Arrdee
Talks New Video, Pier Pressure & Bursting Onto The Music Scene
By Brennan Greenwald
Since bursting onto the scene last year with hit single “Cheeky Bars,” 19-year-old Brighton, England native Riley Davis continues to stimulate listeners. The rap artist, best known as ArrDee, has had a year packed with hits and accolades, racking up over 200 million streams worldwide with his debut silver-certified single, “Oliver Twist,” peaking at number 6 on the UK singles chart. His rapid-fire flow, infectious bars, and contagious energy make him one of the most unique rising stars in UK drill. On the heels of his debut mixtape, Pier Pressure, which is set to drop March 18th, ArrDee just released a single and video for “Come & Go.” The artist’s success may seem unexpected and sudden, but he denounced that sentiment in a press conference hosted by Universal Music’s creative solutions team,°1824, when he commented, “There’s a lot that goes on innit? I think maybe that might be a misconception, that I’ve just kind of got here. Not luckily, but like, out of nowhere. Whereas there is a lot of behind the scenes work, and that goes for most artists to be fair.”
ArrDee has been working tirelessly to avoid complacency as an artist. As expressed in his hit track, “Oliver Twist”, ArrDee desires more and will continue to push himself towards success. Speaking openly about creating longevity in his career, he explained, “You can’t assume that just because you’re in a position that you’re in, that that position is solidified. Especially in the game and the day that we live in. Attention spans of people are so much shorter than they’ve ever been.”
ArrDee Pier Pressure Tracklist / Click to Listen!
Attention was certainly on ArrDee’s mind in his latest new single and video for “Come & Go.” The heartfelt song portrays the artist in his most contemplative and emotional state yet, as he expresses the impact of an absent father and the burdens of love and loss. He weaves his poignant, reflective lyrics around a head-bob-inducing drill beat which features a sample taken from the legendary DJ Ironik’s iconic song, “Stay With Me.” ArrDee passionately raps in the chorus, “In this world, you come and you go (Go) / Story of my life / I've been on my ones, on grinding / Not gettin' by but it's all timing / I don't mind it, it's alright / However you cope / When you live in a place so cold / Hearts get froze, I don't trust a soul.” The artist spoke to the heartfelt nature of the track when he stated, “[Come and Go] was something that I needed to get off my chest and vent. I think it’s one of my first therapy or venting tracks that I’ve put out there.”
The video is certainly a change of pace for ArrDee. He swaps out the vibing and partying seen in his previous music videos, such as “Flowers (Say My Name),” “War,” and “Jiggy (Whiz),” to explore how to act out the emotion and perspective behind his lyrics.
“You know it was my first time, having to do that whole acting side of a music video. You know, working on facial expressions and trying to properly tell the story… so yeah, it was definitely something different, but it also felt good for me. It felt like almost a level up in terms of my visuals because I got to have that cinematic storyline effect that took you through a journey throughout the video.”
That cinematic storyline opens the video showing ArrDee within the confines of a house party, both in the thick of it and, at times, secluded at the outskirts. His innate acting talent is put on display as he uses promiscuous eye contact to flirt with a potential love interest, despite both of them already having a significant other at the party.
Arrdee and Aitch / Courtesy of UMG
“Come and Go” is the final single to be released from his debut mixtape, Pier Pressure. The 14-track mixtape is one of the most anticipated upcoming releases in the UK drill scene in 2022. ArrDee brings his array of styles to the forefront, as he meshes traditional UK drill-style tracks with deeper, more intimate tracks. Speaking on the style and focal points of the upcoming project he explained, “I wanted to just become a bit more personal with my fan base. I felt like where I had such a quick, like, come up in the game. As obviously, like true supporters and proper followers and real fans, they obviously know a lot about me… In terms of the wider audience, I wanted them to get to know me a little bit more. Which is why I didn’t go for every song being party and jumpy… There was a lot more personal things going on with the writing and what I’m talking about, and things I’ve gone through. So, yeah that was the aim, I feel like, for this first project here. It’s like this tape here says this is me innit.”
He is especially excited for the track on the tape titled, “Who Woulda Thought,” which features Lola Young. “She’s a sick, sick singer man, and just good vibes… and she is a superstar, just in the making… so yeah I gotta big up Lola, cause I don’t think that track would have been where it was if she wasn’t in the room.”
With his unique flow, lyrics, and personal take on UK drill, ArrDee is one of the most exhilarating emcees in British rap. He has risen to stardom seemingly instantly, and he will certainly not be fading away anytime soon.
Stream Pier Pressure and watch the video for “Come & Go,” by following the links below.