Taken from the Autumn 19 issue of Wonderland. Order your copy of the issue now.

In his career-defining set at Glastonbury this year, headliner and grime MC Stormzy name-dropped over 60 British rappers and singers. The monologue proved any doubters wrong – that giving Stormzy the headline slot despite having released just one album is a sign of the times. British rap is the mainstream and its MCs are shaping the country’s contemporary sound. Among the artists mentioned was Not3s – otherwise known as Luke Olanrewaju B Odunaike.

“I thought my bro was taking the piss,” Not3s laughs when I ask him about hearing his name mentioned on stage by, in his words, “the bloody king of Britain”. His disbelief is humbling, but he needn’t have been shocked. If you’ve been in a club at any point over the past two years, chances are you’ve flung a plastic pint glass into the air and screamed along to the words “peng ting called Maddison, I tell her come and jump in my Addison Lee” when they’re inevitably blasted out the speakers. Sung in the 21-year-old’s low, melodic voice, 2017’s “Addison Lee” has become a regular floor-filler on any given night out, but Not3s tells me that the success was unprecedented, the lyrics being something of a joke between him and his friends. “But then I was like, ‘you watch, I’m actually gonna make this a tune’. And the rest was history”.

What followed was a string of equally popular releases from his first two EPs — such as “Aladdin”, “My Lover” and “Sit Back Down” — and collaborations with Mabel, AJ Tracey and MoStack, among others. Propelling to fame at just 18, the Hackney-born singer and rapper tells me, “Music has been something that my family has been very keen on since I was young,” citing 50 Cent, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z amongst his influences. Despite always being set on making music — “that’d really be the only thing that I would do” — Not3s explains that he didn’t have anyone encouraging him to make it in the industry, but that the dedication came from within himself. I ask him where that inspiring motivation comes from. “There’s been people in my life that, unfortunately, ain’t here today. So now I can’t waste anything,” he reflects, “I have to see everything, I have to be a part of bigger things than people think I’m gonna be a part of.”

After releasing music on a near-constant basis throughout 2017 and 2018, the Londoner took a well-deserved break at the beginning of this year, breaking the silence in April with his latest single, the rhythmic and romantic “Wanting”. He tells me that the time off was mostly spent “working harder on myself, on Luke rather than Not3s,” explaining he’s keen to make a distinction between his birth name and his moniker. “I feel like I have two lives that I need to cater to,” he says. “You’ve gotta sort all these things out as a human being… making sure your little brother and sister are okay, sorting out your bills, your parking tickets. But then as an artist, there’s a whole load of glitz and glam and all that shit. That’s another life.”

The recognition that comes hand-in-hand with Not3s’ success isn’t likely to slow down any time soon, with a long-awaited debut album next on the agenda. When I ask what a new record might contain, he confidently assures me “people can expect a lot of good music, that’s certain,” before tentatively stating “there’s gonna be moments”. A possible hint at an album title? I’m unsure, but I am convinced by that promise of something momentous.

Alongside the one on the other end of my phone, some other inspirational young artists shouted out by Stormzy in his Glastonbury set included J Hus, Stefflon Don, Yxng Bane and Octavian – all fronting a wave of typically sidelined British creativity that, for the first time, is dominating the charts. I ask Not3s if he feels like he’s in good company, being a part of this shift in the UK scene. “I do. Different people are doing their thing now and I’m gassed, man. I feel like the UK is starting to appreciate the UK more. It’s like we’re getting our rights back.” Long may it continue.