Rizwan Ahmed was born in Wembley, a suburb in the London Borough of Brent, to a British-Pakistani family of Muhajir background. He studied at Oxford University and studied acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. As a rapper, Ahmed is a member of the Swet Shop Boys, and has earned critical acclaim with the hip hop albums Microscope and Cashmere. He has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.