“I don't think I'll ever stop needing to improve,” Knucks tells Apple Music. “I’m sure I can improve my writing, my production, too. I’m even trying to teach myself how to play the keys by ear. Every day I’m learning something new.” The London-hailing rapper couples steely self-assurance with an impassioned zeal for his art, and the evolution of that blend is present on ALPHA PLACE. Narrating his experiences growing up in London, estate adventures meet harsh coming-of-age tales—and feel refined against the soul-searching of previous release London Class. “One of the criticisms I kept seeing was the use of interludes,” he says of 2020’s mixtape. “Obviously, it's not going to stop me doing interludes anymore, but I'll find a way to do it so it's not such a hassle to the listener. They're still in there, but in different form. I actually listen to the critics. I try not to see everybody who has criticism of me as a hater.”
On his debut album, Knucks reveals shining admiration for the estate that raised him. “Alpha Place is the street I lived on—and Alpha House is the block [on the estate],” he says. “The person I am today was birthed there. So it's only right I introduce myself, from the beginning.” Channeling his memories of 2000s London with carefully selected samples, thoughtful dialogue, and classic TV homages, Knucks pieces together his most unguarded set yet. The tracks are layered with witty rhymes and melancholic storytelling, while the rapper—who famously brands his signature with the mantra “NODAYSOFF”—also impresses with co-production credits on several singles (“Hide & Seek,” “Nice & Good”). “With everything, I’ll try and have a hand in it,” he says. “Even if I wasn’t meant to be involved, I’m still there, directing.” Read on for his own track-by-track guide.
“Alpha House” (feat. Venna)
“This is the first song I recorded for the tape. Introducing the block I'm from, and things that remind me of my youth in Kilburn. I’ve known [multi-instrumentalist] Venna since he was in a group with other musicians. They were all so young but played instruments like grown men! He eventually reached out, and played saxophone on [2017 single] ‘Vows.’ From there, we’ve kept working: Every time I need a sax, I shout at V, and anytime he needs a verse, he shouts at me.”
“Nice & Good” (feat. SL)
“I recorded this in Tottenham, and it was actually my first time meeting SL. When collaborating, I always try and speak beforehand—so that’s where our strong connection comes from. And the fact that people can hear the chemistry in the song, it shows that S is good people!”
“Hide & Seek”
“The story of this song comes from watching [HBO TV series] The Wire—I was inspired by the love-hate relationship between Bodie and McNulty. Their jobs put them up against each other, but you also see there's a mutual respect for one another. The [2012] Nas song ‘Stay’ talks about how guys have ops, but deep down, in a sense, they know they need each other, because one gives the other purpose. And I wanted to explore that.”
“Bible” (feat. Youngs Teflon)
“I've been listening to Youngs Teflon since I was maybe 16. He’s inspired a lot of my early music—him and Carns [Hill]. So to get in with Tef is something I’ve dreamt about a couple of times. You know when you listen to someone so much, you dream that you're cool with them? I've had that—so that session was just crazy, man.”
“Decisions” (feat. M1llionz and Shaé Universe)
“The song itself is about how it’s very easy to be on the outside and say things like ‘Don’t do drugs!’ But it's not the same when you add in the context of a person's life.”
“Leon the Professional”
“I’d heard the ‘Reflections’ sample (by Japanese artist Toshifumi Hinata) years ago. There was a period where I was just listening to Japanese jazz and stuff like that. Because the way I work with music is, I listen to the sample and take in how it makes me feel, or what it reminds me of. And this song reminded me of the film of the same name. That TikTok trend of the ‘blind hitman’ uses the song, and it was viral at the time too.”
“Send Nudes”
“This was meant to be an interlude, but I came up with the hook and that was catchy, so it stuck as a song. It's almost like a lockdown song. It's basically just saying throughout this whole period of time, the only way that I can connect with you in an intimate way is through pictures and sending stuff, because we can't actually be with each other in real life.”
“Playa” (feat. Sainte)
“Sainte was telling me how much of a fan he is of mine, the same way I was with Youngs Teflon, which was a mindfuck to me. He told me, ‘I was in school listening to you!’ And I was like, ‘Bro, how old are you?’ But it just shows me the cycle of things; how someone inspired me, to inspire someone else. The subject for this song came naturally to us both. I mean, what else were we going to talk about? The government?”
“Far” (feat. Ragz Originale)
“This was my favorite song on the project for the longest time. And how it came about is actually sick. [London rapper and producer] Ragz [Originale] called me asking about my project. At the time, I had 9 or 11 songs complete, but he was demanding to be on here. Fast forward a few days, and this track happened. I remember thinking right after the session: ‘Yo, this guy is crazy—because he said this would happen!’”
“Die Hard” (feat. Stormzy)
“I was actually in my first session with [London producer] M1, who was running late. Another producer, Gino, was there running through some instrumentals whilst I waited. And I rapped a freestyle verse that I had on my phone over one of his beats. Stormzy had already told me, ‘If you have anything I can get in on, just send it through,’ so he hears this, like, ‘Oh my days, I need to lay something on this. It’s crazy.’ But he’d said that to me before—so I don't get too excited. Luckily, he got back with this verse. And it all came out of a session that nearly flopped.”
“Checkmate” (feat. Lex Amor)
“Originally, I had ENNY on the track. But after a while, she wasn't feeling the song anymore. So instead of trying to squeeze another on the project, I hit up Lex to do it. She’s like family and went crazy on this, so it’s worked out.”
“Three Musketeers”
“This is how I tie the whole project together. It's about two friends that I grew up with—I went to primary and secondary school with them, but they lived in ends that had beef with mine. But growing up, we were oblivious to this. I eventually left for Nigeria, and when I came back, everything was different. It was weird how people that I'd grown up with, I was now being taught to hate—or treat differently. At the end I put our conversation, the one running through the whole tape, to show that despite all of that, we made it.”
”Los Pollos Hermanos”
“In my head, this project is 12 songs long. This isn’t really the last song, it’s a bonus, and funnily enough, it was used in a Puma Suede campaign—that's why there’s a Puma reference in the first verse. The reason it's so short is actually my manager's fault: I was writing a second verse, and he said, ‘Bruv, they're not even paying you that much. All they need is one verse.’ And I said: ‘You know what? You’re right!’”