The Sound of Deception: Country Rap’s Mikel Knight & His Notorious Street Teams
UPDATES TO THIS STORY:
(10-12-15): Mikel Knight Street Team Member Found Dead in Nashville
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If you pay any attention to the country rap realm, you may have heard of a performer by the name of Mikel Knight who originally hails from San Antonio, TX, and is now based out of Nashville. Mikel goes under a couple of handles, such as “The Maverick,” “The Maverick of Music Row,” the “Urban Cowboy” and “The Country Rap King.” And from a number of measurables, Mikel Knight has a fairly successful career. His Facebook page boasts over 106,000 likes, he’s sold hundreds of thousands of records, he has numerous videos on YouTube with over half a million views, and regularly receives press coverage from major country music outlets, including The Boot which debuted a new video from the country rapper just in February as part of WGN America’s docuseries Outlaw Country. Knight’s music was also featured on MTV’s Buckwild show previously.
But Mikel Knight is not your average entertainer, even for the unusual world of country rap. He doesn’t have a label (which is where his “Maverick of Music Row” moniker comes from), he doesn’t seem to play any shows (or only plays shows on very rare occasions). Instead Mikel Knight makes his money by deploying fleets of tour vans and buses all mocked up with Mikel Knight insignia and full of street team members to solicit people on the street, in parking lots, and at gas stations all across the United States to purchase Mikel Knight country rap albums.
Known as the “Maverick Dirt Road Street Teams,” dozens of pseudo-employed Mikel Knight devotees fan out across smaller communities to aggressively peddle his country rap albums to local populations, usually working a dozen or more hours a day, driving through the night to their next locations, not even being given chances to shower or sleep, and leaving town before local authorities catch up with the street teams and make sure they’re obeying local sales ordinances. Right now Mikel Knight is thought to own two buses and 18 insignia-wrapped vans as part of his street team armada.
But the allegations and stories about the practices of Mikel Knight and the Maverick Dirt Road Street Team go beyond being overworked and circumventing local ordinances. Stories of physical abuse, mental anguish, individuals being abandoned in small towns, and even the death of street team members in auto accidents after being overworked have been circulating for the last year. Yet Mikel Knight seems to still enjoy superstar status in certain circles (partly because he presents such a high-profile persona through his vehicles), and few questions have been raised about what is really behind Mikel Knight and his street teams.
Recent Arrests of Mikel Knight Street Team Members
On Wednesday, May 20th, five members of Mikel Knight’s Maverick Dirt Road Street Team were arrested in Mitchell, South Dakota at the local Wal-Mart for selling CD’s without a proper peddler’s license. According to Patrol Sgt. Joel Reinesch, the Mikel Knight street teams have frequented Mitchell and surrounding communities often, usually being “shooed out of town” without incident. However, because of the recurring nature of the problem with the street teams, including the South Dakota Department of Revenue sending a letter to the Mikel Knight organization warning them about the violations as far back as 2014, the five men were arrested and cited with Class 1 misdemeanors.
The South Dakota Department of Revenue stationed two employees in the parking lot to witness the sales before the arrests were made. According to Sgt. Reinesch, since the Mikel Knight organization had been warned previously, the men could have been charged with felonies. All of the men were from different locations around the country. The individuals arrested were Dakota Savage (24) of Missouri, Terry Smith (24) of Tennessee, Jesse Weaver (22) of Oklahoma, Zachary Ayers (22) of West Virginia, and Austin Henderson (18) of Missouri. They all admitted to selling the merchandise, but none of them admitted to knowing Mikel Knight personally. Sgt. Reinesch said that they were not trying to keep the individuals from promoting Mikel Knight’s music, but after numerous warnings and incidents, authorities were left no choice but to make the arrests.
And this wasn’t the first run in with the law for the Mikel Knight street teams last week. On Monday, May 18th, authorities in Storm Lake, Iowa, approximately 3 ½ hours south and east of Mitchell, SD cited seven Mikel Knight Street Team members with Failure to Have a Solicitors License in connection with the sale of Mikel Knight CD’s.
The seven men cited were:
Zachary Ayers, age 23 of Shinnston, WV
Kyle Banks, age 25 of Moscow, OH
Austin Henderson, age 18 of Dexter, MO
Brian Mullen, age 28 of Hermitage, TN
Tyler Hediger, age 27 of Gore, OK
Terry Smith, age 25 of Cookville, TN
In O’Neill, Nebraska, about two hours south of Mitchell, SD, police were also warning residents on Wednesday, May 21st about the aggressive street teams in the area, and to not purchase items from them. “We have received several complaints about Mikel Knight vans and RVs in O’Neill and the surrounding areas,” local police said in a statement. “These parties do not have the proper permits to be selling items in the city of O’Neill. We have also take complaints of them stopping vehicles. Please do not purchase items from these vehicles and if seen attempting to sell items please make contact with your local police department.”
Police in nearby North Platte, Nebraska also received complaints about Mikel Knight street teams on Thursday, May 21st. Police were not able to make contact with the street teams before they left the area.
All of these incidents come as Mikel Knight’s “Maverick Dirt Road Street Team” continues to frequent the same towns they have been to before, building up a reputation with local residents and authorities who are then on the lookout for the vans and buses when they arrive in town.
The stated strategy behind Mikel Knight’s street teams is to circumvent the traditional album sales avenues so to not have to deal with the business side of music. You can still purchase Mikel Knight’s music online through the traditional channels like iTunes, and portions his music operation appear to operate quite normal. But his lack of playing shows and the aggressiveness of his stream team, and the way certain street team members have been treated is what has led to mounting controversy.
The Revealing Account of a Former Mikel Knight Street Team Member Ky Rodgers
In July of 2014, a former Maverick Dirt Road Street Team member named Ky Rodgers posted an extensive account of his year with Mikel Knight, the deceptions street team members were led to believe, the conditions they were forced to work under, how some members were beaten and abandoned for not making sales quotas, and how working conditions eventually resulted in Rogers being involved in a major motor vehicle accident that had him hospitalized with multiple broken vertebrae and other injuries.
“I was introduced by a couple of guys on his street team,” Ky Rodgers explained. “They told me about how he needed a new lead guitarist and that they had been showing him some of my YouTube videos and his current singer/rhythm player had fell in love with my playing. I remember riding up to Nashville, clothes packed and not even knowing what to expect. I get there, and he has like 5-6 fancy tour vans that had his face and name plastered all over them, all of them were sitting on some kind of rims nicer than most cars. The back of each van read “The Country Rap King, Music from MTV’s BuckWild”, and my heart began racing. I knew this was the real deal. I went around back to meet most of our street team, B-Mull our drummer, and Conrad the singer/guitarist at the time. We had maybe a total of 15 guys back there. We loaded up the next morning and headed out on tour, but little did I know what I was in for.”
Rodgers went on to explain that he never played any shows, and his duty as lead guitar player were to sell CD’s with everyone else in the band and the street team.
“We would pull up to random gas stations, businesses, it didn’t matter. The driver of each van would tell us to get out, ‘grab CD’s! Go hit that person..’ We weren’t touring doing shows or playing for anybody, it wasn’t what I thought it was gonna be at all … EVERY SINGLE DAY for a month to 2 months straight, we would get up at 6:30 AM and would not stop selling until midnight. We would meet up at Wal-Mart in a different town every night. Drivers would take their money that their team made that day and take it to Mikel Knight, where he would take all the money and put it in a safe. And after sweating all day, and being completely dead by the time we’d all meet up, I remember asking a couple guys on the street team ‘when we going to get a room, I’m tired man.’ and they just laughed and walked off. We slept in the vans, without getting a shower and would be woken up by Mikel Knight at 6:30 the next morning by him beating on your window and yelling at you to get out. We’d get out and he would have sort of an ‘inspiration’ speech. More like a ‘God gave me this plan a year ago and we’ve grown from 4 guys to 5 vans and 15 guys and making $10,000 a day as a company,’ while smoking on a blunt of weed. Then he would cuss / yell at the guys that didn’t do good the night before, telling them to get their numbers up or he’d slap the hell out of them, or something along those lines.”
Eventually Ky Rodgers became acclimated to the environment, became one of the street team’s best sellers, and would get compensated in intervals for his work for Mikel Knight.
“I started doing really well. Selling up to 70 cd’s a day … I remember walking into Mikel Knight’s basement and him handing me a couple thousand dollars and telling me he couldn’t wait to get me in the studio, that if I stayed around, he’d make me a rockstar. This was just the grind out part that had to be done first. After being handed a few thousand dollars my thoughts about the long nights and no showers went away. I thought, i’m 18 bringing home this kinda money in a month?? BY SELLING CD’S? I thought I had it made. But I didn’t even realize the brainwashing. His work ethics were so evil, the way he treated us was like we were slaves. But being this young, and getting handed that cash blinded me.”
Rodgers was eventually promoted to captain of one of the street teams, but began seeing things that disturbed him about Mikel Knight’s organization.
“People that had been with us from the beginning were getting promoted to driving the vans, but still had to sell CD’s. Sometimes, people’s money would come up short. Mikel Knight would beat them or have someone else jump them when we’d meet up at night. It could have been a miscalculation, or they could have stolen money, but Mikel Knight wasn’t taking chances. If someone’s team wasn’t making enough numbers, Mikel Knight would sometimes leave them in a town, sometimes without even their clothes, never paying them out. I never thought anything like this would happen to me.”
Ky Rodgers says that one night when riding in a street team van, the vehicle was in an accident in Utah, and the van fell off a three-story cliff. Ky was severely injured, and had to be care flighted to a hospital. He broke his L2, L3, and L4 vertebrae, his pelvis and sacrum, and was in the hospital for a week before he was discharged. He claims that Mikel Knight completely abandoned him and the rest of his street team crew, did not pay them, and would not return their personal possessions. Ky was stuck with $38,000 in medical bills, and couldn’t get Mikel Knight to even work with the auto insurance company to take out a claim, if the van was ever insured in the first place. “There was nothing we could do because we never signed anything saying ‘hey, you’re hired!’ He leaves no paper trail, no proof that anyone works for him, and he never withheld taxes from anyone’s pay.”
Two Street Team Members Die in Auto Accident
Ky Rodgers lived to tell his ordeal on the Mikel Knight Street Team, but two other individuals did not. A few weeks after Rodgers’ auto accident, another street team van was involved in an accident that killed two young men in Donley County in the Texas Panhandle. Taylor Robert Nixon and Robert Joseph Underfinger III were both killed in the June 16th, 2014 accident. The manager of the street team and one other individual were also injured in the incident.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety Senior Officer Daniel Hawthorne, at about 8:40 a.m. on June 16th, a 2005 Chevy van belonging to Mikel Knight veered off the road after overcorrecting and losing control, rolling several times before coming to a stop. Taylor Nixon and Robert Underfinger III were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the van. They were pronounced dead on the scene.
Speaking in the context of Ky Rodgers’ account of his experience on the Mikel Knight street team, the aunt of Taylor Nixon named Rabecca Hughes said, “Its purpose is to prevent inhumane treatment of people; to prevent death and destruction of our youth; to hold Mikel Knight accountable for his lack of protection of his employees and directly placing them in harm’s way; for prosecution of Mikel Knight and members of his staff for physically and emotionally abusing people and profiting from their sweat and blood … If we can save one life, prevent one accident, rescue one soul, then our purpose is served. In Taylor’s name, I will not rest until Mikel Knight hears my voice, recognizes my sister’s cries for her son, and feels the wrath of those united for justice.”
Mikel Knight’s Real Name and Criminal Past
Mikel Knight’s real name is said to be Jason Cross or Jason Michael Cross, and he’s said to have hid this name because of his criminal past. Jason Michael Cross is 37-years-old with a birth date of 09/06/1976. A search of the Davidson County (Nashville) Criminal Court Clerk Database turned up 20 separate court cases against Jason Cross since 2006, and one as recent as September of 2014. The counts include multiple counts of aggravated assault, harassment, vandalism, theft, and multiple drivers license violations.
- 12/5/2006 – Aggravated Assault
- 5/20/2009 – Protection Order Violation (3 Separate counts)
- 5/21/2009 – No Driver’s License
- 11/3/2009 – No Driver’s License
- 4/8/2010 – Theft of $500
- 4/8/2010 – Harassment – Distress
- 4/8/2010 – Vandalism of $1000
- 6/28/2010 – Harassment
- 6/28/2010 – Aggravated Assault (Bond of $75,000)
- 8/4/2010 – Vandalism of $1000
- 8/4/2010 – Harassment
- 8/4/2010 -Harassment – Distress
- 8/4/2010 – Aggravated Assault (felony)
- 8/4/2010 – Theft of $500 (felony)
- 6/7/2011 – No Driver’s License
- 12/28/2011 – Driving with a Suspended License
- 9/23/2014 – Driver’s License Revoked
Since Mikel Knight claims to be originally from San Antonio, Saving Country Music also checked with the Bexar County Criminal Court and found multiple arrests and court actions for the same Jason M. Cross with a birth date of 09/06/1976, including an aggravated assault from 2006 that a warrant for his arrest is currently issued for.
- 02/18/1995 – Attempted Robbery (felony – received 10 years probation)
- 02/19/1996 – Assault with a Deadly Weapon (felony)
- 03/16/1996 – Assault with Bodily Injury
- 05/16/1998 – Assault with Bodily Injury
- 09/2/1998 – Driving with Suspended License
- 09/7/1998 – Assault with Bodily Injury
- 09/07/1999 – Assault with Bodily Injury
- 05/27/2006 – Assault with Bodily Injury (Pending, warrant issued for his arrest)
Because of his attempts to cover up his real identity, Saving Country Music cannot 100% confirm that Mikel Knight is the same Jason Cross the above arrest records belong to, but it can be confirmed that the two separate arrest records are for the same individual, match up with what is believed to be Mikel Knights real name a birth date, and match up with Mikel Knight’s known whereabouts at the time of the incidents. There is also the possibility there are other arrests or criminal actions against him in other locations.
Mikel Knight, or Jason Cross has also used another pseudonym to perform under as a rapper named “A-Gee The Albino Gorilla.”
Charitable Donations
There has also been questions about claims of charitable contributions made by Mikel Knight street teams. In November of 2013, street teams set up shop in the towns of Joplin, Galena, Oswego and Parsons in the area around the Missouri and Kansas border. The teams were telling businesses where they sold CD’s near, as well as customers, that proceeds from sales would go to a charity called Safe Haven. “They called the police, and the police called me and asked me if I knew anything about it and I told them I had never even heard of him,” said Safe Haven Outreach Mission Inc. director Melissa Brown based in Parsons, KS. “I guess by the time the police got there, the guy was gone.” Later Mikel Knight’s manager explained the Safe Haven charity was actually a homeless charity based in Nashville, but the local Safe Haven charity in Parsons still felt people were being deceived that their money would be helping local communities.
Mikel Knight has worked with the Safe Haven charity in Nashville for multiple years, and claims he’s given over $150,000 to Safe Haven as proceeds from street team CD sales. Saving Country Music has confirmed Mikel Knight has given donations to the charity, but questions linger if the percentage of CD sales street team members claim to collect per album is the same amount delivered to Safe Haven in Nashville. Lining up Mikel’s accumulated CD sales with the amount donated to Safe Haven, the percentages do not appear what Mikel Knight street team members say they are. Nonetheless, sizable donations have been made to the Nashville homeless shelter in Mikel Knight’s name.
Mounting Pressure on Mikel Knight
In the midst of last week’s arrests of street team members, the injuries and deaths of previous street team members, and concerns for the legality of his organization and the welfare of his workers, pressure has mounted against Mikel Knight. But the country rap performer appears to be a master of evasion, and has avoided any serious examination from authorities.
There is a Facebook page set up called Families Against Mikel Night Maverick Dirt Road Street Team that is actively trying to keep tabs on Mikel Night and many of his closest supporters. Sensing pressure, Mikel Knight regularly lashes out at his detractors with bellicose social network posts.
Conclusion
Similar to how country rap and hick hop preys on the culturally disenfranchised in America’s small towns, so does Mikel Knight and his street teams. Seeming to avoid major metropolitan areas, they set up in small towns just large enough to have a Wal-Mart, and fan out in flashy vehicles that impress locals and make them look like a major organization. It’s a superstar facade that lures in both fans, and prospective street team members who are sold on the idea of being a part of something big. Unfortunately it all hides a culture of harassment, assault, and manipulation. By operating on the road and using the shield of charity, Mikel Knight has been able to stay one step ahead of local authorities, and much of the entertainment media who just see him as another country rap star with a grassroots following and approach. Serious inquiries should be made into the legalities and working environment of the Mikel Knight organization before more injuries, assaults, and deaths are allowed to occur.
May 26, 2015 @ 9:41 am
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why SCM is a cut above most every music site out there.
May 28, 2015 @ 11:24 am
Actually, from a LEGAL perspective, what he is doing isn’t that bad. The perceived crime is that he is benefiting off the branding and culture of Music Row- without having paid dues….good for him. The people working for him obviously didn’t have anything better going on in their lives, and it sounds like the people who worked for him are suckers. This is no different than a political campaign- this guy has a future in politics. It sounds like a sleazy operation, but he is following the same rules as Political Action Committees and door-to-door sales people. The first amendment protects traveling sales people, and the local permit requirement has been deemed unconstitutional time-and-time again by federal appeals courts and the US Supreme Court. Political campaigns and PACs routinely overwork and under pay staff, and travel town-to-town in similar fashion. I hate to break it to you, but this guy is running the same operation as a Sarah Palin/Americans for Prosperity tour. This is America, people…if you vote Republican, you voted for this. In my opinion, it’s good to see this guy milk conservative parts of America in the same way politicians and PACs do. Good for him, welcome to America people.
May 28, 2015 @ 12:28 pm
“Actually, from a LEGAL perspective, what he is doing isn”™t that bad. The perceived crime is that he is benefiting off the branding and culture of Music Row- without having paid dues”¦.good for him.”
I respectfully disagree. Employers have very specific obligations for the welfare of their workers, and if workers are being harassed, assaulted, unpaid, and asked to drive for long hours resulting in accidents and even fatalities, this is a very serious legal issue and breaks numerous laws. The families of the deceased deserve to be compensated, and the systemic behavior that resulted in the deaths and injuries should be investigated by law enforcement and put a stop to.
Don’t really see this as a political issue.
August 16, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
Stopped off at a MCDonalds in rural Pennsylvania on the way back from a road trip and saw several of his vans parked in the lot. At first glance, it looked like a reputable musician and entourage, but after a while you saw something wasn’t right. In particular, I was struck by how thin the young guys were. Their pants were practically falling off them and they looked desperate. They didn’t approach us but something seemed really wrong.
I keep thinking about it and googled Mikel Knight when I got home. I came across this post.
I hope this guy is shut down.
September 3, 2015 @ 8:58 pm
I don’t agree that this is legal. He lures in what amounts to kids to sell for him. He says he has tour dates and doesn’t. His record label only has 2 clients. He is abusive and his treatment of these kids should be criminal if it isn’t. And coming from someone who used to own a local store, he is getting away with making money in these communities without paying anything back. No permits means he pays no taxes to the community, he pays no sales tax, he deceives people into thinking he is donating a lot of the money to charities, and taking money that could be spent in the community that would return to that community. But the worst of all is the abuse to his workers and lack of responsibility to pay their hospital bills. EVERY employer has to carry workers comp insurance in our state of Michigan and he is getting out of that. Scam.
May 29, 2015 @ 11:04 am
SCM is one of the places I go to get away from partisan political bickering. I’d much rather bicker about the things that matter, like the artists and execs that are perpetually degrading the integrity of the wonderful form of human expression that is country music. This Mikel Knight is a vile person no matter how you slice it. Also, I’m no attorney, but I’m pretty sure from a “LEGAL perspective” it’s quite illegal to beat and physically abuse your employees, no matter who’s in office.
May 29, 2015 @ 11:23 am
What Mikel Knight is doing might not be “illegal” but it is “wrong.” Simple as that. Selling old CD’s out of vans that travel through small towns that he himself is nowhere near. Telling young men between the ages of 18 – 27 that they can join the “team” and become part of the Mikel Knight Maverick phenomenon, when there IS no phenomenon. No recent pictures of Mikel Knight. No new music. No gigs, shows, concerts, interviews. Any true artist who is trying to be on the up and up will be all over the media themselves, not have a “street team” or a Facebook profile to get things done. Last summer, when a local kid from our small town joined this “team” and came back dead, it was time to dig deep. First hand accounts from other guys caught up in this racket should be enough for most to rebuke Mikel Knight and his cult.
May 29, 2015 @ 11:57 am
It is illegal too. If you hire individuals, then you have a responsibility for their safety while they are working for you, especially if they are being asked to drive motor vehicles. There are laws in place for how long individuals can drive in a commercial capacity.
May 29, 2015 @ 12:25 pm
Not to mention, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to beat and physically abuse your employees when their performance isn’t cutting it.
May 29, 2015 @ 1:10 pm
True”¦I just hate to see anybody caught up in the “well this isn”™t ILLEGAL” mindset, thus excusing any and all actions. I”™d sure like to see this looked at by the IRS to see if any sales tax is being paid towards the sales of the CD”™s. Wages? Worker”™s Comp? You know, the usual rules that legitimate businesses have to go by”¦
June 23, 2015 @ 5:50 am
With this guy’s rap sheet, how is he not behind bars?
May 30, 2015 @ 12:28 pm
So you think selling CD’S without paying royalties is cool? I highly doubt he is paying any royalties considering his sales technique.
I actually met him when they strolled through our small town. He is an EGOMANIAC!!! Fellow artists are always excited to meet someone else in the business. He could care less and even moved faster to get away from me.
June 1, 2015 @ 4:38 pm
You dont have to pay Royalties if you are selling your own, original music. SMH
June 29, 2015 @ 9:03 pm
You have to pay taxes. He never performs. Listen to the music It’s a bunch of different people singing or whatever you call. It’s not even him. This guy is milli Vanilli with a cowboy hat . And he is a bad seed . Met his crew. They tried to force me to buy this crap and when I told them I work in the music business they ran like cowards. You tell me I questioned them about the business and none could give me a straight answer.
June 23, 2015 @ 5:54 am
Why would you want to meet this fuck, or any of those other worthless bums like Colt Ford, or that other fat POS? I can’t remember his name now, but he’s fat, and he does some sort of worthless hip hop nonsense mixed in with gold chains and trailer parks and rusted out cars. You know who I mean. They’re a dime a dozen….
September 3, 2015 @ 9:07 pm
He doesn’t really have much original music from what I’ve read in comments on different articles. A lot of songs are redone from other artists. And any employer has to pay workers comp insurance in case of injury. This is a scam. We used to have the same thing in our town except the young people were selling cheap items like tools and toys. They were really pushy and never had permits. We always wondered if it was some kind of cult. It says that he brain washes the kids. He needs to be stopped.
May 31, 2015 @ 7:17 am
Mr. PostingName1:
What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling incoherent response was there ANYTHING that was even CLOSE to what could be considered a rational thought. And EVERYONE on this board is now dumber for having read it.
I award you no points. And may God have mercy on your soul.
June 20, 2015 @ 9:08 am
Ky Rodgers at it again! This time in trouble with the law! http://www.chattanoogan.com/2015/6/19/302765/Fort-Oglethorpe-Arrest-Report-For-June.aspx
June 25, 2015 @ 5:35 am
Actually. There are several illegal things going on. First of all tax evasion. Second of all DOT requires all businesses where employees drive as part of their job duties be drug tested and insured. Also if you hire an employee and do not withhold taxes you are required to file a 10-99 on that person. That’s just for starters.
August 23, 2015 @ 11:06 am
You are the biggest idiot I have ever seen Posting name 1. Obviously you are Mikel Knight or work for him because beating people for not meeting a sales quota is illegal and I hope the man rots in hell and jail both for this. I saw one of his vans yesterday and almost called the cops but I figured nothing would be done about it. The man is scum and deserves to be beaten for what he has done to these people, and one day his sorry ass will get it too,
May 31, 2015 @ 10:15 pm
We saw the crew all day today in several different towns in Arkansas we were in Harrison and they were at the Walmart we did a few other things then headed down to Marshall when we got to Marshall a Mikel night bus and two vans were there and the bus was being searched by drug dogs. POLICE WERE EVERYWHERE we stayed for a minute to see if anything happened but the police were just talking to them at this point. Finally we got down to Searcy and again we saw a van and driving was one if the same guys from Marshall he had a front light out and was driving like a maniac so my friend called the police station and they caught him at a gas station not sure what happened but through all if thus we never saw the guy who is supposed to be mikep
September 3, 2015 @ 9:24 pm
Like all of you, I found this site after googling this guy…I was getting gas at a Speedway in Howell, MI tonight. This toothless guy with a southern accent, who seemed to be hopped up on something yelled over to me while another skinny guy leaned on the front of the van looking at me. He came up mumbling about how nice my truck was. Then he asked me what kind of music I liked. I saw the “country star” on the van, so I said “NOT country!” He said oh don’t judge a book by it’s cover, then went on to explain that they were selling his cd’s 1/2 off, usually 20.00 but now just 10. he mumbled something about charity… I told him to beat it, and he did. I said something to the gas station manager who immediately told them to leave. as I pulled out of the station, I saw there were 2 more vans at the Mobil station across the street. Not cool guys. Very pushy and yeah, the instant vibe is that something really wrong is going on.
May 26, 2015 @ 9:46 am
Trigger, this is the most bizarre (and disturbing) piece I’ve ever read on this website. I’ve never heard of this turd until now.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:02 am
I was just going to say the same thing. It read like an expose for a cult.
May 29, 2015 @ 12:02 pm
True…I just hate to see anybody caught up in the “well this isn’t ILLEGAL” mindset, thus excusing any and all actions. I’d sure like to see this looked at by the IRS to see if any sales tax is being paid towards the sales of the CD’s. Wages? Worker’s Comp? You know, the usual rules that legitimate businesses have to go by…
May 26, 2015 @ 9:58 am
I just went to YouTube where I spent five minutes killing some of my brain cells just so I could get an idea about this idiot. It’s worse than I had imagined. “Saddle Up Shawty” is the video that I watched.
If I ever encounter someone who’s listening to this filth or see one of his street team vans, I’m going to punch somebody in the throat.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:08 am
=(
And especially coming on the heels of the Yelawolf commentary that points to how rap and southern hip-hop can positively guide mainstream country to a more authentic destination, this serves as a grim reminder as to how his redeeming efforts remain tragically overshadowed by this shady streak of consumerism! =(
Until the zeitgeist shifts, I pray no one else gets hurt by any one of Knight’s aliases and his minions, and justice is served where need be.
May 26, 2015 @ 11:45 am
One of my questions is where’s the rest of the country rap community policing a guy like this coming into the scene claiming he’s the “Country Rap King,” yet never playing shows? As hard as it is for me to fit myself in the XXXL shirts and size 17 1/2 Adidas of most country rappers, if I was them, I would be livid this guy is giving country rap such a bad reputation. Where’s Colt Ford, or Big Smo, or acts like The Moonshine Bandits that no matter how bad you may think their music is, are at least out there working hard and not straight up manipulating people? Country rap and hick hop are strong grassroots communities, and you would think there would be a greater effort to expose what is going on here to fans.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:52 pm
Don’t forget Cowboy Troy. But that’s a good question, nonetheless. I’m thinking perhaps this guy has been so low-key so far that none of the country rap mongers have taken much issue with him, if they even know who he is. And from surface view, why would they? EVERYONE tries to make it in Nashville as is; they may not have their faces plastered on vans, but the quickest way to sell a product is to make it sound like the best thing you’ve never heard of (a la “Country Rap King”) and add visual flair. From what I’m hearing, Mikel Knight is such a great manipulator and under-the-counter businessman that he’s basically been getting away with anything he tries as of late. At first glance he appears to just be another struggling artist and assuming the country rap community is aware of him at large, that’s probably what he’s interpreted as. Not the shyster he is with just a few social media posts that discredit him. Your article and others that hopefully follow in its wake will shed more light on the issue, then we might hear members of the community speak out.
Personally, I’m just baffled at what some people can get away with. This piece right here needs to go viral right now. Hope Mikel doesn’t somehow try to push you around, Trigger. I know most of your information isn’t presented here, but you might remove most of it from everything online that you can think of. I don’t want you to get threatened or hurt by this hoodlum or his underlings.
May 26, 2015 @ 1:47 pm
I’m worried too. =(
Considering all the concern surrounding your safety that surrounded the Shooter Jennings saga, I’d say this potentially well surpasses that threat because the Mikel Knight street-teaming controversy is much more decentralized.
May 26, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
Fear and intimidation is what an individual and an organization like this uses to keep order and suppress dissent and information. This might be one of the reasons this story has gone so grossly under-reported for so long, though I think this is going to change, especially with the arrests last week. I’d actually read the Ky Rodgers account months ago, but wasn’t really sure what to do with it because at that point it was months after it was posted and there wasn’t much more information. Now a lot of things are finally coming to the surface.
I’ve received many threats, including deaths threats over the years from running SCM, and if they come in or other suspicious activity arises because of my coverage of Mikel Knight, then I will deal with it accordingly. But people looking the other way is the reason this situation has come to this point. It is the responsibility of media to cover stories like this and serve the public with information and remain impartial.
May 26, 2015 @ 1:36 pm
Agreed! =(
As much as I can’t stand his music, Colt Ford nonetheless has always struck me as one of the most affable and grateful entertainers around who goes above and beyond for his fans; which has earned him a begrudged respect on my behalf (begrudged only because his music is terrible). So it is disheartening that I don’t see him policing his audience in light of this.
I don’t know enough about Big Smo, on the other hand, or Bubba Sparxxx, Jawga Boyz and other purveyors of country rap, for that matter. But they should recognize they have a responsibility as a community to stand in the face of such exploitation.
December 16, 2016 @ 12:49 am
We are doing just that….. cant stand bullies…check us out we are the GOOD OL BOYZ
March 27, 2017 @ 7:03 pm
Good ole boyz, heard your music. Got it on my playlist. As for as Mikel Knight goes. After reading this article, I’ve lost a lot of respect for him. I like the country rap, hick hop, whatever you want to call it, Colt Ford, The Lacs, Moccasin Creek, Charlie Farley, Lenny Cooper, Moonshine Bandits, Big Smo, Bottleneck, and more, you get the point. Keep up the good work guys.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:08 am
Oddly enough, I had never heard about this dude or his street team either. Until, just by chance on Friday afternoon, someone posted on a local Facebook garage sale page up here in Minnesota, that they were having issues with one of the street teams, and the cops ran them out of town. Then, all of a sudden this is posted here. I had no idea it was such a nationwide issue.
May 26, 2015 @ 11:55 am
They’ve been doing this for years, but it appears the street teams are becoming more aggressive, larger, and local police departments in these smaller towns they target are now more aware of who they are.
May 26, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
I use to work for him also this mans business is a f%&-ked up operation to sit there and watch your best friends get there ass beat for not wearing his boots in Texas cause his feet hurt. Not eating or sleeping BC we worked from 6am to 2am driving. Labor trafficking is what I see, slaving us is what I seen. If I was working as hard as I was like I was self employed being able to rest and eat and do what I needed to do should have been up to me I didn’t clock in or fill and application out. But they spoke to me like I signed up for the military and beat on everyone for nothing like we joined a boxing match, follow me @j_tyler421
Miranda’s Roots and Wings; Ben Dorcy Documentary in the Works; First Listen to ‘Django and Jimmie’ | Country California
May 26, 2015 @ 10:11 am
[…] Country Music has more on self-styled country-rap mogul Mikel Knight and his shady street teams, which have once again run afoul of the […]
May 26, 2015 @ 10:15 am
Aggravated assault? Protection order violation? Attempted robbery? Assault with bodily injury Assault with a deadly weapon?
Hell, never mind his shit music, why is this dude not still in prison? He’s quite obviously a danger to society.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:15 pm
My guess is he’s been to prison, though I’m still trying to run that information down. That would account for the time lapse between 1999 and 2006, and between 2006 and 2009. He is currently a wanted man in Texas, and if he was pulled over or arrested in the state, there’s a good chance he would go to prison again. It is believed that is at least one of the reasons he moved to Nashville.
And just so it’s said: there’s a lot of people who’ve had legal issues and have been arrested or been to prison, and that doesn’t necessarily make them evil people. People getting arrested for marijuana or whatever. But this guy clearly has no problem putting his hands on other people, and has a long rich history of doing so. With all of these assault charges, along with the accounts from street team members of assaults happening for poor sales, etc., there is no question he is a very violent person.
While going through the arrest records, I also was surprised at how many of the charges against him had been dismissed. There were also convictions and indictments, but in both San Antonio and Nashville, prosecutors had difficulty making charges stick. Some were dismissed for “lack of evidence.” This guy seems to have evaded justice at virtually every turn.
I may have more on his criminal record in the future. I didn’t want to make it the focus of this article, and I’m still trying to run down and confirm other information.
May 26, 2015 @ 1:06 pm
there”™s a lot of people who”™ve had legal issues and have been arrested or been to prison, and that doesn”™t necessarily make them evil people. People getting arrested for marijuana or whatever.
Oh, of course. Those weren’t the people I was talking about. In fact, I am of the opinion that those people never should have been put in jail in the first place, precisely because they are not a danger to society or even themselves. It’s just that with SO MANY stories I see about murders and other violent crimes, in the vast majority of them it seems that the offender had a prior criminal record quite similar to that of Mr. Cross here. I’m not saying the dude is a murderer-in-waiting, but it still wouldn’t surprise me if he did kill someone before it was all said and done.
Anyway, didn’t mean to get so far off topic. Great, great article, Trigger. If you don’t get paid for stuff like this, you should.
May 26, 2015 @ 1:18 pm
Hey Pistolero,
That wasn’t as much as a response to you as much as a general discussion point. I think there’s a lot of folks out there that are generally decent people that happen to have criminal backgrounds, especially in country music, and we shouldn’t always hold that against them. But when you’ve been rung up for a dozen assaults or so, something isn’t right.
May 26, 2015 @ 4:46 pm
http://www.ugrap.de/interviews/mikel-knight This interview tells a little bit. They were at a gas station here lat week, which made me curious enough to do some research.
May 29, 2015 @ 9:42 pm
He’s definitely been in prison. He went there because he knocked his girlfriend’s teeth out literally. I think he was in jail for 3 years but when he got out the gf got back together with him and they got married. Still married today. I can give you their home address if you want.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:18 am
I did not know, whether to laugh or cry, while reading this, and yes Weber, I never herd of him either.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:19 am
I saw one of these vans at a gas station in my hometown of Drasco (Population maybe 100) back in March. I remember his picture on the side, with a ball cap and AC/DC T-Shirt, and I thought “Man, what an asshole.” The sheer amount of allegations on here, though, that’s just crazy. Thank God I hate country rap, or I might’ve been talked into joining them.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:33 am
Wow. What a disgusting shitbag. Never heard of him until now. Hope to forget about him by tonight.
May 26, 2015 @ 10:35 am
Why did I just go to YouTube to see who this douche was and listen to Saddle up SHAWTY??? That white trash mess then led me down a blackhole to some waste of flesh named Mini Thin and his video for City Bitch. Half way through, I realized that he was from WV and the video was filmed a few miles away from where I grew up… Mikel and Mini Thin need to be drafted and sent to entertain the men of ISIS.
May 26, 2015 @ 11:19 am
I hadn’t heard of this guy. What a tool, this is a shameful way to make money. Thanks for reporting this and breaking it down so effectively.
May 26, 2015 @ 11:36 am
I see these “street teams” twice leaving from the Mount Juliet Wal-Mart. Filling up two RVs and 3-4 vans all while “team members” waived CDs expecting other customers to buy them. Have read the stories that show up from time to time and hope someone is able to shine light on this sociopath.
May 26, 2015 @ 11:40 am
Here is an interview excerpt I thought was interesting:
GCO: What motivates you to keep going?
MK: I don”™t make music or sell music for myself. I sell music for others. My label is Christian based and we are about helping people. I employ 65 second chance country boys from all over the nation. It”™s our pleasure to give back. We represent Safe Haven Family Shelter out of Nashville and we donate tens of thousands of dollars annually to them. This year we have a huge pledge for them. We are going to try to double our goal and give them $100000. We help a lot of families out there. We donate back to music city and are proud to do so.
I think his street team or “band” members all need a prayer!
May 26, 2015 @ 11:43 am
Wow, I never heard of this guy, but this is something else. He’s heading toward RICO territory.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:02 pm
This is not a legit page if you do not gather information from both sides. Everything in this article is from a haters page on Facebook. GET REAL FACTS SO I HAVE SOMETHING REAL TO READ instead of wasting time reading rumors.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:22 pm
I reached out to the Mikel Knight camp and received no response. He has blocked me on Twitter. If you have REAL FACTS to present that refute any of the information in this article, feel free to share them here. But saying that this information isn’t real, and that the facts of the situation are something different without actually presenting any facts yourself just feeds the cycle of deception that surrounds Mikel Knight and his camp. I went out of my way to explain that he gives money to charity. I presented counter viewpoints when they were made available, including images from Mikel Knight himself addressing his “haters.” Again, any information that needs to be presented to paint a clearer picture on the Mikel Night organization is welcome and encouraged here.
May 26, 2015 @ 1:34 pm
Also, he was supposed to be interviewed by reporter Lauren Pozen today for KSPR, and pulled out at the last minute.
https://www.facebook.com/LaurenPozenKSPR/posts/864660790274085
May 28, 2015 @ 6:39 am
I know for a fact everything said in this article is true. My boyfriend was hired to work for him in March, to leave on a bus from Wilmington NC, to Nashville on April 1st. My boyfriend and I are very close, I immediately knew something was wrong when I wouldn’t here from him atleast once a day, sometimes not at all in a couple days. When I asked him why this was, his response was “we are on our boots grinding from 6am til 1-2 in the morning everyday”… That struck me as odd since he’s more of a Jordan’s wearing, wiz khalifa type guy. I could tell the change in him in less than a week. Hence, the brainwashing setting in. In the beginning he was told he would be touring with Mikel Knight, setting up at shows, and selling merchandise. Never happened! He stood outside wal-marts in small towns, forced to aggressively approach and sell his CDs… Which are garbage. They flagged people in cars down standing on the side of the road at stop lights and intersections. He was told he would get a 15$ a day per diem, that didn’t happen, and they only got paid once a month. My boyfriend was having a hard time finding work and they sold him on this dream. Not knowing what he was doing was illegal. My boyfriend told me they knowingly were fleeing from the law, it became part of their “grind”! A cat and mouse game. He worked closely, slept In the Van beside these very guys who have been arrested last week. My boyfriend doesn’t have a drivers license and knew what he was doing was going to get him in trouble, they asked him to drive on of the vans, because the driver was falling asleep at the wheel putting all their lives in danger. My boyfriend told them he didn’t have a license and didn’t feel comfortable doing so. They were in the middle of corn fields 50 miles away from any sort of town, in Iowa,They told him he would drive or they would put him out and leave him where he stood. Broke, tired, hungry, dirty, and hundreds of miles from home. He told me that he knew they meant it. My boyfriend sucked it up and drove. When the passenger and the rest of the crew fell asleep, my boyfriend set his gps to the nearest greyhound station, seperated from the rest of the crew, scared to death I might mention, for fear they would find him and hurt him, or report their van stolen, abandoned the van and the crew, hid out until his dad could get him a bus ticket home. He was only gone 3 weeks, and other than a splash bath in a gas station bathroom, he had only showered once, slept in a bed once, lost some of his personal belongings and didn’t get paid not one damn dime. When he got home… Most of the clothes he took were still clean, because they barely had time to eat let alone change their clothes! It cost us 200$ to get him on a bus to Nashville, a 100$ for the appropriate attire, which he didn’t even use, 100$ for a pair of cowboy boots( his feet were blistered, red, hurting, and athletes foot had set in) because he was “on his boots grinding” 14-15 hours a day! 100$ in spending money, which totally wasn’t enough, an additional 50$ wired to him for more spending money, another 200$ for his bus ticket home and it took him 21/2 days to get home from Iowa on a bus. The price of getting him home…. It’s priceless! Had he not abandoned ship when he did, that would’ve definately been him charged in one town, and jailed in another, halfway across the country! Also…. Mikel Knight, the Urban Cowboy, isn’t going to bail you out of jail!! He’s a shady, criminal , pretty much running a sweat shop, using mafia style methods of intimidation, and doesn’t care who gets hurt, or killed, or starves, as long as he is getting his money, for his horrible music, that he can’t get on the radio, or cmt like real musicians!! Cowboy… Says honorable to me, he is no Cowboy he’s a street thug, a criminal, a fraud, and his word means nothing! This whole scam put us further in debt, which we totally didn’t need.the desperation to find work is what led my boyfriend to work for this loser to begin with,and his life and freedom was in danger everyday as they broke the law and ran from the law! Everything Trigger has written is true, and the people need to know who this man is, and what he is about, & stop buying his CDs. Those young men selling those CDs are usually starving, but them a cheeseburger instead. He only hires guys from the age of 18-28, I wonder why that is? & he will put hands on these young men as a way to I still fear, as a way to pad his pockets! Luckily the money my boyfriend could have potentially made was not worth his life or his freedom! I’m not a fan of this man… At all & I hope he gets his due karma, by law or by God!
May 29, 2015 @ 12:59 pm
My son and his best friend are missing in oklahoma,where these vans and a bus has been sitting at walmarts. would you think this could be a thing to check out? if your story is real, we have no clues to follow on our sons
May 29, 2015 @ 1:29 pm
Donna,
I am very sorry that your son and his friend are missing. I have been following the story of the missing boys for the last 48 hours, and am VERY actively looking into the prospects of Mikel Knight’s Street Teams having any involvement, or possibly being in the specific area when the boys went missing. I am monitoring the situation online, and trying to run down any information that I can. If/when I hunt down anything solid, I will share it with authorities, the family and/or post it online. This is a heartbreaking situation and I am doing what I can to help, but at this point I have been unable to hunt down anything remotely concrete that Mikel Knight or his street teams had anything to do with this, nor does it fit any type of pattern of behavior from his street teams in the past. Nonetheless, I am very actively looking into it.
May 31, 2015 @ 5:04 am
Donna, our Prayers are with you & your Family, we have been sharing the news stories on Facebook and Hoping for the best outcome.
June 1, 2015 @ 6:26 pm
Have you heard from your son yet, Donna? I am praying for him and your whole family.
My nephew was one of the two who lost his life in the accident last year this month.
June 25, 2015 @ 5:29 pm
WOW YOU POS. You deleted all my replys.. You are a first rate scumbag. No help for Mikel Knight on your page. NOW I KNOW THIS IS ALL LIES!! I will show everyone
June 25, 2015 @ 5:34 pm
Richard, this is the third time I’ve told you. You are posting comments with direct insults to other commenters, and they have been deleted. The ones that don’t have been posted. I told you that, and you kept posting. You can offer your opinion, but you can’t go up and down this comments section harassing everyone.
May 29, 2015 @ 4:07 pm
Trigger, Nathan Gill is always on the Mikel Knight and Friends And Family Against MDRST. He is simply an agitator for the Mikel Knight camp. He uses foul and bellicose language on those sites too. In my estimation, he is nothing more than probably one of his hired goons. Pay him no mind.
May 26, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
Seriously, dude? Did you listen to Saddle Up Shawty before you decided to speak up in favor of this clown?
Real musicians don’t have people jump out of a van to sell their CDs in Walmart parking lots just like real country music fans don’t listen to tripe like Saddle Up Shawty.
Is that YOU, Mikel?
May 26, 2015 @ 7:25 pm
Nathan Gill- Im a very good family friend of one of the boys that was killed and other friend that worked with him. It’s not all haters out there. This is true!!! Hearing the stories of what they went through while working for him is horrible. Until you have to watch a good friend and her family having to go through the pain of having to bury her only son because of how this guy run his “crews” is very sad!!!
May 26, 2015 @ 12:15 pm
He is So faux we love old country music back in Bordeaux so after seeing this merde we would tar and father this blague
May 26, 2015 @ 12:18 pm
I guess I just don’t understand the pitch. I remember being on the road once, and someone came up and asked us who we were, and what we did. We talked for a few minutes, and the guy ended up buying a CD. It was actually the first one we sold on that tour, interestingly enough. But I found it odd. This guy didn’t know our music, he didn’t know me, all he knew was that we were 6 guys in a van with a trailer, and we said we play country music. That was enough for him. $10.
But, a team of guys running around a Wal-Mart Parking lot, waving CDs and such in the air?
I mean, maybe I’m old fashioned, but I need SOME kind of personal experience before I can buy in. I either have to already like the music, or I have to meet and like the artist. I can’t imagine forking over cash to someone because he has a printed van and a bunch of discs in his hand … especially when he’s a lackey and not the artist himself.
Then again, if this actually works, maybe that’s how I should be hocking discs. Nah, I think I’ll just keep selling them to people who enjoy the tunes.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:22 pm
Salting cds in a Walmart parking lot where is the classes? Selling them at Cracker Barrel
May 26, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
Mikel Knight and these street team members are not selling music, they’re selling people on the idea of being a part of something bigger than themselves. They see the wrapped buses and vans, and it looks like the big time. It looks like WWE just rolled into their little town that nobody ever pays attention to, and they are sold on the allure of the cult of celebrity. In the collapse of the agrarian lifestyle in America and the lampooning of rural folks by popular culture, many of the people left abandoned in small towns want to feel like they’re a part of something they can be proud of. That is what country rap has always been about: selling identity, and that is why it is so rampant in small towns, and why Mikel Knight is targeting them.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:53 pm
Like some kind of bad music, thug worshipping, pyramid scheme.
May 26, 2015 @ 3:24 pm
A quick glance at his Facebook page proves your point, Trigger. All the comments are about how cool it was to “meet” this guy or his “team.” You can tell they feel a part of something. They don’t understand that they are just walking dollar signs and targets to sell the CDs.
As other folks have said, this is disturbing. Thanks for reporting. Not knowing the story, I would have just laughed these guys off.
May 27, 2015 @ 11:53 am
Trigger, this is dead on, and unbelievably profound. There’s a great book by Ken Meyers called “All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes” which addresses this issue in detail. One of the major effects of broadcast media (starting with radio but intensifying exponentially with television and then the internet) is that culture and values are no longer contained locally within a community nor passed down generation to generation. Rather culture and values are broadcasted from sometimes thousands of miles away from a completely foreign community. This is what has led to the identity crisis of the American rural town.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:56 pm
That’s great Ben. I’ve sold quite a few over the years for no other reason than I have a guitar with me, and it starts a conversation. I sold a copy of my new one that ain’t even out yet a week ago, to a guy at a bus stop – just based on bus stop conversation.
I haven’t had a tetanus shot in 30 years, so I’m gonna avoid Wal-Mart. But don’t be surprised if you see me waving them around in Target tonight! 😀
May 26, 2015 @ 6:05 pm
They came into a small town up here in Wisconsin and got a guy I work with to buy a CD. I’m recounting his story so most of it is hearsay, but from what he told me the street team told him that Mikel Knight was an up and coming country singer who called himself the “Maverick” and was looking to sell a few albums on the road to support his career. He said they sounded like genuinely nice people and they asked what kind of country he was into. He told them mostly the classics but he didn’t mind a few more modern people. They name dropped Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean and said it’s very similar to that. I wouldn’t say my co-worker is a big fan of either of those two, but he was willing to give a “struggling” artist a shot as long as it wasn’t anything too far off the ventured road. He slipped the new album in his car and was so shell-shocked that he brought it to work so we could all laugh about it.
May 26, 2015 @ 12:45 pm
Funny (or not) how Country rap has grown as a genre around the same time meth and heroin have infiltrated small town and rural America. I’m sure there is no correlation between the two……
In all seriousness, great work Trigger on this disturbing, yet interesting article.
May 26, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
I ran into one of this douchebag’s street teams in my little town of Shippensburg, PA while pumping gas. These guys were all over the parking lot trying to sell a CD to everyone who pulled in. I witnessed one team member ( who claimed to be the band’s drummer) talk an elderly genteleman into buying a CD by telling him “if you like Toby Keith, you’ll like our stuff.”
The definitely gave off a really sketchy vibe. Thanks for this report!
May 26, 2015 @ 6:04 pm
No kidding? I’m in that area of PA. Now I know to keep an eye out for these guys.
May 28, 2015 @ 8:55 am
I’m from ship! If I see one it’s gonna be hard not to punch them in the face
May 26, 2015 @ 2:07 pm
http://www.rapnews.net/0-202-257334-00.html?tag=artistnav
May 26, 2015 @ 2:56 pm
I ran into one of these street teams in my town of Meridianville, AL. Me and my buddy were in my truck (only people at the pumps) and these guys pull up fast to the pump next to me and about 5 of them hop out and start pushing their CD on me. They show me the first track, which was supposed to be a “real country song” and I politely inform them that it wasn’t my style. They tell me to turn it to the next song which was supposed to be “better” and I think it may have been the exact same beat with slightly different lyrics.
May 28, 2015 @ 8:16 am
I think I saw the same thing happen in Warrior at “the gas station/liquor store in Warrior that isn’t Wayne’s”. Creepy dudes going up to every white person they saw and pushing terrible CDs. They would completely ignore anyone that wasn’t white.
June 25, 2015 @ 4:38 pm
Well glad you didnt buy…I probly would not either.. BUT THE FACT REMAINS.. they didnt try and kidnap you or kill you correct? They tried to sell you something! YEP i see the crime.. way to go Columbo.
August 23, 2015 @ 11:24 am
The crime isn’t him selling so much as the way he treats the people working for him. He has caused a few deaths too with his treatment and working conditions. That is the crime.
May 26, 2015 @ 4:00 pm
This idiot used to be my client until various and many people came to me telling me how he was and how he would beat people up if they didn’t sell 100 CD’s a day for him, He never wanted to be booked and I often wondered why, But after a few higher ups in the business snapped pics of him and I watched one video of him beating the hell out of a guy, I dropped him like a hot potato, He’s scum! POS! Robert Underfinger was my friends son and we no longer have him because of this POS, So I hope he gets his KARMA real soon! I hope this is not put on the back burner and forgotten about, But I sure hope the ones coming forward don’t die telling what they know, He has many thugs that do his dirty work. Be careful folks!
May 26, 2015 @ 4:37 pm
Maybe Country Gangster Rap will be a new genre since this guy seems to incorporate both elements.
May 26, 2015 @ 5:39 pm
I don’t claim to understand the music business but if this guy is so great why doesn’t he sing some gigs? I buy a lot of music but having total strangers come up to me in a random parking lot and shove CDs in my face is not a good way to get any favors from me.
And promiscuous use of the word “hater” to describe critics is a sign of immaturity.
May 26, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
1:40 into Saddle Up Shawty and off it went. You know why they have to get all up in people’s faces to sell that shit, right? Because marketing that shit like it’s an impulse buy is the only way they’d ever make a dime. Music fans with discerning taste aren’t gonna buy that trash, from their LRS, Amazon, or anywhere else.
Why’d I listen for so long? Well, the acoustic guitar plucking at the beginning wasn’t bad…
BTW Trig, this post is already on the first page of Google search results…
May 26, 2015 @ 6:18 pm
So if I’m reading this right, we might be dealing with a Bro-Country version of the Juggalos, if any of you don’t know who they are just type it on Bing or Google. But for those who do, if I’m right about this it ain’t gonna be pretty.
May 26, 2015 @ 7:25 pm
Um I honestly hope you’re referring to those little wanna be punks who have absolutely no idea what the hatchet family is all about. True juggalos and juggalettes are extremely respectful to others when it comes to music and if you want to say otherwise that’s your opinion. I have met some fake fake people claiming to be family and juggalos but they were so full of it that I just wanted to smack them upside their heads. Now back to the topic at hand, this wanna be “country gangsta” filth artist is truly nauseating. I love my hick hop, my country boys (aldean, etc), my red dirt country (dirty river boys, etc), classic and outlaw country. As well as the majority of rock (old, new & alternative), my psychopathic boys, old school hip hop….just about anything really except pop music (always hated it, with gusto). This deranged idiot isn’t an artist he’s a con man with a game. If he treats people who actually like his music and willing to push it for him like dog crap….well then I’d like to see him come to my town himself so he can be shown a real good partying time strung up by his toes while his roadies get their turn at bat. Please though do not clump all juggalos and juggalettes in with moron because I’m positive Joseph and Joe would make an example out of the pos known as mikel knight.
May 26, 2015 @ 6:19 pm
This guy is pure scum!! He can’t do any live shows because ( and I know for a fact regarding one musician) that he uses other artists voice and music in his video!! Saddle Up Shawnty is one example. If he is using this person how may other of his songs has he used that it is not him really singing??
June 25, 2015 @ 4:36 pm
NO LIVE SHOWS?? try reading more than one FB post. He did some 200 shows all over the country but if you know anything about the music business then you know thats a struggle in itself. Low paying gigs and empty clubs when no one knows who you are. He says he started selling cds this way with his band so people would know who he was and could play to crowds..sounds to me like he went old school like Waylon and Willie and showed people how to hustle music again.. The only crime is in you idiots talking about human trafficking and sex trafficking like you have no brain and all the cops that pull them over just couldnt figure out to ask the salesmen if they were kidnapped? When one of your kids is really kidnapped by a monster then you will know the difference i guess..until then let IGNORE that he donated a SIZABLE amount to SAFE HAVEN FAMILY SHELTER IN NASHVILLE TN. (article above states that real quick so you dont see it) If you choose to actually investigate that then you would know that the shelter provides homes and a way back into society for whole families that have nothing and or lost everything and would be sleeping in a car or worse on the curb..BUT YEA THATS SOUNDS LIKE A KIDNAPPER AND HUMAN TRAFFICKER TO ME!! SHEEP wake up. Try applauding the man for his life change and not spewing lies and hate. Thats the REAL INJUSTICE> sickos
June 25, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
Richard,
If you are going to insult other commenters directly, your comments are going to be deleted. You have a right to disagree, but you don’t have a right to insult. And running up and down this comments section attacking people who posted a month ago is not going accomplish anything. Say your peace, and move on.
June 25, 2015 @ 5:14 pm
Richard,
Again, all of your recent comments have direct insults to individuals, and are being deleted. Follow the comment rules, or go away.
June 25, 2015 @ 5:34 pm
So you decide that they can call him whatever they want but they themselves cannot be called dumb? Your site is proven all bullshit by you yourself.
So where did you reach out to Mikel knight at again? I just went to his FB and asked them? See if you can tell me? Cuz I know the answer. YOU DIDNT
June 25, 2015 @ 8:17 pm
Richard,
I reached out to Mikel Knight twice. If Mikel Knight wants to speak to me on this matter, I would be more than happy to. He can reach out. I am easy to get a hold of. I have yet to hear a reply, and he has yet to reach out personally.
May 26, 2015 @ 6:22 pm
I actually observed this in person last week at a gas station in Okoboji, IA. I noticed this tour bus in the lot as I was walking in, but had no idea who Mikel Knight was. The guy in front of me in line asked the cashier if it was cool if they sold CDs out of the bus in the gas station lot. She told him no, and he sought out the manager, most likely to find the same response. I didn’t think much of it, but am now intrigued after reading this article. Great piece.
May 26, 2015 @ 6:25 pm
Fascinating story – hard to believe it is real. Not sure I would believe it had I not seen them take over a Sheetz in Breezewood, PA 8 months ago. I generally try to make myself appear unapproachable, and it worked in this case, but I did watch it go down. Obnoxious and aggressive is an understatement. There must be a good story behind this, or should I say “bank-roll”. Way too much overhead (vans, staff, travel, vids, production, etc…) to be covered by selling horrifying cd’s – especially when it’s obvious he’s collected a modest following, but certainly nothing notable, in the real world that is…
May 26, 2015 @ 6:35 pm
Never thought I’d see the day when my hometown of North Platte gets name-checked in a SCM article. Of course it’s because this turd showed up down at the Walmart.
May 26, 2015 @ 11:13 pm
That makes two of us from north platte on here …. and I thought I was the only one from the middle of nowhere!
May 26, 2015 @ 11:25 pm
I was driving through North Platte, or at least very close to there a few years ago and stopped at a gas station at about 10 PM at night. It was a fairly new gas station right off the Interstate, and right on the front of the building where there would usually be a sign for the business was simply a big white sign with black lettering that said, “You Are Nowhere.” I took it as the most self-aware sign I had ever seen. I have a picture somewhere.
May 27, 2015 @ 5:38 pm
To those of us who enjoy our wonderful place though it says “You are Now here” just without a space …. lol 🙂
May 27, 2015 @ 7:38 pm
Hey, I love the central plains. I think they have a majesty all their own.
May 27, 2015 @ 6:36 am
This sucks if he treats people this way. I have been a fan of country rap/hick hop, for a long time. I do not mind some of his songs, his project The Duke Boys video is a catchy tune, but the elders of this genre will get to him if the law doesn’t first.
May 27, 2015 @ 8:00 am
Here’s another interesting discussion thread out there dissing him. Apparently his “team” was drinking Keystone Lights in the van. Pretty funny. Here’s the link: http://evilfury.keepconnectedlive.com/blog/825
May 27, 2015 @ 8:07 am
Keystone light sucks ass
May 27, 2015 @ 9:05 am
From what I can see, all of Mikel Knight’s pictures are from around circa 2007 and his videos and CD’s are about that old as well. He has used this same scam then for almost 10 years. It must work if he is still “in business” but what is key here, is that he doesn’t play concerts or shows or have any type of tour schedule.
The “Mikel Knight” street crew convinces local kids that they can hop in these vans, and be “roadies” for “The Maverick.” What they end up doing is the exact opposite. There is no tour and there are no concerts. Just a van full of guys trying to hustle old CD’s and old t-shirts at gas stations and Wal Marts. We lost a kid from our small town last summer. He graduated in May. He and his best friend were hanging out where local kids hang out (gas station) when a hopped up “Maverick” van pulled up. The guys in the van told these two kids that they could hop in, travel the country, make a bunch of money, be roadies…so these 2 kids go home, tell their parents that they’ve found their calling in life, and were on the road in the van within days. One kid found out right away that this wasn’t right and hopped out of the van in Colorado. His best friend thought he’d stick it out. He died in a wreck shortly after. The driver had just fallen asleep due to the long hours of traveling and hustling.
One thing to keep in mind is that you will never see this Mikel Knight in person in these vans. All you will see are young men doing his dirty work. We all say around here that if we ever see these POS vans again, we’ll kick some ass…but that’s not fair to these kids who are getting sucked into the situation. We need to get to the source. Thank you for this article! It’s a start!
May 27, 2015 @ 9:51 am
This camouflage mafia showed up at a gas station that’s walking distance from my house, and I live in a town of less than 700 in Wisconsin, so how they wound up there is beyond me, but it was impressively awkward. They peddled their CD’s to whoever was pumping gas and garnered a little attention for looking out of place. It was Affliction shirts and bedazzled jeans galore. From what I could tell, nobody in my town took them seriously, but after reading this I’m glad for that. This is the kind of negative publicity that country music doesn’t need right now, and I can’t get behind someone who spells “Micheal” like they’re a Russian drug dealer.
June 25, 2015 @ 4:29 pm
NO one ins your town took them seriously..wow I wonder how they sold a million records.. thats a big claim and for the looks of it about 43 states are talking about them. Someone took them seriously. WAY TO GO> you successfully jumped on a bandwaggon of hate. Congrats. While Mikel Knight enjoys higher Itunes sales and Youtube views. and probly a successful career after this is long gone.
May 27, 2015 @ 10:46 am
I saw one of his vans here in WI a few months back and snapped a picture to remember. When I posted it, my guy Josh (Handz Onn from D.Thrash Productions) had told me basically everyone in the hick hop genre laughs at this guy. He takes kids, forces them to work, then when not needed, shoves them away with no paper trail.
Street team is one thing, but a scam is another. This is a scam.
How can you be called an artist and NOT tour and play gigs! Hell, I’ve been in the game 7 years, constantly touring around, and still only have about 4000 dedicated fans. This guy is lucky to have whatever little but of money he has..
cheap plug in 3,,, 2,,, 1,,,
http://www.reverbnation.com/snakeey3z
May 27, 2015 @ 11:04 am
This douchebag needs to be stopped. This is like a cult. It’s a shame decent folks get sucked into this BS! I hope this guy goes down fast and hard. Sickening!!!
May 27, 2015 @ 11:32 am
This is chilling. I hope to God whoever’s in deep with this guy now can get out.
Out of pure curiosity, where did you get his real name from? A tip-off or something of that ilk, or some deductive work of your own? Obviously I respect confidentiality, but I’m interested in journalism so I’m sort of fascinated by the work that goes into these types of articles.
May 27, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
I remember reading Ky’s story last year on the Nashville Gig Finder page, warning all of us to avoid this “gig” like the plague. Glad it is getting some extra attention, partly in thanks to you Trig. The industry has no room for this.
May 27, 2015 @ 3:00 pm
Living in the Davidson Co. Area, someone one on some page posted where Knight keeps his trucks and offices; as Triggermans story was getting traction. While in that area on an errand yesterday, out of curiousity, I looked where this supposedly is and sure enough, there sat a bunch of jacked up SUVs, a wrecked single axle trailer, and a van all with Knight’s name on them. Didn’t look like the whole fleet was there at what might be the “home office” probably because he has them out hustling.
Behind a Tractor Supply Co.
On Lebanon Rd. between Hermitage and Mount Juliet, TN.
So I guess if cops are looking for him…try there first.
May 27, 2015 @ 4:32 pm
I at one time was to do a video for him saddle up shawty an free but because of how he talk to me an demanded i do as he wanted , made me step back an question it. i later had to take a no contact order against him because i was in fear of my life he was very aggressive towards me . i went an posted he was a scam arttist on his fan page an he block me from posten now. he is nothing he makes people belive he is
May 27, 2015 @ 4:51 pm
I worked for Mikel Knight for a week & quit because of stuff like this going on. Then Conrad tried to beat me up when I left because I “disrespected” a captain. This guy needs to be locked up. He is a criminal. The worst kind.
June 25, 2015 @ 4:27 pm
WAIT! YOU QUIT??? you mean they didnt hold you at gun point and sell you into sex slavery?? Wait guys..this sounds like he was able to WALK AWAY and quit. NO CRIME in that. Conrad you mean the ex member that started his own street team for Average Joes then stole all their money and left. Hey guys..how can i find all this info out on FB but yall cant put ANY of it together. Its like you read one post and THATS PROOF! I pray to God none of yall ever get accused under these circumstances.. because you will remember MIkel Knight and his notorious street team. This article is a JOKE..you need to cover FL GA line penis sizes and you would get a more intelligent crowd of comments maybe.
June 30, 2015 @ 5:10 am
If he so great how come you’re the only one defending him? How come he’s not responding with something to combat the post?
May 27, 2015 @ 4:53 pm
Yes. His office is behind the tractor supply
May 27, 2015 @ 5:55 pm
This is an absolutely diabolical take on an old “direct marketing” scam. Usually it involves tricking “candidates” into believing that they’re “applying for a job”, then herding them into parking lots to hawk cheap knock-off perfumes, sunglasses and etc. This twist on it, though, actually preys on fans in the most exploitative way imaginable. It’s actually very clever in an evil sort of way. It’s scummy, no debate there, but it’s rather ingenious in its own way.
May 27, 2015 @ 11:19 pm
This is truly disturbing… While a street team can bring you a much wider fan base, I’ve never heard of one being used as some sort of direct marketing situation. This reads like a horror drama movie plot. How this guy can keep this going, with the obvious police interest they are drawing, is crazy in itself.
May 27, 2015 @ 11:43 pm
here is a link to mikel knight koolaide interview!!!!
http://soaddicted2fresh.com/fresh-interview-mikel-knight-on-why-his-model-works-why-cds-wont-die-and-the-business-of-music/
May 28, 2015 @ 5:28 am
LOL!! Great press piece…. how many people who never heard of this guy just looked him up to find out more about him! You know you just did!
May 28, 2015 @ 7:41 am
Okay, so how many more people should the press sit back and watch die before addressing it because there MAY an unintended consequence of greater name recognition for Mikel? When you have a fleet of 18 vans being deployed all across the country to sell CD’s and recruit new team members, I think this would be an instance where awareness would be helpful, and taking the self-centric mentality that if we ignore something in hopes of it going away is a fool’s assessment.
June 25, 2015 @ 4:52 pm
Lol, too bad I don’t have to look him up after reading this article and all the comments, I have learned all I need to know about him. He will not get dime from me!!!!! Great articleTrig, keep up the good work!!!
May 28, 2015 @ 11:12 am
When I was at college in Murfreesboro, TN in the early 2000’s, every now and then I would see 15 passenger vans of raggedy, sketchy looking college aged kids from out of town running around hustling about in apartment complexes close to campus selling magazine subscriptions. They would just go door to door constantly trying to stay ahead of authorities or property managers. It’s the exact same business model preying on young people especially and being very aggressive in their sales tactics. Apparently it’s still going on. Here’s a link to an article about it that shows some similarities to what Mikel is doing: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/04/trapped-into-selling-magazines-door-to-door/388601/
You would think they could track this Mikel guy down pretty quickly if they want. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to him.
June 25, 2015 @ 4:23 pm
EXACTY hey guys we got a scholar here! You all should read his last line. IF THEY REALLY WANT TO they could find him. WAKE UP SHEEP. Hes selling CDS and making all you idiots talk about him. I dont even like rap but I hate dumb American white trash even more. THERES NO CRIME..theyve even got permits now.. geez sheep.baaaaa
May 28, 2015 @ 12:34 pm
Two young men vanished following a music festival last weekend. These buses were spotted within a hundred miles of where they went missing. Reportedly, people have seen them in town before. Do you think this could be connected?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1846518448907636/
May 28, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
I’m starting to think they are connected to the 2 young men disappearing from Rocklahoma memorial day weekend!
May 29, 2015 @ 4:22 am
http://m.newson6.com/story.aspx?story=29157387&catId=112042
June 24, 2015 @ 6:26 pm
It Was just on my news feed here in Tuscaloosa Alabama that one of the teams has been working a Walmart in the next town of Northport. The post said they were there June 23rf and today the 24th.
May 29, 2015 @ 4:20 am
Two Oklahoma boys missing after Rocklahoma music festival, both 20 years old and suspected of being picked up by Mikel Knight’s gang. One of the boys is special needs. Please help by spreading the word!
http://m.newson6.com/story.aspx?story=29157387&catId=112042
May 29, 2015 @ 7:15 am
I’ve seen a lot of folks trying to link these two stories. Have we confirmed that the Mikel Knight Street Team was near Rocklahoma? The last I saw they were only known to be within 100 miles. Though Mikel Knight is suspected of doing some pretty bad things, kidnapping would be a new one to add to the list, unless the two boys were recruited, or potentially assaulted. It doesn’t fit the traditional Mikel Knight profile, but I’m keeping an eye out for these boys and any potential links between them and Mikel Knight.
May 29, 2015 @ 7:30 am
This is what one of the aunts posted on the Facebook page for the missing boys:
“I have read a lot of posts on here about the MK vans in the area. I have suspicions about these people too, and the posts I made to their page (”ª#”Žteamcodyandben”¬ was the ONLY thing I posted) were deleted and I was blocked. With all that being said. ..The focus is being shifted to these scumbags and away from Cody and Ben. That needs to stop immediately. Don’t waste your time and effort chasing after them. Use that energy to keep #teamcodyandben trending and plastering their faces all over social media. I have a special interest in this because Cody’s aunt is a good friend and I truly hurt in my heart for her and the rest of their families. Let’s all regroup, take a breath, and move forward with prayer and renewed resolve to bring the boys HOME! !”
I agree with this. Until there is some decent reason to think Mikel Knight’s street teams are involved, it’s taking the eye off the ball that they are involved. Still, we’ll all remain vigilant, and if we see a link to Mikel Knight, I will be the first to post about it.
June 8, 2015 @ 6:44 pm
Cody and Ben’s bodies were found Sunday morning. They were in their van that was submerged in Lake Eufala. Due to the flooding in this area, the lake is 14 feet above average.
http://www.fox23.com/news/news/local/troopers-find-bodies-missing-men-rock-festival/nmX7X/
June 8, 2015 @ 6:56 pm
I’m really sorry to hear about this. I’ve been following the disappearance of the boys ever since there was thought there may be a link to Mikel Knight’s Street Teams, and have been hoping they would be found alive. Hopefully we get some answers about what happened and the family can find some closure.
May 29, 2015 @ 10:26 am
I don’t know if he was at Rocklahoma last weekend, but his team was spotted in Tulsa this morning.
July 2, 2015 @ 8:25 pm
The 2 boys were found. They had an accident on their way home and drowned in a lake.
May 29, 2015 @ 7:40 am
I thought this was a joke until I looked around a little more on the interstate. Look at the towns those guys are from. Free trade agreements, globalization, mass immigration, and ghetto culture have decimated Middle America. I’m willing to bet that their grandfathers are turning over in their graves to think that their grand kids have tattoos on their necks and listen to rap “music.”
May 29, 2015 @ 1:30 pm
A neck tattoo doesn’t mean you listen to rap and go through life acting like a piece of shit.
May 29, 2015 @ 1:38 pm
It also doesn’t mean that you have a job.
May 29, 2015 @ 1:50 pm
I accidentally clicked the thumbs up, but I have neck tattoos, have a good job and pay my taxes. Don’t generalize everybody.
May 29, 2015 @ 7:18 pm
Stopped at a gas station in Tonkawa Oklahoma lasr year and they were actually selling his shit cds. Had about 5 of them on the counter by the register. I was thinking he was just some local douchebag trying to be like that fatass Colt Ford
May 30, 2015 @ 9:59 pm
This makes me physically sick. I’ve had a street team come up to me and try to sell me this stuff before and I had no idea. And then to use a charity like that is just wrong. Say all you want about a legal perspective or business perspective, but it’s just wrong.
May 31, 2015 @ 4:42 am
Seen one of the van at the intersection of Hwy 33 & 48 at the store Between Bristow and Mannford Friday, not sure if they are still there or not
May 31, 2015 @ 8:28 pm
Sounds like with all of those cash transactions going on, the IRS could slam dunk his ass pretty handily.
June 1, 2015 @ 2:25 am
Interestingly enough I just saw a “music” video on youtube called the “Cowboy Way” by this “band” The intro shows Triggers name in a barn…Curious. Lol
June 1, 2015 @ 10:22 am
These guys were cited by police in at least three different towns here in Arkansas over the weekend. Think the gig may be up on the viability of Mr. Knight’s business venture. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy and wouldn’t be surprised if his rap sheet gets a little bit longer in the near future.
June 2, 2015 @ 8:57 am
I wonder if the 2 guys missing from Rocklahoma where recruited? They have a van, I could see at 20 how you could be convinced that its a good deal especially being the huge fans of music that these two men apparently are. If you see the team vans keep a look out for Cody Parrick 5′ 7″, 150 lbs, Brown eyes and black hair, walks with a limp due to cerebral-palsy. Ben Baber 6′, 320lbs, blond hair and blue eyes.
June 2, 2015 @ 3:40 pm
Unbelievable how easy it is to take advantage of desperate people. This sounds way too much like any number of “marketing” firms that send young people door to door or prop them up in gas station parking lots after getting them pumped up with “Juice. Juice. Juice.” chants while not actually paying them to be there. Sad. Really really sad. We aren’t raising our kids well enough to not be taken advantage these days.
June 3, 2015 @ 4:53 pm
Was in the Hermitage area again today, passed by that Tractor Supply and looked as if a bunch of vehicles have come back from their appointed rounds.
June 7, 2015 @ 10:12 am
Wow! I have so many mixed feelings on this subject. There seems to be two sides to this story and folks seem to be jumping on one side or the other without a lot of facts but with a lot of here say. This marketing model is old school (around in the 70s) and a lot of folks ran into it without much thought only to find themselves not wanting to be enslaved to the substandard living and working conditions. But apparently slavery by employers is legal in some cases. For example my EX a truck driver for a legally operating trucking firm could drive the max hours paid then be required to provide FREE truck security during his off time; being forced to stay at the truck during it’s downtime; so part was paid and part was enslaved without pay. No hotel, no paid showers, no laundry, no paid meals. Of course they don’t tell you that upfront. But once you learn what the deal is, it’s up to you if you want to permit them to abuse you like that in the future. Many a longhaul trucker has had to thumb it home broke. But there are many who accept the conditions because they need money. The ones going home broke are usually very vocal and ticked off that it did not turn out as they imagined it would.
I really do hate that our USA has found it okay for local governments to restrict people from selling their wares without getting their self-imposed cut of the money. Dolly Parton admits to having sold her music out of her car and said she would do it again if she had to. Nobody is threatening to turn her into the IRS.
June 12, 2015 @ 2:03 pm
This bunch is all around Hermitage TN right now. They have their business address in Old Hickory Lebanon rd
June 12, 2015 @ 2:11 pm
I’ve been seeing lots of reports of them around CMA Fan Fest and other places around Nashville as well.
June 13, 2015 @ 10:48 am
I keep up with hip hop/rap. Real hip hop/rap. Have never heard of this douche bag that seems to be insulting both country and rap music. If I run into him in Nashville, I’ll have a lot to ask. Like why are you being a poser ?
June 15, 2015 @ 4:53 am
People love to ride the bus..meet the girls and get their drunk on. you can’t blame Mr.Knight for being a business man with a vision. The violence I don’t condone.. nothing a return black eye or two will not fix. In Mikel Knight’s defense, he does have some interesting music and has promoted himself very well . I’m surprised he has not been snatched up and one hit wondered* by the record industry. The info this page has generated is a reality show just waiting to happen.
I received a phone call from Nashville late on a Sunday night by a gentlemen who had seen my add on craigslist, offering guitar tracks for studio and open dates for live shows. They wanted me to record on a song titled “Good Ol Boyz” . Mikel hired me to lay down some tracks and paid me immediately* through PayPal. I’m pretty sure it was pre-production, because it was rushed done in a couple of hours and he didn’t use the tracks on his final cut. I offered my services as a live guitar player for his shows with no return message, I now know why. In-fact I have not heard from him since lol. I think he is making a HUGE* mistake by not playing live. With the right band and show* painted* up like his Bus*, he would be signed in no time. As for saving country music…that died with Hank Williams Sr.
June 15, 2015 @ 7:56 am
It’s not just the violence. Individuals must be ensured a safe working environment, especially when it comes to driving, which can affect the public if fatigued drivers are being put on the roadways. Two people are dead, and others severely injured. This is a concern for the public at large.
I agree he should be playing live. This is the fatal flaw that may eventually be his undoing in the public eye.
June 17, 2015 @ 7:34 am
I saw the street crews yesterday at gas stations in North AL. Called the cops on them. Thankfully it didn’t look like people were buying into their bullshit.
June 17, 2015 @ 8:14 am
This guy lives just a couple of blocks from me. I see the bus and vans parked in front of his house all the time. Next time I catch them there I’ll shoot pictures and post his address. 🙂
June 17, 2015 @ 3:56 pm
He had a van in Hazel Green, Alabama on 6/16/15. Dont know of anyone buying anything from his people.
June 20, 2015 @ 12:10 pm
He’s currently at the Anniston, Alabama Wal-Mart.
June 21, 2015 @ 5:54 am
His van was in clanton, Alabama yesterday….. Cops followed the cops everywhere. Not sure if they ever stopped them or not.
June 22, 2015 @ 6:53 pm
His van was in Millbrook AL today, one of the street team members was arrested and taken to jail
June 23, 2015 @ 7:37 pm
His entourage is in Montgomery, AL tonight. They were at a gas station trying to sell CDs off McLemore Rd around 830p . Our friend took a picture of them selling CDs. When the flash went off they all jump the RV and vans and hit the road toward ATL Hwy. There was 1 tour bus and 5 small vans. The tour bus did not have any headlights nor did one of the other vans and it was dark. My friend called 911 to report them driving with no headlights. I don’t know if anything ever happened to them. I really hope this is not a version of human trafficking right under our noses.
June 23, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
Johnathan D. Ishee, 30, a part of the Mikel Knight sales team was bonded out today after being arrested Monday by Millbrook Police for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He spent the night in Elmore County Jail but was released on $1,500 bond when fellow team members arrived to retrieve him……..Meanwhile Mikel Knight contacted Juanita Pitts, the executive director of A Cut Above The Rest Training Facility, that recently was given $10,000 by Knight for their program. A Cut Above helps former prisoners or homeless veterans get back into the workforce. They are non-profit and based in Montgomery. They rely completely on donations.
On the phone with Pitts, we could hear Mikel Knight in the background, saying Ishee was bonded out because he was a longtime member of the sales team and valuable employee. Otherwise, if a team member is arrested and broke the law, he would not bond them out.
June 23, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
Ironic that a link to this article popped up on my Facebook news feed two days after I saw his minions selling CDs at a gas station in Phenix City, Alabama!
June 23, 2015 @ 8:43 pm
How can some People say that this guy isn’t doing anything illegal when his “street team” is illegally selling CD’s in places, which us the least of my worries. They are also, intentionally having other people in their organization hurt in accidents and are now kidnapping people off the streets in Alabama where I live and assaulting them! No, that’s not illegal at all. In my opinion, these people are like a horrible low life organized crime unit. There is nothing good about this Mike Knight guy or his supposed music. Which, by the way. No respectable artist in the music industry likes him anyway. He is a low life who needs to be taken down and all of his street team and him need to be put behind bars where they belong.
June 23, 2015 @ 10:51 pm
What part of Alabama?They where seen in my home town earlier this evening.
June 23, 2015 @ 10:39 pm
A friend posted a picture of this p.o.s tour bus pulled over in Wal Mart parking lot in Thomasville Al. Also one of his vans was seen in Camden Al. Earlier today.(Which is an extremely small town)
June 24, 2015 @ 9:48 am
They were in our community of less than a thousand people last week. One dude even went to a friend’s door asking if her husband was home,and begging her for gas. Some of them were arrested in another town on down the road…Maplesville,Alabama
June 24, 2015 @ 12:00 pm
All of you fools are definitely poor white trash. Only morons with very low IQs buy into this site and its repeat of a FACEBOOK rumor and lies posted bout Mikel Knight. I say AGAIN..a REPEAt of a FACEBOOK story. Face book is a gossip social media site where anyone can all someone a Child molester and you cant remove it. It is the decay of society when you dont have to have any prrof or arrests or charges but say whatever you want. Wheres your proof? He hasnt been arrested? Past arrests dont mean shit to anyone. Everyone on here has a past. But hes in the public eye so that changes everything right? The truth of the matter is an employee wrecked a van and hurt everyone in it and even killed 2 people and didnt want to be blamed so they blamed the artist that owns the label? Come on SHEEP. 2 sides to every story. Mikel Knight wasnt driving. PERIOD. All these claims of illegal things and NO arrests. You are all LIARS without proof as far as any normal person is concerned. This site has to approve comments. What legitimate site does that? Say anything about this lame triggerman and i bet it doesnt get posted.
This is an American hustle. Making something and selling it. 18-27 year olds ARE ADULTS.. you damn sheep. Stop calling them kids. If they go to jail above the age of 17 they go to a cell where men rape eachother. NO ONE calls them kids then! SHEEP. get off his back already. What are you doing for society.?
June 24, 2015 @ 2:40 pm
Richard,
I just want to point out a few quick things here:
1) The account by Ky Rodgers was in now way the crux of this article, it was simply one of many topics covered. It was mention the post was on Facebook, so people are free to choose their own judgement about how they want to perceive it.
2) Saving Country Music did mention the charitable donations. Yes, it was mentioned further down in the story, but something has to be first, and something has to be last. That doesn”™t mean the information is more or less important, and this can”™t be assumed.
3) Saving Country Music reached out to Mikel Knight twice for comment before this story was posted. At the same time I was working on this story, a TV reporter also reached out to Mikel Knight, set up an interview, and at the 11th hour, Mikel backed out. I have no problem telling Mikel Knight”™s side, but I can”™t tell it if there”™s nothing to tell. All I”™ve heard so far is “haters gonna hate.”
June 24, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
And one last thing. ALL OF YOU have read about cops pulling them over and them being harassed. IM from a small town in ALABAMA and watched every toothless person in my town call the police to harass them. Thats how you get cops to think someone is doing bad shit and to harass them. By Calling them all day long.. and point out the Facebook story as your source of proof. Point is he did what none of you would do. He hired felons and addicts, gave them a job and donated money back to SAFE HAVEN, and conveniently hidden in the middle of the longest article on this site so that you would be overwhelmed with the negative that you didnt see he donated a sizable amount to SAFE HAVEN FAMILY SHELTER IN NASHVILLE TN. who on these comments has done that all the while building a company. NOT having permits is all you can say? Well i saw a video of a reporter interviewing a guy named ISH working for mdrst and she said she saw their permits. Sounds like they fixed that very SMALL problem. The rest of this article is biased and writtne by the same sorry ass that has been hating on every famous and new country artist from Taylor Swift to Brantley Gilbert (all of them sell millions BTW) and every country rap hick hop artist since this genre started. If you are even on this site you dont like new country or country rap.
And as for him beating people. one minute hes not even out there next minute hes beating 50 employees. Im sure shit happens in a company of 50 ex cons but yall kill me with the band waggon jumping. Sheep get a life and try helping your community.
Wanna learn more about Mikel Knight and who he helps. Go to http://www.MikelKnight.com
its way more than Safe Haven Shelter in Nashville.
June 24, 2015 @ 12:24 pm
Wow..just when im ready to leave i read some MORE lame peoples comments. OK folks. Do you know how many Facebook posts i saw from TEAM CODY and BEN the missing MEN from Rocklahoma concert going around where people were accusing Mikel Knight of kidnapping and people calling cops on them..only to find out that the 2 MEN (aged 20 and 25) not KIDS were found drowned in their van in a lake on the ramp during the floods. Do you know how much time the Families against Mikel Knight page wasted of the young mens search team on Mikel Knight. And those people never sent any response letting people know the men were found.. they never let people know that they were wrong about a supposed kidnapping. If selling CDS is illegal..I KNOW for a fact false accusations costing a department 10s of thousands of Dollars wasted on searching Mikel Knight vans and busses is ILLEGAL. to date that FB hate page has not even let folks know the young men were unfortunately found drowned. WANT TO KNOW WHY? because they were after their own sick agenda of hate and really could care less if those men were found. Same group after Mikel Knight over some dead young men in an unfortunate van accident want to waste the families time and hopes on some BS about the street team kidnapping them. WHOS REALLY SICK?
June 26, 2015 @ 8:09 am
Looks like a LEGIT artist to me. I will keep posting more links to help you guys with the truth.
Trigger here has deleted 10 of my replys that disputed so many of these comments. LIKE WHERE IS YOUR HUMAN TRAFFICKING PROOF? No CHARGES? None I checked. Also what human trafficker takes time out of his life to donate money to FAMILY SHELTERS. Size able donations? YOU GUYS REPEATING LIES FROM FACEBOOK DOESNT MAKE IT TRUE.. LIES REPEATED ARE STILL LIES
LOOK AT THIS LEGIT LINK FROM MTV. Human sex traffickers dont do legit things like Mikel Knight does. Not to mention every cop in my state of Alabama has not charged one van pulled over or one bus with any charge related to that LIE.
http://soundtrack.mtv.com/post/music-from-buckwild-episode-7/
June 26, 2015 @ 8:38 am
Richard,
This article was posted a month ago. Nowhere in it did I say anything about human trafficking or sex trafficking. If people keep sharing this article on Facebook and alluding that Mikel Knight is engaging in human trafficking, then you need to confront those individual people, not coming here and insulting commenters who commented a month ago.
The reason this article keeps being shared is because nothing has come about to take its place. If Mikel Knight feels like he is being unfairly represented, then he needs to come out in his own defense, or have a lawyer or a spokesperson speak for him. Saying “haters gonna hate” in Facebook memes is never going to solve his problems. Reach out to families whose loved ones have died and been injured while working for him as opposed to trashing them and/or ignoring them. You can’t complain about what people are saying about you if you’re offering absolutely no defense or alternative. Saving Country Music is committed to speaking to Mikel Knight or one of his representative if he wishes to speak out. But you’re never going to win this argument insulting commenters in the comment section of a month-old article.
July 1, 2015 @ 9:08 am
You do know that Richard is Mikel Knight, right? Same typing style as the Facebook post, as well as Jessica, and numerous others on the other article.
June 28, 2015 @ 12:21 am
These guys were in Mississippi at the new Cefco right after crossing the Arkansas/MS bridge. I believe they sold me a full cd and an extra with horrible songs on the 2nd one. Wanted $20 but I gave him $15. The guy was blonde. Very nice. Didn’t feel threatened. Was just trying to help out. This was about 3 Months ago
June 28, 2015 @ 10:04 am
People should read this!!
https://www.facebook.com/countryrapking/posts/873050719408791
June 28, 2015 @ 10:21 am
Steven,
Thanks for sharing a link. I am currently working on a new story that includes Mikel’s comments. However, running up and down this comments section and posting the same reply to 2150+ people is not going to be allowed. It’s lazy and unhelpful.
Thanks.
June 28, 2015 @ 10:35 am
Ok, I was just wanting to get the word out, I think there is something here worth reading.. I think we are all curious, did you have the opportunity to get some feedback from Mikel and when will we be able to read it? Thnx
June 28, 2015 @ 10:40 am
As soon as I have the new article finish, it will be posted. I’m not exactly sure when that will be. I have reached out to Mikel Knight many times and I am open to speaking with him. But the ball is in his court. I have made myself completely available to him. I took his response as a missive to media outlets such as mine and others.
June 28, 2015 @ 2:06 pm
Please read and inform yourself about this. Provided is Mikel Knights public statement and some information about what laws the creators of the Families Against Mikel Knight & the MDRST are breaking! Help get the truth out!
https://www.facebook.com/countryrapking/posts/873050719408791
What you are doing TRIGGER is called cyber bullying! Not only that BUT also against the law. Online False Light Invasion and Criminal Conspiracy Law! Look them up! Do some ACTUAL research! You should know that what he says about the Lawsuits is true! Have a good one and PLEASE do your own research! BTW there has been 2 recent albums Urban Cowboy & Duke Boyz: Demin & Chrome! And I don’t know if you’ve been following his page recently but he will be going on tour here very soon! So please go back to sitting in your moms basement bashing people! But leave this man alone!
June 28, 2015 @ 2:19 pm
Jessica,
I am working on a follow up to this story that will include Mikel Knight’s statement. However let me assure you and everybody else in the meantime that I personally am not afraid of any lawsuit, and would in fact welcome one. I agree, people should do their own research, and not let the words of any one individual form their opinion.
June 28, 2015 @ 3:41 pm
I would love to know how you contacted Mikel Knight! I woukd love to see the proof that you have that you’ve actually made contact with him. I’m sure as you know his number has been BLASTED all over facebook. Or better yet you can call the lawyer who served you and ask them for his number! I’m sure he would love to do a follow up! 🙂
June 28, 2015 @ 10:11 pm
I didn’t make contact with him. I did however reach out to him through his website’s contact forum twice. I don’t know that his number has been blasted out all over Facebook, but if that is the case, I feel sorry for him on that point. My personal number has also been blasted out all over Facebook, as well as my physical address as part of death threats and death “promises,” so I understand what a difficult situation that can be. Even if I had seen his number, I would not call him because he did not give it to me, and I would have obtained it without permission.
No lawyer has served me, and if you read Mikel Knight’s post, even he says no lawsuits have been sent yet. There will be no lawsuits, at least not against Saving Country Music. And if a legal effort was made to in any way to censor Saving Country Music’s coverage of Mikel Knight, it would only exacerbate the situation for him many times.
Reaching out to Saving Country Music is very simple. You fill out and email here:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/contact
…and I will see it within minutes and respond. If Mikel Knight wants to get in contact with me, it is very simple, and I would welcome hearing from him and opening up a dialogue.
August 16, 2015 @ 8:30 am
How much do you want to wager that Jessica is either a) a member of his street team, b) paid by Knight to harass you on this page or c) Mr. Knight himself masquerading to lash out at you?
July 3, 2015 @ 10:33 am
Saw one of their buses in Greeneville tn yesterday with cops all around it. Looks to me if they aren’t doing anything wrong then why are the cops always around them?
July 10, 2015 @ 11:51 am
Because ignorant people who dont have anything better to do call the cops on them all because of all this stupid bs
July 8, 2015 @ 3:27 am
I was one who got his CD’s at a walmart. If I had known all this I would never had bought them. They were a deal. Although the guys selling them really were so nice I did find it strange they were selling them that way. But figured he was sleeping and they must be on the way to a show.
July 12, 2015 @ 8:43 am
They were in Glasgow Kentucky last night at Walmart . They were very nice guys , did seem odd they would travel here. Didn’t mention to anyone I was around about joining their group or whatever you want to call it. How ever I did notice one of the CDs where other singers songs that he did up to twelve songs I thought you had to get permission? It was ok though not bashing him just curious. His music is ok some of the beats do go with some songs .
July 12, 2015 @ 5:06 pm
I bought these CD’S from some young boy’s in a kmart parking lot in Russell Springs, Kentucky and one o them autographed a tee shirt for me . I had no ideal that he was a bad guy or i would have walked away !! I guess ya live and learn huh , even though the music is actually pretty good.
July 27, 2015 @ 9:49 am
Wtf is country rap?!? Country music is trash, so I’m sure it sucks.
July 27, 2015 @ 7:56 pm
They were just here in Brookville, Oh. A friend shared a warning post about them and said she just saw them at the gas station which is right off of I70.
July 29, 2015 @ 5:51 pm
They are in Findlay, Ohio right now!!! At wal-mart!
July 30, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
From my perspective looks like the music establishment doesn”™t like Mr. Knight because he doesn”™t use managers, labels and such. He”™s pretty good at what he does and his music is the best in his particular category in my opinion, I certainly noticed some of the establishment entertainers are trying to copy some of Mr. Knight”™s style. I believe this website to be a farce set-up to discredit the poor guy, as far as Mr. Knight”™s criminal history he has never disputed his colored past, he sings of it in many of his songs. He dissed the fat cats in Nashville and they don”™t like it, my hat”™s off to the guy.
July 30, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
I devoted eight years of my life to this website before I ever said a peep about Mikel Knight. That’s a lot of brick laying to get to an eventual goal. Also, if you poke around a little bit, you would see I’m the absolute antithesis to an industry footsoldier.
July 31, 2015 @ 11:29 am
May be the case Trigger, but if you read through your site it gives one the impression that Mr. Knight is Satan’s spawn who forces trembling young soles to go out and commit heinous crimes against the unsuspecting public else they sleep with the fishes, when in fact most are kids that actually enjoy traveling around selling CD’s because it’s fun and they like Knight’s music, at least that is sure the impression I got from the kids I bought my CD from. Does Mr. Knight have some “bad apples” and disgruntled employee’s? Yes, so does any other business, if a truck driver hauling a load of Conway Twitty CD’s goes to sleep and runs over somebody you going to make Mr. Twitty out to be some type of a demented criminal, I bet not. You have let people post some unsubstantiated BS on here that really should not have been in my opinion. And please, the reason that the police are all ginned up about the Mikel Knight vans showing up is that they want to collect the fee’s from selling CD’s in their community, they are not in the least worried about the safety of the towns citizens as is insinuated within this site, I am disappointed that some people think otherwise without facts, like everything else in this smoke and mirrors country “it’s all about the money” Best Regards
July 31, 2015 @ 9:36 pm
Mark,
You’re taking sentiments seen on Facebook and applying them to me here. I never called him Satan’s spawn. I only mentioned there had been local police activity, I never insinuated any safety issue. The FACTS were presented here and people can judge for themselves. The FACT is Mikel Knight is a convicted felon on probation and wanted in Texas for assault and has been charged for assault many, many times. This corroborates with numerous accounts of street team members that they have been assaulted and threatened while working for him. These are all facts.
August 2, 2015 @ 4:23 pm
Saw these vans in New Castle, PA just yesterday – first at a popular gas station when heading out of town and then again several hours later at another gas station on the major roadway just a couple miles from the first. Seemed pretty odd to us so I googled him to see who he was and if he was playing nearby. Couldn’t find any tour dates but only disparaging articles about the improper sales tactics. This confirmed the gut instinct that something was off. Kicking myself for not calling police to investigate.
August 4, 2015 @ 5:30 am
They just rolled into Conneaut Lake PA. Yesterday. Never even heard of him before. Hope he moves along…. piece of shit
August 7, 2015 @ 12:06 pm
I met these guys and who cares if they don’t fall into the same catagory as all the other singers. Their music is good and they are very nice guys. Who cares about their past or anything else. You are NOT obligated to buy their CDS, stop or even talk to them … So if you don’t like them move on..
August 12, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
Seems they are up to the same old horseshit here in Vermont/New Hampshire. They vans/busses looked beat up and dirty … just like the sketchy looking people milling around them. One guy tried to flag me down as I drove by …. I don’t fall for that crap nor am I star struck by some loser I’ve never heard of.
I can’t believe anyone would actually like this so called “music” … perhaps the worst ear vomit I’ve ever heard.
August 12, 2015 @ 11:47 pm
They were in Brattleboro Vermont today at the gas station at exit 3. Seemed out of place, and now I know why. Sad to hear about these poor kids being abused
August 14, 2015 @ 11:21 pm
Just saw one of the teams in Avoca PA told them to piss off I’m not buying. I did a quick Google search after I left the area wish I would have done it while at the gas station would have called the cops on them
September 1, 2015 @ 9:42 am
They were just here in South Bend, Indiana at a gas station selling CD’s. They approached me and I said no thanks not interested. Never heard of the guy before. Guy said were heading up to Michigan next. Look out!
September 2, 2015 @ 6:01 am
they are in Dowagiac mi now-beware
September 4, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
These guys were in Jackson Michigan September 3rd, 2015 all day just moving from place to place. They had a tour bus and a few vans out selling and flagging people down. If these dudes are illegal I hope they get busted but if he’s legit and just making money more power to him.