Stream Kirk Knight’s Debut Album

Kirk Knight is not going to settle for being an also-ran. For a long time, he was the third-, fourth- or fifth-best known member of Pro Era, the collective of young MCs with an eye to the past that shot to fame when their leader, Joey Bada$$ dropped an acclaimed mixtape called 1999. But Knight has spent a considerable amount of time and energy in the handful of years since to establish his independence, both as a writer and as a performer. Earlier this year, he hit the road with Mick Jenkins, Saba and Noname Gypsy and more than held his own on what fans of live rap will recognize as a veritable murderer's row. Now, Knight's full debut LP, Late Knight Special, is available to stream via NPR ahead of its Friday (Oct. 30) release. The album features Gypsy, Jenkins and Bada$$, as well as Los Angeles funk savant Thundercat and TheMind. Knight reveals himself as a careful writer, one whose songs are constructed as slow burns rather than across-the-temple bangers.Catch him on tour with The Underachievers, Pouya and Bodega Bamz continuing tonight, and stream Late Knight Special down below.

Oct. 22 -- Washington, DC
Oct. 23 -- Burlington, Vt.
Oct. 24 -- New York, NY
Oct. 26 -- Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct. 27 -- Carborro, NC
Oct. 28 -- Atlanta, Ga.
Oct. 29 -- Orlando, Fla.
Oct. 31 -- Tampa, Fla.
Nov. 1 -- Jacksonville, Fla.
Nov. 4 -- Austin, Tx.
Nov. 5 -- Dallas, Tx.
Nov. 6 -- San Antonio, Tx.
Nov. 8 -- Albuquerque, NM
Nov. 9 -- Phoenix, Az.
Nov. 10 -- Santa Ana, Ca.
Nov. 11 -- San Diego, Ca.
Nov. 12 -- Los Angeles, Ca.