C1 has been rapping out of the Tulse Hill Estate in Lambeth since 2017. Over the past year he has started to sound like the most complete artist the estate has produced. His new single, “Heads or Tails”, came out on 18 October with Silent from 67. Five days later he was on Dopesmoke’s debut solo tape. We think he is the South London rapper to watch going into 2027, and this is why.
Lower Tulse
The estate sits by Brockwell Park, between Brixton and Streatham. It has had crews with real followings across South London for years. In fan histories the names run from TN1 to 86 and then LTH, for Lower Tulse Hill. The next step is a solo name the whole country knows, and C1 is the strongest candidate it has.
C1 carries the place with him. “#LTH” goes on his releases, and the hook of his best song is built around “Lower Tulse”. When The Block Report filmed with him in October 2025, the interview was titled “Rapping under 86 never made sense for me.” He wanted a name of his own. You can hear that pride on the records without it ever turning into a sales pitch.
Most published histories of these crews are fan forum posts. I haven’t repeated any of their claims about individuals.
The numbers
His Spotify biography says his 2018 debut EP, Tulse Hill Slums, passed 10 million streams across platforms. That figure comes from the artist himself. The public counts, read on 24 October 2026, show a catalogue people keep returning to:
- “Ain’t Like That” (GRM Daily): 2.78 million views
- “Slums” (2018, Pressplay): 1.25 million views
- “Hillside Demons” with LD of 67 (2023): 918,607 views
- “Tulse Hill Tour”: 814,211 views
- Spotify: about 95,000 monthly listeners
He has also done freestyles for Next Up, Hardest Bars and Fumez the Engineer’s Plugged In. Rappers usually get those slots when their peers already rate them.
The “Chrome” turn
In April 2026 The Block Report, the YouTube platform hosted by Flashy Sillah, released an EP with Groundworks called The Block Report, Vol. 1. C1’s track was “Chrome”, produced by Yababykid. The video went up on 3 April and has 61,557 views.
It is the best thing he has made. The beat is stripped right back and he slows down. He raps about his parents and about how people treat him now, and every line lands. Wordplay called it “a darker, stripped back drill sound, giving his delivery space to land clean and direct.” Walkz titled his reaction video “C1 HAS FOUND HIS SOUND!!”, and I agree with him. The earlier tracks are strong drill. On “Chrome” he sounds like himself, and you would know his voice anywhere after one listen.
The run with 67
67 come from Brixton Hill, the next estate over, and were among the first groups to take UK drill to a national audience. “Let’s Lurk” with Giggs came out in 2016. That year they were nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBOs, and the 2017 mixtape The Glorious Twelfth reached No. 71 in the albums chart.
C1’s link with 67 runs right through the group, from its founding generation to its newest names. His biggest collaboration is with LD, one of 67’s founding members. “Hillside Demons” went up on C1’s own channel on 3 February 2023 and has 918,607 views. LD came back for “Hillside Demons 2.0” in June 2024, with Dopesmoke and DT. R6, who was on 67’s 2016 “Milly Rock” remix, is on “Sit Back”. With the younger side, the connection is just as steady:
- “No Filter 2.0” on Hillside (2021), the joint tape from Silent and Dopesmoke: 608,344 views on Mixtape Madness
- “Sit Back” with Silent, Dopesmoke, R6 and PR SAD
- “UAV 2.0” with Silent and Dopesmoke (January 2026)
- “Heads or Tails” with Silent (October 2026)
- “1Link” on Dopesmoke’s FOTVI (October 2026)
Plenty of rappers get one feature from a big group. C1 has been asked back by 67 again and again for five years, by its senior members and its new ones.
“Heads or Tails”
The new single was released on 18 October as “Heads or Tails (feat. Silent)”, and it runs 2:07. The video is on the C1 OFFICIAL channel, co-listed with PR3ZZI and shot by Reece Visuals. It had 54,898 views on 24 October. C1 and Silent trade verses over a cold, short beat with the ease of two people who have recorded together many times. It is over before you want it to be.
“1Link”: Dopesmoke’s FOTVI puts C1 on the record
Dopesmoke (@dopesmoke67_ on Instagram) released FOTVI, his first solo album, on 23 October through APLCO. It is thirteen tracks and 35 minutes long. LD is on the intro, and the guest list runs through K-Trap, Kairo Keyz, Youngs Teflon, Tiny Boost and Silent.
Track ten is “1Link”, credited to Dopesmoke featuring Cfigures, C1 and G41 and produced by Krome Beats and OTMakeItBang. It is a 1:36 posse cut with four rappers on it, and it is the song on the album that ties Lower Tulse Hill to 67 most directly. The official audio had 9,734 YouTube views on 25 October, two days after release.
A new mixtape that puts the 67 legacy firmly in the spotlight.
HWING on FOTVI, October 2026
Official audio, dopesmoke (YouTube Topic channel). Loads only when you press play.
Dopesmoke has been building to this for five years, since Hillside with Silent in 2021. For C1, a place on that record says how the scene rates him. If you like what you hear, share it.
What we think
This part is our opinion. C1 has the catalogue and a loyal audience, and with “Chrome” he found a sound that belongs to him. The people around him keep calling him in. We think he is the next one up from South London. A full project in that “Chrome” style would make the case to everyone else, and we would like to hear it soon.