TEAM RNS PRESENTS

TITLE: The Way I Am

RIPPER: Team RNS

198kbps avg - Hip-Hop
0hr 53min total- 80.3mb

RELEASE DATE: 2004-03-23
RIP DATE: 2004-03-19

01 Intro (feat. Old Leroy &       1:07

02 War (feat. Slip Capone)        3:15

04 The Way I Am (feat. Snoop Dogg)4:41
05 Watch Out (feat. Hitman)       2:51
06 Radio Skit (feat. Old Leroy &  0:50

08 Click-Click (feat. Slip Capone 2:37

10 What We Do (feat. Xzibit,      3:58
Warren G & Nate Dogg)
11 I Like (feat. Yero Brock)      5:12
12 Change This Game               3:23
13 Until The Day (A Souljah       4:04
Story) (feat. Blaq Rose)

15 Never Stop Thuggin (feat. Lil' 3:26

He's the man that Dr. Dre, Warren G and
others turn to when they need help
writing hit songs. He's been featured on
landmark albums, hit soundtracks and
released his own critically acclaimed
EP. Now, with his long-awaited debut
album on LA Confidential/Elektra
Entertainment, 'The Way I Am,'
Knoc-Turn'al is poised to become a
bonafied hip-hop superstar in his own

Chock full of catchy singles, strong
concept songs and irresistible beats
from Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Timbaland,
DJ Quik and others, 'The Way I Am'
gives fans an intimate look into the
man that made his mark on Dr. Dre's
'2001' album, the soundtrack for 'The
Wash' and his own 'Knoc's Landin'' EP.

With the spotlight squarely on him with
his new album, Knoc-Turn'al wants to make
sure that fans get a glimpse into his
world, hence the album's title. 'I want
people to get to know me,' Knoc
explains. 'Within the album, I'm trying
to explain to you the texture of where
I've come from, where I'm trying to go,
where I've been, what I need to see in
my lifetime, what I hope I accomplish.
I have set a lot of goals for myself and
I'm trying to raise the bar on my own self
so when 10 years come down the line I'm

The album's title track (and its
equally explosive remix featuring Snoop
Dogg) goes a long way to making that goal
a reality. Produced by Storch, the cut's
thumping drums, dramatic keyboards,
choice string section and Knoc's
trademark conversational flow makes it the
type of undeniable cut whose shelf life
never expires. Knoc sets the song off
by explaining how the bond he has with
Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Xzibit, Eminem, 50
Cent and others extends beyond business.

'It explains what I've been through and
the respect level that people in the
industry have for me,' he says. 'It's
not like I'm somebody where they're like,
'Oh, here he come,' and they turn away.
When I come, they're like, 'Look at
Knoc. Here he comes.' They smile about
it. They don't frown up. I'm not an
egotistical person. I've got moral
standards and a lot of loyalty. People
like that. And it's hard to find people

Knoc-Turn'al's loyalty extends to Los
Angeles. He dedicates two of the album's
hottest cuts, 'Love L.A.' and 'Peepin'
Tom,' to the splendor of his city's
culture. The former focuses on the joys
of living the LA lifestyle, while the
latter is like a history class of sorts
for LA hip-hop fans. On 'Peepin' Tom,'
Knoc weaves the titles and famous
phrases from of a number of classic
California rap hits from Eazy-E to AMG to
2Pac to Compton's Most Wanted into a
cohesive story about his own life.

'It's the people that I listened to as
I was growing up, before this game
actually came to accept me,' Knoc says.
'It's like a compliment back to them and
it makes sense. That's the crazy part.
I just didn't throw a bunch of names at
you and didn't make sense of the verse.
Unless you know these songs and listen
to rap and have been a fan for the last
10 years, you wouldn't know I'm
referencing those songs.'

Even though he loves his city, Knoc's
view stretches beyond his own
neighborhood. On the eerie 'War,' for
example, he and guest rapper Slip Capone
chastise President Bush for his foreign
policy, while on the reflective 'Until
The Day' Knoc hopes for peace and a

This type of artistic and creative reach
comes naturally for Knoc, one of
hip-hop's most well rounded artists.
'I'm trying to make a complete album,'
he says. 'I pay attention to everything.
I lost a lot of people to violence, so
until the day that I can really do
everything that I want to do, I'm going
to represent where I'm from. I'm going
to make sure that I don't forget about
everybody that ever did anything for me.
I'm talking about whether it's family
wise or hood wise. I don't forget
people. I ain't ever burned a bridge.'

Knowing that his creative range is one of
his strengths, Knoc takes his focus to a
lighter place on the catchy yet
hard-core club track 'Never Stop
Thuggin' and the second single, the Dr.
Dre-produced 'I Like.' These cuts show
another wrinkle of Knoc's character,
highlighting his party and braggadocio

'I Like' is just the latest chapter in the
winning relationship with Dr. Dre and
Knoc. In 1998, LA Confidential honcho
Big D took some of Knoc's music to Dr.
Dre. Impressed by the upstart's output,
Dre invited Knoc to the studio and had
him rap for him on the spot. After Knoc
rapped a few lines for the rap legend,
Dre was convinced that Knoc had the
skills to enter his fold.

Soon thereafter, Knoc was writing and
rapping on Dr. Dre's landmark '2001'
album and then 'The Wash' soundtrack.
At the same time, Knoc was working on
his own album and trying to distance
himself from his criminal past. With the
huge demand for his music in the
streets, it should come as no surprise
that Elektra signed Knoc-Turn'al to a
contract and that his music quickly became
a hot commodity on the bootleg circuit
throughout the country.

After recording scores of songs, the
explosive 'Knoc's Landing' EP arrived in
stores in mid-2002. Anchored by lead
single 'The Knoc,' with Dr. Dre and
Missy Elliott and a groundbreaking
video in which Knoc played 17
characters, and the Kanye West-produced
hit 'Muzik,' one of the few songs which
former Beatle Paul McCartney cleared a
sample for, Knoc established himself
as a top-tier talent who was respected
by and regularly working with rap's
biggest acts. Knoc went on to write for
Warren G and others and to sing the
chorus for the Westside Connection's
recent 'Light's Out' single.

'It's a blessing to be a part of such a
big circle so early in my career,' he
says. 'I definitely do recognize that
everything I do from this point on will
dictate whether or not I'm still going
to be here in ten years. The remix that's
going on now with Snoop Dogg solidifies
for people on the West Coast that I've
done a song with everybody. Snoop was
the missing piece of the puzzle and here

In fact, 'The Way I Am' is the missing
piece of a career that has already seen
Knoc-Turn'al deliver a string of hits as
a rapper, writer and singer. With his
experience and his respect within the
music industry, he is ready to take
advantage of his prized standing.

'It's been a very long road, but it's
been a very good learning experience,'
Knoc-Turn'al says. 'I have officially
been through hip-hop college. Things in
my career couldn't be better. I've
worked with every West Coast superstar
there is early in my career, from DJ
Quik to Dre to Ice Cube to Mack 10 to
Too $hort to Snoop Dogg on down. That's

And that's the way he is.

Explicit version, enjoy!