Rough Copy

Did You Know?

• Kazeem Ajobo previously worked as a dog and cat therapist, specialising in depression.
• Sterling Ramsey previously worked as a crane operator for some of the largest ports in the UK.
• Joseph James Thomas previously worked as a Michael Jackson lookalike and held several paper rounds in his local area.
• Rough Copy's debut single "Street Love" was a reworking of Anita Baker's 1986 hit "Sweet Love".

History

Rough Copy were formed in 2008 under the name SOS (Sons of Soul), with original members Kazeem "Kaz" Ajobe, Joey Thomas, Rickstar Rickell Brown and Sterling Ramsey. After Brown left, Ajobe, Thomas and Ramsey continued as a three-piece and renamed themselves Rough Copy. Ajobe told Heat Magazine that his girlfriend encouraged him to start the band, saying, "She's the one that encouraged me to start the band – she suggested it." The group described their style as "sweet but street" and released a mixtape called Sweet But Street in October 2012.

In 2012, they auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor, singing "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon and receiving a standing ovation from the audience and all four judges. They progressed to judges' houses with mentor Louis Walsh, but were forced to leave before flying to Las Vegas because Ajobe, born in Nigeria, could not obtain a visa in time to re-enter the UK. They were replaced by Triple J (later Union J) and Times Red. The following year, Rough Copy re-auditioned for the tenth series, singing "Do It Like a Dude" in their room audition and "Little Things" in the arena.

Their mentor Gary Barlow said he would do whatever he could to get Ajobe back, and the trio reunited for the live shows. In week 7, they were in the bottom two with Hannah Barrett but were saved when only Nicole Scherzinger voted to send them home; voting statistics confirmed Barrett received more votes. In the semi-final, they were in the final showdown with Luke Friend and were eliminated after the result went to deadlock. James and Ramsey took part in the X Factor 2014 live tour, but Ajobe was kicked off following a 'backstage incident' with fellow contestant Sam Callahan.

On 21 April 2014, Rough Copy announced they had signed with Epic Records and released "Street Love" on 29 June 2014, but were dropped after it failed to make the top 100. They later signed with EMC Records and released "Same Formula" on 17 May 2015, which also failed to chart. The band broke up in late 2016.