Dezzie

One of the many talents emerging from drill collective OFB in the late 2010s, Tottenham rapper Dezzie won over audiences with sheer force, barreling through his brutal narratives with a relentless energy. With the careers of Headie One and RV firmly established in the British mainstream, a second generation of Tottenham collective OFB began to make their own steps into U.K. drill; among their ranks was the high-energy Dezzie, who matched his genre’s aggression with a brash, jumped-up delivery. After debuting in 2019 with the violent “Shmurda” and “Bad Breed,” Dezzie found a nationwide audience with November’s “Drip No Drown,” a collaboration with fellow OFB rapper BandoKay, that attracted millions of views with its cockier approach to the genre. At the start of 2020, Dezzie signed to OFB veteran Headie One’s label, One Records, before making his freestyle debut on PressPlay’s Lightwork series. His first major solo hit came in May with the thunderous “Buss It,” while tracks like “Chucky” and “Just Cool” racked up significant streams with their icier takes on U.K. drill. Toward the close of the year, the rapper continued to move from success to success, releasing Headie One collaborations “Opp Diddy Bop” and “Chop It,” giving a bold performance for iconic U.K. freestyle show Daily Duppy, and featuring on Abra Cadabra’s hugely successful “On Deck (Remix)” alongside a cast of OFB all-stars. In 2021, Dezzie launched his debut mixtape, Uno Uno: taking its title from his iconic adlib, the project was a front-to-back collection of gassed-up drill anthems, with features including OFB’s Headie One, Abra Cadabra, BandoKay, and DoubleLz. ~ David Crone, Rovi