by Sebastian Mackay
Kuniva started out as a member of Eminem’s rap group D12. But now, spurred on by emcees and the power of the beat, he’s recorded a solo album that showcases more of his lyrics, ability, drive and finesse than he could get across in D12. The solo record isn’t the first time Kuniva has moved away from D12, though. He’s featured on a number of mix tapes but he says there’s a big difference.
“A mix tape is more to me like a lyrical exercise,” he says. “It’s highlighting your skills as an emcee and you have more freedom content wise.”
Albums, on the other hand, are somewhat more scripted. “With an album is mostly a theme that you are constructing and sticking to. It’s a like a picture you’re painting for someone else to see.”
It’s a picture with many layers and he says that a lot of the album, A History of Violence, was inspired by his being raised in “the murder city”. Kuniva explains, “I’ve lost close family members to violence. Only to see their offspring grow up and become angry or violent and succumb to it like their parents.”
For residents of the murder city, as Kuniva dubbed it, violence is a way of life. “[It’s] a way to survive. Either way it’s a vicious cycle that needs to be broken before we destroy ourselves.”
While his lyrics are driven by life, the musicality of the record is driven purely by the beat. “The beat always tells me what to do. I go by what the beat is saying. I don’t go into a track to make a certain sound. It’s about the feeling of the record.”
To continue with his painting metaphor Kuniva says, “the beat is the canvas and the lyrics are the paintbrush.”
A lot has changed since his rap battling days; a time where he never wrote to beat. Nowadays, it’s something he isn’t without. “I write after the beat speaks to me…I can’t write unless I have a beat playing.”
He’s optimistic about the record and says it’s going to be a “very solid project.” The solidity of the project is evident in the single “Michiganish” but solidity doesn’t mean polished. “I had the idea of just spitting some raw shit over that track. Basically, I write to the track and if the other parties can make it to the lab, then cool.”
When they can’t get into the studio, or Kuniva’s lab, they send in their vocals and he cuts them up. There’s no stopping this man when he’s on a roll and rightfully slowly because momentum is powerful. If you look at why he decided step into the solo game it comes down to passion and love for the genre.
“My inspiration is other dope emcees. I’m a hardcore rap fanatic, so I love some crazy wordplay.”
The debut solo, A History Of Violence, is as rap as it gets and Kuniva’s answer as to why we should care, “it’s Hip Hop.”
He knows that’s enough.
