Tampa emcee ?nowledge was born in Miami, but he makes his presence known in Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old is the pusher behind the Hip Hop Against Hunger movement, which returns to New World Brewery for an evening of beats being delivered so that the Bay area’s most underprivileged families can eat.
Over 2,500 pounds of food have been collected to date.
The recent USF grad has been performing locally since 2007 when he formed a band called StereoType & The Treble Makers. He was also part of a band called Indigenous Ways which featured guitarist Tyler Mulder of Samurai Shotgun
The lineup features almost a dozen acts highlighted by rare sets from Rahim Samad and sorely-missed duo The Villanz. Donations of nonperishable food, new and used clothing, unopened toiletries and blankets will get you discounts off the cover charge, too. Before the show, ?nowledge dropped some on CL. Read our conversation below. Get more information on the show here.
What was the impetus to start this six years ago and how did you get it off the ground?
The main reason behind starting this was to create a solution to a local problem and do it by getting the community involved. I specifically wanted to incorporate hip hop music because I feel as though hip hop and rap gets a bad reputation for being negative therefore this was a good way to show the world that there's more to our culture than what meets the eye. I also wanted to help elevate the local Tampa scene and prove that we are in this for more than just fame and materialistic dreams.
What future plans do you have as far as your philanthropy goes?
Moving forward, I would like to turn Hip Hop Against Hunger into a non-profit organization and take it to different states. Long term, my goal is to have several similar annual events that raise awareness and donations for things such as environmentalism, equal rights, and animal rights.
Why do you perform as ?nowledge?
I got the name because Knowledge is what I strive to achieve and I put the question mark at the beginning to make it more unique and also because I'm a huge ?uestlove fan haha.
Why have you chosen to work specifically with Homeless Empowerment Program?
I chose HEP in particular because not only do they feed the homeless but they also have a campus where they house them, provide them services such as counseling, and help them get back on their feet which they're pretty successful at. It's one thing to feed a man for a day, we're looking to feed him for life and help end the problem of homelessness forever.
Who, besides artists performing, helps make it happen this year?
I am the main person who organizes the event so I handle most things such as booking the acts, securing the venue, getting business sponsorships, marketing the event, etc. I do, however, have a few people who usually help me with passing out flyers, hanging posters, spreading the word, and setting/cleaning up at the event. Most notably, my good friend Eileen Chambers. This year, we were able to get monetary contributions from our sponsors which helped tremendously with costs. In particular, Clips Clothing Company helped a lot by donating marketing materials such as posters, stickers, t-shirts, and banners.
You’ve got The Villanz and Rahim Samad out and performing, how’d that happen?
Rahim Samad is actually a good friend of mine. We met in the local music scene and he was my DJ for my first album, Knowledge Is Infinite. I try to include him as much as possible when doing any kind of events because he's a real stand-up guy and has similar goals when it comes to music and activism as I do. The Villanz I also met in the local hip hop scene and have formed a bond with Di-Vine so it was only natural for me to get them on the bill as well. There's not too many artists doing a conscious, old-school style of rap in this area so I like to rock with artists like that as often as possible.
This article appears in Dec 15-22, 2016.