ArrDee

“I'm an English boy, but I'm so bloody lit!” Those words arrive part of the way through ArrDee’s guest verse on the remix of Russ Million and Tion Wayne’s spring 2021 single, “Body”, and they served as the bright neon-sign advertisement for a charismatic new British rapper. ArrDee’s cameo on that track lasted less than 30 seconds, but its saucy sexual innuendo (not to mention the sharp pink sweatsuit/Burberry scarf combo he wore in the accompanying video) was enough to make him an instant viral sensation. The Brighton-based MC (born Riley Davies in 2002) wasted no time capitalising on his big breakout moment by dropping the Dickens-inspired “Oliver Twist” that June, reaffirming his flair for colourful, distinctly British storytelling that recalls a young Mike Skinner. But for all his rapid success, ArrDee credits his hometown for keeping him humble—and inspired. “In Brighton, it’s different than London—we say thank you to the bus driver, everyone says hello to everybody,” he tells Apple Music. “Even when I got to the clubs, they try to put me in VIP, but I like to be around the people.”