V9

Concealing his face with a garish Deadpool mask, V9 brings a sinister thrill to the exploding UK drill scene. The rapper grew up in London’s Homerton district and, in 2018, found his sound: the first songs released by the masked MC, especially his breakout single “Charged Up”, doled out brutal threats over leering basslines. His 2019 debut album, Homerton Sensei, fleshed out his skeletal drill sound while staying true to its ethos, updating old songs and burrowing deeper into flows and imagery. In the meantime, V9 developed a close working relationship with fellow Homerton rappers Unknown T and KO, collaborating on genre-defining singles like the 2020 twofer “Drip Drip” and “AVEN9ERS”. V9’s follow-up record, 2020’s Yūdokuna, offered few concessions to a pop sound, deepening the grooves of a style that cannot be imitated.