UNK

Unk was a rapper, DJ, and hype man associated with snap music, a subgenre of hip-hop related to crunk. He entered the spotlight in 2006 with the hit single "Walk It Out," which made the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum. He released two albums, Beat'n Down Yo Block (2006) and 2econd Season (2008), and a handful of mixtapes, with his third album, Fresh Off Dem Papers, arriving in 2017 and additional singles appearing into the 2020s.

Known in Georgia as DJ Unk, Anthony Platt began spinning records in 1998. After crossing paths with DJ Jelly and DJ Montay, he joined their DJ entourage, the Southern Style DJs, performing for high-school parties, proms, pep rallies, and other events around the state of Georgia. In 2000, an impressed Big Oomp took Unk under his wing to develop his rhyming skills and incorporated the DJ/rapper into his <a href="spotify:artist:6AoAuskGrzHQZPS1eF1mF0">Oomp Camp</a>. Unk became a regular in Atlanta's mixtape circuit, appearing on his own as well as on other DJs' material. Under the guidance of Big Oomp, he turned the local Atlanta hit "Walk It Out" into a national one, enjoying rotation on MTV2 and BET as well as some radio outlets around the country. It ended up reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a platinum certification.

After his first hit record and a guest spot on the LP On Top of Our Game by <a href="spotify:artist:0VKTLKamj4IH8OfQbUL0kq">Dem Franchize Boyz</a> (Unk's old high-school classmates), he pushed for his debut album, Beat'n Down Yo Block, which was released in October 2006 on Oomp's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Big+Oomp+Records%22">Big Oomp Records</a> and distributed via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Koch+Entertainment%22">Koch Entertainment</a>. Second single "2 Step" hit number 24 on the Hot 100 and was certified gold. Unk's sophomore album, 2econd Season, followed in 2008 and featured guest spots from <a href="spotify:artist:6S0dmVVn4udvppDhZIWxCr">Sean Kingston</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6gbGGM0E8Q1hE511psqxL0">Ray J</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:26s8LSolLfCIY88ysQbIuT">Three 6 Mafia</a>, and others. The album fell just short of the Billboard 200's upper half and reached the Top Ten of the rap chart. On the heels of the album's release, Unk suffered a heart attack, which resulted in a slowdown in his career and a reduced profile. He eventually recovered and began touring again, releasing a handful of singles over the next few years. In 2017, Unk finally delivered his long-awaited third full-length album, Fresh Off Dem Papers. "Show Out" was released in 2023. Unk died of a heart attack on January 24, 2025, at the age of 43. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi