Kenneth Jones, known as Kenn Starr is an American rapper from

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, currently residing in the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

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 music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

ians based in the Washington D.C. area. The crew was formed in the early 2000s, and Starr joined in 2001 with D.C. locals

Oddisee Amir Mohamed el Khalifa (born on 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 the hip hop trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget C ...

, 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 first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

and Asheru, in early 2004. "If" and its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "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'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 and Illmind'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, 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. Featured guests on the album included Kev Brown, Starr's Isaac Jones partner Sean Born, Supastition, Median,

and Asheru. 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, 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 9th Wonder, Kev Brown,

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

, Oddisee, Raheem DeVaughn, Wale, 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.

Discography

Albums

*'' Starr Status'' (Halftooth Records, 2006) *''Square One'' (Mello Music Group, 2015) hiphop.dx.com Retrieved 2016-5-16

Mixtapes

* ''The Starr Report'' (2006) * ''It's Still Real'' (2009)

References

External links

Video interview with UndergroundHipHop.comKenn Starr's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Kenn African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Living people Rappers from Virginia Rappers from Washington, D.C. Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians