London rapper Ty paired a distinct and resolutely unique take on the world around him with sharp, congenial rhymes—all enshrined across diverse and important albums. His roots as a hip-hop educator (he co-founded Ghetto Grammar, a community youth program, in 1995) informed the framework of 2001’s bracingly personal debut LP Awkward and helped set the son of Nigerian parents apart from the mainstream of Britain’s still-fledging rap landscape. Early singles “Break the Lock” and “The Nonsense” deliver smooth broadsides with prescient reserve and wit, which helped afford the MC a more eclectic and collab-heavy way forward. With their hearty confessional rhymes, bristling character, and neo-soul depth, “Oh You Want More?” and “Wait a Minute” represent Ty’s 2003 second album, Upwards—a Mercury-nominated breakthrough that remains a seminal piece of the UK rap story. “Brixton Baby,” his powerful collaboration with South African-born, South London-raised singer-songwriter Mpho (and ode to his hometown), was released two years before his untimely passing in 2020, and now provides a poignant sign-off from one of the UK’s most respected and beloved rap offspring.