Musicians can sometimes be too quick to box themselves into categories. Sometimes that’s a record label’s doing, other times it’s just mental laziness. But if you’re not trying to conform to industry standards and are lucky enough to be on a local label that understands you, why not have fun and smash all the boxes you can?
That’s a question MCs Jerm and Julie C started asking themselves a year ago when they formed the Knox Family along with local producer/label head DJ B-Girl. Although all three are involved in various other projects—Jerm also fronts Helladope, while Julie C works with Hip-Hop Congress/206 Zulu and DJ B-Girl heads an indie-media company—they found time to record songs together with the intent of challenging the expectations of Seattle’s hip-hop audience.
“We want to change the boxes that have been created around the genres within hip-hop,” says Julie C. “We’re trying to break down certain paradigms, but also not be too preachy about it either.”
She and her crew spent the last year slow-cooking a new album entitled Knox Family EP, which hits local stores this week. The disc contains seven songs and three skits that touch on the fun side of hip-hop through witty rhyming patterns and laid-back, almost hyphy-like West Coast production. But it also delves into the darker side of having to hustle to pay the rent in Seattle. “Boots Laced” bluntly sidesteps bling and bravado, speaking honestly from the perspective of two broke rappers trying to make it, while”These Streets” talks about local policies affecting communities of color.
“Some of our tracks aren’t exactly ‘Kumbaya’ or peaceful,” Julie C says. “They’re more about ‘This is what’s going on in the streets, from the Central District to the South End or wherever, and this is why.'”
The trio takes the name Knox Family from Mickey and Mallory Knox of the film Natural Born Killers. “We feel like we’re naturally born to kill the game,” Julie C adds. “We’re trying to actively shape the next phases of hip-hop through our music, and this EP is a big part of it.”
