Name: Rushy

Where He’s From: Hayes, West London

When He Started: 2015

Genre: UK rap

File Next To: House Of Pharaohs, Yung Fume, M Huncho, Nafe Smallz

Sounds Like: “Fun, bubbly, good vibes.”

First Music That Inspired Him: “There wasn’t really a song that made me want to do music, I’ve listened to music from when I was young.”

Born in East London, but raised in West, Rushy made his first moves into music with the people he went to school with. What started as a few friends throwing bars back and forth, soon became something a lot more serious. Rushy and fellow Straight3 member Roilan (aka Lano) realised they had something special and eventually brought in RomyJo (aka Romz) to give the team a melodic edge. By 2015, they were recording tracks professionally and uploading them to SoundCloud, each of them racking up tens of thousands of plays.

Born to a Bajan father and Iraqi mother, Rushy’s musical upbringing was eclectic and well-informed, ranging from Lover’s Rock to classic soul, Sizzla to Mary J. Blige, and with a healthy dose of Arabic music to round it out. Naturally, that’s given him a deep understanding and appreciation for soulful melodies, something that finds its way into each of his releases, whether it’s the tough-talking rap of “S3 Way” or the smoother sounds explored on most recent cut “Big Vibe” with RomyJo.

Perhaps wisely, Rushy’s first music video came a few years into his career after he’d built up a considerable amount of tracks in his arsenal. By the time “Trippidy Trap” arrived, he had a more than healthy fanbase and had built up the connections to do be able to call on heavyweight director duo Ruby & Boya, who put together something that’s a cut above what most are able to muster for their first video. To his credit, he still talks about his career at that point as being in its infancy. “I’ve been making music for so long,” he tells TRENCH. “When I finally released my first video for ‘Trippidy Trap’, it was a big achievement for me as I was finally starting a new journey in my life and my music career.”

The rapper was also lucky enough to cram in some high-profile live shows before the lockdown put a stop to it all. He’s played plenty of his own headline shows, but a standout show at KOKO and a support slot on the London leg of M Huncho’s Utopia tour were the jewels in the crown, especially the latter. “That was one of my biggest shows to date,” he says. “To see that many people and lights was crazy!” Last Friday brought another milestone for Rushy: the release of his debut full-length project, Stress 3, marks the beginning of the next chapter in his career. Now he’s in it for the long-haul, and he’s got the credentials to prove it. “I’m just tryna make this go bigger than I could ever imagine.”