Unk

Atlanta-based DJ and rapper Unk first drew widespread attention in 2006 through the breakout single "Walk It Out." Atlanta underground impresario Big Oomp steered the track from a local Atlanta favorite to national reach, securing rotation on MTV2 and BET plus scattered radio airplay across the country. In Georgia, where listeners knew him as DJ Unk, Anthony Platt started spinning records in 1998. After meeting DJ Jelly and DJ Montay, he joined their crew, the Southern Style DJs, and performed at high-school parties, proms, pep rallies, and other events throughout the state. In 2000, an impressed Big Oomp mentored Unk on his rhyming abilities and placed the DJ/rapper inside his Oomp Camp collective. Unk soon became a fixture on Atlanta’s mixtape circuit, releasing his own recordings and appearing on projects by fellow DJs.

Following the breakthrough single and a guest spot on Dem Franchize Boyz’s LP On Top of Our Game—his former high-school classmates—Unk pressed for his debut album, Beat’n Down Yo Block, issued in October 2006 on Big Oomp Records and distributed through Koch Entertainment. Two years later came his sophomore set, 2econd Season, which featured Sean Kingston, Ray J, Three 6 Mafia, and additional guests. The project placed just outside the upper half of the Billboard 200 yet reached the Top Ten of the rap chart. Immediately after its release, Unk suffered a heart attack that slowed his career and diminished his profile. He later recovered, resumed touring, and issued a series of singles over the following years. In 2017 he finally released his long-awaited third album, Fresh Off Dem Papers.