J Hus

Quoting both the '90s rap group Sporty Thievz and dancehall don Beenie Man on his breakthrough hit "Dem Boy Paigon," U.K. rapper J Hus exploded on the scene in 2015 with a sound that mixed rap, reggae, and the new wave of electronic Afrobeat. Born and raised in the London Borough of Newham, the amateur MC first impressed his friends with his rapping, so much so that two of his mates pushed him into professionalism by offering to become his managers.

In 2015, they recorded a handful of demos and uploaded them to the web, cut the single "So Paranoid" with London rapper MoStack, and uploaded a set of videos, including "Dem Boy Paigon." The latter was an instant street hit and quickly earned over a million views, then J Hus dropped his debut mixtape, The 15th Day, which featured the U.K. radio hit "Lean & Bop." In 2016, J Hus inked a deal with Epic Records.

His debut LP for the label, Common Sense, was released in May 2017 and featured guest spots from MoStack, Burna Boy, Tiggs Da Author, and MIST.