Blanco

At least twice in his career, Blanco has been on the frontline of a massive cultural shift in UK music. First, with the rest of his Harlem Spartans cohorts in the earliest days of drill’s formative years, and then when he went solo and surprised everyone with a project—City Of God—that swapped sliding 808s for Baile funk. “I don’t even like getting props,” he says of his influence on drill and UK rap more generally, “because the one thing pioneers have in common is that they don’t get as much money as the people they put on. So I hate when people say ‘pioneer’. I want the money, man.” He laughs it off, but his laid-back ideals are quite refreshing.

The Kennington-bred artist, born Joshua Eduardo to Angolan refugees, says he didn’t feel a massive connection to UK culture or music growing up. Blanco, now 23, was exploring his tastes at a time when grime faded out of view and the most exciting new music, at least in his eyes, was coming from across the pond where names like 50 Cent and T.I. were setting pace in the rap world. “There were some UK bangers that stood out,” he says, adding that he did watch music TV stations like Flava and Channel U at points. “Kano is one serious guy, but most of the time I was listening to American songs — especially the old-school ones. That’s why I know many songs before my time; that’s what I grew up around. I rate Drake as well, though.”