To many RWD Magazine was a movement. Emerging in the early 2000s, RWD chronicled the explosion of grime and UK street culture, documenting the rise of artists who would go on to define a generation. The magazine played a pivotal role in shaping how the UK scene was perceived. To many it was the only way to see and read about the many artists they heard on the radio. As a free publication, RWD had to balance creative integrity with financial survival. Some covers were passion projects, others were dictated by label budgets, but every issue carried a sense of weight, capturing a subculture that was fast, unpredictable, and undeniably British. RWD sought to elevate UK artists to superstar status while staying true to the scene’s DIY roots and they didn’t disappoint.
Dacre was a founder and key figure producing the magazine, whether in studio or the backdrop of London’s streets. This was a magazine built by believers, for believers, in an era when mainstream acceptance still felt like a distant dream. Now, looking back at those covers, the energy is unmistakable. RWD is a time capsule of a moment when UK music was rewriting the rules. Here we discuss the top 5 covers over the years and why they mean so much to today’s culture.
Lethal Bizzle – July 2005
RWD was a free title, and the reality of that meant we had to make financial decisions that weren’t always ideal from a creative or editorial standpoint. If we could sell a cover, we would, sometimes begrudgingly. There were moments when everything aligned, and the sales team managed to strike the right deals. Chewy probably handled this one for Pow!, though I can’t remember which label released it, it would’ve been part of their budget. This cover was shot by Jake Green and it’s incredible.
I was heavily inspired by Vibe and The Source in the U.S. They were masters at turning underground artists into superstars, often taking people straight off the street, new single, local buzz, and putting them through this “superstar machine.” America has always been exceptional at that. Their high-budget concept shoots elevated artists visually, while Vice, another big free mag, took the opposite approach, raw, unpolished, and lo-fi.
My instinct was to make grime artists larger than life because, at the time, grime was operating on a shoestring budget within a small community. I wanted to present them as superhuman. Vice’s aesthetic ultimately won out as the industry shifted towards lo-fi, raw, and unpolished visuals, but grime wasn’t just rough around the edges, it had an unmistakable energy. It had a DIY, punk-like spirit, but it wasn’t just raw. It had its own form of magic, just without the industry’s usual airbrushing.
I believed in all the artists. I saw them as superstars, even before the world did. That was always my approach—amplifying their presence and making them appear bigger than they were. I could’ve taken the easy route and shot them straight on the street every time, but I wanted more for them.
Lethal was a towering figure, larger than life, always had a Lamborghini, always dominating. That’s what I wanted to capture. The Pow! cover played into that, visually portraying him stomping over Tower Bridge. Everyone in the grime scene had their own persona, Jammer’s basement sessions reeked of weed and damp, but on stage, he was the Merkle Man. While they were all just regular people at the core, I wanted to present them as something greater and this cover did that.
Dizzee Rascal – May 2003
This was shot by a guy called Michael Hart, who was a really softly spoken, older guy compared to us. He had dreads and just this really calm energy about him. He had a career in marketing, he could articulate creativity. I think he’d come up in the corporate world, but this shoot was on a rooftop in Brixton, maybe a rooftop above a music studio, I’m not entirely sure. But I just loved how the shoot turned out. I don’t think Boy in the Corner had come out yet, and it was just a beautiful, sunny day. It really reminds me of sunny days in South London, which is where I spent most of my youth and a lot of my young adult life. If you’re a South Londoner, you just have this love for it. Everyone else might not be as keen, but those sunny days in South London are a huge part of who I am.
As for Dizzee Rascal, he went on to define grime, but he wasn’t necessarily the dominant figure at the time. He hadn’t exploded yet. All that changed, Wiley is undeniably the godfather of grime, he defined the sound, elevated countless artists, and remains a larger-than-life character. However, Dizzee ultimately took it further than anyone else. On a national and international level, he became the most important figure of that era.
Dizzee’s success was definitely a stepping stone for grime. His music was so powerful that there was no stopping him. The videos, the sound, he just captured the moment. To be honest, there was friction between Dizzee and RWD. I won’t mention the staff member involved, but there was definitely some tension with one of the core team members. Neither Dizzee nor the other person ever told us exactly why. Despite that, Dizzee still did later covers with us. What’s great about doing a magazine is that you get to witness so many young people who are literally strapped to a rocket about to become huge. You see it month in, month out, here’s a new person who’s about to go to the moon. Whether that flight lasts five minutes or the rest of their life, you never know.
Roll Deep – March 2011
I don’t think the album was out when we did this cover, but the buzz was massive. It was that period between the Eskimo Dances, they had their own movement, in a way, they were like the Wu-Tang of grime. So many different personalities, and some members had already found success or had more experience, but as a collective, they had that raw, chaotic energy.
Just a mad collective of talented personalities. They weren’t just there for the cover; they curated the whole issue. Having them in the office made for a really fun day. The shoot itself was by my good friend Simon Wheatley, whose talent has since been recognised far more than it was back then. He’s like a mad scientist in his own right. But just keeping the whole Roll Deep crew engaged long enough to get a shot was a challenge. They were absolute live wires, buzzing the whole time. It was a special day.
We shot this opposite our office in London Bridge at the time. There was a vacant lot where a building had been knocked down, and a caravan with a security guard stationed there 24/7. Danny Walker, our deputy editor, he’s from Camden, had a Turkish mate with an ice cream van. I don’t know why, but the idea just clicked: ice cream, summer’s day, Roll Deep. So Danny’s friend brought the van down for the day. It was probably a massive loss for him, he could’ve made a killing outside a school that day, but he came down anyway. It was just one of those mad ideas that somehow worked.
Looking at it now, it’s just iconic. It completely encapsulates that 2000s feel, the way people dressed, the whole aesthetic. It feels London in a way that’s hard to explain. The styling, the fashion, it’s something that feels almost lost in time.
It’s funny, when you look at the picture, there’s so much Adidas. That goes back to Gary Aspden and Mikey at Adidas Spezial and the vision they had. They’re a massive part of Adidas’ status in the UK. If you were making waves, Adidas would send you a box of trainers and clothes. For most grime artists back then, that was their first real sign that they were being taken seriously. They might have only been selling a few hundred copies of a 12-inch, doing pirate radio sets or a few raves, but getting that Adidas box meant you were hot. And looking at this shot, most of them are probably wearing Adidas gear they’d been gifted. It just shows how naturally Adidas embedded itself in the culture, before that it was all Akademiks and Avirex.
No other brand had the balls to do that. No one else really cared about British street culture like that at the time. Adidas was backing RWD when we weren’t even professional enough for them to be doing so. They gave us photo shoots when we were still figuring things out. They coached me on how to be professional because they were spending money with us, but I wasn’t yet at the level to justify it. Nigel had great rapport with them, and they were investing in us, but they also had to guide us to a place where we could match that level of professionalism.
Kano – January 2005
So this concept was actually suggested by Kano himself, he had two ideas in mind. One was inspired by Scarface, and the other was a shot of Muhammad Ali. I first met him years before, during an early Roll Deep shoot with Wiley, he was just sitting in Wiley’s car at the time, a little Alfa Romeo I think. But by this point, he was on the cusp of breaking through. He had Boys Love Girls out, and this was probably just before P’s and Q’s. He wanted to replicate an iconic image, and in the end, we went with Scarface.
Simon Wheatley shot this as well. His style is very raw and natural, he generally captures moments rather than staging them too much. But this was different, more of a conceptual shot. It was a bit like forcing a round peg through a square hole. Looking back the retouching could have been done better, but it worked. Vibe Magazine ripped the concept for a 50 Cent cover a month or two later, something I really appreciated. At the end of the day, if people aren’t ripping you off, you’re probably not doing anything groundbreaking. That’s just culture. If your work isn’t being imitated, then maybe it’s not making an impact, it’s a paradox.
As for Kano, he’s an incredible talent, but it’s also been his strong partnership with his manager, Richard Thomas. I have to give him credit, he’s played a huge role in helping Kano monetise and navigate the industry. Not to take anything away from Kane himself, but having a top-tier manager has definitely helped him sustain his career. Honestly, how many artists who were hot in 2005 are still culturally relevant at their peak right now? I can’t think of many, definitely not anyone else from the covers we’ve mentioned. Kano has not only maintained his status in music but also transitioned into acting. He’s navigated everything so well. Good on him.
Plan B – July 2006
I wouldn’t say RWD was ever just about grime. We covered R&B, hip-hop, house, pretty much everything. Grime was quintessentially London, it was the moment, and it was the most exciting part of what was happening. But we made sure to cover all areas of street culture, from fashion to trainers, we tried to represent everything. As for Plan B, I never really liked his music. It always felt a bit like an angrier Eminem, just not my vibe. But he’s undeniably talented. The scene was so small back then that everyone was in the same rooms, crossing paths constantly. There weren’t really clear boundaries between genres or movements, so I definitely think he was still part of it all.
This particular shoot was done by Kevin Joseph, who’s a good friend of mine. I’m lucky to have worked with a lot of talented people who contributed to RWD whether as staff or freelancers, the RWD alumni is massive – so many people doing amazing things all over the globe. His album “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword” had just dropped and while I can’t remember who did the makeup for this shoot, it was incredible, really visceral and true to his style.
A lot of RWD covers were just press shots. I didn’t always get to shoot my own covers, which I hated, but from a business standpoint, the sales team loved it because it saved money. So maybe half of them were ones I directed and the rest were press shots that I selected, retouched, or altered in some way, maybe changing the background or adjusting details.
RWD In essence
Looking back at its most iconic covers, each one tells a story of a pivotal moment in an artist’s journey, especially when thinking about how game-changing they were. RWD didn’t just document the scene, it was part of it. Even as the industry evolved and digital media took over, its impact remains undeniable. The magazine may be gone, but its influence continues to shape UK music and street culture, reminding us of a time when every cover, every interview, and every forum post helped build the foundations of what we see today.
Dacre Bracey & RWD Magazine: 5 Iconic Covers That Define UK Culture
