Natty

Reggae singer Natty, born in the United States yet raised on British soil, has fashioned a distinctive fusion of pop, roots reggae, and R&B that he himself terms future roots. Breakthrough singles such as "Badman," "Cold Town," and "July" carried his first album, Man Like I, onto the U.K. Albums Chart, and he has since deepened this hybrid approach across the 2012 release Out of Fire, the 2016 album Release the Fear, and the 2024 single "Ascension."

Alexander Akiloe Philip Modiano entered the world in San Francisco, California, in 1963. While still a young child he relocated with his family to North London, where household listening ranged from David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and Joy Division to Bob Marley, Lee Perry, Sizzla, and further reggae selections that reflected his Jamaican lineage. During adolescence he added Public Enemy and Slum Village to his listening habits, and music soon emerged as the clearest career path. He began at a recording studio, handling tea runs and errands while quietly absorbing every technical detail. The same environment taught him mixing and engineering skills, yet he simultaneously taught himself songwriting, guitar, and vocal technique. Open-mike appearances around London earned him early comparisons to Ben Harper and Tarrus Riley for his relaxed delivery and socially aware lyrics, while U.K. journalists likened his genre-crossing appeal to that of Finley Quaye and Eagle-Eye Cherry.

He helped assemble the Vibes & Pressure collective, an informal network of vocalists, musicians, DJs, and visual artists that included Trojan Sound System. In 2007 the group launched a namesake label that issued Natty’s debut double-A single "Badmind"/"Camden Rox." The follow-up track "Cold Town" appeared on the same imprint before Atlantic Records offered a major-label contract. The subsequent single "July" became a seasonal favorite in summer 2008 after a performance on Later with Jools Holland, and Man Like I arrived in July in the U.K. with a U.S. release the next month, ultimately reaching number 21 on the U.K. Albums Chart.

Natty supported Ziggy Marley on a North American tour in 2011. A mini-album, Out of Fire, surfaced in 2012. Release the Fear, his second full-length project, arrived in February 2016 and introduced his backing group the Rebelship; the set featured the earlier single "Change" with Alborosie and Busy Signal as well as the title track alongside George the Poet. In 2018 he commemorated the tenth anniversary of his debut with a special edition titled Man Like I&I. The uplifting single "Ascencion" was released in March 2024.