Chart-topping British rap phenomenon ArrDee ramps up the summer heat with his huge new single ‘Different

Release date: Out now Label: Universal

Chart-topping British rap phenomenon ArrDee ramps up the summer heat with his huge new single ‘Different’, out now via Island Records. Sampling The Shapeshifters’ classic dance anthem ‘Lola’s Theme’, the infectious track is a statement of intent from one of the UK’s top names as he enters the biggest summer of his career to date.

Unfazed by the responsibility of sampling such a beloved track as ‘Lola’s Theme’, ArrDee makes it his own, his cheeky bars effortlessly flowing over an earworm of a beat. It comes after he teased the creation of his own lingerie line, “ArrDoubleDee’s”, which celebrates women of all different shapes and sizes.

Speaking on the single, ArrDee says: “‘Lola’s theme is a proper classic, but you know I had to do it Different. This one’s for all the women out there who are doing things their own way. Stay different.”

It’s no cliché to say that ArrDee’s rise to the top has been explosive: his debut mixtape Pier Pressure became the biggest-selling body of work from a debut UK breakthrough artist in 2022, sitting on the most-streamed hip hop records of 2022 list, alongside Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The 21-year-old went from packing boxes at Amazon to unpacking gold plaques in just over a year, bursting onto the rap scene in 2021 with ‘Cheeky Bars’ and following it up with a slew of hotly-received singles; ‘Flowers’, ‘Oliver Twist’ and of course his mega-viral ‘Body’ verse.

For anyone who thought crowd-pleasing bangers was all he could do, the #2 charting Pier Pressure quickly showed how wrong they were. Its 18 tracks showcased ArrDee’s skills as a lyricist, delivering the hard-hitting and deeply personal bars that have placed him firmly among the best of British MCs. 2023 saw him show off his versatility, adding his trademark grinning flair to diverse collaborations with Chase & Status, Digga D and Cat Burns. ArrDee’s 2024 is well underway with his recent Kmotionz & Riko Dan collab, ‘Heavyweight’, following ‘Time’ with French lyricist Favé. With a new summer anthem now out, expect much more to come from your favourite south coast geezer.

 Creaig & Scott