Fast becoming one of the UK’s brightest and exhilarating young emcees, ArrDee is on a path to stardom. His charismatic style has already won audiences across the country but now he’s ready for more. ArrDee’s always been driven to be an MC ever since he was a child and now,more than ever is his moment. Hailing from Brighton, on the UK’s south coast, he has always been inspired by the city’s vibrant and diverse music culture, growing up on UK hip-hop, drum & bass, garage and grime. He’s still young, at 19, ArrDee had the world of UK rap at his feet and his relatable sound has already begun to capture the scene’s attention
Since primary school when ArrDee first started writing, rap has always been an outlet for self-expression. aad with many at that age, it was written mostly for himself as a way of venting until he got a bit older. ArrDee’s writing became more refined and concise, with his ability to use that natural humour and flow to tell more vivid and coherent stories
Released in March, his single ‘6AM In Brighton’ has already amassed 7.5 million YouTube views and with the video also filmed in his hometown, it showed his audiences an alternative side to UK rap. Since his arrival on the scene as a new voice to be heard, ArrDee swiftly gained support from 1Xtra’s Tiffany Calver and Charlie Sloth at Capital Xtra. It’s a sign of growing potential but his infectious charisma and cheeky persona has warmed him to audiences and tastemakers alike. ArrDee’s debut freestyle ‘Cheeky Bars’, a delivery of witty and humorous wordplay, has racked up over 5.4 million views to date on YouTube after its release in January
Debuting on the scene with two freestyle-esque songs was ArrDee’s intention to showcase to UK rap audiences that he’s a talent to watch and admire. Many consider it to be a fundamental aspect of rap and the support from rap tastemakers indicates that ArrDee’s on a track to
stardom. Citing emcees such as Eminem and Lil Wayne as early influences, they were just as prolific as lyricists as being hitmakers, hence how they became stars. ArrDee’s incorporated this approach early on in his career and these are the subtle details that define rappers
ArrDee’s influence has now stretched far beyond his hometown with his feature on Russ and Tion Wayne’s ‘Body Remix’. With 73 million YouTube hits and 180 million Spotify streams, it became the first drill track to top the UK Singles charts, proof that he can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the scene’s best
Since then he has enjoyed a rapid ascent through the musical ranks. His Silver-certified debut single ‘Oliver Twist’ spent a full month in the UK ‘Top 10’, with the video garnering 24 million YoutTube views and over 56 million Spotify streams. Follow-up ‘Jiggy’ quickly amassed 3 million
views and hit the ‘Top 30’ on trending for music. Going one better was recent releases ‘Wid It’ alongside Tion Wayne, which broke into the UK Top 20 alongside ‘Wasted’, a 'Heartbroken-by-T2-sampling collab with fellow UK rap talent Digga D that went straight into the UK ‘Top 10’, making it an incredible three UK top 10’s in three months
Brighton is more than just the soundscape to ArrDee’s story but the foundation as well. Traditionally, it hasn’t always been considered in UK rap conversations but its worldwide influence has meant that it has also touched all corners of this country. ArrDee’s rise represents a shift in Brighton’s scene and growing influence across the country; it's remarkable given that his first single ‘Cheeky Bars'’ was released just this year in January. However, from building his foundation in his hometown all these years, ArrDee has his sights set on putting Brighton on the map
With 1.2 million followers on TikTok and 694,000 on Instagram and rising, plus a debut mixtape on the way in the new year, it’s clear that ArrDee is here to stay
