Also known as Knight For Tha Hood, Street Legend and Super Star Lendo.
Born: December 19th
Origin: Ibaji L.G.A Kogi State
Genre: HIP HOP
Occupation: Rapper, Song writer, Recording Engineer, Events and Show Promoter, Entrepreneur.
Instruments: Vocals
Years Active: 2007 – Present
Labels: Crystal Links INC, Next2Mic Entertainment.
Associated: ArtKin, BHP Entertainment, B.O.C, MixMaster Scopee C. Man, Stesh, Zartji,
Black House, Arico Multimedia, Emmy Design.
Investment: Lendo Store, Next2Mic Entertainment, One Mic Stand NG.
Website: www.Lemuelknight.com
Allen Lemuel Knight Hip Hop Career started in 2006 in ICSS, his High School in Bauchi where they formed a crew called JYC (Jomanuel Young Crew) alongside his childhood friends for two years and in 2008 Lemuel establish himself as an independent solo Artiste.
EARLY LIFE
Allen Lemuel Knight was born 19th December early 90s in Bauchi metropolis, the third and last child of Dr & Mrs E.D Knights a university lecturer who later became a professor and his mother a retired Civil servant (was a Practicing Nurse). His two brothers Victor Knight and McRomeo Knight are music Lover but not keenly as Lemuel.
Lemuel attended ATBU women society Nursery school and later proceeded to ATBU staff school between 1994 – 1998 and 1998 – 2003.
2003 Lemuel gained admission into Immaculate Conception Secondary school (ICSS BH) in Bauchi a catholic mission school where he obtained JSSCE and unfortunately could proceed to obtain the Senior certificate as he was expelled in his final year for falling out with a teacher.
HIP HOP CAREER
Underground and Mainstream
2006 – 2009
Within the period of Three years Lemuel recorded songs alongside his J.Y.C group from high school and “SUCCEED” became center of attraction featuring Zainab, subsequently “What’s the Deal?” And “Why” propelled him to be a rookie and a star to reckon with in shorter years to come. Between 2006 – 2009, Lemuel performed in church concerts and other social gathering much credits to Mix Master Scopee for believing in his talent and providing him a platform with Crystal Links INC.
2009 – 2013
2009 – 2013 is arguably his years of breakthrough from dust to his feet and breaking out shackles and teaming up with B.O.C., Black Blinx (Blaco Sam), Shambee Puzzle and BOB Dee Riddle to create an independent crew where artistes are at liberty to make solo music and converge together to create a record at will, subject to mutual agreement.
In December 2011 Lemuel release a song called Knight for The Hood a cover of Jay Z’s Blueprint 2 the song became an instant hit and he bagged the name ‘Street Legend’ from a Bauchi OG Prowess Eclectic performing the song and collaborating with other artistes. Classics among them include: Rap victory featuring Stesh, Pain and Black Craft featuring Blaco Sam.
MIXTAPE PROJECTS
Lemuel’s mixtape projects can be traced to the beginning of his career but it was in 2015 when Knight produced Listen Close his first Mixtape same year Dating the first Quarter EP, Dating the Last Quarter Ep.
100 Best Rappers, The show never stops, The Knight Before as singles which in most cases were build up to the release of Major projects.
LISTEN CLOSE MIXTAPE 2015
Some Hip Hop lovers regard the Mixtape as Lemuel Knight’s best Project, but critics say he had many features that was why the mixtape became a hit, and subsequent projects came with No features.
Tracks like Lost in Life, Street Brother Number 1, Folkloric, Sound of Victory created a symphony of rhymes and melody for his fans and critiques listening pleasure.
MESSAGE FOR THE MADNESS (M4TM) 2016
Message for the Madness 2016 is a 11 tracks Mixtape with no features, the Mixtape was highly anticipated due to the success of the previous work (Listen Close) to the delight of Hip Hop lovers and critics. The compilation receives many accolades and few criticisms except for the use of pigin English in some of the songs, to the disbelieve to many of his fans who know him as strictly poetic, grammatically and deep English language use in lyrics for intrinsic and extrinsic value content.
Black people, Babylon Attached and G.Y.S.T are no doubt the classics of the project with wider acceptance and air plays.
BEEHIVE SALAD MIXTAPE 2017
His child hood friend Libi was quoted to have said the following after listening to Beehive Salad
“Beehive salad will go down in history as one of the gratest project within the shores of Beehive and even beyond, Lemuel Knight reincarnated the illmatic of 1994 into Beehive Salad in 2017 for our listening pleasure, a project full of poetry, social commentary, revolutionary bars and awakening lyrics I feel blessed to identify with your craft, Knight a Lyricist to the core”.
Beehive salad was released October 1st 2017 No doubt a defining moment in Knight’s Career, without Guest features also, Beehive salad serves as a shutting down tool to critics who view his previous projects below his standards, the 10 tracks project has Lendo’s Storm, Street Legendary, For the Love, Finest Pen Man as classic joints of the project.
COLLABORATIONS
In 2015 Knight collaborated with Embeatz an Afro Pop Act and Producer together they came up with a 5 tracks EP “AFRAP” which is basically a fusion of Afro and Rap music.
BEEHIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL
Beehive music festival started in 2017 with over 40 artistes participating with an audience of about a thousand. In 2018 about the same number of artistes with over 2000 people in attendance, with the growth of the audience it shows people are beginning to appreciate music (Hip Hop) in the insurgency ravaged North Eastern states of Nigeria.
INVESTMENT
After studying Business Admin and Management in the Higher institution Knight has deemed it fit to practice his acquired knowledge by setting up a firm known as Lendo Store in 2018. A service rending and exchange of goods firm for legal tender. For prompt delivery to office, household and personal products of which goods can be obtain online from www.lendostore.com
RECORD LABEL AND MANAGEMENT
Knight was Crystal Links Truest from 2008 – 2012 before going independent and subsequently in 2015 he set up his own record Label and name it Next2Mic Ent. In 2015, Lemuel Knight picked Mr. Freeman Dakmi, his friend and ally as the manager of Next2Mic Entertainment.
ONE MIC STAND
In 2015 Knight partnered with Abyssinia and B.O.C to start up a monthly concert show which they tittle One Mic Stand. The show which started as a Bauchi base show grew to a bigger show as artiste outside the shores of Bauchi troop in mass to perform and participate at different capacity. The platform gave birth to
BEEMA: Beehive entertainment and Music Awards with it median edition holding in 2016, much to the credit of Knight who engages in publicity for One Mic Stand and BEEMA using different social media platform to create awareness to the monthly shows and yearly event awards.
PRIVATE LIFE
Lemuel has been dating his old time girlfriend since 2012 and the relationship survive due to his ability to keep his private life abbey media and away from public scrutiny.
He’s also a postgraduate student at the National Open University of Nigeria, Devoted Catholic, Uncle to Lee and Leo which he has referred to them as Jadakiss and Styles P.
RADIO AND TVINTERVIEWS
Knight has been interviewed by all the Radio stations in Bauchi and has also appeared on Arico Tv and AIT, much to his popularity and music content. In one of his interview, Knight was quoted to have said “I didn’t know I had a female fan!!! Because my lyrics are hardly understood and even interpreted by men”. He was talking in reference to when the interviewer said she was a fan.
CONTROVERSIES, BEEFS AND SCANDALS
Knight has been able to manage his private life off limelight, thereby making his life and music career free for now.
He also said to have replied Abyssinia when the BHP artiste dissed one of Beehive Lagos artiste Classiq when he (Abyssinia) said “This is Beehive niggers we don’t f*ck with Classic, steady dropping classics do the mathematics” in a track (CruiseAid) with Knight from the Mixtape Listen Close, apparently, Knight replied Abyssinia in his song Negus Nagast when he said “Aint nothing classic when you pay to be a king Kong” apparently it’s a Diss to the artiste in question (Classiq) but tactically there was not response from the target and Knight has dissociated self from any conceived idea of dissing the artiste as he said they are in good terms. The media obviously blow his lyrics out of proportion.
Written: Kushi Isaac
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