Born in Gloucester and of dual heritage, Shafique first honed his craft in the West Country sound system circuit, developing a style that fluidly bridges spoken-word poetry and reggae dancehall MCing. He emerged in the early 2000s as part of the Pressure Drop sound system, later forming the duo Black Canvas with singer Mr. Melody. Black Canvas’s 2009 album Rise on Cool & Deadly Records marked Shafique’s debut as a recording artist, and it opened the door to collaborations with a new generation of bass-music producers. His breakout came when he teamed with Bristol producer Kahn on the dubstep track Prophet, a song that blew up on the underground circuit and established Shafique as a formidable voice in the burgeoning dub/dancehall crossover scene.
If there is one thing Rider Shafique is recognized for, it is his versatility as an MC. Armed with an unforced vocal style and the ability to switch from powerful spoken word delivery to a gully dancehall cadence, Shafique fits in as easily on a high-tempo drum & bass set as he does on a dubstep or roots reggae riddim. This has led him to appear on various labels and crews across the electronic spectrum. He’s just as likely to voice a track for respected drum & bass imprints like Critical Music, Exit Records, or Metalheadz as he is to feature on dubwise labels such as Deep Medi Musik, ZamZam Sounds, or Cosmic Bridge.
Over the past decade, Shafique has worked with various dubstep and sound system figures, including Author, Kahn and Ishan Sound of Bristol’s Young Echo collective; he's also collaborated with experimental bass producers like Sam Binga and dub/dancehall innovators like Gantz, Epoch, and The Bug. Notable projects include his feature on Dub-Stuy’s Santa Muerte Riddim, the fiery single When Shall We Rise with Kahn & Ishan Sound, and Burn, a collaboration with The Bug. In 2023, he joined the jazz ensemble Ishmael Ensemble for the New Era EP, melding spoken word and dub poetry with atmospheric jazz electronica.
Central to Rider Shafique’s artistry is his commitment to conscious lyricism, setting him apart in scenes that can often skew toward party focus. Inspired by Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Bob Marley, his musical upbringing also straddled the spectrum of Jamaican and Black British music. “Guns, girls, ganja," he's noted as the triad of early topical dancehall interests. But there was also the consciousness of reggae and the versatility of hip-hop that forged Shafique’s dual ability to hype with a patois-laced soundboy rhyme or to drop into a reflective spoken word piece with equal impact.