Hardy Caprio, a 22 year old Croydon rapper who grew up under the influence of a pioneering wave of British MCs, has combined elements of hip-hop, trap and Afrobeats to infiltrate the UK charts.

His track Unsigned featuring One Acen gained more than 14 million views on YouTube, and subsequently reached number two in the official UK independent chart. Since then, he’s also gained more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify, performed at Wireless Festival and reached the Official Top 40 for a second time with his single Best Life – all while studying Finance and Accounting at Brunel University. After graduating with a first-class degree last month, Caprio has been shortlisted for Artist of the Year at this year’s Rated Awards and announced his UK headline tour where he’ll perform at The Forum, Kentish Town, on October 16.