FOUNDING PUBLISHERS Ibrahim Kamara & Jide Adetunji EDITORIAL SENIOR JOURNALIST Jide Adetunji TALENT & PR Shanice Mears VIDEO SENIOR VIDEO PRODUCER Ibrahim Kamara VIDEO EDITOR Ibrahim Kamara ART PHOTOGRAPHERS Darnell Temenu STYLISTS Lottie Dionn, Chanel Porman & Seyon Amosu
JIDE ADETUNJI
GUAP International contact@guap.co.uk
EDITOR’S NOTE As the New Year dawns we’d like to thank and express our gratitude to the loyal and involved community of creatives and visionaries that has provided the support and inspiration needed to continuously facilitate our growth. Going into 2017, let’s continue to grow in unison, respecting those around us working hard and selflessly for the culture.
Last year was such a monumental year for UK music, with many home-grown talents strongly JIDE ADETUNJI imposing themselves on the scene and gaining worldwide wide recognition. Although many new fans from abroad may associate the UK music industry solely with Grime, there are many other modern, diverse and distinct sounds emerging from our scene. The aim of G-List 2017 is to showcase and tell the story of 6 very unique and flourishing artists, paving their own way to greatness through their own district sounds. Jide Adetunji Senior Journalist
IBRAHIM KAMARA
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Kojey Radical & Knucks for 2017 GUAP G List.
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BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
This laid back yet outspoken rapper hailing from North London is bringing a new sound and vibe to the city. His style and persona is the perfect oxymoron, beautifully coupling the old school sounds he grew up listening to, with elements of the new school trap genre. His love for music sparked a creative journey that saw him begin his career as a grime MC; honing his rapping and production skills over time into this new sound that’s got everyone bussing moves in their car seat. Having an epic year in 2016, Knucks is seeing his fan base grow as he climbs his way to the forefront of the UK scene. As we begin the New Year, his intentions are clear: to continue to use his gift to remain honest and true to himself and his positive message; more growth and more life.
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DO IT FOR THE
SKWOD
This young and feisty, South London based rapper, was definitely one of last year’s most adorned female musicians and rightly so. A musical and marketing dream, she’s got the flair and charisma of all the spice girls put into one new, talented and cute package. After releasing a stream of incredibly quirky and catchy songs online, Nadia’s career and fan base has sky-rocketed, with one of her most successful tracks ‘SKWOD’ nearing the 2 million views mark and winning a Mobo Award for best video. This musical maverick has gone from strength over the last year performing at many notable festivals such as Wireless, Glastonbury and Reading; as well as at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. It seems as though Nadia has no plan on slowing down her onslaught with her highly anticipate EP ‘Highly Flammable’ set to drop January 13th 2017.
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SCAN PAGE WITH LAYAR APP TO WATCH INTERVIEW SNE, short for ‘sound never ends’, also known as Hackney’s Golden Boy, has most definitely put in the work and paid his dues to his friends, ends and the UK music scene. After making a lot of noise in the last few years with songs such as ‘Tiana Major’ and ‘Together Mashup’, SNE has taken his sound around the country shelling show after show, growing his fan base into something mighty. Last year was a busy year for SNE as he consistently showcased his versatility and creative flair, dropping several multi-genre singles, his highly anticipated EP ‘Essence’ as well as shutting down his sell out headline show at Birthdays, Dalston.
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HACKNEY’S GOLDEN CHILD
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BLACK ARTICLE
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GOLDEN BOY Lewisham High Street’s Golden Boy, a name not to be taken lightly. This South London based Grime MC is young and full of life. His flamboyant, confident yet selfless character is personified beautifully through his music, lyrics and delivery. Starting his career in his early teens it’s no surprise Elf Kid is finally getting the recognition he deserves. His hit song ‘Golden Boy’ taking him around the world last year, most notably performing at SXSW Festival in Austin Texas and at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Going into the New Year, Elf Kid looks to continue his ascent with his latest song and project ‘Reload That’ being backed by ASOS and filmed in Ethiopia as he takes Grime worldwide.
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SCAN PAGE WITH LAYAR APP TO WATCH INTERVIEW Kojey Radical is truly a man like no other. If his unique and completely genre-less musical style isn’t enough to alert you of his creativity; then his eye for fashion, creative vision and eccentric personality surely will. One of the most impressive and noteworthy aspects of Kojey’s music is how inclusive it is. It’s no surprise he has the most culturally diverse audience out of all the artists on the list. 2016 was a great year of exposure for Kojey, with his loyal and growing fan base seeing him grace some highly acclaimed platforms. Nominated for two Mobos this year, selling out his headline own show as well as lecturing at London College of Arts. Kojey wants to be remembered as the greatest performer alive, going into 2017, we’re confident the rest of the world will get the opportunity to attest to that aim.
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IT’S CADET CADET.
This Croydon based talent has to be one of the most unique, creative and inspirational artists of our generation. Cadet has been a long-time lover of music and has embraced his strengths and flaws through some of the most honest and transparent songs we may have ever seen in the UK. From his ‘Uber Everywhere’ series to his now infamous ‘Letter to Krept’, Cadet has been a constant trending topic within the scene. Last year saw Cadet cultivating his growing audience, selling out his first headline show at the O2 Academy Islington. Going into the New Year Cadet has surely positioned himself as one of the country’s rap heavyweights.
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