Ashley Anthony Walters was born on June 30, 1982, in Peckham, a district in south-east London that would significantly shape his worldview and artistic sensibilities. The son of Jamaican and Guyanese parents, Walters was primarily raised by his mother, Pamela Case, who worked as a local government officer. The absence of his father during his formative years would later become a theme Walters would explore in both his music and reflections on his own journey toward fatherhood.
Peckham in the 1980s and early 1990s presented a complex social landscape for a young Walters. The area, like many inner-city London neighborhoods of the era, faced significant challenges related to economic deprivation, limited opportunities, and social tensions. However, it was also a vibrant multicultural community with strong Caribbean influences that provided Walters with a rich cultural heritage from which to draw throughout his career.