Kenn Starr (born Kenneth Jones) is an American rapper from
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, currently residing in the
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
metro area. Starr is a member of the Low Budget Crew and also the duo Isaac Jones. His solo debut album, '' Starr Status'', was released in 2006. His latest album, ''Square One'' was released in 2015.
Music career
Low Budget Crew
Low Budget Crew (also known as Low Budget Productions) is a collective of Hip hop musicians based in the
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
area. The crew was formed in the early 2000s, and Starr joined in 2001 with D.C. locals
Oddisee
Amir Mohamed el Khalifa (born February 24, 1985), better known by his stage name Oddisee, is an American rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of rap trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is ...
, Kev Brown, Critically Acclaimed, and Cy Young. The first all-round Low Budget release was producer Kev Brown's ''I Do What I Do'', in 2005, followed by Kenn Starr's '' Starr Status'', in 2006.
Solo career
Starr's connection with fellow Low Budget Crew producer Oddisee landed him a deal with New York-based indie label Halftooth Records, which released his debut single, "If", featuring
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
and
Asheru
Gabriel Benn (born December 29, 1974), better known as Asheru, is an American rapper, educator, and youth activist. He performed the opening and closing themes for the popular TV series, ''The Boondocks''.
Early life and music
As a youth, Ash ...
, in early 2004. "If" and its
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
, "Walk the Walk", were included on the Halftooth Records compilation, ''You Don't Know the Half''. The single led to a number of guest appearances including:
The Foreign Exchange
The Foreign Exchange is an R&B/electronica/ hip hop duo consisting of the American rapper/singer Phonte and the Dutch record producer Nicolay.
Musical career
The pair initially made contact via message boards on Okayplayer.com and soon be ...
's "The Answer",
Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
's "Head High", and
Symbolyc One
Larry Darnell Griffin Jr. (born August 3, 1976), professionally known as Symbolyc One or S1, is an American record producer from Waco, Texas. He founded the group Strange Fruit Project and is signed to Kanye West's Very GOOD Beats as a producer ...
and
Illmind
Ramon Ibanga, Jr. (born August 28, 1980), known professionally as Illmind (often stylized as !llmind), is an American record producer, songwriter, and educator. As of 2012, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Illmind has co-written and produced hip ...
's "Guilty Pleasures".
In June 2006, Starr released ''The Starr Report'', a mixtape featuring most of his unreleased guest appearances on albums by the likes of
Supastition
Supastition is an American underground hip hop artist from Greenville, North Carolina. He has also recorded under the name of Kam Moye and Blackmel (in earlier years). He has appeared on songs with the likes of KRS-One, The RZA, Ras Kass, Te ...
, Cesar Comanche, The Foreign Exchange, and Kev Brown; followed by the single "Against the Grain".
2006: ''Starr Status''
On August 29, 2006, Starr's debut album, '' Starr Status'', was released, featuring production from Illmind, Khrysis, Kev Brown, Oddisee, DJ Roddy Rod and
M-Phazes
Mark Landon (born 1 February 1983), better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, a ...
. Featured guests on the album included Kev Brown, Starr's Isaac Jones partner Sean Born, Supastition, Median,
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
and
Asheru
Gabriel Benn (born December 29, 1974), better known as Asheru, is an American rapper, educator, and youth activist. He performed the opening and closing themes for the popular TV series, ''The Boondocks''.
Early life and music
As a youth, Ash ...
. The album features the single "Against the Grain" b/w "Waitin' on You"/"Back at it Again", and the bonus track "If", Starr's 2004 debut single.
''Starr Status'' garnered the rapper attention from magazines including Scratch,
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
, and JIVE, who called Starr "one of the best MCs in the game".
2009: ''It's Still Real''
In 2009, Starr released the mixtape ''It's Still Real''. The unmixed non-tape is a discography update of sorts – collecting the guest appearances and collaborations Kenn has done since his 2006 debut, ''Starr Status''. Included are production and appearances by the likes of
Wale
Wale or WALE may refer to:
Places
*Wale, Devon, a hamlet in England
*Wale, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, a village in Poland
People
*Wale (surname)
*Wale (rapper), stage name of American rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin
Radio and television ...
, and more.
2010–present: ''Square One''
Starr's second full-length album, entitled "Square One," was originally scheduled for 2011 but eventually released in 2015 on Mello Music Group.