Merlin
b. London, England. Hardly the ‘new rap messiah’ that his second album proclaimed him to be, Merlin nevertheless cut an intriguing figure in the British rap scene of the '90s. He was still a teenager when the record was released, but he had already chalked up a fair reputation for his late '80s releases on Rhythm King (including being arrested for stealing cheques from Mute Records just before he made an appearance on Top Of The Pops. One of the most notable examples of his craft was the single, Born Free, with its prototype UK hip hop lyrics.