Knightowl (sometimes styled as Mr. Knightowl) (May 13, 1966 – February 11, 2022), born Ramon Corona, was a Mexican-born American rapper. He began recording in 1993. His fame came with the hit singles ''Daddy I'm In Love With a Gangsta'' and ''Here Comes The Knightowl''.

Career

Knightowl originally signed with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, but quickly decided to start his own record label, calling it "Sawed Off Records." His own label gave him the artistic freedom to do what he wanted. His first artist he brought on board was Mr. Shadow. In 1994,

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred t ...

, founder of Ruthless Records and member of NWA was going to sign Knightowl, DJ Mikeski and Mr. Lil One from South San Diego as a weapon against DeathRow Records,

Suge Knight Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. (; born April 19, 1965) is a American former music executive, convicted felon, and the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight is considered a central figure in gangsta rap's commercial success in ...

and

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

. Due to the sudden death of Eazy-E, this did not happen. Knightowl, one of the biggest names in Chicano rap, worked with prominent artists throughout his career:

Big Syke Tyruss Gerald Himes (November 22, 1968 – December 5, 2016), better known by his stage names Big Syke and Mussolini, was an American rapper best known for his work with the American hip-hop groups Thug Life and Outlawz. His stage name "Big Syk ...

, Daz Dillinger, Kid Frost, Eazy-E, Lil Rob, Mr Criminal, David Salas. Knightowl raps in Caló (Chicano) and

Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...

, although English is the most prominent language in his raps. In 2000, Knightowl formed a duo with "Mr. Lil' One" for the Hollow-point collaborative venture, which released ''The Little & The Owl'' album. He was considered one of the West Coast's top

gangsta rappers Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

. He changed his name to Mr. Knightowl in 2004.Birchmeier, Jason
Knightowl Biography
, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', Macrovision Corporation

Personal life

Knightowl died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on February 11, 2022.Knightowl aka Ramon Corona’s death shocks chicano rap community
/ref> Although reported that Mr. Knightowl was 62 at the time of his death, Mr. Shadow, a close associate of Knightowl, stated that he was 55 and that his real birth date was May 13, 1966.

Discography

*''The Knightowl'' - 1995 *''Wicked West'' - 1998 *''Shot Caller'' - 1999 *''Hollowpoint (With Mr. Lil One)'' - 2000 *''Knightmares'' - 2000 *''Bald Headed Kingpin'' - 2001 *''Knightowl Presents The Untouchables'' - 2002 *''Most Requested'' - 2002 *''Mr. Knightowl Presents Episode 13'' - 2002 *''619 HoodLumz'' - 2003 *''Mr. Knightowl Presents Out The Birds Nest'' - 2003 *''Ghetto Bird'' - 2004 *''El Gran Pelon'' - 2004 *''Mr. Knightowl Presents Only The Strong Survive'' - 2004 *''Mr. Knightowl Presents Blue Rag Soldiers'' - 2005 *''Jail Bird'' - 2005 *''King Of The West'' - 2006 *''Classics For The O.G.'s'' - 2007 *''El Padrino De Las Calles'' - 2007 *''No Regrets'' - 2007 *''Mr. Knightowl Presents Armed & Dangerous'' - 2008 *''Code Of Silence'' - 2008 *''Mr. Knightowl Southside Affiliates'' - 2008 *''Konvicted Felon'' - 2010 *''El Pajaro Loko''- 2012 *''The Chronicles of Knight Owl'' - 2014 *''Return of the Kingpin'' - 2017 *''The Untouchable Owl Pacino'' - 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knightowl 1960 births 2022 deaths American rappers of Mexican descent Mexican emigrants to the United States Rappers from San Diego Gangsta rappers Underground rappers West Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in California