Nines (rapper)
Early life. Hailing from Harlesden. He grew up in Church End Estate in North-West London. His older siblings are Tyrone and Wayne Freckleton. In April 2008, Nines' brother, Wayne Freckleton (also known as Brandszino usually shortened to Zino), was gunned down and murdered in an alleged gangland attack. Career. 2010–2014: Early mixtapes. In 2012, Nines released his debut mixtape "From Church Road to Hollywood". This was followed by "Gone Till November" (2013) the following year and titled after his absence from the music scene due to his imprisonment. Nines gradually saw a rise in popularity through his  freestyle videos posted on online rap platform SB.TV. Nines' online music videos for his third mixtape, "Loyal to the Soil" (2014), gained significant attention. "Money on My Mind" quickly amassed millions of views on YouTube. He is part of the collective Ice City Boyz alongside Likkle T, Skrapz, J Styles, Fatz, Big Keyz, Trapstar Toxic, Streetz and others. 2015–2017: "One Foot In" and "One Foot Out". The song "Can't Blame Me" from his fourth mixtape "One Foot In" (2015) gained 19 million views. The mixtape "One Foot In" served as a prequel to his debut album. The first promotional  music video for "One Foot Out" was "Trapper of the Year", released on 27 August 2016, amassing more than 10 million views. In December 2016, Nines signed to British independent label XL Recordings, partnering with them to release his debut studio album "One Foot Out" (2017). The release date was announced the day before its release, becoming available for purchase on 10 February 2017. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 4, becoming one of the few English rappers to receive a top 5 album in recent years, among the likes of Skepta, Giggs and Krept and Konan. 2018 –present: "Crop Circle". In early April 2018, Nines released his first single since the release of his debut album, "I See You Shining", alongside a music video. It peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Nines' first and highest-charting single. It was later revealed to serve as the lead single to Nines' second album, "Crop Circle", which was announced three days before release. It was released on 20 April 2018 by XL Recordings. 2020–present: "Crabs in a Bucket". "Crabs in a Bucket" was released on 28 August 2020 by Zino Records and Warner Records. It  is the follow-up to Nines' second album Crop Circle (2018). The album features guest appearances from Headie One, Roy Woods, Nafe Smallz, NorthSideBenji, NSG, Tiggs da Author, among others. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. Drug convictions. On 12 August 2021, Nines admitted a charge relating to a plot with others to import 28 kilograms of cannabis from Spain and Poland, and admitted a further charge of money laundering related to a £98,000 debt and the street value of the cannabis. He was remanded in custody awaiting sentencing. On 1 October, he was sentenced to  28 months in HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs. He had served 18 months previously for possession of the same drug with intent to supply.