Achi Avelino (born 4 June 1993), better known mononymously by his stage name Avelino, is a British rapper and singer of Congolese and Angolan descent from Tottenham, London, known for his “unique tone” and “deep wordplay”. riginally rapping under the monikers AA (derived from his initials), Avelino first released freestyles on YouTube.[1] His debut mixtape, Underdog Music, was released in 2013 through More Music Records.[6][non-primary source needed][7][non-primary source needed] The project was credited by GRM Daily’s Charlie-Louise Akintilo as being “edgy” and “refreshing”. Avelino rose to prominence in 2014 following the release of his second mixtape, Iconic Ambition, which was featured on DJ Semtex’s Mixtape Top 5 on BBC Radio 1Xtra.[9] He went on to support Stormzy on tour throughout 2015, having previously collaborated on the mixtape track “No Comment”. Throughout 2015, Avelino was championed by fellow Tottenham MC Wretch 32.[4] The two rappers released a joint mixtape, entitled Young Fire, Old Flame, on 18 December 2015, to positive reception. Avelino was Young Fire, whereas Wretch 32 was Old Flame.[2] The mixtape was accompanied by a Fire in the Booth freestyle on BBC Radio 1, which was heralded by host Charlie Sloth as the “hardest” Fire in the Booth of all time, and by Noiseys Joe Zadeh as “staggering”.[11] Wretch and Avelino also collaborated on the promotional singles “M.O.E”[12] and “Freedom”, as well as an unofficial remix of Kanye West’s “No More Parties in LA”, renamed “No More Parties in DSTRKT”.[13] The two are scheduled to perform the mixtape at KOKO on 12 May 2016. On 7 April 2016, Avelino released his debut EP, FYO, for free download. It was executive produced by Raf Riley.[15] The project, which stands for Fuck Your Opinion, has received considerable support from BBC Radio 1; “Youniverse” has been played by MistaJam,[16] and the title track was added to 1Xtra’s C-list playlist on 6–12 May 2016.[17][non-primary source needed] Supporters of the song include Annie Mac[18] and Charlie Sloth.[19] The EP topped Semtex’s Mixtape Top 5 chart.[20] He is currently working on his debut studio album. In May 2018, Avelino released “So Fine”, featuring Haile WSTRN. In 2023, “So Fine” was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[22] Later that year he released “Boasy”, featuring Not3s, which was certified silver by the BPI in 2019.
