It’s a murky April afternoon. In Brooklyn’s K Studio, there’s already a glum feeling in the air. Hollywood-via-New Orleans duo The Knux enter the room, and it’s clear Kintrell “Krispy Kream” Lindsey’s voice is in bad shape—not a good look for an interview. But soldiering on is something Kintrell (below, left) and his brother, Alvin “Rah Almillio” Lindsey (below, right) are accustomed to. “We’re black and we’re from the ’hood,” says Kintrell, 26, the elder Lindsey brother. “We were always into hip hop, but we had to fight to get here.”
Music has always been a part of the Lindsey household. “We started off playing jazz,” Alvin, 24, says. “Our mom put us in the marching band when I was in sixth grade.” But Edward Livingston Middle School wasn’t strong enough to keep the Lindsey brothers from exploring extracurricular activities. Kintrell chimes in, as if on cue: “It didn’t work.”
An already-strong brotherly bond got deeper while listening to verses from the Wu-Tang Clan and the Gravediggaz. And then Hurricane Katrina became the true test of family strength. “We never evacuated when Katrina hit,” says Kintrell. “We were driving back to New Orleans, and we kept seeing cars going in the opposite direction.”
After the Lindsey family spent a week sleeping in their blue 2001 Saturn Ion, The Knux left the slums of New Orleans for the ritzy Hollywood Hills. After building healthy relationships with industry insiders like Shady Records A&R Director Dart Parker and Atlantic Records Senior Vice President of A&R Mike Caren, the duo began recording their debut, Remind Me In 3 Days (Chic Freak/HHH/Interscope). And with the change of scenery came experimentation in their music. “You never know what the hell we’re going to do,” says Al. “I don’t want people to expect any one thing from us.”
Today, The Knux say their brand of “abstract-progressive” music allows them to take risks. The twosome’s caffeine-induced neckbreaker “Cappuccino”—driven by a funky guitar riff and a singsongy hook that recalls early De La Soul—has sprung up all over Hollywood clubs. The song has, however, also saddled The Knux’s sound with an unfortunate label: hipster rap. “You got these li’l kids who were born in the ’90s dressing up like it’s the ’80s! That’s crazy!” a groggy Kintrell blurts after setting his cup down. “But we really had flat-tops! Man, we got our own shit going on over here!”
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MODEL_MzO313 says:
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ME likey!
August 8, 2008 at 2:37 pm