Rizzle Kicks have recently seen their popularity skyrocket within a short space of time. Recent single ‘Down With The Trumpets’ landed at the number 8 spot in the official UK charts and they’re currently sitting on the top spot, courtesy of featuring on X-Factor man Olly Murs’s latest offering ‘Heart Skips A Beat’. Not only have they had commercial success, but critical too, as the duo of Jordan and Harley are up for 3 Mobo awards including Best Newcomer.
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So who exactly are Rizzle Kicks? Well Jordan “Rizzle” Stevens & Harley “Sylvester” Alexander-Sule knew each other way back in the 90′s as they used to play together at one of Jordan’s aunts houses. However they lost contact for about 9 years until both moved to Brighton at similar times where they faced off against each other in a football match. The two then both enrolled at the well-regarded Brit School in South London. It was from here on that the two began making music together and officially formed the group.
Rizzle was just completing his mixtape when he was 17 titled ‘Minor Breaches of Discipline’. Samples on the mixtape include Christina Aguilera, Adele, Lilly Allen and Lil Wayne. You can download the compilation here. It was around 16/17 that Harley joined his long time friend and became part of the group. A few years on and the two boys are now readying the release of their first album ‘Stereo Typical’ which is out in late October.
Their music is another refreshing break from the current pop we get in the UK charts, as it’s an Indie Hip hop sound. The boys themselves cite De La Soul and a Tribe Called Quest as some of their inspirations. As well as having a different sound to any competitors in the mainstream, the boys are very likeable characters and this comes across in their videos, as they just seem like the boy next-door type.
I found myself watching all their videos on Youtube once I became aware of ‘Prophet (Better Watch It), which was their official first single, however it didn’t chart so well. The visuals always seem to have a story matching the lyrics and you get drawn in to watching more and more from the duo.
As well as recording and filming a video of a cover to Jessie J’s ‘Price Tag’, they’ve also teamed up with man of the moment Ed Sheeran on his track ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ for a remix. Take a look at the videos below for both tracks.
Rizzle Kicks have a very busy end to the year as they have a third single coming out which samples The Clash called ‘When I Was a Youngster’. They also support Professor Green on his winter tour, which starts in November. Make sure to check back for more news and reviews on the boys in the coming months.