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 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 distinctly rooted in the UK.
The hugely influential London Posse formed in 1986 and was 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, later signing to Mango/Island records where they 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 by Hip Hop Connection magazine.
Having joined forces with DJ Skitz, Rodney P was invited by the BBC to host the 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 three BBC Four documentaries produced by Acme Productions – “The Hip Hop World News”, “The Last Pirates – Britain’s Rebel DJs” and “Bass, Beats and Bars – The Story of Grime”.
One look at Rodney P’s discography illustrates a who’s who of the UK and international music scene. He has collaborated with Reggae legends John Holt and Spragga Benz and with fellow Hip Hop giants like David Banner, Kardinal Offishall, Rootz Manuva, and Pharaoh Monch to name a few; he featured on various soul and R&B productions with artists such as Angie Stone, Omar, The Herbilizer, Don-E and The Brand New Heavies; and appeared on dance and electro tracks with the likes of MJ Cole, Roni Size, Bassnectar, Dub Pistols, Timo Maas and Zed Bias. More unusual affiliations with artists like Bjork and Nitin Sawhney demonstrate his role as a genuine genre-defying emcee as well as reflecting his own diverse musical taste.
As the label owner of Riddim Killa Records since the early 2000s until now, Rodney has released his own music (The Nice Up, Riddim Killa, The Future Album) and music by other stand-out UK Hip Hop artists like the album ‘Lion Heart’ by the undisputed lyrical king of the UK underground Hip Hop scene, Klashnekoff.
In 2022 Rodney released the singles – Find A Way ‘Never, Again’ featuring the UK Soul Music queen Terri Walker, and ‘The Urban Ganja Farmers Tune’ featuring the Reggae legend John Holt (RIP). 2023 sees the build-up to his ‘Good People Age Better’ album with the release of “New World Order” featuring the internationally in-demand Dancehall artist Deadly Hunta as well as his Rolling Stone E.P, a collaboration project produced by Jonny Rockstar (Amy Winehouse, Suga Babes, Alicia Keys) both to be released on Riddim Killa Records via Cygnus Music.
“Legend doesn’t quite cut it, he’s like a legend to the power of five million” – MistaJam (Capital Radio/Capital Dance)
“Gave British rap an identity of its own” – The Telegraph