Born to Congolese parents, schooled in peak-period Bad Boy and raised during Tottenham's grime renaissance, North London MC Avelino works with a varied, vivid palette of influences. There have been snapping Afrobeats anthems (“Boasy” with Not3s) and shape-shifting mini epics (“Rich Soul”), all elevated by a lyrically dense style full of feints and smart flourishes. And though the man born Achi Avelino is a capable foil for other artists—most effectively as part of his fruitful partnership with mentor Wretch 32—the emotional complexity of his flow marks him out as a fiercely independent spirit, adept at balancing earworm hooks with gutsy experimentation.