Since N-Dubz revealed that it was releasing a new single this Friday (20 May) and is planning to perform in arenas across the country, people have been feeling super nostalgic and taking trips down memory lane to remember the trio’s best bits. But how much do you remember about Dappy, arguably the most iconic of the trio?
Costadinos Contostavlos, better known by his stage name Dappy, is a British rapper and singer. He is the lead singer of the hip hop and grime trio N-Dubz, and is Tulisa’s cousin. The group started in 2000, but went on a 'hiatus' to focus on their solo careers in 2011, before finally reuniting in May 2022.
Dappy is probably most memorable for his unusual dress sense, and his love of bizarre headwear. His trademark look was wearing woolly chullos, which are now affectionately referred to as ‘Dappy hats’, and he turned up one or both of the ear flaps of the hat. Dappy was the brainchild behind a lot of their songs and was the main writer in the band - with their album Uncle B reaching platinum status in the UK.
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Outside of music, Dappy featured on Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in second place after comedian and presenter Jim Davidson. According to net worth estimation site networthtomb.com , Dappy's last recorded net worth is around £1.6 million.
He has made most of his money through endorsement deals, sponsorships and ads. But in 2014, Dappy narrowly avoided being declared bankrupt after failing to pay a tax bill worth more than £140,000.
Dappy was in a long-term relationship with Kaye Vassell, but they have now split. The pair has two sons together - Gino and Milo. Kaye Vassell was allegedly engaged to a triple-murderer she had never met, according to The Daily Mail, as of 2020. The killer, Deandra Buchanan, was jailed for life in the USA after shooting and killing his stepfather, aunt and girlfriend at a party in November 2000.
It's not known whether Dappy is seeing anyone at the moment.
Outside of his romantic life, Dappy's life has not always been plain sailing. Dappy was convicted of battery in 2007. In December 2008, Dappy pleaded guilty to two accounts of assault at Chelmsford Magistrates Court, Essex, after reportedly spitting in a woman's face while drunk on a night out.
Dappy pleaded guilty to the offences and for each count received four weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, to run concurrently and 100 hours community service. He was also ordered to pay £50 compensation to the woman and her friend and £300 costs.
On January 12 2010, Dappy appeared on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 with Fazer and Tulisa. The show received a text message from a woman in Boston, Lincolnshire, complaining that Dappy was "vile" and "a little boy with a silly hat" and that N-Dubz were "losers".
Dappy secretly copied her phone number from the studio console and, the following day, tried calling her and sent threatening messages. Dappy's management later apologised on his behalf and offered free tickets to one of his concerts, but he has not apologised to the woman personally. As a result of Dappy's actions, N-Dubz were subsequently dropped from the Government's anti-bullying "R U Cyber Safe?" campaign.
In January 2013, he was found guilty by a jury at Guildford Crown Court of assault and affray and given a suspended sentence of six months imprisonment. In February 2014, Dappy hit a man in Chelmsford for which, on June 19 2014, he was convicted of common assault and fined.
In September of the same year, he was convicted of an assault in Reading and given a two-month suspended prison sentence. In 2017, Dappy was convicted of possession of a bladed article in a public place following an altercation with his partner and given a suspended prison sentence.
Let's hope the N-Dubz reunion will see Dappy back on the straight and narrow.
