Corey “Thelonius Kryptonite” Williams, St. Louis native makes a difference in the hip hop scene with his jazz flow.
The name Thelonius derives from paying homage to hip hop mogul J. Dilla along with inspirations from Common and Mos Def.The Kryptonite on the other hand comes from battling “cats” in high school at U City High school in St. Louis, MO. Thelonius won a battle against four other aspiring rappers at once and that is when he made it known that he was to be taken seriously about his talent.
The name Thelonius derives from paying homage to hip hop mogul J. Dilla along with inspirations from Common and Mos Def.The Kryptonite on the other hand comes from battling “cats” in high school at U City High school in St. Louis, MO. Thelonius won a battle against four other aspiring rappers at once and that is when he made it known that he was to be taken seriously about his talent.“It was an out of body experience. I never rapped Farreal. I actually started in the school cafeteria. I’ll beat on the table with a pen and Carmex (lip balm). The pen would be the hi-hat and the Carmex would be the snare. And I would use my wrist for the bass. I listened to guys battle all the time. I actually battled these guys because they were picking on a guy. They were big bullies. But they were tight. (Laughs) But it was almost like justice. I stood up for someone who was afraid to stand up for himself. That’s when everyone saw me snap. But afterwards I got cool with those dudes. I admired them in a way but I had to stand up to them,” states Thelonius.
Besides music experience, I have education within Broadcast Journalism, PR and Mass Communications.I had to interview someone once and I had to read an entire book the night before to be prepared for the interview. I got done what I needed done.If you’re going to work in this industry and do any type of art whether its music or design or writing then WORK. I love passionate people. But we have to remember some people just don’t care. I need these journalists for instance to be passionate about their work. That’s one thing I can say about the music artists in St. Louis. All the music artists are good. It’s becoming really competitive. All the artists that were at Slumfest were incredible! I like to see that St. Louis music artists are actually bringing some competition to the scene,” states Thelonius.
Very educated with the history of hip hop, Thelonius caters to the ears of any aged listener. His hip hop music embodies the jazz experience with the hip hop energy. Thelonius is an inspiration to many aspiring artists. His inspiration is expressed within his passion for music and art as a unit. “The love of hip hop inspired me to become an artist. I always wanted to do it. I always wanted to do music period. Being surrounded by different bands and artists I was always interested. But actually I saw myself being a jazz artist before hip hop.Going to U. City I learned alot about jazz. But growing up my family had alot of interest in music. The first genre of music I actually fell in love with was gospel. The first concert I went to was a gospel concert with my mom. Then I started to love jazz. Then I became educated with hip hop and began to find a love for it. I had alot of influences also. I was signed To a label at 17 yrs old called Soul Tide and recorded with Black Spade and Nato Caliph. I was then influenced me to dig deeper into hip hop. I’d have shows during the week in high school and wouldn’t make it home until 3am. I thank God for my mother for supporting and allowing that to happen. In high school is when I fell deep in love with Hip Hop,” shares Thelonius.
Thelonius obviously was born to touch people’s lives. He gives a great performance and has been referred to several publications and even featured in magazines such as Delux Magazine and Alive Magazine. Even after deciding to push music to the back and pursue a college education, something brought Thelonius back to hip hop full fledged. “I looked at it like if I don’t use the gift that God gave me then I’d be stupid. If you’re gonna do anything, do it because you love it. Don’t do things for recognition. When you do things because you want to do it and you’re not waiting for what people have to say, that’s when you’ll be the happiest. Stay true to what you’re feeling inside.
Besides music experience, I have education within Broadcast Journalism, PR and Mass Communications.I had to interview someone once and I had to read an entire book the night before to be prepared for the interview. I got done what I needed done.If you’re going to work in this industry and do any type of art whether its music or design or writing then WORK. I love passionate people. But we have to remember some people just don’t care. I need these journalists for instance to be passionate about their work. That’s one thing I can say about the music artists in St. Louis. All the music artists are good. It’s becoming really competitive. All the artists that were at Slumfest were incredible! I like to see that St. Louis music artists are actually bringing some competition to the scene,” states Thelonius.STL Stand Up!!
For Upcoming shows Check out :
Go see Thelonius for yourself at the following:
July 7th with Grammy nominated Elizabeth McQueen. At the Atomic Cowboy. Urban Chestnut is hosting this event.
July 28th at 2720 Cherokee St.
August 10th at Ciceros with Tef Poe, Darris Robins and many more great artists
thewirehangerbywinnie.com 
Thanks for introducing us to ““Thelonius Kryptonite.” I like his style. His moniker no doubt pays homage to jazz great Thelonius Monk and Superman. He’s clearly a man on a mission!
Exactly! Thanks for your support!
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