UKnowScott
Gig Seeker Pro

UKnowScott

The Bronx, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2017

The Bronx, New York, United States
Established on Jan, 2017
Solo Hip Hop Soul

Calendar

Music

Press


"UKnowScott"

How did you get your stage name?

I hope you got time for this one.. So since 6th or 7th grade I would greet people with their first and last name. I don’t know why.. like “yerrrrr my nigga John Dooooe!” So people reciprocated and naturally Justin Scott was shortened to Jay Scott. So originally my stage name was Jay Scott - how everyone knows me and calls me in real life to this day. Back in like 2011 when I got on twitter, my @ name was uknowjayscott. At the time I was bumpin Big Sean heavy, Finally Famous 3was and a few years prior he dropped uknowbigsean. (That’s where the “UKnow” came from). Apparently names starting with “Jay” are common as fuck on youtube and streaming platforms.. and I couldn’t use my full name (Justin Scott) because its Big K.R.I.T.’s full name (thanks nigga) so I moved to Allen Scott, which is my middle name.. and it didn’t have a ring to it. So to conclude this long ass story,: my boy Frankie texted me one day, I remember I was standing under the Gun Hill 2 train and he was like “yo, change your name to UKnowScott or something else, I’m not really fuckin wit ‘Allen’”. I said it to myself a few times, and it went along with how I’m viewed in reality.. and it fits for people that only know me via social media..so I started rocking with it and stuck.

What made you decide to become a rapper?

What made me decide to come an artist? I swear it wasn’t a choice.. I always loved rap. I’ve been playing around with it since I was like 7-8 .. with my cousin and my older brother. Then in middle school and high school I would just freestyle. I wasnt ass but I wasn’t anywhere near what I am now. So it’s really been along with me my whole life. It fit me because I was always good at English and expressing myself, I take pride in not being a short bus rapper. The older I get the more experiences I have and the more shit I can talk lol. Once you realize what it takes to succeed you gotta be crazy to keep trying. But word to me I’d rather spend my last investing in myself, my craft, and my dream, than being a slave til I’m 65. Nigga I’m not tryna work for 40 years and have another man tell me when I can take vacation, go on lunch, and get paid. I’m gonna bet on myself first before I give up. I’m tryna tell my story, talk my shit, and open doors for people like me, make a living off of something I actually love. I can’t do that from a cubicle bruh.

What’s the first rap song you ever heard? Describe the moment.

I can’t remember the first rap song I ever heard. But I can tell you my pops used to bump rakI’m“dont sweat the technique” mad ll cool j, mad big pun, krs 1 and other greats. That shit made me feel admiration and awe. Like how the fuck did rakI’mdo the patterns he was doing.. over 30 years ago. How big pun rhyming all these words on beat? How sway? Ive never been a hater, that shit was hard, and once I discovered nas’ “if I ruled the world” it was over. Rap catches a lot of flack or whatever but to be real its the best art form. Poetry is powerful, and its authentic, telling a story with dope flows and cadences, word play and punchlines, not everybody could do it.

How did “Betrayed” come together?

I wrote “Betrayed” pretty quickly. I got the idea from Glokknine’s “10 Percent”. He was just talking his shit and being real with it. I feel like I’m better than everyone, so I found the beat, and just talked my shit and was real with it. The track is fire - one cuz my flow, two cuz the bars are hard, 3 cuz I go back and forth from vulnerable to cocky. I’m not rhyming a bunch of random shit, everything I’m saying had meaning or is a double. Have me in for a video interview so I can do a bar for bar breakdown lol. My favorite bars from it are probably “niggas just tryna tweet, they aint tryna tweak, I still get streams in Brazil off of ‘Driver’s Seat’, iI’mm ready for whatever been that kind of week, yea I heard his lil song, whatever, it was kind of weak”.

What are your thoughts on the year in rap so far?

This year in rap has been weird as fuck but a lot of great records. Starting with mine - New York Driver - go cop that. Nipsey Hussle’s shit, Freddie Gibbs’ shit, all of Young Boy’s shit, Pusha T, Mozzy, G Herbo, Dave East.. a lot of fire came out. A lot of fuckery also, but that’s just a part of the game now. I swear I’ve never had the inclination to go on Instagram live and yell into my phone . These new niggas different. I did a little bit of what I wanted to do this year, but next year is mines. More singles and videos, by the end of next year i need to be opening up someone’s tour. I got 5 more years until I’m 30. If I’m not lit by then I must be ass . Remember my adlib: whenever you do some g shit just yell “SCOTT!” - RareFlavr


"UKnowScott Discusses Getting His Start"

Describe the typical UKnowScott fan.

The typical UKnowScott fan is about his/her business. Definitely are on the higher IQ side lmao! Most can either relate to my story and the gems I drop, or they sense the urgency in me and appreciate the skill with which I execute. I get DMs from people all over the world though, just saying they heard one of my songs and fuck wit it. I have supporters that are young and supporters that are much older than me, and I think that’s important.

Betrayal is a common theme in your music. What has your experience been with that?

Damn I don’t know where to begin with this. I have 1000 personal stories that led to me slowly becoming jaded, as well as shit I’ve witnessed. From people that claimed they loved me, and people I thought were in my corner. Now like my song says, “One ear out the other cuz I’ve been betrayed!” You can tell me whatever but it won’t move me or impress me.

I only believe in and appreciate actions. The good news of me being weary of everyone and everything is that I hustle harder than most, and I don’t expect anything from anyone. I’ve been hurt so many times I’m damn near bulletproof at this point lol.

What track of yours do you think you should go down in history and why?

I be feeling myself so there are a few.. but the consensus is my song “Drivers Seat” off of my New York Driver album. As I touched on in the previous question, I take responsibility for my life and no matter what I’ve been through I blame myself for the results , good or bad. I feel like this metaphor resonated with people immediately.

On Spotify it has more plays in Brazil than other state or country. It clearly spoke to people and touched people all over the world and is my most streamed song by far. The verses are hot, the hook is hot, and nothing beats authenticity. In one record it is a snapshot of my truth and ability.

How did you get your start rapping?

I got my start rapping really young with my cousin and brother. And I always have been giving niggas bars lol. If you mean when did my sound get more professional and when I got a little clout or whatever , my sound as it’s known now probably came around 2015, when I was working with Andrew Kelley and Rodney Hazard.

They saw skill in me that they fucked with and we worked together, and have an EP in the stash. My music started to gain traction earlier this year when my album dropped, and now every video I put on youtube gets like 5k views. I need a million though.

Any shoutouts?

Shoutout my cousin and the only artist I fuck with, Chayce Crushh. Shoutout to Rodney Hazard and Andrew Kelley cuz they were the first “industry” people to believe in me.

Shoutout all my supporters and all the fake supporters waiting for me to blow up to show me love in public lol. And shoutout to me for being a thorough as nigga and surviving all types of fuckery. SCOTT! - SpitFireHipHop.com


"Urban Vault Interviews - UKnowScott"

Can you tell us about your latest single and the inspiration behind it?

“In the so-called ‘streets’ and in business as well as life, I have been betrayed, I’ve learned to believe in actions not words, and nothing really excites me. Despite these setbacks, I’m still here on my mission”.

You’re from The Bronx, the birthplace of rap. Do you consider it a responsibility to represent for that history?

I want to go down as one of the best from the Bronx. Up there with the KRS-One’s, Pun’s, Mickey Factz’, Fred The Godson’s, French Montana’s, Don Q’s, etc. At the same time, I want to be able to connect to my young boys too. A lot of them are on that melodic and drill wave, they might look at me as crazy as I look at them, and some of the shit they be jackin. I think my records are a good balance of bars and still musically sound and accessible. So yes every day I’m trying to hold down that quality music we’re known for while adding my own splash on it.

How do you feel about the current state of the Bronx in terms of Hip Hop output?

I’m not gonna hold you, Bronx artists are killin it at every level. Look at the mainstream. You got Cardi B and A Boogie.. French Montana. Look at the underground tip. You got Tray Pizzy and Chris Rivers, and really a million mofuckas on the come up with their hat in the mix. Any type of sound you’re looking for, the Bronx is doing it at a high level right now. I could name like 20 artists off top doin their thing for real. I’m not even gassing it when we all on we could hit like Atlanta has been doing for 20 years.

What do you think the old school can learn from the new school and vice versa?

I think the old school can learn the hustle and marketing skills of the new school. Artists are eating every way right now. Features shows hostings, merch, sponsorships… word to me, I saw a video of Rich The Kid turning up at a sweet 16 – you know he got a bag for that. With social media and the internet, the middleman can be cut out, and you can eat hella good. And I’m not saying it’s always a good thing, but there are mad rappers I’m aware of and I’ve never heard a song from them. That’s cuz they’re good at marketing themselves. Back in the day, I feel like if you didn’t have those major machines behind you, you didn’t have visibility. The new school can definitely learn a lot from the old school too though. First of all, taking pride in your artistry. With all the tools available today I don’t know why every song is mind-numbingly dumb and how a ton of niggas sound the same. I hate when niggas say “I freestyle my music” like bruh your rhymes lame as hell – I’d hope it was a freestyle. Sit down, make quality music cuz that’s the only way you’re gonna last. Two, these lil niggas need to learn respect. Obviously, times have changed.. but I feel like if a nigga was to talk crazy about you-you were gonna see him. Now, these niggas just pop off crazy with no regard for anything.. you can tell they never got snuffed before. Three .. originality. Majority of these new niggas disposable. Same buzzwords.. same slang.. you’d think all these niggas were from the same place. Like yes, 50 Cent said ‘teflon’ and rhymed ‘good’ and ‘hood’ in every song – that was his shit. Yes, Pac rhymed ‘hennessy’ and ‘enemy’.. that was his swag. He was being himself. Yes, Jay-Z made watch references in every song. He was being himself. I’m not tryna hear ‘activis’, ‘30s’ and ‘gucci’ in every song from everyone. Y’all lives can’t be that similar. Be yourself, my nigga. I’ve never sipped lean, I’ve never worn designer clothes lol. I was a hustling nigga on the come up, Y’all make struggling and being crackheads sound fashionable. I can only be myself and speak my truth.

What’s your favourite verse in Hip Hop history and why?

My favourite verse in hip hop history.. that’s impossible. So I’ma give you a few. Freddie Gibbs’ verse on “Scottie Pippens”. Crooked I’s verse on “Weight Scale”. Nas has too many.. if I had to choose one I’d choose the Stillmatic intro. KRS-One’s second verse on “Ah Yeah”. Big L’s intro to The Big Picture. Pac’s second verse on “Until The End Of Time”. Malice’s verse on “I’m Not You”. Lloyd Bank’s verse on “Victory”. Stack Bundle’s verse on “Your Majesty”. YG’s first verse on “Really Be”. Beanie Sigel’s whole verse on “Die”. Andre 3000’s verse on “Da Art Of Storytelling 2”… I can name like a million but I’d be here all day. All these niggas are completely different artists. The one thing they have in common is their originality. All these verses make me feel a way, from the flows, to the lyrics, to the picture that’s painted. Dead ass, listen to all these in a row and you might have a seizure. Permanent stink face after each one.. all these I felt in my soul. I ain’t even put any Joe Budden or Lupe verses in there either.

Artists gain inspiration from unlikely sources sometimes. What are who is one source of inspiration for you that we might not expect?

Unexpected? I don’t know about that, but one person who is the shit to me is Lebron James. He came from nothing, shattered all expectations but he didn’t stop there. He became a billionaire and gave back to his community. He embodies black excellence to me. Sending people to school, opening a school, guiding young basketball players on business decisions. Even the documentaries on black history he is gonna head. Despite so many wishing on his downfall, he has stood tall and hasn’t had one scandal. When Jay-Z said, “Show you how to move in a room full of vultures” Bron took that to heart. Even though he gets me tight on the court (stop fucking dribbling and let Rondo and Lonzo run the team so Kuzma Ingram and you can get open shots), I admire how he moves off the court. Someone else who inspires me is Lil Durk. His work ethic might be unrivalled. He has so many videos and puts out so much content consistently, he really sets the bar for how I’m tryna move. Def Jam fumbled him badly but instead of fading into obscurity he kept putting out projects and stayed relevant. Also, I admire how he’s one of the only niggas from his day 1s that is still alive and not in prison.. and he just keeps pushing. He doesn’t let anything stop him whether it’s industry shit or real life shit. I have to salute that.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music…. - Urban Vault


""The Whole 9" w/ UKnowScott"

For our first The Whole 9 of 2019, we chop it up with UKnowScott, an emcee out of The Bronx. He released a new project New York Driver last year, along with a video for the cut Betrayed. Check out the interview below, and for more, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

the9elements: What’s the idea behind New York Driver? It seems to be a theme that persists throughout your work.

UKnowScott: The idea behind “New York Driver” was if you take a 30 minute ride, you would be sold on my skill as an artist. I wanted the songs to be intense, but my lyrical skill and wordplay to be showcased. As an upcoming artist, I know in today’s climate that attention spans have shortened.

I just ask for 30 minutes of your time and you will be sold on my ability. Also, New York drivers are aggressive, focused, and prepared for whatever. These are definitely three things that could describe me.

T9E: What would it take for you to sign a record deal?

UKS: To sign a record deal I would want a big advance, creative control, and release date control. I want to be able to pick which songs to push with my marketing budget. I’m not worried about signing a 360, because if I do it right by time my contract is done I could renegotiate for a deal that’s more in my favor, I know my records crack and I’ve had business dealings way before music, you feel me?

Plus I want a deal in which I owned my masters a certain amount of time after recouping. I just need my foot in the door, and I’m out of here.

T9E: What’s the vibe like in New York right now? Do you think it’s the best place for you to be at this point in your career?

UKS: New York is bumping right now. A lot of people have their own separate waves going. I don’t know if it’s the best place for me in my career. I heard Atlanta is lit, and LA is lit too. I have to go OT more to work with more artists and get my visibility up outside of the city.

More features more shows more connects more creatives. So hitting the road is definitely on the menu for 2019.

T9E: Do you think you gain the majority of your fans from performing or online activity? Why do you think this is?

UKS: I think most of my fans have come from online. This microwave era all it takes is someone to see your ad, and now they subscribed to your YouTube. The internet gives you access to the whole world, so I could be popping in Brazil or Germany even if niggas try to front on me out here. My music takes you into my life so once people are interested I got them, it’s up to me to keep feeding them, you feel me?

T9E: How do you feel about the direction Hip Hop is going in?

UKS: Hip Hop is going in a good direction. I mean 25 years ago hip hop was frowned upon and they tried to make it seem like it was violent and bad, yet it’s the most influential culture there has been. There are a ton of avenues to eat and feed your family. While streaming doesn’t pay it gets you in tune with where you can go and do a show or club appearance.

Music is so accessible, and even though its saturated out here, we have way more chances to get on than there were in the past. Plus Hip Hop always gonna be wavy as long as I’m doing my thing. Watch this. - the9elements


Discography

New York Driver (Released 2018)

Photos

Bio

Hailing from the Bronx New York, UKnowScott is the latest emcee from its storied lineage. Combining both traditional and modern hip hop sounds with creative wordplay, he is adept with multiple styles. His debut album "New York Driver" released in 2018, after years of singles on the underground circuit. "This body of work represents urgency," Scott says about his debut album. "I need to get where I am going despite the obstacles on this road.. thats why the title is so fitting". His song "Drivers Seat" caught on internationally and has over 10,000 streams on Spotify alone. With his upcoming EP "Resilience" Scott is looking to build on his momentum and prove he is here to stay.

Band Members