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4 mins
In this special Black History Month spotlight, we celebrate the multifaceted maestro, Kano.
A lot of people would have encountered Kano for the first time through Top Boy, and some would have heard about him because of his famed 2004 Lord of the Mics clash with Wiley. Starting in his bedroom with his older brother, Kanos musical journey would see to him becoming a significant and trusted figure in Black British culture, from holding the stage down at the Royal Albert Hall, to being the lead in one of the best pieces of British TV, Kano has never been one to be boxed in, and he sends out a message for others to explore just as much.
In his younger years he was part of a group called N.A.S.T.Y Crew founded by Marcus Nasty. The group could be found regularly on Deja Vu’s radio station, for their set on Monday nights, the group also put out popular tunes such as Take You Out. His departure from this group would be followed by his first solo Boys Love Girls, and then later his big solo debut P’s & Q’s. From there it was up, we would soon get classics such as GarageskankFREESTYLE, 3 Wheel-ups, Teardrops, and Can’t Hold We Down.
Kano’s performance in Top Boy can only be described as screen-snatching. The confidence, authority, and authenticity that Kano lends to his portrayal of Sully is something that could easily be recognised as a natural talent, and this may hold some truths, as he told Notion that he did draw inspiration from his own life, but also those around him that may have walked different paths.
The character progression of Sully that Kano successfully executes is a large part of his standout performance in the Top Boy saga. He allows for Sully to be brought to life, and to control the energy on screen - making his devastations real, and his brief moments of happiness a saving grace felt by the watchers, and all of this aided the development of Sully’s character.
The casting of Top Boy always made a point to put British artists, such as Kano (aka Kane Brett Robinson), who were staring at the intersection of performance in the form of rap and acting into the limelight.Top Boy featured Black British artists such as Bashy, Scorcher, Lil Simz, NoLay, Santan Dave and of course, Asher D who all made a cross over from rapping to acting. This is something that Kano advocates for. In his 2022 MOBO award speech for Best Performance in a TV show/Film Kano stresses that he wants other artists to always explore other paths of creativity, and to not be boxed into one category.
This casting was one of the factors that gave London watchers a ‘close to home’ feel when watching Top Boy, this nostalgia also came with a level of loyalty, as well as high expectations from watchers, that both Kano and Ashely Walter recognised and pushed to meet.
The Kitchen (2023), directed by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya, is dystopian thriller that will be our next chance to watch Kano bring words to life, and we’re definitely excited to see him taking on a lead role again alongside his former Top Boy costar Hope Ikpoku Jnr, and one of the stars of Dreaming Whilst Black, Dani Moseley.