Present & Show: Hurricane Knowledge
Phrases: Peter A. Berry
Editor’s Notice: This story seems within the Fall 2025 subject of XXL Journal, on newsstands now and obtainable on the market on the XXL web site.
Hurricane Knowledge’s title seems like the results of some deep non secular introspection or possibly a moniker for a shady fortune teller. However, like the perfect rap names, its inspiration is decidedly useful; a nod to a coiffure he had as a teen. “I had waves in highschool,” he explains on a moist August day through Zoom. “It was a bit of section, I assume.” As of late, his hair’s grown into locs and as a substitute of rocking waves, he’s making them.
Since rising with tracks just like the NoCap-assisted “Endurance” in 2023, Knowledge has used wounded melodies and everyman songwriting to turn out to be considered one of Florida’s most promising younger exports. His melodic murmurs helped his 2024 single “Giannis” earn over 20 million Spotify streams. A powerful work ethic, together with cosigns from Rod Wave, NoCap and Lil Child have pushed him to the brink of stardom.
Extra tangibly, Knowledge’s expertise has earned him a black-and-purple Mercedes-Benz GLE, one of many first massive purchases he copped together with his rap cash. “I’m only a automobile man,” Knowledge shares. He’s an animal man, too. In his new Miami house, he’s obtained two canines, two crested geckos, two leopard geckos, a tortoise and a scorpion as roommates. It’s a rural contact applicable for a 21-year-old who got here of age in what is likely to be known as “the center of nowhere.” “You not going to see a Walmart for ’bout 20, 40 miles,” Knowledge says of rising up in Tallahassee, Fla.’s Little Havana group. “It’s simply nation.”
Raised alongside 11 siblings, Knowledge Mikeal Oluola had a whole lot of issues to do, only a few of which concerned actively attending the native Christian faculties he enrolled in. When he wasn’t being a goofball within the lessons he truly attended, he’d play together with his siblings’ hand-me-down toys. That’s, when his conduct didn’t land him in bother. “I didn’t even get to play my [PlayStation Portable because of] how unhealthy I used to be,” he says. “My grandma saved taking my sh*t.”
When she wasn’t taking his PlayStation, Knowledge’s grandma uncovered him to the sounds of Donnie McClurkin. By age 11, he’d grown to understand gospel, so he joined the church band. He rapped, too. At across the identical time he started performing in church, he turned mesmerized by the sounds of Probability The Rapper and Fetty Wap. However it was fellow Floridian Rod Wave who inadvertently planted seeds of Knowledge’s personal eventual rap profession.
“Just about all the things bro was saying hit house with me,” Knowledge tells. “In my center college years, he was in excessive school-type sh*t going by way of the hallways, rapping and sh*t. [It was the] sh*t I used to be making an attempt to do.”
In 2020, Knowledge’s mates needed him to strive tougher. So, he did. After testing out his expertise by posting track snippets, he launched “Grannys Child,” a 2020 single that shortly earned over 300,000 streams. The monitor additionally crystallized his stylistic DNA—a strong cocktail of versatile vocals, rapid songwriting and Earthly sincerity. “We ain’t haven’t any silver spoon or home up on the hill/We had rats and we had roaches, however we had someplace to reside,” he spits on the monitor. It’s an earnestness that emits concentrated heat that may solely come from somebody who’s lived by way of laborious instances with out being utterly outlined by them.
Wielding these instruments to their fullest impact, Knowledge cultivated a fan base with initiatives like Hurricane Season (2021), State of Emergency (2022), Class 5: The Largest Hurricane (2023), Eye of the Storm (2024) and Excellent Storm (2025). By means of the latter effort, Knowledge launched “Medicine Callin,” a twitchier, extra delirious tackle Future’s “Perkys Calling.” So far, the monitor has collected over 16 million Spotify streams. With the just lately launched Lil Child-assisted remix, the whole will solely develop. It’s a come up Knowledge’s group foresaw years in the past.
“‘Higher’ was the primary track that I used to be like, Yo, this child is particular. He’s onto one thing,” says Don E, A&R at Insurgent Music. He met Knowledge after the rapper signed to the label in 2021. “I feel with each track, Hurricane speaks nothing however realness and reality. I feel that one was sort of prefer it may connect with any individual, regardless of who you’re, how wealthy you assume you’re or how poor [you are], it’s going to attach. Life will get higher regardless of who you’re.”
For Knowledge specifically, life’s gotten lots higher. This previous spring, Insurgent Music reportedly signed a take care of Gamma, house to artists like Snoop Dogg, Sexyy Crimson and Usher. This places extra energy behind Knowledge. He additionally joined BossMan Dlow on the Dlow Curry Tour earlier this yr, which hit cities all through the U.S., and “Giannis” was licensed gold only a week after this interview. Although they haven’t collaborated but, he and Rod Wave are involved with one another. He’s additionally been on the cellphone with Younger Thug. “Everyone I met on this music sh*t all the time obtained one thing to inform me,” Knowledge maintains. “And I simply choose it up.”
Trying forward, Hurricane Knowledge needed so as to add collaborations with G Herbo to his increasing checklist of rap star linkups and did so on the monitor “Clippers.” He needs to get extra plaques, too. He would possibly get them with the discharge of his Excellent Storm deluxe mission, which arrived in October. There have been instances when he thought a viable rap profession is likely to be out of attain. Now it’s inside his grasp and he isn’t modeling his profession off anybody’s however his personal.
“I do know considered one of his favourite artists is Rod Wave, however I feel now he’s simply discovered his personal method and he sort of simply turned his personal individual,” says Don E. “I view him as any individual who’s going to be up there with the largest of all of them.”
For his half, Knowledge doesn’t appear too involved with mapping out profession trajectories. “I’m alone journey proper now,” Knowledge says. “I didn’t assume it was gonna be simple. I didn’t assume it was gonna be laborious,” he provides. “It’s all the things I believed it was gonna be.”
The storm’s coming.
Hearken to Hurricane Knowledge’s Excellent Storm: Sorry 4 The Rain Album
The autumn 2025 subject of XXL journal that includes Hurricane Knowledge’s interview is offered to buy right here. The difficulty additionally consists of Joey Bada$$ and J.I.D’s cowl story interviews, conversations with Probability The Rapper, Curren$y, Hit-Boy, Rob49, KenTheMan, Wallo267, Bay Swag, Hanumankind, Babyfxce E, Ghostface Killah, Conway The Machine, Pluto, TiaCorine, Isaiah Falls, comic Josh Joshson, Vice President of Music at SiriusXM and Pandora Joshua “J1” Raiford, a take a look at the change in album rollouts through the years highlighted by Clipse’s Let God Kind Em Out album and extra.
See Images From Joey Bada$$ and J.I.D’s XXL Journal Fall 2025 Cowl Shoot
