For years, Dazed cover star YT compared himself to Hannah Montana: Oxford University student by day, rising rap star by night. With the release of next-gen rap record OI!, a codification of long-running developments in the UK’s underground, it seems that he is now a rap star 24/7.

The record is at the cutting edge of UK rap sonics, but it’s also a big old throwback. OI! is the time-warping product of drum patterns borrowed from the US’ early-2010s jerk rap, Y2K-esque visuals (think: ripped jeans and Frutiger Metro graphics), and the more recent tension-filled, distorted melodies of the rage and plugg scenes. This heady, digital sound was recently described by Len as ‘full throttle’ and is more distantly being explored by the likes of Lancey Foux, Fimiguerrero and more.

But these significant interventions didn’t appear out of nowhere. YT has long been pushing rap sonics forward, previously cementing himself as a leading light of the UK’s pandemic-era alt-rap scene alongside rapper-producer Kwes e, rapper Namani, and director LAUZZA. That sound was much more chill, combining lo-fi hip-hop melodies with trap production but, even then, YT’s eye for catchy songwriting shone through.

Below, we revisit five landmark YT tracks leading up to today’s release. 

“PINT W THE LADS”

While many would’ve seen YT and Kwes e landing on the cover of Dazed’s spring issue last month, far fewer would be aware of just how deep their creative collaboration goes. The pair have been releasing music together as far back as 2019, and “pint w the lads” arrives on their 2020 joint project e.t: volume one. Making waves in the UK’s bouncy alt-rap scene, the project covers an impressive amount of ground, and this track arrives as a British take on West Coast American rap, with a brooding lead piano melody and bass stabs. YT and Kwes e’s creative partnership survives today in Kwes e mixing and mastering the entirety of OI!, but the question remains: when’s e.t: volume 2 dropping?

“ARC’TERYX”

I sold my Patagonia jacket on Depop when this dropped in 2021. Back then, YT’s hook “Arc’teryx on me I don’t rock no Patagonia” was somewhat of an anthem for the alt-rap scene, quickly becoming one of the first tracks from that movement to hit a million streams. “Arc’teryx” is also significant for marking YT’s first link-up with director LAUZZA, who has since become central to the time-warping Y2K visual identity of YT’s current era. 

“NIRVANA”

Here it is. The origin of YT’s iconic “OI!” adlib. Explaining the lightbulb moment on Plaqueboymax’s stream earlier this month, YT recalls: “There was one time when I was recording a track and I said that as an adlib, but I didn’t want it to be my voice so I went and found a woman saying it on the internet. It just became the tag, I didn’t expect it to go this far.” More widely, the self-produced “Nirvana” marks a transition in YT’s sonics from the chill, space-filled alt-rap scene to the tension-filled digital melodies he embraces today. Oi! 

“BLACK AND TAN” 

“Black and Tan” feels like that all the elements of YT’s OI! era truly came together. There’s the “OI!” adlib. There’s LAUZZA’s retro, Frutiger Metro aesthetics. There’s the feature from fellow new-gen rapper Lancey Foux (who, along with Conglomerate collaborator Fimiguerrero, form the only features on OI!). And, of course, there’s YT’s catchy, hyper-compessed, auto-tuned hook that helped catapult the track to mainstream attention. It’s a landmark moment in British music, and Lancey knew it: “She asked me who we are and I tell her we’re the sound.” 

“GIRL’S TRIP” 

Released last night (March 27) as the final single off the latest project, “Girl’s Trip” really highlights the heights that YT has reached. With visuals casting YT taking a couple of ‘baddies’ on an expensive shopping trip around (not to mention a cameo from world-famous streamer Kai Cenat), YT emerges as a true rap star. The track also arrives hot on the heels of YT’s globetrotting collaborations with Plaqueboymax and German rap trailblazer Yungpalo. YT is no longer moonlighting as a celebrity like Hannah Montana, he’s one 24/7.

OI! is out now.