Stevie G: Major talent Selló masters the drill
Selló and his team have created a great sonic template for his tales of Dublin and Ireland.
Very few artists have sufficient suitable ingredients and star quality to make a huge mark here, and from the first time I heard him, I’ve always felt that Selló could be the one. He’s one of our young drill artists who shows the most promise and will hopefully transform his career here and elsewhere.
Emerging on the scene in early 2021 with ‘Dublin’, it became apparent immediately that Selló was extra special.
The track was produced by Max Crowley and contained a familiar sample (‘The Foggy Dew’) flipped drill style over a huge drum beat. Selló’s thick Dublin accent was extra refreshing too, and lyrically it’s a wonderful homage to his own town.
I can understand the many complex reasons why we ape American and UK rappers here, but it’s always extra refreshing to hear an Irish rapper spitting bars in his own accent.
Selló, christening the music ‘Gaelic Drill’, continued with a Sinead O’Connor flip on ‘As Gaeilge’, and subsequently released a number of different tunes, all of which are featured here.
Well received collaborations with some of Ireland’s finest dominate the mixtape, and Reggie, Offica, Evans Junior and Cork’s very own JRilla all lend their own expertise. I was in the Dublin studio the night Selló and JRilla cooked up their own track, and it was obvious something special was taking place. Using Irish traditional sounds in a non gimmicky way, Selló and his team have created a great sonic template for his tales of Dublin and Ireland.
It continues on tracks such as ‘Molly Malone’ and ‘Sláinte’, and the charismatic youngster looks set to put Clondalkin on the map.
Selló is excited to unleash this tape to the world, and he feels “super proud and happy” that he is “being real to myself”.
“I feel this will change the way Irish music is taken in,” he says, “and will also encourage people to be authentic to themselves and their music. This could be a life changer for me”.
Selló is ready and it’s time for him to shine. A Longitude main stage appearance this July found him sharing the spotlight with not only A$AP Rocky but some of Ireland’s finest too, including the aforementioned JRilla and Drogheda crew A-92 and Offica. The sound wasn’t great for the Irish acts, but there will be many other great opportunities for them on the big stage.
Drill music doesn’t get the same media attention here that other hip-hop related music gets, but the artists mentioned have far more listens than many of those who dominate the somewhat belated rush to acclaim Irish hip-hop culture.
Drill exists largely outside of traditional TV/magazine/newspaper and radio media, and you won’t have seen too many of the big hitters very often on the Late Late Show.
But crucially, the streets are listening and moves are being made. Selló and others are making powerful music that strikes a chord and I’ve rarely heard Irish music that got me so excited. (Exceptions include Scary Éire, Rusangano crew/Denise Chaila, Urban Intelligence and a few select others.)
Whether it translates is anybody’s guess, but Selló may benefit from recent industry partnerships, including Irish operation Trust It Entertainment and Warners/Atlantic. We have more of a music industry in place than in previous eras, and interest in Irish hip-hop related music since the Rusangano Choice music award means even Irish music journalists (in the past, mostly limited to indie music) are taking notice .
The times are changing and it’s not only the drill acts making noise. Kojaque, who plays Cork Opera House this week, and his Soft Boy label, have made impressive moves. Denise Chaila crossed into the mainstream during the first wave of the pandemic and remains very well known here, while Jafaris, JyellowL, Aby Coulibaly, Tebi Rex and more, are just a few who have achieved a degree of success in what was previously an underground movement. Irish hip-hop has forever seemed to be on the verge of something big, and Selló is one of our biggest hopes going forward!
