Knucks is leading UK rap's new wave

“It’s late May in North London. The sun is setting with a burning intensity that only a summer’s evening in this concrete jungle can provide, hugging the frame of one of UK music’s most hallowed halls: KOKO. The sight is blinding but bold and timely, given the white-hot buzz around the night’s headliner. Scrambling inside and reaching the balcony, we’re almost floored by the cacophony of noise. The air is thick with perspiration and excitement. The crowd is amped, watching in awe as the new prince of UK rap, Knucks, commands them with a performance fit for a king. Surrounding him are LED boards projecting the housing estate in which he was raised, Alpha House, a conceptual anchor and an emotional reminder. Home is where his heart is, now for the masses to see. “Welcome to my bits,” he announces to his audience, pulling them into his orbit one triumphant track after another.”