RawDeal is a recording artist and music producer.
On his self-produced records, rapper RawDeal achieves a level of musicianship matched only by his entreprenuerial spirit.

Originally appears in One More Robot.

Entrepreneurial spirit and hip-hop go hand in hand. Some of the genre’s biggest stars have driven themselves to the highest peaks of pop music by cutting music on their own self-made labels, with Jay-Z, P Diddy, Lil Wayne, Dr Dre and an infinite amount of others all boasting the letters ‘CEO’ on their curriculum vitae.

South London’s RawDeal (often stylised as RAwDeAl) brings that character to UK hip-hop. Starting his career as a battle rapper, he’s evolved into a producer, visual artist and, now, the head of Raw’s House – his own label. Established in the humble surroundings of his box room, Raw’s fledgling empire now encompasses graphic design and filmmaking, and is home to multiple other artists. In fact, Raw rarely does what’s obvious. Growing up at a time when garage and grime music in the UK capital were peaking in terms of both quality and popularity, his sound draws instead from sixties girl groups, smoky Southern blue and neck-snapping Mississippi rap, all of which is showcased on his album The Depth of My Heart.