Mr Kinex talks about his career as a growing hip hop/rap artist in Idaho

Robert Woodies (A.K.A. Mr Kinex) is an artist in Idaho (USA) who specialises in rap and hip hop music. He produces raw, grimy content drawn from his experiences, and has a unique song writing structure that draws in his fans with his arrays of lyrical composition. His raspy style works well with his aggressive showmanship and approach to songwriting, which helps him to put on a great show.

Mr Kinex toured the country in 2018, playing shows in Montana, Colorado, Oregon and California. He also plays regularly in his hometown of Boise, Idaho, where he is a favourite because of his ability to involve his audience in the show and the routine. This also allows him to form a connection to each person in the crowd, which is what draws them back time after time!

The latest tour was for Ladies Nights at clubs in the states Mr Kinex visited, where he performed along with a number of other hip hop and rap artists. At the moment he is back in Boise, where he is working on evolving his style and writing new songs to make an even bigger impact on the industry than he already has.

Mr Kinex, how did you first get into hip hop/rap?

I’ve been into music for as long as I can remember, and it isn’t just hip hop and rap. I listen to and am influenced by just about anything – my personal playlist has Tracy Chapman, ACDC, Eric Clapton and Eazy-E on it!

When I was young, though, I tried mixing a Tracy Chapman album up with a Devo album and decided I loved doing it and wanted to become a musician. I found writing hip hop and rap came to me, so here I am!

What made you decide you wanted to be a musical artist?

I’ve always loved music and wanted to do it. It used to be just a hobby, but eventually I decided to just take the plunge! I guess you could say the music chose me (cliché I know).

How long have you been a professional musician for?

Like I said I’ve always loved music, and I have been involved in the industry in some capacity for a long time, but I’ve been professionally rapping as a solo artist since 2015 – so getting up to four years. I was a hype man for big artists on tours around the US as well as overseas, so I had a bit of a head start over other newly professional artists.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I take some inspiration from my life, just like every musician out there, and particularly my failures. My biggest inspiration, however, is my kids. They motivate me to succeed and be better, as well as providing inspiration for my music.

How would you say your style has evolved over time?

My style is quite unique, because I have a very raspy, intense voice. I’m told it’s very catchy as well – which is great for drawing a crowd! Over my life the kind of music I make has changed a lot – like I said, I started off mixing Tracy Chapman!

I think my style has been pretty consistent for the three years I’ve been making solo music professionally – although I’ve been making music for fun since I was a kid. I turned pro quite late when I was already a man, and I think I found my sound and worked out who I am as a musician before I started rapping professionally.

What is coming up next from Mr Kinex?

I have been working on an album recently and have a new single dropping in two days. The full album is almost out as well, and will be released in 2 weeks. At the moment working to get everything ready for that is taking up a lot of time, but after that I will be performing more in Boise and will think about another tour promoting my new album!

Thank you Mr Kinex for your time!
You can follow up with Mr Kinex and check his new album Damage Control at www.mrkinex.com

Christian Woods
Christian Woods
Christian is a morning reporter and technology columnist for Best in Australia. Christian has worked in the media since 2000, in a range of locations. He joined Best in Australia in 2018, and began working in Melbourne in 2019.
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