Rodney P and Skitz

Rodney P is widely regarded as the Godfather of British Hip Hop since his days in the seminal group - London Posse who were responsible for turning the tables on US hip hop by pioneering the UK hip hop sound. The group inspired a whole generation of British rappers and producers by being amongst the first to rap in their real accents and produce a home grown hip hop reggae vibe distinctly rooted in the UK.

Rodney P is truly Britain’s most eligible candidate for Hip Hop ambassador, indeed, for many people his name is now synonymous with UK Hip Hop. One look at his discography illustrates a whos who of the cream of UK Hip Hop - Roots Manuva, Blak Twang, SkinnyMan, Mark B and The Nextmen. Collaborations with Soul and RnB acts like Omar and Brand New Heavies and dance acts like Freq. Nasty, MJ Cole, Roni Size and Timo Maas as well as even more unusual combinations with Bjork and Nitin Sawhney demonstrate Rodneys role as a genre-defying rapper as well as his own diverse musical tastes.

This year Rodney P has been commissioned by the Theatre Royal Stratford East to turn Benjamin Zephaniahs novel Gangsta Rap into a musical as well as under the pen name The Landscapers, working with renowned producer, Corin Pennington, on the poets remix album for One Little Indian. Benjamin Zephaniah Vs Rodney P Naked & Mixed Up is out on 3rd April

Skitz hit the UK scene as a DJ in the late 80’s, and only in ‘96 was his debut 12" released, 'Skitz alongside Roots Manuva' gained him and then up-and-coming, Roots Manuva, great respect in the UK hip hop scene. In ‘98 Skitz released 'Fingerprints of the Gods' the only British track to reach Hip Hop Connection's top ten tracks of the year. A remix of 'Simon Says' by Pharaoh Monche saw Skitz become the first British Producer to have a record out on the infamous Rawkus Records. He’s worked with artists like Roni Size, Faithless, Sain Supa Crew, Estelle, Tempa, Wildflower, MC Dynamite and Jungle Godfather GQ. Not to mention sharing the stage with some of hip hop greatest icons such as, Outkast. Kool Dj Herc, Cash Money, Jazzy Jeff, Grand Wizard Theodore, Kenny Dope, Blak Twang and Talib Kweli … to name a few.