feel like we're naturally born to kill the game," Julie C adds. "We're trying to actively shape the next phases of hip-hop through our music, and this EP is a big part of it."

jcunningham@seattleweekly.com

Knox Fam at Tost on Saturday, May 16th!

We'll be at Tost this Saturday courtesy of West Coast Prophets. Whole show is hosted by Grynch. There's gonna be Wizdom, the Knox Family and more! If you don't know where Tost is, it's in Fremont next to the High Dive (literally a couple doors down). So come through and have a drink and help us hype the crowd up because you know what next weekend is...

CD Release Poster

Knox Fam, Darkside and Hip Hop Congress on Huskeyradio.com

Thanks to Bubski and DJ Lime Green on Huskeyradio.com. Huskeyradio is one of the dopest internet radio stations in LA dedicated to independent artists and independent programming. I was thoroughly impressed with their studio and overall setup. Definitely check out their other shows and say what's up to them if you are in LA.