Knuck If You Buck

"Knuck If You Buck"
Single by Crime Mob featuring Lil Scrappy
from the album Crime Mob
B-side"Stilettos (Pumps)"
ReleasedJune 29, 2004 (2004-06-29)
StudioPatchWerk Recording Studios (Atlanta, GA)
Genre
Length3:28
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Lil' Jay
Crime Mob singles chronology
"Knuck If You Buck"
(2004) 		"Stilettos (Pumps)"
(2005)
Lil Scrappy singles chronology
"No Problem"
(2004) 		"Knuck If You Buck"
(2004) 		"What U Gon' Do"
(2004)
Music video
"Knuck If You Buck" on YouTube

"Knuck If You Buck" is a song by American Southern hip hop group Crime Mob. It was recorded at PatchWerk Recording Studios in Atlanta and released on June 29, 2004 via Reprise Records as the first single from their eponymous debut studio album Crime Mob (2004). Written by members Jarques "M.I.G." Usher, Chris "Killa C" Henderson, Jonathan "Lil' Jay" Lewis, Venetia "Princess" Lewis and Brittany "Diamond" Carpentero, it was produced by Lil' Jay, and features fellow rapper Lil Scrappy.

The single peaked at number 76 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Lyrics and composition

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The song's lyrics have been described as a "celebration of elbow-throwing and fist-fighting".[1] With the group given a $1,000 advance, an unmixed version of the song became a local hit in Atlanta.[2]

Music video

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Directed by Bernard Gourley, the music video was released in August 2004.[3]

Critical reception

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Mosi Reeves of Creative Loafing Atlanta described the song as "a raucous fire-starter" and "one of the hardest songs of the era".[1] David Jeffries of AllMusic labeled it a "pumping party jam" and among the best tracks on the Crime Mob album.[4]

Impact

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"Knuck If You Buck" has remained a nightclub staple.[5] In 2006, during a late-night party at a Howard Johnson hotel ballroom near Fredericksburg, Virginia, a fight on the dance floor began after the DJ played the song, during which 16-year-old Baron "Deuce" Braswell II, who played on the football team at Courtland High School in nearby Spotsylvania, was stabbed to death.[6] The suspect in the stabbing was convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in January 2007.[7] Also in 2007, a fight broke out at an after-party hosted by the Harvard University Society of Black Scientists and Engineers. Police arrested two people who were not affiliated with Harvard for disorderly conduct.[8][9]

In 2009, Pitchfork Media named "Knuck If You Buck" at no. 381 in its list of best songs of the 2000s.[10] Complex ranked "Knuck If You Buck" no. 16 in its 50-deep list "The Best Atlanta Rap Songs" in 2015.[11] Two years earlier, Complex ranked the song no. 7 in its list "25 Rap Songs That Make Us Want To Punch Someone In the Face".[12]

In The Rap Year Book, Meaghan Garvey considered "Knuck If You Buck" to be the most important song of 2004: "...its super-essentialized beat and evergreen 'I wish a bitch would' threats never go out of season".[13]

Remixes, samples, and other uses

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The official remix was released on Lil Scrappy's G's Up mixtape. It features verses by Daz Dillinger and Lil Scrappy and new verses by the group.

In 2015, the beat of this song was used for DLow's "Bet You Can't Do It Like Me" which reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.[14]

The song received renewed attention throughout 2016. Before a rally for the Donald Trump presidential campaign at the University of Illinois at Chicago that eventually was cancelled on March 11, 2016, protesters were heard chanting "Fuck Donald Trump!" to the tune of the "Knuck If You Buck" chorus.[15]

"The Club", a first-season episode of the TV series Atlanta, used the song as background music during a scene at a nightclub. The Wrap reported that viewers criticized the subdued nature of clubgoers depicted when the song played.[5]

"Juju on that Beat (TZ Anthem)", a single by Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall that peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, sampled the beat of "Knuck If You Buck".[16][17]

The single "Grandson for President", released on April 29 2020 by rapper King Von, samples the beat to "Knuck If You Buck"

In 2024, the song was used in the trailer for the Knuckles the Echidna TV series.

Cardi B makes a reference to the song in the chorus of her 2024 single Enough (Miami).

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22]
Mastertone 		Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States June 21, 2004 (2004-06-21) Urban contemporary radio BME, Warner, Reprise [23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Reeves, Mosi (November 8, 2006). "No school like the home school". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Fitzgerald, Kiana (July 11, 2018). "5 Things You Didn't Know About "Knuck If You Buck"". Complex. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "Knuck if You Buck". MTV. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Jeffries, David. "Crime Mob: Crime Mob". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Ali, Rasha (October 18, 2016). "'Atlanta': Everything About 'The Club' Episode Was Real, Except When 'Knuck if You Buck' Came On". TheWrap. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  6. ^ Shapira, Ian (January 25, 2006). "Athlete's Death and Arrests of Six Youths Shock Spotsylvania". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Freehling, Bill (January 10, 2007). "Braswell killer gets 30-year prison term". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, VA. Archived from the original on January 12, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Child, Maxwell L.; Tong, Anna L. (October 29, 2007). "Fights Erupt at Lowell Party". The Harvard Crimson. Harvard University. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Crime Mob Song Incites Fights at Harvard University". XXL. October 30, 2007. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  10. ^ "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 500-201 | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  11. ^ Garland, Maurice (June 17, 2015). "The Best Atlanta Rap Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  12. ^ Roberson, Justin (May 8, 2013). "25 Rap Songs That Make Us Want To Punch Someone In the Face". Complex. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  13. ^ Serrano, Shea (2015), The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed, Abrams, ISBN 9781613128190
  14. ^ Whosampled: Dlow's 'Bet You Can't Do It Like Me' sample of Crime Mob feat. Lil Scrappy's Knuck If You Buck
  15. ^ "Protesters Chant "F*ck Donald Trump" to the Tune of "Knuck If You Buck" After Trump's Cancelled Chicago Rally". The Source. March 12, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  16. ^ HeadlinePlanet.com: Zay Hilfigerrr Zayion McCalls "Juju beat rockets to #11 on Hot 100
  17. ^ ""TZ Anthem" Flips Crime Mob's "Knuck if You Buck" into a Viral Dance Craze".
  18. ^ "Lil Scrappy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  19. ^ "Lil Scrappy Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  20. ^ "Lil Scrappy Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  21. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – Crime Mob – Knuck If You Buck". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1560. June 18, 2004. p. 26. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
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