Meridian Dan

Best known for his 2013 track “German Whip,” North London rapper Meridian Dan (aka Dan London) began his musical career on the fringes of the grime community years previous to his chart success. Dabbling with jobs varying from electrician to coded welder, he was a peripheral member of the infamous Skepta and JME’s pre-Roll Deep and Boy Better Know group Meridian Crew, where he was known simply as Dan. He guested on a verse on Skepta’s “Private Caller” in 2005. After this, he took a hiatus from music and concentrated on his boxing career as well as other interests. It was only when a fellow former member of Meridian Crew, President T, persuaded him to return to music on account of his talent that London decided to make another attempt in the music business. He joined a new grime collective called Bloodline — which also included members such as Bossman Birdie, President T, Big H, Paper Paps, and Milli Major — and began slowly working his way through the underground U.K. rap scene. His years of perseverance and hard work paid off as the track “German Whip” featuring Big H and JME became a huge street anthem and a chart hit. Due to the success of the single, he signed to PMR — whose roster included the likes of Jessie Ware and Disclosure — and the label reissued the single before readying his debut album, I Am London, for a mid-2014 release. ~ Aneet Nijjar