G-funk rapper C-Knight died on Tuesday after being hospitalized following severe medical complications. The musician, who was a member of the hip hop group the Dove Shack, based in Long Beach, was just 52 years old. C-Knight, whose real name was Arnez Blount was taken off life support after being hospitalized for a stroke several weeks ago, TMZ reported.
The rapper's father, George Lee Washington Blount Jr., told TMZ that his son's blood sugar levels had become dangerously high. Despite undergoing dialysis to address the issue, he suffered a stroke during the treatment, leading to cardiac arrest. He was hospitalized on October 18, according to a previous report by TMZ.
Death of a Star
As per his father's account, C-Knight was put on life support after doctors managed to resuscitate him. However, he remained unresponsive, showing no signs of improvement despite the medical intervention.
Despite the challenging circumstances, the family held onto hope and continued to pray for a miracle until the time of his death.
The family awaited the results of an MRI scan to assess brain activity before deciding to remove him from life support.
Although C-Knight and The Dove Shack did not achieve the same level of massive success as some of their peers who got their start in the 1990s, the group remained an influential hip hop outfit.
The group debuted with their album "This Is The Shack" in 1995, reaching number 68 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number 13 on the R&B chart.
After an 11-year gap, the trio returned in 2006 with their LP "Reality Has Got Me Tied Up," which did not chart.
In between, C-Knight released his solo album "Knight Time" in 2001.
Always and Inspiration
The group was slotted in the G-funk subgenre, which is a style of West Coast gangsta rap known for using synthesizer-heavy samples from 1970s and '80s funk bands like Parliament–Funkadelic and similar groups.
Early classic examples of this subgenre were created by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg with albums like "The Chronic" (1992) and "Doggystyle" (1993). Warren G was also a significant innovator within this style.
C-Knight initially decided to disband the group after their second album failed to gain traction, although they regrouped in 2017 and 2018.
Following C-Knight's hospitalization, his bandmate Bo-Roc posted an image of the two on Instagram four days later, requesting prayers from fans for his colleague.
"I'm literally begging all who see's this post to pray for my brother from another mother and one of my closest friends in the world Arnez a.k.a C Knight from the Dove Shack," he wrote.
"He's the founder of the Dove Shack and the reason I had the opportunity to make #summertimeinthelbc for the world so please please send him positive energy and healing prayers," he added, referencing the group's highest-charting single.
