D Double E: Meet the MC | DJ Mag Originals

D Double E is the first artist in the opening season of our new series, Meet The MC. Real name Darren Dixon, D Double E is UK rap royalty, once described by Skepta as the “greatest of all time“. A child of soundsystem culture; rap, reggae, jungle, grime, bashment... the entire lineage of Black British music can be found weaving its way through D Double E’s idiosyncratic sound. To trace the Newham MC back to his source is to track the history of soundsystem culture, right back to his parents’ record collection. Although often hailed as a “grime OG”, D Double sees things differently. He’s long since outgrown any old parameters once attached to his music. In fact, his most recent album ‘ (Double Or Nothing)’ — as with the recent output of many of his contemporaries like Skepta, Ghetts and Jammer — draws on almost the entire UK musical spectrum, from rap to trap to drill, all blended into something indefinable and more fluid. The winner of DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards Best Rap Album in 2020, ‘ (D