* En anglais uniquement
Responsible for bringing the flower power hip-hop sound of the late '80s back into the charts, Brighton duo
Rizzle Kicks are one of the few successful male acts to emerge from the BRIT School that spawned the likes of
Adele,
Amy Winehouse, and
Leona Lewis. Childhood friends Jordan "Rizzle" Stevens and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule first started making music together in 2008 on the Minor Breaches of Discipline mixtape, which saw the pair rapping over samples of tracks by
Lily Allen,
Gorillaz, and
Arctic Monkeys. Compared to the likes of
De La Soul and
Dream Warriors, their laid-back production and humorous non-confrontational rhymes earned them a deal with Universal Records, and in 2011 they released their debut single, "Prophet (Better Watch It)," followed by "Down with the Trumpets," which eventually reached number eight in the U.K. charts. Following a guest appearance on X-Factor runner-up
Olly Murs' chart-topping single "Heart Skips a Beat," support slots with
Professor Green,
the Streets, and
Dizzee Rascal, and a remix of
Ed Sheeran's "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," they were invited by
Take That's
Gary Barlow to appear in his Children in Need charity supergroup alongside the likes of
N-Dubz,
Wretch 32, and
Ms. Dynamite. Following three MOBO nominations for Best Newcomer and U.K. Hip-Hop/Grime Act and Video, their debut album,
Stereo Typical, was released at the end of 2011. The album
Roaring 20s followed in 2013, featuring the singles "That's Classic" and "Lost Generation." ~ Jon O'Brien