Lowkey is the stage name of Kareem Dennis, a London-born hip hop artist, poet, playwright and political activist of mixed British and Arab heritage. He is active in UK hip hop and is also associated with the groups Poisonous Poets and Mongrel. His music receives airplay on major UK radio outlets including BBC Radio 1, BBC 1Xtra, Capital FM, Kiss 100, Choice FM and BBC Asian Network, and he performs internationally.

Background

Lowkey is born in London in 1986. He has British family roots through his father, who is from Dover, and Iraqi heritage through his mother, who is born in Baghdad. He starts out at open mic sessions at the Deal Real record shop on Carnaby Street in central London. At one of these sessions he adopts the name Lowkey after a dispute with another performer using the same name, and he wins a battle rap over it.

Early releases and recording career

At Deal Real he meets Doc Brown, who invites him to appear on the single Donnie's Lament, a track based on the film Donnie Darko. The success of Donnie's Lament (Mad World Remix), which plays on Capital FM and Radio 1, leads to his independent mixtape Key To The Game Vol 1 in 2003. He follows it with a second and third volume within the next year and a half, and these releases gain critical recognition within UK hip hop circles. After releasing the third mixtape in 2005, he waits several years before issuing his first full album.

Writing and theatre

In July 2008, the Theatre Royal, Bath stages Max and Beth, a contemporary adaptation of Macbeth written entirely in rhyme. This adds to Lowkey’s work beyond recorded music as a playwright and lyricist.

Groups and collaborations

Lowkey joins Poisonous Poets, a hip hop group also known as Double P, which releases the mixtape Poisonous Poetry. The group is founded by Doc Brown, Reveal, Tony D and Therapist. He is also part of Catch 22, a group created by Kool G Rap. He records duets with Logic through their non-profit organisation The People's Army, which aims to raise awareness of infant fighting in Israel and Palestine. Their work includes a song made exclusively for the NSPCC in support of its Don't Hide It campaign.

He also appears in a supergroup formed with Jon McClure of Reverend and The Makers, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, former bassist Andy Nicholson, Babyshambles bassist Drew McConnell and a changing line-up of other musicians. Live dates for the project are delayed because of the members’ busy schedules.

Later work

Lowkey’s independently released album Soundtrack To The Struggle is scheduled for release in January 2011.