Following a five year hiatus from the rap game, Perth MC KNOE returned with his eagerly awaited second body of work last week. 

The 7-track EP, Reasons, is a reflective collection of songs that explore realisations of pressure, anxiety, passion, love and more. Doing what he does best – eloquently soul searching over sample-based sounds – KNOE also manages to coup a pair of major co-signs, with features from OG Perth rhymer Drapht, and New York rapper Retch (who as well as boasting past collabs with Pharell, Rihanna, and the late Mac Miller, recently released a single with Schoolboy Q). Also featured are Paloma and Sambo who lend their smooth vocals to the project and add another dimension to KNOE’s hypnotic storytelling. At its core, the ill project is conscious and calculated as KNOE weaves intricate narratives through tight verses packed with subtle poetic flexes. 

Enough from us though, here’s what KNOE had to say about each track:

GHOST

‘Ghost’ is the first song I wrote for Reasons, it’s sort of a personal explanation as to why I faded
away from music for a little while. The reasoning behind why I wasn’t doing music, but also the
reasons why I’m back writing again.

LAID UP (feat. Drapht)

I actually wrote ‘Laid Up’ when i was at home from work sick. I’ve been physically quite unwell
this year and had to take time off from everything to try to get healthy. ‘Laid Up’ was me sick at
home, feeling like shit. I heard the beat and just wrote what came to me. Getting the words out
on a page and releasing the tension was like meditation to me.

PLATO (feat. Retch)

This song is about measuring up good and evil when you’re caught within the pressures of
street crime. How can you make a good decision when you are swimming so deep in such
negative environments? Write a rap about it.

KINETIC

Personally, ‘Kinetic’ is just me talking on a beat. Nothing special, just me being me. A simple rap
song with a splash of bravado.

JUICE

‘Juice’ is a glass of wine, some dinner and a cigarette under the moonlight. The song is me
drinking away the anxieties and pressures of life. We all have our ups and downs, whether it’s in
music or in life. At the bottom of the bottle of a cheap red wine, I realised I was dealing with my
troubles through music and that made me feel good.

PLAY LOVE

This is just a fun track about making love with a beautiful person you’ve just met. The
exhilarating feeling of finding a connection and pushing that connection in the bedroom. Those
type of vibes when you haven’t slept and you’re still engrossed in each others playful company
when the sun rises.

REASONS

‘Reasons’ is the thoughts and questions that repeatedly run through my head. Why do I have to
work for someone other than myself, why are we so out of tune with our true emotions that we fill our voids with material things and why is the idea of time so stressful? I figured I should learn to breath more.