Slowthai

Get the album TYRON here

East Midlands rapper Tyron Kaymone Frampton is better known by his artist name Slowthai – derived from his nickname Ty and his habit of speaking slowly as a kid.

Raised by a single mum in a Northampton council estate, he didn’t get off to the easiest of starts in life. Having to deal with the death of his one-year-old younger brother led to early teenage alcoholism, with music becoming his only escape.

In 2016, Slowthai released the track Jiggle. A year later he followed it with the EPs slowitdown and I Wish I Knew, which led to a recording contract with Method Records. A third EP, Runt, arrived in 2018 and he received positive reviews, with Pitchfork calling him “one of grime’s most promising young talents”.

Slowthai was included in the BBC's Sound Of 2019 poll and then later that year unveiled his debut album, Nothing Great About Britain. Upon release, it reached at No.9 on the UK albums chart and was even nominated for a Mercury Prize. However, his performance at the ceremony was controversial as he took to the stage holding a fake, decapitated head of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Known for his edgy, unpredictable behavior and for performing in his underwear, Slowthai has also earned a reputation for his hard-hitting, thought-provoking lyrics. His honest self-expression and multi-dimensional musicality soon made him popular across the pond.

In early February 2021, Slowthai released his second record TYRON, which topped the UK albums chart. Consisting of 14 tracks, it’s divided into two parts – there are seven raw, provocative songs with uppercase titles like CANCELLED and DEAD, and seven calm, introspective tracks with lowercase titles such as feel away, adhd and nhs. Mostly made during the coronavirus pandemic, the new record also features collaborations with artists like Skepta, A$AP Rocky, James Blake and Denzel Curry.

To support its release, Slowthai announced his Hell Is Home UK tour for March 2022.