Reptile B is one of the most exciting new voices in UK music. The Newham MC is a triple threat—rapping, singing, dancing—with a live presence that’s bold, unpredictable, and completely unapologetic. Blending grime, dancehall and UK drill with the energy of his Jamaican roots and queer identity, he’s carving out his own lane. He is raw, fearless, and impossible to ignore.
A regular standout at UD’s Open Mic nights, Reptile B has kept pushing forward—despite an industry that still puts barriers in front of out, Black queer artists. As a recipient of UD’s Free Yard initiative and a name that’s lit up multiple UD stages, he was the obvious choice for our spotlight artist as we team up with TRENCH Magazine at the first-ever SXSW London.
We caught up with him at UD’s studios to talk breaking boundaries, the wild stories behind tracks like ‘THG’ and ‘Norman Reloaded’, why grime and Nirvana both run deep, and what to expect from his upcoming Glastonbury set.
UD: Let’s dive into your sound. How would you describe your style of music that you create
Reptile B: I would say it’s like if grime was a little queer and kissed Dancehall and then went home and started crying to Nirvana (bursts out laughing). That’s how I describe my sound and what I’m doing. So if I break that down; People know me as a queer/ gay grime MC, that is what seems to stick in the minds of people. Grime and dancehall are my foundation. They have always been my foundation from the get go. But also on the side, I was that alternative kid listening to Paramore and stuff like that.
“My sound… it’s like if grime was a little queer and kissed Dancehall and then went home and started crying to Nirvana”
UD: A real fusion of some of the best music there is…
Reptile B: So I take sounds like for example the UK drill sound. I’m very big on the UK drill sound now. Like, that’s become one of my foundations and sonically it just evolves into a spectrum of chaos. I think that’s it, a spectrum of chaos.
UD: What first made you want to create your own music?
Reptile B: I started a little YouTube, like, way back. It was like a YouTube channel of me doing Amy Winehouse and Paramore covers. At the start, if I’m honest, I was doing all of that because I was doing piano after school. I’ve also got family members around me in music. So we’ve got Kano, for example. I remember it was either his album ‘Home Sweet Home’ coming out or ‘P&Q’s’. I saw it on Channel U. I was very much like, not tapped into what people around me were doing. So I remember being like, “Mum, what’s Kane doing on tv? I’m confused.” I was just like, “I don’t get it, but this is sick” So that brought me into paying attention to grime more. Then I heard Tempa T’s ‘Next Hype‘. I remember I was in school, like walking around selling sweets to the kids because that’s how I made pocket money and stuff and I heard it playing on someone’s computer. I was like “What the… What is going on? This is chaotic, but I love it.” It’s giving me all the energy that I was getting from the alternative songs I was listening to but it’s hard grime. That song scratches my brain to this day.
UD: When did you start writing grime lyrics?
Reptile B: I started writing my first bars around first hearing ‘Next Hype‘ and then when I discovered JME and Big H, by this point I was clashing kids in school. When I heard Big H’s Street Crime UK mixtape, I was writing grime all the time, just naturally. Meanwhile, I’m also getting into dancehall. Before I came out of the closet, I used to hear the homophobic lyrics and it used to make me feel wrong. They made me feel a way…
UD: Would you say it was witnessing other people’s reactions to the songs or you personally taking in the lyrics?
Reptile B: It was both, actually. I’d be at family parties and then there’ll be a old school reggae song like Sanchez’s ‘Frenzy’, it goes: “Living Up, Living up…. Cause we nuh wan no chi chi man bow yah, And if you par with chi chi man yuh can stay on yah”. I’m just there singing, it’s lovely. And then they’re just like.. “And we don’t want no chi chi man”… like how does this even fit the topic of the song? So that’s what was going on in my head. And everyone’s there singing it.
I remember coming out when I was 16. I was at prom and I was dancing, having a good time and I heard ‘Ramping Shop‘. I remember the very beginning. Spice says “Scorn dem”, I didn’t realise that was what she said. But then Vybz Kartel in the intro was like “Every man grab a gyal, and every gyal grab a man. Man to man, gyal to gyal dats wrong” then Spice follows with “Scorn dem”. I remember I heard those lines very specifically. And then I stopped dancing and everyone got up to dance and they were living their life and I was sitting there just really upset. I was thinking like, “Rah… I didn’t choose to be like this.”
UD: I’ve heard that song so many times and my mind must have purposely ignored it.
Reptile B: It’s not surprising. The rest of the song has nothing to do with it. You’re just like, hearing the vibes. Now, I don’t really care. I sing it. I’ll be with my mum. Lift up my leg. “That’s wrong…” I don’t business.
UD: How do you navigate these types of lyrics now?
Reptile B: I started falling in love with dancehall by ignoring that part. So then I just had to like trauma exposure, therapy myself to it. And then I was like, “oh, I love the music, the people in my country make and all that.” But no, I love Spice… I would love to do a tune with her one day. I’d love to see her concert. I haven’t seen her live yet.
Now I look at dancehall as my favourite music. I listen every day and I laugh. I laugh even when I listen to old school sets and they say something homophobic, I’m just like, ‘where did that even come from?’ You’re talking about your aunty’s sick and now you’re talking about a gay man, you’re so funny. So yeah, at some point I became Reptile B and ended up just having all of these influences just there waiting for me to start.
UD: You’re very open within your music and across social media about being neurodivergent. How do you navigate the music industry?
Reptile B: From getting diagnosed with ADHD, at the end of 2021, I realised I’m really good at using my feelings and converting them into art really seamlessly. I’ve been able to use the things that work as a disadvantage as my advantage. Like, I can hyper focus on all these different passions I love, focus on all the excitement and the dopamine I get from doing the things I love.
I would say getting diagnosed and seeking support is really important. Staying undiagnosed, most importantly could really lead to your detriment. Like can literally affect your life expectancy. For example, when I was in university, I didn’t know I had ADHD. I went from being the gifted kid in school, to really struggling. That’s a common neurodivergent pipeline; “Oh, you’re so gifted but you just need to apply yourself a bit more… you just need to focus more” And then you start beating yourself up. Like, “why am I not focusing? Why is it so hard to focus?” And you just end up really hurting yourself.
UD: Sometimes just being aware of how your mind works is so important. Understanding your limits, what you need support with and also what are your strengths. How would you say being diagnosed has helped you navigate the world, especially as an artist and how does it impact your work?
Reptile B: When it comes to the impact on my life and music; So the good. If there’s a genre that I’m comfortable with or there’s something, even a hint of something in there from the past. Like my brain somehow manages to just go back to it and I can draw it, like out of my bag right now in the studio and just be like, all right, boom. So this is crazy. But now I’ve got a genre blending kind of song. Now we’ve got stuff like ‘THG‘. If I was neurotypical and just followed societal norms… Again, I wasn’t even diagnosed yet, but I was unconsciously just using the powers my brain gave me.
And then on the bad side, it’s the admin, (laughs). I’m not gonna lie. Like, I’ve messed up some opportunities in the past, because I’ll overwork myself as an artist whilst forgetting I’ve got other things to do outside of being an artist. A lot of boring admin stuff that takes up a lot of brain power. I need a lot more sleep than I give myself. With interpersonal relationships, I’ve got into arguments with people in the past, while doing collaborations, before I was undiagnosed.
UD: You mentioned ‘THG’, that was clearly a landmark moment for you, can you tell me the story behind the track?
Reptile B: So ‘THG’, I wrote that literally in lockdown. So, it came so wonderfully randomly. I didn’t plan to write it. And that’s what I love about it. I remember one day I was on SoundCloud just dancing, just freestyling to make myself feel better. And the next beat that popped on was just a random drill beat. And I didn’t even listen to drill like that at the time because I just thought everyone was boring and had the same flow. I heard the beat and I started twerking while I freestyled. I was like, “you know what, f*ck it!” And I just started writing bars and being like, “oh, that’s funny.” Like, “bop, skip, dip, scatter…”. Meanwhile, I was going through a toxic situationship, with a guy who I didn’t realise had a girlfriend.
UD: This sound very similar to the situation in Doechii’s ‘Denial Is A River’.
Reptile B: Yeah, I’m glad you said that. I’m the dude. Imagine if the gay boy said his perspective on ‘Denial Is A River‘, that is what ‘THG‘ is. I had all the feelings from this guy screwing me about because I thought he liked me. When I found out, I had a lot of racing thoughts. At this point, I had undiagnosed BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). So, now I’m diagnosed and in therapy, I look back like, “whoa, that was crazy”. It got very toxic. but then he left the country. All of those thoughts ended up in ‘THG‘ (Laughs). I’d come home from work so p*ssed off. Then at the end of the relationship, I realised what was going on was crazy and I needed to get rid of him. That’s why the third verse sounds how it does.
UD: Can you break down the journey of the verses?
Reptile B: So the first verse is me literally crashing out from realising there’s another girl. Verse two is me talking about my mindset of this relationship turning into an affair, because I’m now aware there’s another person involved. And verse three is me coming to my senses and being like, “I don’t need this!”
UD: Honesty and transparency is so important in music and a quality you always deliver. It feels like a great time to talk about the unapologetic angle of the viral ‘Norman Reloaded’.
Reptile B: Like ‘THG’, ‘Norman Reloaded’ came about randomly. I was bored one day and I remember I saw CeeChyna put out her song ‘Peggy’. And I remember someone in the comments was like, “oh, this is Yanko’s song ‘Flexing’”. I checked that out and the beat was hard. I just honed it on the beat. And I like Ceechyna’s “I’m p*gging the man at the back of the bus” lyric. So, I was like, well, “I’m p*gging that with a bottle of Wray”, how about that? I just started laughing, and that’s when I knew I needed to write a freestyle. So I channeled how I was feeling when I wrote ‘THG‘. I liked how Ceechyna was really just saying it how it is. I do that, too but I can sometimes be a bit poetic with it. And I try to make people read between the lines. I was like, “No, how about I just start saying it?” and I wrote the lyrics how I would talk as if I was chatting with my friends. I posted a video on social media. Literally just me, in the studio, when I had just finished recording it. I thought I’d put it out, get some traction, a bit of whatever and then get ready for my next song.
UD: What was the reaction?
Reptile B: (Reptile makes a fast & loud Tiktok notification sound) That one there. I received the same feedback as ‘THG’. “Oh my God, what is this? I’ve never heard this before. I’m listening to grime & drill now!” The same kind of vibes. CeeChyna also saw it.
UD: What was her thoughts on it?
Reptile B: She liked my TikTok post and then the song got taken down the next day. I don’t want to assume… By this point it had already started making rounds on Instagram. I had Twitch streamers doing reactions and people were commenting that they found me through various videos. I’m like, “slow down!”. I love the free promo and stuff (laughs). I got to 250k on the views on the video within like a week or two. And then I was like, “wow, this is really blowing up” and so were my followers. I was overwhelmed to go on Instagram. So, I was at that level, so that’s good (laughs) and… I don’t know, we don’t know, init. So yeah, I’m not even going to say what I assume got the video taken down because I don’t know, but the song got taken down after the next day.
UD: When a creative grey area like that is working for you, and this could be for anyone building up their engagement online, and it gets taken down. How did you navigate that? Because clearly it broke through, not just because it was over a viral beat.
Reptile B: So, after it got taken down, my producer messaged me and he was like “I saw what happened, bun that I’m going to make you a new beat.” I was so drained from it, because I previously had some issues with a collaboration EP project before this. I was like “Why do I keep putting things out and they keep going?” It started to really make me feel low. Trilliary Banks had me come up for a project, which will be out soon, and we talked about the song. I was sitting there thinking to myself, “even rappers that I really respect now are rating this song and I’m getting opportunities through it. People are noticing me, so we can’t stop this.” So, my producer just sent over a new beat and luckily we had all the stems so I didn’t need to re-record it. He just said, ‘I sorted you out’ and I was like, ‘okay well, here it is, it’s back (laughs). So I’m loving that people are still enjoying it.
There was also some controversy with the track as I touched on DL (closeted gay) religious men and the experiences I’ve had with them.
UD: Knowing the reaction that the controversy created, what did you learn from that experience?
Reptile B: Knowing what I know now, I made a mistake. Obviously I said what I said. But I’m now clocking there’s a reason why people haven’t said it yet. I’m like, “Oh my God”, because people just read into your words and they will flip it and change what you said.
They were like, “What do you mean you’re disrespecting religion?’ and I’m like, “What? I never said that. I said that there’s three men that used to seek me out” and now I’m getting a lot more death threats than usual. And then they’re uniting together and mass reporting my account. And then I had some features taken away from me. I’ve been trying to sort it out with META.
UD: As a gay rapper navigating a genre that hasn’t always been the most welcoming, what has been the biggest challenge you faced?
Reptile B: Okay, so my biggest challenge is people gatekeeping. So, like, someone homophobic will get in the way and stop and stop an opportunity or somebody queer will get in the way and stop an opportunity.
UD: Navigating being gay and making grime?
Reptile B: To be honest, no one was trying to support me. I ended up getting noticed by some queer artists, musicians and creatives who helped get me on some gigs and events. From that, I ended up doing a couple Gay Prides. But that was it. I wasn’t shown anywhere else until afterwards when I started doing other songs, like ‘Omar Likkle Freestyle‘, which was put on Mixtape Madness.
UD: Watching “Omar Likkle Freestyle”, feels like a very toned down version of you.
It’s me sitting there in the car, I took out my hair extensions I was wearing at the time, just doing the Omar Little, from The Wire (iconic TV show) vibe and just giving you straight bars. My manager at the time said, just give them straight bars and then at the end come out the closet. And at the end I’m like, “it’s a batty boy thing. Hahaha.” You listened through the whole song thinking this guy is sick and you don’t realise I’m actually gay. And I literally laughed my way out the song. So that’s how I started getting known. The success of ‘THG‘ only happened when I learned how to use TikTok.
UD: On that journey of being across the algorithm, to find your people, how are you navigating being out, sharing your music and being so public?
Reptile B: I’m still figuring that one out to this day. I could be walking down the street, or at work, and any type of person can stop me and be like, “I love THG“. And it could be anyone. I’m like, ‘Oh, you like my music too? I thought you came here to buy cake.’ One day, I was working with my mum and like a Gen X aunty came up and told me she loved my song. I was shocked.
UD: I love that…
Reptile B: I get messages on YouTube being like, I am a whole Jamaican, like literally in Jamaica, and this is what I needed to see. That makes me just want to keep on pushing my art and it just helps me to stay more authentic, really. There were of course a lot of homophobic comments, too, but I was just like, ‘whatever, if I’m not getting haters, I ain’t winning’, kind of thing. I’m still navigating how to hone this creative journey properly. I’m just enjoying it.
UD: You’re doing great! Your performances are always bold and unapologetic. Where would you like to perform in the future?
Reptile B: So, I’m going to be performing at quite a few festivals this year. I’m performing at Mighty Hoopla, which is an inclusive, queer festival. I’ve performed at Gay Pride in London and Birmingham before, but I’ve not attended Mighty Hoopla before so, I’m really looking forward to performing.
@onlyreptileb “Thats what your man says when he’s in the ????” ????️ – Reptile B #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #reptileb ♬ Her Him They Them – Cinz ????????????
UD: What’s been one of your memorable performances, so far?
Reptile B: Back in 2023, I went from the Gay Pride to the South Bank Windrush Day festival. That was one of my big ones where I was like, “Oh, my God, this isn’t even just an LGBTQ+ niche thing”, it was literally like, “No, you’re a Jamaican artist, are you not?” So, I went up there and shelled it and had Windrush generation aunties coming up to me being like, “I sent your song to my son. It’s really good”, and I was like… “There’s hope”. Like, that’s my country, and with all the homophobia out there, but you have people older than the people being homophobic here, being like, “it’s fine”. It just gave me hope.
UD: That’s really love that you’ve experienced moments like that. You’re breaking down important barriers…
Reptile B: After that event it was like a domino effect; I did a string of underground gigs with Princess Xixi, who’s a good friend of mine and so sick. We’ve been working on music together and tend to perform together and stuff, that’s something I’m looking forward to. I got to perform at Black Pride, which was a real highlight. I also got to do Super Normal festival last year, that was brilliant.
After Super Normal, I ended up with my new management, Travis from Sound Entertainment. He’s just been a godsend. Like, he got me my headline gig that I just did recently, supported by Marshall and Clash Magazine. He’s also lined me up to perform at a new type of queer electronic art like music type stage at Glastonbury. I’ve also got the Shangri-La stage at Glastonbury too. That’s where I’ll be with Princess Xixi. She’ll be DJing, I’ll be MC and she’ll jump on the mic. It’s going to get dynamic up in here.
UD: Is that where you kind of just let loose?
Reptile B: One thing to know about me, when I perform it’s a triple threat ting, I sing, rap and dance. I jump on stage, people don’t know what they’re going to get. I’m doing grime and then now I’m doing garage and then now I’m doing trip-hop. Then i’ll do house and reggae. Then I’m doing drill but I’m twerking on the floor and doing hip hop choreography. I’m giving people what doja cat and all of that essence, you would normally get in America. You don’t really get that here in London. I come on stage and I’ll be rapping, singing and I’m gonna give you a show.
UD: What can we expect music wise this year?
Reptile B: The next song I’m putting out is going to be with Denham Audio. It’s going to be more dancey, like a speed garage ting. For the clubs too, it’s going to make people just want to dance. I was just as unhinged as ever, on there. The song is me talking about the crash outs I have had from BPD, drinking and the disregulation I get from ADHD. It’s filled with all my emotions and I’m just being very clear about what happens on the night when you catch me wrong, init. So yeah, I’ll be promoting that and trialling it out as the many events and shows I’m doing. What else do the people dem want, really?
UD: So, I also hear UD put you forward for the first London SXSW, on the TRENCH stage. Where did UD music come in your journey?
Reptile B: I heard about UD Music just randomly on Instagram. There was an Open Mic night on and it was walking distance from my house, so I thought, well, “let me go and test out one of my new songs.” When I make a new song, I need to hear what the crowd is thinking. So, I remember showing up to the event and I loved the other artists. I loved the energy. I really loved the supportive vibe that everyone was giving each other. I got on stage and it’s one of the first Open Mics I went to that wasn’t fully queer. I showed up, I got on stage and I was like, “yo, I’m local. My name’s Reptile B. I just got this song that I want to sample out”. After I performed, everyone was really enthusiastic and the song got a great reaction so I thought to myself, ‘this is a good song then.’ *laughs*
UD: Our Open Mic nights are always a great chance to hear emerging artists!
Reptile B: After that I went about my business and I got an email or message on Instagram from Chantelle Fiddy who works at UD and wanted to connect. Later down the line, I remember I had jumped on Blay Vision’s Cammy Riddim and was promoting it, that’s when Chantelle from UD connected me with (renowned journalist) Hattie Collins. I was like, “Wait, what’s going on here?”. Now I’m on Apple Music being interviewed by Hattie for her Proud show. And from then it’s been constant support. I’m always getting messages from Chantelle and the team, with words of encouragement. I’ve done quite a few more Open Mics and I’ve enjoyed free studio time with their Free Yard programme. I went in and recorded a track. That was brilliant. The experience humbled me a bit, as well. Just the whole thing of like, I always have second guessed myself at home because of the homophobia, and other things, that I deal with. I feel like UD always comes around the corner to remind me that I am making great things and show me so much love. They’ve also got me a few paid gigs too.
UD: UD really are there to help artists develop and offer opportunities to grow their network at all levels.
Reptile B: I think what I really love is that they always show me love, consistently. I’m always seeing UD in my comments and likes. I love it! Eventually Chantelle hit me up about SXSW, and that TRENCH had a stage when it was coming to London in June and now we’re here (laughs). I feel like I just keep being gifted and gifted just for being myself.
UD: You’re working hard, you deserve it! What would you say to other emerging artists about your experience with UD?
Reptile B: UD has so many different opportunities, for artists at different levels, which you can see from my journey. What I would say is to keep up to date with what they have on their Instagram, show up in person and use them to help develop your craft that you’re already doing.
I haven’t just sat around, painting my nails waiting, sitting there like, “I’m not doing anything until I get a message from UD”. I’ve gone off and did my own thing, just as you do, and then I’ll be surprised that I’m still being supported by them… It’s been about two years now, and UD always circles back to me. There’ve been times where I would have actually started to minimise myself a little bit, actually. Because there’s been times where people would like to give me feedback. That they think I’m good but “the gay ting”, like obviously just the standard b*ll crap. Like, I’m not even being rude to the people that have said it. Like some people said it out of homophobia or whatever, but some have said it out of concern. Like “I want you to blow up and we’re very aware that you’re in a world where you’ll be gate kept.” UD always seems to pop up around the time where someone’s telling me I should minimise myself.
Even people close to me at the time were saying it in real life. And then UD will come around and be like “We love how unapologetic you are, keep going!” And it will recharge my battery to continue being as unapologetic as I am. They remind me that I need to be myself and I’m supported by the right people and the people actually care about the art.
UD: What should we expect from your SXSW performance?
Reptile B: I’m not going to disclose too much, but just know I’m going to turn up with the energy to shell it. So, I’ll start the journey off with reggae. When you don’t know me, it’s like, “Oh!” and then I get up and I go full Reptile B mode.
UD: So, it’s like the shock factor as well.
Reptile B: Yeah, I start off with a song that is me talking about what happens in a worst case scenario to queer people. It’s like, ‘oh, someone got found in the Thames again. Did they? Were they queer? Were they?’… Because my friend died. My friend, one of my queer friends, he went missing and then that’s it. I kept on checking and the family were on social media, like, “have you seen our son?” Eventually they just closed down the accounts. And then I saw someone’s Insta story by accident, and the story said; “Rest In Peace”. So I found out he passed away by accident.
And that really messed with me. I have that fear, what most queer people have, of like someone’s gonna come and kill me. So I start my set with that fear talking about that notion of just like “oh look, the pitchforks are coming”. Like how the pitchforks came for me with ‘Norman Reloaded’ and stuff like that. As I’m performing this, people are listening and really taking it in. Then the beat drops and I’m like “What? Look, are you mad? Look what you started!”, with pure Reptile B energy. Then it goes into an Azealia Banks cover and I start dancing. Giving some grime, giving them some twerking to the floor. By this point people are just like… (shocked faces). That’s all within the first few minutes.
UD: Wow! I can’t wait to see it live!! What’s the legacy you want to build and what things are you focused on to drive you forward?
Reptile B: I’d really like to act in horror movies. I want to have that Kurt Cobain type of impact. If you look back, Nirvana took off Michael Jackson from the charts. He came in with this whole “I don’t really care about none of this stuff”, I just want to make my songs with that similar energy. When I listen to his interviews, I’m like, “wow, who would have known one of the biggest artists I relate to would be Kurt Cobain?” but I would say, I don’t want the kind of impact where I destroy myself.
A lot of us, like, creatives and artists, we’ve got a lot going on, and we end up with our vices as it is. But I don’t want my vices to get worse through the trauma and pressure of me saying what I want to share and say. Like, to have that kind of impact on people the same way Kurt Cobain did. For that to happen, people around me also need to start being themselves more. More people, in general, need to stand up and just be themselves authentically.
For everyone that’s been told that they’re too much, too loud, too mentally ill, too ADHD, too autistic, all of that stuff. Like, I want them to be like, “No, actually I’m me and I’m myself”. I hope they know they’re powerful, and them knowing this, could help to create a new movement. A movement society actually needs. It’s a plan that I have faith in because I’m hyper focusing on it (laughs).
In the short term, I’m also working on a mixtape called ‘Rap Game Cutie’. It’s going to be so dynamic. I don’t want to be boxed in. I especially don’t want to end up in a label situation where I feel trapped. Ideally I’d like to work with a label but find a balance when it comes to the freedom I have. Like funding for a project for a few singles run, but not to hold me for years, kind of thing.
There’s other things I’ll be doing. Like there’s other things in art I’d like to pursue. I’ve got books I’m writing, fiction and horror books, I’ve got a programming background, so games and stuff too. I just want to have freedom. Just a career of freedom. Just continue doing that and just the money to sustain it.
Words: Laura ‘Hyperfrank‘ Brosnan
Photography: Jake Lewis, Dres Lenses & Saadiq T
