Rodney P

Since his days in the seminal UK hip hop group London Posse, Rodney P has been widely regarded as the Godfather of British Hip Hop by Romesh Ranganathan amongst others. Also known as The Riddim Killa, he inspired a generation of British MCs and producers by being the first to rap in an authentic London accent. Over the years, he has produced a homegrown hip hop/reggae vibe that is distinctly rooted in the UK.

The hugely influential London Posse formed in 1987 and were invited on tour by Don Letts and Mick Jones (The Clash) to support their new band Big Audio Dynamite. Soon after, they secured their first recording contract with Big Life records and recorded pioneering hip hop classics like ‘Live Like The Other Half’ and ‘Money Mad’ for their debut album ‘Gangsta Chronicle’. ‘Gangsta Chronicle’ was voted the Most Important UK Hip Hop Album of All Time in 2007 by Hip Hop Connection magazine. The re-release of Gangster Chronicles: The Definitive Collection on Tru Thoughts included previously unheard London Posse tracks and a host of brand new remixes from some of the biggest names around.

Having joined forces with DJ Skitz, Rodney P was invited by the BBC to host ground-breaking urban music show “The Original Fever” on BBC 1Xtra in 2002. The show ran for over 6 years during which time they interviewed the likes of Pharrell Williams, 50 Cent and Kanye West. Rodney P has since continued to be involved with radio documentaries, presenting the Sony Award-nominated “F.E.D.S”, “Concrete Heat” and the Lamacq Live documentary “The Beautiful Struggle”. On TV, he is regarded as a spokesperson for the UK music scene, appearing on the likes of “Trevor Nelson’s The Low Down”, Don Letts’ “Soul Britannia” and “How Hip Hop Changed The World”, presented by Idris Elba. More recently, Rodney P has hosted BBC Four documentaries “The Hip Hop World News”, “The Last Pirates – Britain’s Rebel DJs” and “Bass, Beats and Bars”.

One look at Rodney P’s discography illustrates a who´s who of the UK music scene. He has collaborated with fellow UK hip hop giants Skinnyman, Blak Twang and The Nextmen; featured on various soul and R&B productions with artists such as Omar, Terri Walker and The Brand New Heavies; and appeared on dance and electro tracks with MJ Cole, Roni Size, The Stanton Warriors, Timo Maas and French producer DJ Flore. More unusual affiliations with artists like Bjork and Nitin Sawhney demonstrate his role as a genre defying emcee as well as reflecting his own diverse musical taste.