Allow me to introduce a young new hip-hop artist who goes by
the name of (Travis J), born Travis Johnson, December 11th,
1989, in Richmond Virginia. In 2008,
at eighteen, on the same day he graduated from high school, he became one of
our brave soldiers in the United States Army. Even though, he was serving his country
overseas, he still found time for his music. Travis J. performed for his fellow
troops in outdoor shows in far away places like Afghanistan.
Travis J. is back on U.S soil now and currently living in
Orlando, Florida pursuing a recording engineering degree from Full Sail University. This twenty-three year old has been dreaming of stardom since he started
writing lyrics at the age of eight, and he is finally ready to unleash his
music to the world. According to his rough recollection, he has over 700 songs ready
but wants to take his time. Music is his life and he wants to pace himself.
On February 18, 2013, I was sitting in a Starbucks on one of
the coldest days in New York City, on Face-Time interviewing Travis J. from his
home in Orlando, Florida. I could not help but be impressed with his clean-cut
demeanor and enthusiasm as he talked about his dreams, lyrics, goals, and his brand
called Knue Era; which includes him and about seven other talented brave soldiers
of our great country. Below are some of the of topics we covered:
Q. What is Knue Era,
What does it stand for?
A. Travis J. It’s
about change, its exactly what it says, it’s about a new generation of music. We
are the next torch carriers. I want it to be the door that opens everything
else. KNUE ERA stands for KNowledge, Understanding and Equity,
and that’s how we live our lives.
Q. Where do you see
yourself in three years?
A. Travis J. I
see us touring in three years. That’s what I really want to do. The last show we did was with South-by-South West, last year. I love touring.
Q. Where can your
fans find your music?
A. Travis J. YouTube
under Knue Era T.V, Benofficial films for all my videos, to name a few (Wicked Visions, Digg it) and Soundcloud to listen to my most recent songs (I can do it too, Hold up, Everyday, Real or Not).
Q. What artist
inspired you?
A. Travis J. Well, I
was inspired by a lot of artist but to name of few; Tupac, Snoop-dog, JayZ, and
Kanye.
Q. Is your music
similar to or different from the music today?
A. Travis J. It’s similar and it’s different
at the same time. My music is unique because we are in a lane that has not been
touched. I don’t know any rapper who has represented being in the military or who has rapped about it.
No one has touched that area; I feel we can be the pioneers to make it cool to be military and make music. Just like Wiz made
everybody want to smoke, and J. Cole made it cool
to be in school and rap. We will be the ones that represent the soldiers returning home from the military and making their dreams come true in music.
Q. Who are the artists you want to work with?
A. Travis J. Wow,
there are a few, but definitely Erica Badu, Coldplay, and Kendrick Lamar.
Q. What Producers do
you want to work with?
A. Travis J. The list is so long but the top two would have to be Timbaland and Pharrell.
This interview lasted for more than an hour, I will have to post the rest of it at another time; but I would like to add that it was a pleasure interviewing Travis J., I have no doubt he will reach all of his goals.
Travis J. is an artist on the rise! He plans on making his mark in the music industry. I predict that Knue Era will be the next generation of entertainment music royalty. This solider is determined and armed with education, talent and preparation. He is ready for the battle of entry into the music business, everything in his life has led him to this point. But mark my words, when he does, some will still try and call it Luck!
Check out his Music and Videos by touching the hyperlinks: Benoffical and Soundcloud to listen to music by Travis J.
References:
Interviewee Travis Johnson
Photos provided by Travis Johnson
Benoffical http://www.youtube.com/user/BenofficialFilmz
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/kmgtrav
This interview lasted for more than an hour, I will have to post the rest of it at another time; but I would like to add that it was a pleasure interviewing Travis J., I have no doubt he will reach all of his goals.
Travis J. is an artist on the rise! He plans on making his mark in the music industry. I predict that Knue Era will be the next generation of entertainment music royalty. This solider is determined and armed with education, talent and preparation. He is ready for the battle of entry into the music business, everything in his life has led him to this point. But mark my words, when he does, some will still try and call it Luck!
Check out his Music and Videos by touching the hyperlinks: Benoffical and Soundcloud to listen to music by Travis J.
References:
Interviewee Travis Johnson
Photos provided by Travis Johnson
Benoffical http://www.youtube.com/user/BenofficialFilmz
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/kmgtrav
