Loski

A pioneer of the early U.K. drill scene, Loski (aka Loose, Big Skii) built his name in the game as part of iconic Kennington collective Harlem Spartans. Having produced classic singles including “DJ Khaled,” “Teddy Bruckshot,” and “Hazards,” the rapper released his debut album, Music, Trial & Trauma: A Drill Story in late 2020.
Born in 2000, Loski (real name Jyrelle O’Connor) is the son of Brixton rapper and PDC member Ty Nizzle. Having grown up on Chicago drill and U.K. rap, O'Connor built buzz as a rapper in his own right between 2015 and 2016 as a member of Kennington-based crew Harlem Spartans. While Loski didn’t feature on the key Spartans posse cuts “Kennington Where It Started,” “Kent Nizzy,” and “Call Me a Spartan,” he soon created classics of his own. Between 2016 and 2017, he released an iconic string of singles, including “Teddy Bruckshot,” “DJ Khaled,” “Hazards,” and “Money & Beef,” all of which garnered him increasing attention within the scene. With a wide array of slick flows and a cocky, surefire charisma, the rapper quickly built a following and was hailed by fans as one of the scene’s most promising talents.
Despite his success in the drill game, Loski turned to trap and Afroswing in early 2018. March’s “Cool Kid” and April’s “Forrest Gump” ensured that his debut mixtape, Call Me Loose, was a varied affair. With features including Headie One, RV, and Incognito, the project offered a sequel to the iconic “DJ Khaled” with “DJ Khaled 2″ and entered the U.K. charts at number 44. Ahead of his second tape, Loski continued his ventures into alternate rap styles, this time focusing on trap with “Boasy,” “Calm Down,” and “No Cap.” These tracks landed on 2019′s Mad Move, a more commercially driven project that supplanted its predecessor with a number 41 spot on the charts.
2020 heralded Loski’s full return to drill. After kicking off the year with the cutting, Ghosty-produced “Allegedly,” the Spartans rapper soon made waves with standout performances on “Training Day” and “Slay.” The pinnacle of his drill re-run arrived in July with the MizOrMac-assisted “On Me”: bringing the Harlem duo back together for the first time since “DJ Khaled,” the track soon became a fan favorite due to its back-to-back lyrical flourish. Similar hits arrived in Blanco collab “Anglo Saxon” and the Popcaan-assisted “Avengers,” successes that Loski bolstered with features on Morrisson’s “Bad Guy,” JAY1′s “Tee,” and Flipz’s “Come Around.” These set the scene for Loose’s third mixtape, Music, Trial and Trauma: A Drill Story. Split three-fold between classic drill, radio-primed rap/Afroswing, and socially conscious material, the tape allowed Loski to thrive in the disparate lanes he occupied, with appearances including Stormzy, Mike Skinner, OFB, and Aitch. ~ David Crone