19.06.2026
A conversation with Raychi
By
What do you think makes south london - and more specifically croydon - such a hive of musical activity at the moment, and how has it influenced how you make music?
Naturally, your environment influences who you are and how you interact with the world but I think South London has always been a hive of musical activity especially since the sound system culture that came with the Windrush generation. Growing up in Croydon gave me a type of confidence and even maybe an arrogance that you’ll hear in my music and I’m sure other South London artists will be able to relate. You’ll definitely be able to hear drill and grime influences in my sound as a result of growing up in South when those genres were blowing up. There’s also a Caribbean influence in my beats and flows that come from my family ties, and the cultures I grew up in and living in Croydon surrounded by black people makes me proud of that heritage so it definitely shines through in my music. Then of course being a teenager and finding exciting ways to get into trouble gave me positive and negative experiences that I’m able to pull from when making music.
London has also seen a resurgence in recent years of cyphers beyond established names such as balamii, kindred and the steeze factory to newer players such as loose.fm. What role do cyphers and radio play in developing your sound?
Cyphers and radio have played a huge role in how I approach music. The skill set needed for live cyphers and radio is different to just recording or performing your own tunes. You need a competitive confidence in your lyrics and delivery which you can carry through to the booth when recording. Cyphers have also encouraged me to get more creative with the things I’m saying, listening to my music you’ll know I like a funny punch line or something to grab your attention and that’s definitely been influenced by participating in cyphers.
From your releases thus far, your tone and mood vary between a more playful femininity and a more gritty sound. How important do you think being independent has played in allowing you to embrace both these aspects of your artistry?
Being independent has been super important for me because music for me is very much a means of self expression and I want to express different feelings and situations in different ways without limits of what people think I should sound like or what will sell or any of that. I think being independent gives you the freedom to experiment openly and work on your own timing which is a non-negotiable for me as an artist.
Ruairí
Harrison- interviewer & editor
What do you think makes south london - and more specifically croydon - such a hive of musical activity at the moment, and how has it influenced how you make music?
Naturally, your environment influences who you are and how you interact with the world but I think South London has always been a hive of musical activity especially since the sound system culture that came with the Windrush generation. Growing up in Croydon gave me a type of confidence and even maybe an arrogance that you’ll hear in my music and I’m sure other South London artists will be able to relate. You’ll definitely be able to hear drill and grime influences in my sound as a result of growing up in South when those genres were blowing up. There’s also a Caribbean influence in my beats and flows that come from my family ties, and the cultures I grew up in and living in Croydon surrounded by black people makes me proud of that heritage so it definitely shines through in my music. Then of course being a teenager and finding exciting ways to get into trouble gave me positive and negative experiences that I’m able to pull from when making music.
London has also seen a resurgence in recent years of cyphers beyond established names such as balamii, kindred and the steeze factory to newer players such as loose.fm. What role do cyphers and radio play in developing your sound?
Cyphers and radio have played a huge role in how I approach music. The skill set needed for live cyphers and radio is different to just recording or performing your own tunes. You need a competitive confidence in your lyrics and delivery which you can carry through to the booth when recording. Cyphers have also encouraged me to get more creative with the things I’m saying, listening to my music you’ll know I like a funny punch line or something to grab your attention and that’s definitely been influenced by participating in cyphers.
From your releases thus far, your tone and mood vary between a more playful femininity and a more gritty sound. How important do you think being independent has played in allowing you to embrace both these aspects of your artistry?
Being independent has been super important for me because music for me is very much a means of self expression and I want to express different feelings and situations in different ways without limits of what people think I should sound like or what will sell or any of that. I think being independent gives you the freedom to experiment openly and work on your own timing which is a non-negotiable for me as an artist.
Who would you describe as your 3 main musical influences (friends/ family/ artists you loved growing up)?
My family has been a major musical influence for me growing up, especially my Dad. Obviously going to family hall parties and hearing Jamaican classics on a massive sound system. As a kid he would pick me up from school blasting old school reggae and dancehall and I fell in love with the feeling of the deep, heavy bass vibrating through your whole body. He would play old Sting soundclashes so from young I loved the competitive element of music. My dad also burned custom CD’s for me with my favourite tracks so I’d definitely say he helped to make music one of my passion’s in life.
Naturally, being a little Caribbean girl and watching Rihanna rise to fame was also sort of life changing, because you see someone like you doing all this incredible stuff. Then when she entered her ‘Good Girl, Gone Bad’ era I was obsessed because I tend to be drawn to darker, mysterious or taboo visuals and sounds. She made me want to be a bad bitch before I even knew what a bad bitch was, so her attitude and unapologetic expressions of self have been a major factor in the artist I’m becoming.
Finally, I have to say Drake was a huge influence for me. I had all his albums on CD ever since I was accidentally introduced to his Take Care album at a cousin’s house party. I just used to listen on repeat because I was in awe of his lyricism and ability to express a variety of emotions in such creative ways lyrically. I would have to say he’s hugely inspired my emphasis on lyricism and word play.
Honourable mentions to JME and Busta Rhymes because their crazy, unique delivery and word play and personas still influences who I am as an artist to this day.
My family has been a major musical influence for me growing up, especially my Dad. Obviously going to family hall parties and hearing Jamaican classics on a massive sound system. As a kid he would pick me up from school blasting old school reggae and dancehall and I fell in love with the feeling of the deep, heavy bass vibrating through your whole body. He would play old Sting soundclashes so from young I loved the competitive element of music. My dad also burned custom CD’s for me with my favourite tracks so I’d definitely say he helped to make music one of my passion’s in life.
Naturally, being a little Caribbean girl and watching Rihanna rise to fame was also sort of life changing, because you see someone like you doing all this incredible stuff. Then when she entered her ‘Good Girl, Gone Bad’ era I was obsessed because I tend to be drawn to darker, mysterious or taboo visuals and sounds. She made me want to be a bad bitch before I even knew what a bad bitch was, so her attitude and unapologetic expressions of self have been a major factor in the artist I’m becoming.
Finally, I have to say Drake was a huge influence for me. I had all his albums on CD ever since I was accidentally introduced to his Take Care album at a cousin’s house party. I just used to listen on repeat because I was in awe of his lyricism and ability to express a variety of emotions in such creative ways lyrically. I would have to say he’s hugely inspired my emphasis on lyricism and word play.
Honourable mentions to JME and Busta Rhymes because their crazy, unique delivery and word play and personas still influences who I am as an artist to this day.
Is there anyone making music at present that you find inspiring but under-appreciated?
Oh for sure, there’s so much talent in the underground scene, the UK especially. I find Bib Sama’s dedication to creativity and high quality execution as well as pioneering his own unique sound and aesthetic super inspiring.
M.I.C and DJ NammyWams are a collab made in Heaven, which is funny because their tape CURSED is a fresh, never heard before anti-religion, anti-establishment project that is totally unique in world building and subject matter. I think M.I.C is pushing the boundaries of Grime and is completely unafraid to do stuff others are scared to.
& Then a personal favourite of mine is Kodiak Mils, her sound is gritty and raw and hardcore and she’s still quite young so I’m really looking forward to where she goes. It’s reminiscent of drill but she has such a unique voice and tone and her delivery is unmatched.