I was planning on doing a profile on a different artist, but when I saw Unknown T, who I believe is the most technically proficient and impressive Drill rapper on the planet, finally dropped his first full mixtape, I got a little distracted. So that is what I’ll be talking about today.
After gaining some recognition in 2018 with his single “Homerton B,” the rapper, born Daniel Lena, hailing from Homerton, Hackney, in East London, recently was released from prison after providing evidence in a case he clearly had no part in. After being cleared of the bogus murder charge, and having already seen “Homerton B” become the first UK Drill song to go Silver according to BPI, it’s time for Unknown T to cement his name in the scene, and let the world know that his momentum won’t be stopped.
That brings us to the release of his 16 track debut mixtape Rise Above Hate.It includes a few previously released singles, “Leave Dat Trap” featuring AJ Tracey, “Fresh Home,” “Squeeze & Buss,” and “Deh Deh.” Let’s go through Unknown T’s first full project track by track and see if he lives up to the hype that he has built for himself.
Steppy: It’s fitting that, other than the Sapphire Beatz’ producer tag, the first thing you hear on the tape is Unknown T’s “MHM” ad-lib. As he starts to rap, the tenor of his voice stands out right away. It’s almost unnaturally deep, and is an immediate ear catcher. Add that to his elastic, relentless flow, andhis talent from a technical side is impossible to ignore. The track stands as a rather typical drill track, with the throbbing bassline, and two-note synth line, but it also serves as the perfect introduction. In one continuous verse, Unknown T touches on his disdain for the new generation of rappers and that just because he was recently locked up, Hackney, or the 9, isn’t up for grabs. He mentions how “my team turn boys to men,” and the flow pattern he uses to rap “Bro, bro went round on a ped too much, next time we might need new tires, how many times have I rid, nearly sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, step out there and spark up the beef like electric wires, tell my solicitor ‘shush’ the intel musta been wrong ‘cause I don’t conspire,” is ridiculous. In that, you begin to see that while he isn’t past letting you know how powerful his name is in the streets, he’s realizing what he can do outside of that life. Maybe that was some post-prison clarity, leading him to be more motivated than ever when it come sto fulfilling his obvious talents as an artist. Regardless, it is a very clear theme that pops up all throughout this tape. This track sets a clear standard of quality, and he only goes up from here.
Deh Deh: *Please just look at the way this man moves in his videos when he raps. The T Bop is unmatched* This was the most recently released single for the project. We get an ethereal drill beat with a constantly undulating baseline. His unique accent and way of accentuating certain words, or even just specific syllables really comes out here. He uses this technique when he says,“with a Samurai, holdin’ my waist and fidget, and if we buck opps like bells in a skeng, reverse it back and then wig it, I’m speakin’ facts, I don’t chat shit on the trap, man live it,” he slightly elongates the words “fidget” and “wig it,” deepening his voice even more than usal. These lines also get to the overall conviction that Unknown T raps with. There a some rappers out there (not naming names just yet) that you simply don’t take seriously, or they don’t come off as authentic. However, Unknown T conveys a sense of conviction and experience when he says things like “back then I was young with the Smithin, so I ain’t gotta prove no points, real gangsters don’t need to talk about drillings,” you have no choice but to believe him. Then I had to mention the absurd little double time flow he hits about half way through his second verse. It’s almost like he got bored and just decided to switch his flow up mid verse. He does this often, and it never gets any less exhilarating.
Addicts Featuring M Huncho: Now, I was excited for this one as soon as I saw the track list. It features M Huncho, the barrel-chested masked crooner who is fresh off of releasing a fantastic album himself earlier this year in Huncholini the First. Here he once again plays the melodic counterpart to a deep-voiced drill artist after his phenomenal collaboration with Dutchavelli on the track“Burning.” He completely dominates the first half of the song, showcasing his equally relentless, borderline monotone, melodic flow. “This shit gets tirin’, know I’m the Wizard, I’m still and enigma, I paint a good picture, I cannot stop, I’m a machine, yea,” gets right to the appeal of Huncho. Nobody makes the trap, including every up side and down side, sound more elegant, dangerous and necessary than Huncho does. He does paint very subtle yet vivid pictures of the life he used to live. As a Manchester United fan, who is VERY SALTY over UEFAs recent ruling on the Manchester City case, I still can’t help but point out the word play he uses by saying, “Fam, I’m on my bag that I gotta carry, and I’ll do it all in man’s city, yeah, scoring golazos, that’s Sane, yeah.” After some time with Huncho, and a beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on a number of American trap rap albums released in the past few years, Unknown T makes his presence known. Hestarts slow, as Huncho recites the chorus, “And they can’t help it, man that people’s parents were drug addicts, and I can’t lie, yeah, I used to sell drugs to the addicts,” you hear Unknown T adding in adlibs, which seem to be mixed lower than normal. The energy is building, as if he is bubbling just below the surace. Then he bursts in with more urgency and conviction in his voice than ever before. “Let’s get shit straight, if you’re fuckin with me, there’s a stick in the place, we pop shit bait and pop them doors, anytime and any place.” He mentions how he has “no fear in [his] heart,” if he runs into any opps, and shares what I think is one of his better punchlines. “I still put buj on my block, I still try focus on black like Dave,” referring to Dave’s powerful single “Black.”But it speaks to his life in the streets as well, and how at one point, it may have been drugs he was giving to the streets, but now he has these songs that are more powerful than anything else he could’ve cooked up in the past. There is also this nice, dusty percussion that hangs in the background during the start of each verse, which adds a lot to the elegant, cycling piano line we get for much of the track.
Tug Boy: Another track that falls into the more “typical” Unknown T drill sound. That’s not saying it’s lack luster, buthere just is a lot to live up to for T when he has set the bar so high for himself track after track. However, “Tug Boy” is still full of quotable lines. He kicks the track off with, “I can’t lie, being a G gets hard, I mean being a G gets tense,” and then explains how he can easily go from spending time with his girl to long sessions with his chefs. This lets you know that despite all of the misinformed people (i.e. the entire UK government) who thinks these tracks are glorifying the lifestyle are missing the point. This isn’t a life to brag about.His flow is unflinching through the whole track, especially as he says, “mets complainin I’m robbin again, this yute boy try give profit to Ken, guess where he got poked? Reverse the word Ken.” In case that needs explaining, reversing Ken, gives you Nek, aka neck, which is where you can expect a blade if you cross him. It’s some brutal imagery, that is common in drill, but Unknown T has a special way of painting that picture. Here, you start to get a peak into his personalty as a person too. Through social media, he’s proven to love a bit of banter, and he has his fun. He’s not alwaysas serious as his music may make him seem. This is clear when he says, “When I’m dodgin the Jakes, no case, I’m thankful, this white boy said he wants cocaine, so I bought Air 1’s in a box, I’m prankful.” The imagery of showing up with a box of all white Air Force One’s is hilarious, and I’m glad this side is starting to come out in his music more often.
Prison: Here, you get a classic Ghosty beat. Some discordant piano keys and anever changing bassline.It’s a bit more drill by the numbers, but just like with “Tug Boy,” his flow, cadence and wordplay automatically elevates it over the majority of drill out there today. He referenceshis own name when he says, “you won’t know who done the unknown shootin, why? Cah my strip don’t tell,” and gives us some more brutal imagery with “my Rambo knife’s gonna ching man well, look, we buss cases, all my opp boys get clocked when the bop, oh well, ching him in the backbone, let’s raise some hell.” It isn’t pretty, but it sure is vivid as hell.
Fresh Home: We get a similar Ghosty beat here, with what sounds like some reversed synth keys, but this did serve as Unknown T’s first track after getting cleared of his charges and released from prison. He raps about being locked withpeople facing life sentences, in a specific section of the prison with no cameras, surrounding byopps. The lines that stick out to me the most come as the final two lines of the chorus. “Buss case, had to climb to the top of the ladder, I was unknown, Now I’m back on the scene as a well known rapper, Damn right, I’m a well known rapper.” It’s some slick wordplay, where he explains he was unknown, another play off of his name. While that may refer to the level of notorietyhe received before this music thing, he’s still Unknown T; He’s still true to himself.He’s going to continue to be a genuine representation of who he really is, and clearly, that is something that should take him very far. Even though he finds himself on the charts now, he’s always going to be Unknown.
Main Squeeze Featuring Young T and Bugsey: This is the song I feel most conflicted about. I remember seeing Unknown T mention online that this is the song he may be most excitedabout. In a lot of ways, I completely understand why. It’s got a sweet, energetic beat that is just perfectfor the radio. It’s a much more clean, marketable song that the dark, relentless drill he’s been known for. He progresses into a melodic flow that actually suits him extremely well. While I can’t say this is my favorite song, the wide appeal it could have is immense. I hope this is a hit, especially with his recent legal tribulations, this could be the track that get’s him a massive amount of appeal. There’s still some gun-talk, but it’s so much more playful, and relationship oriented. It was an unexpected detour, but one that could be extremely fruitful in the end. I never have any issues with artists showing their versatility and willingness to try new things. Especially when they go over this well, and even as I’m writing this, the song itself is growing on me with every single listen.
Jail Call Skit: A short, cute little skit where Unknown T is talking to a women. He explains how the system is screwing him over (which seems to be an accurate description of his time behind bars) and the woman he is speaking to expresses that she will love and support him no matter what the verdict was. It’s good to know that he had a massive amount of support from those close to him. Short, but effective.
SS Interlude: If “Main Squeeze” was a detour from his typical sound, “SS Interlude” feels like your Maps app told you to turn off a busy highway in favor of deserted dirt roads. It’s the last place you expected to be. But in this track’s case, we get an extremely sweet, and touching ballad over an electric piano and some guitar chords. I never thought I’d be describing one of Unknown T’s songs as beautiful, but here we are. He sings, “Sweet symphony, sometimes I struggle mentally, certain things were never meant to be.” Dealing with reality and mental health issues are never easy, and it’s always respectable to see an artist dip their toes into such weighty matters. Overall, it’s gorgeous, and at under 2 minutes, it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. T again shows that he has a lot more in his bag than justflashy flows and wordplay.
LV Featuring Young Adz: Another feature who is off of a pretty huge project from earlier this year. The nasally crooner, Young Adz is part of D Block Europe, and released Insomnia with Skepta and Chip, bringing together three generations of UK music that was anything but expected. Unknown T’s voice on the chorus is so deep, and the bassso prominent, it almost sounds like he’s harmonizing with the bassitself. He gets a little lost in the mix, but it actually ends up being impressive that his voice can reach a tone that many artists wouldn’t be able to hit unless it was in a chopped and screwed remix. Adz and T prove to be nice counterparts to one another, and Unknown T keeps up his trend of absolutely spinning the final verse on just about every track. He’s absolutely flying when he gets into the last few bars of his verse, “I told this young boy go back in the bando, but he got clocked sith my rock, I’m sad, yo, Got a four fizz, not a pack of Tango, There’s a lot of bells in this spin like Django, Hands on the bruck, man clutch, that’s manual, try know, anywhere man go, gangroll, All my young bucks wanna strike like Fernando, Pop, let him hop ‘cah he does it like Santos?” It’s stupid how this man constructs flows and ties line after line after line together.
Mortal Kombat: Now this one. This song right here!!!!! This one caught me off guard. The synths in the beginning remind me of “Long Time” off of Playboi Carti’s Die Lit. Not the type of beat I would have ever expected Unknown T on. This feels intentional, considering he even mentions Milly Rocking at one point in the song. When the massive sub-bass comes in, it muffles the synths as if it was being played under a mile of water. Just as many of the beats are on Die Lit, there’s a hypnotic quality to the beat itself, and Unknown T finds the perfect pockets to make the catchiest, most playful song he’s ever made. He extends certain words at the end of many lines, such as the final repetition of the chrous “Mortal Kombat (wack wack), That’s the violence in the trap (faaaaaaacts).” He elongates the word facts almost comedically long, with a ton of sarcasm and playful energy in his voice. The chorus, and song title in general, hold a few different meanings as well. The “wack wack” ad-lib fits into the idea of swinging a blade, or a fist, which is exactly what you do in Mortal Kombat, andis the type of violent action that gets taken on the road as well. Additionally, this “Mortal Kombat” is also life or death. It isn’t just a game like the title to the video game may suggest, but there are fine margins between success and failure. He says, “My favorite fans got me on repeat,” and as an admittedly unbiased fan, that was me immediately after hearing this one. His ear for rhythm and catchy flows are unmatched on this track. Maybe my favorite off of the entire project. It has the rhythm of a dance song, and it’s energy is absolutely infectious.
Leave Dat Trap Featuring AJ Tracey: This one was released in June of last year, before Unknown T was locked up. It was the first time he shuffled into a more melodic sound. He and AJ Tracey, who makes a return to the darker sound of his early career, both rap abouthow their loved ones are begging them to leave the trap and roadlifestyle. Maybe it’s because this one came out so long ago, it doesn’t do a ton for me compared to a lot of the new tracks here. The flows are solid, the chorus is catchy, and the beat is nothing to scoff at. Just not my favorite overall. It is notable that Unknown T mentions the case of Rashan Charles, who died under some shady circumstances when a police officer dug an object out of his throatthat he was choking on. It was later found officer’s actions likely lead to Charles’ death, but charges were never brought about. (sounds a lot like another country being controlled by a brutal police force that’s more concerned with protecting themselves or solving a petty crime than keep citizens safe, but I digress…) “We all been a young n**** making cash, but tell me how come the cops took Rash? And the officer didn’t get bagged, it’s fucked up, need justice for that, Rest up bros, I miss them too, the streets been peak, I lost half of my crew.” It’s a stark reminder that can get lost in the line to line madness of his flow. The loss and sadness that constantly swirls around and within these artists cannot be ignored.
Leave Dat Trap Featuring AJ Tracey: This one was released late last year, before Unknown T was locked. It was the first time he shuffled into a more melodic sound. He and AJ Tracey, who makes a return to the darker sound of his early career, both rap abouthow their loved ones are begging them to leave the trap and roadlifestyle. Maybe it’s because this one came out so long ago, it doesn’t do a ton for me compared to a lot of the new tracks here. The flows are solid, the chorus is catchy, and the beat is nothing to scoff at. Just not my favorite overall. It is notable that Unknown T mentions the case of Rashan Charles, who died under some shady circumstances when a police officer dug an object out of his throatthat he was choking on. It was later found officer’sactions likely lead to Charles’ death, but charges were never brought about. (sounds a lot like another country being controlled by a brutalpolice force, huh?) “We all been a young n**** making cash, but tell me how come the cops took Rash? And the officer didn’t get bagged, it’s fucked up, need justice for that, Rest up bros, I miss them too, the streets been peak, I lost half of my crew.” It’s a stark reminder that can get lost in the line to line madness of his flow. The loss and sadness that constantly swirls around and within these artists cannot be ignored.
Squeeze & Buss: Straight forward drill T returns on this one. He kicks it off with a solid group of lines poking fun at the cops who were pissed they couldn’t keep him locked up for a crime he didn’t commit. “Po hate me ‘cah there weren’t no solvin, gunman stance and the club said so smoking, but we brought that smoke in, I’m the best at my age, no boastin.” And it never really does feel like he’s boasting or bragging. He’s just telling it like it is. There simply isn’t anyone that can touch him at the moment. The “WHOOSH” ad-libs are great too. The chorus here is a keeper too, “Hand up, hold this, squeeze then buss, GS corn is a must, pop smoke, cah everyone’s talkin tough, Rudeboy, I’m callin your bluff, bareman duss when they heard it’s us.” His way of pronouncing certain words makes a classic drill song all the more compelling. “Buss” sounds like “byuss,” “cash” sounds like “cyash.” I may be missing something as to why he does this,but it’s interesting and definitely makes him stand out even more.
One Time: The bass just fully assaults your ears on “One Time.” The producer Swish really did something here. The eery piano keys and thumping base fit perfectly with T’s voice and aggressive flow. He paints such vivid imagery and gets into many of the darker aspects of life on the road. “Man dump on beats and still take trips sometimes, if you slip on your block then we gotta make siblings cry…. Man creep on your block, cah we step with pokes on bikes get x in the bait moonlight.” There’s something crazy how a few lines later, he describesa gunshot as “a violent sneeze.” That insane conviction is on display once again through out the entire track, as he forgoes a legitimate chorus for a long verse that sees him switching his flow up at the drop of a hat. “We supply that blem, bow, rise and them, bruk down two’s or we bruk down four’s, we can pop at them, fuck, free up the guys in pen,” is a catchy, aggressive little flow pattern he repeats at the end that sends the song off perfectly.
Aven9ers Featuring V9 and KO: This was the other song that I was unimaginably excited for. Unknown T, V9, and KO are all from Homerton, and have all done music together, but never had all three gotten on a single track. V9 is known for some of the rudest, most aggressive punchlines in drill. Look no furtherthan the countless times he’s said things like, “V9 too devlish, ching man’s nan for backing her grandson,” or “V9 too devilish, ching man’s dog for backing his owner.” And then we have KO, who has a more laidback delivery, but is right up there at the top of the drill scene as well. So finally getting all three on a track is special. And it doesn’t disappoint. The beat is slick, with a nice guitar lead, accompanied by some Oriental style flutes. You can’t tell me anyone thought the influence of Future’s “Mask Off” would be this wide reaching! We then get a short verses from all three artists, as they kind of tag team back and forth. The chemistry is really what stands out with this song. All three of them are clearly close, referencing one another throughout their bars. There’s something special when a song comes together this cohesively, asopposed to a situation where you can tell verses were clearly recorded separately and sent over to the producer. We also see V9 say, “Bankai wan chill and kill,” which I don’t think is going to catch on quite like “Netflix and Chill did,” but it’s a line that is right at home on a V9 song, who constantly combines violence, humor, and anime imagery. Unknown T laters says,“got the best of both like Hannah Montana,” and you can’t tell me that hearing Disney Channel referencesin the same song with the lines “Dice man up like Gillete on a razor, word, you can hold this shave,” on it’s chorus, isn’t an equally baffling and wonderful thing. I love this track.
Ambition: The closer. The name and piano keys set the scene right away. This final trackreally acts as a way to sum up everything you just heard. Unknown T’s got his eyes set onmorethan just being the best drill artist. You can tell he wants to, and has the capability to, be a bonafide star. He spits, “And my yutes on hold, cah my phone too busy, rolla a ziggy whileI’m flingin out them packs, Biggie, Biggie, I’m trappin for the angels that are with me, so imma get it quickly, VVS and diamonds on my pinky, bag a hundred bands, that’s the misshie.” It’s clear what his bigger plan is. Money, fame and getting out of the life he’s had to live. The life that had him locked up. The life that has had him lose countless people close to him. While I, as a white dude from the suburbs in Wisconsin, have no place to judge or claim how anyone “should” be living, it feels good to see this sentiment come out in his music. As a legitimate fan, and someone who has seen the personality this guy has, it would be a tragedy for him to not reach the goals he is clearly setting on this tape. This song is a beautiful send off that, in addition to summing up the project before it, also sets the ground work for what’s to comeand acts like an introduction for the next stage in his life and career.I couldn’t have seen a better way to close this album out.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Through my long winded rambles about every track here, I feel like my thoughts are pretty clear. Out of the drill releases, and just generalmusic releases this year, this is right up at the top as one of my favorites. Definitely the most well rounded, well executed drill projects I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. It’s an exhibition in flows that showcases Unknown T’s expert wordplay (there are so many bars I didn’t list, as this would’ve someone ended up being even longer than it already is. But there’s some incentive to listen yourselves!) and his burgeoningsense of humor, as he allows his strong personality to show through more and more. The production is constantly great, always complementing Unknown T, as do all of the features he has chosen.Even in the tracks where he gives the guest a bit more time to do their thing, he always brings it back and reminds you whose song it really is. His ad-libs are always catchy and funny. I’ve been walking around justconstantlysaying “MHM” in his low baritone for a few days now. As he said on “One Time,” “SHIT, THE NINERS DONE IT AGAIN,” and I for one am already excited to see what comes next as well. As cliché and lazy as it may sound, it’s true; The sky as the limit for Unknown T.
Favorite Songs: “Deh Deh,” “Addicts” Featuring M Huncho, “Mortal Kombat”, “One Time”, “Aven9ers” Featuring V9 and KO, “Ambition” (There isn’t a single skip-able song in my opinion, but these are the top ones for me)
Unknown T’s Twitter, Instagram and Youtube pages are linked below. Go check out Rise Above Hate (available on Apple Music as well) and please leave a comment or thought below!
3 replies on “Unknown T- ‘Rise Above Hate’ Album Review”
Astute, accessible, and all-around awesome. Have you thought about doing a vlog review to accompany this?
Thanks, Max! Sorry for the delay. Still figuring out how to make sure I see my notifications and whatnot. It is something I’ve thought about, so I may start doing that at some point, but for the time being, I’m gonna work on tightening up my writing.
I appreciate the feedback and suggestions!
Awesome review! Great job Willer!!