KnuckS

Knucks, a rapper known for deep self-reflection, draws from American artists including Nas and J. Cole along with trap and drill styles, in addition to the grime originating from his hometown of London. He hails from Kilburn and first appeared in his late teenage years via the 2014 mixtape Killmatic. Further progress came through self-produced numbers like "21 Candles," leading to a contract with Island Records and the release of the NRG 105 EP in 2019. Afterward, Knucks founded his own NoDaysOff imprint, which saw its initial output in the form of the London Class EP from 2020, followed by the 2022 album Alpha Place that reached the top ten on the British charts.

Born Ashley Nwachukwu and raised in North West London, Knucks engaged in lyric exchanges with fellow students well prior to committing seriously to rap. Although grime provided his initial spark, he later shifted focus to American hip-hop, influenced by figures such as Nas, J. Cole, and Curren$y. He began experimenting with production during his early teenage years, made his first live appearance a few years subsequently, and dropped Killmatic, his debut mixtape, in 2014 shortly before reaching the age of twenty. He marked another achievement through the 2015 autobiographical track "21 Candles," and put out additional standalone recordings that secured him a deal with Island. Though his time with the major label proved short-lived and yielded only the 2019 EP NRG 105, which included a feature from Wretch 32 and the well-received song "Home," this period paved the path for his accomplishments operating independently. Establishing the NoDaysOff label, he introduced it with the London Class EP in 2020. In 2022, the track "Leon the Professional" marked his debut appearance on the U.K. singles chart and preceded the album Alpha Place, which debuted at number three on the album chart. That same week, both "Die Hard" featuring Stormzy and "Los Pollos Hermanos" also entered the singles chart.