the culture - knighthouse

mo'cheddah & phenom (knighthouse entertainment) / amped illustration

Long before the emergence of the various music collectives that went on to launch the careers of unknown music talents, there was a vibrant clan of talented young individuals who broke the norm, to independently groom themselves into getting out their dreams.

Located in the heart of Yaba, Lagos-Nigeria around 2009 was the HQ and studio of Knight House Inc. A boutique record label which was a playground for upcoming stakeholders in the music industry. Who didn’t have a meaningful profession to their name upon inception, but found their calling as soon as they stepped into the Knighthouse Recording Studio. The impact that Knighthouse had on the growth of our music industry is an underrated one, but the fact remains that they got the job done and are responsible for the rise of the biggest music careers on the continent.

To be able to come together to launch an unknown teenage female rapper in Mochedda, despite the obvious cash constraints involved was an impeccable one. The backroom staff of Rogba & Temi Gomez came through with solid A&R efforts to launch Mo’ with fantastic singles and also a top notch debut album - Franchise Celebrity. One cannot ignore the fact that there was once a KH era which made good contributions to pop music & relatable-hardcore rap. They delivered chart topping music projects like the Street Scriptures mix tapes and DJ Klem’s producer albums. The trademark he used on the songs which he produced for KH as the in-house Studio Engineer made their label become a force to be reckoned with. The underrated bunch gave the so-called global Starboy his first nationwide hit record in Holla at Your Boy; which was written, produced and recorded at the very same KH studios in Yaba. Not also forgetting the fantastic Smooth RnB tune in Gidi Girl that set him on par with his EME boss at that time.

One spectacular feature to the KH family was the guidance they gave every young act around them and made the fairly unknown cats to have so much mental confidence that was required to dominate the Nigerian music industry at that time. And so every other top label around, made it their focus to be affiliated to Knighthouse. From Mo’hits, to EME, to Chocolate City amongst others. The structure at KH was a commendable one that saw the short lived career of WillyBang who was so exciting & fascinating to listen to. He was an absolute vibe whenever he made a guest appearance on other people’s records. And even before Uzikwendu & Dremo, was Phenom who was equipped with so much hunger to make his voice heard with his valid punch lines and aggressive delivery.

Knight House was the movement that set itself on its own path to greatness with Othello (Temi Gomez) who occasionally did his thing as a Music Executive & a rapper. The youngest handlers, most likely now retired, could not be touched in their prime. Even the world paused for them to show what they were capable of. And as such will always be remembered for their extraordinary impact for the music culture in Nigeria. So Long Live Rogba, Long Live Othello, Long Live Lanre and the entire KH family!