Blanco - Gilberto’s Son (Mixtape)
One of London’s hottest rappers right now, Blanco continues his scintillating run of form with his most ambitious mixtape to date in the genre-blending Gilberto’s Son, coming alongside lead single “Sombrero” which lands as BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Hottest Record with DJ Target.
Fresh from his South-American-infused offering “Ponzi Scheme”—which Blanco freestyled on Shooters Only, melodic single “Tyla” alongside Brazilian rapper Veigh, and recent drill-infused “Charlie Sloth” featuring close friend and Harlem Spartans member MizOrMac, the Kennington native asserts himself fully with his new 13-track project. From “Soda Lime”, a work of careful beat selection and lithe lyricism, to the atmospheric sounds of “Trustfall” featuring London singer-songwriter Grace Carter, to Amapiano-infused heater “OneEighteen” alongside Nigeria’s pioneering force Blaqbonez, Gilberto’s Son—named after Blanco’s late father— is the work of an artist who has already exerted a significant influence on a generation of music and is continuing to explore his own identity as an innovative solo musician. Showcasing his most heavyweight international collaborations to date across a truly eclectic range of musical influences, Gilberto’s Son emerges as testament to his position as one of the UK’s most exciting and experimental lyricists right now.
Fresh from huge debut performances at Glastonbury Festival and All Points East, Blanco has been busy heading campaigns for the likes of Nike Air Jordan x END as well as establishing himself as a prominent staple at Paris Fashion Week. This natural passion for culture and cross-pollination has been echoed by his recent collaboration with garage and bassline DJ Interplanetary Criminal for “Races” (performing the track live at Warehouse Project), and a musical pilgrimage to Brasil which saw him meet with some of the hottest rappers and producers in the territory incl. El Lif, Veigh and LEALL as he sought to incorporate the South American cultural ties of his Angolan heritage.
2023 proved to be a huge year for the South West London rapper, following up his GRM DAILY ‘Daily Duppy’ freestyle with potential UK rap mixtape of the year in Rebourne, featuring the likes of Kojey Radical, Avelino and boundary-pushing producers Litek, Jens Muller, Alexaybeats, ATG and KXLLAK. The project would earn critical attention across THE GUARDIAN, WONDERLAND, CLASH, HUCK MAGAZINE, COMPLEX UK and DJ MAG amongst others.
Most notably, the mixtape delivered a hit with “Brilliant Mind” —49M Spotify streams and counting and remained in the top of the Official Charts for 6 weeks, as well as being added to the B-list on BBC Radio 1 and placing in the Spotify viral charts in the UK and internationally. Nemzzz hopped on the official remix, racking up a cool 29M+ streams so far.
Originally inspired by the nascent drill sounds emanating from US pioneers Lil Jay, Chief Keef, and Rondo Numba Nine, Blanco first came to prominence with his leading role in renowned drill collective Harlem Spartans — featuring on one of the most iconic drill offerings to date “Kennington Where It Started” alongside Bis, Active and MizOrMac (50M+ streams and views.) In 2020, Blanco served up the hit “Shippūden”, named after the second phase of cult anime series Naruto, raking in over 52M streams and counting, followed by 2021’s “The Great Escape” with Central Cee, and then his debut tape City of God which saw initial experiments with baile-funk and his Portuguese-speaking heritage.
A truly singular artist in the UK rap landscape who continues to push boundaries and innovate beyond the genre to the delight of high-grade rap fans, Blanco’s multi-faceted ability and increasingly global vision mark him as one of the most significant names in the UK scene right now.