Headie One facts for kids

Irving Ampofo Adjei (born 6 October 1994), known as Headie One, is a British rapper and singer. He was once known as Headz. In 2018, he released his mixtape The One. This mixtape featured the song "Know Better" with rapper RV. Headie One is seen as a key artist in the UK drill music scene. He has become one of the top UK rap artists of his time.

He is famous for his songs "18hunna" with Dave, "Only You Freestyle" with Drake, and "Ain't It Different" with AJ Tracey and Stormzy. His solo song "Both" is also very popular. "18hunna" reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. "Only You Freestyle" got to number 5, and "Ain't It Different" reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

Headie One has released many mixtapes. In 2019, his mixtape Music x Road became very popular. It reached number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. In 2020, he worked with Fred Again on a project called GANG. Later that year, he released his first album, Edna. This album was a tribute to his mother, Edna Duah. It became number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.

Early Life and Beginnings

Irving Adjei grew up in the Broadwater Farm area of Tottenham, London. His family comes from Ghana, and he can speak the Twi language. His mother, Edna Duah, passed away when he was three years old. He was raised by his father and sister.

When he was younger, he loved football. He played for a local team called Haringey Borough F.C.. He was going to try out for Stevenage F.C., but a broken ankle stopped him from playing.

He started rapping when he was a teenager. He began to focus on music more seriously later on. His nickname, Headie One, came from a childhood joke. People said his head looked like a 50p coin.

Music Career Milestones

Early Music and Mixtapes (2010–2019)

Adjei started making music in the early 2010s. He used the name Headz and was part of a group called Star Gang. In 2014, he released his only mixtape as Headz, called Headz or Tails. Another rapper from Star Gang was RV. Headie One and RV often worked together. They released mixtapes like Sticks & Stones (2016) and Drillers x Trappers (2017). They were also part of OFB, a UK drill music group from Broadwater Farm.

In February 2018, he released his next solo mixtape as Headie One, called The One. This mixtape included "Know Better" with RV, which became a popular song. This was his first release after signing with Relentless Records, which is part of Sony Music. In May, he was featured on "Missing" by Belly Squad. This song reached number 84 on the UK Singles Chart. He then released another solo mixtape, The One Two, in June 2018. It reached number 32 on the UK Albums Chart. In November, he went on his first tour across the UK.

In January 2019, his song "18Hunna" with Dave reached number 6 on the UK chart. This was the highest a drill artist had charted at that time. In March, Adjei released his sixth mixtape, Drillers x Trappers II, with RV. It reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart. The first song from it, "Match Day", reached number 86 on the Singles Chart. In July, he was featured on "I Spy" by Krept and Konan, which reached number 18.

Music x Road and Album Debut (2019–2020)

In August 2019, Adjei released his seventh mixtape in five years, Music x Road. Music critics liked the release. They noted that it sounded different from his usual style. NME magazine said it was "often far from drill". It reached number 5 on the UK Albums Chart, his highest chart position at that time. Besides "18Hunna", other songs from the mixtape also charted. These included "Back to Basics" with Skepta, "Rubbery Bandz", and "Both".

In December 2019, he was on Stormzy's album Heavy Is the Head for the song "Audacity". In April 2020, Adjei worked with Fred Again… to release his mixtape Gang. In July 2020, he released a song with Drake called "Only You Freestyle". This song reached number 5. In August 2020, his song "Ain’t It Different" with Stormzy and AJ Tracey reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. This was his highest-charting song ever. The song was certified platinum in January 2021.

Edna and Recent Works (2020–Present)

In October 2020, his first album Edna topped the UK charts. The album was named after his late mother. It received a lot of praise in the music world. NME liked the "melancholy, minor-key trap beats". The Times newspaper called Adjei the "breakout star of drill".

On 1 October 2021, he released his ninth mixtape, Too Loyal for My Own Good. He later released the song "Came In The Scene" in May 2022. This was followed by "Can't Be Us" with Abra Cadabra and Bandokay in August 2022. After working with many European artists, Adjei released his tenth mixtape, No Borders: European Collaboration Project, in November 2022. It featured artists like Luciano, Koba LaD, and Gazo.

On 8 December 2022, he released the song "50s". After much excitement, he released "Martin's Sofa" in January 2023.

On 4 May 2023, he received the Brits Billion Award. This award is given by the British Phonographic Industry to artists who have achieved over 1 billion music streams in the UK.

Personal Life

Adjei is a big fan of the football team Manchester United.

Discography

Studio Albums

Mixtapes

Collaborative Mixtapes

Compilations

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Other Charted Songs

Guest Appearances

Filmography

Web Series