New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sony/ATV
Music Publishing UK has signed a worldwide deal with the hotly-tipped and award-winning British urban duo Krept and Konan.
The pair's major label debut album The Long Way Home has become the most anticipated British urban release of the year and went straight to No. 2 on pre-sales on iTunes in the week of its pre-release. Coming out in the UK on Virgin Records/Uni on July 6, the album includes Ed Sheeran, Wiz Khalifa, Emeli Sande,
Rick Ross and
Jeremih who features on their latest single "
Freak Of The Week", which is currently playlisted by influential BBC urban music station
Radio 1Xtra and was initially played back to back three times on its debut due to audience demand.
Sony/ATV VP International/Director of UK A&R Janice Brock said: "We are really happy Krept and Konan wanted to join our roster. They are immensely talented songwriters, really versatile and they work day and night to please their fans. The advance response to their album has been amazing and reflects how committed their fanbase are to them. They've gained the respect of their contemporaries in the industry in a very short time. The Long Way Home is a who's who of the hottest artists in today's UK and US urban crossover world."
Krept and Konan's manager Vash said: "We loved the energy of Sony/ATV and feel they shared our vision about what Krept and Konan can achieve with their music. We're looking forward to a fruitful partnership with Janice and her team."
Hailing from South London, Casyo "Krept" Johnson and Karl "Konan" Wilson initially started to make their mark with a series of mixtapes and a presence on YouTube, which attracted millions of followers. This led to them winning a support slot on British rapper Skepta's UK tour, while they featured on a mixtape by
Tinie Tempah who, in turn, guested on the duo's own third mixtape Young Kingz alongside the likes of Chip, G FrSH, Giggs and
George the Poet. Self-released on their own Play Dirty Limited label, Young Kingz broke into the Top 20 of the Official UK Albums Chart in
September 2013, making them the highest-charting unsigned act in history.
Krept and Konan were still unsigned when they were recognised as Best UK Newcomers at the 2013 MOBO Awards, which led to a deal with Virgin Records. The duo also that year won Best Group and Best Mixtape at BBC 1Xtra's Mixtape Awards, while last year were named Best International Act: UK at the BET Awards and Best hip-hop act at the MOBO Awards where Young Kingz was nominated Best Album and "Don't Waste My Time" Best Song.
In February this year they were crowned winners of MTV's
Brand New For 2015, an annual fan-voted poll whose previous victors include The Vamps,
Conor Maynard and Justin Bieber. That same month they were also part of Kanye West's crew for his performance at the BRIT Awards in London.
Krept and Konan will be performing this summer at a number of festivals including Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds and Wireless, while will begin a UK tour in November.
