Abra Cadabra

A core member of North London rap group OFB, Tottenham’s Abra Cadabra burst into the limelight with the “Robbery Remix,” a frenetic drill anthem co-signed with features from Krept & Konan. His thunderous vocal style and unconventional flows quickly gained Abz a dedicated following. When the rapper returned to a prolific output in 2020, he became one of U.K. drill’s most dominant figures, landing hits with “On Deck” and “Cadabra Freestyle” ahead of his debut album, Product of My Environment.
Growing up around Tottenham’s Broadwater Farm Estate, Abra Cadabra got his start in music as part of the collective Ounto Nation. Alongside artists like Legz and Kash, Abra made his debut in the mid-2010s with singles like “Feel Like,” “Crisis,” and “Chat Too Much.” His booming vocals made him a favorite for early drill anthems like “Robbery,” but the rapper quickly proved his versatility, demonstrating a croon-like singing style on introspective tracks like “The Roads.” Soon tipped as one to watch with strong appearances across U.K. freestyle platforms Bl@ckbox, Kenny Allstar, and Mad About Bars, Abra’s “Robbery” caught the eyes of rap duo Krept & Konan, who hopped on the track for a viral remix. The rest was history: “Robbery Remix” became one of U.K. drill’s earliest and most successful hits, garnering an underground classic status (and a MOBO award) with its fiery back-to-back verses, thumping production, and iconic “man don’t talk, man rap” hook.
Much of Abz’s early material soon landed on his debut mixtape, Ounto Nation (2016), which compiled his singles and freestyle appearances with a plethora of new material. The rapper continued his hot streak through 2017 with a versatile singles run. As well as demonstrating Abra’s prowess over newer styles of Afro-bashment (“Valentine”) and drill (“Art of War”), his output featured crisp renditions of trap (“Stay”), traditional hip-hop (“My Hood”), and even rock-rap fusion (“Story”). However, following this string of singles, he took a significant step back from music; across 2018 and 2019, Abra stalled his output, releasing just three singles and one short EP.
A bold performance on freestyle show Daily Duppy in late 2019 heralded the rapper’s return to the game — 2020 would be his most prolific year to date. After resurfacing in February with the semi-conceptual LOL: Love or Lust? EP, Abra quickly leapt back into the drill game with the singles “Let Man Know,” “Baby,” and “Cadabra Freestyle,” each harnessing his guttural growl and tumbling flows to produce bombastic drill anthems. With his name solidified once more among the scene’s followers, Abra landed the second major hit of his career with “On Deck,” a shimmying take on the genre produced by Rxckson and Ra$h. With its infectious cadences, swaggering rhythms, and endless quotables, the track became Abra’s first charting hit, peaking at the number 32 spot on the U.K. Top 40. The song was propelled further into the spotlight by the “On Deck (Remix),” an OFB posse cut that enlisted seven of the group’s members for an all-star take on the track.
Abra continued this momentum over the next few months, releasing singles like “Spin this Coupe” and “BLM” to further chart success. His 2020 run culminated in the arrival of his debut album, Product of My Environment, a comprehensive fleshing out of Abra’s work thus far. With features from Kush, D-Block Europe, Krept & Konan, and Dappy, the December release offered a wide-ranging set of styles including melodic trap and drill. ~ David Crone