Unk knows what every other deejay knows: there’s always that one song that is so hot that it can get the crowd crunk every single time it’s played; that one musical spark that can electrify even the dullest party and pluck even the most obstinate wallflower from her perch and set her feet ablaze on the dance floor. As a popular club DJ, Unk knows how to pick those songs. As an artist, he knows how to make them.
The Atlanta native who rose to international prominence with the wildly successful single, “Walk It Out,” quickly learned that his high-energy, feel-good brand of hip-hop not only brought heat to the clubs but to the charts as well. The song, the first from his 2006 debut CD, “Beat’n Down Yo Block,” was a number one hit at urban radio and received over 236,000 spins while the album spent 74 consecutive weeks on the Billboard New Artist chart. The magazine also named Unk their #1 top new artist for 2007. Some 1.5 million digital downloads and two million ringtones later, “Walk It Out” had become the hip hop anthem of its day.
But that was just the beginning. After a whirlwind success story that is truly the stuff dreams are made of, Unk strikes again with “Show Out,” the energetic lead single from his sophomore set, “Second Season.” “It’s all about showing out -- doing what you do in the club, whether it’s dancing, going to the bars, or just being fresh,” he says. And, in true Unk fashion, it’s about having fun. “I just love to have fun,” he explains. “I’m a fun person. I love to see people around me having fun too. It’s all about having good energy and a positive vibe around you. Ain’t nothing like a smile. A smile is priceless. And I like to put that into my music.”
Though it may seem to some that Unk appeared out of nowhere, he’s been on the grind for quite some time. It wasn’t all that long ago that he was spinning records at cookouts and high school coronations in and around Atlanta. He made a name for himself and eventually became a popular club deejay.
Unk didn’t exactly set out to be an international superstar. In fact, he admits, the success of “Walk it Out” caught him completely off guard. “I surprised myself,” he notes. “I knew it was a great song but when I first started playing I was a deejay at TI’s club and a lot of people would tell me to play my song so I figured people really must like it. The more I played it, the more it grew in the clubs and stayed in people’s ears.”
With the blessing of the streets and the backing of the godfather of Atlanta hip hop, Big Oomp, Unk embarked on a journey that would set the stage for an exciting career -- and an equally exciting follow-up CD. In the wake of such phenomenal success, Unk admits to feeling a little pressure to maintain his winning streak. “The pressure’s gonna always be there,” he acknowledges, “but I’ve been around the world. I’ve been everywhere. I put all that pressure into making the album. I’ve got Top Quality Productions. I have DJ Montay and he’s got good ears and a good sound. He keeps his ear to the street. I put the pressure into the album and that’s what I think makes the album so great.”
On Second Season, Unk says he aimed to infuse his songs with the kind of energy that could only come from the experiences afforded to him by the success of his first project. “This has been like a movie to me,” he says, “because I just can’t believe all the success and all the things that I’ve done: Touring, playing arenas and stadiums; traveling all over the world from Japan to Germany to Greece to Italy. Playing for Bar Mitzvahs one day and Mormons the next.” But by far the most memorable of all of his experiences, he says, was closing out the 2006 BET Awards. “I can sit on YouTube and watch that all day,” he laughs. “That was a really big experience for me.”
And there are likely many more big experiences to come. With a star-studded line up and an array of sure-to-please songs, Unk’s Second Season, is poised for success. “I have a lot of great features on the album,” he says. “I’ve got Ray J, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, Ying Yang Twins, and [new Oomp Camp group] Blazed.”
Ray J checks in on “She Freaky,” a track that Unk describes as “an uptempo song that makes you have to hit the floor.” He adds, “It’s not necessarily a nasty song but it is a free song. It’s one of those songs that you can ride out to.”
Three 6 Mafia and Project Pat check in on the ‘underground’ strip-club joint “Wet Wet.” And Unk gets “grown and sexy” with Blazed on “Round and Round.” “It’s one of those songs where you can sip your wine and wind down with your girl.” Rounding out the set is Unk’s “motivational” anthem, “You Can Do It.” “This song is just telling people that you can do anything in life. Don’t let nobody tell you that you can’t do nothing. I had to put a little buzz in their ear to keep people going, to keep them motivated.”
As for his own motivation, Unk says he was inspired early on by all the hip hop heroes of his youth; everyone from OutKast to Kid Capri. “Their songs and material kept me motivated to stay in school and make sure I got my education. They made me think about what I wanted to do when I graduated.” And just as he looked up to them back in the day, Unk says the young people who look up to him today are a source of motivation for him. “The people around me always motivate me. These are people who look up to me and try to make sure I’m on track and now that I’ve got a big fan base, I try to help them out as much as I can because I see that they’re looking at me all the time. That’s what keeps me pumping.”
With a highly-anticipated new CD as well as his contribution to the popular NBA 2K9 Xbox game (a song called “In Yo Face,” also featured on Second Season), Unk is ready to do it all over again. “My first album was the coming out album,” he offers. “That was just about knowing who Unk is and getting a vibe of Unk. Letting them know I like to party, I like to have fun, I like to get crunk. This album is more Unk growing up but still doing his thing. He’s been around the world and he’s gonna bring all that to this album.”
Website
www.unkmusic.com - www.bigoomprecords.com
Influences
DJ GOLDFINGER, DJ MONTAY, DJ JELLY, Mannie Fresh, DJ Paul, DJ TRIPLE J, DJ HERSHEY, JAM MASTER JAY (R.I.P) & KID CAPRI, *** IF U KNOW THEM OR SEEN THEM YOU WILL KNOW WHY? HOLLA @ YOSELF!!
Band Members
THE SOUTHERN STYLE DJ"S DJ JELLY (PLATNIUM FINGERS) MC ASSAULT (VITO CORLONE) DJ MONTAY ( BAD ASS YELLOW BOY) DJ UNK ( 4TH WARD SHAWTY) NEW!!! DJ SHAWTY ROCK (BJ) BIG OOMP & BIG KOREY
