Unknown T

The first U.K. drill artist to land a Top 50 chart position, East London’s Unknown T harnessed his bassy vocals and stable of unique flows to become one of the most dominant faces in the scene. Representing Homerton (E9) alongside artists like V9 and KO, the rapper’s refreshing spin on the genre — and his legendary anthem “Homerton B” — ensured his success.
Born and raised in Homerton, East London, rapper Unknown T (real name Daniel Lena) made a striking start into the music game with “Bop with Smoke” (2017), an underground classic that gave the U.K. capital their first taste of his dexterous flows. Poised as a clear “one to watch” in the city’s drill scene, T quickly landed placements on Mixtape Madness’ Mad About Bars and Tim Westwood’s Crib Sessions; on the latter, the rapper teased a chaotic, thumping track that would soon redefine his career. Titled “Homerton B,” this mysterious single was released in 2018 to immense success, garnering a huge audience through T’s rhythmic, off-the-wall flows and unique song structures. Rapidly climbing the U.K. charts, his sophomore single became historic, as both the first U.K. drill single to reach the Top 50 and the first to earn a silver sales certification from the BPI.
Building on this monumental success, Unknown T moved into 2019 with singles “Throwback,” “Meat,” and “Leave Dat Trap,” expanding his sound into alternative rap styles. An eight-month jail sentence threatened the rapper’s career towards the end of the year, but Lena found himself triumphant as he was cleared of all charges in February 2020. Emerging with a battle cry of “the feds had me flat on my face/buss case, had to climb to the top of the ladder,” T’s single “Fresh Home” announced his return to the music game, quickly consolidated by an appearance on GRM Daily’s Daily Duppy. A run of singles including “Squeeze & Buss” and “Deh Deh” set the stage for T’s first album, Rise Above Hate (2020). A varied set, with ventures into trap and R&B, the debut featured contributions from Young Adz and M Huncho, alongside the long-awaited Homerton all-star cut “AVEN9ERS.” Just a few months later, the Homerton and Holly Street collectives linked up to form the 98s. On the group’s debut mixtape, Unknown T appeared on the tracks “Ughh!” and “98 Degrees.” ~ David Crone