Blaine Cameron Johnson (2 March 1990 – 9 February 2019), known professionally as Cadet, was a British rapper.
The younger cousin of
Krept
Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990, Gipsy Hill) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989, Thornton Heath), the son of Delroy Wilso ...
, Johnson began pursuing a solo career as a rapper in 2011, releasing a number of freestyles through
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
outlets such as OSM Vision and Link Up TV. His debut project, '' The Commitment'', was released in 2016, followed by ''
The Commitment 2
''The Commitment 2'' is the second and final extended play by English rapper Cadet. It was released on 21 July 2017 via digital download. The EP has features from Konan, Ghetts, Sangeet, and Shakka. He is perhaps best known for his single " Advice" featuring Deno, which peaked at number 14 on 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 ...
.
Johnson died in a car accident on 9 February 2019 on his way to a gig at
Keele University
Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Kee ...
in Staffordshire, three weeks before what would have been his 29th birthday.
Career
Gipset and underground career (2006–2009)
Cadet first became known for his association with Krept and Konan's Gipset crew in 2006, frequently appearing in music videos for the group's freestyles. Cadet released his first commercial mixtape, ''Are You Ready'', on 4 April 2008. The Gipset crew garnered a considerable following across social media toward the end of 2010 through their freestyles about gang life and London living. Gipset broke up in 2013 after Krept and Konan signed their major label deal, and all other members focused on their solo careers.
Solo career beginnings and ''The Commitment'' (2010–2015)
Cadet began pursuing a solo career in 2010. He was featured on the single ''Dungeon Dragons'' by
Stormzy
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his ''Wicked Skengman'' series of f ...
in 2011 and collaborated with the rapper again in 2012 on the single ''GrimeWork''. Cadet released a series of bars for SBTV throughout his years, including a ''Warm up session'' released in 2015.
He released his first freestyle, "Slut", via OSM Vision in July 2015. The song was popular, and had received over 3.1 million views as of February 2019. The following month, Cadet was selected by Link Up TV to appear on their Behind Barz freestyle series, and his freestyle was uploaded to YouTube on 17 August 2015, receiving 2.3 million views as of February 2019. The freestyle attracted praise from American media outlet '' Complex'', who called it "storytelling at its finest" and "better than some rappers' whole mixtape".
Cadet's debut EP, '' The Commitment'', was released in 2016. The EP has features from Donae'o, Konan and Tis Rome. It was the first commercial release by the rapper. Cadet received considerable recognition after releasing "Letter to Krept" in 2016. In "Letter to Krept", Cadet reaches out to communicate with his cousin Krept about a misunderstanding between the pair. Cadet explains their story together, describing the principal events which lead to the distance between them at the point of this song's release. Krept consequently released "Letter to Cadet" to share his side of the story. The single "Corn" featuring Big Tobz was released in December 2016.
Rise to fame and ''The Commitment 2'' (2017–2018)
Cadet released his sophomore EP ''
The Commitment 2
''The Commitment 2'' is the second and final extended play by English rapper Cadet. It was released on 21 July 2017 via digital download. The EP has features from Konan, Ghetts, Sangeet, and Shakka. The EP featured guest appearances from Konan and
Ghetts
Justin Clarke, better known by his stage name Ghetts (formerly Ghetto), is a British grime MC, rapper and songwriter. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Radio 1Xtra. C ...
, as well as vocals from Shakka. In the same year, he released the singles "Southside" featuring Geko, and "What's Good" featuring Loski.
He released the single ''Closure'', a part 2 to his "Slut Freestyle" in April 2018 to much success which gained international attention. Cadet was featured on the remix of
Rudimental
Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.
They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, a ...
Shungudzo
Alexandra Shungudzo Govere, better known as Shungudzo, is a Zimbabwean-American singer and reality television personality. She first attracted media attention by being the first black female gymnast to represent Zimbabwe in artistic gymnastics a ...
which was released on 12 June 2018. On 29 August 2018, Cadet released the single " Advice" featuring Deno. It was his first charting single, initially peaking at number 27 on the UK Top 40, and receiving over 18 million views on YouTube as of February 2019. The song was initially a freestyle which took place in Cadet's car before it was released as a single. His second charting single, " Pumpy", was released on 26 October 2018. The single was produced by Da Beatfreakz and had vocals from Swarmz and AJ & Deno. "
Trendy
A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period.
Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short ...
" featuring Ay Em and
Tion Wayne
Dennis Junior Odunwo (born 1 September 1993), known professionally as Tion Wayne, is a British rapper and DJ from Edmonton, North London.
He appeared on three top-10 singles on UK Singles Chart as a guest – NSG's "Options", "Keisha & Becky" ...
was released in December 2018. This would be the last single released during his lifetime.
Posthumous releases and ''The Rated Legend'' (2019–2020)
After consulting his family, Cadet's second Daily Duppy freestyle was released on
GRM Daily
GRM Daily (Grime & Rap Music Daily), formerly Grime Daily, is a British urban music outlet and entertainment platform. As the name suggests, the platform is an outlet for UK rap and its various genres, such as UK drill, afroswing, trap, and Bri ...
on 22 April 2019 posthumously. On 29 August 2019, Cadets' single ''Gang Gang'' was also released posthumously. It was released via GRM Daily and highlights the prejudices black men face from being wrongfully targeted by the police and was sparked by an incident Cadet himself faced from the police. The single peaked at 82 on the UK Singles Chart.
On 1 March 2020, Cadet's cousin Krept announced that Cadet's studio album '' The Rated Legend'' was in the works. The album is his debut studio release and was released on 10 April 2020, with Krept serving as executive producer. It features Cadet's Platinum-certified single " Advice" and the posthumously released " Gang Gang" as well as previously unreleased music recorded during his life. Krept stated that he wishes to "keep Cadet's name alive and to make sure he can continue what he started and achieved". It was later revealed that all producers and artists contributed to the album for free. It was issued via Cadet's record label imprint Underrated Legends with production features from Show N Prove and Da Beatfreakz and includes vocal features from Young Adz,
Krept & Konan
Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990, Gipsy Hill) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989, Thornton Heath), the son of Delroy Wils ...
, Swarmz,
Wretch 32
Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The ...
Krept
Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990, Gipsy Hill) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989, Thornton Heath), the son of Delroy Wilso ...
, and the two spent much of their childhood growing up together. Johnson converted to Islam at the age of 15 and mentioned his faith numerous times in his music. Johnson was of Jamaican descent.
Death
On 9 February 2019, Johnson and three friends were on their way to a gig at
Keele University
Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Kee ...
Vauxhall Combo
The Opel Combo is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle from the German automaker Opel. The Combo first appeared in 1993, a second generation model was introduced in 2001, and the third was manufactured from December 2011 to December 2017, bas ...
slammed head-on into their
Toyota Prius
The is a car built by Toyota which has a hybrid drivetrain, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003.
In 2007, t ...
in Betley, approximately from the venue. Johnson died at the scene of severe head injuries. His friends and the drivers of both vehicles survived the accident and were sent directly to hospitals for treatment.
On 1 November 2019, 23-year-old Jordan Birch of Woore,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, was charged with killing Cadet by dangerous driving, and with seriously injuring Cadet's driver Kashif Usman. Birch had drunk six pints of beer and was above the blood alcohol limit, was driving at twice the speed limit, and was on the wrong side of the road. In December, he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a plea and hearing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. In January 2020, Birch was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months, with the first half being in prison and the second half
on licence
Release on licence in England and Wales can refer to
* Release from prison on temporary licence, followed by return to prison.
* Release from prison on parole, subject to recall to prison if conditions of parole are violated.
* Release from pr ...
.
Aftermath
Many of Johnson's contemporaries took to social media to pay tribute. Krept said he was "devastated and broken", and announced that a public tribute would take place the following day in Hyde Park, London. Deno released a tribute for Cadet titled " First Days" on 13 February 2019. Krept paid tribute to Cadet by releasing "
Last Letter to Cadet
Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990, Gipsy Hill) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989, Thornton Heath), the son of Delroy Wils ...
" on 27 February 2019. The track also featured a verse from Konan.
The Commitment 2
''The Commitment 2'' is the second and final extended play by English rapper Cadet. It was released on 21 July 2017 via digital download. The EP has features from Konan, Ghetts, Sangeet, and Shakka.
Singles
* " Closure" (2018)
* " Advice" (with Deno) (2018) – UK No. 14
* " Pumpy" (with Da Beatfreakz, AJ & Deno, Swarmz) (2018) – UK No. 70
* "
Trendy
A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period.
Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short ...
" (featuring Ay Em and Tion Wayne) (2018)
* " Gang Gang" (2019) – UK No. 82
* "
Support Me
Blaine Cameron Johnson (2 March 1990 – 9 February 2019), known professionally as Cadet, was a British rapper.
The younger cousin of Krept, Johnson began pursuing a solo career as a rapper in 2011, releasing a number of freestyles through YouT ...
Last Letter to Cadet
Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990, Gipsy Hill) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989, Thornton Heath), the son of Delroy Wils ...
" by Krept and Konan (2019)
* "Letter to Cadet" by Rapman (2019)
* "It'll Kill You" by Lady Leshurr (2019)
* "Tribute to Cadet" by Clue (2019)
* "Underrated Legend" (Cadet Tribute) by Big Tobz (2020)
* "Dear Cadet" (Legacy Continues) by
Shocka
Kenneth Erhahon (born 8 July 1988), better known by his stage name Shocka, is a rapper and mental health advocate from Tottenham, London. He gained recognition for being one/third of Grime collective Marvell alongside Double S and Vertex. After ...