Aitch

Quickly becoming one of England’s biggest rappers, New Moston-born Aitch rocketed to fame in the late 2010s after the success of his viral freestyle “Straight Rhymez.” Featured on prolific U.K. hits like “Keisha & Becky” and “Strike a Pose,” the charismatic MC took his own place on the U.K. charts with 2019′s “Taste (Make It Shake)” and the AitcH20 EP. In 2020, he released Polaris, which included the international platinum hit “Rain.”
Born in New Moston, Manchester, Aitch (born Harrison Armstrong) began performing casually while he was still in school. After a series of freestyles drew attention from industry circles, he quickly signed to Northern Quarterz Entertainment, where he released his 2017 debut EP, On Your Marks. Combining effortless flows with tongue-in-cheek bars and a charismatic attitude, Aitch scored his first major hit with the 2018 freestyle “Straight Rhymez,” which found an audience of millions on online streaming platforms. Capitalizing on this viral success, he quickly landed spots on Kenny Allstar’s 1Extra radio residency and the popular freestyle series Daily Duppy, winning a dedicated fan base and earning co-signs from the likes of Skepta and Wiley.
In 2019, Aitch turned from “one to watch” to a key player in the U.K. scene: his appearance on Russ Splash’s viral “Keisha & Becky Remix” landed him a spot at number seven on the U.K. charts, while “Strike a Pose” with Young T & Bugsey peaked at a similar ninth spot. Bolstered by this success, Aitch made his first solo chart appearance with 2019′s “Taste (Make It Shake),” which soon hit the number two spot on the U.K. singles chart. Ahead of the release of sophomore EP AitcH20, the rapper secured his biggest placement to date, featuring alongside Stormzy and Jaykae on the remix to Ed Sheeran’s “Take Me Back to London.” The EP, boosted further by Sheeran’s co-sign, landed at number three on the U.K. albums chart, with features from MoStack and ZieZie, among others. The following year, he issued Polaris, another Top Ten hit that featured a trio of charting singles, including “Rain” with AJ Tracey and Tay Keith, which went platinum both in the U.K. and Australia.
Aitch remained a fixture on the U.K. charts in 2021 with “Learning Curve” and “Party Round My Place” featuring Avelino. Teaming with Arrdee in 2022, he scored his fourth Top Ten single with “War.” ~ David Crone