Brandon Perry (born January 12, 1991), better known as K.A.A.N. (acronym for Knowledge Above All Nonsense), is an American rapper from Maryland. He is best known for his fast-rhyming Chopper style, breathless-style, vast vocabulary, and cynicallyrics based on mental health issues,[1]abuse, politics, and religion.[2]
Life and career
Brandon Perry was born and raised in Maryland, and grew up in a trailer park.[3] He got into music at an early age when his parents would play Tupac, among others such as Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, and Big Krit. He cites "When I was ten or so I bought every Tupac CD. I bought all his music.[4][5] My parents played him, Nas and Biggie in the car and stuff. I listened to other guys, like Eminem, Jay-Z, Big Pun, O.C., Big L, a lot when I was younger too". Perry started releasing music around 2014, but it wasn't until he released the video "KAANCEPTS" where his music started to gain attention.[citation needed] Perry used to work for a contracting and masonry company, working six days a week from Monday-Saturday to fund his rap career.[6][7][8]
He currently resides in Los Angeles where he writes and records music at Dr. Dre's Record One Studio.[9][10] He did a Mac Miller tribute song called “Rest Easy” in 2018.[11]
In 2022 he released his twenty-fifth album titled “The High Before You Fall”.[12]
Artistry
Perry has stated Tupac Shakur is one of his greatest influences, stating how Shakur was "the only artist where I could literally feel the music", adding that he studied Shakur's music and would "[listen] to catch every word, mannerism, voice inflections."[13] Perry has listed many other rap artists he took inspiration from, naming Nas, Eminem, Das EFX, EPMD, Big Pun, Biggie and Wu-Tang Clan.[14] He has added that acts from other genres are also big influences in his style, Etta James, Smokey Robinson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Nirvana, and Adele.
When asked about his role and race in rap, Perry responded, "I'm obviously a younger black man, so that stuff is definitely in the back of my mind....All that stuff we're seeing nowadays with police brutality and racism and bigotry that we've always seen in this country, it's always in the back of your mind...I feel like if you're born black it's kind of like it comes with the territory. You've gotta know what's going on around you and what situations you're in. But in terms of me writing, I don't feel like I speak for anyone. I don't speak for young black men or black people. I speak for myself."[1]
