Jordan Craig Townsend (born 8 December 1993),[2] known professionally as Rv (formerly Young RV[3]), is a British rapper and songwriter whose mixtape Drillers and Trappers 2 with rapper Headie One reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.

Rv
Birth nameJordan Craig Townsend[1]
Born (1993-12-08) 8 December 1993 (age 31)
Tottenham, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2010–present
LabelsStarish Entertainment
Member ofOFB

Early life

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Townsend grew up in Tottenham in North London and attended Finchley Catholic High School. Both of his parents are Jamaican.[4][5] He was originally a member of Star Gang,[6] an offshoot of the Tottenham Mandem gang.[7] Rv has stated he converted to Islam after his cousin Fatman, who was Muslim, died in 2007.[5] Rv got his moniker from a friend that died in 2010. His friend went by the name Revenge 24 and had told Rv that if he died or went to jail, Rv had to "carry on the name".[5][8]

Career

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In 2010, he released his first mixtape Cruddy on the Streets,[8] followed in 2011 by AntiSocial Behaviour, a joint mixtape with Supa Capone, and Call of Duty: Tottenham Warfare, a compilation mixtape featuring various Tottenham artists.[9]

He and rapper Headie One became frequent collaborators, including co-releasing the mixtapes Sticks & Stones (2016) and Drillers x Trappers (2017).[10] Together they formed part of OFB, a UK drill group based in the Broadwater Farm estate.[11] While in prison, he and other OFB members had released music videos where they warn their rivals that they will grab and stab them.[2]

Rv also released a solo EP, Fresh Prince of Tottenham, on 24 August 2018.[12]

Following his release from prison,[13] on 22 March 2019, Rv and Headie One released a third mixtape called Drillers x Trappers II.[14] It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 21.[15] "Match Day", the first single from the mixtape, entered the Singles Chart at number 86.[16] He publicly revealed his face for the first time in the music video "Why Always Me".[17][18]

On 1 July 2019, he did a freestyle rap on Charlie Sloth's show.[19] On 2 August 2019, he released the solo EP, Savage.[20][19][21][22] On 14 April 2021, he did a Plugged In with Fumez the Engineer, a UK rap freestyle series.[23]

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In 2012, he and other North London gang members were convicted of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon in a stabbing of a 15-year-old boy at a barber shop in Wood Green. He received a seven-year sentence.[24][2]

Discography

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Mixtapes

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  • Cruddy on the Streets (2010)
  • AntiSocial Behaviour (2011) (with Supa Capone)
  • Call of Duty: Tottenham Warfare (2011)
  • Sticks & Stones (2016) (with Headie One)
  • Drillers x Trappers (2017) (with Headie One)
  • Drillers x Trappers II (2019) (with Headie One)
  • Rico Vondelle (2021)
  • Inconspicuous (2023)
  • Fresh Prince of Tottenham (2018)
  • Savage (2019)

References

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  1. ^ "ASSIST". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Tom; Mararike, Shingi (10 March 2019). "Knife attackers use YouTube to issue death threats from prison". The Times. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  3. ^ "HERITAGE: Before They Were Charting, Headie One And RV Were Repping Tottenham To The Fullest In This Classic Cypher (2010)". trenchtrenchtrench.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  4. ^ Bassett, Jordan. "The Big Read – Headie One: "If you make a mistake, you've got to move quickly"". NME. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Pressplay Media (7 March 2013), Young RV [Interview] @itspressplayent #3YoungRV, archived from the original on 28 November 2019, retrieved 8 November 2019 – via YouTube
  6. ^ "HERITAGE: A Young, Fresh-Faced Headie One Shows Us How Much Raw Potential He Had From The Start (2011)". trenchtrenchtrench.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  7. ^ "JOMEC Journal". 7 August 2019. doi:10.18573/j.2017.10145. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ a b "RV on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  9. ^ "RV". live. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  10. ^ Daly, Rhian (21 March 2019). "Watch RV and Headie One's football-themed video for 'Match Day'". NME. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  11. ^ Thapar, Ciaran (2 August 2018). "Making the banned: MK The Plug and M1 On The Beat are UK drill's brightest hope". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  12. ^ Fresh Prince Of Tottenham, retrieved 22 August 2019
  13. ^ "What Do You Mean You Haven't Heard Of... RV?". SCAN. 12 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  14. ^ Oke, Tobi (22 March 2019). "Headie One And RV Return With 'Drillers x Trappers II' Mixtape". Complex. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Drillers and Trappers 2". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  16. ^ "match day | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Bally On Me: Why UK drill rappers cover their faces". The Face. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  18. ^ Wynter, Courtney (28 February 2019). "Premiere: RV Makes Big Return With "Brand New/Why Always Me" Visuals". GRM Daily. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  19. ^ a b Davey, Jacob (2 July 2019). "RV Unleashes Cold 'Fire In The Booth' Debut Freestyle". Versus. UK. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  20. ^ Collier-McDermott, Shante (2 August 2019). "RV'S highly-anticipated 'Savage' EP has arrived". GRM Daily. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  21. ^ RV (11 August 2019). "RV on Savage, OFB, Headie One, drill scene, drip" (Interview). Interviewed by Tim Westwood. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ "Savage by Rv". 2 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019 – via music.apple.com.
  23. ^ "RV Drops Cold 'Plugged In' Freestyle With Fumez The Engineer". GRM Daily. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  24. ^ Thain, Bruce (24 August 2012). "Gang members sentenced for Wood Green barbers stabbing". Tottenham & Wood Green Independent. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.