Mikel Knight

The landscape of todays music scene is continually evolving and the change comes at lighting speeds .This is nothing new for this bad boy Mikel Knight, whose unique style combines country pop and hip hop into a sonic blend , he refers to as country hip pop. With the help of RIAA Platinum certified award winning hip hop producers and some of the country's finest musicians , Mikel Knight is carving out his own niche with a sound that is taking Americas club scene by storm. Posed and ready to unleash his new album , Mikel Knight makes his national recording debut with Urban Cowboy's  first single Saddle Up. Saddle Up is steadily climbing to promanance as Mikel embarks on a national club tour  supporting  his forth coming album. Born on a military base in Honolulu Hawaii, Mikel was soon transported to Grand Forks North Dakota, then to Albina , and finally settling  San Antoni. At the age of 13 the passion for music emerged  as he began to write his own songs. The years that followed brought both creative and parlous times as Mikel left home to pursue his dreams. By the age of 19 Mikel had caught the attention of a local promoter and studio owner that would offer him his first independent record deal. Mikel released a string of successful projects through the independent label and was now receiving calls from A & R reps representing high profile labels like Arista,and  Def Jam, reluctant to strike a deal immediately, Mikel decided to begin work on his next project which was to become the Mikel Knight album, changing his stage persona to Mikel knight brought with it a creative edge that lead Mikel to California for a collaboration that generated the hit single Peckawood followed by Mike's self produced video for the single which made its way on to MTV2 and BET . Mikel realized the major record label dream was short lived when he realized that losing the support of his label and feeling isolated from the very people that held his  career in there hands . For Mikel this was a new beginning , discouraged but not defeated Mikel returned to his Texas roots bringing with him hip hop that he had learned in the streets. Determined to succeed in music , Mikel started recording again , this time mixing the love of  hip hop and country to create a new sound. What Mikel didn't realize is that some of his earlier music as an independent artist had reached far beyond the boundaries of Texas and had became a big hit over seas in Japan. In the spring of 2004 Mikel received on offer from a music distributor in Japan, it seems that his independent rap album that was released a couple of years ago had made there way into the hands of some very dedicated fans. Mikel decided to put his new project on hold while he gave the fans what they wanted in Japan. While Planing a tour overseas,  Mikel  started 1203 entertainment named after his childhood street address, to distribute his music. Mikel went on to sell more than 50,000 CDs over seas and this would give him the funding needed to put the finishing touches on his hip pop project. 1203 entertainment has since grown into a respectable independent company merging foreign and us markets for music distribution and is expanding into film production. The years of struggling through the up and downs of an every changing industry is finial paying off for Mikel knight. Crowned by his fans the country rap king, Mikel has emerged stronger than ever free of major label attachments, Mike has completely reinvented himself with urban cowboy and the realization of a dream that started years ago. The first release from his new album is appropriately named Saddle up and no one knows better than Mikel Knight, that when you in the saddle, you better hold on tight for the ride of your life. Catch Mikel when he comes to your city and keep a look out for urban cowboy to hit the stores in fall 2008.