Last week Belfast hip-hop act Kneecap posted a tweet quoting “some fella from Dublin” asking them, “Why would you rap in Irish? No one even speaks it”, above a photo of one of their recent […]
Tag: rap
Mathman interview: ‘We’re writing our history – right now’
“Our history books are being written day by day by the artists around us, and that’s a very powerful thing.” Get Adam ‘Mathman’ Fogarty talking about Irish hip-hop and he goes off on one, in […]
Arrested Development: the Atlanta hip-hop crew that ruled before trap
Some 20-odd years before Atlanta would become the centre of the hip-hop world with trap acts like Migos, Gucci Mane, Wacka Flocka Flame, Arrested Development were flying the flag for Southern hip-hop in the state. […]
All the right noises: October 2018 in 20 tracks
UUUU – Electric Blanket (from s/t EP) UUUU’s debut s/t was one of Moo Kid’s albums of 2017, and the follow-up EP takes the experimental project into further slithery territories. The four U’s are Graham […]
Should we care about The Streets’ comeback when Mike Skinner doesn’t seem too fussed?
Last October, rapper Mike Skinner announced the return of his landmark project The Streets with as little fanfare as the project’s ‘retirement’ in 2011. “Spoke to my old band! Told them we need to sing […]
Kendrick Lamar is for the children – and everyone else
Ol’ Dirty Bastard once proclaimed that “Wu-Tang is for the children”, a claim so absurd it’s been a perpetual meme ever since. ODB made the audacious claim at the 1998 Grammys after crashing the stage […]
Irish gigs round-up
FREDDIE GIBBS, Button Factory, Dublin, Tuesday. Freddie Gibbs last played Dublin in 2014, with a 2016 appearance at Forbidden Fruit cancelled after an arrest for rape — a charge that was eventually dropped with no evidence. So […]
Mango & Mathman interview: ‘Grime isn’t alien music in Ireland anymore’
When it comes to street art in Ireland, the North’s politically-charged pieces have always got the headlines, but a recent mural of Stormzy that appeared in Dublin dragged the pop culture discourse down south. Back […]
Irish gigs round-up
PUSSY RIOT, Button Factory, Dublin, Thursday. It’s impossible to simply focus on the music of Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot, and try to ignore the infamous scandal of three members arrested in 2012 after performing in […]
Irish gigs round-up
COM TRUISE, Button Factory, Dublin, tomorrow If you have enough internet time on your hands you can literally find thousands of synthwave and retrowave artists online, a vast underground community of electronic producers in thrall to […]
Roots Manuva interview: ‘It’s like a mud fight instead of a ballet’ (2008)
Not renowned for their modesty, most commercial hip-hop artists assign some ethereal majesty to their MTV-bankrolled ‘vocation’. For Rodney Smith Aka Roots Manuva, it’s a base instinct, a subconscious tic “I find it hard to […]
Another field trip: here’s who to see at Electric Picnic
I know I know, fuck the begrudgers and all that, but this year’s Electric Picnic line-up is pretty underwhelming. I’ve missed two or three since 2005, but this is my first year of zero fomo. […]
MF Doom isn’t always worth the wait – new track Negus with Sean Price
There’s too much waiting around when you’re a fan of Supervillain rapper MF Doom. He hasn’t released a solo album since Born Like This in 2009, and his collaborations and sporadic releases haven’t touched the […]
Interview: Sugarhill Gang on how they made Rapper’s Delight
You’re probably never more than 24 hours away from hearing a Sugarhill Gang song. Even 10 minutes before a conference call with Wonder Mike, Master Gee, Hen Dogg and DJ TDynsaty, their song Apache is […]
Kanye West is sure to approve Aziz Ansari and Eric Warehim’s spoof video for Famous
We’ll be waiting ages for Kanye West to release an official promo video for Famous — so comedians Aziz Ansari and Eric Wareheim have jumped the gun with their own production. The pair are filming […]
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