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A HIP HOP mentoring project has been announced by Axis Ballymun, which will see emerging MCs working with some of Ireland’s rising stars.
Hip-hop artist Lethal Dialect (Paul Alwright) and Dean Scurry of Workin Class Records have both come on board to work with Axis for the project, which is part of Playground, a major arts mentoring initiative funded by the Arts Council.
This latest phase – the third of four – is called Craft and Art – from in the Street to Industry, and will see Lethal Dialect and Scurry giving a mixture of music advice, face to face meetings, business advice and critique to the successful applicants.
Workin’ Class Records recently had a residency at Axis and Lethal Dialect is completing his latest album, 1988, in its music studios.
(DOONWAVE/YouTube)
Mentoring
This mentoring scheme will take place over a number of weeks, beginning in March. Rather than being an introduction to the craft, it is an opportunity for hip-hop artists/performers who are at the beginning of, or at a change point in their careers, to work with one of Ireland’s foremost hip-hop artists; to ask the questions they’ve always wanted to ask, build confidence and be mentored.
Lethal Dialect has released two albums, LD50 part 1 and part 2, and in 2011 became a featured artist on the second season of RTÉ series Love/Hate. He has shared the stage with acts such as Maverick Sabre, Ghostpoet, Action Bronson and The Rubberbandits and is working on the soundtrack for Irish feature-length film ‘Cardboard Gangsters’, in which he is also starring.
(Cardboard Gangsters/YouTube)
“When Dean said it to me, I was saying to him I didn’t really feel like I was in the position I needed to be in to mentor anyone else,” Alwright told TheJournal.ie. “I’m sort of on the come-up myself. But he told me, you’re a lot further down the line than a lot of people involved in the music thing. He said what you’ve learned on the road so far would be invaluable info for them.”
And so Alwright decided to take part.
Lots of the younger heads are getting involved but they’re not really seeing it as a profession, more so as a hobby. That was one thing with me, why I took it so serious. I sort of treated it like a job.”
He sees it as a “blessing” to be in the position to be able to advise others with their career. “When I was coming up there was no one like that, there was no one else doing it,” he said. “I didn’t have someone mentoring me. I had to do it myself.”
You’ve to balance doing it because you love it and doing it because you want a career out of it as well.
Alwright recognises that hip hop is growing in popularity, both in terms of Irish young people getting involved, but also within the music industry here. “As well as that I think because of the climate as well, there’s not really anything else for young fellas or young girls to do.”
To have someone like Axis in the community is a gift because they are really out there to expand the younger crowd getting into the community and support them. Mark O’Brien understands the struggle. It’s great to be able to give back to the community.
Lethal Dialect
Axis’s relationship with local hip-hop began around a number of years ago, culminating in a major way six years ago with the Hip-Nós project, which fused hip-hop and sean nós singing and toured many different countries.
With the latest project, Director Mark O’Brien explains: “We really wanted to do something for hip-hop. We wanted to frame it not just coming in and learning to rap, we were really interested in what Paul himself wanted to do.”
The aim was to show exactly what it takes to move forward with a career as an MC or in hip-hop. “It’s great that this is happening, but how does one drive this on and let people hear this great work but also let the artists push themselves?”
Lethal Dialect is one of the hardest working people I’ve met. You can see it both in his work but also in his career.
There has been a huge amount of work not just in Dublin, but in the hip-hop world in Ireland over last 10 years to give it its own voice, says O’Brien.
He sees a new voice emerging, and pays close attention to what the MCs are saying.
Take all the beats off it and the lyrics, the words are incredible.
Applicants are asked to send links to online video and music, a CV and an email outlining expression of interest. Applications are open until March 14 and expression of interests should be emailed to axisurban@gmail.com.
Organisers are looking for artists who are over 18 and serious about progressing in the music industry as professional hip-hop artists.
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Great news – delighted for Ballymun young rappers.
People wasting their time on a sunday afternoon to vilify and moan about a mentorship scheme designed to motivate and encourage our own youth. Only in Ireland.
Christ a bunch of White lads jumping around holding their flutes pretending to live in Sout Central LA. Cringe.
South Central? *facepalm* Such a lazy and embarrassing comment there Carl, the only one looking like a fool here is you. If you spent a few minutes listening to the lyrics instead of talking out of your arse you’d hear that this music is very firmly rooted in Dublin, reflecting on the socio-economic factors that see swathes of young people marginalised by…why, by over-privileged idiots like yourself. Would you deny people the right to self-expression in a creative artform that pushes the boundaries of modern Irish culture? Or do you find it threatening that people you look down on are more talented than you’ll ever be? You need to wake up.
I think this a great idea by those at the Axis and something we should see more of, all over the country. As one who has paid keen attention to the burgeoning Irish hip hop scene of recent years, I can say it’s the most genuine, refreshing and exciting new music in the genre to come our way in 20 years. Knowing what the new breed of musicians have to face in terms of prejudice and derision simply because of an accent or postal code, I cannot wish them well enough in their pursuit of success. Forget the braindead, manufactured crap that’s peddled en masse, this music is something to be cheerful about, because it shows they’re trying to work with what they’ve got to make a better, brighter and more culturally enriched life. We need more initiatives and resources like this for youth centres and less curmudgeonly begrudging whining like the comments in this thread.
It’s not just for Ballymun rappers, its open tk all. the idea is to support Hiphop artists to develop a sense of professional focus and confidence so they can have a strong foundation to make a career for them selves, it’s like an acting mentorship for young actors only these guys rap.
And what will they rap about standin on the street cornerz slanging rocks?
You’re a dick, mate.
That’s good now channel that aggression into a rhyme yo. You could call yourself Ice-Tae the baddest OG this side of the Liffey.
Rap is just an L.A. thing? What is this, 1992? It’s a global culture and has been very big in Ireland for well over 20 years too. Is there anything more pathetic than someone creating a twitter profile just to troll people (mainly young people) on the Internet? Take a bow, Sir
‘Lads, you don’t have to go on the dole, become a rapper instead’. Hmm, quite.
Would you rather they hung around and caused trouble while looking for work, Gaius?
You cannot do right for doing wrong in this country!
First of all, some peoples preconceived notions about hip hop music are totally skewed and narrow minded. Hip hop is one of the biggest genres of music with today’s youth; irrelevant of race, age or what country they are from. Anyways, regardless of what genre of music it is, this mentoring scheme will provide them with something motivating and positive to focus their time and energy on.
Some of you need to get off your high horses, instead of criticizing people who are actually trying to make a contribution to the community.
Unfortunately, we really are a nation of begrudgers!
Where has south central l.a. been mentioned?
I was just making a point about how silly Irish rap is a bunch of White blokes prentending to be gangsters rapping about how €188 isn’t enough of someone elses money or they could rap about not getting triffle for desert when they were locked up…real hardship. Leave the rapping to the Americans!
Carl, have you ever had a clue about anything, judging by your picture there I would guess no, no you haven’t. Your preconception of hip hop in Ireland seems to be an obtuse one, not only that but your out look on the world in general seems to be quite narrow, Your a fine example of what is wrong with this country, your out for yourself and your kind, and you look down your nose at others from your high horse. Fair play to these guy’s, giving young people the chance to learn something new that with impact lives in a positive way.
Truffle? Trifle? … You’re trifling good for nothing type of brother?
So it’s a racial thing is it?
Rap’s just another type of music, it doesn’t matter where or how you grew up to be good at stringing words together to a beat. Sure bob Dylan was one of the first to record rap in subterranean homesick blues and there wasn’t much danger for him growing up in Minnesota. There’s enough terrible and crazy sh1t happening to people in the most affluent areas that could spawn a good rap track as long as they feel that beat.
That’s a very cool tune..
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