C-Knight, Hip-Hop Pioneer and Dove Shack Co-Founder, Dies at 52

Photo Credit: Instagram

In a somber turn of events, Arnez Blount, best known by his stage name C-Knight, has tragically passed away at the age of 52 on Tuesday, succumbing to complications stemming from a severe stroke.

C-Knight, a prominent figure in the world of hip-hop and one of the founding members of the influential trio, The Dove Shack, had been in the hospital for several weeks. According to a report by TMZ, he was ultimately taken off life support.

The Long Beach rapper's recent hospitalization and untimely demise have cast a shadow over the music industry, leaving his fans and fellow artists in deep mourning. C-Knight's bandmate, Bo-Roc, who had previously reached out for prayers during C-Knight's hospitalization, took to social media to confirm the devastating news of his friend's passing.

Screengrab Instagram

Bo-Roc expressed his profound grief in a heartfelt message, saying, "This is like f—g nightmare I swear this s—t hurt different and I don’t want to talk about s—t to nobody so please just let me be and pray for us… On my soul I love you bro and I already don’t know what the f—k to do wit u being gone…"

C-Knight's health challenges began on October 18 when he was admitted to the hospital following a troubling blood sugar test result. His father, George Lee Washington Blount Jr., disclosed that C-Knight, who battled diabetes, underwent dialysis to address dangerously high blood sugar levels when he suffered a medical emergency, leading to cardiac arrest.

Despite the heroic efforts of responding medical professionals in resuscitating him, C-Knight's condition remained unresponsive after being placed on life support. Heartbreakingly, the rapper's family had to make the painful decision to discontinue life support after anxiously awaiting the results of an MRI scan assessing his brain activity.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nailah • Musician • Poet • Photographer (@nailahporter)

While C-Knight and The Dove Shack may not have attained the same level of mainstream success as some of their 1990s counterparts, their impact on the hip-hop scene was undeniable. The group's debut album, "This Is The Shack," released in 1995, reached number 68 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and secured the 13th spot on the R&B chart.

C-Knight's legacy endures through his music, with one of The Dove Shack's standout hits, "Summertime in the LBC," leaving an enduring mark on the hip-hop scene. The song, featured in the 1995 hip-hop documentary "The Show," perfectly encapsulated the essence of Long Beach's summertime vibes.

Additionally, C-Knight explored his solo career with the release of "Knight Time" in 2001. In a 2020 interview with Canada's Outlaw Radio, he fondly recollected the creation of "Summertime in the LBC," stating, "We wrote that track in 15 minutes, man... it was like low effort. It's basically just us reflecting on our growing up in Long Beach... just that whole element of having summer barbecues and things like that, having fun."