Rodney Panton, also known as Rodney P (born in

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...

, London, 12 December 1969) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

MC, as well as a radio and television personality who first gained attention via the

UK hip hop British hip hop, also known as UK hip hop or UK rap, 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. Briti ...

scene in the 1980s. A former member of UK hip-hop group

London Posse London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

, Rodney P is known for rapping in his London accent.

Career

Music

In 1986, London Posse were invited by Mick Jones of

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

to support his new band Big Audio Dynamite on a UK tour. A recording contract with Big Life Records followed, and the recording of the songs "Live Like The Other Half" and "Money Mad", which appeared on the group's only album, Gangsta Chronicle. Gangsta Chronicle was voted the most important UK hip-hop album of all time in the 2007 poll of music magazine

Hip Hop Connection ''Hip Hop Connection'' (''HHC'') was the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. It was described by rapper Chuck D as "the best magazine in the world". History Under the editorship of Chris Hunt, the magazine p ...

. After London Posse came to an end, Rodney P launched his own label, Riddim Killa, a collaboration with

Low Life Records Joe Christie, better known as Braintax, is a British hip hop artist and producer. Christie had also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains. All of his releases were on his own record label, Low Life Records. Origi ...

, on which he released a series of singles including "Big Tings" and the "Riddim Killa". In 2003 he released solo album '' The Future'' and in 2007 he released Klashnekoff's debut album. Rodney P signed to

Tru Thoughts Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. Since the acclaimed first album release of Bonobo's debut ''Animal Magic'', the label has put out over 200 LPs, across genres from e ...

Records in 2011. A collaborative album with

Zed Bias Dave Jones, better known as Zed Bias, is an English electronic musician based in Manchester, who operates within the UK garage/ 2-step, broken beat and UK funky genres, as a producer and as a DJ. He has also released material under various ps ...

and Falacy was released in 2012 under the name Sleepin Giantz. Rodney P has also collaborated with

Skinnyman Skinnyman (born Alexander Graham Holland, 9 November 1974) 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 ...

Blak Twang Blak Twang (born Tony Olabode in England), who also uses the pseudonyms Taipanic and Tony Rotton, is a British rapper who grew up in Deptford, Lewisham, South-East London. Blak Twang is world-renowned for his live performances, and is also resp ...

Roots Manuva Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), 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 succes ...

and

The Nextmen The Nextmen is a UK production/songwriting/DJ duo consisting of Dom Search (a.k.a. Dominic Betmead) and Brad Baloo (a.k.a. Brad Ellis). Often incorporating hip hop, drum & bass, dub, pop, soul and various other eclectic electronic and in ...

, and featured on recordings by

Omar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

Terri Walker Terri Walker (born Chanelle Gstettenbauer, 14 April 1979) is an English R&B and soul singer-songwriter. Walker has released four albums in the United Kingdom, ''Untitled'', '' L.O.V.E'', ''I Am'' and ''Entitled''. She also provided the majority ...

The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies is an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, Brand New H ...

MJ Cole Matthew James Firth Coleman, better known by his stage name MJ Cole, is an English garage DJ, record producer and remixer. Career Born in London, England, in his youth, Cole was classically trained on the oboe and piano, and won scholarships ...

Roni Size Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...

, The Stanton Warriors,

Timo Maas Timo Maas (born July 27, 1969, Bückeburg, West Germany) is a German DJ/ producer and remixer whose career in electronic music spans well over 30 years. His remix of Azzido Da Bass's single "Dooms Night" helped launch his career in 2000. In ...

and L’Entourloop.

Radio

Shortly after setting up Riddim Killa Records In 2002, Rodney P and DJ Skitz, were invited by the BBC to host "The Original Fever" a groundbreaking Urban music show on the then newly formed digital station

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

. He was introduced to

DJ Skitz 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 ...

by a mutual friend 'Destiny and appears on Skitz's albums ''Countryman'' and ''Homegrown volume 1''. Their show "The Original Fever" ran for over 6 years and saw Rodney & Skitz interviewing some of the biggest names in music including

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

P Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. This development in his career and a love of the medium led to even more involvement in radio documentaries. He has since gone on to present topical documentaries including the Sony Award-nominated "F.E.D.S", "Concrete Heat" and the Lamacq Live documentary: "The Beautiful Struggle", which saw him returning to war-torn Sierra Leone, after first visiting in 1993 as part of London Posse, to report on the burgeoning indigenous Hip Hop culture.

TV and film

Rodney P has often been asked to contribute to televised discussions, sharing his knowledge and opinion on many topics; this has led to numerous appearances on television shows like "Trevor Nelsons" The Low Down, Don Letts's 2007 3 part soul music anthology Soul Britannia and The Mercury Prize Award Ceremony. He has also appeared in many TV documentaries including "How Hip Hop Changed the World" hosted by

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

and "Life of Rhyme" hosted by Akala. Rodney received exposure on Channel 4's Dub Plate Drama featuring alongside UK artists such as Shystie, Ms Dynamite and N Dubs and Big Nasty in the world's first viewer-led interactive television drama. In 2016 Rodney P presented "The Hip Hop World News" a 90-minute authored film by Acme Films for

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

in which Rodney set out to show what the World looks like through the lens of Hip Hop interviewing Hip Hop artists like

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' ...

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

and "Chuck D" of

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

. In 2017 he presented "The Last Pirates – Britains Rebel DJ’s" also for

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

which celebrated the

pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

boom in London during the 1980s. In 2020 Rodney P presented "Rodney P's Jazz Funk" on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, a one-hour exploration of the jazz-funk movement, one of the first black British music cultures.

Live

Rodney P has toured with The

Dub Pistols Dub Pistols is an English electronic music band founded in 1996 by Barry Ashworth and Jason O'Bryan. Career The band's first singles were "There's Gonna Be a Riot" and "Best Got Better" in 1998. Their first album, '' Point Blank'', came out ...

and DJ Skitz. Rodney has also performed at festivals across the UK including,

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organ ...

, The Secret Garden and

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

. He has also hosted the MF

Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...

Concert with

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

and the United Nations-sponsored UNHabitat Charity Concert alongside Jazzy Jeff,

Dead Prez Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, sel ...

and

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Personal life

In November 2020, Rodney P admitted that he had assaulted an ex-girlfriend and it was also revealed that he served 15 weeks in prison after attacking another woman in 2012.

Discography

Albums

*''The Future'' (2xLP, TP) 2002 *'' The Future'' (CD) 2004

Singles and EPs

*"Tings in Time" (12") 1997 *"Big Tings We Inna" (12") 2001 *"Murderer Style / Friction" 2001 *"Riddim Killa / A Love Song" (12") 2002 *"I Don't Care" (12") 2004 *"Trouble" (12", single) 2004 *"Trouble (

Remix)" (12") 2004 *"Trouble (

Remix)" (12") 2004 *"The Nice Up" (12") 2005 *"Devon Cream" (12", mp3) 2007 *"I'll Try" (12") 2009 *"Live Up" (mp3) (feat. Peoples Army and Mighty Moe) 2011 *"Success" (7") 2013 *"Holes in the Building" (DJ Die, Indigo Kid) 2016 *"The Next Chapter / Recognise Me (I'm an African)" 2019 *"Nice and Easy" (Bassnectar) 2020

Collaborations/guest appearances

* Dobie - Dobie E.P. inc. "Luv 'N' Hate (Can Never Be Friends)" w/ Rodney P, 12", 1995 * Bjork - ''

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

'' inc. "I Miss You" (Dobie remix featuring Rodney P), 1996 *Revolutionary / Dedication 12" 1999 (Skitz & Rodney P) * Skitz featuring Rodney P - The Killing (12", Single) 2001 *"We Stay Rough" on Mark B and Blade - ''The Unknown'' 2001 *Skitz - ''Countryman'' 2001 (3 tracks) * Plus One - ''Champion Sounds'' 2002 * Nextmen - ''Get Over It'' 2003 (2 tracks) *Nextmen - "Firewalking" (12"/12" remixes) 2003 *

Freq Nasty Darin McFadyen, better known by his stage name FreQ Nasty, is a DJ and producer of breakbeat electronic music, currently based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally from New Zealand, McFadyen's artistic career has taken him acros ...

- Come Let Me Know (12", Promo) 2003 *United State - All My Love (Goes Your Way) (12") 2004 *United State - All My Love (Goes Your Way) (Drum 'n' bass remixes) (CDr, Promo, Single) 2004 *"Big Black Boots" on Skitz - ''Homegrown, Vol. 1'' 2004 *

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958)Gregory, Andy (2002), ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, p. 562. . is a British writer and dub poet. He was included in ''The Times'' list of Britain's top 50 post-wa ...

and Rodney P - Naked & Mixed Up (12", CD) 2006 *

(featuring Rodney P) - Peaches (7"/12"/CDr) 2007 *Dub Pistols - '' Speakers and Tweeters'' 2007 (3 tracks) *Dub Pistols - ''Rum & Coke'' 2009 (4 tracks) *Flore (featuring Rodney P & Shunda K) - We Rewind / The Test 2009 *Flore - ''Raw'' 2010 (2 tracks) *Dub Pistols - ''Worshipping the Dollar'' 2012 (3 tracks) *Sleepin' Giantz - ''Sleepin' Giantz'', LP, 2012 *Team Dynamite - featuring Bailey Wiley & Rodney P - Its Not All About You, 2016 *L'Entourloop - Forgotten Skank featuring Rodney P, Le Savoir Faire, 2017 *The Herbaliser - Like Shaft (featuring Rodney P & 28luchi), Bring Out The Sound, BBE, 2018 *The Herbaliser - Some Things (featuring Rodney P & Tiece), Bring Out The Sound, BBE, 2018 *

Ocean Wisdom Ocean Alexander Alouwishas Wisdom (born 17 May 1993), known professionally as Ocean Wisdom, is an English rapper from Camden Town, London. His largest claim to fame is his debut single "Walkin'", in which he delivered lyrics faster than Eminem's ...

- 'Righteous' (with Rodney P and Roots Manuva), Wizville, 2018 *Kingdem (Rodney P, Blak Twang, Ty) - ''The Kingdem'', EP, 2019 *

Bassnectar Lorin Gabriel Ashton, better known under his stage name Bassnectar (born February 16, 1978), is an American DJ and record producer. Biography Ashton grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. He initiall ...

- Nice & Easy (featuring Rodney P), All Colors, 2020

References

External links

Rodney P
on

Blogspot Blogger is an American online content management system founded in 1999 which enables multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Pyra Labs developed it before being acquired by Google in 2003. Google hosts the blogs, which can be accessed thr ...

Discogs' Rodney P pageUKHHDubPlate Drama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodney P English radio DJs People from Balham English male rappers Rappers from London Living people BBC Radio 1Xtra presenters 1969 births