Theophilus London

Theophilus Musa London (born February 23, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. A frequent collaborator of Kanye West,[1] London was a producer on Donda 2 and was featured on West's 2015 single "All Day" which was nominated for several awards including two Grammys.

Theophilus London
Theophilus London in 2009
Background information
Birth nameTheophilus Musa London
Born (1987-02-23) February 23, 1987
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Years active2007–present
Labels

London has worked in the fashion industry, conducting fashion campaigns for designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Virgil Abloh, and Gucci.[2] He has designed shoes for companies including Cole Haan and modelling for Tommy Hilfiger.[3]

Early life and education

London was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago and later moved to New York City,[3] specifically Flatbush, Brooklyn.[4] He then moved to Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, where he attended his junior and senior years of high school. He graduated in 2006 from Pocono Mountain East High School in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania.[5] London grew up around Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican diasporas, going to local halls to learn the newest dances from Jamaica.[2] He bought bootleg copies of albums by artists like Jay-Z, Mase, and Busta Rhymes. London's first performance was in 2002 at a local fair in Flatbush at the age of 16.[6] After hearing his own recording around 2004-2005, London decided he wanted to pursue a career in the music industry.[1][7]

Career

London released his first mixtape "JAM!" in 2008. His second mixtape "This Charming Mixtape" came out in 2009 and his third mixtape "I Want You" in 2010. London's first tour was in 2009 alongside MeLo-X who was his DJ[8] while his backing band was Body Language who he helped introduce to the final member to make the band a quartet.[9]

London in 2011

His debut EP Lovers Holiday, released on Warner Bros. Records on February 7, 2011, featured TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Sara Quin from Tegan and Sara, Glasser, and Solange Knowles.[10] His full-length debut album Timez Are Weird These Days, mixed by producer Dan Carey, was released by Warner Brothers on July 19, 2011.[11]

London was one of the headliners of the Northside Festival in Brooklyn in June 2011.[12] On June 30, London performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, in response to which the Montreal Gazette remarked "Theophilus London is going to be big. Very big. The buzz has been building for some time."[13] Also in 2011, he was featured on the 90210 episode Up in Smoke.

On February 22, 2012, London introduced his new single "Big Spender" to a select New York audience at the Encore Sessions at le Baron Chinatown.[14] In March 2012, he performed with Solange at South by Southwest. He had previously introduced Solange to Dev Hynes, and the two went on to collaborate extensively on her 2012 EP True.[15] London later released his mixtape "Rose Island Vol. 1" in July. He performed at Wireless Festival, Poolbar Festival, and RockNess in 2012, and Coachella in April 2013.

London's fashion relationships blossomed after his picture was published in Karl Lagerfeld's 2012 book The Little Black Jacket.[16] After the book release, London was invited to perform at various parties for Chanel, playing in countries like Monaco for their local royalty. Around this time, Kanye West befriended London, the two would go out for dinners and shop for clothing together. West would take him to other countries like Mexico where they would go over album concepts together and play basketball.[17]

In September 2013, London revealed that his new album Vibes, was dedicated to his aunt who had died recently. In the meantime, his EP "Lovers Holiday II" was released. In September 2014, it was announced that his new album would be released in October and was executive produced by Kanye West[18] and Leon Ware, with art direction from Virgil Abloh and Karl Lagerfeld.[1][17] For the project London bought a house in Palm Springs, Florida, where he worked for over a year with Leon Ware there writing the project.[19] The album was a flop with less than 3000 units sold.[2] He was featured on Azealia Banks' song "JFK" off her debut studio album Broke with Expensive Taste, released in November 2014, Banks wrote London's verse for the only guest feature on the album.[4] That same month, London performed with Jesse Boykins III on the Late Show with David Letterman.[20]

"All Day" was released in March 2015. London performed the single alongside Kanye at the Brit Awards. Later in 2015, London went on his Vibes tour, having Doja Cat and Father open.[21] London also performed at Rock in Rio USA. In February 2016, "All Day" was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. In November 2016, London released the song "Revenge" with Ariel Pink. The song interpolated New Musik's song "They All Run After the Carving Knife", from the band's second album Anywhere.[22]

After his second album Vibes was released, London felt disenfranchised. Briefly deleting his social media accounts, he left his contract with Warner Records to go independent in 2017.[2] In 2018, London was a runway model in a Louis Vuitton campaign.[1] That October, he released the song "Whiplash" with Tame Impala, which took three years to make.[23] Together, they also covered the song "Only You" by Steve Monite.[24] In 2019, London's third EP "Lovers Holiday III" was released. In January 2020, London released his third studio album Bebey. In March 2022, he performed a show for Black History Month in the United Kingdom.[25]

Artistry

London's genre blending includes soul-pop, post-punk, electro and contemporary R&B. He has cited influences such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Kraftwerk, The Smiths,[26] Morrissey, Marvin Gaye,[3] Young Thug, and Skepta. Additionally, London has mentioned James Brown and Michael Jackson as performance inspirations.[4]

Personal life

In 2014, London moved from New York to Los Angeles, with his pet dog, and bought a house that formerly belonged to Humphrey Bogart in the Hollywood Hills neighbourhood.[17]

London's social media accounts, mainly Instagram, have allegedly been the subject of several hacks and privacy breaches.[27][28][29]

In December 2022, London's family filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department. According to his family, he went missing on October 15, 2022, and was last seen in Skid Row, Los Angeles.[30] His last time active online or in contact with his family was in July 2022.[31][32] London was found and confirmed safe by a family member in January 2023. No details about where London was located or why he had not contacted his family were provided. [33]

Discography
Main article: Theophilus London discography

Awards and nominations

Filmography

See also

References
  1. Johnston, Kathleen (March 1, 2019). "Meet Theophilus London, Kanye West collaborator and fashion pack favourite". British GQ. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  2. "Theophilus London had to rediscover his roots to find his sound". Crack Magazine. May 12, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  3. Wilkinson, Isabel (July 17, 2011). "Can This Rapper Skip a Beat?". Newsweek. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. Houlihan, Finn (November 14, 2014). "Interview: Theophilus London". Acclaim Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  5. "Rapping with Theophilus London: Hot hip-hopper says Poconos broadened his music". Lehigh Valley Music. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  6. Gaddy, James (August 16, 2011). "Theophilus London". Interview Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  7. Pollock, Michael (April 5, 2011). "Theophilus London, Hip-Hop's Newest Name (and What a Name!)". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  8. "MeLo-X, the D.J. Behind Beyoncé's Remixes and Video Clips". The New York Times. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  9. "LadyJFemme for Frank151: Body Language (Interview) - NEWS - FRANK151". frank151.com. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  10. Gaston, Peter (February 4, 2011). "EXCLUSIVE EP: Hot Rapper Theophilus London". Spin.
  11. Schnipper, Matthew (May 20, 2011). "Cannes Goes Crazy for Theophilus London; Lars von Trier Goes Crazy at Cannes". The Fader.
  12. "Pop and Rock Listings for June 10–16". The New York Times. June 9, 2011.
  13. Dunlevy, T'Cha (June 30, 2011). "Montreal International Jazz Festival 2011: Theophilus London at Club Soda; June 29, 2011". The Gazette.
  14. Good, Rana (February 22, 2012). "Theophilus London Wows Le Baron With New Tracks". SociétéPerrier.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012.
  15. "Exclusive Q&A: Solange Talks 'True' EP, New Label, & Next Album". Rap-Up. April 29, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  16. Pitcher, Laura; Thompson, Catherine; Brammer, J.P.; Ware, Asia Milia; Cowles, Charlotte; Lange, Maggie; Cox, Ana Marie; Chapin, Angelina (June 6, 2012). "First Looks: See Kanye West, Linda Evangelista, Lauren Hutton, and More Wearing Chanel's Little Black Jacket". The Cut. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  17. "Theophilus London Interview - Rapper Theophilus London". ELLE. June 21, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  18. "Kanye West to Executive Produce Theophilus London's New Album - Mr. Wavvy". Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  19. Fresh, Mikey (November 25, 2014). "Interview: Theophilus London Doesn't Want To Be A Rapper". VIBE.com. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  20. Servantes, Ian (November 8, 2014). "Theophilus London Performs "Tribe" on Letterman". Complex. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  21. Lilah, Rose (December 15, 2014). "Theophilus London Announces Tour Dates With Father & Doja Cat". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  22. "Theophilus London and Ariel Pink Team Up on New Track "Revenge": Listen". Pitchfork. November 22, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  23. Karp, Naima; Karp/, Naima (March 17, 2020). "Interview: Artist/Producer Theophilus London Discusses His New Album "Bebey"". DOPECAUSEWESAID. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  24. "Listen to Tame Impala and Theophilus London's New Songs". Pitchfork. October 23, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  25. "Theophilus London". Black History Month 2022. October 12, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  26. Birchmeier, Jason. "Artist Biography by Jason Birchmeier". Allmusic.
  27. SOMETHING SCREWY IS GOING ON WITH THEOPHILUS LONDON'S INSTAGRAM Archived May 17, 2021, at the Wayback Machine at HipHopDX; by Chris Mitchell; published May 6, 2016; retrieved May 17, 2021
  28. Theophilus London says he was "hacked" after being accused of trying to sell Miley Cyrus collab Archived May 17, 2021, at the Wayback Machine at The line of Best Fit; by Cerys Kenneally; published December 31, 2020; retrieved May 17, 2021
  29. Theophilus London claims he was hacked after being accused of trying to sell Miley Cyrus track Archived May 17, 2021, at the Wayback Machine at NME.com; by Will Lavin; published December 31, 2020; retrieved May 1, 2021
  30. Heching, Dan (December 29, 2022). "Rapper Theophilus London reported missing in Los Angeles". CNN. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  31. "Theophilus London's Family Has Reported Him Missing". Complex. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  32. "Rapper Theophilus London Reported Missing in Los Angeles by Family and Friends". Peoplemag. December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  33. DuBose, Josh (January 4, 2023). "Rapper Theophilus London found safe after missing for months, family member says". KTLA.
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