Blanco

At least twice in his career, Blanco has been at the forefront of a massive cultural shift in UK music. First, alongside his Harlem Spartans peers in the early days of drill’s formative years, and then as a solo artist, surprising everyone with City of God—a project that replaced sliding 808s with Baile funk.

Kennington-born and raised, Blanco, born Joshua Eduardo to Angolan refugees, says he didn’t feel a strong connection to UK culture or music growing up. Blanco, now 23, was exploring his musical tastes at a time when grime was fading out, and the most exciting music, in his eyes, came from the US, where artists like 50 Cent and T.I. dominated rap.

By his mid-teens, Blanco’s attention turned to Chicago and the emerging drill sound. Though he respected UK artists like Kano and Skepta, it was Chicago drill and the UK’s early version of it that truly inspired him. Around that time, he discovered a local youth club in Kennington where he could record music for free. Along with other Harlem Spartans, he would head there every Friday, shaping what would become the ‘Harlem’ sound. Those early days impacted Blanco significantly, not just musically.

It didn’t take long for Harlem Spartans to realize they had something special, and soon the whole of Kennington caught on. Blanco’s first project, City of God (2021), marked a turning point in UK drill. Although it wasn’t really drill, it was a unique work from one of drill’s founders. As drill became a chart-topping phenomenon, City of God signaled his desire to go beyond any one genre.

Beyond music, Blanco has long-term goals that extend beyond his music career. He was passionate about football as a child, and his music often references this love, along with his other interests, like anime and films. Looking ahead, once he’s achieved all his musical goals, Blanco may well pursue acting. “I really want to do films,” he says. With over 100 million streams backing his music career, he’s ready to shake up the acting world too.