Riko Dan

Zane Benson Williams, known professionally as Riko Dan (formerly Riko), is an MC, producer and DJ from Mile End in East London. Within the drum and bass/jungle sphere he is best known as a vocalist who operates at the intersection of grime, dancehall and bass music.

Riko Dan rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of Roll Deep. He built his profile through London pirate radio and the underground scene, performing MC duties on sets and broadcasts that connected grime and bass-heavy club music. Across his career he has remained active in grime, dancehall, jungle, dubstep and related bass scenes.

Vocally Riko Dan is noted for a delivery described as "Cockney yardie" Jamaican Patois. That vocal character — a hardened East London inflection with dancehall phrasing — is a defining element in his contributions to jungle and drum and bass tracks, where his cadence sits on top of heavy sub lines or rapid break patterns. As a performer he brings front‑of‑mix MC work rather than the role of a silent selector: his voice is a lead element in cuts and live sets.

On record and in production contexts Riko Dan has collaborated with producers including Mumdance, The Bug and Wen. He has released music on labels such as Tectonic, and he appears on higher-profile projects beyond the underground — notably his vocal feature on the 2024 Rudimental / Skepsis / Charlotte Plank single "Green and Gold," which charted. Those credits show his crossover between experimental dub/bass producers and dancefloor-facing drum & bass artists.

Specifics of Riko Dan's production techniques are not broadly documented in public sources; most verifiable credit lists describe him primarily as an MC and vocal collaborator. What is clear from his recorded work and collaborations is an emphasis on rhythmic vocal placement, dancehall-inflected phrasing, and adaptability across tempo ranges from grime and UK drill up through drumstep and full‑tempo jungle/ DnB contexts.

Riko Dan’s concrete scene contributions are: early-2000s membership of Roll Deep, continued activity on London pirate radio and the underground circuit, vocal collaborations with Mumdance, The Bug and Wen, a release association with Tectonic, and a featured vocal on the 2024 charting single "Green and Gold." Public biographical detail beyond these credits is limited, but these facts mark his role as a bridge between grime/dancehall voicework and bass‑heavy electronic production.