The Goo 1
Scene News JACK MCBAIN JPEGMAFIA A$AP ROCKY AHMED
, WITH LOVE HIP-HOP There has been one artist in particular in the Irish rap scene that has blown up on various social media sites, in particular TikTok, over the past couple of weeks and that’s Belfast born Jordan Adetunji who’s song ‘Kehlani’ has gone viral and is being played at clubs and parties all over the world. The song currently sits at 25 million streams to date with Kehlani the Grammy nominated artist that the song is named after sharing videos supporting the song. It is a real breath of fresh air for the scene to see an Irish rapper reach this level of virality. The sky’s the limit for Jordan who, off the back of the success of ‘Kehlani’, was recently signed to 300 Entertainment in North America and Warner Records in the UK. With the way things are going for the Belfast man Ireland could soon have one of our biggest rappers we have seen in years. It was a bad day to be a fan of Nicki Minaj who’s recent show at Malahide Castle was dubbed as ‘the worst concert ever’. With anticipation for this gig being at an all-time high with the queen of rap not performing here since 2015, fans were hugely disappointed as she showed up nearly two hours late to the show with fans waiting eagerly in the pouring rain. When she finally hit the stage an hour before the venue’s curfew she did perform many of her hit songs but also went through five outfit changes that massively cut into her time. PAGE 36 It’s very sad to see an artist care so little about their fans who have bought tickets that are only getting more and more expensive for these big outdoor shows. The biggest rappers in the game will often skip out on playing here on their tours, so to finally get a real legend of the rap scene to act like that is a real kick in the teeth for Irish rap fans. One of the most highly anticipated rap albums in years was announced last month. A$AP Rocky finally ended the six year wait by announcing that his new album, titled Don’t Be Dumb, will be dropping on the 30th of August. The hype was at an all-time high for this one but that hype is now through the roof with the announcement of the producers that have contributed to it. From legendary producers such as The Alchemist and Madlib to some of the best up and coming producers like Kelvin Krash and Boi-1da this one is gearing up to be a modern classic. Our country’s finest talents have been continuing to drop some excellent music over the last month with the pick of the bunch being the new single from Ahmed, With Love titled ‘Whatchimacallit’ which is the first release since the Dubliner recently signed to the ever growing label Brook Records, who have had a very successful year after the release of ‘What Was The Question?’ By Curtisy. Another rapper who I have been loving lately is Crutch who released his latest single titled ‘Runnin’ last month and continues the great run he has been on this year. Email thegoohiphop@gmail.com with music, gig news etc. There was some great news for Irish rap fans as one of the best live performers in the game Jpegmafia announced he will be touching down in the capital next January on his ‘Lay Down My Life’ tour. I have been lucky enough to catch Peggy live multiple times and he really is one of the pioneers of experimental rap and I highly recommend buying tickets for this one before they sell out. I’m listening to: ‘Kehlani’ by Jordan Adetunji: The song that has been played at clubs and parties all around the world and for good reason. ‘Kehlani’ is extremely catchy and fun to listen to. A true summer anthem. ‘Runnin’ by Crutch: My favourite rapper right now Crutch continues to drop banger after banger accompanied by a video that pans from Paris to Dublin. Crutch is a rapper that can put Ireland on the map. ‘Whatchimacallit’ by Ahmed, With Love: With creative bars and infectious energy Ahmed, With Love is one of the most exciting characters in the Irish rap game and this single is one of his finest pieces of work. This could be a big year for the Dublin rapper and I am hoping we get a project from him soon.