Rat Boy

Born in Chelmsford, in Essex, Jordan Cardy developed Rat Boy in the mid-2010s with a DIY approach, initially through tracks uploaded online and then with the mixtape The Mixtape in 2014. His universe blends British indie rock, hip-hop, punk-rap, ska and urban pop, in a format where spoken-word singing, catchy choruses and observations of everyday English life intersect. Rat Boy quickly emerged on the British scene with the EPs Neighbourhood Watch in 2015 and Get Over It in 2016, before releasing the album Scum in 2017, followed by Internationally Unknown in 2019. His trajectory moves through rock circuits as much as across cross-genre stages, with writing nourished by alternative culture, rap and punk energy. In 2017, a snippet of Knock Knock Knock was sampled on Lust by Kendrick Lamar, a landmark that broadened his visibility beyond the United Kingdom. Rat Boy also appears on McFly’s Young Dumb Thrills in 2020 and participates in the Cyberpunk 2077 musical universe under the name IBDY. After the EP Government Vacation in 2020, he continues with Suburbia Calling in 2024. Rat Boy has preserved since his debut a nervous and direct style, where rough textures, flexible rhythms and stories of English suburbia stay at the heart of his music.