NEW MUSIC Nikki 706nix McKnight EXCLUSIVE [VIDEO]: Openly Lesbian Georgia Emcee Talks Rap Inspirations, Holding it Down For the Ladies, And Standing Out In The Industry
Female emcees are hard to find. Within the male dominated industry, each decade births just a handle full of successful long lasting female rappers. With arts like Trina, Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliot, Eve, and Lauryn Hill to pave the way Columbus, Georgia born rapper Nikki "706Nix" McKnight has big shoes to fill- and she knows it. I listened to 706nix music and chatted with her about being an openly lesbian emcee, her inspiration, and the obstacles she is facing on her rise in the hip-hop industry.
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER/INSTAGRAM/VINE: @multimediadom
Nikki has been rapping as long she can remember. "In school I would write rhymes and recite them to my friends in class." Nicki grew up listening to "Atlanta legends, Raheem, Kilo," and was introduced to "up-top" rappers, Jay-Z, Nas, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang by the time she got to high school. She had always toyed with the idea of a career as a rapper, writing long verses in battle like format, without ever thinking of creating actual songs. However longtime friend, Nick, encouraged her to take rapping serious and develop her hobby into a full blown craft and art.
706nix recorded her first track "Who Am I" in 2002. The self assuring track defined her as an angel and a devil, a sinner and a saint, but most of all it revealed her strengths and weaknesses as a human being. "I'm human and I go through emotions just like the next person. I put it all out on the table through song. I am an open book," Nikki wrote in an email.
Nikki is indeed an open book with her raw and honest rhymes, 706nix is not afraid to share her story with tales of heartbreak, disloyalty, love for Georgia, and more. By 2007 she dropped her first mixtape, "The Wake Up," featuring 18 hard hitting tracks. She followed up with the 2010 release of "No Beat Iz Safe."
On her track "Right Here," from her first mixtape release in 2012, Nikki raps about being a ride or die in her romantic relationships, she raps to the special girl in her life, "I'm right here, and I ain't going no where/ I'm right here so lay your pretty little head on this pillow let your fears out the window/Don't be scared I'm right here."
The southern spitter holds her own as she is dedicated to rapping about what she knows. As an artist inspired by some of the best female rappers in the game Nikki is ready for the world to take her seriously as an artist. For more on 706nix, listen to her new tracks and a full indepth Q&A go to DominiqueZonyee.com.