Downtown Signs UK Rapper Kano

London, UK -- November 17, 2017 - Downtown has signed a worldwide deal with UK Hip Hop and Grime songwriter and rapper Kano.

A two-time MOBO Award winner, Kano is considered as one of the most influential talents in British Hip Hop, and is one of the founding fathers of the Grime scene. In 2016, Kano achieved his highest chart position breaking into the UK Top Ten with the seminal and Mercury Music prize nominated Made In The Manor. The celebrated album, as well as his future collaborations and releases, will be covered under this deal.

Commenting on the signing Kano said, "It takes a lot for me to sit down and share a pot of tea with someone. Even more to trust someone in looking after the thing i'm most precious about; my words. But Dan is different to most. He gets it. He sees it early, and then he sees its potential beyond where most people's vision can go. We've been talking for years about working together and now was the time."

"I've known Kano since he collaborated with Plan B on the Ill Manors soundtrack," said Daniel Lloyd Jones, head of Downtown A&R UK on the signing. "He is one of the most visceral, honest, and astute lyricists out there -- his wordplay is hard hitting, cerebral, and second to none. It's a real honour to have him join the Downtown family. He is exactly what you can't manufacture. He has his own culture and identity which is unique to him but speaks to many."

Kano is Jones' first signing to Downtown, who joined the company in August. It's been a busy few weeks for Kano with the news that he is set to be featured again in series 3 of Top Boy, which Drake is executive producing. The series will air on Netflix in 2019.

Roberto Neri, Managing Director of Downtown's UK office, said "We're thrilled about Kano joining our incredible client roster. It's also great to see Dan firmly settled in at Downtown."

Kanos manager Richard Thomas added "I'm really looking forward to working with Dan and everyone at Downtown. His passion and enthusiasm is what convinced me and Kane that he's the right person to go into business with. I highly respect him as he is a man of his word, and someone who sees our vision. It's great to be his first signing at Downtown."

With the intentions of cementing the company in the cultural hemisphere of the UK Urban music scene, Downtown UK Office has signed the likes of renowned songwriter-producer Naughty Boy, songwriting and production duo Saltwives (Zayn, Iggy Azalea, Charles Hamilton, BeBe Rexha), and songwriter and producer Zdot (Wiley, Professor Green, Lady Leshurr, Bugzy Malone), in just the past year.

About Downtown Music Publishing

Established in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is one of the world's leading rights-management firms with offices in major music markets around the globe, including New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, and Tokyo. The company's catalog spans over seven decades of popular music, encompassing some of the world's most beloved songwriters and artists including The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, The Kinks, Cy Coleman, Hans Zimmer, Mötley Crüe, One Direction, Naughty Boy, Hardwell, Sturgill Simpson, Santigold, Carla Bruni, and Social Distortion. Downtown Music Publishing is wholly owned by Downtown & Company, which also owns New York-based Downtown Music Studios and Songtrust, the world's largest technology platform for songwriting and music publishing royalties, which powers technology platform that powers global royalty collection from over 120 territories and more than 20,000 unique income sources worldwide.