Geko has been played on NTS shows including MARTHA, with Eko Miami first played on 15 May 2020.

Hodifa Abdalla Elshabli (born 15 June 1997), known professionally as Geko, is a British rapper and singer associated with Manchester, England. His music blends UK rap with afroswing and Afrobeats, and he has been linked with both grime and melodic rap across his career.

Early life

Geko is of Algerian and Libyan heritage. He began writing and recording rap at a young age and has cited artists such as 50 Cent, Eminem, Jadakiss, Styles P and K Koke as influences.

Career

2010 to 2014 Early recordings and USG

Geko started building a following as a teenager and became the youngest member of K Koke’s U.S.G. collective after signing at the age of 13. During this period, he released early material and mixtape work while developing a reputation as a young rapper from the North of England. In 2012 he recorded a session for BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Fire in the Booth with Charlie Sloth, widely reported as the youngest rapper to appear on the series.

2015 to 2017 OneTape and LionHeart

After leaving U.S.G., Geko set up his own imprint, OneTape Records, and continued releasing music independently. His sound increasingly leaned into Afrobeats and afroswing rhythms alongside rap delivery. In March 2017, he released his debut studio album LionHeart, marking his first full length album release and reflecting his shift toward a more melodic and internationally influenced sound.

2018 to 2019 Charting singles and 22

Geko’s mainstream breakthrough in the late 2010s came through a run of singles released with 3 Beat. In 2018, 6:30 featuring NSG entered the UK Singles Chart and became one of his best known tracks. He followed with further collaborations including Will Smith with Not3s and New Money with French Montana and Ay Em, which also charted in the UK. In December 2019, he released the album 22, a project that collected several of his charting singles alongside new tracks and additional features.

2020 to present

Geko has continued releasing singles and collaborations, maintaining a style that moves between rap, Afrobeats and afroswing while remaining closely tied to the Manchester scene.