Yungun (a.k.a. Essa) is a

British hip hop British hip hop, also known as UK hip hop or UK rap, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. Britis ...

artist. He released his debut album ''The Essance'' on Janomi Records in 2004. He was born in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

where he currently works and resides.

Bio

He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. He began his musical career as a host and MC on pirate radio station Parlay in Harrow during the mid-1990s. There he formed the group Dupa Styles with fellow MCs M.E. Moon and Devise. In 1998 Yungun made contact with Harry Love who began to play the role of Dupa Styles's DJ and Producer. Whilst still recording with the group, Yungun began a solo career, appearing on projects by LG & Lopez (''City Breaks''), Evil Ed (''The Art of Celebration'') Doc Brown (''Out There'') and Tommy Evans (''Four Horsemen'', ''Silent Mobius''). Yungun has worked with many different UK artists including

Jehst William G. Shields (born 1979), better known by his stage name Jehst, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR Productions. Biography Born in Kent in 1979, Jehst spent his early childhood in Crowborough in Sussex before moving ...

and Lewis Parker. Yungun tours both nationally and internationally, and regularly receives airplay from such DJs as Radio One's

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Academy ...

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Brown ...

Bethan and Huw,

Vic Galloway Michael "Vic" Galloway (born 4 August 1972) is a DJ on BBC Radio Scotland. Galloway presents a self-titled show on Radio Scotland every Monday from 9pm to 11pm and also the BBC Introducing Scotland Thursday evenings/Friday mornings from 11pm to ...

and has performed a live studio set on

Ras Kwame Ras Kwame is a British musician, record producer, radio DJ and presenter of Ghanaian heritage."'We ...

's show. Aside from this, Yungun has also presented a feature-length show for

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

as well as being interviewed and featured on shows from presenters such as

DJ Blakey DJ Blakey (born 1985) is a DJ from London, England. He won the UK DMC final in 2004. Career Between 2004 and 2007, he hosted a weekly show on BBC 1Xtra. He has held a residency at Fabric, London. In 2007 he supported Jurassic 5 throughout t ...

DJ Semtex DJ Semtex (born John Fairbanks; 1974) is an English DJ, author, radio DJ and presenter of Spotify's Who We Be podcast. Between 2002 and 2018, he was presenter for BBC Radio 1Xtra's weekly hip-hop show. Biography Due to complications from lymp ...

Rodney P Rodney Panton, also known as Rodney P (born in Balham, London, 12 December 1969) is an English MC, as well as a radio and television personality who first gained attention via the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. A former member of UK hip-hop group ...

and Skitz,

DJ Kayper Kaajal Bakrania, better known by her stage name Kayper, is a Disc jockey, DJ, Record producer, producer and radio presenter from the United Kingdom. 2011–present In 2011, Kayper won "Best Club DJ" at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards. On 30 Dec ...

Benji B Benjamin Benstead, known professionally as Benji B, is a British DJ, radio presenter, and record producer. A longtime BBC Radio producer and presenter, he has presented a weekly show on BBC Radio 1 since 2010 that highlights an eclectic mix of h ...

and

Bobby Friction Paramdeep Sehdev () (born 21 August 1971, in Hammersmith) better known as Bobby Friction, is a DJ, television presenter and radio presenter from west London. Early life After studying Contemporary Arts at Nottingham Trent University, Friction's ...

. He has also been interviewed by

Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation ...

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

, and is regularly played on the station's 6mix show, as well as by numerous other Radio 6 DJs such as

Tom Robinson Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson ...

Phill Jupitus Phillip Christopher Jupitus (, ''né'' Swan; born 25 June 1962) is an English stand-up and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster. Jupitus was a team captain on all but one BBC Two-broadcast episode of music quiz ''N ...

Chris Hawkins Christopher Charles Hawkins (born 23 September 1975) is a British radio presenter, DJ, and music pundit. Hawkins is a regular early morning presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music. He can also be heard presenting documentary programmes on BBC Radio ...

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...

Liz Kershaw Elizabeth Marguerita Mary Kershaw (born 30 July 1958) is an English radio broadcaster. She is the second longest serving female national radio DJ in the UK (after Annie Nightingale), celebrating 30 years on national BBC Radio in 2017. Career A ...

and Andrew Collins, and has had live concerts broadcast on

GCap Media GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. ...

's XFM Station. In 2005 Yungun performed with a full live band for the BBC Africa Season at BBC's Maida Vale Studios. The show was broadcast in a special feature show on 1Xtra. He has been featured numerous publications including regular spots in ''

Hip-Hop Connection ''Hip Hop Connection'' (''HHC'') was the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. It was described by rapper Chuck D as "the best magazine in the world". History Under the editorship of Chris Hunt, the magazine p ...

''. He has also performed on international festival tours, such as

Love Planet Painters and Dockers are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1982. Paul Stewart, singer-songwriter and trumpet player, Dave Pace (vocals and trumpet) and Mick Morris (vocals and sax) are all original members in the band which was nam ...

and Hip-Hop Kemp, he also appeared at the 2006 Bestival Festival with

The Nextmen The Nextmen is a UK production/songwriting/DJ duo consisting of Dom Search (a.k.a. Dominic Betmead) and Brad Baloo (a.k.a. Brad Ellis). Often incorporating hip hop, drum & bass, dub, pop, soul and various other eclectic electronic and in ...

. He also hosted the

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

and MTV's

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

party. In 2006 he released a new album, ''Grown Man Business'', with Mr Thing, to critical acclaim.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Essance'' (2004, Janomi) * ''Grown Man Business'' (Yungun and

Mr Thing Mr Thing is a British hip hop producer. He is a former member of the Scratch Perverts.Cordor, CyrilMr. Thing Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-06-19 He has worked with such artists as Yungun, Doc Brown and Devise. Mr Thing was also the winne ...

) (2006, Silent Soundz)

Singles

* "Bachelors Anthem" (2003,

white label A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels. Test pressings Test pressings, usua ...

) * "Dancing Shoes" (Mr. Thing and Yungun) (2003, Janomi) * "Push" (2004, Janomi) * "The Big Idea" ( Lewis Parker and Yungun) (2004,

Canteen {{Primary sources, date=February 2007 Canteen is an Australian national support organisation for young people (aged 12–25) living with cancer; including cancer patients, their brothers and sisters, and young people with parents or primary carers ...

) * "Forget Me Not" (Yungun and Mr. Thing) (2006, Silent Soundz) * "Jackin 4 Breaks" (Yungun and Mr. Thing) (2006, white label)

Compilation appearances

* ''£10 Bag Volume 2'' (2003, Music from the Corner) ("Yungun") * ''Low Life's Main Courses—'Food (2003, Low Life) ("What Eye See") * ''Low Life's Main Courses—'Food' Instrumentals'' (2003, Low Life) ("What Eye See" (instrumental)) * ''Young and Restless Volume 1'' (2003, YNR) ("4 Horsemen", "City Breaks") * ''Doc Brown presents…Citizen Smith Vol. 1'' riple P/Poisonous Productions, 2004* ''A Slice of Paradise Volume 1'' (2004, Fusionova) ("It Don't Matter") * ''We Got Next'' (2004, HHC Magazine) ("The Big Idea") * ''£10 Bag Volume 3'' (2004, Music from the Corner) ("Push", "Outrageous") * ''Bangers & Mash'' (2004, white label) ("City Breaks") * ''Skitz—Homegrown Volume 1'' (2004,

React REACT or React may refer to: Science and technology *REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US Computing * React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook ** React Nati ...

) ("Slumber") * ''Undercover Cuts 13'' (2004, Undercover Magazine) ("Push") * '' Fabric Live 20'' (2005,

Fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

) ("Nico Suave") * ''Evil Ed and K-Delight Live from Caesar's Palace'' (2005,

Playing Around ''Playing Around'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film with songs, starring Alice White, Chester Morris and William Bakewell. It was adapted from the story "Sheba", written by Viña Delmar. The film was produced and distributed by First ...

) ("Nico Suave") * ''Skitz—Homegrown Volume 2'' (2005, Silent Soundz) ("The Code") * ''The Sickness'' (mixtape) (2005, Silent Soundz) ("Nico's Back") * '' Fabric Live 26'' (2006, Fabric) ("Alphabet Man", "Surprise") * ''Above Board'' (mixtape) (2006,

Antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...

) ("Cross My Heart") * ''Beats 'n' Rhymes'' (2007,

Pistache ''Pistacia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It contains 10 to 20 species that are native to Africa and Eurasia from the Canary Islands, all of Africa, and southern Europe, warm and semidesert areas across As ...

) ("Peter Pan Syndrome", "Never Coming Down")

Guest appearances

* Tommy Evans – "4 Horsemen" (2001, YNR) * LG & Lopez – "Life Long" (2001,

Sit Tight ''Sit Tight'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code musical comedy film, directed by Lloyd Bacon, written by Rex Taylor, edited by James Gibbon, and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It was originally intended as a full musical, but due to the back ...

) * Delegates of Culture – "Pulse Reclusive" (2002, Delegates of Culture) * Tommy Evans – "Silent Mobius" (2002, YNR) * Doc Brown – "Out There" (2002, Janomi) * LG & Lopez – "City Breaks" (2002, Sit Tight) *

Evil Ed ''Evil Ed'' is a 1995 Swedish horror comedy film directed by Anders Jacobsson and starring Johan Rudebeck, Per Löfberg and Olof Rhodin. The film's plot follows film editor Edward Tor Swenson, who begins to go insane and embark on a murder spree ...

– "The Art of Celebration" (2002, Hidden Identity) *

– "Adventures in New Bohemia" (remix) (2003, Low Life) * Harry Love – "Surprize", "Live in London" (2004,

Medication A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

) * Evil Ed – "Nico Suave", "The Cavalry" (2004, Janomi) * Asaviour – "Money in the Bank" (remix) (2004, YNR) * Beyond There – "Slumber" (2004, 72) * Blufoot – "Alphabet Man" (radio mix) (2005,

Scenario In the performing arts, a scenario (, ; ; ) is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the ''commedia dell'arte'', it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play, and was literally pi ...

) * Doc Brown – "Freestyle" (2005, Poisonous Poets) *

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

– "Vices/Verses" (radio mix) (2005,

Breakin' Bread The J.B.'s (sometimes punctuated The JB's or The J.B.s) was the name of James Brown's band from 1970 through the early 1980s. On records the band was sometimes billed under alternate names such as Fred Wesley and the JBs, The James Brown Soul ...

) * Son of Scientist – "Slide" (2005, Main Squeeze) * Doc Brown – "Never Coming Down" (2005, Janomi) *

Verb T Thomas Conning (born 11 January 1981), better known by the stage name Verb T is a UK hip-hop artist based in London. Biography Verb T has released 10 albums and six EPs as well as numerous singles. His first release was the 12-track EP ''Ba ...

and Harry Love – "Behind Your Eyes" (2006, Medication/Silent Soundz) * Stylophonic – "Beatbox Show" (2006,

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

) * Doc Brown – "The One" (2006, Hiptones) * Asaviour – "Money in the Bank") (2006, Low Life) * First Man – "That Girl", "Back for More" (2007, Grindin) * Katalyst – "All You've Got" (2007, Invada)

References

External links

Yungun's official MySpace page

{{authority control English male rappers People educated at Eton College Living people Rappers from London Year of birth missing (living people)