K Koke

Hailing from northwest London under the birth name Kevin Georgiou, the rapper K Koke first surfaced on the U.K. underground with his April 2010 mixtape Pure Koke, Vol. 1. Membership in the U.S.G. crew, which also comprised his former schoolmates Exo and Squingy, quickly drew the attention of Sony and secured him a deal on its Roc Nation imprint. Early-2011 charges of attempted murder connected to a shooting in the Harlesden district severely curtailed promotion of that year’s Vol. 2 mixtape; although Georgiou was later acquitted, the seven months spent on remand kept him removed from music entirely. Nearly a year after his release, the third volume appeared, followed by a run of infectious major-label singles that carried K Koke into the mainstream. The lushly produced, autobiographical “Turn Back,” which featured the singer/songwriter Maverick Sabre, arrived ahead of the spring 2013 collaboration “Lay Down Your Weapons” with Rita Ora, a track that reached the U.K. Top 20. The subsequent summer single “My Time,” recorded with New York R&B star Bridget Kelly, led directly to preparations for the debut studio album I Ain’t Perfect, then slated for September. Ongoing legal difficulties postponed the project, however, and ultimately prompted Roc Nation to drop Georgiou, thereby canceling the album. Momentum returned in 2015 with a new Universal contract that yielded the 2016 singles “Deep in the Struggle” featuring Aynzli Jones and “I’m Back Again” alongside Stefflon Don, paving the way for the 2017 release of Pure Koke, Vol. 4.