Ebb and flow

It's 10 years since rapper Avelino first appeared on the scene, but as he tells Rolling Stone UK, the creation of his "body of work", debut album God Save The Streets, could not be rushed

- NICOLAS-TYRELL SCOTT

IN GENEALOGIES ACROSS global cultural lines, a surname usually from the father's side of the family spans generations, with offspring carrying a legacy of tradition. Ify Adenuga had to remind her son, UK rap juggernaut Skepta, that his surname "meant something" even if others struggled to pronounce it. Meanwhile, British contemporary Dave hides his surname to spare the burden of it being publicly tied to his siblings and getting them into unwarranted trouble. For Tottenham native and fellow rapper Avelino, his surname became his solace in one of the hardest times of his life.

It's 24 hours after Avelino's GRM Daily Duppy launch when we meet, and the number of viewers has already crossed the 100,000 mark. But instead, he and I are focused on a specific line relating to his father which he used in his performance. "My dad died, so I made my surname my stage name, so I could represent in that way," he rapped, more ambitious on his second appearance on the platform.

Wistfully reflecting on this loss 15 years ago while adjusting his gleaming white Nike Air Forces, Avelino sees his father's name as a form of catharsis. "This experience should technically be the worst experience that has ever happened to me," he begins, internally battling between sharing and holding back before deciding to continue, as we settle into sofas at the head office of his press team DawBell's on a Friday night. "Instead of letting that curse me for the rest of my own life, I positioned it as an ultimate source of motivation."