The journey begins: Week One-Meet the Artist:
I have had the pleasure of knowing Kori Miller aka KM for roughly five years. Ever since I have known him he has been admittedly stubborn, yet diligent, reliable and consistently focused. Linking with KM in grad school for an MBA program, might I add what rapper out there has an MBA? Not an on-line degree but a full fledge MBA from an accredited University. We initially clicked because honestly we were the only blacks in the program and we also like to party. Our classmates were over the whole undergrad style of raging and “partying” and would spend their weekends quietly with their friends or studying in preparation for the upcoming week. We would rage nightly and also on weekends and also shared the same circle of friends since he comes from a sports background. What I did not pick up on initially was KM’s love for music. When we first met back in the summer of 2010 I recall being invited to pregame. At that point in our young lives we were still penny pinching and pregaming consisted of fifths of Burnette’s vodka, Natural Light Beer kegs off brand 3 Liter sodas from the local Food Lion and a scripted mass text to 50+ girls. In the midst of partying and trying to impress whatever girls attended the weekly pregame I found KM in the kitchen with one of his roommate’s freestyling over some Drake (So Far Gone had just dropped) that was blasting through the speakers in the living room. Being more concerned with the girls at the party than the commotion in the kitchen it caught my eye but didn’t warrant my attention. Week by week would pass and one Thursday in the fall of 2010 as I went to the kitchen for a shot of some nasty flavored Burnette I noticed KM was at it yet again. He was moving swiftly delivering punch lines and spitting bars off the top of the dome. As I stopped to listen I noticed a small huddle around him as he dropped bar after bar gaining more and more attention from the party goers, that’s when it dawned on, me. KM isn’t just rapping over Drake beats every Friday at the pregames; he is passionate about this and I would soon learn his message: We will be sitting down with KM once a week to pick his brain and truly understand him as person, see what projects he is working on learn more about his journey thus far. Without any further ado let’s officially meet the rapper:
Who is he?
Kori Miller stage name KM. Also known as or referred to as: K Musiq, Kori D, Kori M or King Miller
Where is he from?
The son of proud hard working parents who served in the military KM was born on Germany soil but raised in VA calling Fredericksburg home. Often times in KM’s early tracks he shouts out his neighborhood the “Burg” as he affectionately calls it. As KM puts it “The Burg is a small town where country meets city “.
What type of upbringing did you have?
Military Brat rather military and brat would describe the type of upbringing KM had growing up. Raised by parents who served in the military and the youngest of 5 KM learned at a young age that he would have to fight to get his way and that nothing in life is given. Being the youngest KM had little to no say so in any decisions that were made growing up, as a result KM learned from the mistakes of his older siblings. Imagine a kid who was always deemed too little, too short and too small to excel in the sports world. Also being the youngest of family of 7, KM’s musical passion stems from his upbringing of consistently being looked over, counted out and even forgotten at times. As an adult Km has learned to put his mess of a past into a message that tells fans you too can live your dream and to do things your way. Knowing KM first hand he has never been one follow any trend, crowd or fad. He is a man of his word and will stick firm to his beliefs, for that reason alone he is a dope ORIGINAL MC.
What made you want to rap?
The first time I ever partied with KM I noticed a completely different person from our Economics class. In class most of our interaction focused on the law supply and demand, the theory of opportunity cost and in depth look at the cost-benefit analysis of various projects. I have known KM for years and never once took his raps serious until I saw the energy, efforts and money he was pouring into his career. That’s when I absolutely had to know- what made you want to rap. In short KM stated, “I have no clue. I freestyled once and some people said it was good. From there I wanted to see how good I could get. After that I battled a time period where all music I was making honestly wasn’t that good, even I wouldn’t let people listen too. I slowly began to realize I actually had something to say an something people needed to hear.
Who are some of your biggest musical/nonmusical influences?
Musical influences: Bone Thugs N Harmony, Oasis, Incubus, Kings of Leon, Drake, J Cole
Nonmusical Influence: Peyton Manning, Parents, and anyone who goes the entrepreneur route
It is evident in his beat selection that KM is a fan of rock groups like Taking back Sunday, Oasis and 21 Pilots, it’s even more clear in his unique often perfectly pronounced rhymes that KM is a fan of J Cole, Drake and Kendrick. If one was to categorize his sound I would simply state; think small town where country meets city- add in one part Sugar Ray, one part Kendrick Lamar, a scoop of J Cole, hint of Dave Matthews band, sprinkle in some Lupe and topped off with some soulful Goodie Mob. It’s unique perfectly blended sound that definitely catches your ear.
What’s up next for KM?
I’ve got to build a bigger buzz in Charlotte. I’m hitting the streets this 4th Quarter. I’m scheduling performances at literally every bar, club and pub that has open mic. I will release dates once I get this set up. I’m also working on producing more content. I have a plan to release new song each month and just build my connections and build my fan base from the ground up. The motto that I’m focusing on is #SteadyWork. I may not have it all together but if I keep plugging away I’m bound to make it #Steady Work is what we doing over here!