CEO of Cherry Orchard Music Group, Craig Winstead, has announced the self-motivated Hip Hop trio KNOTZ has signed to Cherry Orchard Music Group. The deal between the hip hop trio Knotz and Cherry Orchard signifies the merger of industry professionals poised to take Hip Hop to new heights.

KNOTZ members Dreadchild (Kareem Parkins), Megaton (Jelani Parkins), and Aswad Mikal the Black Angel (Gyasi Parkins) are no strangers to the Hip Hop scene.

Their first large stage performance was in 1995 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana for a BET sponsored event “Catch Wreck ‘95". This was followed by the Download CD release under the group’s independently owned record label Damali Records which sold over 5,000 units and was featured on over 47 hip hop, rap and urban underground and college radio stations. One track from Download entitled “Move” was also featured on Insomniac Magazine’s EP, Strategic Infiltration.

Recent releases by KNOTZ include the 2006 CD Poizunous Paragrafz the Mixtape Volume I and the 2007 single Black Rain featuring Najwa. Slated for release later this year is The Antidote EP which promises to showcase the group’s home-grown Hip Hop and Caribbean flavor. Under the direction of “key man” Craig Winstead, who holds a M.S. in Leadership and Business Ethics from Duquesne University and has notable experience in the music industry as a rap artist and producer, KNOTZ is setting itself up as a group primed for the next level.

KNOTZ will be featured in the 2007 issue of The Music Phonebook and was named the Independent Artist Registry 2006-2007 "Indie Award Winner" for Independent Artist of the Year. For more information about the group and to hear a sample of their music, please visit the KNOTZ websites www.damalimusik.com and www.knotzmusik.com .