Irving Adjei, known professionally as Headie One, is a British rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. In 2018, he released the mixtapeThe One; it included the single "Know Better" featuring rapper RV, which became an "underground hit". Headie One is best known for his track "18Hunna", which peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and features Dave. He has released seven mixtapes - four solo, and three with fellow rapper RV. In 2019, Headie One released his seventh and first mainstream mixtape Music x Road which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart.
Early life
Adjei grew up on the "infamous" Broadwater Farmhousing estate in Tottenham. He is of Ghanaian origin. In his youth he was "obsessed" with football and played for local team Haringey Borough F.C. He was due to have a trial with Stevenage F.C. before an ankle fracture led to his exit from the sport. Adjei is a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur supporter having been born in the area. He first began rapping in his early teens, though only began focusing on it after his first release from prison. His moniker derives from a childhood nickname due to his head's resemblance to a 50p coin.
Music career
Adjei began releasing music in the early 2010s under the name Headz, including as part of a group named Star Gang. In 2014 he released his only mixtape under that alias, titled Headz or Tails. Also part of Star Gang was fellow Tottenham rapper RV - he and Headie One became frequent collaborators, including co-releasing the mixtapes Sticks & Stones and Drillers x Trappers. Together they formed part of OFB, a UK drill crew based in the Broadwater Farm estate. In February 2018, he released his next solo mixtape as Headie One, titled The One. This included "Know Better" with RV, which became an "underground hit". This was his first release that was signed to Relentless Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. In May he was featured on "Missing", a Belly Squad track that peaked at number 84 on the UKSingles Chart. This was followed by another solo mixtape, The One Two, in June 2018, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number 32. In November he performed on his first national UK tour. In January 2019, his single "18Hunna", featuring Dave, entered the UK chart at number 6 - the highest a drill artist has ever charted. In March Adjei released his sixth mixtape, and third with RV, Drillers x Trappers II. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 21. "Match Day", the first single from the mixtape, entered the Singles Chart at number 86. In July he featured on the "I Spy" single by Krept and Konan, which peaked at number 18. In August 2019 Adjei released his seventh mixtape in five years, Music x Road. The release was praised by critics, and was noted for being a move away from his usual sound - with NME describing it as being "often far from drill". It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 5 - his highest chart placing to date. Other than the previously-released "18Hunna", several tracks from the mixtape also charted, such as "Back to Basics" with Skepta, "Rubbery Bandz" and "Both." In December 2019, he featured on Stormzy's new album Heavy Is the Head on the song "Audacity". In July 2020, he released a single featuring Drake called "Only You Freestyle" produced by M1onthebeat.
Controversy
Adjei has been imprisoned three times, including for dealing crack cocaine and heroin - most recently in 2020. In January 2018 he was reportedly attacked by rivals at the University of Bedfordshire. A video of the assault was posted on Snapchat and then YouTube, resulting in an "all-out gang war." Headie responded with a diss track "Know Better." In March of that year, his concert at the Barbican Centre was shut down by the Metropolitan Police. The police had previously "singled out" his music in connection with rising knife crime in London. In an interview in April, Headie claimed that "Only a fool would say that drill music is the root of the problem of violence in the capital." Associations between London gang culture, drill music and social media were examined in a BBC Radio Four programme File on Four8 March 2020, focused on three violent murders. On 8 January 2020 Adjei was imprisoned for six months for possession of a knife. He was released early in April 2020.
