Hailing from San Francisco Bay Area, California, Karna Gajab, better known for his professional name Kognitive is an emerging Indian rapper and gifted producer. He made his official start in hip-hop in 2018 and quickly stood out for his lyrical ability to combine both English and Hindi bars. Inspired by legends in hip-hop both old-school and more contemporary, Kognitie puts his authenticity on every track he touches. His latest single “Feel My Vibe” was produced by pkbeatz features bars of Kognitive’s outlook on life blended with Indian classical raga alaap (melodic improvisation). Currently, Kognitive is working on his upcoming debut LP/Album planned for a mid-2020 release!
The unmistakable sound of Kognitive pours through in the form of an explosive new track “Feel My Vibe”. Kognitive smashes into action with this track, a musically pleasing hip-hop-funk soundscape supports a series of hard-hitting or melodically entrancing vocals, each part rhythmically on point and moving the piece along in a uniquely striking way. Everything from the beat to the vocals and the simplicity of that hook lingers in your mind after listening. Fine production by lets the music stand tall, a strong mix means you can turn this up and engage with the energy of each soundscape as much as the personality and storylines at the heart of the writing. Kognitive’s spoken-word vocals are concise and specific, they’re detailed and captivating right through to the end. All of this leans in the direction of originality and character, “Feel My Vibe” is absolutely worth a listen! Check out “Feel My Vibe” here.
Hey Kognitive! Welcome to BuzzMusic! What inspired you to first begin making music and releasing it to the public?
Shoutout to BuzzMusic for having me! I've been a musicophile right from my childhood days, having grown up listening primarily to Indian classical and fusion. It was only when I entered a secondary school that I began listening to world music that spanned genres and it was in my seventh grade that I first encountered hip-hop music via Dr Dre's Chronic. And I am glad that I bumped into hip-hop music with the most credible artist in the history of the game. The other major influence with rap music; and I guess this is true not only for me but for majority Asian kids out there, was listening to Linkin Park (it was more of a rock-era for Indian youth in the 90's and early 2000's) and being captivated by the Nu-Metal wave that fused hip-hop elements so well with Mike Shinoda's rap verses. But it wasn't until 2 years back when I really thought of writing my own verses that manifested into full-blown tracks and getting more into music production as an artist. As I've always written poetry (mostly for myself; never published), I found the perfect medium to express all my feelings. I released my first hip-hop track 'Judge Me' in Dec 2018, talking about how I was immune to societal judgments and why everyone else should be as well. Since then I've released 4 more singles, with my latest being 'Feel My Vibe'. And I haven't looked back since!
You seem to be an artist that puts more thought into his lyrics than most. What can you tell us about the lyrical depth within “Feel My Vibe”?
I've consistently held a view that hip-hop music is probably the only genre that has an infinite potential to bring about societal reform; be it social or political. The new wave of trap music is great but on most occasions, it lacks the true soul of rap music, that mainly constitutes your "bars" and what they are trying to convey. In "Feel My Vibe", am trying to put across what hip-hop music means to me, my influences coming from rap OGs, how it's helped me spit my true beliefs in life (no matter how controversial they are to society) and how vital I feel it is to be true to yourself and not project a fake image to please the society.
Since you’ve been making music for a few years, how would you compare some of the earlier material you’ve written to your newest release “Feel My Vibe”?
To be honest, its been only 2 years really, most of which have been spending time in learning the craft. When I released my first single, I was happy with my bars and the lyrical flow but I realized, only after putting the track out there, that I really need to up my game in terms of overall production quality, for it to better connect with the audience. With 'Feel My Vibe' (shoutout to pkbeatz for the beat!), I definitely feel that my production level has risen compared to previous singles but this is just the start; I truly have a long way to go before I start appreciating my own music :)
What have been some of your proudest or most memorable moments or accomplishment in music so far?
Frankly there hasn't been a real proud moment yet in my musical journey as am pretty much in the early stages. But yes, one memorable moment was when I penned down my second single "Level Up" overnight!
We really appreciate you chatting with us about your incredible music! We’re super stoked to hear your upcoming album! What’s next for you artistically? Does your creativity manifest itself in other ways?
I have a couple of ideas bouncing around. Before 2019 ends, I plan to release a 3-song EP, produced on Japanese trap beats and packed with hard bars. The tentative title is "Lyrical Yakuza" and I plan to finish writing it during my upcoming trip to Japan:) In parallel, am working on my first LP/album, targeting release for mid-2020. The track list is still evolving and I am in the songwriting process at the moment. But roughly, the LP will have 7-10 tracks, with bars in both Hindi and English.