Roll Deep

With near on a decade of experience under their Louis Vuitton belts, Roll Deep continue to test levels of expectation, having already scored two No.1 singles in 2010 with their post-grime, electro-rap formula. Encompassing all things great about the UK’s melting pot of dance genres, their fourth album sees the 10-strong group continue to draw for any forward thinking basslines that promise to get the club popping.

A recent Live Lounge session for Radio 1Xtra which they covered Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’, certified Roll Deep’s ability to handle any genre; no mean feat for a group that have spent their careers teaching themselves to make something out of nothing. Founded by Godfather of grime, Wiley, in 2002, Roll Deep were a staple fixture on the legendary Rinse FM roster, where the emcees honed their rhyming skills and DJ Target, Daniel Baker (aka Danny Weed and Karnage dealt with deck duties, often playing entire sets made up of the crews self-produced beats.

Having evidently evolved from their days as stalwarts of the grime scene, tearing up raves countrywide with former member Dizzee Rascal, nowadays the MOBO nominees can be found playing to thousand-strong crowds around the world.

With a line-up that has seen some MCs come and go, the group of friends who hail from Bow and Poplar, east London, lyrical exploits are now securely in the hands of Scratchy, Breeze and his young brother Brazen, the notably bespectacled cartoon-like Manga, the more mature ladies favourite J2K and on occasion the godfather Wiley himself (who’s often running around on the look out for new talent or keeping Ustream in business). While executive producers DJ Target (1Xtra) and Daniel Baker continue to have a hand in production (and running the group) other producers on Winner Stays On include The Wideboys and Toddla T.