Where Are They Now: Don Strapzy [@DonStrapzy_]

Don Strapzy is the rapper slash Sunday League football hero that took YouTube by storm.

Don Strapzy is an artist who might have flown under the radar for some, but he continues to thrive today in a slightly different space to the one he started in. Hailing from South London’s Blue Borough, otherwise known as Lewisham, he broke onto the scene and quickly made a name for himself amongst his peers and to the industry. He has collaborated with now household names like Ghetts, Stormzy, and Krept & Konan and at the time those happened Strapzy was a big draw, arguably even bigger than those other artists. He has since slowed down on the music, but he’s replaced it with his passion for the worlds favourite sport – football.

If we send our minds back to 2010 Don Strapzy had already begun his musical rise amongst the rising wave of UK rap that had been brought to the forefront by Giggs. As he continued to progress racking up views, mixtape sales, and prominent features the industry couldn’t help but take notice. Only the Don Strapzy name wasn’t one they could really get behind and in response to this Strapzy formally announced a name change to Dru Blu. He signed a deal under the Dru Blu name and later released his first Album in 2013 with an impressive list of features including Fekky, Dot Rotten, and Stylo G.

But the music industry was set up a lot different then than it is now, so when things didn’t immediately blow up to what we’d now consider viral levels the hype train slowed down. Eventually, the Dru Blu name was dropped and Strapzy continued to release music but unfortunately, his moment as the most exciting newcomer passed. But of course, he didn’t let that stop him from anything, and as all good hustlers do he evolved.

Moving on from music he tapped into another passion of his which is football, one plenty of people can relate to with the last World Cup final alone getting 1.12 billion viewers. At a grassroots level it’s equally loved, Sunday League is the heart and soul of football and most typically the starting place for the talent that ends up going professional with it. But what the grassroots level of football lacked was coverage or more specifically entertaining coverage – that is where SE Dons stepped in.

Now Strapzy wasn’t the first and won’t be the last person to have undertaken the task of taking Sunday League to YouTube, but he is a name that has to be mentioned. Not only now but as the YouTube football scene continues to grow, years down the line people will still have to pay homage and respect to what Strapzy and SE Dons have done. In documenting everything surrounding games openly and with real passion the SE Dons brand grew monumentally. From merchandise, sponsorships, and more SE Dons have quickly risen to being one of the top YouTube teams around.

SE Dons are a Sunday League side that are extremely exciting to watch, on and off the pitch. It is a family club with everyone coming together nicely but also at moments fighting like a traditional family and just having to resolve it. They’ve had ups and downs but have showed consistency in being able to get results when it counts and silverware which only adds to their allure. With a mix of getting it done and players with classic Brazilian level flair, watching them is always entertaining. They show great passion and a real community spirit through both the players and the way the club interacts with its supporters.

This mix of entertainment and drama which is what makes people love the game of football, as well as keeps people engaged in the brand has paid off big time. Strapzy has been releasing all of the SE Dons footage via his YouTube channel which has led to him having over 168k subscribers on YouTube alone. If you watch the video’s you will also know that it’s not just fans in the UK that make up that number as there are frequent shoutouts and messages of support from multiple continents. The cherry on top is that there’s been a lot of notice from professional stars some of who have even featured in the videos.

So whilst Strapzy has shifted his focus away from the passion he was initially known for, it’s great to see him thriving and working hard at another one and that it’s paying off. The SE Dons brand only looks set to continue to grow and with Strapzy at the helm, there’s no doubt about it. Although currently recovering from an injury it will be a great day not only for him, but for fans and the club, when Donny Jones (Don Strapzy) makes his return to the pitch.