Stephan Allen (born 11 November 1993), better known by his stage name Dutchavelli, is a British rapper. His name comes in part from the fact that he and his family (including his sister, Stefflon Don, a rapper)[1] spent their formative years in Rotterdam, and he initially went under the name 'Dutch'.[2][3] He has worked with artists such as Stormzy, Gzuz, and Tion Wayne and has achieved Top 40 hits with songs such as "I Dunno", "Burning" and "808", the former peaking at number 7 in the charts.[4]
Dutchavelli | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Stephan Allen |
| Also known as | Dutch |
| Born | 11 November 1993 Birmingham, England |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | |
Early life
editStephan Allen was born in Birmingham to parents of Jamaican descent.[3] He has six siblings including rapper, Stefflon Don and X-factor contestant, Princess Diamz and is the fourth of seven children. When he was a year old, his family moved to Rotterdam, Netherlands, (hence Allen's stage name); around a decade later they moved back to Clapton in Hackney, East London. He cites that instead of sitting around the dinner table to eat they would play each other music ranging from Bob Marley to Aretha Franklin.[3] After first recording in his teens, although he was spurred on by those around him, at age 17 he was handed a six months prison sentence for an unspecified offence which delayed the start of his music career.[5]
Career
editDutchavelli began his career as Dutch in 2016 releasing songs such as 'New Jack City' whilst making appearances on Rinse FM.[5] Further legal trouble involving an armed robbery and stabbing charge in 2018 curtailed his career for another two years while imprisoned on remand.[6] He was later acquitted of the main charge but convicted of perverting the course of justice, and sentenced to 22 months.[7] After being released on licence he began to gain recognition in 2020 with a series of hits which began with 'Only If You Knew' which racked up 20 million views in eight months.[3] Further hits such as 'Surely'[8] alongside collaborations with artists such as Stormzy and M Huncho began to cement his name as one of the leading emerging talents within the drill scene.
Dutchavelli was named on the BBC Sound of... 2021 longlist. 10 artists were nominated by industry experts and artists such as Stormzy, AJ Tracey, and Billie Eilish.[9]
In popular culture
editDutchavelli has gained a reputation for being seen as a tough individual. This, paired with his large stature – he is 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) in height[10] – has led to a proliferation of memes relating to this within popular culture.[11]
Personal life
editDiscography
editMixtapes
edit| Title | Mixtape details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] | |||
| Dutch from the 5th |
|
8 |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] | ||||
| "Speeding" | 2017 | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Feel The Same" (featuring Krissy) |
— | |||
| "Let It Breathe" | — | |||
| "John Wayne" | 2018 | — | ||
| "Only If You Knew" | 2020 | 95 |
|
Dutch from the 5th |
| "Black" | 75 | Non-album single | ||
| "Bando Diaries" | 35 |
|
Dutch from the 5th | |
| "Cool with Me" (featuring M1llionz) |
29 | |||
| "Never Really Mine" | 99 |
| ||
| "Zero Zero" | 52 | |||
| "I'll Call You Back" | 63 | |||
| "Rumours" | 2021 | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Circle The Endz" | — | |||
| "Wise Guy" | — | |||
| "Hold On" | — | |||
| "Never Forget You" | 99 | |||
| "Jason Bourne" | 2022 | — | ||
| "Robot" | — | |||
| "Done with Singing" | — | |||
| "Bumpy One" | — | |||
| "Voodoo Doctor" | — | |||
| "Welcome to the Party" | — | |||
| "Opp Block" (featuring Fire) |
2023 | — | ||
| "Brave" | — | |||
| "Purge" | 2024 | — |
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] |
AUS [15] | ||||
| "All Dem Talk" (Noizy featuring Gzuz and Dutchavelli) |
2020 | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Burning" (GRM Daily featuring M Huncho and Dutchavelli) |
13 | — | |||
| "I Dunno" (Tion Wayne featuring Stormzy and Dutchavelli) |
7 | — |
| ||
| "808" (Da Beatfreakz featuring DigDat, B Young and Dutchavelli) |
20 | — | |||
| "Better" (Onefour featuring Carnage and Dutchavelli)[16] |
— | 52 | Against All Odds | ||
References
edit- ^ "'I didn't need to rob because of my famous sister'". Kent Online. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Stefflon Don: 'I'm not going to compromise, or not say what I want'". The Guardian. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "This Is the Year of Dutchavelli". www.vice.com. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "DUTCHAVELLI | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Noisey Cover Story Lockdown 2020: Dutchavelli". www.vice.com. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ Hannah, Hastings (27 September 2019). "Seven people on trial after Kent father left strangled and stabbed in front of his children". Epping Forest Guardian. Epping Forest Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Paul, Hooper. "Rapper Stefflon Don's brother 'didn't need to' rob Yalding family 'because of famous sister'". Kent Online. Kent Online. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ "Dutchavelli Keeps Up The Pace With New Drill Offering "Surely"". Complex. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "The BBC Sound of 2021 longlist has been revealed". The Independent. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Dutchavelli: bringing the real back to UK rap, The Face, 21 September 2020
- ^ "Five emerging artists we can't wait to see playing live in London". Evening Standard. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "برطانوی ریپر ڈچ ویلی نے اسلام قبول کرلیا". jang.com.pk. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ a b c "DUTCHAVELLI | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "British certifications – Dutchavelli". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 April 2023. Type Dutchavelli in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 23 November 2020". The ARIA Report. No. 1603. Australian Recording Industry Association. 23 November 2020. p. 4.
- ^ W, Courtney (12 November 2020). "Dutchavelli & Carnage join Australia's Onefour on lively offering "Better"". GRM Daily. Retrieved 14 March 2021.