Kano along with The Streets and Dizzee Rascal, has purported a reputation of being one of London’s most celebrated MCs in Grime and UK based hip-hop.

Kano was born in East Ham, London and showed high competency in sports, playing football for Norwich City; however, he eventually gave it up to pursue a career in music.

Kano fell into the UK grime scene early on in his career and joined the hip-hop collective, N.A.S.T.Y. (Natural Artistic Sounds Touching You). The group became an underground cult success and quickly became one of the most popular acts featured on the radio station Deja Vu. His recognition with N.A.S.T.Y. led to his record deal with 679 as a solo artist.

Kano’s came out with his first solo track “Boys Love Girls” in 2002 and handed it over to Dizzee Raascal for some final touch ups. His second single “Typical Me” was not released until nearly three years later; however, it proved to be his most successful track to date climbing to No. 22 on the UK Singles chart. “Home Sweet Home”, Kano’s debut studio, album was issued on 27 June 2005, featuring the hugely popular “Ps and Qs” single, showcasing Kano’s raw delivery over Davinche’s bouncy production, catapulting the the East London MC, and taking Grime to the mainstream.

At the time the 20 year old Kano established himself as one of the most exciting forces to hit the UK Grime scene. The album was critically lauded and debuted at No. 36 on the UK Album charts. This release did not only garner praise from accredited publications like the Independent and the Observer, but was also herald by rap legends such as Nas, Andre 3000, RZA, and Public Enemy’s Chuck D.

Before releasing his sophomore LP, “London Town”, he tided over fans with several singles including “Brown Eyes/ Signs In Life”, “This Is the Girl”, and “Fell Free” as well as a mix-tape simply entitled “Mix-tape”. Though “London Town” was not as critically revered as it’s predecessor it performed exceptionally well on the charts, entering at No. 14 in the UK. This release was also notable for boasting several important guest contributors such as

Damon Albarn, Vybz Kartel, Kate Nash, and Leo the Lion. Kano ended his relationship with 679 Recordings in 2008 and issued his 3rd studio album “140 Grime St” through the label Bigger Picture Music. In 2010 Kano put out his 4th consecutive Top 50 charting album “Method to the Madness”. He also contributed vocals to the Gorillaz’s  massively successful album “Plastic Beach” that year.

For his 2011 mix-tape “Girls Over Guns”, Kano stepped away from his grime theme tendencies, abandoning the genres’ misogynistic overtones and instead directed his lyrical content in favour of women. A year later Kano released another mix-tape “Jack Bauer 2.4” and the EP “Wavy”.

Kano released his sixth album ‘Hoodies All Summer‘ on August 30th 2019. In a four-star review, NME said: “In an album predominantly interested in social commentary, Kano refuses to let us forget his ability to poignantly capture the painful realities of romance…”

With Kano set to head out on the road in support of the record next month, further dates have now been announced for early 2020. Kicking off in Bournemouth, the stint will also see the rapper take to the stage in Cardiff, Bristol, Liverpool, and more cities throughout February

Tour Dates:

• Wednesday 2nd October 2019 – Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow
• Friday 4th October 2019 – Albert Hall, Manchester
• Saturday 5th October 2019 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham
• Sunday 6th October 2019 – Brighton Dome, Brighton
• Monday 07 October 2019 – Royal Albert Hall, London
• Friday 31st January 2020 – O2 Academy Bournemouth
• Saturday 1st February 2020- Solus, Cardiff University Students’ Union
• Sunday 2nd February 2020 – O2 Academy Bristol
• Monday 3rd February 2020 – O2 Academy Liverpool
• Friday 7th February 2020 – Drumsheds, London
• Wednesday 12th February 2020 – O2 Academy Leeds
• Thursday 13th February 2020 – Rock City, Nottingham
• Friday 14th February 2020 – O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham
• Saturday 15th February 2020 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester

You can purchase tickets here.