Many of the biggest Hip-Hop stars in the world pass through Ireland when on world tours. Some of todays greats acknowledge the passion the Irish have for Hip-Hop. We might not see Irish MCs holding the Emerald Isle down when it comes to beats and rhymes, well not until now that is. Rob Kelly, born and raised in Wexford, is making enough noise to ensure Ireland has solid representation. Sharing his views on location and just who he has caught the attention of, Rob Kelly talks exclusively to FemaleFirst.co.uk. How difficult is it for an Irish mc to garner attention?I think it’s pretty difficult for any MC to get attention or any musician full stop. You can have all the talent and individual flair in the world but if nobody knows who you are its not going to make a blind bit of difference. I think being Irish has its advantages actually, Its a pretty unique niche to have in terms of hip-hop on a world scale.

How did you get involved in hip-hop?
I have been a fan of hip-hop since I was 12 years old. I bought records with my Confirmation money when everyone else was buying Action Mans. I used to watch a show called Dance Energy on BBC2 that was presented by Normski, I think it was a Janet Street Porter production. In the first year they had Run DMC, Third Bass, Naughty By Nature, Fu Schnickens all doing live in studio performances in front of a crowd. That was my starting point and I fell in Love with Hip-Hop and that time and I still love her...even if she has let herself go a bit in the last few years [laughs.]
Ireland isn't necessarily know for its music scene per say, how important is a strong will in pursuit of recognition?
I don’t know about that U2, Sinead O'Connor, The Coors - There is a common factor in all of their success stories though, they all received major accolades outside of Ireland before they became household names. Those acts provide a great example of how important a strong will is needed. You get a lot of doors slammed in your face. You just have to decide to kick them in yourself.
Do you see yourself as the MC who will fly the Irish flag high?

I am, I definitely am. I'm Irish so automatically I'm always going to represent that with my accent, my style, my content. In hip-hop its like an unwritten rule that you have to be "real". I'm true to myself in everything I do so with that said I’ll always represent where I come from.

You are caught between two extremes, you have England on one side that seems to be somewhat hip-hop phobic and then you have America on the other where hip-hop is a multi billion dollar industry. How important is location for you as you try to get a name for yourself?

Well at the moment its a little bit stagnant for me because I feel I have taken it as far as I can for a hip-hop artist based in Ireland. The Music industry is very small here and that’s why I feel I need to be in the US more. I’m looking at getting out there full time as soon as I can find the right situation.

Have you had any industry love thrown your way?

Of course, I have been really fortunate. I can safely say I'm one of the only European Artists that if you ask any of the top US Mixtape DJs who I am they will all automatically know me. I have worked with the biggest mixtape DJ on the planet in Green Lantern who has showed me love. I have worked on a couple of songs with Memphis Bleek from Rocafella. Slaine from La Coka Nostra just did a song with me. Domingo who is a legendary classic hip-hop producer gave me a beat for my mixtape; bearing in mind any connections I made in music didn’t come from a manager or a label, they came from me getting in front of the right people and them recognizing I am a real talent.

What do you believe the biggest misconception to be in regards to hip-hop?

I think there is a real mainstream media misconception about hip-hop. They never want to scratch beyond the surface of the misogynistic lyrics and gangster bravado to find the source of the environment that generated it. They play their part in perpetuating negative images of hip-hop artists but to an extent the hip-hop community don’t need their help doing that at times.

What plans do you have for promoting yourself and is there any specific market you are aiming at?

I'm all about the Irish community in the US at the moment. There are 40 Million claiming Irish Heritage out there I think about 39 million of them come by my Myspace every day...I'm out there in Boston in December doing shows and back out in US for the first quarter next year doing more shows. They embrace me for what I represent and I am trying to give them some love back. As well as that though there is an Entire untapped market in Europe as a whole. The internet has brought us together and I want a piece of Europe too.

Melanie Cornish