Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More and managed by Peter Quicke and others.
Andrew Carthy, better known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. Before he could make a living from his music alone, he worked as a shelf stocker in the Hazel Grove branch of Kwik Save.
Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial success with albums Run Come Save Me and Slime & Reason. He has been described as "one of the most influential artists in British music history." His most recent studio album, Bleeds, was released in October 2015.
UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. British hip hop can also be referred to as Brit-hop, a term coined and popularised mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC. British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1950s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK. Toasting and soundsystem cultures were also influential in genres outside of hip hop that still included rapping – such as grime, jungle, and UK garage.
The Herbaliser is an English jazz hip hop group formed by Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba in London, England during the early 1990s. Although currently releasing on their own label and having previously been signed to !K7 Records, they were one of the best-known acts from the Ninja Tune independent record label. They have released 12 albums, including two DJ mixes: one for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel series and the other for Fabric's Live Mix series. The Herbaliser's album Same As It Never Was was their first release on !K7 Records. Their latest album Bring Out The Sound was released in 2018, on the BBE label.
Skinnyman is a British rapper who was born in Chapeltown Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He grew up on the Six Acres Estate next to Andover Estate. Among his friends was fellow Leeds-born, London-raised Cornwall DJ Pat Mckay.
Music of Life is a British independent hip hop and dance music label formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy and Simon Harris, managed by Chris France. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart, Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label. They were offered a label deal by Morgan Khan (StreetWave), and the first release was a remix by the duo of Cerrone's 'Supernature'. Within a few months, Froggy left the label, and StreetWave went out of business. Harris, being active in remixing and production for many other artists and labels, financed the label with his remix income. After the demise of StreetWave, Harris and France decided to re-launch as a British hip-hop music label. Music of Life opened an office in London's Soho at 22 Hanway Street. Chris France and his sister Michelle spent their days in the busy Soho office, while Simon could usually be found in his home studio, 'The Bunker', producing many of the Music of Life releases.
Rodney Panton, also known as Rodney P is an English MC, as well as a radio and television personality who first gained attention via the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. A former member of UK hip-hop group London Posse, Rodney P is known for rapping in his London accent.
Biro Funk is the debut studio album by Braintax, released on Low Life Records in 2001. By the time of the album's release, Braintax was a solo artist - Joseph Christie. Prior to the release of Biro Funk, Braintax had released a number of EPs and 12" singles, originally as a two-piece band. The album was recorded at Christie's own Low Life Records studio in Shepherd's Bush. It features guest appearances from other stars of UK hip hop and scratches performed by DJ Harry Love of the Scratch Perverts.
William G. Shields, better known by his stage name Jehst, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR Productions.
Foreign Beggars were an English hip hop and dubstep group. Since their formation in 2002, the group's trajectory had seen them evolve from an underground hip hop group to an electronic crossover act. The group consisted of four artists individually known as Orifice Vulgatron, Metropolis Graham, DJ Nonames, and Dag Nabbit. Vulgatron and Metropolis combined with Noisia to make the side project and supergroup "I Am Legion". They released their collaborative album I Am Legion on 2 September 2013.
Task Force are a British hip hop group from Highbury in London, England. The group is led primarily by two brothers Chester P and Farma G. However, the Task Force family, according to Chester P, also includes DJ Louis Slipperz, Ramson BadBones, Remus, D.Molish, Inja MC, Calculus, Merkamillion, Blinks and Marley. Task Force officially formed in 1999, releasing their debut album New Mic Order.
Ghost is a Scottish record producer based in London, who primarily produces British hip hop. His stage name is a reference to his tendency to spend a lot of time working in his studio, rather than being seen in public. He has been described by some journalists as one of the UK's top hip hop producers.
Kareem Rhouila, better known as Stylah, is a South London rapper from Greenwich, London. He describes himself as a black Arab, half Omani and half Moroccan. After being interested in music for some time, he decided to pursue it seriously. His first offering, 2004's Prince of Thieves, has single-handedly sold 9000 copies of on the streets of London and other cities spring one single called "Warfare Part II" featuring Serious.
Dubbledge is an English rapper based in Watford.
Hydrofunk Records is Australia's longest running independent hip hop record label distributed by MGM. Hydrofunk Records represents, and develops Australian Hip Hop artist and producers including the Resin Dogs and Def Wish Cast.
DJ Skitz or Skitz is a British DJ and music producer. He was born in 1970 in Cambridgeshire and started DJing in 1991. He has compiled a number of British Hip Hop compilations and other Hip Hop compilations. Along with Rodney P he produced the first track to ever be played on BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2002, when the station launched; the BBC called Skitz a "hip-hop star". They also presented a weekly show on the station called "Original Fever", which formed the backbone of the radio station, until 2007. The Independent considered it the "show of the week" on the radio station. In 2008 he competed in the DMC UK DJ Championship. He had also created his own record label, Titan Sounds.
Rhyme Asylum was an English, London-based hip hop group formed in 2002 by MCs Possessed, Psiklone and Skirmish. Leatherface and Plazma joined in 2004.
Thomas Conning, better known by the stage name Verb T is a UK hip-hop artist based in London.
High Focus Records is an independent British hip-hop record label founded by rapper Fliptrix in 2010, following the collapse of Low Life Records.
