Rizzle Kicks

Brighton pair Rizzle Kicks revived the flower-power hip-hop vibe of the late 1980s and steered it back onto the charts during the early 2010s. Their first release, the single “Prophet (Better Watch It),” paved the way for the full-length Stereo Typical in 2011. Two years afterward they returned with Roaring 20s, after which the duo stepped away for an extended break. When they reconvened in 2024 they completed and issued their third album, Competition Is for Losers, early in 2025.

Jordan “Rizzle” Stevens and Harley “Sylvester” Alexander-Sule, friends since childhood, began collaborating in 2008 on the Minor Breaches of Discipline mixtape, layering their rhymes over snippets from Lily Allen, Gorillaz and Arctic Monkeys. Their relaxed beats and witty, non-confrontational style drew comparisons to De La Soul and Dream Warriors, earning the duo a contract with Universal Records. In 2011 they unveiled “Prophet (Better Watch It)” and followed it with “Down with the Trumpets,” which climbed to number eight on the U.K. chart. Additional exposure arrived via a guest spot on X-Factor runner-up Olly Murs’ chart-topping single “Heart Skips a Beat,” support tours alongside Professor Green, the Streets and Dizzee Rascal, and a remix of Ed Sheeran’s “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” Gary Barlow of Take That then invited them into his Children in Need charity supergroup that also featured N-Dubz, Wretch 32 and Ms. Dynamite. Three MOBO nominations—for Best Newcomer, U.K. Hip-Hop/Grime Act and Video—preceded the late-2011 arrival of Stereo Typical. Roaring 20s surfaced in 2013, highlighted by the singles “That’s Classic” and “Lost Generation.”

Over the ensuing two years the pair ventured into acting, appearing in feature films and on British television. While Rizzle Kicks remained on hiatus, Stevens released solo work under the names Wildhood and AI, the Native, and Alexander-Sule performed as Jimi Charles Moody. The two reunited in 2024 and resumed recording; in August they dropped the single “Javelin,” once again showcasing their signature breezy hip-hop, before releasing Competition Is for Losers at the start of 2025.