Blak Twang
Blak Twang (born Tony Olabode in England), who also uses the pseudonyms Taipanic and Tony Rotton, is a British rapper who grew up in Deptford, Lewisham, South-East London. Admired for his live performances, and is also respected for the effectiveness with which he includes South London slang and lexicon, including references to specific South London locales, in his music without being too obvious about it. This has made him a favourite of English hip-hop fans, who have dubbed him “the original Hip-Hop Geezer".
Blak Twang
- Name
- Blak Twang
- Birth Name
- Tony Olabode
- Born
- 1972 · Manchester.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Occupation
- musician
- Fields
- UK rap
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q881225 · wikipedia · Blak Twang
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Blak Twang • Birth Name — Tony Olabode • Alias — Tony Rotton • Origin — Deptford, London, England • Instrument — Vocals • Genre — British hip hop • Years Active — 1990s–present
Documentary record
Blak Twang appears in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a musician.
Career
Career
Twang's debut single was 1995's "What Goin' On". His debut album, Dettwork SouthEast (a pun on the name of the rail company Network SouthEast) was sent out to the media for the same of self-promotion but never released. It included the song "Real Estate" and the title track, "Dettwork SouthEast". His second album, 19 Long Time, also suffered from record label obstruction. The album included "Red Letters" and the Roots Manuva collaboration "Shhhoosh". However, his 2002 album Kik Off was promoted properly by his label, and spawned several singles, including the football-themed "Kik Off", his signature song "So Rotton", and "Trixsta" (featuring Estelle), all of which achieved radio play and a degree of commercial success. In 2005 he released the album The Rotton Club, backed by the single "GCSE (Ghetto Children Sex Education)" featuring Twang's protégé and Rottonus Records signee K9. Twang released another single from the album in late 2005. This was called "Travellin", and the album version featured Barrington Levy, but a video was made for the First Man Remix, which featured the female singer Tali. On 20 October 2013 he released a single, "Badda Dan Dat", which was remixed by drum and bass artists Run Tingz Cru, Serial Killaz and Terrahawk. It was released through Ramajam Recordings. In September 2014, Dettwerk SouthEast finally received a full release on Sony Music. Blak Twang has longstanding and close links to the rapper Versetti and to several other rappers. He was featured alongside rapper Ty on the UK remix of Talib Kweli & Hi Tek's "Down for the Count" in 2001. Blak Twang has been nominated for several awards, including a MOBO, a Kora, and a "Best International Hip-Hop Act" nomination from The Source. In 2019 Blak Twang joined Ty and Rodney P to form Kingdem, called a "supergroup of British rap elders" by The New York Times.
Albums
Albums
• 1996 Dettwork SouthEast [reissued 2014] • 1998 19 Longtime (Recognition) • 2002 Kik Off (Bad Magic) • 2005 The Rotton Club (Wall of Sound) • 2008 Speaking from Xperience (Abstract)
EPs
EPs
• 2013 Rebel Emcee (featuring Congo Natty) • 2013 Badda Dan Dat • 2015 The Pantheon EP (feat. Blackmale Beats)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Blak Twang”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q881225: Blak Twang
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Blak Twang, revision 1360089333 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Lynskey, Dorian. Review: Blak Twang, Cargo, London. guardian.co.uk. 16 January 2004.
- 2.Jamieson, Ruth. Blak Twang - The Rotton Club - Review. bbc.co.uk. 2005-04-17.
- 3.ukhh.com - reviews - lp - Blak Twang - Kik Off.
- 4.Blak Twang – Dettwork Southeast 2014 - ukhh.com.
- 5.MOBO awards 2005. June 2019.
- 6.Caramanica, Jon. Ty, British Rapper Who Bridged Generations and Genres, Dies at 47. The New York Times. 2020-05-15. 0362-4331.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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