I don't know if this is ok but...

Ay Cee

I just wanted to make a few comments on the Irish Accent topic which is now closed. I've no intentions of getting into a slagging match.

Apologies Moderator if I'm out of line.

There was a whole load of things I wanted to comment on I'll try list a few i can remember.

Scary éire always get labelled as being from Kildare. Mek was from The Curragh, Rí Rá was Tullamore and Browner from Dublin. If you believe that the "back bone of hip hop is the disc jock" then that would be Mek so I guess they were Kildare. There was a lot of heads up in The Curragh into rap YEARS ago.:)

Re: the French Hip Hop scene. The reason the French scene is so big is because French law states that something like 50 or 60% of music played on French radio has to be French. So they've got a good outlet for their material.

I reckon Blak Twang's material could stand on it's compared to 90% of the stuff coming from the states.

What else, eh, re: graffitti being an element of Hip Hop. A lot of the originators of Graf discounted this. Claiming (rightly so probably) that Hip Hop latched on to them. Which is true. Graf was just fine before rapping came along. It wasn't in the form we know it now but I think if it wasn't "an element of hip hop" it wouldn't be any different.

The big one, IRISH ACCENTS. This is a very touchy subject with me. I'm SO against it it's not funny. To use the hip hop cliché "keep it real". No point sounding like you are from Manhattan if you are from Mullachmore! I beleive it's better to be a real nobody than a fake somebody.

Regarding Irish rappers making it big. I personally don't do it for monetary gain. Nor do any of the other guys I know, Rob Kelly, Collie, MJ etc etc. We do it because it's something we love doing. Sure if we can make a few bob at it all the better. But that's not what drives us, well not me anyway. For me it's a great feeling after doing a gig when someone says "jaysus man that was great, it's great to hear someone from Ireland rapping in their own accent." I've done non hip hop gigs too. And at first the crowd are very sceptical but the comments after ward are always positive.

Myself and the other guys who use our own accents will always get stick but the thing is...we're not gonna stop cos you don't like it. Every one's entitled to their opinion of course but if you immediately discount us because of our accent then I think that's foolish. I've heard a few times "It took a few listens but once I got past the accent I thought it was very good."

Regarding subject matter I like to vary mine. I've done tracks about suicide (Why?!), growing up (I Wish (I Was A Kid Again), being ripped off and emmigrating to the states basing it on a Wolfe Tonnes song (Streets Of New York). Ye don't have to talk ****e all the time

You can check out a load of Irish stuff on www.irishbeats.com while irishhiphop.com is down. My stuff is under Ay Cee (funnily enough) and The Gudmen.

Sorry about the rant.

bombidol

Ive always found rob kellys voice to have a slight american tint to it. and anyone one else ive played him to agrees. but its just a personal opinion

Ay Cee

I dunno, perhaps cos I speak to him I don't notice it. But I mean the poor lad has a Wexford accent FFS

echomadman

As i said in the last thread,I'm in favour of people rapping in their native accents, this one can stay open as long is it doesnt degenerate into another slagging match, i think its an interesting topic.