Words by Bradley Asamoah-Mensah
This one started with a question. When Silo GWP, a 20-year-old artist from Battersea, dropped “WHYSOTRENCH?”, it cut through the noise of an oversaturated scene almost instantly. The track’s bouncy energy, sharp delivery, and that now-iconic ad-lib, “Where’s M?,” had listeners locked in and asking their own questions, and now he’s quickly becoming one of the most talked-about voices emerging from South-West London.
Since the drop, the traction hasn’t slowed down. Now sitting on over 62,000 monthly listeners, with his hit single nearly pushing a million streams, his sound has gone beyond the borough of Wandsworth, finding pockets of listeners in the Netherlands, Germany, Australia and the US. Social media pages like Rising Ballers and VERSUS have tapped into the sound too, making Silo’s name synonymous with momentum in the industry rather than just being a moment.
But behind the numbers is someone still figuring things out, whether as an artist, as a person, or as someone trying to balance faith, ambition, and pressure in a scene moving faster than ever. When talking to Silo, it became clear that the story isn’t just about one track that went viral. It’s also about the doubt before, the years of false starts, the switch from university, and the moment he realised, as he put it, “There was something there.” What follows is a conversation that pulls those threads apart.
So, when did it all start for Silo GWP?
“I think, genuinely, my first ever proper studio session. I started writing when I was like 16, me and Humz done a freestyle in the Common Room. Then after that, I kinda just brushed it. Then like maybe six months later, I don’t know what happened, I just started writing so much. I used to beg my teacher to let me use the studio. I had friends who were making music, and I got a bit jealous. I knew I could do that.”
The moment things clicked came soon after.
“We performed at that school party, me and KP, so that’s when I was like, okay, there’s something there. Then two, three months later, I made ‘Don’t Disturb’ in my first studio session.”
‘Don’t Disturb,’ still unreleased, became an anchor for him.
“It might go out… maybe on an EP. But everything I made from August 2023 up until WHYSOTRENCH? was literally trying to navigate my way to dropping Don’t Disturb.”
But the journey wasn’t smooth. In fact, “WHYSOTRENCH?” was originally meant to be his exit.
“In December 2024, I was literally going to quit music. It came out because I was quitting music, and I was going to build the brand WHYSOTRENCH? It was going to be a media brand.”
What pulled him back was one message.
“KP, he sent me the beat, and listen, when he sent me that beat, everything changed. I started writing straight away. He sent me the beat at 2pm, 3pm the song was written, 4pm I was on the way to the studio, 5pm I was recording, 6pm the song was done. That’s the strongest feeling I’ve ever had. I was proper sure, still.”
Before that breakthrough, Silo had already left the University of Northampton for the Notting Hill Academy of Music, where his relationship with Nick Brewer began, first as a mentor and then, unexpectedly, as his manager.
“I owe them a lot because I met Nick. I met good people, good friends, and good artists as well. When WST hit 50,000 streams, I went back. I hadn’t been for a month. I showed him, and he pointed me in the right direction, started having meetings with Def Jam, all these labels.
“From the moment I came to that school, I sent him tracks. I wanted someone that knows music to listen to mine and tell me what I can improve on. He actually wrote a little paragraph for every song that I sent him. Out of everyone there, he’s the only one who was taking me in.”
Eventually, Silo put it plainly:
“I said to him that he may as well just manage me. I can’t do this; you may as well help me.”
And then came the moment everything shifted. “WHYSOTRENCH?” went from a last attempt to a defining statement. It spread across social media, group chats, and block parties long before he even released it.
“I went from being low-key to now everybody knowing my song. Going outside, people were asking me for pictures, and I’ve not even dropped the song yet. It was crazy. I remember I was walking home at like 1am, and someone asked me for a picture outside my house. I was thinking, ‘Yo, this is mad.’ I reply to every fan message because I know what it’s like to be ignored. So why would I go and do that to another person?”
His influences run deep, particularly the artists who shaped his understanding of storytelling.
“98s were my favourite drill rap group. I listened to DA’s verse, then he made a song called ‘Do It For’ with Kay-O. It’s a different kind of drill, he’s talking drill, but he’s talking real at the same time. The way he does it, he quickly just became one of my favourite artists.”
His dream collaborations span from drill to afroswing to soulful alt sounds.
“Digga, man. I would also say Cleo Sol, Qendresa, Gabzy, Adz Heartless, Odeal, Jordy… Baby Smoove, Chy Cartier.”
On the singers specifically:
“It’s just their voice, man. They can proper sing. Qendresa’s music is sick. I came across it recently, and I was like, ‘Yo, what is this?’ in a good way. I like music that’s different to mine because I think of music creatively… ‘How did you create that?’ Your mind is mad for even creating that.”
Looking ahead, Silo keeps things grounded.
“I’ve got a remix to WHYSOTRENCH? dropping, maybe one more tune to close the year, right at the end of December. Then EP next year. It’s step by step. The more I create, the better I get. The more I pray, the more I speak to God, the more blessings will come. Just taking everything step by step.”
Faith is the foundation.
“It’s a massive part of my life. Talking to God, going to church, reading the Bible... When I’m in times of stress, I just talk to God. Psalm 91 gets read every day. I feel more at ease.”
To end the interview, just a simple question: who are you?
“I’m Silo. You wouldn’t expect what I have to say. I can give you what you expect, but I can also surprise you at the same time. Once you hear my song, you’ll definitely have something to take away from it. I’m a boy coming from South West London, just trying to make something, man. Literally.”