Music

Top Boy is a who's who of the UK music scene's acting talent

One of the best British TV shows of recent years is also home to some of the best music talent the UK has produced.

Written by Phillip Williams

5 min readUpdated on 03.03.2020 · 12:45 UTC

With a new season of Top Boy officially set to begin production this spring, we’re recapping the dramatic turns of some of UK music’s most versatile stars -- and wondering which other artists we might see turning their hand to spot of acting in the next instalment too.

Note: if you’ve not gorged on seasons one to three yet, first of all: why not? And secondly, there might be a few spoilers ahead. Consider yourself warned.

SEASON 1

Ashley Walters aka Asher D, as Dushane

Best known as Asher D, a core member of the nebulous So Solid Crew, Ashley Walters plays the ambitious Dushane – who has his sights set on dominating the drugs market on the fictional east London Summerhouse estate. The show revolves around his sometimes chaotic string of wins and losses, as well as a fraught but ultimately co-dependent relationship with his right-hand man. Speaking of whom...

Kane Robinson aka Kano, as Sully

Aside from the odd Mercedes Benz advert, Top Boy was Kano’s first real taste of life on screen. Taking a leading role in the series as Sully, the grime poster boy and former NASTY Crew member navigates a challenging relationship with Dushane as the pair attempt to take control of Summerhouse.

Tayo Jarrett aka Scorcher, as Kamale

MC, producer, and Movement crew member Scorcher plays Kamale: the hot-headed antagonist standing in the way of Dushane and Sully’s expanding empire. But after crossing the Summerhouse top boys one too many times, he meets a grisly end: buried alive, dug up, then shot and buried for good. Or is he...?

Derek Safo aka Sway, as Ross Rosten

An honourable mention goes to Derek Safo aka noughties UK hip hop pioneer Sway, who crops up for a cameo, gets a couple of his digits cut off, and then is seen no longer. Little Derek’s doing OK? Not in Top Boy he’s not.

SEASON 2

Ashley Thomas aka Bashy, as Jermaine

The only new musical addition to the cast in season two, Bashy’s arrival is an ill-fated one. He gets embroiled in the story as the subject of a hit job that Sully (and his new partner Mike) take on. Things go slightly pear-shaped when Sully realises the man he’s been paid to kill is his cousin.

SEASON 3

After the original show was cancelled by Channel 4 in 2013, fans were left hanging for more than half a decade. Rumours swirled about the future of the show, until Canada’s favourite anglophile rapper Drake confirmed that he’d partnered with Netflix to bring the show back to screens.

He used an appearance at London’s O2 arena to trail the new season, and keen-eyed music followers were quick to spot some more familiar faces…

Simbi Ajikawo aka Little Simz, as Shelley

Mercury-nominated rapper Little Simz plays Shelley, who cares for Dushane’s ageing mother and serves as the show’s moral voice as she straddles the realities of life in Summerhouse and wanting a brighter future for her young daughter.

David Omoregie aka Dave, as Modie

Dave's usually calm demeanour is flipped on its head as he steps onscreen as Modie: a brutal, nihilistic young gun with his eyes set on the power and influence of the vicious drug barons he seeks to emulate.

Alexander Blake aka Blakie, as Cam

Lewisham grime MC Blakie -- appearing here as a slightly unhinged low-level dealer called Cam -- finds himself on the wrong side of new contender Jamie's aggressive expansion. And ends up, as is the way, being bundled into the back of a car he's got no interest in being in.

Bonus: Momodou Jallow aka J Hus

OK, he’s not technically in the show – but he did make it in via a lyric that Dave's character adlibs during a climactic scene in which he gets bust out of prison by his loyal lackeys. He would later admit that the line – “daily offender, crazy eastender” – belonged to Hus. A fact that would be confirmed with the arrival of Reckless, on J Hus’ second album Big Conspiracy in January 2020.

SEASON 4?

There’s been no clear word on when the next season will land, though it has been confirmed as coming back at some point in 2020.

Expectations point towards an autumn release, and the show’s creators have suggested the new season will pick up where it left off.

They’ve also hinted that new episodes will feature the same raft of characters that the show’s fans have grown so fond of – as well as a few new additions.

Whether the likes of Kano and Little Simz will be joined by more musical colleagues is yet to be seen, though there has been some speculation that Drake might take a cameo -- seeing as he's helped fund the production. It seems unlikely, given the efforts the show's creators have gone to to develop such a true-to-life world for the programme's characters.

But are there other musical stars who might make an appearance in the new season?

Stormzy showed his acting chops with a part in 2016's Brotherhood, and could be up for extending his household name status with a turn in Top Boy? Perhaps his latest rival -- Wiley -- will want to return to his old east London stomping grounds to take back his crown? Season three saw the action head up-country to Manchester. Could Bugzy Malone or Aitch make a cameo in season four?

It's almost impossible to say at this stage, but a bit of healthy speculation should at least kill the time spent waiting to see what's in store for the residents of Summerhouse and the Fields.

Now listen toe a Fireside Chat with Little Simz aka Shelley.