Emerald Style

Since I was a teenager, I had been obsessed with hip hop. As time went on, Irish hip hop caught my eye. Throughout this documentary I speak to three subjects: Gavin Curtis (a.k.a. Curtisy), a young rapper from Jobstown who was recently nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize who represents a healthy new generation of Irish rappers. I also speak to Alexander Anyaegbunam (a.k.a Rejjie Snow) Ireland’s most successful rapper who gained notoriety in international markets in the mid-2010s, now a father of two and living in London. Finally I speak to Dylan Murphy, one of Ireland’s most prominent music journalist and a man who has seen Irish hip hop turn from a DIY niche to a reputable market.  
My narrative focus surrounded “What is an Irish rapper?” and what it means to be successful by Irish standards. Both Rejjie and Gavin would be considered successful by some, however what comes with that? I wanted to delve into the anticipation that is in the air of the current Irish rap scene and the hope that comes with it to become successful. I wanted to highlight how collaborative Ireland is in terms of creativity and how Ireland is evolving to appreciate creativity more.  
Initially, this podcast was supposed to just be about the life of Ireland’s biggest rapper- Rejjie Snow. However, I changed my mind and took the opportunity to have in-depth chats with all of my favourite people in Irish hip hop. This widened the scope of my programme, gave it more depth and definitely made it more engaging.  
I knew I wanted my first interview to be Rejjie. As the most prominent Irish rapper ever, he represents the ideal Irish rapper archetype. He has collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip hop and lives comfortably off his music. Talking to him gives more context to not just being an Irish artist but what being an artist is in general. It also sheds a light on being Black-Irish and how creativity was viewed a decade ago.  
Introducing Curtisy next shows almost the opposite. Far less articulate in tone, he shows a level of immaturity that Rejjie doesn’t. After hearing Rejjie, we are given more of a reality check of what it actually is like to be an Irish rapper.  
Finally, Dylan acts as almost the academic source for the podcast. Culminating the programme with an articulate and educated perspective form an outsider.  
I also wanted to structure the podcast with the interviewees in order of when they impacted my life. Initially, Rejjie Snow inspired me when I was a teenager, I became friends with Gavin around the age of 19 and started working with Dylan shortly after.