- Denise Chaila is at the forefront of an exciting Irish rap scene.
- Ireland's rap scene is looking healthy right now. Artists are rapping in their native accent with pride, tackling social and political issues with spirit and purpose. At the forefront of the movement is Limerick's Denise Chaila. She moved to Ireland from Zambia at age three and has been absorbing eclectic cultural influences ever since, creating an enticing sound that blends elements of grime, hip-hop, spoken word poetry and Irish folklore.
In the video for January single "ANSEO," Chaila dons chainmail and writes herself into legend using the sharp strokes of Arthur's sword. She uses her artistry to break free of gender confines: "Sometimes I want to be the dragon, or be your Black James Bond, I don't have to inhabit a female space," as she said in an NME interview. Her new five-track EP takes that energy to grimier, darker places, using deep sub-bass and eerie synth melodies as a backdrop for witty lyrical content that subverts the male-centric perspective of much of the rap music emanating from the British Isles, even in 2021.
Chaila's work usually explores her Irish-Zambian identity. On It's A Mixtape, tracks like "I AM" expand on those themes of belonging and identity using recorded clips of statements like, "I am pro-Black before I am anti-anything." These quotes add to the EP's overwhelmingly positive, forward-looking tone. Its focus is on celebrating Ireland's contemporary rap sound while making her own mark on it. "History made, your children's children's children will learn about me," she raps on opener "061."
Early medieval influences dominate "061"—the archaic-sounding woodwind melodies and references to kings, queens and knights, which are coupled with a video where Chaila handles falcons, brandishes swords and spits rhymes while submerged in icy pond water. Her flows are skippy and intricate, her wordplay captured in lines like "I'm here to stay, if you hate it you should write to your local MP / Cause your local MC writes constitutions in WAVs and MP3s."
It's A Mixtape blends a wide variety of styles and influences, but Chaila's focus is consistent: repping her hometown and carving out her own lane, while making rap from Ireland and the UK a more inclusive space. Released on her own label and collective Narolane Records (cofounded with MuRli and God Knows), It's A Mixtape highlights Chaila's determination to do things her own way. Not that she's alone in proudly batting for Irish rap—it's looking like there are big things to come from this corner of Europe.
Tracklist01. 061
02. Might Be
03. I A M (Interlude)
04. Energy (Extended Version) feat. Murli
05. Return Of The King