Artist
Rizzle Kicks
Why we feature this artist A serious ear for a playful record Rizzle Kicks brought a relaxed, conversational kind of hip-hop into early-2010s British pop. Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule let jokes, rhythmic detail and melodic refrains share the same …
- From
- United Kingdom
- Sound
- Hip-hop, pop
- Active
- 2008–2016, 2024–present
Start with the music
Tracks to explore
The artist, in context
The story of Rizzle Kicks
Why we feature this artist
A serious ear for a playful record
Rizzle Kicks brought a relaxed, conversational kind of hip-hop into early-2010s British pop. Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule let jokes, rhythmic detail and melodic refrains share the same space. The records are lively without needing every moment to be emphatic, with small instrumental figures often doing as much as the largest hook.
Two voices with a shared sense of movement
Stereo Typical arrived in 2011, with Down with the Trumpets and Mama Do the Hump among its clearest introductions. The production draws on a colourful range of rhythms and sampled or played instrumental ideas, giving the duo plenty of room to move around the beat. The exchange between the voices is part of the personality: a line can feel casual, then become more tightly rhythmic as the next phrase arrives.
The songs are playful, but the writing also notices uncertainty, social expectations and the awkwardness of growing up. Those details keep the good humour from becoming an anonymous party mood. A short melodic refrain can be easy to share while leaving something more individual in the verses.
The catalogue grows with the perspective
Roaring 20s followed in 2013, with Lost Generation and Skip to the Good Bit expanding the early sound. The rhythms and instrumental colours remain active, while the observations become more pointed in places. After a long gap, Competition Is for Losers in 2025 brought another stage of writing and reflection into the catalogue. The contrast with the first records is useful because it allows the youthful perspective to remain specific to its time. The early albums are still rewarding on their own terms. Listen to the instrumental responses around a phrase, the way the two voices share a rhythmic idea and the space left for a joke or a small change of tone. That detail gives the bright surface its lasting character.
Essential releases
Stereo Typical
Down with the Trumpets and Mama Do the Hump introduce the colourful rhythmic setting and the conversational interplay between the two voices.
Roaring 20s
Lost Generation and Skip to the Good Bit give the second album contrasting entry points, with more pointed observations sitting inside the lively production.
Competition Is for Losers
A later return with a changed perspective, useful after the early albums for hearing how the duo’s writing and musical relationship developed over time.