2014–2016: Career beginnings In 2014, Radical released his first musical project
Dear Daisy: Opium just after graduating. The project touches on topics of love,
social media, and
religion. It was inspired by a book with the same name that Radical was illustrating during his time at university. Radical then started collaborating with
UK artist and
record producer Jay Prince, who produced Radical's first official record,
The Garden Party. Radical followed up with a song called "Bambu", which subsequently became the first
single on his sophomore
EP,
23Winters. "Bambu" made use of
blackface, and was a
persona Radical would later adopt in majority of his early visuals. After supporting
Young Fathers on
tour, Radical later released "Open Hand", a record that saw him adopt a more
political stance in his music, premiering the visual at
Tate Britain in 2015. Radical claimed to offer an alternative outlook on socio-political issues. He followed up with a record called "Kwame Nkrumah", before releasing his
23Winters EP in February 2016. "Kwame Nkrumah" was written in honour of the
first Ghanaian president and
Ghana's independence. The
23Winters EP is about the relationship between a father and son, with themes of religion, society, family, love, new-age revolution, and
African diaspora narrated by Radical's father. The project includes production from KZ The Producer, Fwdslxsh, Lupus Cain, Mike Keyz, Selvsse, Niels Kirk, and New Machine as well as collaborations with
Tom Grennan, Ray Blk, and Bobii Lewis. It has been described as "a supreme phonic proclamation of one’s ethnicity, history, and future."
2017–2021: In Gods Body and Cashmere Tears In 2017, Radical returned with his third EP,
In Gods Body. It includes
features from
Shola Ama,
Ghetts,
Tamera Foster, Miloh Smith, dance music producer Potè,
Obongjayar, and actress and screenwriter
Michaela Coel. Coel recites a
poem written by Radical that serves as a central
narration to the project. Media commentators saw the project as a continuation of
23Winters, honing in on some of the messages recited by Radical's father developing into a journey of self-discovery. It deconstructs the politics of black identity and race while introducing conversations about sexuality and love. Since the release of
23Winters, Radical has toured in
Australia,
New Zealand,
Brazil,
South Africa,
Russia, and
Europe. Radical has a
brand relationship with
Adidas which began in 2017. In 2018, Radical collaborated with
Mahalia on her single "Water", which was featured on the
soundtrack for the video game
FIFA 19. This was followed up with another collaboration on her single "One Night Only." The track featured on Mahalia's EP,
Seasons. During the same period, Radical and
MJ Cole collaborated on the track "Soak It Up". Radical and Adidas collaborated to create a
short film about
mental health and
depression alongside
director Max Luz and fashion retailer
SSENSE. In 2019, Radical created bottle designs for the
liquor brand
1800 Tequila. In late 2019, Radical released his fourth EP,
Cashmere Tears. In a review by
NME, it received five out of five
stars and was described as a "tale of deeply emotional tales of everyday life". In January 2020, Radical collaborated with American musician
Mereba on his single "Same Boat". Radical was a nominee at the
MOBO Awards in 2020 in the Best Video category. He was one of the
headliners at the ceremony in December 2020. He released the single "Good" in late 2020, which was part of a wider collaboration with
Sony with their 360 Reality Audio
mixing.
2022–present: Reason to Smile and ''Don't Look Down'' Radical released his debut
album Reason to Smile in March 2022. The album was
shortlisted for a
Mercury Prize and included in both the Album and Video of the Year categories at the
2022 MOBO Awards, with Radical being nominated for Best Hip Hop Act. In 2023, Radical was nominated for
Best New Artist at the
2023 Brit Awards and at the
Ivor Novello Awards for Best Contemporary Song for "Payback". On 30 May 2025, Radical released "Rule One" with Bawo, marking his first single in three years. This was followed by "Conversation" on 10 June, along with the announcement that his second studio album, ''Don't Look Down'', would be released on 19 September 2025. ==Other media==