Knowledge The Pirate Speaks on His Upcoming Projects
WORDS WITH WORD$ INTERVIEW #10
A MESSAGE FROM KNOWLEDGE THE PIRATE:
“HONOR AMONG US” BY KNOWLEDGE THE PIRATE:
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$$$. THE AUDIO FROM THIS INTERVIEW
Yo, it's the Pope, 1000WORD$.
When it comes to East Coast hip-hop, Knowledge the Pirate stands out as an artist who not only represents the essence of the streets but also embodies the depth and wisdom of his name. Hailing from Harlem, New York, Knowledge's music is steeped in his experiences, and his affiliation with the Five Percent Nation showcases the power of knowledge itself.
As a member of the Five Percent Nation, his lyrics serve as a testament to the lessons and insights he has gained throughout his life. Knowledge the Pirate has an extensive catalogue of street anthems and thought-provoking tracks that resonate with those seeking a deeper understanding of the world around them. His music is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates the art of storytelling in hip-hop.
In our exclusive interview, Knowledge the Pirate and I discussed his upbringing in New York, his earliest influences in music, and the impact of the Five Percent Nation on his life and work. He also gave us a sneak peek into his current projects and his creative process as he continues to forge his unique path in the hip-hop landscape.
In addition to his profound lyrical prowess, Knowledge the Pirate is a genuine individual that I'd love for you guys to get to know. His authenticity shines through in every aspect of his music and his character, making him an artist worth following and supporting.
THIS IS WORDS WITH WORD$.
1000WORD$: Yo, what's going on man? This is WORDS WITH WORD$ and I'm here with my man Knowledge the Pirate. Knowledge, let the people know where you from, my brother.
Knowledge the Pirate: Ahoy, king. You already know man. I'm from New York, East Coast represent, all five boroughs.
1000WORD$: How does it feel to know that real Hip-Hop is back in full force? Because I feel like you're one of the most unique people in this motherfucker.
Knowledge the Pirate: Appreciate that.
1000WOR$: When I listen to you, I feel like I'm standing in the corner and a movie is about to be shot in front of me. That's how I feel when I listen to your music. So where do you get that kind of creativity bro, to paint those kinds of vivid pictures?
Knowledge the Pirate: Actually bro, you know, just being a student of the game. More from the era of the 90s era. You know, KRS-ONE, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, and Rakim, LL Cool J, the real roots of hip-hop. I always was a big fan first. And just listening to them guys, and even Nas that came later and Biggie you know, it was important to not only put words together, but try to make it visual, where people can also see what you're saying, versus the words just rhyming and sounding good.
1000WORD$: Do you write or do you just get in the booth and zone out?
Knowledge the Pirate: I'm not gonna lie to you, out of all my albums, it's no words written nowhere. I don't write. I don't write nothing, all my shit's in my head. Like, I come up with them. I know Roc be bugging off that shit too, like, “Nah I don't write nothing down bro.”
1000WORD$: Yo bro, this is crazy for me to hear because there's some words that I remember you on that song, you basically broke down the scenery of how you're going to invade somebody's town. Go to the strip club, throw a couple of dollars, hand a couple of samples out. You know what I'm saying, like? Yo, bro, this is some different kind of art.
Knowledge the Pirate: Yeah. And I'm not gonna lie to you, a lot of that visual depiction, it comes from the fact that I am from them places that stuff takes place like it's real life, you know, stories that I'm actually telling. So that's why it's a lot, you know, more detail versus me watching the movie and grabbing it from Goodfellas. It's like, “No, that happened.” You know that really went down and I'm just putting it in a rap.
1000WORD$: How many projects are you in so far? How many projects have you dropped so far, current date.
Knowledge the Pirate: I started 2018. Flintlock, and I've been consistent. Well really actually I was just checking before I came to talk to y'all so I can be more aware. I've been dropping a project every year. Every year I dropped a project, so this year will be my fifth. So I'm only on my fourth now.
1000WORD$: How did that project between you and Ghost come about, Big Ghost?
Knowledge the Pirate: Ghost had just… you know, first he was working on Conway shit and he hit me when he was doing Conway's albums, like, "Yo Pirate I really want to get you on this Conway shi.t" So I was like, "Say less, let's make it happen." And I gave him some for that. Then he was like, "Yo bro like I'm a real big fan, I've been watching man. I love the shit. " He was like, "Yo, I would love to do an album with you and shit." So you know, I checked out his shit and I was listening. I was like, “Yo, this Ghost is crazy.” I always heard his name but I wasn't really that familiar. But, then I started going in, I said, “Yo, this shit is crazy.” The shit he was sending me was crazy. So we just got to work. We just started working and it was just like an organic thing and it's something that I usually don't do. But Ghost's sound was similar to the sound that you know as far as I'm concerned, me and Roc Marci's the father of this sound that everybody's using. And I'm not trying to front or shit on nobody, but, everybody from Griselda to anybody else that's doing this shit. They came in our fold and branched out, we was kind of really… since Mossberg and Reloaded, you know, bringing hip-hop back with a different sound, the East Coast sound, that was working. So you know, when I heard Ghost, it was very familiar, like, “Oh, this is that shit.” Like, he's elite, so we could work it'd be an honor and you know, then we got busy.
1000WORD$: Now I see that you’re more hands on with your merch now too. You designing them more, like you put in more detail into it. Like those Knowledge the Pirate hoodies that you did like the Basquiat style was kinda like I was like, "Oh, this is dope."
Knowledge the Pirate: Right. Thank you.
1000WORD$: How important is it for you to put something like that? How important are those details?
Knowledge the Pirate: It's very important, like it's everything, you know, branding, standing by your brand, and making sure you’re quality… like that's everything. That's how we built a relationship with our fans. Like the reason why they fuck with me is cause I take pride in what I sell them, I just don't give them bullshit or try to rob them because I respect them and their hard earned money and their support.
1000WORD$: And recently you've been performing a lot more too, right?
Knowledge the Pirate: Yeah, yeah. I've been getting on that stage more, man.
1000WORD$: Yo, it's really dope to see you, man. Like cause see me, I'm more of a fan type. So if I listened to you enough, I'm gonna want to see how you perform. So when I got to see you perform for the first time… and I don't think that people were expecting you either. Cause when you came out it was like, "Oh shit." I think the people need to see more of you out there, bro.
Knowledge the Pirate: 2023, I'm gonna get into that more you know, I'm a little old school so I kind of be moving a little weird sometimes. Like, don't be with that shit, but it's a big part of hip-hop. I gotta stop that shit. And I'm really nice at it.
1000WORD$: And you got your catalog, your catalog's amazing.
Knowledge the Pirate: Crazy, yeah. So I gotta get off my bullshit and do it just for the love. I was just on the phone with Bun B and my cousin the other day, we're thinking about doing something in Manhatten, you know what I'm saying.
1000WORD$: Legendary. As far as that, what you got coming up next?
Knowledge the Pirate: Next we got “Five Pounds of Pressure.” My new shit is gonna be produced by Element and I'm gonna have production from Roc Marci on there. So that's what's coming next. And then after that… this is the first time I'm revealing this, but my next joint is going to be fully produced by Roc so that's gonna be a crazy piece coming after “Five Pounds of Pressure.” That's gonna be crazy.
1000WORD$: That's gonna be crazy, man.
Knowledge the Pirate: Crazy.
1000WORD$: You don't really want to work with motherfuckers. I could tell cause like, you don't really need much. Like you carry your own weight, so I know when you feature with somebody it's like you respect them. So, what kind of zone do you get in? Like what does Knowledge the Pirate need to be in the zone to create?
Knowledge the Pirate: Honestly, just if I'm in a peaceful state of mind, you know away from all the outside distractions and shit. And I get me some good tree, you know me, and a beat that I really… it's the beat that moves me, the rhythm. If the rhythm is really nice, I could just… since I was a little kid that shit was just a natural thing to me. I could just come up with shit in my head kind of quick. Rocky told me he was like "Yo, two of the freestylest n****s he ever seen was me and then the n***a Conway,” like n****s they could just go forever and not stop. I used to be more like that, now I'm not as much as I used to be. But back in the day, man, I couldn't stop thinking of word shit, but it's always kind of my mind. So I'm like a natural. I've never been like a n***a trying to rap. I just opened my mouth one day and the shit was lit.
1000WORD$: Did you watch wrestling, by any chance, growing up?
Knowledge the Pirate: I never, oh, growing up? Oh, hell yeah.
1000WORD$: What wrestler would you identify yourself with?
Knowledge the Pirate: I couldn't. Cause it wasn't something that I like. I had a favorite, but I can name a few. I'm gonna name a few just to let you know that I did fuck with them. But the ones that I fuck with was like them original Gs like Superfly Snuka, Ivan Putski, Sergeant Slaughter, all them n****s, like that was my era, like I fuck with that I ain't gonna lie. That was my era of wrestling. But once I found out it was fake, I kind of got a little disappointed.
1000WORD$: You know what's so crazy is the misconception of wrestling. It's like theater art at a higher level. It's theater art at a higher level just because they throwing themselves from places and falling straight down, I got a bigger understanding of that shit when I saw them after their matches having EMTs massaging them or something right after that shit.
Knowledge the Pirate: Gotta respect that, facts.
1000WORD$: What were the key things you needed growing up to be like, “Yeah, that motherfucker fly,” like what was the outfit that identified who was fly back in the days? What you threw on that you knew was like “Yeah, I'm representing my hood and this shit looking right.” Normally people think Timberlands, Air Forces, and shit like that.
Knowledge the Pirate: You know, basically, n****s would get money all week and then on the weekends kind of splash out on a n***a. You ain't want n****s to know you was eating too much. On weekdays, it'd be like sweat suits and a white tee. Then on Saturday, Sunday you get crazy on like "What the fuck this n***a got on?" Word up. But, I came from that. Like I'm one of them n****s, we was copying Gucci jacket Dapper Dan and getting shearling coats so we really was like them n****s, them young n****s that would like step out and shit on n****s just like, "Yo those n****s eat. Like they fucking got that $1,000 jacket on." Back then that was a lot of money. But I did the smaller shit, you know, really when you a fly n***a, I'm not gonna lie, man, that shit be in you, not on you like I could just throw on a clean sneaker with sweatpants and just the color, it's the coordination, it's how you...... Like a n***a could put on a whole bunch of name brand shit and look like a monkey, like these n****s are doing you seeing em. The more money you give them, the more nasty they look. These dudes ain't fly, man. Money don't make you fly, bro. In you not on you so, you see these clowns. They look real weird. But me, I could, n***a could put on all that thousand dollar, name brand shit. I could go into footlocker and come out and shit on you, bro. Like that's the n***a I am.
1000WORD$: Yo Knowledge, I appreciate you brother. For this conversation man. This conversation was really dope man and salute to you. I hope to see you more. I hope to see more of you in 2023 because bro, you got a crazy catalog. You shouldn't deprive the world of it.
Knowledge the Pirate: Thank you. Thank you. I'm gonna step out more. That's my word is bond.