Aggro Santos

Drawing from sonic traditions spanning South London and South America, Brazilian-born rapper Aggro Santos fuses Latin rhythms with old-skool dance and U.K. grime, resulting in a diverse yet commercially appealing style. Born Yuri Santos in São Paulo in 1988, he relocated with his family to Balham, London, at the age of five. After discovering Santana's Supernatural album, he became self-taught on guitar and composed his debut rap track at age 13. One year later, he secured a two-year scholarship to the renowned Brits School, where he studied alongside Adele and Katy B.

Once his studies concluded, Santos began producing tracks from his bedroom and submitted the song "Free Yard" to Channel AKA, where it quickly rose to become the station's most-played request. Lacking a label, he performed throughout the U.K. at under-18 clubs, issued his debut mixtape Aggro Culture, and worked with N-Dubz, Ironik, and Giggs. Following a short period employed at Sky TV, he was spotted by Albert Samuel, the former manager of So Solid Crew. The duo rejected an offer from Warner Bros., describing the label as "faceless," and instead aligned with Gary Barlow's Future Records.

His debut single, "Candy," which included vocals from Pussycat Dolls' Kimberly Wyatt, climbed to number five, while the next release, "Saint or Sinner," reached number 19. Santos also opened for Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity across their U.K. tour and earned a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2010 Urban Music Awards. His first album, Aggro Santos.com, was slated for release in early 2011.