K Koke - New Faces Kevin Georgiou is a 27-year-old north Londoner with a punchy rap style whose home-made videos have become an internet sensation. Last year, he became the first British rapper to sign to hip-hop superstar Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, but a stint in custody meant chart domination has had to wait. Of Greek Cypriot descent, Georgiou was raised on a rough council estate, and turned to music as a positive outlet after several brushes with the law. He became an independent sensation, selling tens of thousands of mix tapes and racking up more than 10 million views on YouTube, but his career was put on hold when he was arrested for attempted murder following a shooting in London last year. He spent seven months in custody, only for the trial to collapse on the first day. "Jail was hard because I knew I shouldn't be there," he says. I missed my daughter's birth. I was heartbroken. What does he sound like? Georgiou's gritty style harks back to British hip hop's hard-hitting roots, before it was varnished up as sophisticated club music by the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah. There is a potency to the pain and anger fuelling his rhymes which has caught the attention of chart stars such as Emeli Sandé and Rita Ora, both of whom he has collaborated with. "People in Britain don't really know what goes on all around them," says Georgiou. But that's what I'm here for. To tell "em how it is." What he says about himself... I'm not the type of person who would talk to people, I just bottle [my feelings] up inside - so music is like therapy for me. Turn Back" featuring Maverick Sabre is out now. Lay Down" featuring Rita Ora follows early next year. His debut album will be out in Spring 2013 on Sony / Roc Nation.