Unknown T

East London's Unknown T harnesses his bassy vocals and stable of unique flows, claiming his status as one of the most dominant faces in the U.K. drill scene. Representing Homerton (E9) alongside artists like V9 and KO, the rapper's refreshing spin on the genre -- and his legendary 2018 anthem "Homerton B," which made him the first drill rapper to land a Top 50 chart position -- ensured his success. Two mixtapes, Rise Above Hate (2020) and Adolescence (2021), charted highly, with the latter reaching the Top Ten. Unknown T's ambitious, confident debut album, Blood Diamond, arrived in 2024.

Born and raised in Homerton, East London, rapper Unknown T (real name Daniel Lena) made a striking start into the music game with "Bop with Smoke" (2017), an underground classic that gave the U.K. capital their first taste of his dexterous flows. Poised as a clear "one to watch" in the city's drill scene, T quickly landed placements on Mixtape Madness' Mad About Bars and Tim Westwood's Crib Sessions; on the latter, the rapper teased a chaotic, thumping track that would soon redefine his career. Titled "Homerton B," this mysterious single was released in 2018 to immense success, garnering a huge audience through T's rhythmic, off-the-wall flows and unique song structures. Rapidly climbing the U.K. charts, his sophomore single became historic, as both the first U.K. drill single to reach the Top 50 and the first to earn a silver sales certification from the BPI.

Building on this monumental success, Unknown T moved into 2019 with the singles "Throwback," "Meat," and "Leave Dat Trap" expanding his sound into alternative rap styles. An eight-month jail sentence threatened the rapper's career toward the end of the year, but he found himself triumphant as he was cleared of all charges in February 2020. Emerging with a battle cry of "the feds had me flat on my face/buss case, had to climb to the top of the ladder," T's single "Fresh Home" announced his return to the music game, quickly consolidated by an appearance on GRM Daily's Daily Duppy. A run of singles including "Squeeze & Buss" and "Deh Deh" set the stage for T's first mixtape, Rise Above Hate (2020). A varied set, with ventures into trap and R&B, the debut featured contributions from Young Adz and M Huncho, alongside the long-awaited Homerton all-star cut "AVEN9ERS." Just a few months later, the Homerton and Holly Street collectives linked up to form the 98s. On the group's debut mixtape, Unknown T appeared on the tracks "Ughh!" and "98 Degrees."

Adolescence, the rapper's second mixtape, appeared in July 2021 and peaked at number eight on the U.K. album chart. T made appearances on heavily streamed tracks by artists such as Bermuda Music and Abra Cadabra, and released a two-song set of freestyles titled Who Said Drill's Dead? in 2022, as well as other singles like "On the Radar (Plugged Out)." "Right Hand" with Knucks appeared in 2023, and a single titled Before the Smoke was released in August. Blood Diamond, T's official full-length debut, arrived in January 2024, with guests including Digga D, Loyle Carner, and Scribz Riley. ~ David Crone & Paul Simpson, Rovi