True Ingredients

True Ingredients are a London-based musical collective that works across funk, soul and hip-hop. The group brings together British, American, Sudanese, Irish, Brazilian, French and other international artists, and presents itself as a band of musicians, rappers and performers with a shared emphasis on production, heavy beats and vocal collaboration.

Recorded work

The group releases its debut album, Prepare and Assemble, in ten different colours. The album includes vocals from Mr Milk, Aina and BluRum13, who appear alongside a range of other vocalists and musicians. One of the singles from the album, Who’s Next?, also features Natty, Mr Basista and guest musicians, with the Gap Band providing the brass section on the track.

Members and line-up

The line-up includes Fenna Rhodes, Josh Wah, Aina, Blu Rum13, Mr Milk, Mr Basista, Natty, Millzy and Steve O. In live performance, Fenna Rhodes handles keyboards, decks and percussion, Josh Wah plays guitar, Millzy plays bass and Steve O plays drums, with brass added when space allows.

Collaborations and appearances

True Ingredients have worked with and shared stages with Finley Quaye, Kele le Roc, Jungle Brothers, Aquaksy, Foreign Beggars, High Contrast, Bugz in the Attic and the Gap Band. Their music appears on television programmes and broadcasts including Gumball 3000, Streetball Extreme, Channel 4, E4, the Extreme Channel, The Breakdown and Skins series 2. They also perform live on radio stations including Kiss FM and RSR National Swiss Radio.

Live activity and recognition

The group tours widely across the UK and Europe and also performs in Canada, the USA and Asia. They host their own stage at Glastonbury with the Love Bullets Movement, perform in Trafalgar Square for London Peace Week, appear at London Fashion Week afterparties and play festivals in Romania, Switzerland, Austria and France. They are finalists at Hugo Boss Urban Rules Manchester 08, with coverage shown on MTV and MTV Base.

Reception

Critical descriptions of the band emphasise their mixture of polished production, bass-heavy rhythms, dub-influenced textures and jazz elements, placing them within UK hip-hop while also spanning other styles.