Biography
South London rapper Blanco emerged as a central figure in the Harlem Spartans, the groundbreaking drill collective from his native area, where he helped shape some of U.K. drill’s first breakthrough records such as “Kennington Where It Started” and “Call Me a Spartan.” By the close of the 2010s and into the early 2020s, the MC built on that foundation with an equally successful solo path that explored multiple corners of the U.K. rap landscape ahead of his first mixtape, City of God.
Born Joshua Eduardo to Angolan parents in Kennington, he first gravitated toward music as a teenager, laying down early tracks alongside friends at a nearby youth center. Those informal sessions soon gave rise to the Harlem Spartans, a crew that gathered Kennington talents including Blanco, Bis, and MizOrMac and later stood among the most visible acts in U.K. drill. Within the collective Blanco quickly earned recognition as one of the scene’s standout voices; cuts like “Kennington Where It Started,” “Kent Nizzy,” and “Call Me a Spartan” turned into enduring anthems, his measured delivery standing in relief against MizOrMac’s nimble technique, Bis’s forceful style, and Loski’s shifting cadences. The Spartans ranked among the genre’s most consequential early standard-bearers, yet the deaths of Bis and Latz, followed by Loski’s and MizOrMac’s legal difficulties throughout the latter half of the decade, curtailed the group’s momentum. Blanco himself encountered similar legal setbacks that culminated in a three-and-a-half-year prison term.
After his release he immediately focused on establishing an independent career. Throughout 2019 he stayed rooted in drill with “21st Century Spartans” and “Salomon Rondon” while also branching into trap and Afroswing on his debut EP, English Dubbed. The reflective 2020 single “Shippuden” became his most widely streamed release to that point, a direction he extended with “Memphis” and “Anakin” before reuniting with Loski for the chilly drill track “Anglo Saxon.” Following a short series of 2021 singles, he issued his debut mixtape, City of God, enlisting Central Cee, NSG, Loski, and Ama Lou to traverse an expansive palette of U.K. rap approaches.
Born Joshua Eduardo to Angolan parents in Kennington, he first gravitated toward music as a teenager, laying down early tracks alongside friends at a nearby youth center. Those informal sessions soon gave rise to the Harlem Spartans, a crew that gathered Kennington talents including Blanco, Bis, and MizOrMac and later stood among the most visible acts in U.K. drill. Within the collective Blanco quickly earned recognition as one of the scene’s standout voices; cuts like “Kennington Where It Started,” “Kent Nizzy,” and “Call Me a Spartan” turned into enduring anthems, his measured delivery standing in relief against MizOrMac’s nimble technique, Bis’s forceful style, and Loski’s shifting cadences. The Spartans ranked among the genre’s most consequential early standard-bearers, yet the deaths of Bis and Latz, followed by Loski’s and MizOrMac’s legal difficulties throughout the latter half of the decade, curtailed the group’s momentum. Blanco himself encountered similar legal setbacks that culminated in a three-and-a-half-year prison term.
After his release he immediately focused on establishing an independent career. Throughout 2019 he stayed rooted in drill with “21st Century Spartans” and “Salomon Rondon” while also branching into trap and Afroswing on his debut EP, English Dubbed. The reflective 2020 single “Shippuden” became his most widely streamed release to that point, a direction he extended with “Memphis” and “Anakin” before reuniting with Loski for the chilly drill track “Anglo Saxon.” Following a short series of 2021 singles, he issued his debut mixtape, City of God, enlisting Central Cee, NSG, Loski, and Ama Lou to traverse an expansive palette of U.K. rap approaches.
Albums
Singles
