Kay-O

With a combination of quippy wordplay and lyrical content that oscillates between bloodthirsty and thoughtful, East London’s KO is a prominent face in UK drill. Born in 1999, he began gaining traction with his own Mad About Bars freestyle in 2017. Parlaying that momentum into increased buzz, KO unloaded his debut project, This Sh#ts Ments, in 2018. Laced with a bullet-riddled ethos and hammering drill production, the project cemented his knack for unsparing street raps. Around that same time he became a member of the 98s crew with V9 and seven others. He fortified his buzz with 2019’s Drilliam Shakespeare, a mixtape that only saw him double-down on blistering flows and carnage. In 2021, he showcased an evolved delivery and increased introspection (“Better Days”) when he released Fine Line. Building on sharp lyricism, an unflinching street perspective and the technical wizardry to adapt, KO’s proven himself as a mainstay of his region’s drill movement.