Octavian Oliver Lanoire (born 22 January 1996), known mononymously as Octavian, is a French-British rapper, singer, and songwriter from London. In 2019 he won the BBC's Sound of Award, their top award for new artists. He has appeared on tracks produced by

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

Mura Masa Alexander Crossan (born 5 April 1996), also known by the stage name Mura Masa, is a Guernsey-born electronic music producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Crossan is best known for his song "Lovesick (Mura Masa song), Lovesick", which ...

Take a Daytrip Take a Daytrip is an American record production and songwriting duo composed of Denzel Baptiste (born January 9, 1993) and David Biral (born February 22, 1993). They are best known for producing singles such as Sheck Wes' "Mo Bamba", Lil Nas X ...

, JRick and A2. He has collaborated with

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 ...

, A$AP Ferg,

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

, and many others.

Early life

Octavian was born in Lille, France, to an Angolan and Ivorian family. After his father died, he moved to the UK with his mother at the age of three, settling in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

, South London. As a teenager, he won a scholarship to the BRIT School, but dropped out after a year and a half.

Music career

Octavian's first mixtape, ''22'', was released in 2016 under the name "Octavian OG", followed by the ''Essie World'' EP in 2017. His recognition increased in January 2018 after a video of Drake singing along to the track "Party Here" at a Golden Globes afterparty was posted on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

. The track was produced in collaboration with producer

J Rick Jordan Cian Christie (born 16 April 1996), better known by his stage name J Rick, is a London-based musician and producer. He produced the breakthrough singles "Party Here", "Hands" and "Lightning", the last of which was also featured in the vide ...

. '' The Fader'' have described Octavian's sound as a mixture of

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, rap, and

drill A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a bit, either a drill or driverchuck. Hand-operated types are dramatically decreasing in popularity and cordless battery-powered ones proliferating due to ...

, as well as noting that his sound was influenced by Drake and Bon Iver. '' Pitchfork'' have described the sound as mixing "R&B and dancehall with downbeat grime, peppy house, and UK hip-hop". Critics have disagreed about how to classify Octavian's style, with High Snobiety noting that he is "Too British to be labeled trap but too American to be classed as grime". '' The Guardian'' described his 2018 mixtape ''Spaceman'' as "a spectacular medley of the past decade of UK subgenres – the raspy-voiced rapper amalgamates elements of drill, grime and house to create something dextrous and distinctive." ''Pitchfork'' described the release as "daring eclecticism". In August 2018, Octavian signed with Sony / ATV Records. In January 2019, Octavian won the BBC Sound of 2019 award, their top award for new artists. In June 2020, a single featuring Octavian from Gorillaz's seventh studio album, '' Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez,'' titled "

Friday 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

", was released.

Abuse allegation

In November 2020, Octavian's ex-partner alleged that she had suffered years of emotional and physical abuse from him during their relationship. He denied the allegations. She posted videos and text messages claiming to show the alleged abuse, and claimed that he attacked her with a hammer and threatened to kill her. She also said she was asked by his management to sign an NDA for £20,000 and called out their complicity. Octavian's management later stated that their business relationship ended, as did his PR agency. His label,

Black Butter Records Black Butter Records is a British record label based in London, England. It was founded in 2010 by Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, with an investment of £5,000, and was named after a brand of condiments that had the same name. It was ...

, went on to make a statement that they had dropped him and would not be releasing his album.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

As featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Octavian (rapper) 1996 births Living people Musicians from Lille People from Camberwell Black British male rappers British trap musicians Rappers from London English people of Angolan descent French emigrants to the United Kingdom