Independent Artist Magazine October/November 2013 | Page 52

T.K.O
“HIS MUSIC IS REFRESHING
TO HIP HOP WHICH IS A
RARE THING THESE DAYS”

W

ith the grit of David Banner, the crunk of Lil’ Jon and the swagger of LL Cool J, T.K.O.—Triple Knockout—is a pound-for-pound champ ready to jump into the ring.

Born Tracy Rucker in Bartow, Florida and a child of a hardened military family, T.K.O. spent
his youth in tow traveling the world while furtively tuning an ear to music. By the age of 19, he had lived
in more than fifteen states, from the southeast to New York, and spent his most memorable time outside
the states in Germany where his father was stationed on two separate assignments.
“Living in Germany was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I got an appreciation for the culture;
the people were kind and welcomed somebody like me—someone who was completely different.”
This nomadic lifestyle didn’t afford T.K.O. any level of comfort or contentment in his
surroundings; a factor of his youth responsible for his lifelong, adrenaline addiction (his drug of choice)
and risk-taking drive. What it did allow him was to establish residency in music making. He spent his
every waking minute rapping and beating on anything in his path to tap into his passion for drumming
which (much like Pharrell) led T.K.O. to become a percussionist in a variety of school music programs.
Drumline along with legends such as Al Green and The Supremes (the icons of his parents liking), and
transitional living fostered T.K.O.’s strong sense of respect for other ????????????????????????????)???????????????((??%??????????????5???????????????????????((