| Background: | person |
| Sonnyjim | |
| Origin: | Birmingham, England |
| Genre: | Hip-hop, alternative hip-hop |
| Occupation: | Rapper, Producer |
| Years Active: | 2005- present |
| Label: | EatGood Records, Daupe!, Blah Records |
Sonnyjim is a rapper and hip-hop producer from Birmingham, England.
He first began making music in 2005, steadily building an underground following, before reaching a significant buzz with his 2016 album Mud in My Malbec. His 2022 album White Girl Wasted with producer The Purist, featuring prominent U.S. artists MF Doom, Jay Electronica and DJ Premier, saw Sonnyjim gain more widespread attention.
Reviewers have noted Sonnyjim's laid back and nonchalant vocal delivery, with intricate lyrics covering topics of drugs, cooking and luxurious debauchery. His early influences include UK hip-hop artists like Skinnyman and U.S. east coast hip hop like Jay-Z, Nas and Roc Marciano.[1] [2] [3]
Throughout his career he has rapped with various noted U.S. hip hop artists, including MF DOOM, Jay Electronica, DJ Premier, Madlib, Roc Marciano and Buckwild.[4] Labels he has been involved with include Daupe! and Blah Records as well as collaborations with artists on Griselda Records like Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn.
Sonnyjim is from Birmingham, England, and is of Indian heritage.[5] He started rapping in the mid-2000s UK hip-hop scene, appearing on mixtapes alongside British artists like Stig of the Dump and Jehst.[6] [7] Over the years he slowly built up an underground following, with releases like 2013's Psychonaut and the Purple Patch series, as well as founding his own label EatGood Records.[8]
His 2016 Mud in My Malbec garnered considerable underground attention, including features with New York rappers Westside Gunn and Heems.[9]
That sparked a run of collaborations with American rappers, from then until present. In 2018, Sonnyjim linked up with long-term acquaintance The Purist after returning from Croatia's Outlook Festival. Their sessions resulted in the track Barz Simpson, which would eventually grow into the joint project White Girl Wasted.[3] [10] The song title was inspired by the cartoon character Bart Simpson, the rapper David Bars and the saxophonist Gary Bartz.
After recording Barz Simpson, the duo decided to contact MF DOOM for a guest verse on a whim, as they thought the track sounded like his style. Doom liked the track and recorded a verse, but soon got back to Sonnyjim and asked to license the track for an Adult Swim compilation. He and The Purist declined, but kept the track to themselves in order to expand their collaboration into a full album release.
When the album dropped in 2022 the list of features including the posthumous verse from MF DOOM, alongside The Purist's eclectic sample-based productions and Sonny's laconic punchlines, saw the release gain wider attention. That included positive coverage from prominent music publications like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and The Fader.
In 2023, Sonnyjim made an appearance for a freestyle session on New York radio's Hot 97 show Real Late with Peter Rosenberg.[11]
Albums