Over the past decade, the U.K. has seen a huge rise in Afrobeat/rap tunes taking over the charts and if there’s one duo that’s no stranger to that, it’s Nottingham’s very own Young T and Bugsey. Hailing from the Midlands in England, these two artists originally were flying solo in separate parts of Nottingham, but the hype became all the more real when the two began collaborating, after hearing each other’s demos. In 2015, backstage at one of Tim Westwood’s Crib Sessions, the duo found themselves chatting with none other than Big Mike, Stormzy. Talking with Primary Talent, Bugsey said “We we’re bare young and thought, we gotta rap for him…He felt what we were doing…He’s been really supportive since.” Now, with the support of a current mass selling artist, the two started their rise to fame with some successful single releases during a time where this new branch of UK rap was starting to gain traction in the mainstream.
In June 2016, ‘No Mickey Mouse Ting’ was their second release and the radio loved it. Charlie Sloth on BBC Radio 1xtra and his peers were flooding the airwaves with the pair and so began the start of a flurry of well received music by the masses. In July 2018, their first entry to the charts landed with ‘Ay Caramba’ and it wasn’t long before the pair would break into the Top 10, just 11 months later. Bugsey stated while talking to fact magazine in 2011, that “We each bring something to the table that the other maybe wouldn’t” and that’s very apparent in their flow interchanges and style of rap. The pair’s differences in tonality and finesse effortlessly bounce off each other throughout their verses, keeping the rhythm moving at all times. The chemistry between the two young Nottingham stars is what sets them aside from many others in the game.
‘Glistenin’
‘Strike A Pose’
Teaming up with Aitch, fellow UK chart topper, this track was the pair’s first UK Top 10 Single, peaking at number 9. Released in June 2019, this was their previous single to the international hit ‘Don’t Rush’, where they began to really take off. This one will be ringing in your heads for the rest of the day.
‘Don’t Rush Remix’
After the success of the original in the US and Canada, Billboard’s current hot shot Da Baby jumped on the remix of this smash hit. With how young these artists are, whilst also at the beginning of their journey, this link up is sensational. One of the biggest rappers from the American side of the pond, teaming up with these rising stars from the UK to make a 2020 Summer banger is exactly what we needed to see.
The only way is up for Young T & Bugsey, with this very moment being the beginning of their break in America and beyond. Hopefully, we see the pair begin to network with more artists globally to spread their name far and wide, like their friend Stormzy for example. Keep a keen eye on these two as they take off.
