Blak Twang

Blak Twang (born Tony Olabode,[1] England) who also uses the pseudonyms of Taipanic and Tony Rotton,[2] is a British rapper who grew up in Deptford, Lewisham, South-East London.

Blak Twang
Birth nameTony Olabode
Also known asTony Rotton
OriginDeptford, London, United Kingdom
GenresBritish hip hop
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1990s-present

Twang is famed for his live performances all around the world and his ability, especially in his earlier recordings, to include various South London word usage and slang as well as locations without sounding too obvious, making him a firm favourite with English hip-hop fans as the original, "Hip-Hop Geezer".

Career

Twang's debut single was 1995's "What Goin' On". His debut album, Dettwork SouthEast (a pun on the rail company Network SouthEast) was sent out to the media for self-promotion but never released. It included "Real Estate" and the title track, "Dettwork SouthEast".

His second album, 19 Long Time, also suffered from record label obstruction. The album included "Red Letters" and Roots Manuva collaboration, "Shhhoosh".

However, his 2002 album Kik Off[3] was awarded full label release, and spawned several singles, the football themed "Kik Off", Twang anthem "So Rotton", and "Trixsta" (featuring Estelle), all of which achieved radio play and a degree of commercial success. In 2005 he released the album The Rotton Club, backed with the single "GCSE (Ghetto Children Sex Education)" featuring Twang's protégé (and Rottonus Records signee) K9. Twang also released another single from the album in late 2005, "Travellin" which featured Barrington Levy in the original album version, but the video featured the First Man Remix with female singer Tali.

On 20 October 2013 he released a single "Badda Dan Dat", which features remixes from drum and bass artists Run Tingz Cru, Serial Killaz and Terrahawk. It was released through Ramajam Recordings. In September 2014, Dettwerk SouthEast finally received a full release on Sony Music.[4]

Blak Twang is heavily linked with rapper Versetti and others. He was featured alongside rapper Ty in the UK remix of Talib Kweli & Hi Tek's "Down for the Count" in 2001. Amongst his nominations for awards include a MOBO,[5] a Kora, and a "Best International Hip-Hop Act" nomination from The Source.

In 2019 he joined Ty and Rodney P to form Kingdem, called a "supergroup of British rap elders" by the New York Times.[6]

Discography

Albums
  • 1996 Dettwork SouthEast [reissued 2014]
  • 1998 19 Longtime (Recognition)
  • 2002 Kik Off (Bad Magic)
  • 2005 The Rotton Club (Wall of Sound)
  • 2008 Speaking from Xperience (Abstract)

EPs
  • 2013 Rebel Emcee (feat. Congo Natty)
  • 2013 Badda Dan Dat
  • 2015 The Pantheon EP (feat. Blackmale Beats)

References
  1. Lynskey, Dorian (16 January 2004). "Review: Blak Twang, Cargo, London". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. Jamieson, Ruth (2005-04-17). "Blak Twang - The Rotton Club - Review". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  3. "ukhh.com - reviews - lp - Blak Twang - Kik Off". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  4. "Blak Twang – Dettwork Southeast 2014 - ukhh.com". Archived from the original on 2014-11-05.
  5. "MOBO awards 2005". Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  6. Caramanica, Jon (2020-05-15). "Ty, British Rapper Who Bridged Generations and Genres, Dies at 47". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-26.


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