Slowthai

Tyron Kaymone Frampton (born 18 December 1994),[1] better known by his stage name Slowthai (stylised in lowercase), is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton,[3] he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, politically charged lyrics, especially around Brexit and Theresa May’s tenure as British Prime Minister. Slowthai placed 4th in the BBC Sound Of 2019 and followed up in the same year with his debut studio album, Nothing Great About Britain. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize; at Slowthai’s 2019 Mercury Prize ceremony performance, he held a fake severed head of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on stage, generating much controversy.[4]

Slowthai
Slowthai at Glastonbury Festival in 2019
Background information
Birth nameTyron Kaymone Frampton
Born (1994-12-18) 18 December 1994[1]
Northampton, England
Genres
Instruments
Years active2015–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteslowthai.com

Early life

Slowthai was born on 18 December 1994 in Northampton to a teenage mother of mixed Barbadian and Irish descent, he was raised by his single mother in a council estate with his sister in the Lings area of Northampton. His step-father later moved in and his younger brother Michael was born with muscular dystrophy (MD). He died in 2001, aged one, which greatly affected Frampton and the family. Frampton attended Northampton Academy and in 2011 went on to attend Northampton College, where he studied a Level 3 BTEC in Music Technology.

Slowthai frequently skipped school during his years at Northampton Academy, often spending time at a nearby underground “recording studio” at his friend's house, only stopping when his mother was forced to attend a compulsory court hearing.[5] After college, Slowthai had multiple miscellaneous short stints in employment - he worked as a labourer and at a clothes shop before being sacked for breach of contract after he gave his friends employee benefits. After his dismissal, he focused entirely on music, downloading a copy of FL Studio and releasing numerous singles and an extended play under Bone Soda.

Music career

The name Slowthai originates from his childhood nickname; slow ty due to his slow speech and drawled tone.[6] In 2016, he released his first single titled "Jiggle" and went on to release a string of singles via SoundCloud that were later removed.

In 2017, Slowthai partnered up with indie record label Bone Soda to release his I WISH I KNEW EP, Murder and T N Biscuits. Later in the same year, Slowthai signed his recording contract with Method Records and since has released his RUNT EP and debut studio album, Nothing Great About Britain which charted at number 9 on the Official Charts on the week of release.[7]

In addition to being included in the BBC's Sound of 2019 poll[8] and NME's NME 100 list,[9] Slowthai has also received acclaim from publications such as DIY, Vevo and Metro[10][11][12] as well as having his debut album nominated for a Mercury Music Prize.

Slowthai contributed additional vocals on the song "What's Good"[13] from Tyler, The Creator's album Igor. He also featured on "Heaven Belongs To You"[14] from Brockhampton's album Ginger and later joined their HBTY North American tour in 2019 as the special guest.[15]

In 2020, Slowthai was featured alongside UK punk band Slaves on Gorillaz's single "Momentary Bliss". The single was the first "episode" of their Song Machine project.[16]

In 2020, after winning the Hero of the Year award at the NME Awards, Slowthai dropped his microphone into the crowd, which was then thrown back at him along with a drink. Slowthai then threw his own drink and jumped into the crowd. Although viewers complained of his comments to Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan, Ryan said Slowthai "didn't make me uncomfortable". He has since apologised to Ryan.[17]

On 15 September 2020, Slowthai released the single "Feel Away" featuring James Blake and Mount Kimbie.The song was said to be a tribute to his brother, for the anniversary of his death.[18] On 19 November, Slowthai released the single "nhs" alongside a tracklist for his album "TYRON", releasing 5 February 2021.[19]

On December 18, 2020, Slowthai released "Thoughts" as a single, along with a lyric video that featured local police responding to a complaint of a social gathering.[20]

On January 5, 2021, Slowthai released "MAZZA", a single featuring A$AP Rocky.

Personal life

Slowthai is a supporter of the football team Northampton Town. Parts of the music video for "Gorgeous" were filmed at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium.[21] He has also stated that he supports Liverpool F.C..[22]

Musical style

His music has been categorised as grime[23] and hip hop.[24] He often includes elements of punk rock,[25][26] leading to the categorisation of grime-punk.[27][28] In a 2019 article for the BBC, Kev Geoghegan described him as "either a grime MC making punk music or a punk making rap music".[29] In an article for Vice Media, Niloufar Haidari described his music as "caustically witty bars over abrasive beats that blend grime, trap, Soundcloud rap and even punk and screamo".[30]

He has cited musical influences including Gesaffelstein, Juelz Santana, Rosalía, Radiohead, Nirvana, Mount Kimbie, Arctic Monkeys, Sex Pistols, Justice, Oasis and Die Antwoord.[30]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
UK
[31]		 IRE
[32]
Nothing Great About Britain 964
Tyron
  • Scheduled: 12 February 2021[35]
  • Label: Method
  • Format: CD, LP, streaming, digital download
 To be released

Extended plays
Title Details
slowitdownn ノノ
  • Release: 7 March 2017[36]
  • Label: Bone Soda
  • Format: Digital download
I Wish I Knew ノノ
  • Release: 3 November 2017[37]
  • Label: Bone Soda
  • Format: Digital download
Runt
  • Release: 14 September 2018[38]
  • Label: Method Records
  • Format: Digital download

Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[31]		 NZ
Hot
[39]
"Jiggle"[40] 2016 —— Non-album singles
"Murder"[41] 2017 ——
"T N Biscuits"[42][a] 2018 —— Nothing Great About Britain
"The Bottom"[43][b] —— Non-album single
"North Nights"[43][a][b] —— Nothing Great About Britain
"Ladies"[44][a] ——
"Polaroid"[45][a] ——
"Drug Dealer"[46][a] ——
"Rainbow"[47][a] ——
"Doorman"
(with Mura Masa)[48]		 ——
"Peace of Mind"[49] 2019 ——
"Gorgeous"[50] ——
"Nothing Great About Britain"[51] ——
"Inglorious"
(featuring Skepta)[52]		 50—
"Toaster"[53] ——
"Psycho"
(with Denzel Curry)[54]		 —— Non-album single
"Deal Wiv It"
(with Mura Masa)[55]		 —— R.Y.C
"Enemy"[56] 2020 —— Non-album singles
"Magic"
(with Kenny Beats)[57]		 ——
"BB (Bodybag)"[58] ——
"My High"
(with Disclosure and Aminé)[59]		 86— Energy
"Feel Away"
(featuring James Blake and Mount Kimbie)[60]		 9234 Tyron
"NHS"[61] ——
"Thoughts"[62] —— Non-album single
"Mazza"
(featuring A$AP Rocky)[63]		 2021 9420 Tyron
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  • a Appears on the deluxe edition of Nothing Great About Britain only.
  • b "The Bottom" and "North Nights" were released as a double A-side.
Title Year Peak chart positions Release
UK
[31]
"Interior"
(JD.Reid featuring 808INK, Slowthai, Oscar #Worldpeace)[64]		 2017 — Calibrate EP
"Noddy"
(Earbuds featuring Slowthai)[65][66]		 2018 — "Noddy" single
"Lighthouse"
(Take a Daytrip featuring Rico Nasty, Slowthai and IceColdBishop)[67]		 2019 — TBA
"Momentary Bliss"
(Gorillaz featuring Slowthai and Slaves)		 2020 58 Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

Other charted songs
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NZ
Hot
[68]
"High Beams"
(with Flume & HWLS)		 2019 7 Hi This Is Flume

Guest appearances
Title Year Other artist(s) Album Credit(s)
"Like A See Saw"[69] 2015 Lord Pusswhip Lord Pusswhip Is Wack
  • Featured artist
  • Co-writer
"Piggy Bank"[70] 2018 JD.Reid Tree
  • Featured artist
"High Beams"[71] 2019 Flume, HWLS Hi This Is Flume
  • Featured artist
  • Co-writer
"What's Good"[72] Tyler, the Creator Igor
  • Background vocals
"Meanwhile... at the Welcome Break"[73] The S.L.P. The S.L.P.
  • Featured artist
"Heaven Belongs to You"[74] Brockhampton Ginger
  • Vocals
  • Co-writer
"Tyron (Interlude)"[75] 2020 Headie One, Fred Again GANG
  • Featured artist
  • Co-writer
"Barry White"[76] Zero non-album single
  • Vocals
"Pressure in My Palms"[77] Aminé, Vince Staples Limbo
  • Featured artist
"Graveyard Shift"[78] AJ Tracey Secure The Bag! 2

Awards and nominations
Year Organization/Award Category Work Result Ref.
2018 Ticketmaster New for 2019 Himself Included [79]
Vevo DSCVR 2019 Artists To Watch Included [80]
BBC Sound of 2019 Fourth [8]
DIY Class of 2019 Included [81]
Metro Ones To Watch 2019 Included [82]
2019 UK Music Video Awards Best Urban Video - UK "Inglorious" (featuring Skepta) Nominated [83]
Q Awards Breakthrough Act Himself Nominated [84]
Best Album Nothing Great About Britain Nominated
Hyundai Mercury Prize Nominated [85]
2020 NME Awards Best Album Nominated [86]
Best Album in the World Nominated
Best British Song "Deal Wiv It" (with Mura Masa) Nominated
Best Song in the World Nominated
Best British Solo Act Himself Nominated
Best Solo Act in the World Nominated
Best Live Act Nominated
Best Collaboration Himself (with Mura Masa) Won
UK Music Video Awards Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Video - UK "Psycho" Nominated [87]
Best Dance/Electronic Video - UK "Deal Wiv It" (with Mura Masa) Nominated
"My High" (with Disclosure and Aminé) Won
Best Editing in a Video Nominated
2021 Grammy Awards Best Dance Recording Pending [88]

References
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