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The literary talent of London rapper Knucks 🎙️

Providing the soundtrack for many summer holidays and BBQs, the North West London rapper Knucks ended the festival season with electric sets at Reading and Leeds Festival. But, hidden in the dance beats and brags about his annual income, Knucks’ songs are full of sophisticated literary devices and techniques that poets and writers have used for centuries.

With its roots in the cultural exchange between African and Caribbean slaves, hip-hop emerged into the mainstream in the 1990s, spearheaded by rival rappers Biggie Smalls (known as the Notorious B.I.G.) and Tupac Shakur. As time has gone on, rap has become an important way for young men to voice their concerns about socioeconomic issues such as class, education and wealth inequality. However, in delivering these messages, rappers often use a number of established literary devices. Knucks is just one of many artists in the UK’s blossoming hip hop scene who is putting his GCSE English Language to good use.

After you read this, put on any rapper, read their lyrics, and see if you can identify three literary devices that you’ve learnt in school or college. This is a great way to improve your analytical skills in a more enjoyable and accessible way.

💡 Things to consider

• Cadence and meter: Just like how Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter to replicate “realistic” patterns of human speech, rappers and musicians also have to carefully craft the cadence (how the words sound when spoken aloud) of a song. In his 2020 single “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Knucks also uses iambic pentameter in his verses. This means that each line has ten syllables and is composed of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. For example, the first line of the song goes “they said I didn’t but I know I did”. In using iambic pentameter, Knucks places emphasis on imperative verbs (or “doing verbs”) such as “know” and “did”. What does this mean? Perhaps Knucks is stressing that he is active in what he does, rather than being passive. Notice also how Knucks mainly uses single-syllable words? This maintains a fast tempo, implying that the speaker is agitated and restless.

  

  No, Shakespeare. You’re not the only one who uses iambic pentameter.

• Allusion: Allusion is where a writer may indirectly reference something else from wider culture. This can be anything from a historical event to a character from TV and film. Like most rappers, Knucks is keen to engage with his audience by referencing people or events which may have affected them. The song I mentioned earlier, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, shares its title with the 1961 Romantic-Comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In Knucks’ song, his own description of a loving relationship is depicted. His track “Leon the Professional” is also named after a 1994 action film starring Gary Oldman. Similarly, the rapper’s track “Los Pollos Hermanos” is named after the fast food company owned by Gustavo Fring in popular American TV show Breaking Bad. In the TV show, Fring uses the restaurant as a front for his drug empire. By naming the song after such a well-known image of deception, think about what Knucks may be trying to say through this allusion. A final example of allusion is in Knucks’ song “Home”, where he states “Can’t you see London’s burning?”. Alluding to the popular nursery rhyme, Knucks uses this popular reference to discuss knife crime in the UK capital.

• Repetition: Rappers often place emphasis on certain parts of their songs by repeating certain words or phrases. Knucks is no exception. In “Home”, the first three lines of the chorus end in “some days”, whilst he describes how his feelings can fluctuate over a week. This is an example of a triplet, where a word or phrase is used three times for persuasive effect. Another example of repetition is where Knucks repeats "Did you ever hear the story 'bout Leon?”. In the song, Leon is a notorious gangster from the estate where the rapper grew up who had become a hardened criminal. Think about why Knucks might do this. Is it to replicate the nature of gossip and story-telling? Is it to comment on how rumours and stories can change as they are repeated?

🔎 Find out more

• How Knucks became Britain’s most progressive rapper

🍒 The cherry on top

• 💭 Left and Right: We often divide the political spectrum into left-wing and right-wing ideologies. Where do these labels come from? What do they actually mean? And are they still useful terms today? This podcast is a great listen for anyone interested in Politics or International Relations.

• 🪖 Missing Identity: For over 100 years, one American soldier’s identity has proven difficult to find. However, thanks to advances in forensic science, Charles McAllister has finally been laid to rest in his hometown, Seattle. This is worth reading if you are into History, Anthropology, or Forensic Science.

• 🪱 Death by Fungus: There are thought to be 5 million speeches of fungus in the world. Luckily for us, most are harmless to humans. But what about the ones that are? This fascinating article delves into the threat that cordyceps, a rare type of fungus, genuinely poses to us humans. A must-read for anyone into Biology.

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• 16th September

  • Cambridge Biological Natural Sciences Interview Webinar

  • Cambridge Chemical Engineering Interview Webinar

• 17th September:

  • Cambridge Architecture Interview Webinar

  • Cambridge Biological or Physical Natural Sciences Interview Webinar

  • UEA Nursing Lecture

• 18th September:

  • Christ’s College Cambridge Webinar for International Students

  • Cambridge Education Interview Webinar

  • University of Warwick Statistics Webinar

• 19th September:

  • Cambridge History of Art Interview Webinar

  • Cambridge English Interview Webinar

  • Cambridge History Interview Webinar

  • Cambridge Geography Interview Webinar

• 20th September:

  • Cambridge Economics Interview Webinar

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