Rory Charles Graham was born on 29 January 1985 in Uckfield, East Sussex. He attended King's Academy Ringmer in Ringmer, from which he was expelled, and then enrolled at Uckfield College in his hometown. At the age of 15, he began MCing with a drum and bass crew using the handle Rag 'N' Bonez, inspired by watching repeats of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son. While at school, he was part of a group of youths supported by The Prince's Trust who developed a community project which involved painting and gardening in Crowborough.
Career
When he moved to Brighton, his friend Gi3mo formed the rap group Rum Committee and invited him to join them. He started performing at Slip-jam B, where he met people who helped him start his career. Over the next few years, they supported hip hop artists Pharoahe Monch and KRS-One at Brighton's Concorde 2, and released their own album titled Boozetown through Bandcamp and other digital stores. Just weeks before the Rum Committee album release, Rory Graham was asked to support Joan Armatrading at Brighton Dome. With no solo releases to his name to distribute on the night, he worked with Rum Committee producers Gi3mo and Sherlock Bones to create his first official release, the eight-track Bluestown EP, which included one feature from the rap artist Ceezlin.
''Wolves'' and ''Disfigured'' EPs (2011–2015)
In 2011, Graham started working with UK hip hop label High Focus Records, releasing a number of recordings with them such as a collaboration with MC/producer Leaf Dog titled Dog 'n Bone EP and a project with MC/producer Dirty Dike titled Put That Soul on Me. Shortly afterwards, he began to collaborate with record producer Mark Crew, who at the time was working on Bastille's debut album Bad Blood. Graham signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell in 2013. In 2014, in collaboration with Mark Crew, Graham released the EP Wolves through Best Laid Plans Records, containing nine tracks with guests including rapper Vince Staples, Stig of the Dump, and Kate Tempest. Graham, along with Skunk Anansie, also featured on Bastille's third mixtape, VS., on the song "Remains". His follow-up in 2015, the Disfigured EP, was also released through Best Laid Plans Records. The lead track "Bitter End" was playlisted on BBC Radio 1 Xtra, and made it onto BBC Radio 1's "In New Music We Trust" playlist.
''Human'' (2016–present)
Graham's first hit single, "Human", was released on Columbia Records in July 2016. It peaked at number one in the official singles charts in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. It was certified Gold in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. "Human" was used as the theme music to the Amazon Prime series Oasis, in the official launch trailer for the video game , in the trailer for the 2017 film Thank You for Your Service, in the television series Inhumans, and in the season 2 intro for the TV show Into the Badlands. The song was also used in the outro for Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 3 Episode 9, as well as the Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan television series. Graham's debut album, also titled Human, was released on 10 February 2017. The album opens with the song "Human", features the single "Skin", and has tracks produced by Mark Crew, Two Inch Punch, and Jonny Coffer. The album won the BBC Music Award for British Album of the Year in 2017 and he was nominated for Artist of the Year. Later in 2017, Graham collaborated with British virtual bandGorillaz, appearing on the song "The Apprentice" from the deluxe edition of their fifth studio album Humanz. Graham also sang and co-wrote one of the songs, "Broken People", from Will Smith’s 2017 Netflix film Bright. In January 2019, Graham collaborated with Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris to record the song "Giant". It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. He also collaborated with the Italian singer Zucchero Fornaciari to write the song "Freedom", for the album D.O.C..
Personal life
Graham and his wife, Beth Rouy, have a son named Reuben. They married in May 2019 at LewesRegistry Office. They have since separated. Graham endorsed Labour Party leaderJeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK general election. During an interview with Channel 4, he said he saw Corbyn as a "man that speaks with passion" and added that he could "relate to what says and have never felt like that before". Graham is a patron of the Brighton-based young people's music charity AudioActive. In an official statement for the charity, he said, "AudioActive are doing something to ensure that regardless of wealth or background, young people get a chance to be creative. I can't support that enough."
