BACKBONE

England's Chase & Status are one of the most commercially successful acts associated with drum'n'bass and dubstep, with multi-platinum albums, numerous charting singles, and production work for major artists like Snoop Dogg and Rihanna. Comprising dance DJs and record-label owners Saul Milton and Will Kennard and additional live performers, the group combines cutting-edge beats and production techniques with elements of rock, pop, reggae, hip-hop, and other styles, resulting in energetic tracks fit for the club and the radio. Originally surfacing in 2003 with singles on underground labels like Bingo Beats and Barcode Recordings, the duo made their full-length debut with 2008's More Than Alot, a warmly received mix of drum'n'bass and dubstep tracks. Chase & Status then achieved multi-platinum success with the collaboration-heavy No More Idols (2011), which hit number two on the U.K. album chart. 2013 follow-up Brand New Machine reached the same position, and 2017's Tribe, another guest-heavy, multiple-genre full-length, also charted in the Top Ten. Chase & Status revisited their ragga-jungle roots with 2019's RTRN II JUNGLE. What Came Before, released in 2022, touched on U.K. drill, big beat, and R&B. 2 Ruff, Vol. 1, another anthemic drum'n'bass set, appeared in 2023.

Milton and Kennard first emerged as a U.K. garage/breaks duo in 2003 before switching to drum'n'bass in 2005. They earned their stripes after remixing the Capleton track "Duppy Man" with success that year. From there, the duo signed to Andy C.'s Ram Records imprint and began with a pair of club hits -- in 2007 with the double A-side "Hurt You" b/w "Sell Me Your Soul" and 2008's "Take Me Away" -- which also reached the top of the U.K. dance charts. A full-length was finally released in 2008. Titled More Than Alot, it featured appearances from Kano, Takura, and Digga, and was well-received critically; it reached number 49 on the British charts and won a 2009 Drum'n'Bass Award for Best Album. In 2009, Milton and Kennard dipped their toes into more production, producing album tracks for Rihanna and Tinchy Stryder, as well as Snoop Dogg's dubstep track "Snoop Dogg Millionaire." They also collaborated with Plan B on "End Credits," which hit the U.K. Top Ten. Its success led to Chase & Status' 2011 album No More Idols, which featured collaborations with Dizzee Rascal, Tinie Tempah, and Cee-Lo Green. Spending 35 weeks in the U.K. Top 40, No More Idols went on to earn double-platinum status.

At the beginning of 2012, Chase & Status were nominated for Best British Group at the prestigious Brit Awards -- a first for a drum'n'bass outfit -- yet were beaten to the gong by Coldplay. Not resting on their laurels, they spent 2012 and 2013 playing huge live dates at festivals across the U.K. and Europe, including Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, T in the Park, and a headline slot at Glastonbury in June 2013. As a thank-you to fans for their support, the festival favorite "Big Man" -- featuring vocals from Liam Bailey -- was released at the end of 2012. In 2013, the duo released the single "Lost and Found" featuring Louis M^ttrs, which hit the Top Ten in the U.K. and landed on their third studio album, Brand New Machine. The 2013 album was a darker effort than previous outings, featuring the '90s rave-flavored single "Count on Me." It peaked at number two on the U.K. album chart. While working on their fourth album, Chase & Status released the grime EP London Bars in late 2015. Continuing to blend grime with drum'n'bass and dubstep, full-length Tribe appeared in 2017. Featuring guests such as Mr. Vegas, Craig David, and Novelist, the album peaked at number seven in the duo's home country.

RTRN II JUNGLE, a long-promised ragga-jungle album featuring guest deejays like Cutty Ranks and General Levy, arrived in 2019. They expanded on the album's concept with the 2020 mix-CD Fabric Presents: RTRN II FABRIC. Sixth album What Came Before appeared in 2022, with guest vocalists including Unknown T, BackRoad Gee, and Popcaan. "Disconnect," a 2023 single with Becky Hill, and "Baddadan" (with Bou featuring Irah, Flowdan, Trigga, and Takura) both returned Chase & Status to the Top Ten of the U.K. singles chart. 2 Ruff, Vol. 1 included "Baddadan" as well as features by Stefflon Don, Clementine Douglas, and ArrDee. Several other singles from the release charted, and it became the duo's fifth album to reach the Top Ten. ~ Chris True & Rich Wilson

A London-based MC of Ghanaian heritage known for his spirited blend of grime, gospel, and R&B, Stormzy is one of the U.K.'s most successful artists, with a trio of chart-topping, widely acclaimed albums to his name. Climbing out of the underground grime scene with a series of triumphant mixtapes, singles, and freestyles, he made his breakthrough in 2017 with his platinum-certified debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer. Within five years of the release of his debut EP, he was a Glastonbury Festival headliner. His first number one hit single, "Vossi Bop," preceded his sophomore album, 2019's Heavy Is the Head. His introspective, ballad-heavy third album, This Is What I Mean, appeared in 2022, and he explored U.K. drill and Afroswing on subsequent singles like 2023's "Longevity Flow."

Born Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo, Jr. in the south London town of Croydon, he launched his career clashing at youth clubs around his hometown. His performances evolved from grime-only music that showed a love of artists like Skepta to more rap-oriented material that reflected Stormzy's growing appreciation for artists like Drake. Late in 2013, he began uploading his "Wicked Skengman" series of freestyles over classic grime beats; in 2014 he made his official debut with the EP Dreamers Disease. A year later, he released the single "Know Me From" along with "WickedSkengMan 4," the first track in his "WickedSkengMan" freestyle series and a Top 20 hit in the U.K. That December, Stormzy performed the single's B-side, "Shut Up," at a match between heavyweight boxers Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. The song jumped into the Top 40 following the broadcast, and the rapper launched a campaign to have the song top the charts during Christmas. This boosted the track to the number eight position, and the number one position on the R&B singles chart. Before returning to the studio to record his first LP, he released the non-album single "Scary" in the spring of 2016.

Stormzy returned in 2017 with his official full-length debut, Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky Records), which featured the platinum single "Big for Your Boots," "Cigarettes & Cush" with Kehlani, and "Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" with MNEK. The critically lauded set debuted atop the U.K. albums chart and was soon certified platinum. In 2018, the record took home the prize for British Album of the Year, and Stormzy was crowned British Male Solo Artist of the Year at the annual Brit Awards.

Riding the wave of acclaim, he was announced as one of the headliners at 2019's Glastonbury Festival. That year, he also scored his first number one single in the U.K. with "Vossi Bop." In October, Stormzy appeared on the cover of Time, topping the U.S. magazine's list of "next generation leaders." The single "Own It," featuring Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy, reached number two in the U.K. pop singles chart, and preceded Stormzy's second album, the chart-topping Heavy Is the Head. 2020 saw the release of "Disappointed" and "Still Disappointed," two diss tracks aimed at Wiley. Stormzy released charting collaborations with Loski, Ghetts, and Dave, then returned in 2022 with the seven-minute "Mel Made Me Do It," accompanied by an 11-minute cameo-filled video. This Is What I Mean, Stormzy's third album, arrived in November, with guest vocalists including Sampha, Jacob Collier, and Nao. Remixes of the Afroswing single "Hide & Seek" appeared in 2023 along with the drill-leaning "Toxic Trait" (with Fredo) and "Longevity Flow." ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung