The annual poll, which aggregates opinions from scores of DJs, critics and industry experts, placed the North Londoner fifth in its week-long countdown to the top spot.
George Mpanga, a Cambridge politics graduate, said being named in the top five was ‘a big pat on the back.’
The songwriter, who wants to use his music as a force for good, told the BBC: ‘I believe rap to be a specialist form of poetry - specialist only in that it is very strict on time metre, which you can find in traditional forms of poetry.’
A longlist of 15 acts was revealed last month, including singer-songwriter James Bay, grime MCs Novelist and Stormzy, and rock two-piece Slaves.
DJ Huw Stephens will reveal the rest of the top five on the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show throughout the rest of this week.
George Mpanga, a Cambridge politics graduate, said being named in the top five was ‘a big pat on the back.’
The songwriter, who wants to use his music as a force for good, told the BBC: ‘I believe rap to be a specialist form of poetry - specialist only in that it is very strict on time metre, which you can find in traditional forms of poetry.’
A longlist of 15 acts was revealed last month, including singer-songwriter James Bay, grime MCs Novelist and Stormzy, and rock two-piece Slaves.
DJ Huw Stephens will reveal the rest of the top five on the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show throughout the rest of this week.
