Beautiful Energy, Wonderful Mind. An acronym that stands strong at the forefront for one of the capital’s most charismatic artists in DeeRiginal.
After achieving several viral moments and releasing a double-project, his sound has travelled globally and the algorithm has now placed him with mogul producer Swizz Beatz, recently connecting for the current London anthem So Many Places.
Fresh off being our latest guest to honour the Daily Duppy studios, we caught up with Dee to discuss his virality, meeting Swizz Beatz, staying grounded and much more.
DeeRiginal! How was the Daily Duppy session?
“It was fun, it felt good! The bars I used were in a previous cypher I had done, and they went off on Instagram. It’s a mad way to open up a track but I thought this is the best way to introduce myself!”
We have to talk about your latest single “So Many Places” featuring the legendary Swizz Beatz. How did you connect the dots and how was that studio session?
“The power of the internet is crazy, and you never know who’s watching you! I noticed on Instagram that Swizz was interacting with a lot of my posts. He DM’d me to give me my flowers and to acknowledge what I’m doing. He was in the UK and wanted to have a session. This is Swizz Beatz and he’s a legend, so I had to make myself available because I have a day job too! Before the session we spoke about London and New York culture and the cities we grew up in. Then we played the beat and shoutout Avenue Beatz, I started freestyling and going through lyrics and it immediately stuck with Swizz. He was very encouraging. He brought his son to the studio; he played some unreleased music. The whole family is talented!”
How was recording the visuals to the single?
“What was really sick was getting people from different parts of London involved. Getting them to stand at their road signs which I mention in the track. We made it a big community drop and that effect made it feel like a win. To make a song that connects with so many people is important. As a proud Londoner, I’ve always wanted to contribute to the culture that is London through music. It’s one of my favourite videos!”
You’ve been praised by a host of artists within our scene from Kano to Ashley Walters. How do you stay grounded knowing there’s an audience rapidly taking in your sound?
“I’m someone that’s experienced quite a bit of internet virality. After experiencing it so many times, I’m getting more used to the acknowledgement from prominent figures within the industry and understanding that they’re just humans like us all. Even with myself, people might perceive me a certain way because a level of fame I’ve experienced but like a lot of us, I just have a routine. I go to work, I have a schedule, I have to go home, cook, clean, drive and have family and friends to keep in touch with!”
How would you define your sound?
“Over the years, people have told me my music sounds like a breath of fresh air. That’s why I put the tagline Fresh Air Music. With a lot of these beats, they tend to be hybrids and have different elements within them. Vocally, I can get skippy with it like Grime emcees do, but I also grew up with a lot of women and I like my melodies! I have heritage in the Caribbean and heritage in Nigeria. I grew up on a lot of Dancehall and Reggae. Even the cringy Pop era that all our emcees went though in the late 2000’s inspired me. Big up Chip and Tinchy Stryder!”
If you had to introduce a new listener to DeeRiginal, which track would you play first?
“It would be something I consider to be the best blend of my most contrasting music. One of the best tracks in my catalogue that does that is “Last Day Of My Life”. It’s the outro track on my recent mixtape Bereavement Blues. When you get to that last track, it’s the silver lining in the clouds. The title makes it seem morbid but it’s actually a celebration of life despite its dark realities.”
Let’s talking about being in the studio, what’s your process when creating something new?
“It depends. I have a home studio, so most of the recordings I put out have been from my flat and I’ll record and mix. It could be half and half, and I’ll record at home then go studio and an engineer will mix. In terms of my writing process, it varies. Sometimes, I’ll have lyrics ready and sometimes it’s about hearing a beat and writing down key words.”
You’ve been consistent in releasing two projects in the past 12 months. Was there an importance in getting your music out?
“It was very important because after all the virality in 2024, I didn’t drop a project. 2025 felt like I needed to release two! One to make up for 2024, and the other needs to be brand new material which will shift the energy. London Borough of Bewm was a compilation of most songs from 2023 and 2024 and some new songs. Another driving force was my numbers weren’t as up in 2025 and I felt I needed to do more, and the algorithm told me I need to do more! With Bereavement Blues, it’s so sad and vulnerable and referencing pain, but in the midst of all that, I’m so glad that I done all that. People love the journey and the contrast.”
Will you be releasing this year?
“I’m very much inspired by artists who are able to really extend the life of their projects and not rush into the next one. At the moment, there could be another project, but it all depends on what happens next. I’m an artist that has heavily relied on my social impact and how people respond on the internet and it’s dictated on when I’m dropping next. I’m going to play it by ear. ”
One of your projects is titled London Borough of Bewm. For those unknown to your term Bewm, can you share its importance?
“BEWM! It’s a sound I’ve been saying in tracks for years and it became an adlib. It was initially spelt boom, then when we realised people love it, we changed it to bewm and gave it an acronym of Beautiful Energy Wonderful Mind. It’s not just an adlib now, I have merch.”
Where did the name DeeRiginal originate from?
“My actual name is D’Angelo but that was already taken, R.I.P. I then changed to Lyrical Dee, but it was too generic. Then Original Dee, but that’s not original. Then I thought to flip it around, take away the O, and add to E’s at the start and that made DeeRiginal.”
Can you recall your first memory of being involved with music?
“I normally always reference being 14 and being in my music class, but as we’re talking, I’m thinking of an earlier memory. In 07/08, the Sony Ericsson Walkman was popping. There was an app similar to Fruity Loops, and you could make beats on it! That was my first ever experience creating music outside of an educational environment. I probably tried to make a beat before I tried to rap!”
If you had to choose a Mount Rushmore of emcees, which four would be at the top?
“It might be easier to do it in time periods! All I know is, when I developed my social consciousness in 2007 and three years before I started making music, the people I listened to were Chipmunk, Giggs, Wretch 32 and Ghetts. I was also listening to N-Dubz, they had riddims!
Finally, what has been the best advice you’ve received so far in music?
“One of the biggest effects on my career was becoming part of the leftfield collective. In 2022, Bliss, Samson and Vagrant shouted me and agreed that they wanted me to be a part of their collective. That same year, I just wanted to quit. Numbers were dropping, inspiration was dropping and life events outside of music were happening. Being part of a collective was so important in terms of inspiration for me to continue because I was suddenly a part of something bigger than myself and not just a solo act. We can take inspiration from each other, like a BBK or Dreamville. It felt sick and not just because of music but sharing knowledge with each other about marketing and important decisions. When you’re in a collective, there’s a handful of people who are more responsive to certain things. That was one of the major shifts in my career, not as a direct form of advice but experience that has added to the positive trajectory to my career and continuing. Big up the leftfield collective. There’s seven of us and we are all sick!”
DeeRiginal’s latest single “So Many Places” featuring Swizz Beatz is out now and available to stream on all digital platforms.