Virgin Records GM Michael Rivalland has told Music Week that the label’s rising rap stars MoStack and Hardy Caprio have maintained their “artistic integrity”.
MoStack entered the UK albums chart at No.3 with his debut long-player Stacko last week. It racked up 12,155 sales, according to the Official Charts Company.
“He’s got Stormzy on his latest single, he’s got the who’s who of the biggest names from the scene on his album – J Hus, Stormzy, Fredo and Dave,” said Rivalland.
MoStack secured Top 20 chart entries for Shine Girl feat. Stormzy (48,341 sales) and Stinking Rich feat. J Hus and Dave (19,004 sales). J Hus also appears on the forthcoming Ed Sheeran album.
“It feels exciting considering he [MoStack] has just sold out Brixton Academy and has another on sale,” said Rivalland.
The debut album follows chart success as a featured artist on singles with Not3s, Dave and Steel Banglez. MoStack’s own highest-selling single to date is last year’s What I Wanna (341,766 sales – OCC).
Hardy Caprio is currently enjoying his biggest hit with Guten Tag, which peaked at No.18 last month. It has sales to date of 121,046.
“What we haven’t done is less credible features just to get ahead,” said Rivalland. “We’ve kept that artistic integrity with those two acts. Hardy is maybe more pop than Mo, but he’s still 100% respected. He’s managed to nurture the fanbase by staying true to himself.”
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