Article - CunninLynguists

If these troubled times had a soundtrack, Kentucky-bred rap group CunninLynguists could very well be the composers. Kno, one third of the box-defying group, says they make “path music.”

“Everyone can relate to trying to be good and maybe doing a little bad, and how you deal with that and balance that with your spirituality,” says Kno, the producer/rapper, who grew up in Barnesville, Ga. “We look at it from the standpoint of humanness. That’s one of the main appeals of our music, everyone has that point where they choose a path and that’s what our music is.”

Rounded out by producer Deacon the Villan and rapper Natti, CunninLynguists’ sound, as heard on their latest record Dirty Acres, have drawn comparisons to early Dungeon Family albums – mostly because of their raw yet spiritual brand of realism.

While Deacon and Kno also make up the busy production duo, Piece of Strange, their group efforts have always served as a creative escape.

“There are certain chords and certain notes in the music itself that speaks to certain emotions in people,” Kno says, referring to the group’s work with Immortal Technique, Cee-Lo, Devin the Dude, Witchdoctor and Phonté of Little Brother. “I don’t think that in 2008 artists pay enough attention to that.”

It’s a concept they grasped back in 2001 with their debut release Will Rap for Food. Seven albums later, people still struggle to pinpoint their sound. Southern boom-bap? Country realist rap? Whatever the label, CunninLynguists probably doesn’t fit it.

“We don’t make music with the intent of filling a void. But if it does that, that’s great,” Kno says. “I think that’s why we have a really dedicated fan base. We don’t try to do anything. And if it’s dope we keep it, and if it’s not we never let anybody hear it. It’s quality control.”