Daddy Earl is a London-based UK drum and bass MC. He starts out more than twenty years ago in the Heatwave soundsystem, alongside dance music figures DJ Hype and Shut Up And Dance. He also plays a role in building soundsystems in the 1980s and in helping shape the early careers of DJ Hype and Shut Up And Dance, including adding the “Hype Hype Hype” phrase that becomes associated with DJ Hype.

Career

Daddy Earl appears on a number of tracks by DJ Hype and Shut Up And Dance over the years, but he does not initially pursue a solo profile. Early examples mentioned include Shut Up And Dance’s early 1990s track “Ten Pounds to get in” and the track “Dubplate Killaz” on Pascal’s Ganja label. He remains involved in the scene through recordings with Hype and through live appearances that come later.

For a long time, he avoids live MC work, despite encouragement from Hype and Shut Up And Dance. He later begins to MC live after seeing the reaction to his voice at club and party settings, including at Playaz events at Fabric, and then performs with DJ Hype at drum and bass events in countries including Canada, the United States, Japan, France, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the UK.

Style and standing

Daddy Earl is described as having a distinctive voice and as being part of the same musical pedigree as DJ Hype and Shut Up And Dance. His work is closely tied to drum and bass and to the wider UK dance music and soundsystem tradition.