Rapping About Realville

By AM Sunday, November 24, 2013

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Mary Marshall writing from Sydney, Australia, on Rapping About Realville


The younger generation are rapping about realville in Ireland and Australia – I strongly suggest you have a listen.


This is all about realville – life as it is for them and others and maybe they are telling it how it is for you. It is brought to you in the format of hip hop and rap artists from Ireland and Australia.


Quick introduction to what hip hop and rap is if you truly don’t have a clue:

• Hip Hop incorporates elements of rapping (speaking), DJing, sampling or synthesis (merging in other sounds or songs) and beatboxing. 
• Rapping or MCing be the artist or artists speaking in various styles – backed by beat/s usually. A rapper or rappers can improvise &/or rap from memory. You can mix in any kind of beats, soundbites and songs with rap. Up to each artist what they want to do. 
• Fusion is mixing up a specific genre of music like reggae with rap and so on.

There is a long, complex history with hip hop and rap - it is an evolved artistic expression. Underpinning some of the best music in history has been oppression and poverty pushing it up and out. That is where rap and hip hop were birthed from too. It became the voices of the people who had no voice and invariably it was/is the voice of what is going on in each generation. Rapping and hip hop emerged in America in the 1970’s and into prominence by the 1980’s and was sustained onwards into the now.

Rap and hip hop has birthed many artists of authenticity and the ones I have chosen below are not world renowned - they are based in Ireland and Australia. I have not added ones like Immortal Technique, Tupac, Public Enemy and so on because as brilliant as they are – I wanted to show those who are lesser known but just as important. Rapping is a unique medium for narrative that relays much about a society, a people, events and also resistance. It paints a picture in the receivers mind and is powerful. When you cannot express what is on you - the implosion of the pent up emotions can destroy you – addiction, enacted violence, suicide… Words are powerful and can heal, inspire, warn, challenge and create cohesiveness. Activism is chock full of words which underpinned decisive actions and even just relay of the boring tedium of one’s life in words is a release.

When a person can articulate through a medium what they see, what they want heard and who they are - that pressure is released and it releases/inspires others who can identify with the message. If you don’t hear the voices of the younger generation you are deaf, dumb and blind for it is their voices we older people especially need to listen to.. We oldies have had our substantial turn and crack at life and many of us done all we could to give voice and bring change - now the younger generation are walking that path. When you are young you got the fire in your belly burning so hard nothing will shut you down. Not that I am saying being old means you shut down but you need to step back, shut up and really listen to the younger generation for they are living their realities.

Ireland and Australia rank amongst nations as having the highest youth suicide rates in the world – particularly Indigenous youth. The younger generation are not stupid and can see what’s going on in societies… In some ways they have it harder as life’s pressure have intensified. They have their truths to tell be they just how life is on a everyday basis through to bigger issues. So support them and support all artists who speak up as voices for their people, community and human rights. Listen for there are stories within stories…Hope you enjoy the selection and add in any artists you listen to or want listened to in comments.

For anyone interested here is a link to Irish hip hop Forum.


Ireland

Trigger Feat Dylan B – ‘Let ‘em know’

Very powerful – listen right through - it is also a eulogy…

Excerpt: “Let me give ya an introduction – tell ya about the place that I live,
Welfare reduction - TDs couldn't give a shit
I’ll let them know about the leeches and the parasites,
let ‘em know about the streets and how they are at night…”



Ireland

Temper-Mental MissElayneous spitting truths on media.

Excerpt: “Systematic, parasitic public psychosis.
Media carnage is organised to provoke us.
Intrinsic, cohesive, repellent, righteous and rigorous.
Christ of society, without penance, please deliver us.”




Australia - Aboriginal Australian Hip Hop Darah succinctly covers Aboriginal Australian history of his people in a five minute rap into the now – some of the footage in the video is very old/rare. Very worthy listening/viewing and a must for those who know nought about the First Nations of Australia.

“The song is something I wanted to get out for a while now. It is a history of the experiences of my people since colonisation. I feel there is alot of racial tension in Australia which is in part due to lack of knowledge of the history of Aboriginal people in this country. I am hoping that this video can shed some light on what we have been through (and are still going through), to help bridge the gap. Think of it as a Rap-umentary.” – Darah 

Ireland DMC – The whiskey didn’t help at all… Irish hip hop These guys have been round for quite awhile. This is a cracker - very witty – not worth hitting the grog to get through helltimes!



Australia “You can’t silence the will of the people through violence” – Candy Royalle. Candy Royalle is a young Arab Australian woman and a total dynamo in every sense who does great work with the young at risk in impoverished communities. I met her some years ago - she is very humble and as real as the words she spits out and in this ‘The Will of the People’ she is speaking of Palestine, of her people and all peoples oppressed.