YT (rapper)

Oluwatola Joseph Fola-Alade, known professionally as YT, is an English rapper and songwriter from Romford, East London. He first gained popularity in 2021 with his viral single "Arc'teryx", and later through jerk music and the UK underground rap scene.

Early life and education

Fola-Alade was raised in a Nigerian family in East London. He attended Harrow School and later studied Philosophy and French at the University of Oxford, graduating in 2023.

Career

In 2016, YT began making music as a teenager, recording on GarageBand and voice memos, while rapping on "type beats" found on YouTube. Later attending the University of Oxford, YT continued releasing material.
YT's wider public breakthrough came with the 2021 single "Arc'teryx", referencing the Canadian clothing company of the same name. The song went viral online, with Pitchfork selecting the single for its "The Ones" spotlight that same year. In 2023, YT released the mixtape #STILLSWAGGIN and later the album Real Life. Directly following his graduation period, he also released the single "The One ".
In late 2024, YT released "Black & Tan", which was followed by a music video that garnered attention online due to its use of Y2K aesthetics. The song was described by NME as a "boisterous new-age jerk classic", and was followed by the single "Prada or Celine". In 2025, Dazed described YT as one of the leading artists of the "new UK rap revolution", "owning UK rap's swag" by the Fader, while Washington Square News labelled him "the future of UK rap".
On March 28, 2025, YT released the mixtape OI!.