Shane Richardson Interview

Words: Katie Malone

February 14, 2019

Right now, a new generation of Irish artists are reshaping the sound of the country. With the likes of Jafaris, Tebi Rex, Soulé, Kojaque, Celaviedmai and IADT student Luka Palm influencing and moulding Irish hip-hop, we are really experiencing a seminal moment for the scene as it undergoes something of an uprising. With the large amount of creative, young and talented artists that are coming of age, the perception of what Irish music is, and what it can be, is changing and flourishing – along with its young generation.

Image courtesy of the artist

The Irish have historically been renowned for their way with words. With a nation acclaimed for its bardic poetry and Sean-nós, innovative literature with James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, and its highly regarded native trad, it is evident Ireland has always grown through musically poetic roots. Although Ireland has always been a creative hub for talent, it was quite a latecomer to the hip-hop scene. However, Irish rap has now arrived, with a huge array of diversity, and with its eclectic nature and lack of a singular definition or style it can be showcased as a mirror to the fluidity of contemporary Irish identity.

In the last 20 years Ireland has morphed dramatically; the reminiscence of the economic crash is still visible, a large growth in immigration and multiculturalism has occurred for the first time and a rise in technology has made it easier to get access to an array of different sounds and genres. This has aided the popularity of hip-hop, as it now centralizes as one of the main genres of interest globally and in Ireland. The Irish festival line-ups have been the proof of this, majorly featuring hip-hop artist, with Longitude and Electric Picnic headlining some huge names in the business such as Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Travis Scott.

As for the Irish sound of hip-hop that is emerging, it is tough to classify. Socially conscious rap is common, with socio-political issues being a strong recurring undercurrent, showing itself in Kojaque’s Deli Daydreams. There is also a huge rise in the Afrobeat and R&B sound, with Soule and Jafaris producing rhythmic and melodic tracks that have been inspired by similar movements abroad.

The sound of acoustic mellow bars is also evident in the scene, with dream-like and instrumental fluidity that can be heard in up-and-coming artist Shane Richardson, whose melodic and poetic tracks have been getting him a heap of recognition in recent times. Like most Irish artists in the hip-hop scene, Shane joins the new wave of hip-hop which is still emerging and building. A large amount of artists’ audiences in Ireland are built predominantly using social media and through YouTube. The lack of resources is a big barrier to entry, with the scarce amount that exists often being quite expensive. This is how Shane began, with the 22-year-old starting his music career in 2017 by releasing his first 6 tracks on YouTube.

Shane spoke of how writing poetry and songs was something that had always been an outlet for him personally; he wrote his thoughts down on the notes on his phone, which were then crafted into his first EP – aptly named 'Notes'. Shane was creating his work for himself on a personal level, but after showing some friends he decided to get the tracks formed and released. He credited his circle of friends who have helped shape his vision and have been a second ear – particularly FOZSA, another emerging artist who centers more on the instrumental and electronic scene. Shane has worked hard and taught himself how to produce music, ‘to make the sound I really wanted’. His first album on Spotify was called ‘State of Mind’, featuring eight tracks which showcase Shane’s eclectic sound that is both melancholic and mellow.

When listening to Shane, a mixture of spoken word and acoustic hip-hop is evident, but Shane expressed the difficulty in classifying music under a specific heading, as ‘a lot of songs are different genres. One day I might feel like making a trap inflicted beat, the next day a mellow tune, I’m just going to do what I feel like at the time’. I

ntrinsic feelings of human emotion and coping with his own individual experiences are medial themes in Shane’s tunes, which could be influenced by him studying applied psychology here in IADT. A lot of Irish hip-hop at the moment expresses different insights into Irish life; with working class struggles and crime being a prominent theme, owing to most of the coming from the capital which tends to have larger levels of social and economic imbalances than the suburbs.

Shane recognised this, saying ‘I just think being true to what you live, they are speaking their truths and I respect that hugely and I appreciate that so much, I’m just gonna do the same’. His outlook on the Irish scene was refreshingly respectful and honest, as he focuses on his musical mantra being one based on ‘being true to what you live’.

Image courtesy of the artist.

With his music featuring him rapping about emotions and anxieties, Shane’s music is an example of naturalising the feeling of being emotionally vulnerable and male. He spoke about this experience, saying ‘toxic masculinity', I’m trying to push that away, like if you feel a certain thing then deal with those things, the ups and downs’ and that he wants his music to be a message, and that anyone, including young males ‘can feel it too and that’s ok’.

He recognises how males of his age can tend to repress any expression of their personal experiences of mental health issues due to the stigma surrounding it and masculinity. Shane is very down to earth and raw about his creative process: ‘I write that stuff for myself but if somebody can relate to it then that’s great, we’re both going through some shit and that’s alright’.

Shane and his music have started to get noticed by different outlets, with District magazine listing Shane’s music as a recommendation and adding him to their Irish hip-hop playlist on Spotify. Shane is grateful for this, saying how ‘District magazine don’t care who I am or where I’m from, they just respect my music and have given my music a great opportunity’. Upcoming artists such as Shane benefit greatly from plug-ins like that, because although Ireland is bringing out great talent, it can be very cliquey and difficult to break in.

It’s a ‘who you know’ mentality due to our small island syndrome, but this has led to a number of grass root projects stemming from friendships leading to high quality collaborations and a network that is very supportive of each other such, as evidenced by the recent emergence of Softboy Records and their rising success. But through the entire process it is necessary to remind yourself why you got into it in the first place - ‘an important thing to always remember is to just have fun with it, don’t take it too seriously’.

The Dublin night scene is notorious for clubs shutting down instead of opening, with the loss of The Twisted Pepper, Hangar and most recently District 8, which has led to a lack of creative spaces for artists to perform or for the audience to see performers live. Shane recommended Cleavage Club who he said runs a great night. Word Up Collective is a great outlet for showcasing Irish talent too, which entwines spoken word acts and hip-hop acts, giving each a platform in the same space. With the huge amount of Irish talent emerging, there is a strong need for more collectives, clubs and nights to also emerge, to give people a chance to display their creativity and thriving ability.

Shane will potentially be gigging in the next month with RTL music, so keep a close eye and watch this space. Hopefully Shane and other members of the ever-growing Irish hip-hop community will get the opportunities to continue to vigorously advance in their creativity and flow, because the audience sizes are only growing and the talent keeps on arising. All we need now is a resurrection of the venues we have sadly lost. IADT alone features a multitude of talent, with its residents including Rogue Poets, Luka Palm and of course Shane. Let’s make the Chapel great again and get some hip-hop nights going there to give our students the platforms that they deserve.