Knucks mixes flair with substance on his debut headliner
Word by Sam Adegunle
Photography by Joseph Osayande
The charismatic South Kilburn born rapper/producer Knucks has been on the cusp of mainstream awareness in the UK Rap scene. September 19th marked the date of his long awaited debut headline show at The Garage in North London. If you missed the drop for tickets not to worry - NuPrint Mag were on hand to give you a rundown of the night.
“His charisma, clever wordplay and penchant for 90’s era samples have garnered the 24 year old quite the fan base”
Long before Knucks hit the stage, the intimate crowd was treated to the hosting prowess of Puddi and Qoy; you may know the duo from their engaging Timelin3 Show on YouTube. This was a unique experience; a concert with hosts warming up the crowd instead of opening acts. With Puddi and Qoy holding the crowd down and bringing their engaging personalities to centre stage, the crowd were not concerned about the acts that would precede the star of the night.
South London based newcomer Master Peace has been setting stages all over Europe alight with his infectious energy and willingness to leave it all on the stage. He was the first opening act to grace the stage and with no album out, it was difficult to predict what Peace would perform. However, he treated the crowd to his alternative sound that is deep-rooted in grunge, Britpop and alternative rap. He performed some new material that earned him a warm reception from the crowd, including his debut single “Night Time” produced by the second warm up act of the night, Kadiata. Master Peace finished his set with aplomb and won the crowd with a heartfelt performance.
“It’s Craaaaazy - Kadiata, 2019”
Kadiata then got the crowd moving with a range of tracks from his growing catalogue. Having worked with acts such as Sam Wise, Che Lingo and Miles From Kinshasa among others, the rapper/producer has been making a name for himself with the range in his production and cheeky demeanour. The Pimlico resident performed “Art Hoes” and “Pornstar Freestyle” to warm applause before teasing his self-produced cooler “When The Sun Comes Out”. “Shorty right by my side, sunlight in my eyes” the crowd cheered wildly as Sam Wise appeared on stage to perform their duet. Sam Wise then rounded off the trio of opening acts by bringing his energy and verbal dexterity to the stage; treating the crowd to a handful of songs as we await his as-yet-untitled debut solo project that he’s been teasing.
As the crowd called for the man of the moment to touch the stage, Knucks with his cousin/hypeman in tandem made his way to the spotlight, basking in the adulation from the crowd as the instrumental for “Big Kahuna” played. In a purple and black Lizzy get up, Knucks’ air of swagger was on clear display for the crowd to see. Watching Knucks rap live is like watching Sir Mo Farah jogging on his victory lap, he makes it look easy as he glides over his sample based production like butter on toast.
He got into his recent NRG 105 EP by bringing out Oscar#Worldpeace, the Mike Skinner mentored rapper, for their collaboration “Blessings”. Watching the two trade bars over a euphoric, progressive beat was a sight to witness and also laid foundation for what was to come. Cameos from Not3s (Hooper) and the affable UK Rap giant Wretch 32 (Diddy )were highlights of an enjoyable night as Knucks was finally headlining his own show. His interactions with the crowd were top notch, combining his stage presence with humour to engage and keep the pace of the night steady.
Special guests did not make up the jus of the night as Knucks demonstrated his ability to crowd please – goading the crowd into joining him for “Rice & Stew”. To the crowd’s credit, they knew all the words as if the lead single from NRG 105 had been out for years! Every track that Knucks performed granted him a positive reaction as his adoring crowd lapped it all up. Form the revamped “Wedding Rings” to the harrowingly realistic “Home” Knucks was the pilot on this euphoric trip. Just when we thought that he had no more aces up his sleeve, he brought out a special friend in Maryland crooner Brent Faiyaz so the crowd could wish him a happy birthday. In short it was an eventful debut headline show for the emerging talent and a sign of things to come as he builds up his catalogue