Joshua Eduardo (born 8 March 1999), known professionally as Blanco, is a British rapper and singer. Beginning his career in 2015, he released his debut EP, ''English Dubbed'', in 2019, and debut mixtape, ''City of God'', in 2021. He is part of the

UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artists ...

group

Harlem Spartans Harlem Spartans, often abbreviated to HS, also known as Harlem O or simply Harlem, is a British hip hop collective based in Kennington, London. Members of Harlem Spartans have acquired over 100 million streams through their music. The name, "Ha ...

Career

Blanco began to write lyrics at the age of 15, taking inspiration from artists such as

Skepta Chief Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British-Nigerian grime MC, rapper and record producer. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding ...

and

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

. He would later join the

collective through a youth centre in Kennington. In 2016, he released "Jason Bourne", which, according to ''New Wave Mag'', certified his place as a well-respected drill artist. In 2019, Blanco released his debut EP, ''English Dubbed''. On 24 August 2021, Blanco released his debut mixtape, named ''City of God'' after the 2002 film. The mixtape was named within ''Complex''s best albums of 2021, with an article in '' Clash'' noting that the album saw him move away from a drill sound.

Personal life

Blanco is a supporter of football club

Manchester City FC Manchester City Football Club are an English football club based in Manchester that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Association Footba ...

. He is of

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n heritage.

Legal issues

Blanco was jailed following an incident in the early hours of 15 February 2017, when a taxi containing Blanco and fellow Harlem member Mucktar Khan, better known as

MizOrMac Harlem Spartans, often abbreviated to HS, also known as Harlem O or simply Harlem, is a British hip hop collective based in Kennington, London. Members of Harlem Spartans have acquired over 100 million streams through their music. The name, "Harl ...

, was pulled over by armed police. The police searched the pair and found a loaded gun on Blanco and a samurai sword he had attempted to conceal in his trousers; additionally, MizOrMac was wearing ballistic body armour and had a balaclava. On 9 February 2018, Blanco was convicted of possession of a firearm and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. His co-defendant MizOrMac was sentenced to six years.

Discography

Mixtapes

EPs

Charted singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco 21st-century British rappers Black British male rappers English male rappers British hip hop musicians Rappers from London UK drill musicians Gangsta rappers People from Kennington Living people 1999 births