Draft:JD Cliffe
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 4 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 4,480 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
JD Cliffe | |
|---|---|
| Origin | North West London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2016–present |
JD Cliffe is a British rapper and songwriter from Colindale, North West London. He emerged within the UK underground rap scene from 2016, building an audience through independent releases and a performance on the COLORS Berlin YouTube channel. From the early 2020s he developed a hybrid sound fusing grime and indie rock, a style he has described as "grindie." His debut EP misfit was released in 2025 to coverage from NME and other music publications.[citation needed]
Background
[edit]Cliffe grew up in Colindale, a residential area in the London Borough of Barnet. He began making music during secondary school, freestyling with friends and recording at a local youth club using beats sourced from YouTube.[1] His early influences came from the first wave of UK grime, citing Skepta, Kano, Wretch 32 and Boy Better Know as formative acts, an influence he has attributed to his older brother's music taste.[2]
Career
[edit]Early work (2016–2018)
[edit]Cliffe released his first single, "Bahama$," via SoundCloud in 2016. That same year he performed on the COLORS Berlin YouTube channel alongside Watford-based producer Kai-A, a session that drew him to a wider audience. By 2018 he had shared stages with Kojo Funds and Section Boyz.[3]
Neon Jungle and breakthrough (2018–2020)
[edit]His debut project, Neon Jungle, was released on 7 December 2018. The eight-track EP was produced primarily by Chucks, with additional contributions from Scoops, Ronik, Chris Falcone and Molless Beatz. The lead single "Five" was selected by DJ Target as BBC Radio 1Xtra's Unsigned Track of the Week.[3] Following the release, Complex named Cliffe in its "Ones to Watch: 19 UK Emcees" list for 2019 alongside artists including Aitch and Che Lingo.[4]
Genre evolution and misfit (2021–present)
[edit]After a series of singles through 2020 to 2023, Cliffe released "Buss Ur Head" in April 2024, a track built around distorted guitar riffs and grime-style delivery. The song was named one of NME's Best Songs of 2024.[1] He performed the track as a COLORS Berlin session, accumulating over 380,000 views on YouTube, and completed a sold-out show at Camden Assembly in September 2024.[4]
His debut EP misfit was released in April 2025. The seven-track project drew coverage from NME, which described it as a collision of grime, punk, R&B and indie rock.[5] Further releases in 2025 included the Jump Out Gang EP and the single "Suicide Doors" featuring Scorcher and Carns Hill.
Artistry
[edit]Cliffe's earlier output was grounded in melodic UK rap and trap production. From approximately 2023 his work shifted toward combining grime performance techniques — double-time flows and percussive delivery — with British indie rock instrumentation. He has cited Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks and Blur as influences on the rebellious character of that sound.[1][2]
Cliffe has described himself as "the face of the grindie movement," a term for indie-grime fusion. In interviews he has drawn a distinction between this approach and the mainstream UK rap and drill scenes.[2]
Discography
[edit]Extended plays
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Neon Jungle | Lead single "Five" — BBC Radio 1Xtra Unsigned Track of the Week; produced by Chucks |
| 2020 | Y.D.I (Young, Dumb and Ignant) | |
| 2025 | misfit | Debut EP; reviewed by NME |
| 2025 | Jump Out Gang |
Selected singles
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Bahama$" | Debut release |
| 2023 | "Bottega" (feat. dxvl) | |
| 2024 | "Buss Ur Head" | NME Best Songs of 2024; COLORS Berlin session |
| 2024 | "Bad Company" | |
| 2025 | "Cherry Bomb" | |
| 2025 | "Suicide Doors" (feat. Scorcher & Carns Hill) | |
| 2025 | "Tell a Friend" |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Williams, Kyann-Sian (20 September 2024). "JD Cliffe is UK rap's newest rockstar". NME. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "There's Room For You To Break Out Your Box – An MM Exclusive With JD Cliffe". Mixtape Madness. September 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Exclusive: Upcoming Artist, JD Cliffe, chats to CelebMix". CelebMix. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b "JD Cliffe". Earth Agency. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Williams, Kyann-Sian (17 April 2025). "JD Cliffe – 'Misfit' review: an unflinching middle finger to conformity". NME. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
External links
[edit]
Category:Living people
Category:English rappers
Category:Musicians from London
Category:21st-century English male musicians