British grime rapper Ghetts today pleaded guilty to killing a student in a hit-and-run crash that threw his victim up to 70ft in the air.

The MC, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel and stars in the Netflix streaming series Supacell, hit Yubin Tamang while driving his black BMW M5 in Ilford, east London on the night of October 18.

Clarke-Samuel, 41, an award-winning rapper and songwriter who has featured on songs alongside Skepta, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran, failed to stop after the incident at 11.33pm.

Mr Tamang, a 20-year-old from Nepal who loved studying in the UK and hip hop music, was flung between 60ft and 70ft in the air when Ghetts hit him.

Yubin died in hospital two days after the crash.

Ghetts appeared at the Old Bailey today via video link from HMP Pentonville wearing a green Lacoste polo shirt.

He admitted causing death by dangerous driving as well as dangerous driving before the incident, on Tavistock Place and roads in the boroughs of Islington, Camden and Hackney.

Mr Tamang’s family and two close friends were in court today having travelled from Nepal.

Ghetts was told that it is ‘inevitable’ that he will be jailed for causing Mr Tamang’s death.

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British grime rapper Ghetts today pleaded guilty to killing a student in a hit-and-run crash that threw his victim up to 70ft in the air .

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Justin Clarke-Samuel hit Yubin Tamang while driving his black BMW M5 in Ilford, east London on the night of October 18

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Yubin Tamang, originally from Nepal, died after being killed in a car crash last month. Ghetts struck him with his BMW X5 and did not stop

Ghetts has not yet entered pleas to causing death by careless driving whilst over the alcohol limit or a further dangerous driving charge.

He accepts he had drunk Hennessy cognac and Coke at 9.30pm.

Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London, said Ghetts is facing an inevitable custodial sentence.

He remains remanded in custody ahead of sentencing likely to take place on February 12.

Mr Tamang was an only child sent to the UK by his parents to study at the University of Roehampton, magistrates were previously told.

Members of Mr Tamang’s family said the victim was ‘a very good person’ and a hip-hop fan, and described him as their ‘world’.

Prosecutor Varinder Hayre earlier said: ‘The victim was an only child sent to the UK by his parents to get education in this country.

‘The victim was seen on CCTV walking along Redbridge Lane East in the area. He looked both ways and started to cross the road, as he walked into the middle of the road.

‘The black BWW registered with the defendant was travelling eastbound and collided with the victim.

‘The impact was so significant that it threw the victim up into the air at around 60 or 70 feet and the contents of his bag had been thrown out.

‘The victim landed on the floor and the BMW did not stop and kept travelling east along Redbridge Lane.’

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Yubin died in hospital two days after the crash

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Rapper Ghetts was nominated for two Ivor Novello awards earlier this year (pictured at the ceremony in May) and has featured on songs alongside Skepta, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran

Ms Hayre said: ‘A member of the public had been driving nearby and noticed the victim had been lying down with his head close to the pavement. When he got closer he noticed the victim was bleeding from his head.

‘He asked if he was okay. However, he was not responding. It was almost as if he tried to say something, but he could not hear what he was saying because there was so much blood in his mouth.’

Another pedestrian saw a rucksack on the road and black broken car parts.

Ghetts had parked his BMW on an adjacent road about 10 to 15 minutes after the fatal hit-and-run.

Police went to arrest Ghetts at 4.40am the next day and found him at home with his girlfriend.

Ms Hayre said: ‘The defendant opened the door and he was handcuffed and officers could smell alcohol intoxicating liquid under his breath. He had been sleeping and was woken up by officers.

‘The defendant asked officers what car he was supposed to be driving. Then they informed him would be conducting a search of the home address. He questioned why and officers explained they were looking for the car key.

‘He started shouting at the officers. The officers found a fixed penalty notice, a logbook and the car key for the BMW in question.’

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20-year-old Yubin was described as a ‘very good person’ by his family, who were in court today

The BMW had significant damage on the front side and the windscreen was shattered.

Ghetts is an award-winning rapper and songwriter who has featured on songs alongside Skepta, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran, racking up millions of hits on Spotify.

He started his career as a member of East London British grime group Nasty Crew.

In 2008, he was nominated for a BET Award for Best International Act: UK along with Chipmunk, Giggs, and Skepta.

In 2021 he won the Best Male Act at the Mobo Awards and received the Mobo Pioneer Award in 2024 for his significant contribution to British black culture.

The rapper has also been nominated for a Mercury Prize.

In 2024 he performed at Glastonbury having previously sang at the festival in 2022 and 2008 on the BBC Introducing stage. That same year, he starred in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Supacell.

Ghetts starred in the first ever episode of Amelia Dimoldenberg’s YouTube comedy series Chicken Shop Date and appeared again for the tenth anniversary last year.

Clarke-Samuel, of Woodford Green, admitted causing death by dangerous driving.