Yungen

South London MC Yungen has an honest approach to his lyrics, carefully weaving stories from the street with his own outlook on life. Like others on the London rap scene, Yungen started writing at a young age. At first it was just a personal outlet, but gradually people began to take notice. His debut mixtape, The New Era Project, was released independently in 2009. It wasn't until his 2014 debut album Project Black & Red, however, that he started to gain traction. As a result, he was nominated Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards 2015; shortly after the awards he signed his first record deal with Sony RCA. At the start of 2016, Yungen was shortlisted on BBC Radio 1Xtra's One to Watch list, heralding what would become a breakthrough year for the artist. That same year he engaged in a war of words with North London rap artist Chip (formerly known as Chipmunk). The battle took place over the course of a few months, with both artists recording tracks and videos in escalating attacks on each other to the point where the story found its way onto the U.K.'s Channel 4 news. In 2017, he issued a series of singles, including "Chosen" and "All Night" with Mr. Eazi. In early 2018, Yungen joined with vocalist Jess Glynne for "Mind on It." ~ Liam Martin