British hip hop collective
| 98s | |
|---|---|
 Class Of 98s | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Hackney, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Labels | 98s, Groundworks |
| Members | See list |
| Past members | Jardz |
98s is a British hip-hop collective based in Hackney, London. The group is named after the two postcodes, E9 (Homerton) and E8 (Hackney), where the members are from. Their members include V9, Unknown T, Kay-O (formerly KO), HitMan, DA, Jimmy, Stally, Alchubbino, Billy Billions, and Mazza. They released their debut album, Class of 98s, on 24 September 2020.
History
98s is a collective of friends from Homerton and Holly Street in Hackney, London. On 4 November 2019, the group appeared on Tim Westwood's Crib Session for a cipher on his show.
Individual members such as V9, Unknown T, and KO (now known as Kay-O) had success as solo artists before the collective formed in 2020, with the mixtapes Yūdokuna, Rise Above Hate, and Drilliam Shakespeare. On 6 August 2020, the 98s made their debut as a group with the single "Homerton2Holly". Their second and third singles, "Taco" and "Pay Attention," were released on 27 August and 10 September. On 24 September 2020, they released their debut album, Class of 98s. On 12 February 2021, they released the single "WeDa1s".
On 13 December 2023 Kay-O (real name Kammar Henry-Richards), HitMan (real name Jeffrey Gyimah), Ka'mani Brightly-Donaldson and Joao Pateco-Te were found guilty of murder. The killing happened on 13 August 2022 in Walthamstow. On the 14th January 2025, they were sentenced to a minimum 37 years, 35 years, 38 years and 37 years respectively.
Members
| —
The list below includes confirmed members of 98s.
|
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Class of 98s |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Homerton2Holly" (with Jimmy, Stally, DA, Hitman, Mazza, Kay-O & Billy Billions) |
2020 | Class of 98s |
| "Taco" (with V9, Billy Billions, AlChubbino, Jimmy & Stally) | ||
| "Pay Attention" (with Stally, Jimmy, V9, DA & Kay-O) | ||
| "Family" (with V9, Alchubbino, Jimmy & Billy Billions) | ||
| "Wait a Minute" (with Billy Billions, AlChubbino & Kay-O) | ||
| "Plugged In" (with Fumez the Engineer, Stally, Mazza, Billy Billions & DA) |
Non-album single | |
| "WeDa1s" (with Kay-O, AlChubbino, Jimmy, Stally, Billy Billions, Hitman, DA & Mazza) |
2021 | TBA |
Individual discography
| Artist | Title | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Kay-O | This Sh#ts Ments |
|
| V9 | Homerton Sensei |
|
| Kay-O | Murk With A Mouth |
|
| V9 | Yūdokuna |
|
| Unknown T | Rise Above Hate |
|
| Unknown T | Adolescence |
|
| V9 | Murk With A Mouth |
|
| Kay-O | Fine Line |
|
| Billy Billions | Me vs Me |
|
References
- Crone, David. "98s Biography". AllMusic.
- "98S RELEASE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED PROJECT 'CLASS OF 98S'". GRM Daily.
- "GRM EXCLUSIVE: 98S DISCUSS DEBUT MIXTAPE, BEING MORE THAN A DRILL GROUP & PLANS FOR 2021". GRM Daily.
- "GRM KO, V9, Jimmy & More Join Tim Westwood For New 'Crib Session' Freestyle". GRM Daily.
- Akilu, Rahel. "UK Drill Crew 98s Tell Us About Their School Days". Vice.
- "PREMIERE: 98S' KO, JIMMY, BILLY BILLIONS, HITMAN, DA, STALLY & MAZZA CONNECT FOR "HOMERTON2HOLLY"". GRM Daily.
- "PREMIERE: 98S' V9, BILLY BILLIONS, ALCHUBBINO, JIMMY & STALLY HEAD TO BARCELONA IN NEW VISUALS FOR "TACO"". GRM Daily.
- "PREMIERE: 98S' STALLY, JIMMY, V9, DA & KO UNLEASH "PAY ATTENTION!" VISUALS". GRM Daily.
- "98'S HAVE RELEASED THEIR HIGHLY-AWAITED 'CLASS OF 98' PROJECT". MixtapeMadness.
- "RISING DRILL COLLECTIVE #98S PROJECT THEIR CREATIVITY WITH VISUALS TO NEW TRACK 'WEDA1S'". The Link Up.
- "Walthamstow: Kacey Boothe's killers found guilty of murder". BBC.
- "Drill rapper Kay-O and three others convicted of murder". Hackney Gazette.
- "Drill rapper jailed for rival gang members murder". BBC.