Strange Boy
Strange Boy is a 1000-year-old poet channeling through the body of a young man from Limerick. With hard hitting, thought-provoking lyrics, his unique mastery of flow renders him one of the most important rappers of our time. Strange Boy combines hip hop and Irish traditional music, the old and new cultural influences dominant in this country, with a sophistication that would have you swearing this genre always existed.
It’s been an incredible 12 months for the rapper who released his debut new album HOLY / UNHOLY produced by Enda Gallery in Kilfenora, Co. Clare, on June 25th via Welcome to the New World and featuring the Grammy award-winning voice of Clannad: Moya Brennan.The album received extraordinary critical acclaim with Hot Press naming it in their top 6 hip-hop albums released anywhere in the world in 2021 and was ranked in the top 6 Irish albums of the year by both Nialler9 and District Magazine. He is a new artist for a new generation in Ireland, singled out by District Magazine as a “national treasure”.
This chapter of his career began following a powerful performance at Make a Move Festival in his home city of Limerick when Strange Boy began working with Rusangano Family and Naive Ted on his debut mixtape Passionate Example. Making waves at home and abroad, he made an incredible appearance on The Tommy Tiernan show, collaborated with PX Music artists and featured on Enda Gallery’s single ‘It’s Alright’, which went onto feature on BBC series Normal People. Strange Boy, as well as in the ‘Ireland in Music’ series which was broadcast on PBS in the United States as well as The Great Escape Online Festival, has played at festivals such as The Great Escape, Sionna Music, Doolin Folk Festival, Body & Soul, Altogether Now and It Takes a Village.
Strange Boy was awarded the Prestigious Liam O’Flynn award in 2023 and was honoured with a residency in the national concert hall to further pioneer this new fusion. Strange Boy is currently working on his highly anticipated second album tipped to be one of the stand-out albums of 2023.
“The dominant sense is of an artist trying something that hasn’t been done before (or if it has, not with such vital character).” - Tony Clayton Lea (The Irish Times
“Strange Boy has made one of 2021's outstanding hip hop records” - Ed Power (The Irish Examiner)
“For the first time, the music of youth meets the callings of Ireland’s musical past in a way that is not only convincing but powerful beyond measure.” - Cailean Coffey (Golden Plec)
