For the Home Team: an Interview

with Memphis Rapper Knowledge Nick

Leon Richardson December 18, 2012 Arts & Entertainment, Museums & Galleries

On a chilly Saturday night in the heart of the city, near the University of Memphis, a recent

finance graduate was about to give his thesis to the world. This thesis has nothing to do with a

formal degree program; it’s more about the advancement from being a young, aspiring artist

into a wise young street poet. This graduate, Nick Hicks, known better to his peers as

Knowledge Nick, is having his album release party for his newest album, Memphis: The Soul of

Hip Hop at a local bar, Newby’s. As I walk in, the atmosphere is almost like a family reunion that

just so happened to take place in a bar. I see many familiar faces, but one stands out more than

the rest. Knowledge Nick stands out among the crowd dressed in an Orlando Magic vintage

t-shirt as a tribute to hometown hero, Anfernee Hardaway. Everyone greets him and smiles as

he passes. The show started with a crafty crowd moving set from C’Beyhon. He was followed by

the Legendary Tom Skeemask, plus the ultra energetic hosting of Inner City South. At the end, of

course, was Nick, who gave an electrifying grand finale. In attendance were Memphis

underground rap legends, new and old, such as Skeemask and Producer MP. As Nick takes the

stage, the crowd turns into pure energy. He starts his set, backed by DJ Hush and ends with a

live set featuring Chinese Connection Dub Embassy as a backing band, Tom Skeemask, Royal’t,

and Sincere among many other special guests. Afterwards, a cypher begins onstage and then

spills outside. This is the soul of how hip hop began and how Nick wants the world to see

Memphis, as the music Mecca that it is. In Concert and on CD you can tell that Knowledge Nick

doesn’t have the average musician’s dreams and aspirations or influences. He proved that when

he and I spoke the day following the album release party. In our chat, he stated his influences as

being “The Stax sound, Hi Records, Sun Records, Old Three 6 Mafia, Tommy Wright III, Kingpin

Skinny Pimp, Playa Fly, 8ball and MJG […]” and many other legendary Memphis rappers.

Through his fascination with and influences from 1990s Memphis rap, Nick connected with Tom

Skeemask. “I called Tom [Skeemask] up and asked him to do a song with me, the rest was

history.” says Nick. Tom Skeemask was one of the Memphis Pioneers that led Memphis into the

Crunk era that led to the fame of Three 6 Mafia and Yo Gotti and the pimp rap that gained

popularity with acts such as Tela and 8Ball & MJG. As you listen to the lyrics that gracefully

and ferociously roll out of Knowledge Nick’s mouth, you notice something slightly different

from other rappers. That difference is that many of his songs have a positive or serious message.

Even when his songs are party songs or gangster rap songs, they still convey a message that

translates over into real, everyday life. Nick, in the rapper’s entry in Live From Memphis‘

awesome 60 Seconds series. Nick addresses this by saying that his lyrics are real life. “I try to

give something that people can relate to, even when I go hard in a song that is on some gangster

s***, it’s still a real message that everyone can relate to and they know what I’m talking about.”

While his words are different and more carefully crafted than most rappers, you may also find

that his idea of the American dream is different as well. Nick is a recent graduate from the

University of Memphis with a degree in finance. He says that his idea of the dream life would be

“To work a 9 to 5 job Monday through Friday and be a performer on the weekends.” He says this

because he feels that he is on the right path on both sides of his life as he has a growing fan base

outside of his career path and he has a steady job in his field of study. In reality one could not ask

for more. As for the future of his music career, Knowledge Nick has many things in store for his

current and future fans. “In 2013, I plan to have three albums under my belt. Chinese Dub

Embassy [and I] are working on an LP together and I hope to do more with MP, Skeemask, and

many of the other artist and producers in Memphis.” As far as hometown pride goes, Nick

believes that everyone in the city should work as one to a better cause and no one should be left

out. He shows his ideals in his music and in his lifestyle.

Leon Richardson attends the University of Memphis with Music and Journalism as his major. Leon is a Music Producer

with The Hit Alliance, a freelance musician, and Manager at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

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http://www.memphisconnect.com/arts-entertainment29499

Chris Blake For President By Leon Richardson

The first mix tape from Chris Blake, entitled “Check The Campaign”, quickly caught my ear from the

first track. Chris Blake’s lulling voice over the hype southern tracks at first sounds like an oxymoron,

but after the first few bars, Blake blends right in while standing out at the same time. From beginning

to end, I didn’t want to even point my finger in the direction of the “next” button on my car radio.

One way I can think of to describe the tracks on “Check The Campaign” is like an All-Star team.

Everyone may have a different favorite, but all of the tracks, even the bench players (skits) are great

in their own right. The Standout track, in my opinion, is “They Call Me...” This song slightly reminds me

of when Mike Jones first stepped on to the scene and made it known exactly who he was and what he

was here to do. Chris Blake definitely does a better job than the previously mentioned and does it with

such finesse, as if he woke up making punch-lines.

The way Chris Blake delivers a punch line is hard to describe. Imagine a seasoned comedian that has

the formula to make jokes that will go over your head and take you about five seconds to understand.

Now imagine if that same comedian could also tell a joke and move on to the next one just as quickly.

This is one way to describe Blake’s delivery. His southern drawl, sleepy voice, and loose punchlines,

make Blake’s delivery almost like a musical conversation rather than a song.

I would definitely encourage anyone who is looking for music that is familiar but still a big break from

the norm to “Check the Campaign”. Even though the beats are not too far from what many have come

to expect from the south, the artist on top of the beats is definitely not your average Memphis rapper.

As a matter of fact, his style is probably what other Memphis artists should be aiming for.

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http://sneakpeek­memphis.blogspot.com/2010/03/music­review­chris­blake­check­campaign.ht

ml

Leon Richardson Digital Media Expert

Leon Richardson 1088 Forrest Ave Memphis, TN 38105 901.230.1079 leonrichardson00@gmail.com

Skills

Leadership and Organizational skills Customer Service Sales Administration Project Management Events and promotions Excellent written and oral skills Social Media Management Website Development and Management Content Development SEO and Pay per click Optimization

(Google analytics, Clicky analytics)

Microsoft PC apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)

iOS Android operating systems Video production and

distribution Email Marketing apps

(Mailchimp, ListServ) HTML and CSS Coding Adobe applications JavaScript

Experience

B. B. Kings Blues Club (Holland America Line) / Professional Musician MARCH 2015 - PRESENT, GLOBAL

Professional Trumpet player for the Holland America Cruise Line. Played blues, classic rock, jazz and top 40 pop compositions. Performed and rehearsed over 200 songs. Performed for Robert Nance and Tommy Peters, owners for BB King Blues Club. Compiled schedules for daily performances. Produced music set lists and checklists of auxiliary instruments needed for shows.

Brooks Museum of Art-Guest Services Representative/Media Marketing

Specialist NOVEMBER 2013 - MARCH 2015, MEMPHIS,TN

Responsible for providing guests with information regarding the daily events of the museum, local events, safety, history, films, and directions through the museum. Performed sales duties including cashier and events/membership sales. Fielded incomingphone calls throughout the day. Planned strategies for procuring specific city areas with advertisements of upcoming events. Successfully executed strategies with grassroots advertising and online marketing through social media (Facebook, Instagram, Blogspot), email newsletters using Mailchimp and Billboard Placements. Managed volunteer teams for the promotion and advertisement of the museum at local festivals and art fairs such as Stax to the Max, River Arts Fest, Latino Memphis Fest, etc.

Stax Museum of American Soul Music / Front-Line Manager JUNE 2007 - NOVEMBER 2013, MEMPHIS,TN

Managed and trained gift shop sales team in proper customer service etiquette, sales strategies, Point of Sale/ cash register systems, membership sales, stock, display of merchandise, and interactive exhibit systems. Executed international online sales orders. Handled merchandising of the gift shop by compiling and producing daily figures of sales and marketing efforts for management and sales meetings with museum directorand CFO of Soulsville Foundation. Performed daily operations by ensuring cleanliness of museum exhibits, facility maintenance, and organization of merchandise. Created and maintained company website/social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Worked closely with Public Relations department daily to provide up-to-date information of museum news and events.

Education

University of Memphis / Interdisciplinary Studies: Music and Journalism AUGUST 2006 - MAY 2013, MEMPHIS, TN

Learned how to use Protools, Sony ACID, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver,

CS7, and iOS applications such as Apple Movie Maker, Garageband, and

Ableton Live

Produced website for startup music production company

Created movies and videos for class projects

Research Final Project: “The Effects of Social Media on the Future of

Culture”(May 2013)

Compiled content from personal interviews, polls, surveys, and

peer-reviewed articles discussing trends in social media.

Extracurricular Activities

-Board Member of Black Student Association (2010-2011)

-Member of Adult and Commuter Student Services (2012-2013)

-Member of Student Activities Council (2006-2008)

-Member of the NAACP University of Memphis Chapter (2006-2013)

Central High School / Honors/College Preparatory Diploma

AUGUST 2003 - MAY 2006, MEMPHIS, TN

Honors

Volunteer Work

Class of 2006 Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout (2006) Leadership Council for Stax Music Academy (2004-2006) Lead Trumpet at Stax Music Academy (2002-2006) Lead Trumpet with Central High Jazz Band and Concert Band (2003-2006) Featured on Memphisconnect.com as a feature article (2013) Featured in Grace Magazine Media Section as writer (2013)

Head of YPD (Young People’s Department) at Mt. Zion AME Church (2008-2010)

Counselor at After School Kitchen at Mt. Zion AME Church (2008-2010) Volunteer at Sisterhood Showcase/ Grace Magazine (2006-2012) Volunteer at Staxtacular (2014) Volunteer with Cook Convention Center (2014) Volunteer with TEAM Mentor Program Memphis Grizzlies Foundation

(2015-2016)