The Hottest Before The Beginning

by Erica Parker

A sophomore working on his debut, Elliot McKnight performed one of his hot new singles, “Don’t Turn Around, ” for Howard’s Hottest. His outstanding performance crowned him the title of one of Howard’s hottest rappers. Dedicated to his music and the rising group, Fortune & Fame, McKnight, a broadcast journalism major, embraces his new reputation with open arms and has a drive to reach the top of the charts.

McKnight began writing music at the age of 16.  Since then, becoming a world-renowned artist has  become transfixed into his dreams. Using his skill as a rapper, he represents Fortune & Fame, a group of like-minded individuals that McKnight says functions similar to a media outlet. The members of Fortune &Fame come from different backgrounds and have different hobbies, but every member desires to rise in the music industry.  That shared desire helps each member complement the others.

“We support everything, from artist, videography, producing, photography, and management, all of that in one,” McNight explained.  “So I represent Fortune & Fame on the artist side.”

His particular genre of music is influenced by a lot, including the music he listens to.  He feels this is what makes his sound different from others.

“At this point in my life I listen to everything, from Bon Iver to Skrillex,” McKnight said. “Oh, and by the way, I love Dubstep; you guys are going to be excited for what I have next.”

A true servant to his work, McKnight is excited for the upcoming release of his first compilation, “The Beginning.”  McKnight and other members of Fortune and Fame are working diligently to complete it, working on recordings and videos and making sure it’s perfect before the release.

“It’s the beginning of me as an artist and just this whole lifestyle that I live,” McKnight said. “I feel as though I’ve taken my music more seriously in regards to the way that I think and how I approach things since last year. So my debut is definitely going to be a reflection of that.”

Although he was not given a trophy for his win, McKnight said something even better was given to him.

“I think we won credibility,” he said.  “I feel like everybody saw what we were “kind of” doing before the event, like they didn’t know if we were coming out as a group or what we were trying to portray. And I think that this one event really shifted everyone’s mind now they take us a lot more seriously.”

When it comes to his music, McKnight proves to be the catalyst for change in the world of music.

“I want to be the best of all time” McKnight said.  “That’s how I want to be remembered.”

Follow him on Twitter! @EMK1992