Dutchavelli

Biography

Stephan Allen (born 11 November 1993), better known by his stage name Dutchavelli, is a British rapper. His name comes in part from the fact that he and his family (including his sister, Stefflon Don, a rapper) spent their formative years in Rotterdam, and he initially went under the name 'Dutch'. He has worked with artists such as Stormzy, Gzuz, and Tion Wayne and has achieved Top 40 hits with songs such as "I Dunno", "Burning" and "808", the former peaking at number 7 in the charts.

Early life

Stephan Allen was born in Birmingham to parents of Jamaican descent. He has six siblings including rapper, Stefflon Don and X-factor contestant, Princess Diamz and is the fourth of seven children. When he was a year old, his family moved to Rotterdam, Netherlands, (hence Allen's stage name); around a decade later they moved back to Clapton in Hackney, East London. He cites that instead of sitting around the dinner table to eat they would play each other music ranging from Bob Marley to Aretha Franklin. After first recording in his teens, although he was spurred on by those around him, at age 17 he was handed a six months prison sentence for an unspecified offence which delayed the start of his music career.

Career

Dutchavelli began his career as Dutch in 2016 releasing songs such as 'New Jack City' whilst making appearances on Rinse FM. Further legal trouble involving an armed robbery and stabbing charge in 2018 curtailed his career for another two years while imprisoned on remand. He was later acquitted of the main charge but convicted of perverting the course of justice, and sentenced to 22 months. After being released on licence he began to gain recognition in 2020 with a series of hits which began with 'Only If You Knew' which racked up 20 million views in eight months. Further hits such as 'Surely' alongside collaborations with artists such as Stormzy and M Huncho began to cement his name as one of the leading emerging talents within the drill scene.
Dutchavelli was named on the BBC Sound of... 2021 longlist. 10 artists were nominated by industry experts and artists such as Stormzy, AJ Tracey, and Billie Eilish.

In popular culture

Dutchavelli has gained a reputation for being seen as a tough individual. This, paired with his large stature – he is 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) in height – has led to a proliferation of memes relating to this within popular culture.