Knucks (musician)

Last updated
Knucks
Birth nameAshley Afamefuna Nwachukwu
Born (1994-11-12) November 12, 1994 (age 29)
Origin Kilburn, London, England
Genres Hip hop UK drill
Years active2012–present
LabelsNODAYSOFF

Ashley Afamefuna Nwachukwu (born November 12, 1994), better known by his stage name Knucks, is a British rapper and record producer.

Contents

Background

Early life

Knucks was born Ashley Afamefuna Nwachukwu on November 12, 1994, in London, and is of Nigerian Igbo descent. In the early 2000s, whilst living in inner-city London, Knucks became interested in grime music, and would perform 8-bar relays with friends during and after school. In year 8, Knucks went to a Nigerian boarding school, where his love of music developed further. When he returned to London at age 14, Knucks discovered Nas's Illmatic, and Curren$y's music, and transitioned from grime to rap. [1]

He performed in front of an audience for the first time at age 16 or 17, at an open mic night hosted by Regent Studios in South Kilburn.

Career

2014-2018, Killmatic and single releases

In 2014, he released his debut mixtape Killmatic, the title being a play on his hometown Kilburn and the Nas album Illmatic . The next year, he released the song “21 Candles” on SoundCloud. [2] The song was a minor breakthrough for Knucks, with its music video premiering on SB.TV in March 2016. Between 2015 and 2018, Knucks would continue to release a series of singles, including "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Turnover", "Vows" and the Not3s-assisted single "Hooper".

2019-20: NRG 105 and London Class

In 2019, Knucks signed a record deal with Young Entrepreneurs Records and Island Records, [1] releasing his debut extended play NRG 105 later that year in May. Titled in honour of Knucks' late manager Nathan "NRG" Rodney, [3] the EP was supported by the singles "Rice & Stew" and "Wedding Rings" and featured ten tracks (four of which were skits), with guest appearances from Oscar #Worldpeace and Wretch 32. "Home", the closing track of the EP, was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2023. [4]

Knucks left the label in 2020 and returned to being independent, releasing his second extended play London Class in September 2020. Inspired by the South Korean television series Itaewon Class , the EP featured twelve tracks (four of which were skits, similar to NRG 105), with guest appearances from Sam Wise, KXYZ, Loyle Carner, Venna and Kadiata.

2021-present: "Los Pollos Hermanos" and Alpha Place

In 2021, Knucks released "Los Pollos Hermanos", a single inspired by the fictional fast food restaurant chain Los Pollos Hermanos. [5] The single was a breakthrough for Knucks, and was certified Gold by the BPI. [4] In May 2022, he released his debut album Alpha Place, which featured guest appearances from SL, Youngs Teflon, M1llionz, Sainté and Stormzy. "Los Pollos Hermanos" was included as a bonus track. [6] Seven months later, on December 9, the deluxe version of Alpha Place was released with the previously-released Kwengface-assisted track "Lucious" and a new track titled "Don’t Look Up". Alpha Place was certified Silver by the BPI in July 2023. [4]

Knucks appears at the end of 2023 on the title Qui ? with La Fève on his album 24. [7]

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professor Green</span> English rapper and songwriter (born 1983)

Stephen Paul Manderson, better known by his stage name Professor Green or simply Pro Green, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, television personality and mental health activist from London.

Nathaniel Thompson, better known professionally as Giggs, is a British rapper and songwriter from Peckham, London. He released his debut studio album Walk in da Park in 2008 and released a follow-up album Let Em Ave It the following year.

Jahmaal Noel Fyffe, better known by his stage name Chip, is a British rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. In the past 14 years he has collaborated with the likes of Skepta, T.I., Meek Mill, Young Adz and many others. In 2009, he released his debut album, I Am Chipmunk, featuring four songs which peaked in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, including the chart-topping "Oopsy Daisy". In 2011, Chipmunk released his follow-up album, the American hip hop-influenced Transition. It included the single "Champion" featuring Chris Brown, which peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stormzy</span> British rapper (born 1993)

Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., known professionally as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his Wicked Skengman series of freestyles over classic grime beats. Stormzy's song "Shut Up", which was initially released as a freestyle on YouTube, became popular and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart after he launched a campaign to reach Christmas number one.

Achi Avelino, better known mononymously by his stage name Avelino, is a British rapper and singer of Congolese and Angolan descent from Tottenham, London, known for his "unique tone" and "deep wordplay".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave (rapper)</span> British rapper (born 1998)

David Orobosa Michael Omoregie, also known as Santan Dave, or professional name Dave, is a British rapper. He has gained acclaim for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J Hus</span> British rapper (born 1996)

Momodou Lamin Jallow, known professionally as J Hus, is a British rapper and singer who has been credited with pioneering the genre Afroswing. He is currently signed to Black Butter Records. He gained popularity in 2015 following the release of his song "Dem Boy Paigon".

Errol Kojo Bellot, better known professionally as Kojo Funds, is a British singer-songwriter and rapper. His music blends West African and Caribbean sounds with road rap, dancehall and pop.

Darren Diggs, known professionally as DigDat, is a British rapper from Deptford, London. His single "Air Force" peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart following the release of the remix featuring Krept and Konan and K-Trap; this was the first time one of his tracks had entered the top 20. His next single, "No Cap" with Loski, peaked at number 51.

Deno Michael Mebrahtu, known mononymously as Deno, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper and actor from London. His parents are originally from Eritrea, and he was raised in South London. He came to the forefront of London's afro-wave music scene beginning in 2018 with a number of viral music videos and hit songs.

GRM Daily, formerly Grime Daily, is a British urban music outlet and entertainment platform. As the name suggests, the platform is an outlet for UK rap and its various genres, such as UK drill, afroswing, trap, and British hip hop. The platform also serves electronic genres such as UK garage and grime.

Stephan Fabulous Allen, better known by his stage name Dutchavelli, is a British rapper. His name comes in part from the fact that he and his family spent their formative years in Rotterdam, and he initially went under the name 'Dutch'. He has worked with artists such as Stormzy, Gzuz, and Tion Wayne and has achieved Top 40 hits with songs such as "I Dunno", "Burning" and "808", the former peaking at number 7 in the charts.

Jamel Bousbaa, known professionally as Potter Payper, is a British rapper and songwriter from Barking, London, he started rapping early and gained attention through black box freestyles and grime blogs with friend and fellow rapper KB. In 2021, he signed to the UK division of Def Jam Recordings. In 2022, his song "Gangsteritus" featuring Tiggs Da Author became his first UK top 40 single. after its use in Top Boy.

Miguel Rahiece Cunningham, known professionally as M1llionz, is a British rapper from Birmingham, West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Cee</span> British rapper (born 1998)

Oakley Caesar-Su, known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper from Shepherd's Bush, London. He rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of the singles "Day in the Life" and "Loading". His first mixtape Wild West was released on 12 March 2021, which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. His second mixtape 23 was released on 25 February 2022 and debuted atop the UK Albums Chart.

Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert, known professionally as Digga D, is a British rapper. He rose to fame in 2017 along with his UK drill collective CGM. His mixtapes Double Tap Diaries and Made In The Pyrex reached No. 11 and 3 on the UK Albums Chart, respectively. His third mixtape Noughty By Nature was released on 15 April 2022, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart. His fourth mixtape Back To Square One was released in August 2023.

<i>Double Tap Diaries</i> 2019 mixtape by Digga D

Double Tap Diaries is the debut commercial mixtape by British rapper Digga D. It was released on 17 May 2019. It features guest appearances from Sav'o, Aystar, and KO. The mixtape peaked at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart, making it the highest charting drill album in the UK. Days after the mixtape release, he confirmed he was still in jail.

CGM, is a British hip hop collective based in Ladbroke Grove, London specifically the Portobello Estate. They were formerly known as 1011, named after the W10 and W11 postal codes. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the UK drill scene.

Cian Francis William Wright, known professionally as Clavish, is a British rapper from Stamford Hill, London. He is currently signed to the German-British Universal subsidiary, Polydor Records. He is noted for his signature flow on trap and drill beats. In December 2022, Clavish earned his first UK Top 10 with the D-Block Europe-assisted "Rocket Science" which peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. His first mixtape Rap Game Awful released on 13 January 2023 and debuted at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart.

Mico Howles known professionally as Meekz is a masked British rapper from Manchester. His song "Fresh Out the Bank" with Dave peaked at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "How Knucks became Britain's most progressive rapper". British GQ. 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  2. ↑ Knucks - 21 Candles , retrieved 2022-05-16
  3. ↑ Blanchet, Benjamin. "raps by digital design: introducing knucks". A.R.T.S.Y. Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "British certifications – Knucks". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 9 July 2023.Type Knucks in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  5. ↑ "Knucks Returns With The Smooth Latin-Inspired "Los Pollos Hermanos"". Wonderland . 8 June 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Knucks Drops New Project 'Alpha Place' f/ Stormzy, Youngs Teflon, M1llionz & More". Complex UK . Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. ↑ DAILY, GRM (2023-12-22). "Knucks joins La Fève for international collaboration "QUI ?"". GRM Daily. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.