About Me
Ant Kneel is weaving his way into the middle of the underground hip-hop scene slowly and methodically. Building momentum, he stands in the background - supporting his team, observing the game and perfecting his first solo album. He is waiting on the ground floor for the elevator to the top of the hip-hop game. Once it comes, there will be no stops. Once people hear what he has to say, they will be the ones to propel him to the top.Growing up in Dorchester, Mass., Ant Kneel started later than most. He attended Roxbury Community College and rapped for fun while skipping class with friends. That was 11 years ago. I used to be on the block and there were a lot of heads that couldn't rap, and it used to drive me crazy, he said. When I really started listening to it and doing it, I realized I was better; this was a gift of mine.While developing his writing abilities and gaining life experience, Ant Kneel worked as a host, journalist and editor on a BNN public television show called ThugTV. He learned about his own work ethic and goals as well as the type of people with which he wanted to associate. Almost three years ago, he joined up with MyArt to form Shadow Skills Productions, contributing on two albums -The Undisputed and This is MyArt - with Lord Linz, Tech.MP, Brix, Unity, Soprano, GMT, 83 Legend and Blackjack, along with other members of the Shadow Skills team.Ant Kneel describes his style as like no other: Because I have more than one style. I can sound like four or five different people and two or three different songs... I don't decide over a beat, the beat tells me what to write. His partner, MyArt, adds that Ant Kneel possesses the rare gift of being able to manipulate his vocal chords to reflect the theme of a song. Whatever the song is pertaining to, he can make the song sound darker or brighter with his voice, MyArt said.The time is near for Ant Kneel to make his solo debut. His first album, Da Bizzness, has a projected release date of October 1. Boi Genius, WB, MyArt and C Exact appear on the 16 tracks that address everything from being romantic and not trusting a woman to how politics affects the urban black community and how to stop the violence that plagues that community. Ant Kneel writes his songs whenever and wherever the beat grabs him, and his lyrics poignantly describe the issues and experiences of his life; the theme of this album is the trials and tribulations of a young black man growing up in the ghetto and how to rise from it.He is conscious that his music is a business, but Ant Kneel also describes a more intangible goal of helping youth like himself - keeping them from the negative experiences of his childhood, while giving them an awareness of what is around them. I want the kid that can't be reached, the one that doesn't listen to adults, I want that kid to listen to my music, feel it, hear it, and want to change his life by it. I want the most ignorant kid to hear me and be like, 'I want to change things', he says.Ant Kneel is intent on putting his songs out anywhere and everywhere he is at, distributing his album to whatever city he visits. Watch out for Da Bizzness in a city near you, and get ready to say, Ant Kneel, what a hidden gem. Why has he been so quiet?When you do find yourself pondering the skills of this diamond in the rough, keep in mind that he is here to stay. Ant Kneel knows he is good at what he does, he knows he is a writer, and he knows it would be a shame for him to stop and not show the world his potential. It would be a disadvantage for me to stop and not ... to achieve that goal of finding the kid that is the worst of the worst, he says. I have to expand worldwide and find him and take him under my arm and teach him what he has to learn about life.
