Potter Payper

A lyricist through-and-through and staple of the U.K. underground, rapper Potter Payper built his career on candid reflections of the environment he was raised in. His sophomore mixtape, Training Day, took on an iconic role in the U.K. rap scene, compiling a cohesive and compelling collection of street-level narratives.

Potter Payper (real name Jamel Bousbaa) was born and raised on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking, England, to an Algerian father and Irish mother. Though constantly embroiled in high-stakes street environment he found himself in, Payper worked on music in order to turn things around for himself and his family, so he began to develop his rap skills. His now-iconic lyricism and compelling wordplay were first showcased on his debut mixtape The Philosopher's Chrome, before the rapper caught the ears of the U.K. at large with his BL@CKBOX freestyle. His sophomore mixtape, Training Day, arrived in July 2013; often lauded as a modern classic of the U.K. rap scene, the project established the rapper's signature style, a blend of boisterous vocals, street narratives, and evocative production