# Dutchavelli
**Dutchavelli** is the stage name of **Stephan Fabulous Allen**, a British rapper associated with [UK drill](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-drill) and British rap who broke into the United Kingdom mainstream in 2020 with the singles "I Dunno", "Only If You Knew", and "Burning"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136). Born in Birmingham, England, he spent his formative years in the Netherlands, living in [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam) with his seven siblings, among them the rapper and singer [Stefflon Don](https://www.edgepedia.org/stefflon-don)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136). He is known for a booming voice and clear-cut delivery, and has described himself as being from E5, Clapton, in east London[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) • [2](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/DUTCHAVELLI-ANNOUNCES-HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED-NEW-MIXTAPE-%E2%80%98DUTCH-FROM-THE-5TH.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | Stephan Fabulous Allen[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) |
| Genres | British rap, drill, UK drill[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) |
| Origins | Born in Birmingham, England; raised in Rotterdam with seven siblings, including Stefflon Don[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) |
| Breakthrough | "Only If You Knew" (January 2020, produced by Rymez), his first release after leaving prison[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/elle-evans/dutch-only-if-you-knew) • [4](https://www.complex.com/music/a/joseph-jp-patterson/dutchavelli-interview) |
| Signature hit | "I Dunno" with Tion Wayne and Stormzy, over 80 million streams; Track of the Year at GRM Daily's 2020 Rated Awards[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) |
| Debut mixtape | *Dutch from the 5th*, November 2020, 16 tracks[5](https://threeminutesonline.wordpress.com/2020/11/13/dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-finishes-the-year-2-up/) |
| YouTube channel | Created 9 July 2020; 275K subscribers and 130.4 million total views as of July 2026[6](https://www.speakrj.com/audit/report/UCz73pXXitXqx8NxGXAkij7w/youtube) |
## Early life and background
Allen was born in [Birmingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham) but grew up mainly in the Netherlands, in Rotterdam, as one of eight children in a family that included his sister Stefflon Don, who went on to international success with songs such as "Hurtin' Me"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) • [7](https://www.vice.com/en/article/dutchavelli-noisey-cover-2020/). Music ran in the family: he recorded through his teens, and in interviews around his debut he described a longstanding family history in music[8](https://djbooth.net/features/2020-11-18-dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-interview-audiomack/).
His first single, "New Jack City", an aggressive trap anthem that put his deep, guttural vocals at the front of the mix, introduced him according to AllMusic in 2016; a [Warner Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-records) press release for his mixtape dates the debut video to 2017[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) • [2](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/DUTCHAVELLI-ANNOUNCES-HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED-NEW-MIXTAPE-%E2%80%98DUTCH-FROM-THE-5TH.pdf). Early footage circulated on UK channels such as Link Up TV, and he delivered a [Rinse FM](https://www.edgepedia.org/rinse-fm) freestyle in 2016[7](https://www.vice.com/en/article/dutchavelli-noisey-cover-2020/).
## Prison and the 2020 breakthrough
__Legal trouble interrupted his rise twice.__ He served a first prison term at the age of 17, and in 2018 was remanded and then served time for a March 2018 robbery and firearm charge[4](https://www.complex.com/music/a/joseph-jp-patterson/dutchavelli-interview) • [2](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/DUTCHAVELLI-ANNOUNCES-HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED-NEW-MIXTAPE-%E2%80%98DUTCH-FROM-THE-5TH.pdf).
He returned with "Only If You Knew" in January 2020, produced by Rymez, days after his release, with a video showing him leaving prison and celebrating with friends in his neighborhood[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/elle-evans/dutch-only-if-you-knew) • [9](https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/news/dutchavelli-makes-a-big-return-with-rymez-produced-drill-cut-only-if-you-knew). The track became his breakout single and secured his status as a rising star in UK rap[4](https://www.complex.com/music/a/joseph-jp-patterson/dutchavelli-interview) • [8](https://djbooth.net/features/2020-11-18-dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-interview-audiomack/).
That spring he appeared on "I Dunno" with [Tion Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/tion-wayne) and Stormzy. The single accumulated over 80 million streams and won Track of the Year at GRM Daily's 2020 Rated Awards[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136). Further collaborations followed, including "Burning" with M Huncho and the Da Beatfreakz track "808" with DigDat and B Young[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136) • [10](https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/news/da-beatfreakz-digdat-dutchavelli-b-young-808).
While out of prison on license in June 2020, he said on Instagram Live that he planned to attend a [Black Lives Matter](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-lives-matter) protest; his sister Stefflon Don posted on Twitter that he was wanted by police over the statement, although he did not attend the protest[11](https://mixmag.net/read/digga-d-dutchavelli-black-lives-matter-protest-prison-news).
## Dutch from the 5th
His debut mixtape, *Dutch from the 5th*, arrived in November 2020 with 16 tracks, released through Warner Records[5](https://threeminutesonline.wordpress.com/2020/11/13/dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-finishes-the-year-2-up/) • [2](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/DUTCHAVELLI-ANNOUNCES-HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED-NEW-MIXTAPE-%E2%80%98DUTCH-FROM-THE-5TH.pdf). The Guardian's review described it as a victory lap after his featured role in "I Dunno", praised production values comparable to a studio album, and credited his writing with a rounded, context-rich perspective on the street life he came from[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/06/dutchavelli-dutch-from-the-5th-review). The project revisits past dealings that threatened his music career and the lessons drawn from them, alongside tracks about relationships[5](https://threeminutesonline.wordpress.com/2020/11/13/dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-finishes-the-year-2-up/).
In a 2020 interview he was 27 years old and said he dabbled in drill and grime and planned to expand his sound from project to project[8](https://djbooth.net/features/2020-11-18-dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-interview-audiomack/). Later singles such as "LOL", "Let It Breathe", "Say Narda", and "Feel the Same" showed range from Afro-swing to introspective hip-hop[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136).
## Later career
AllMusic notes that his career was put on hold as he dealt with a variety of legal issues after the 2020 peak[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136). The Dutch music news site Puna.nl has covered several incidents involving him, including a physical fight with rapper Tion Wayne in Dubai, footage of an altercation in a Rotterdam nightclub, and reports that he was being held in Dubai while the rapper MIST publicly responded to rumors that Dutchavelli had robbed him there[13](https://www.puna.nl/dutchavelli).
His output has continued: in recent years he released the track "Jason Bourn" and, a month later, "Robot" produced by Hakmadafack, along with the video for "Done With Singing", which he described as showing his life as an artist[13](https://www.puna.nl/dutchavelli). His official YouTube channel, created in July 2020, stood at 275,000 subscribers and 130.4 million total video views as of the statistics snapshot of July 2026[6](https://www.speakrj.com/audit/report/UCz73pXXitXqx8NxGXAkij7w/youtube).
In December 2025 his younger brother died in Rotterdam Noord after shooting himself with a firearm in a home on the Vlaggemanstraat on 1 December; Rotterdam police confirmed after investigation that the death was an accidental self-inflicted shooting and not a crime, and two men initially arrested were released, with one remaining suspected of firearms possession[14](https://www.puna.nl/news/broer-van-stefflon-don-en-dutchavelli-schoot-zichzelf-per-ongeluk-dood-in-rotterdam-verdachten-weer-vrijgelaten). Stefflon Don and their younger sister Shemara London shared photos of their brother on Instagram; Dutchavelli shared nothing after the news[14](https://www.puna.nl/news/broer-van-stefflon-don-en-dutchavelli-schoot-zichzelf-per-ongeluk-dood-in-rotterdam-verdachten-weer-vrijgelaten).
## References
1. [Dutchavelli – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dutchavelli-mn0003859136)
2. [Dutchavelli Announces Highly Anticipated New Mixtape 'Dutch From The 5th', Warner Records press release](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/DUTCHAVELLI-ANNOUNCES-HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED-NEW-MIXTAPE-%E2%80%98DUTCH-FROM-THE-5TH.pdf)
3. [Dutchavelli Is Back With A Vengeance On New Drill Cut "Only If You Knew", Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/elle-evans/dutch-only-if-you-knew)
4. [Dutchavelli: The People's Choice, Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/joseph-jp-patterson/dutchavelli-interview)
5. [Dutch From The 5th – Dutchavelli finishes the year 2 Up, Three Minutes Online](https://threeminutesonline.wordpress.com/2020/11/13/dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-finishes-the-year-2-up/)
6. [Dutchavelli YouTube Channel Statistics, SPEAKRJ Analytics](https://www.speakrj.com/audit/report/UCz73pXXitXqx8NxGXAkij7w/youtube)
7. [This Is the Year of Dutchavelli, Noisey (Vice)](https://www.vice.com/en/article/dutchavelli-noisey-cover-2020/)
8. [UK's Dutchavelli Raps Through Struggle & Beats the Odds, DJBooth](https://djbooth.net/features/2020-11-18-dutch-from-the-5th-dutchavelli-interview-audiomack/)
9. [Dutchavelli Makes His Big Return With Rymez-Produced Drill Cut "Only If You Knew", TRENCH](https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/news/dutchavelli-makes-a-big-return-with-rymez-produced-drill-cut-only-if-you-knew)
10. [Da Beatfreakz Unite DigDat, Dutchavelli And B Young On "808", TRENCH](https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/news/da-beatfreakz-digdat-dutchavelli-b-young-808)
11. [Digga D threatened with recall to prison after joining Black Lives Matter protests, Mixmag](https://mixmag.net/read/digga-d-dutchavelli-black-lives-matter-protest-prison-news)
12. [Dutchavelli: Dutch from the 5th review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/06/dutchavelli-dutch-from-the-5th-review)
13. [Dutchavelli news archive, Puna.nl](https://www.puna.nl/dutchavelli)
14. [Broer van Stefflon Don en Dutchavelli schoot zichzelf per ongeluk dood in Rotterdam, verdachten weer vrijgelaten, Puna.nl](https://www.puna.nl/news/broer-van-stefflon-don-en-dutchavelli-schoot-zichzelf-per-ongeluk-dood-in-rotterdam-verdachten-weer-vrijgelaten)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › United Kingdom rap (grime, drill, road rap, boom bap)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license