In 2006, Stephens began attending rap and performance workshops with the Brighton-based charity AudioActive, joined a year later by Alexander-Sule. The pair attended AudioActive's Hip Hop Foundation project and Stephens continued attending workshops and performances until 2010. Stephens is quoted as saying this work helped the duo "hone our skills and build a passion towards the career that we're in now. AudioActive did us a lot of good and without them we wouldn't be here!"

Stephens and Alexander-Sule both attended Brit School, where Stephens studied media and Alexander-Sule studied theatre. Stephens was in the process of making his mixtape Minor Breaches of Discipline where he rapped over samples of some of their favourite artists (Gorillaz, Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys) and asked Alexander-Sule to sing over some of the tracks. Realising how well their styles fitted together, they formed Rizzle Kicks in 2008. The name stems from 'Green Rizla', an early nickname given to Stephens by a football teammate after a crew of the same name from the school that he attended at the time. That nickname evolved into 'Rizzle', and the duo decided on the suffix 'kicks' due to their shared love of football.

Their YouTube videos caught the attention of several record labels and in November 2010, they signed to Island Records, part of Universal Music. They continued work on their debut album and worked with several producers including Ant Whiting, Norman Cook, The Rural, Futurecut and Craigie Dodds.

The pair featured on "Heart Skips a Beat" by Olly Murs, which was released on 21 August 2011, entering the chart at #1 on 28 August 2011. They have recorded remixes for artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Foster the People and Olly Murs. They made a remix video for close friend Ed Sheeran's song "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" which features Sheeran himself, and was filmed in the band's back garden in one take.

In December 2012, it was announced that they will play the Royal Albert Hall in March with Labrinth as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, a charity of which they have been long-time supporters.

On 4 December 2013, Rizzle Kicks released a new song, "Happy That You're Here", to their YouTube channel. and on 9 May 2014, the duo headlined the May Ball at Aberystwyth University, and the Summer Ball on 6 June 2014 at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Alexander-Sule also appeared as a gang leader in the 2014 thriller The Guvnors, set in south-east London.

Rizzle Kicks, on 10 August 2015, they released on Spotify a song Summertime, which was very similar to The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff's 1991 song of the same name.

In December 2016 Stephens appeared as a Rebel soldier in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

On 16 February 2018 Jordan produced his own single under the name "AI The Native", his first track titled "The System"