Rockwell Knuckles facts for kids

Rockwell Knuckles is a talented hip hop and rap artist. He comes from St. Louis, Missouri. He has performed at big music festivals like SXSW. He has also been nominated for several Riverfront Times Music Awards. Rockwell now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Corey Barnett was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He went to high school at Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School. It was there that he got his stage name. One day, after a difficult situation, a friend said he had 'rocky knuckles.' Corey started using that name. Later, he changed it to Rockwell Knuckles. He thought, "I rock. I rock well: Rockwell Knuckles."

After high school, Rockwell Knuckles went to Harris-Stowe State University. But he soon left college. He joined a group of seven St. Louis rappers called Pangea. By 2003, the group had split up. Rockwell then moved to Los Angeles. He worked on a music project there. In 2004, he lost his home in a fire. This made him decide to start fresh and begin his solo music career.

Rockwell Knuckles' Solo Career

Rockwell Knuckles released his first big music project in 2005. It was a mixtape called The New Standard. This mixtape had 29 songs. It helped him get opening spots for famous artists. He opened for musicians like GZA and Brother Ali.

In 2007, he started writing songs for his first album. This album was called Northside Phenomenon. It came out in November 2007. In 2008, he took part in a music competition. He made it to the semi-finals.

Music Releases and Performances

In 2010, Rockwell Knuckles released another project. It was titled Choose Your Own Adventure. He performed songs from this project on stage. He shared the stage with many well-known artists. These included Lupe Fiasco, J. Cole, and Yelawolf.

A reviewer from Uproxx.com wrote about him in 2010. They said that every SXSW festival creates new stars. They believed Rockwell Knuckles was one of those artists. They thought he would become a big music star. His song "Government Name" was also featured on a music website in April 2010.

Music in Movies

In 2011, Rockwell Knuckles' song "Play Catch" was featured in a movie. The movie was called One For The Road. It was a ski and ride film by Teton Gravity Research. The soundtrack for this movie won an award. It won Best Soundtrack at a film festival in Montreal, Canada.