Also known as Hollowman, Nathaniel Thompson is the leader of SN1, a UK Rap collective that includes Gunna Dee, Joe Grind, Kyze, Tiny Boost, and others.

Having grown up on the Gloucester Grove Estate in Peckham (South London), been jailed for gun possession, and frequently prevented from playing concerts by the Metropolitan Police, Giggs has plenty of ammunition for subject matter in his lyrics.

Giggs (short for Giggler) started taking rap seriously following his release from prison in 2005. In the following years he released several mixtapes independently, garnering widespread underground acclaim. His first output was with SN1 on their 2005 mixtape, Bloody Raw, and SN1 – The Beginning…. The Mixtape released in the same year.

Three collaborative mixtapes between 2006 and 2007 were also released: Hollow Grind with brother Joe Grind, Hollow Meets Blade with Blade Brown, and Ard Bodied with Dubz – elevated Giggs to the most popular underground rapper in the UK scene. Two tracks on the Ard Bodied mixtape “Pain Is The Essence” and “Talkin' da Hardest” resonated with a national audience and are considered anthems of UK Road Rap to this day.

The success of Giggs’s mixtapes prompted him to release his debut album, Walk In Da Park, in 2008. He subsequently signed to XL Records, despite attempts by the Metropolitan Police to stop the record deal. Two albums with XL followed before they parted ways amicably , and Giggs once again pursued the independent route.

After a slew of successful features, including Jme’s festival weapon “Man Don’t Care”, Dizzee Rascal’s Tchaikovsky-sampling “Nutcrackerz”, and Kano’s explosive “3 Wheel-Ups”, Giggs released his fourth studio album, Landlord, in August 2016 to great critical acclaim. The album, which features singles “Whippin' Excursion” and “Lock Doh”, reached number two in the UK Albums Chart.

After receiving criticism for a “wack” verse on Drake’s More Life banger “KMT”, Giggs released Wamp 2 Dem to perhaps change America’s opinion on the UK rap scene. The project features a mixture of artists including 2 Chainz on the banger Ultimate Gangsta and Young Thug on Gangstas & Dancers.

Contrary to popular belief, neither Giggs nor any SN1 artist are grime MC’s or make grime music bar a few exceptions, rather they make Road Rap or UK Rap. Giggs himself has clearly stated that he does not make Grime music.

In a 2010 interview with SK Vibemaker, he said:

I make rap music [..] people are fucking stupid, how can you not tell the difference between rap and grime?