Often, people are carried away by the melodies of songs and attribute great lyrics to the singers without acknowledging the songwriters. Well, I’m here to say: not on my watch, and not with Jack Knight.
It’s unfounded that you know all the songs by Keisha Cole, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, and even P. Diddy, but you don’t know that Jack is one of the people responsible for birthing some of their hit tracks.
Jack Knight has been in the songwriting business since the late 90s, but he didn’t start off as that. He was initially a performer from his teenage years who joined a local rap group back in Virginia.
Here Are 10 Truths About Songwriter, Jack Knight
1. He Lived With His Grandparents from the age of 17
A little background story about Jack Knight: he was born on July 8, 1973, in East New York, Brooklyn, United States of America. At the age of 17, he moved from his birthplace to Chesapeake, Virginia, with his grandparents.
He grew up in an Afrocentric community and was influenced by many cultures and practices. His upbringing had a major influence on his career, inspiring how he writes his songs and what he writes about most often. As he began to travel more often, he was exposed to even more variety, and his influences became wider and more diverse.
2. Jack Knight Started off as An Artist
The renowned record producer started his career in the entertainment industry as an artist, performing with local rap groups. He is fluent in the pop, hip-hop, R&B, and urban genres of music.
In fact, his introduction to Def Jam Records was solely as an artist in 1995, when his music career kicked off. One of his earliest features is on Monifah’s song “Touch It.”
In 1999, he went back to recording while juggling a booming reputation as a songwriter. He then released a solo album titled Gypsy Blues on Universal Records.
Despite being known widely as a songwriter, Jack is still actively a recording artist.
3. He started Writing Songs in 1996 and was the First Songwriter Under Sean Combs
A year after Jack Knight started his music career, he branched out into songwriting. By 1996, he had begun to make a name for himself as a songwriter and subsequently found himself attached to Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The East New York native was the first songwriter signed to Diddy’s publishing company, The Writing Factory, in 1998.
Soundbetter.com states that with his help, Sean Combs has been able to transform the Bad Boy Music Label into a billion-dollar mega-brand
4. He worked with Loads of Big Names in the American Music Industry
Since 1996, Jack has worked with many top names in the industry, such as Matisyahu, Lil’ Kim, Usher, Keyshia Cole, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Biggie, Blackstreet, and many others. He has well over 100 million songwriting credits to his name in his nearly three decades of active industry work. Jack has also worked with a plethora of upcoming artists.
According to the record producer, two of the artists he has thoroughly enjoyed working with are Jennifer Lopez and Diddy. With J-Lo, Knight worked on the songs “Dance With Me” and “Walking on Sunshine.”
5. The Renowned Songwriter is the Founder of MadeinENY
Made in East New York is a mentorship program founded by Jack Knight, where he and his team of industry professionals mentor independent artists.
The program aims to guide these artists on how to elevate their careers, get a record deal, increase their Spotify listeners, and reach a wider audience. Since its inception, MadeinENY has signed a number of artists, including R&B singer Shane Anderson.
6. He is an Author too, You Know?
Back in 2006, Knight published the first volume of his book ‘The Art of Writing A Hit Song: The Urban Experience’. The paperback for the book was released on July 2, 2008.
According to the author, the book is a #1 Hit Song Writing Manual in the World.
In the book, he gives detailed information on how artists can create and develop hit songs in 7 easy steps.
7. Jack Knight Started the ‘Finding Your Way Worldwide’ to Impact on Kids
Just like with MadeinENY, Jack Knight started Finding Your Way Worldwide to impact kids. As a mentor, his goal is to teach the significance of promoting and implementing social changes in homes, the environment, and the community at large.
According to Knight, his calling is also to give, teach, and empower the youth. He tries to teach as many life skills as he can using music.
8. Knight is a Teacher
More on the songwriter’s teaching passion, this serial mentor started an online course via the Jack Knight Songwriters Academy. Through his course, students can learn from a variety of intensive curricula, including how to break into the mainstream media as an up-and-coming music artist.
9. Jack Knight Draws Inspiration from OG’s
“The Art of Writing a Hit Song” author Jack Knight admits to having drawn inspiration for some of his songs from legends such as Fleetwood Mac, The Carpenters, Carole King, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, and the Bee Gees.
From more urban artists, he loved Canadian rapper Drake and the way he uses real-life situations to form music.
Knight even admits that on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ album “Press Play,” he let Prince’s influence shine through on the song “Last Night” and Marvin Gaye’s influence on the song “We Gon Make It.”
10. Jack Knight is a Dad
Record producer and songwriter Jack Knight is a father and grandfather. Although he is quite private about his personal life, he has shared on his Instagram bio that he is a dad and granddad, among his many other talents and interests.
The 51-year-old, who has not disclosed his partner’s name or identity, also keeps his kids and grandkids out of the spotlight and even his social media platforms.
In an interview, he admitted that his youngest son and a girlfriend had left him at one point. He confessed that he was going through a rough time and a lot was falling off course for him. This life experience propelled the production of his album “American Hearts,” which is basically the story of that rough period.
