Krept and Konan is a British

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990,

Gipsy Hill Gipsy Hill in south London is a hilly and leafy neighbourhood spanning the southern parts of the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark characterised for its stunning views of the City of London and Dulwich. Historically, north of its tra ...

) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989,

Thornton Heath Thornton Heath is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around north of the town of Croydon, and south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the Coun ...

), the son of

Delroy Wilson Delroy George Wilson CD (5 October 1948 – 6 March 1995) Greene, Jo-Ann, " Delroy Wilson Biography, allmusic.com, Macrovision Corporation was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. Wilson is often regarded as Jamaica's first child s ...

otherwise known as 'Jamaica's first child star'. Their first major release was the mixtape '' Young Kingz'', released on 2 September 2013. As of 3 May 2013, Krept and Konan signed a record deal with

Virgin EMI Records Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

. Their debut album '' The Long Way Home'' was released on 5 July 2015 and entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

at number 2. The duo's highest-charting single is "

Freak of the Week "Freak of the Week" is a song by British rappers Krept and Konan, featuring vocals from American singer Jeremih. The song was released for digital download in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2015 as the first single from their debut album '' The Lo ...

" featuring

Jeremih Jeremy Phillip Felton (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Jeremih ( ), is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. He embarked on a musical career after meeting record producer Mick Schultz in 2008, and signed a recording contract wi ...

, which charted at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Krept and Konan have both starred together in the film ''

The Intent ''The Intent'' is a 2016 British crime thriller film directed by, written by and starring Femi Oyeniran Femi Oyeniran is a Nigerian-British actor and director who started his career in '' Kidulthood'', playing the role of "Moony" in 2006. ...

'' (2016) and reprised their roles in the prequel '' The Intent 2: The Come Up'' (2018).

Early life

Krept is one of two siblings. His father was in prison for drug offences and his older brother was "a lot of trouble", so he felt like his mother's last hope. Krept went to secondary school at Stanley Technical College (now

Harris Academy South Norwood Harris Academy South Norwood is a city academy in South Norwood, London, for students of both sexes aged 11–18. The school was designated as a Business and Enterprise College by the Department for Education and Skills when it was formerly cal ...

), before continuing his A Levels at Richmond Upon Thames College, while Konan went to Haling Manor School (now Harris Academy Purley). Krept studied accounting at the

University of Portsmouth The University of Portsmouth (UoP) is a public university in Portsmouth, England. Comprising five Faculty (division), faculties, the university offers a wide range of academic disciplines. in 2022, with around 28,280 students enrolled in Unde ...

. Konan was arrested multiple times in his youth, including for stealing a jumper and robbing a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

restaurant. He went to jail for a year in 2007 for the latter offence.

Music career

2005–2010: Formation and career beginnings

In 2005, Krept and Konan met and formed a friendship when their schools played each other at

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. They were making music under the same aliases but were also members of 'Gipset', a gang based in Gipsy Hill, in which

Cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

, who was Krept's cousin, was also involved. In 2009 they became a musical duo and started to take music seriously. Shortly after their formation, in 2010 the duo released their first mixtape titled ''Redrum'' featuring collaborations from London underground rappers, Killa Ki, Snap and many more. In 2010 the rap duo released their second mixtape titled ''Tsunami'' featuring several mainstream artists including

Ghetts Justin Jude Clarke-Samuel (born 9 October 1984), better known by his stage name Ghetts (formerly Ghetto), is a British Grime (music), grime MC, rapper, songwriter and actor. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio ...

, Giggs, Scorcher and Lil Nova.

2011–2014: ''Young Kingz'' and commercial breakthrough

In 2011, they released a cover of

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

's and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's " Otis" which helped them rise to fame. The video reached five million views in its first five days of being uploaded to YouTube. However, with much pressure received from

's legal team the video was removed from the duo's profile. Undeterred by the controversy, they released a cover of

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

's "The Motto", launched their own clothing line called Play Dirty and early into 2012 were invited to join the British rapper

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

on his tour in the UK. They appeared on

Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie (formerly Tinie Tempah), is a British rapper and singer. He has been signed to Parlophone since 2009, now a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his ...

's 2011 mixtape '' Happy Birthday'' and in 2013 they released their third mixtape '' Young Kingz'', with features from

Chip Chip may refer to: Food * Chip (snack), thinly sliced and deep-fried gastro item ** Potato chips (US) or crisp (UK) * Chips (fried potato strips) (UK) or french fries (US) (common as a takeout side) * Game chips, thin chip/French fries * Choco ...

, G FrSH, Giggs, George the Poet, Yungen, Ari, Yana Toma, Fekky, Siah and Anthony Thomas. The album's promotional single "Don't Waste My Time" rose to fame in January 2014, with notable artists such as

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Moroccan Arabic, Arabic: IPA pronunciation, æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York ...

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 ...

, G FrSH, Double S, Lady Leshurr, Yungen,

Sneakbo Agassi Babatunde Odusina (born 25 July 1992), better known by his stage name Sneakbo, is a British rapper. His first song, " The Wave", peaked at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and he has since released a number of top 40 hits, such as " Z ...

MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (; born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK ( ; a gramogram of Emenike), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and ha ...

, Dru Blu,

Jacob Banks Jacob Banks (born 24 July 1991) is a Nigerian-born English singer and songwriter from Birmingham. Banks won the 2012 MOBO UnSung regional competition in Birmingham and the Adidas "Are You In" music competition. His music is influenced by a ran ...

and

Dot Rotten Joseph Ellis-Stephenson (born 19 October 1988), better known by his stage name Dot Rotten, Zeph Ellis or Who's British is a British grime MC, rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Lambeth, South London. Having released a series of ...

all contributing to remixes of the track.

also freestyled over the beat on Charlie Sloth's ''Fire in the Booth''. Winning Best UK Newcomer at the 2013

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...

was one of the big breaks the duo had. With low promotion compared to other artists. They released "Don't Waste My Time" as a single in March 2014 and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 154.

2014–2017: ''The Long Way Home, 7 Days'' and ''7 Nights''

On 29 June 2014, they attended the BET Awards which was held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California and received an award for 'Best International Act: UK' by BET International and beating

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...

Laura Mvula Laura Mvula ( Douglas; born 23 April 1986) is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula gained experience as a member or leader of a cappella, jazz/ neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In 2012, sh ...

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...

and

. On 3 March 2015, ''Croydon Advertiser'' announced the duo as the 39th most powerful people from the Croydon borough, for their pioneering movement and recent success in the music industry. On 28 March 2015, they released a video for "Certified" featuring

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

. The song serves as the first promotional single from their debut album '' The Long Way Home''. The song was subsequently added to

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 ...

's playlists. ''The Long Way Home'' was released in July 2015. The lead single from the album, "

", features vocals from American singer

and was released on 28 June 2015. The song entered and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, making it the duo's first top ten single on the chart and Jeremih's second. 25 June 2015 on YouTube, a remix of "

" was published by reggae and dancehall artists

Popcaan Andrae Hugh Sutherland (born 19 July 1988), known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican Toasting (Jamaican music), deejay. In 2008, Popcaan joined Vybz Kartel's Gaza Music Empire. In 2010, he released his breakthrough international hit "Cl ...

Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...

. The album was released on 5 July 2015 through

Virgin EMI Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

and

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

, and features numerous high-profile musicians, including

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé ( ; previously Gouraguine; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a British singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Sandé rose t ...

and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

. They released a double mixtape, ''7 Days'' and ''7 Nights'' on 19 October 2017. 7 Days focused on rap, whilst 7 Nights focused on RnB. They peaked at number 6 and number 8 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.

2017–2020: ''Revenge Is Sweet''

On 10 May 2018, Krept and Konan released a song called "Crepes and Cones (Ya Dun Know)" to promote their restaurant. It featured

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

and was produced by

Steel Banglez Pahuldip Singh Sandhu (born 5 February 1987), known by his stage name Steel Banglez, is a British record producer and musician of Indian Punjabi descent. He is currently signed to Warner Bros. Records. Best known for his production work with art ...

. On 3 November 2019, the duo released their first album in four years, ''Revenge Is Sweet''.

2021–present: ''We Are England''

In June 2021, Krept and Konan appeared in the BBC Three documentary ''Krept and Konan: We Are England'', where they make a football song for the UEFA Euros Tournament and get to know the England squad.

Other projects

Krept and Konan launched the Positive Direction foundation on 6 November 2017 at

, Krept's old school. The foundation provides workshops in "music production, engineering and songwriting". The duo also launched their restaurant, Crepes & Cones, on 12 May 2018 alongside grime artist J2K. Hundreds of fans lined up during its opening weekend, with food shortages due to the large number of orders. The restaurant also employs young offenders to give them a chance to rehabilitate. As of 2024, the restaurant is permanently closed. In 2019, Krept and Konan also created the first series of BBC Three's ''The Rap Game UK'' alongside

DJ Target Darren Joseph, known professionally as DJ Target, is an English DJ and presenter. He is best known for being part of grime collective Roll Deep and presenting on BBC Radio 1Xtra. Career Joseph is a former member of Roll Deep. Joseph began hosti ...

. Adopting the format of the US version, seven MCs battled to get signed for a single record deal. The show was renewed for a second season, which aired in 2020. In January 2025, they opened a supermarket called Saveways in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

, specifically tailored to serve the needs of black, Asian and ethnic communities.

Personal lives

Konan lost his stepfather on 1 July 2011, when masked gunmen followed Konan into the house. One of the gunmen had targeted Konan for dating his ex-girlfriend, but shot his stepfather in the chest when he tried to chase the gunmen out of the house. This experience was later told on the song "My Story". Konan's mother is also involved in the music business, and goes by the stage name Donna Michael. She is a reggae singer, and used to be a backing singer for his father,

. Krept lost his cousin, named

, in a car accident on 9 February 2019. He has a daughter with model Sasha Ellese, named Nala, who was born on 11 June 2020. The duo lost close friend and business partner Nyasha "Nash" Chagonda to suicide in June 2018, who was commemorated in "Broski" on the album ''Revenge Is Sweet.'' They are both avid supporters of football club

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

Achievements

In 2013, the duo broke the record for 'Highest-Charting UK album by an Unsigned Act'. The pair earned the title with '' Young Kingz'', which entered into the top 20 in the

. Following the rap duo success, they won a MOBO award (Best Hip-Hop Act 2014) and BET award. Both were awarded the

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

(BEM) in the

2020 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to music and the community in Croydon.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Guest appearances

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Tours

*2011:

Wedding Bells tour (supporting act) *2012: Devlin tour (supporting act) *2013: Young Kingz show live *2014:

''Demonstration'' tour (supporting act) *2016: Night to Remember Tour *2019: Revenge Is Sweet Tour

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Authority control English hip-hop groups English male rappers English musical duos Musical groups from London Musical groups established in 2009 Black British musical groups Rappers from London Hip-hop duos Recipients of the British Empire Medal