Townsend grew up in Tottenham in North London and attended Finchley Catholic High School. Both of his parents are Jamaican. He was originally a member of Star Gang, an offshoot of the Tottenham Mandem gang. Rv has stated he converted to Islam after his cousin Fatman, who was Muslim, died in 2007. Rv got his moniker from a friend that died in 2010. His friend went by the name Revenge 24 and had told Rv that if he died or went to jail, Rv had to "carry on the name".
