CanKoone

Click here to check out the video for CanKoone's seconded single off his upcoming album. - Bleu Magazine

NYC artist/songwriter Cankoone (See "My City Never Sleeps" ft. Juelz Santana) is looking to help kick off the season right with this summer break anthem "School's Out"produced by J. Cardim (Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Joe Budden etc). This dope music video is directed by @DanTheReelMe (Dan Moraru) and takes a page out of the Animal House and Old School storylines with a frat-like celebration in full effect. Of course, there's always one uninvited herb tryna' crash the party who isn't really built to hang with the cool kids as you'll see here played by urban comedy newcomer Eric Rosado (including some gutsy streaking). Look out for Cankoone's upcoming mixtape 30-Year Old Virgin coming soon and if you like comedy (who doesn't?) that's relatable to a hip-hop audience then be sure to check out some of Eric's hilarious skits on EricsWorldTV.com. Watch this entertaining, alcohol filled visual and run to copp some kegs afterwards. Oh, and don't forget to grab a few chicks to wrestle in a pool full of K-Y. Now that's how you mark the end of the semester right there.

- Nate Santos (@Middz_) - The Source Magazine

There isn't a job that CanKoone can't handle. From producing, writing and singing all of his own material to performing for crowds across the country, this newcomer aims to reign on radio this summer. The multi-talented recording artist recently shot his first single, off his forthcoming mixtape, 30-Year-Old Virgin, which drops later this month. "My City Never Sleeps" takes viewers through an all nighter in The Big Apple, with special VIPs Juelz Santana and Brandon Beal. Click play below and let the insomnia kick in.

Directed By Kai Crawford - The Vibe Magazine

From writing hit songs on his iphone to imitating Michael Jackson as a young artist, this New York native may have more tricks up his sleeve than one could imagine.

Building a reputation around his street persona, Cankoone got a bit more personal with VIBE.com and laid down a different kind of track for us to get aqauinted with. Get to know NYC's newest rising talent.—Nyvia Weathersby
VIBE: How did you come up with the stage name ‘CanKoone’ and how does this alter ego affect your music?

Cankoone: I didn’t come up with the actual name myself. My friends gave it to me. I know pretty much everybody in my neighborhood that I grew up with and at the time. I was kind of doing my little street thing and hustling. But one of my boys that I grew up with was just like, ‘Yo you’re a fly dude, steady getting money. You’re like a ‘tycoon’. Matter of fact you’re a ‘flycoon’. He started calling my flycoon and then from that a bunch of my boys started calling me Cankoone and it just kind of stuck.

Do you think your stage name fits your music?

I got that name from my boys probably like four years ago, so it was perfectly timed in terms of what I was doing with my music. I was making a transition from being like an underground sounding rapper to a more international-sounding artist, who makes more pop and R&B. Stuff that was more fun and not necessarily just lyrical, but actual songs that make people dance, have fun and enjoy themselves.

Would you say that your music defines you?

I would say that over the past few years I’ve tried to allow my music to express who I am, not just as an artist but as a person. A lot of times people would tell me, “You have to find your voice.” I’m a playful guy. I try to have a good sense of humor. I love to have fun and go out with my friends and get a little crazy. My music is me. It’s basically an audio extension of myself and my general character but maybe a little bit blown up.

What sparked your interest in music?

I always loved music. I used to be in the back of my father’s car and he would be playing Al Green, The Temptations and Earth, Wind and Fire. I was just fond of music in that way and my mother always used to listen to Billy Holiday and stuff like that. It was just a lot of good old classics that I loved and being a fan of music. I grew up listening to Outkast, Biggie and Wu-Tang and everybody else. I had a big influence on people over the years in terms of hip-hop. I just used to battle and stuff when I was like 14 and 15- years old in high school. And from there it was always kind of like a hobby but I was really good at it. I could always remember lyrics very easily and at age 20 I actually made the transition with my boys that I was in a group with from standing on the corner to actually going in the studio to make songs and put hooks together.

How old where you when you first performed on stage?

My own big performance, I think I was 17 .I had got a basketball scholarship to this prep school in Connecticut, so I transferred from LaGuardia High school. At one point somehow I convinced the teacher advisor to let me do this concert in the gym and then a bunch of my boys were supposed to back me up but they chickened out so I ended up doing the concert by myself. I remember it being funny because some of my lyrics where mad raunchy at the time. It was pretty fun. Actually some of my friends where friends with Nicki Minaj. I think she was under me or a year above me. I remember seeing her around because she was a drama major too.

Did you drop out of school?

I still went to school but I ended up taking some time off due to some family things that were going on. It wasn’t like I just dropped out to pursue music. At one point I was doing my hustle on the side and just recording and doing random showcases and college shows. That’s pretty much when I started to get into it and focus on the actual craft of making music.

Who are some of your personal and musical inspi - The Vibe Magazine

Who is CanKoone?
Bronx-bred artist teams up with Juelz Santana to make a splash in New York rap scene.
Rapper/artist CanKoone sits next to his personal manager Jeff Jacobs. They are an intriguing pair; two years of working together has cultivated a close friendship between the Bronx native and the young, savvy manager from the Upper East Side. The 27 year old rap artist wears different shades of black, a bandana around his neck and a beanie.

CanKoone's skills are not only as a rapper, but as a songwriter and a businessman, one that, with the help of Jacobs, is plotting a launch on the music industry that’s been years in the making.

His marketing and promotion company, one that will serve as an event planning group down the road, was named “Everyday Spring Break”, simply because CanKoone likes to live every day like he's partying on spring break. His forthcoming mixtape will be called “30 Year Old Virgin”, because CanKoone says he needs to “be fuckin' with the music industry before I’m 30.”

CanKoone started rapping when he was 13, battling on the streets of the Bronx with other neighborhood kids. But he is not just interested in showing the world what kind of skills he has as a rapper; he wants to be the complete package. He started writing his own songs around age 20, and worked with his producer on the majority of the tracks on “30 Year Old Virgin.” CanKoone understands the ever-evolving demands on the rap industry. While part of him just wants “to go in” on every song and kill it, he knows its important to cater to a more mainstream audience. The obvious comparison is Kanye West, an artist that embodies the kind of arsenal (rapping, songwriting, producing) that CanKoone aspires to himself.

The result is that most of his newer songs are more pop, radio-oriented tracks, as opposed to raw hip hop. CanKoone seems a little embarrassed by it, lamenting the fact that it’s not like the old Outkast and Wu-Tang records he used to listen to as a kid. But he recognizes that not much on the radio is these days, and though he is true to his roots, he seems to have a pretty good idea what it will take in this business.

But don’t be mistaken—CanKoone has a large repertoire of classic hip hop tracks, many of which will appear on the mixtape.

“We don’t want to go get a deal and have a record company give us an advance and tell us to make a single,” says Jacobs. “We want to go to them ready to roll.”

The song that has opened a lot of doors is “City Never Sleeps,” a catchy track you could imagine hearing on the radio and in the club. The big score here was getting Juelz Santana to drop a verse on the song. The track, which for now features one verse by CanKoone followed by Juelz, has led to conversations with a few record labels.

CanKoone has been working with the creative director at Atlantic Records on “stuff” (these guys are confidential). They won’t delve into details, but there’s a photo shoot scheduled with Atlantic on the horizon, a super re-launch of all social networking sites on the Internet, and music video plugs on MTVU and BET that are soon to come. As Jacob claims, “He’s six months away from being in your living room.” - Joonbug