Urban Vault caught up with the Bronx, New York-based emcee UKnowScott to ask him some questions about his latest track BETRAYED and more…

The Bronx rapper recently dropped the Mike Lens-directed music video for ‘Betrayed’, his new single produced by HozayBeats. Earlier this year Scott released his debut album ‘New York Driver‘ which spawned visuals for the ‘Absent‘ single.

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….

https://twitter.com/UKnowScott
https://soundcloud.com/officialuknowscott
https://instagram.com/_UKnowScott
https://twitter.com/hozaybeats
https://instagram.com/hozaybeats
https://instagram.com/Mike_lens_