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===Mixtapes===
===Mixtapes===
*2005: ''Beats + Bars''
*2005: ''Beats + Bars'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixtapemadness.co.uk/mixtapes/kano/beatsandbars1|title=Kano - Beats + Bars|publisher=Mixtape Madness}}</ref>
*2005: ''Blowing Up Road'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixtapemadness.co.uk/mixtapes/kano/blowinguproad|title=Kano - Blowing Up Road|publisher=Mixtape Madness}}</ref>
*2007: ''Kano Mixtape''
*2007: ''Kano Mixtape''
*2008: ''MC No.1''
*2008: ''MC No.1''
*2010: ''Jack Bauer'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downloadamixtape.com/?page_id=195&mixtape_id=204|title=Kano - Jack Bauer the 7 Day Edition|publisher=Download A Mixtape (DAM)}}</ref>
*2010: ''Jack Bauer'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downloadamixtape.com/?page_id=195&mixtape_id=204|title=Kano - Jack Bauer the 7 Day Edition|publisher=Download A Mixtape (DAM)}}</ref>
*2011: ''Not 4 A List'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixtapemadness.co.uk/mixtapes/kano/alist|title=Kano - Not 4 The A List|publisher=Mixtape Madness}}</ref>
*2011: ''Girls Over Guns'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downloadamixtape.com/?page_id=195&mixtape_id=2584|title=Kano - Girls Over Guns|publisher=Download A Mixtape (DAM)}}</ref>
*2012: ''Jack Bauer 2.4''
*2011: ''Girls Over Guns'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixtapemadness.co.uk/mixtapes/kano/girlsoverguns|title=Kano - Girls Over Guns|publisher=Mixtape Madness}}</ref>
*2012: ''Jack Bauer 2.4'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixtapemadness.co.uk/mixtapes/kano/jackbauer24|title=Kano - Jack Bauer 2.4|publisher=Mixtape Madness}}</ref>


===Singles===
===Singles===

Revision as of 20:51, 21 January 2012

For other uses, see Kano (disambiguation).
Kano
Background information
Also known asKane O
Born (1985-05-21) 21 May 1985 (age 38)
OriginEast Ham, London, England
GenresHip hop, grime, R&B
Occupation(s)Rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor
Years active2000–present
Labels679 Recordings (2004-2008)
Bigger Picture Music (2008-present)
Websitekanosworld.com

Kane Brett Robinson (born 21 May 1985 in East Ham, London, England), better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y. (Natural Artistic Sounds Touching You) Crew.

Biography

Early life and career beginnings

He attended Langdon Secondary School achieving a diploma in graphic design, having a flair for visual communication and graphic publicity. However In his younger years Kano was a promising footballer, representing Chelsea F.C., West Ham United and Norwich City by the age of thirteen,[1] but in the end he abandoned his sporting ambitions in favour of a musical career. His cousins Jonathan Fortune and Clayton Fortune have played for clubs like Charlton Athletic and Aldershot Town respectively. Kano first became known on the UK grime scene for his work with his original group, N.A.S.T.Y Crew, which included members such as Ghetto. From this springboard he was signed as a solo artist and began work on his debut solo album.

Rap on the underground scene on Flava F.M as a youth after a couple of years he was scooped up by N.A.S.T.Y. Crew (Natural Artistic Sounds Touching You) who were an east London-based Grime crew . N.A.S.T.Y Crew was founded by Marcus Nasty with the original and most popular line up consisting of Kano, Jammer, D Double E, Ghetto, Stormin, Mak 10, Sharky Major & Hyper . N.A.S.T.Y Crew had one of the most popular shows on pirate radio station Deja Vu on Monday nights from 8pm to 10pm, the sets featuring established and up and coming special guests such as Dizzee Rascal, Durrty Goodz, Wiley etc.

Kano used the crews underground popularity as a springboard and left N.A.S.T.Y. His first solo track was "Boys Love Girls", which was produced in 2002, was later taken to a studio and remastered by Dizzee Rascal. Kano is still to this day fondly remembered by his early Grime fans for being a member of N.A.S.T.Y crew. Kano first became known in the UK grime scene for his work with his original group, N.A.S.T.Y. Crew. From this springboard he was signed as a solo artist and began work on his début solo album Home Sweet Home. He went up against Wiley on Lord of the Mics 1 in one of the most recognised grime clashes, despite only being 17 at the time and after being persuaded by Jammer, a well-known grime MC and producer.

2004-2005: Home Sweet Home - mixtapes

In 2004, Kano was approached by Hugo Boss to model for their Spring/Summer collection,[2] but declined in order to begin recording and touring commitments. Shortly afterwards Kano released his debut solo single, "P's & Q's", on a 12" vinyl only release, which was a massive underground hit, marking Kano out as a rising star.

In 2005 Kano released his second single, "Typical Me", his first full single release. "Typical Me" reached #22 in the UK Singles Charts. It remains Kano's highest charting single to date. The video for "Typical Me" was directed by Andy Hylton (http://www.andyhylton.com). The third single, "Remember Me", fared less well in the charts, only reaching #71. Two weeks later, on 27 June 2005, Kano's highly anticipated début album Home Sweet Home was released. The week his album was released, it was the highest new entry, debuting inside the UK top 40 at #36. In September 2005, the fourth single "Nite Nite" was released, featuring Leo the Lion and The Streets. "Nite Nite" hit #25 in the UK charts, spending six weeks altogether on the top 75.

Shortly after the release of "Nite Nite", a promotional video for "Reload It", which featured live performance clips and backstage footage, was released to UK video station, Channel U to promote the album further. In December 2005, Kano released a remixed version of album track "Nobody Don't Dance No More" featuring new artist Katie Pearl, as a download-only single. The track was also featured as a b-side on CD: 2 of "Nite Nite". On March 13, 2006 Kano released the fifth and final single from the album, a double A-side of "Brown Eyes" and "Signs In Life". The single was released on a vinyl format only, and included a free sticker, which made it ineligible for chart inclusion.

Home Sweet Home gained Gold status in the UK. The album was well reviewed across the British press, most notably in The Independent and The Observer, two of the UK's major newspapers. Many artists in the UK and in America expressed positive views of the album, including Busta Rhymes, Nas, RZA, Jay-Z, Andre 3000 and Chuck D of Public Enemy.

Blowing Up Road: In 2005 the East London, East Ham UK Grime/Hip Hop (Grip Hop) artist, Kano released "Blowing Up Road".[3] The former N.A.S.T.Y (Natural Artistic Sounds Touching You) crew member has been consistent ambassador of Grime.

Beats And Bars: Towards the end of 2005, Kano released a mixtape, Beats & Bars,[4] which was only made available at his concerts. This included underground hits and showcased Kano's ability to rap over hip hop beats and grime instrumentals.

2006: Run the Road

Kano’s music was also featured on Run the Road, a compilation containing sixteen tracks of the best of 2004’s grime music. The compilation included contributions from other popular grime artists as well, including Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, and Lady Sovereign. Kano performed a verse on the track, “Destruction VIP,” and was featured on three other tracks, including “P’s and Q’s.”[5] Kano has been hailed as one of the artists particularly standing out on Run the Road due to his seemingly effortless rapping skills.[6] The compilation album was released January 24, 2005.[7]

On 23 March 2006 Kano performed at Anson Rooms in Bristol for MTV2's Spanking New Music along with JME, N-Dubz and Unklejam. He performed tracks such as "London Town", "P's & Q's", "Brown Eyes", "Me & My Mic" and tracks from the Beats & Bars mixtape. Kano confirmed on the show that his next album was to be called "London Town".

2007: Mixtape and London Town

Before London Town was released, Kano put out a mixtape (simply called 'Mixtape' on the front cover) for promotion. This included new material such as I Write Bars Till The Milkman Comes, the track Layer Cake (inspired by the film Layer Cake) and also Kano's own versions of hip hop songs including Jay-Z's Public Service Announcement, Nas's Black Republican and Kanye West's My Way Home. The mixtape also included a preview of Buss It Up, a song which featured on the later release London Town.

London Town was released on September 10, 2007, preceded by the single, "This Is The Girl", featuring Craig David, on August 27. Along with Craig David the album features collaborations with Gorillaz member Damon Albarn (of Blur), Kate Nash, and Vybz Kartel.

After the release of the album, Kano toured the UK as well as performing the whole album at the Jazz Cafe in October 2007 alongside a live band.[8] Kano also sold out London Astoria in the same month to put on an entertaining show also promoting Tinchy Stryder on his tour.[9]

2008-2009: MC No. 1 and 140 Grime St

In 2008, Kano no longer was signed to 679 Recordings as he wished to return to his "grimier roots" and had posted all new freestyles on his Myspace page. Soon after in April, he released a mixtape called Mc No. 1 for fans before his third album 140 Grime Street hit the shelves. Despite the fact that Kano had said he wanted to go back to making grime music for 140 Grime Street, in MC No. 1 he used all American hip hop beats for the songs, yet it was still well received by fans.

140 Grime Street was released on 29 September 2008 through BPM (Bigger Picture Music). The majority of the album was produced by Mikey J, with Wiley and DaVinChe supplying two beats each, and Skepta handing the production for the song These MC's. The album featured guest appearances from Ghetto, Skepta, Wiley, and Mikey J. The first single released was Hustler.

Kano's new single, "Rock N Rolla" was first premiered on Radio 1xtra DJ, Mista Jam's radio show. The single was officially released in October. The video for the single has since been released.

The second release from Kano's 140 Grime St is called "More Than One Way" that had another premier on Mista Jam's 1xtra radio show. The video was also released on Kano's official YouTube page. The track was written for a campaign to promote the Diploma and was given away for free exclusively from The Diploma website (http://yp.direct.gov.uk/diplomas/kano). The music video was made with the help of Diploma students from all around the country. The TV ad shows Kano walking through a crowd of students whose Diploma qualifications pop up in bubbles above them. The tasks students helped with on the video related to the course they were studying for. Creative and media students helped in producing the video and construction students helped make the set. Kano said in interview for the Sunday Times that he wanted to “inspire people, but not in a way that’s patronising and preachy”.

2010: Method To The Maadness

Kano's 4th album, "Method To The Maadness", was released on 30 August 2010 and charted in the UK Albums Chart at number 45 making it the rappers fourth successive album to chart within the Top 50. Lead single "Upside" (featuring Michelle Breeze) was released on 23 August 2010.

Kano provides vocals on the third Gorillaz studio album, Plastic Beach. He collaborates with fellow British rapper Bashy on the track "White Flag".

2011-present: Not 4 The A List EP, mixtapes, acting, features and fifth solo album

In September Kano announced a 4 track collaborative EP with producer Mikey J. The EP was title 'Not For The A List' because Kano didn't want anything to stand in his way when it came to making the music.[10] Part of the EP was to make 1 track a week and release it to a DJ to play on radio. Also making sure it was a different DJ each week that spans a timeline of 4 weeks. The first track was titled 'Random Antics' [11] the second track was titled 'Alien' and featured SBTV founder Jamal Edwards first label signing Maxsta.[12] The third week was a track titled 'E.T' and this track featured Wiley, Scorcher & Wretch 32.[13] The 4th track was delayed due to the length being 7 and a half minutes. The DJ had to get permission from his boss to play it. The track features Ghetts.[14] It is expected Kano is using the EP to build a buzz up for his 5th studio album which is most likely to be released in 2012.

Kano played the major role of Sully in the 2011 Channel 4 drama Top Boy.

On 13 November 2011 Kano announced via Twitter that he is releasing a mixtape some time in the same month entitled 'Girls Over Guns' he said this mixtape will appeal more to the ladies than men.[15] 1/12/12 Kano is released a mixtape called Jack Bauer 2.4 as the follow up mixtape to the 2010 edition.[16][17]

Kano was featured on the remix for Ghetts' single On A Level alongside Scorcher and Wretch 32.[18] Kano also featured on the official remix for Sway's single Still Speedin'.[19]

Awards and achievements

In 2005, Kano was nominated for 4 MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards, winning the award for Best Newcomer. He also won an award at the first Channel U "Best of British" Awards. On New Year's Eve 2005, Kano was announced as one of "London's Heroes of 2005" by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone. He was also nominated for a BRIT Award for Best Urban Act in January 2006. Kano made a small cameo appearance in the new British film, Rollin' with the Nines,[20] and is a playable character in the game Def Jam: Icon, the only British person to have yet been featured.[21]

Discography

Albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
UK
2005 Home Sweet Home 36
2007 London Town 14
2008 140 Grime Street
  • 3rd studio album
  • Released: 29 September 2008
  • Label: Bigger Picture Music
 48
2010 Method to the Maadness
  • 4th studio album
  • Released: 30 August 2010
  • Label: Bigger Picture Music
 45

EPs

  • 2008: 48 Bars
  • 2011: Not 4 the A List [22]

Mixtapes

  • 2005: Beats + Bars
  • 2007: Kano Mixtape
  • 2008: MC No.1
  • 2010: Jack Bauer [23]
  • 2011: Girls Over Guns [24]
  • 2012: Jack Bauer 2.4

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
UK[25] UK Indie
2004 "P's and Q's" 78 61 Home Sweet Home
2005 "Typical Me" (feat. Ghetts) 22 81
"Remember Me" 71 20
"Nite Nite" (feat. Leo the Lion and The Streets) 25 54
2006 "Brown Eyes" / "Signs in Life" 20 109
"Buss It Up" (feat. Vybz Kartel) 139 80 London Town
2007 "This Is the Girl" (feat. Craig David) 18 34
"Feel Free" (feat. Damon Albarn) 143 77
2008 "Hustler" 163 29 140 Grime Street
2009 "Rock n Roller" 44 68
2010 "More Than One Way" 67 200
"Get Wild" (feat. Aidonia and Wiley) 136 9 Method to the Maadness
"Upside" (feat. Michelle Breeze) 98 1
"Spaceship" 5 76

Promotional singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
UK UK Indie
2004 "Mic Fight" (feat. Demon and Wiley) — — Run the Road

As featured artist

Year Title Chart Positions Album
UK UK R&B UK Indie
2005 "Routine Check"
(The Mitchell Brothers feat. Kano and The Streets) 		42 — — A Breath of Fresh Attire
2009 "Against All Odds"
(Chase & Status feat. Kano) 		45 — — More Than Alot
2011 "Pow 2011"
(Lethal Bizzle feat. JME, Wiley, Chipmunk, Face, P Money, Ghetts and Kano) 		33 10 4 Best of Bizzle

References

  1. ^ "Rock & Pop: A one-man grime wave". The Independent (London). {{cite news}}: Text "Find Articles at BNET.com" ignored (help) [dead link]
  2. ^ Kano - Free download only track available
  3. ^ "Blowing Up Road Mixtape". Mixtape Madness.
  4. ^ "Beat and Bars Mixtape". Mixtape Madness.
  5. ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha. "True Grime." (New Yorker), 21 March 2005.
  6. ^ Breihan, Tom. “Grime Scene and an Artist called D Double E from Jamaica Investigation: Run the Road Brings the U.K.’s Hip-Hop Hybrid Across the Pond.” 27 April 2005.
  7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_the_Road
  8. ^ BBC - Electric Proms 2007 - Kano presents London Town
  9. ^ Perrone, Pierre (5 October 2007). "First Night: Kano, The Astoria, London". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI57Cx4U6Lk
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBngga2wv9I
  12. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeFZEmWIgVo
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvIWqE1aT0U
  14. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSt_a1aOAcE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
  15. ^ https://twitter.com/#!/TheRealKano
  16. ^ https://twitter.com/#!/TheRealKano/status/153460827909931008
  17. ^ http://www.soulculture.co.uk/blogs/music-blog/newmusic/free-downloads/kano-girls-over-guns-mixtape-free-download/
  18. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUdhBQRSxWs
  19. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz3Htaa6Sc0
  20. ^ GIGWISE, Music News, Reviews, Gigs, Tickets, Bands, Forum, Classifieds
  21. ^ Landing music star kano and diploma students launch new tv advert
  22. ^ "Kano & Mikey J - Not 4 The A List". Download A Mixtape (DAM).
  23. ^ "Kano - Jack Bauer the 7 Day Edition". Download A Mixtape (DAM).
  24. ^ "Kano - Girls Over Guns". Download A Mixtape (DAM).
  25. ^ Chart Log UK - K

External links

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