Today we’d like to introduce you to Maurice Barrett.
Hi Maurice, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
i was always a fan of hip hop music. when i lived with my grandparents in louisville, ky i would sit and listen to mc hammer’s album over & over again at full volume. not sure how my grandparents put up with it. his music was the only hip hop i had access to at the time so his tape stayed on rotation. eventually my mother decided to relocate us to Indianapolis, in. some how i ended up with one of those memo recorders with the mini tapes. i spent a lot of my time freestyling into that recorder till one day i let my sister listen. she didn’t believe it was me which lead me to believe she thought it was good. around that time i also learned my friend Maurice Bishop wanted to make hip hop too. long store short we started a group called Royaltee and played our first show in a gymnasium. we both were pretty serious about our music which was coming to an end, or so i thought. his family was moving to nashville, tn but they surprisingly asked if i wanted join them. once we got to nashville we went from just the two of us to 6 members before Royaltee split up. some of us formed another group called IEnquiring Minds that took a hiatus which lead me to start a solo career as 247 (twenty four seven) also know as Out of Place. after 15 years of being in nashville i moved to austin where i changed my name to Kilgore Trout. these days i do more drumming than hip hop but i still make albums mainly for myself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
most of the struggles i had to deal with were because of my skin color. no matter how much i learned or the skills i built up over the years that always seems to slow my momentum. there were other struggles like not having equipment or being to young to be where the music was happening at the time. some how i always found ways around that. but i still struggle do to my skin color even here in austin.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
currently i’m a drummer in a group called Dwight Smith. we just recorded a new album and plan to do several single release shows. in austin i’m mainly known for my drumming more so than my hip hop music. it was the opposite in nashvillle.
i would say i’m proud of all my musical creations. music is what motivates me and keeps me happy so it’s what i’m going to continue to do.
the thing that sets me apart from others is my willingness to create more so than work. as long as I have the basics a place to live, food and my music i’m good to go.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
i was almost signed to a record label but I ran away from it lol. i think i could just tell right away it wasn’t going to be for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kilgoretroutvibe/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kilgorevibe?si=AHTinJ8_kkCHFvwg
- Other: https://kilgoretroutvibe.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Rae Mascardo (both images of me wearing a blue baseball cap) Ry Black (photo of me on drums) not sure who took the photo of me in front of the crowd at gatsby.
