Born 2 B

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From the formative Jazz-Rap era to Blue Notes, Beats & Rhymes – independence, musicality and longevity.

Most people don’t realise how interconnected UK hip-hop history really is. Certain names became landmarks, certain records became reference points – and others quietly shaped the culture without ever being foregrounded. This story isn’t about reclaiming credit or rewriting history. It’s about context. About how scenes overlap, how moments echo forward, and how one artist’s journey moved alongside some of the most influential music of the era – often just out of view.

Born 2 B emerged during a defining moment in British Hip-Hop, when Jazz-inflected production and independent label culture were reshaping the UK underground. Based in South-East London, he became closely aligned with the early Ninja Tune movement and the creative circle that would propel Us3 onto the global stage.

Under the name NW1, he featured on “The Band Played The Boogie,” a record connected to the same creative orbit that produced Us3’s platinum-selling “Hand On The Torch”. Working alongside figures such as Geoff Wilkinson, Mel Simpson and the wider Ninja Tune collective, Born 2 B was part of a period in which British Jazz-Rap gained international recognition through sound rather than marketing infrastructure.

While many artists from that era faded as the industry shifted, Born 2 B maintained an independent path – continuing a thread that blends boom bap foundations with jazz and soul textures.

That foundation informs the present rather than defines it …

Blue Notes, Beats & Rhymes is not a return to an earlier era, but a continuation of the same principles – jazz-informed production, boom bap rhythm and lyrical clarity – shaped by time and perspective.

Across Blue Notes, Beats & Rhymes, Born 2 B leans into a sound built on live-feel instrumentation, jazz progressions and disciplined boom bap drums. The record moves with restraint rather than urgency, allowing space for narrative detail and tonal depth. It reflects an artist less concerned with chasing cycles and more focused on constructing songs that hold weight beyond their release window.

The project also draws on a circle of musicians and vocalists whose backgrounds extend beyond traditional Hip-Hop spaces. Contributions from artists including Byron Byrd (Sun / Heatwave), Tony Olabode (Blak Twang) and Victor Redwood-Sawyer (Hil St Soul) bring tonal richness rooted in soul and jazz, while vocal performances from Marlene Quest add warmth and counterpoint. The result is less a collection of guest appearances and more a cohesive dialogue between traditions.