Donae'o

Northwest London native Ian Greenidge, better known as Donae'o, absorbed rap, Afrobeat, and Caribbean sounds while growing up, and an early admiration for 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., and D'Angelo sparked his drive to mirror those artists. His debut single, Falling, arrived in 2002 and blended U.K. garage with R&B and hip-hop; My Philosophy (Bounce) came next. In the years that followed he issued a steady run of EPs and singles such as Colours, Change, and Devil in a Blue Dress. 2009 brought a featured appearance with Lethal Bizzle on Go Hard and a signing to My-Ish Records; that same year his first album, Party Hard, surfaced alongside the single Watching Her Move. Output then tapered, yet he remained active through guest spots on recordings by Shy FX, Mike Delinquent, and Foreign Beggars. In 2011 the free album Indigo Child reached listeners, joined by the singles Big Ben and Move to Da Gyal Dem. Two years later his third album, The Forest of Zephron, adopted a funkier house approach than his earlier work. Fresh momentum produced further singles—Mami No Like, What Is Love, and My Circle—plus a remix edition that included Wiley and Ghetts. Additional collaborations continued, most notably his contribution to the U.K. charting single Lock Doh by Giggs toward the close of 2016.