Bru-C

“We are on a wave/Take over the place,” Bru-C raps on his 2019 single “You & I,” and while he’s ostensibly speaking to a new love, he could very well have been talking about himself and his producer Simula. After his scene-stealing appearance on Skepsis’ “Hold It Down” made him a leading voice in the UK’s jacked-up bassline scene, “You & I” pushed the Nottingham MC (born Josh Bruce in 1991) further overground, by hitching his deep, authoritative voice to a fleet-footed drum ‘n’ bass track that became his first breakthrough hit (and also helped him establish his own clubwear line, Krudd). Bru-C continued on a D’n’B tip with the equally frenetic 2021 single “Streetside”; however, lyrically, the song tapped into a more introspective side. Chronicling his hard-knock upbringing, Bru-C declares “music is my freedom”—and true to his word, he adapted the track into a melancholic acoustic ballad for promotional appearances, suggesting that freedom knows no bounds.