Ramone Rochester (born 18 February 1997), known professionally as Ramz, is a British rapper and singer and songwriter from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He is best known for his hit single " Barking", which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in January 2018.

Early life

Rochester was born 18 February 1997 in

Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ...

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

. He attended St Mark's Academy, where he was excluded several times in secondary school, and then attended Harris Academy Merton

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

. Rochester eventually went to study Sports Development at the

University of Portsmouth The University of Portsmouth (UoP) is a public university in Portsmouth, England. Comprising five Faculty (division), faculties, the university offers a wide range of academic disciplines. in 2022, with around 28,280 students enrolled in Unde ...

before dropping out the same year to focus on music. He is also an avid supporter of

Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

Career

Rochester released his first song "I'm On My Grind" in February 2017 to little notice. He further released several other tracks in March 2017 and July 2017. Whilst releasing music, Rochester was attempting to find employment after leaving university, eventually finding a job working at supermarket chain

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

. In September 2017, Rochester formally released "Barking" alongside a music video. The song entered the UK Singles Chart on 14 December 2017 at number 41, before peaking at number two on 19 January 2018. In July 2019 Ramz received help after posting the word "suicide" on Instagram.

Personal life

Ramz was in an on-again off-again relationship with London-based R&B musician Mnelia, which began in 2016 when the pair met at Portsmouth University. Their son (whose name and face they conceal), was born in 2020. The couple separated indefinitely late 2021.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramz 1997 births Living people English male rappers English male songwriters People from Mitcham Rappers from the London Borough of Merton Alumni of the University of Portsmouth English people of Barbadian descent