Rhys Thomas Sylvester (born 2 March 1992), known professionally as Mist (stylised as MIST), is a British rapper from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. His second EP, '' Diamond in the Dirt'', was released in February 2018 and peaked at number 5 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

Early life

Mist was born Rhys Thomas Sylvester on 2 March 1992 in

, England, to parents from

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

, who lived in a predominantly Punjabi community in Birmingham. His father was a guitarist in a band that at one point appeared on

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

. At a young age he began taking an interest in

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, and would listen to

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, and

Puff Daddy Puff may refer to: Science and technology * Puff, a small quantity of gas or smoke in the air ** Puff, a light gust of wind ** Exhalation ** Inhalation * Puff model, volcanic ash tracking model developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks * PUF ...

as a child. After his older brother moved out of the house, Sylvester moved into his bedroom and began experimenting with his music equipment, making beats and writing some of his own rhymes to go with them. He was in trouble with the law during his youth for robbery, though he claims he was not involved with gang life as he and his friends were more interested in cars and motorbike riding.

Career

After his release from prison in 2015, Mist began pursuing a career in music, releasing his first freestyles to YouTube, through a channel called P110, in June that year. His debut EP, ''M I S to the T'', was released in September 2016. It broke into the UK charts, peaking at number 75. Shortly after, Mist was signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

and given his own imprint, Sickmade Ent. Throughout 2016 and 2017, he released a number of singles through the label, including "Madness", "Hot Property" and "Marijuana" featuring

Chip Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...

. "Madness" was certified Silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) in 2022. In February 2018, Mist released his second EP, '' Diamond in the Dirt'', featuring collaborations with

MoStack Montell Samuel Daley (born 31 August 1994), known professionally as MoStack, is a British rapper and singer from Hornsey in North London. After releasing a string of online songs and non-album singles between 2014 and 2016, he released his debut ...

, Nines, and

Not3s Lukman Olanrewaju Odunaike (born 17 April 1998), better known by his stage name Not3s (pronounced Notes), is a British singer-songwriter, rapper and actor from Hackney, London. His songs include "My Lover" and "Fine Line", both of which are colla ...

. The EP peaked at number 4 on the

and remained on the chart for 6 weeks. Three songs from the EP also entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

; "Wish Me Well" featuring

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, ''Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, produce ...

, which peaked at number 73, "On It" featuring Nines, which peaked at number 66, and "Game Changer", which peaked at number 35. "Game Changer" was certified Silver by the BPI in 2021.

Personal life

Mist has mentioned in his music that he has a daughter. He has also clarified that both of his parents died prior to his pursuit of a music career. Mist is an avid supporter of

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Legal Issues

In March 2012, Mist was fined £80 for possession of marijuana and sentenced to probation. In 2014, he was involved in a police chase on the M6 after he was caught driving without a license and was sentenced to 14 months in prison on 1 October after admitting dangerous driving and using a vehicle while uninsured.

Discography

Extended plays

*''M I S to the T'' (2016) *'' Diamond in the Dirt'' (2018)

References

{{Authority control 1992 births Living people English male rappers Rappers from Birmingham, West Midlands