Happy Birthday, Knoc-turn’al!

Today, May 12, is birthday of the Long Beach, California rapper and songwriter Royal Harbor, better known as his stage name, Knoc-turn'Al. Today, the West Coast MC turns 43.

To date, Knoc has worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop; from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to Jay Z and Kanye West. Knoc-Turn'Al had close ties with Dr. Dre from early on in the industry. In the early 1990s, Knoc toured under a different stage name, Nature-Boy, and opened up for such acts as the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. Knoc boasts guest verses on Dr. Dre's 1999 album, 2001, on the songs "Some L.A. Niggaz" and "Bang Bang".

In the new millennium, Knoc ventured out on his own, dropping the EP L.A. Confidential presents: Knoc-turn'al in 2002. Dre produced and was featured on Knoc's EP single, "The Knoc" along with Missy Elliott. Dre also produced the massive West Coast posse cut off Knoc's EP, Str8 Westcoast (Remix) which included features from Shade Sheist, Warren G, Nate Dogg and Xzibit.

The EP also boasts producing credits from a young Kanye West on the song "Muzik" and was originally released to promote Knoc-turn'al's debut album, Knoc's Landin'. Unfortunately, despite his buzz and co-signs Knoc's Landin' was never released. Instead, the Knoc's 2004 album, The Way I Am served as his national debut and birthed the single "The Way I Am" featuring Snoop Dogg. This single saw moderate airplay across the country and peaked at number 78 on the U.S. R&B charts. Knoc released his latest album, Knoc's Ville in May 2011 but failed to capture the mainstream spotlight.

Happy Birthday, Knoc-turn'al!

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