Hardy Caprio

Born Hardy Tayyib-Bah, the Croydon rapper Hardy Caprio earned an early nomination for the Get Rated award during its first-ever ceremony, an event created to spotlight emerging artists. Although raised in Croydon, a noted center of London rap activity, he attended school in the more affluent Bromley district of South London, an experience that highlighted how the tensions he witnessed in his home borough might be sidestepped. He soon began releasing independent projects, among them the EPs Hardy Season and The Hollywood EP.

The decisive breakthrough arrived with the 2017 single “Unsigned,” which reached number 45 on the U.K. chart and accumulated tens of millions of streams. A steady sequence of 2018 releases followed, including the March track “Rapper,” which climbed to number 34, and July’s “Best Life,” peaking at number 26 and drawing on summery Afroswing textures. By 2019 his profile had solidified within the U.K. scene. The year opened with a re-charting of “Unsigned” at number 70 before “Guten Tag,” his collaboration with DigDat, delivered his strongest showing yet at number 18 and became a fixture on British playlists. Additional singles through mid-2020 encompassed the reflective piano ballad “9 Months” and joint efforts ranging from SL to T Mulla, paving the way for his debut mixtape, With My Eyes Closed. The project spotlighted “Guten Tag” and “Best Life” alongside features with One Acen, Wretch 32, and Maleek Berry.