Blanco Tickets

At least twice in his career, Blanco has been on the frontline of a massive cultural shift in UK music. First, with the rest of his Harlem Spartans cohorts in the earliest days of drill’s formative years, and then when he went solo and surprised everyone with a project – ‘City Of God’ - that swapped sliding 808s for Baile funk. 

The Kennington-bred artist, born Joshua Eduardo to Angolan refugees, says he didn’t feel a massive connection to UK culture or music growing up. Blanco was exploring his tastes at a time when grime faded out of view and the most exciting new music, at least in his eyes, was coming from across the pond where names like 50 Cent and T.I. were setting pace in the rap world. 

By the time he hit his mid-teens, Blanco’s attention was drawn to Chicago and the nascent drill sound. He always had respect for the Kanos and Skeptas of the world, but for Blanco, it was Chicago drill and the UK’s earliest take on it that really inspired him. Around this time, he heard of a local youth club in Kennington where you could record music for free. Along with Bis, Zeeko and a few other Harlem Spartans, he would head down every Friday and start formulating what would become the ‘Harlem’ sound. 

Blanco’s first project, 2021’s ‘City Of God’, was a landmark moment in UK drill. Although not really drill at all, it was a truly unique piece of work from one of its founding fathers. As underground drill shifted and a new wave of incomers began to transform it into the chart-conquering mainstream phenomenon it is today, Blanco was letting the world know that things had changed. Baile funk was a big and audible influence on that project, but what it really signalled was a desire to stretch beyond any one genre. “I don’t like to put tags on myself,” he says. “I’m not really stuck to one genre.”

Beyond new music, Blanco has a list of goals that stretch out years and years, even beyond his music career. Music was always just one part of his plan; even as a child, he was obsessed with football and even considered pursuing that instead. References to the sport are littered through his music and the same can be said of his other obsessions, especially anime and films. Years down the line, once he’s conquered all his goals in the music game, don’t be surprised if you see him on the big screen. “I really want to do films,” he says. “That’s one thing I’m really into.” Just like his music career, which is backed by over 100 millions streams (and counting), he’ll shake up the acting world too.