Hardy Tayyib-Bah (born 23 May 1996), known professionally as Hardy Caprio,[1][2] is a Sierra Leonean-born British rapper and singer.[3]

Hardy Caprio
Hardy Caprio in 2021
Hardy Caprio in 2021
Background information
Birth nameHardy Tayyib-Bah
Also known asHardy (2013–2015)
Profitz (2010–2013)
Born (1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 28)
Sierra Leone
OriginCroydon, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2010–present
LabelsVirgin EMI

By 2020, Hardy has released a string of successful releases, broken into The Official UK Top 20, and amassed over 270 million streams online.[4]

Career

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2010–2016: Early career

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Hardy began his music career in 2010, debuting his career under the rap name Profitz.[1] At the age of 14, Profitz introduced himself to the music scene with his '#KNWME freestyle'.[5] Hardy also featured on a few freestyles alongside South London rapper Novelist (MC).[6] In 2010 Profitz went on to release his first project titled 'A New Page'. He later went on to release his first mixtape 'Indecisive' in 2013 under a new rap name, Hardy.[1]

2017–2018: Rise to popularity, Hardy Season and The Hollywood EP

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Under the new name Hardy Caprio, he was inspired by Croydon artists such as Krept and Konan and Stormzy receiving a widespread success across the UK, which motivated him to pursue music more seriously.[4][7] Hardy went on to release over 20 videos in 2017, going from 10,000 views to 100,000 in a year.[4] One notable freestyle he dropped was on the SB.TV platform, which helped raise his profile. Hardy rapped over Flukes instrumental "Wifey", a Rhythm & Grime song originally released and made famous by Tinie Tempah in 2006.[8][9][4] In 2017, Hardy released "Unsigned" and "Super Soaker" alongside One Acen. "Unsigned" became a platinum single, garnered over 14 million views on YouTube, over 30 million streams, and reached number 2 on the UK Independent Chart.[10][11][4]

Discography

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Mixtapes

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  • Indecisive (as Hardy) (2013)[1]

Extended plays

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  • A New Page (as Profitz) (2010)[12]
  • Hardy Season (2017)[4]
  • The Hollywood EP (2017)[4]

Singles

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As lead artist

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Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[13]
"Unsigned"
(featuring One Acen)[14]
2017 45 Non-album singles
"Super Soaker"
"Rapper"[16] 2018 34
"Best Life"
(featuring One Acen)[17]
26
"Sponsored"[18] 2019 70
"Guten Tag"
(featuring DigDat)[19]
18
"Juicy"
(with Darkoo)
2020 62
"XYZ"
(with SL)
62
"See Nobody"
(with Wes Nelson)
3 BPI: Platinum[15] TBA
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[13]
"EIO"
(One Acen featuring Hardy Caprio)[20]
2018 90 Non-album singles
"Droptop"

(T Mulla featuring Hardy Caprio)[21]

2019 78

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Hardy". Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Profitz ft J.A.Y - Be The Best". YouTube. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Hardy Caprio: The Croydon rapper with a first-class degree". BBC News. 28 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "The Rise & Rise of Hardy Caprio". A Nation of Billions. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  5. ^ Profitz #KNWME, retrieved 9 August 2019
  6. ^ PD.TV | Novelist, Capa, Javen & Profitz [1/2] (@Prodeetv), retrieved 9 August 2019
  7. ^ Magazine, Mr Trapped (10 August 2016). "We Meet Hardy Caprio: Exclusive Interview". Trapped Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  8. ^ Dummy. "The 10 best rhythm and grime tracks, according to Sian Anderson". DummyMag. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  9. ^ Hardy Caprio | Warm Up Sessions [S9.EP20]: SBTV, archived from the original on 9 August 2019, retrieved 9 August 2019
  10. ^ Mensah, De'Graft; Barrett, Gena-mour (28 July 2018). "The UK rapper with a first-class degree". Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Rising Star: Meet A2i Group's Ashley Lauder". www.musicweek.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Twitter -இல் Hardy Caprio: "Listening to my first E.P, Profitz - A New Page.. 2010 I've come a long long looong way"". Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  13. ^ a b "HARDY CAPRIO - full Official Charts History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  14. ^ ""Unsigned" (feat. One Acen) - Single by Hardy Capio". iTunes. 16 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "British certifications – Hardy Caprio". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 May 2023. Type Hardy Caprio in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. ^ "Rapper - Single by Hardy Caprio". iTunes. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Best Life (feat. One Acen) - Single by Hardy Caprio". iTunes. 28 June 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Sponsored - Single by Hardy Caprio". iTunes. 14 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Guten Tag – Single by Hardy Caprio & DigDat". iTunes. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  20. ^ "EIO (feat. Hardy Caprio) - Single by One Acen". iTunes. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Droptop (feat. Hardy Caprio) - Single by T Mulla". iTunes. Retrieved 22 March 2019.