WHY I RATE:
S1

Selected by: James Keith

Name: S1

Where He’s From: West London

When He Started: 2016

Genre: UK Rap

File Next To: Skengdo x AM, Sneakbo, Young T & Bugsey

Sounds like: “My sound is unique, different, uplifting... There’s no one else like me! There’s only one S1.”

First Music That Inspired Him: “‘Pain Is The Essence’ by Giggs and Dubz was the first track that made me wanna rap.”

It wasn’t long after he first started putting out music that S1 knew he had something. That was only 2017 and by the following year he was building up a cult following in West London and a growing presence online. Although he cut his teeth on drill, and quickly made a name for himself in that scene, he’s already broadening his horizons beyond that. By adding trappy, Auto-Tuned melodies and more thought-out lyrical content—as well as introducing new dance moves in each of his videos—S1’s giving us something much more vibrant and energetic than what drill might typically bring to mind.

But rewind to just a year ago and S1 was in a very different place. Struggling with homelessness and issues with the police, the young rapper’s only solace was the studio. Not only was it his only escape from the cold, it was his only ticket out of his situation. With his MHG co-pilot Sav12, the West London spitter has found an invaluable ally in the scene and together they’re pushing the MHG and 12 World brands far and wide across the internet.

Now that he’s signed to Tinie Tempah’s Disturbing London, S1’s rise to the top is only going to get steeper. Having been raised and supported by his grandmother, he vows to “take my nan out the country; I want her to retire in Jamaica.” With a string of scene favourites already under his belt and what is surely an inevitable UK tour, there’s no reason why that won’t happen sooner rather than later.

TRENCH Highlight...


Posted on October 31, 2019