YT (rapper)

Last updated
YT
Birth nameOluwatola Joseph Fola-Alade
Born (2001-05-05) May 5, 2001 (age 24)
Romford, East London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper, songwriter
Years active2016–present
LabelsIndependent

Oluwatola Joseph Fola-Alade (born May 5, 2001), known professionally as YT, is an English rapper and songwriter from Romford, East London. He first gained popularity in 2021 with his viral single "Arc'teryx", and later through the jerk music scene.

Contents

Early life and education

Fola-Alade was raised in a Nigerian family in East London. He attended Harrow School and later studied Philosophy and French at the University of Oxford. [1] [2]

Career

In 2016, YT began making music as a teenager, recording on GarageBand and voice memos, while rapping on "type beats" found on YouTube. [1] Later attending the University of Oxford, YT continued releasing material. [3]

YT's wider public breakthrough came with the 2021 single "Arc'teryx", referencing the Canadian clothing company of the same name. [3] The song went viral online, with Pitchfork selecting the single for its "The Ones" spotlight that same year. [4] In 2023, YT released the mixtape #STILLSWAGGIN and later the album Real Life. [5] [6] Directly following his graduation period, he also released the single "The One (Just Got My Degree)". [7]

In late 2024, YT released "Black & Tan" (featuring Lancey Foux), which was followed by a music video that garnered attention online due to its use of Y2K aesthetics. [8] [9] The song was described by NME as a "boisterous new-age jerk classic", and followed by the single "Prada or Celine". [9] [10] In 2025, Dazed described YT as one of the leading artists of the "new UK rap revolution", [11] "owning UK rap's swag" by the Fader, [2] while Washington Square News labelled him "the future of UK rap". [12]

On March 28, 2025, YT released the mixtape OI! [13] [14] [15] [16]

Discography

Albums

TitleAlbum details
Cul De Trap
  • Released: September 5, 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
e.t: volume one
  • Released: August 13, 2020
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Tmilli
  • Released: October 7, 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Real Life
  • Released: February 10, 2023
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Mixtapes

TitleAlbum details
#STILLSWAGGIN
  • Released: October 23, 2023
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
OI!
  • Released: March 28, 2025
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

TitleEP details
Unprotected Flex
  • Released: 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Game Over
  • Released: 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Sss < / 3
  • Released: 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Unprotected Flex Vol. 2
  • Released: 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Sss2 < / 3
  • Released: 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
C2rcn
  • Released: 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Nowhere to Go
  • Released: 2022
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
#SWAGRENAISSANCE
  • Released: 2023
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
#B4OI!
  • Released: 2025
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

References

  1. 1 2 "Meet YT – I didn't even have an Arc'teryx jacket when I made that song". Gaucho World. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 "YT owns U.K. rap's new swag". The Fader. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 "YT owns U.K. rap's new swag". The Fader. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "The Ones: YT's "Arc'teryx"". Pitchfork. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Our rap columnists' favorite records of 2023". Pitchfork. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  6. ↑ Peterson, Alex (20 March 2025). "YT announces new album 'OI!'". The Needle Drop. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Listen to YT's "The One (Just Got My Degree)": The Ones". Pitchfork. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Pierre, Alphonse (2025-03-21). "Y2K Nostalgia Is Everywhere, and UK Rappers Can't Get Enough of It". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  9. 1 2 DAILY, GRM (2024-11-19). "YT reveals nostalgic video for "Prada Or Celine"". GRM Daily. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  10. ↑ "OI! The rise of YT in 5 tracks". Dazed Digital. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Dazed (2025-02-28). "9 underground artists leading the UK's rap revolution". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  12. ↑ "Review: YT is the future of UK rap". NYU News. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  13. ↑ Selenou, Serge (7 April 2025). "YT: OI! Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "YT – 'Oi!' review: underground rap star makes his biggest bid for mainstream success yet". NME. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Barlas, Jon (2025-03-28). "UK star YT stuns on debut album 'OI!'". Our Generation Music. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  16. ↑ Kyann-Sian Williams (2 April 2025). "YT – 'Oi!' review: underground rap star makes his biggest bid for mainstream success yet". NME. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
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