Richmond-based rapper and Longwood junior Christian Oliphant, known on stage as Pure Knowledge, started to hone his hip-hop style in high school.
Harboring a modest student music scene, the university has managed to obscure another hidden gem, Christian Oliphant—otherwise known as Pure Knowledge.
Now, it may be no surprise that Farmville showcases a range of artistry from bluegrass to folk to rock to classical, as stated by the town's website. Nevertheless, up-and-coming local artist Oliphant is shaking up Farmville’s music scene one rap at a time.
Oliphant wasn't born an aspiring rapper. It wasn't until he was a teenager that his career interests changed.
“Funny story, this is seventh grade, I wanted to be a technology specialist, had no interest in making music ever. I was your common person, I loved listening to music, but I had never wanted to make music,” the Richmond native stated, aware of the irony.
He added, “By freshman year of high school was when I finally said I can actually do something with this, more so I saw myself as Pure Knowledge than Christian."
A lengthy list of influences have a role in Oliphant's music, ranging from a mixture of hip-hop and R&B artists with the likes of J.Cole, Childish Gambino, Jay Z, Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi.
He said, "The variation of sounds is just inspiring and you can take something from the 90s and bring it back to 2018.”
"Sex sells, drug sells, a lot of negative things are pushed to the faces of the youth, so my goal is to change that.” - Christaan Oliphant
Within the last few years, the invasive sounds of XXXtentacion and Tekashi 69, among other up-and-coming artists, have oversaturated the music industry and transformed the genre of contemporary R&B for good, said Oliphant.
“Lyrical content has changed drastically. We’re at a place where people are experimenting more; doing things that are not of the norm. However, the part I disagree with is the promotion of drug use and not treating women correctly. I don’t necessarily promote that, although that’s reality, I don’t want that to oversaturate the masses," he said. "Sex sells, drug sells, a lot of negative things are pushed to the faces of the youth, so my goal is to change that.”
It is evident that Oliphant tries to steer away from the expected mentality of the genre and negativity, instead he expresses a goofy, yet serious lyrical demeanor that can be heard throughout his music.
Christaan Oliphant was contracted by Longwood’s athletics department to craft his song, “LU Anthem,” at university events like men’s basketball games.
One of his songs seemed to kickstart the artist's success, “LU Anthem.” He recently performed the Longwood-themed rap at the men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 3. However, aside from basketball games, he’s also performed at the university’s Oktoberfest, Bandfest and Spring Weekend.
The forthputting, employed and soon-to-be senior balances his time and energy in the music scene with promotional activity on social media, where his music can be streamed. He showcases his music on SoundCloud where he goes by his stage name, Pure Knowledge. As for Twitter, it’s TheKidPK.
“Every week I do videos on Friday. But when it comes to dropping songs on my actual page I try to drop those every two weeks,” he said.
Beginning his musical career at a young age, and progressing over time, Oliphant had a few words for people interested in pursuing the same direction.
“Stay true to yourself as long as you can, and humble yourself," he said.
In attempts to branch out as more than a local artist, the next big thing for Oliphant is to “collaborate with more artists, work with people who inspired me to start music" as he works toward putting his songs on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
He said achieving that goal would give him "a sense of fulfillment" and show "that I am an artist who needs to be taken seriously and that I’m here to stay.”
