A regular collaborator of Kanye West, the 35-year-old artist has unveiled three albums over the past ten years. It evaporated into the wild this summer.
He was one of the rising stars of hip-hop in the early 2010s, and today he is nowhere to be found. American rapper Theophilus London has not been seen in months, and his family reported him missing on Wednesday to Los Angeles police.
According to Associated Press, no one has had contact with the 35-year-old artist since July. He was last seen on October 15 in Skid Row, an underprivileged neighborhood in Los Angeles known for its high number of homeless people.
Promising beginnings
Born in the Caribbean state of Trinidad and Tobago, Theophilus London was raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush, as reported Acclaim Magazine. It was on the New York rap scene that he cut his teeth: with his baccalaureate, he decided to embark on a musical career and quickly got noticed.
After a few mixtapes at the end of the 2000s, the artist unveiled his first EP, Lovers Holidayin 2011. The presence of two guests testifies to the interest it is beginning to arouse: Sara Quinn, of the electro-pop duo Tegan & Sara, and Solange Knowles, singer and younger sister of Beyoncé.
First successes and prestigious collaborations
Signed at Warner Records, he then saw his career begin to take off. His first album, Timez Are Weird These Days, released the same year to critical acclaim. his piece Neighbors is found on the soundtrack of the fourth film of The Twilight Saga, Revelation, part 1.
His first titles charmed very beautiful people, as evidenced by the illustrious names who collaborated on vibes, his second album released in 2014. The disc is produced in part by Leon Ware, an American music legend who has collaborated with Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and Donny Hathaway. The cover photo is signed Karl Lagerfeld.
Kanye West is also an artisan of this disc, and even puts his voice on one of the tracks, the duet can’t stop. Although hailed by critics, the album did not find its audience.
Mix of genres
vibes allows Theophilus London to mix his rap with R&B, disco or electro sounds. A mix of genres he cared about, as he proved in 2018 by collaborating with Tame Impala for the title whiplash:
“Tame Impala + rap, for me it’s like Run-DMC working with Aerosmith”, he confided to Complex two years ago. I was looking for a collaboration like that, it’s important for the music. It’s important for young people that two artists from these genres collaborate, from time to time, to offer a new perspective on music.”
Grammy nominated
He really broke through in 2016, when his name appeared in two categories at the Grammy Awards. The title All Day by Kanye West, on which he put his voice alongside Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney, is nominated for the awards for best rap performance and best rap song – but loses in both cases.
Theophilus London unveils its third album, baby, in 2020. He released it on his own label, My Bebey Records. At the same time, he continued his forays into the world of fashion: he collaborated with Virgil Abloh – then artistic director of Louis Vuitton – for the visuals. The creator even uses the title whiplash to accompany one of its parades.
months of mystery
No information has filtered on the activities of Theophilus London in recent months. His family released a statement asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information about the musician is urged to contact LAPD or Theophilus London’s cousin, Mikhail Noel, on his Instagram account. @iamdjkellz.
“We miss you,” her father wrote to her in the statement. “All your friends and family are looking for you. Wherever you are, let us know. Whatever the situation, we’ll come get you.”
