This month’s cover feature showcases the talent behind No Matter What Music Group, a collective of breakthrough local artists spanning a range of genres and rewriting the city’s musical identity. With subsidiaries Hyperactive World, specialising in bassline and dance music, and East Out West, focused on South Asian rap, we discover how NMW is challenging and redefining perceptions of Sheffield’s music scene.
Leading the NMW charge is TeeDee, a DJ and producer whose infectious energy has made waves across the UK. Known for his mastery of Sheffield’s signature bassline sound combined with healthy doses of deep house and garage, the Parson Cross-born artist has had an impressive journey so far. One of his most exciting collaborations to date has been with none other than Vybz Kartel – the iconic Jamaican artist known as the ‘King of Dancehall’. The resulting track, ‘No Other Man (One Man)’, which blends TeeDee’s hometown-inspired sound with Kartel’s dancehall rhythms and a killer drop, is an indicator of the artist’s ability to bridge genres and cultures in a way that feels fresh and authentic. The tune has already caught the attention of millions of fans worldwide via social media, setting the stage for TeeDee to reach an even wider audience following its release last month.
But it’s not just Kartel who’s been drawn to TeeDee’s sound. Recently, he has been working with James Hype – a famed UK DJ with a residency at Hi Ibiza – to remix Hype’s ‘7 Seconds’. True to form, a Sheffield-inspired bassline twist was added to the track, and it’s already created a huge buzz in DJ circles. That remix is due to be released soon, following a successful debut during Hype’s set in Ibiza, and it’s one of many collaborations that have further cemented TeeDee’s place as a rising star in the UK’s dance scene, where he’s becoming known for his distinct production style and technical prowess behind the decks.
Speaking to Exposed, the artist – full name Thomas Dempsey – explained how a love for bassline, central to his upbringing and the city’s musical history, has played a significant role in his success. “Bassline is all I used to listen to. I even used to put on under-18 bassline events when I was a teenager, selling out shows in pubs. Making rap beats was massive at the time I got into it, but my love for bassline pulled me back into dance music. Bassline wasn’t seen as cool for a while, but things like Boiler Room and the return of certain UK sounds have helped it to have a resurgence, and to get a tune cleared with Vybz Kartel is just huge for me. I think you have two parts to the city’s musical heritage here – the indie guitar side and the niche, bassline and speed garage side. They’re both sick, but for me, being from up north and from Sheffield, it’s bassline that’s in my blood.”
TeeDee’s rise, however, didn’t happen overnight. According to Omar Khan – who’s been managing him since before the artist released his debut single – that ability to pivot from a producer of rap beats to a front-and-centre DJ has been a game-changer. “Tee is the most skilful person I’ve ever come across in my life; I always joke with him that he’s a duodecuple threat,” Omar tells Exposed. “He produces, he DJs, he mixes, he masters, he films, he edits. His new thing is he’s now a digital 3D model specialist – he did his own official music visualiser for the Vybz tune! Tee is a very humble dude from a tough background, someone who literally couldn’t be anybody but himself if he tried.”
“Tee started out making rap beats,” he continues, “but as a rap producer, you’re often in the background. In dance music, the producer is the artist – the person the audience becomes connected to. Tee was always made to be an artist; he’s a natural born entertainer from the very first video he made or the first time I saw him hit the stage.” To lend weight to this theory, TeeDee’s first dance track, ‘Love Me’, went viral on TikTok and SoundCloud, catching the attention of Sony, who signed the track for a figure that changed his life. From then on, the 23-year-old artist has worked with the likes of Bugzy Malone, Jess Glynne, Fredo, Jaykae, Cat Burns, Rudimental, Mazza, Arrdee, Loski, to name but a few, with plenty of exciting linkups to come.
As the founder of No Matter What (NMW), Omar is poised to shake things up further with an exciting roster of diverse talents. He has already delivered projects for major brands like the MOBO Awards, consulted for energy drink giant Red Bull and, most recently, stepped into a role as a presenter for the BBC. But it’s the passion behind NMW that really stands out, with names like TeeDee, Sliime, KD and rising DJ Brooke Coldwell at the heart of the movement. Together, they’re forming the backbone of an ambitious project to put Sheffield back on the musical map in their own unique way.
When prompted further about the motivation behind NMW’s creation, Omar explains that its purpose is to unite artists who are carving out their own spaces in the global music scene, all while sharing a personal connection to the Steel City. “Since the Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon, no one from Sheffield has really broken into the charts – and they came through over 15-20 years ago! Now we’ve got the new wave of talent breaking through, with TeeDee last year and his platinum-selling record ‘Out Of Nowhere’ alongside Bugzy Malone. Sliime also scored Number 5 in the official Asian Music Chart with his globally viral hit, ‘Lehenga’. I knew when I started working with musicians in the city there was so much incredible talent here. Now it’s about supporting them to achieve their full potential. That’s the mission we’re on every day.”
Sliime, another star on the NMW roster, is offering something completely different – he’s the first British-Bangladeshi rapper to emerge on the global stage. Sliime’s following is largely international, particularly within the South Asian diaspora. His rise to fame, propelled by viral TikTok videos and groundbreaking tracks like ‘Lehenga’, has seen him become a trailblazer for the representation of his culture in music. “The Indian and Pakistani music scenes are well-established, but the Bangladeshi rap scene hasn’t had the same visibility,” explains Omar. “Sliime is the most notable British-Bangladeshi rapper of modern times, and his community is rallying behind him in a huge way. Whenever he goes to areas globally that are populated with South Asian people, he’s getting stopped. We went to an Asian-Bengali area in New York, and it was like David Beckham was there! It was mad, but it shows how niche yet powerful his fanbase is.”
For Sliime, his music is a powerful expression of pride in his heritage and a celebration of his community. “Being Bengali and representing my South Asians means everything to me,” the artist told Exposed. “My music is made with the intention of connecting – of showing love to my own people and celebrating who we are in society. We aren’t always celebrated in a way that’s reflective of who we actually are in real life. My new track ‘Bengali’ is all about this subject.”
Another NMW prodigy is KD, a Sheffield-based producer with connections in the French hip-hop scene. KD’s half-English, half-French background has allowed him to forge relationships with major French rappers, placing his beats with some of the biggest names in the industry like Niska, Leto and Saamou, securing placements and collabs that have helped him build an increasingly impressive portfolio. “I’ve been to Paris with KD, meeting with publishers and working with these massive French artists,” says Omar. “It was incredible to meet and cement relationships with some of the people out there, often connecting on a deeper level through a shared experience of being from ethnic minorities and pursuing our love of music.”
KD spoke to Exposed about how he took it upon himself to extend a collaborative hand across the Channel and kickstart his journey. “During lockdown, I messaged a bunch of up-and-coming French drill rappers,” he says. “One of them got back to me, we started working together, and then he went big in France. That opened the door for me to work with other artists. When I started working with French artists, I’d pitch myself as an English producer making drill. It gave me a unique vibe in their scene, which helped me stand out. We were at a show in Paris, and I even got recognised in the street! That sort of thing is wild. Social media allows you to make those international connections, and you’re starting to see English and French rappers collaborating in the rap, hip-hop and drill scenes. It’s an exciting time and there’s plenty more to come.”
The diversity of NMW is key to its ethos. We also met Brooke Coldwell, a 20-year-old DJ from Sheffield and another rising talent under the group’s wing. Despite her youth, Brooke has already landed a residency in Ibiza after flying out this summer. Her clean mixing style and keen ear for crowd-pleasing selections have made her a regular at clubs like Space in Leeds and both Plastic and Ithaca in Ibiza. Recently, she was even mentioned as one of the “Women Leading the Way in Ibiza’s Music Scene” by EDM – one of the biggest electronic dance music publications in the world.
Standing out in a male-dominated industry is often cited as a challenge for aspiring female DJs, but one that Brooke clearly relishes. “It’s about sticking at it and pushing yourself to talk to people and getting your name out there,” she explains. “You could be the best DJ in the world, but people aren’t going to notice unless you’re pro-active. Before I met Omar and the other artists at NMW, I was quite shy and didn’t like speaking to people, but now I’ve come out of my shell and can talk to anyone. In the next five years, I want to be headlining big sets in Ibiza. The aim is to eventually be the girl version of Calvin Harris – someone who’s been around for years, and people are saying, ‘She’s been smashing it for ages.’”
However, as NMW gears up to make its mark, it’s clear that the vision for the label goes beyond individual success stories. Everything has been built on a foundation of community, collaboration and resistance – the culmination of a journey that began with BeatzHub, the grassroots studio where many of these artists, including TeeDee, first got their start. It’s also the place where Omar diversified from corporate management consulting to a venture into music management and artist development, working hands-on with young talent and giving them the tools to succeed.
It’s a DIY philosophy that extends beyond the studio. Earlier this year, Omar helped curate a showcase event during the MOBOs where major label executives from Sony, Warner and Universal were in attendance. This event – along with the arrival of the MOBOs in general – was a significant step towards putting Sheffield on the map as a credible hub for musical talent. “Most of the big names in our industry come from London, Manchester or Birmingham,” he explains. “Sheffield has always produced incredible musicians and it’s humbling to know we’re now adding to the history of this iconic city.”
“But most of all, No Matter What is about resilience,” he adds. “A lot of these artists came from some of the toughest surroundings in the city, with next to no resources, but we’re making it happen through hard graft and an unwavering belief in ourselves. We’re going to get to where we’re going, no matter what.”
