Tyron Kay1 Frampton (born 18 December 1994), better known by his stage name Slowthai (stylised in lowercase), is an English rapper from Northampton, Northamptonshire. In addition to being included in the BBC's Sound of 2019 poll and NME's NME 100 list, Frampton has also received acclaim from publications such as DIY, Vevo, and Metro.
Frampton is well known for his notoriously gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, politically charged lyrics, especially around Brexit and Theresa May’s tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His stage name originates from his childhood nickname; Frampton had a speech impediment which caused him to speak slowly and with a drawl. Originally known as Slow Ty, he changed it to Slowthai when he released his first single in 2016.
Frampton was born on 18 December 1994 in Northampton to a teenage mother. Of mixed Bajan and Irish descent, Frampton was raised by his single mother along with his four siblings after his father left when he was three. Frampton grew up in Lings, a predominantly white council estate in Billing, Northamptonshire known colloquially as "The Bush". His younger brother, Michael, had muscular dystrophy (MD) and died in 2001, aged one, which greatly affected Frampton. Frampton attended Northampton Academy and in 2011 went on to attend Northampton College, where he studied a Level 3 BTEC in Music Technology. Frampton frequently skipped school during his years at Northampton Academy, often spending time at a nearby underground “recording studio” at his friend’s house, only stopping when his mother was forced to attend a compulsory court hearing. After college, Frampton had multiple miscellaneous short stints in employment - he worked as a labourer and at a clothes shop before being sacked for breach of contract after he gave his friends employee benefits. After his dismissal, Frampton focused entirely on music, downloading a copy of FL Studio and releasing numerous singles and an extended play under Bone Soda.
Frampton resides in Kensington, West London and his home town of Northampton.