Edinburgh hip-hop artist, CTRL, highlights the racism experienced by his grandfather in 1960s Scotland in hotly anticipated single and EP release
Edinburgh hip-hop artist, CTRL, has announced the release of his latest single and hotly anticipated EP, the lyrics of which reveal a deeply honest insight into his backstory and personal life.
From the racism his grandfather endured after arriving in the UK from Sierra Leone, right through to his own present-day struggles – CTRL tackles tough topics and delivers them with finesse.
CTRL, 24, first made a name for himself in the Edinburgh rap and hip-hop scene as a regular DJ in the capital, before founding the record label, New Vision Records, with Paddy Do Rego in 2021.
Solo artist, Chris Thomas, also known as CTRL – a play on his initials and a reference to his determination to control his own future – speaks openly about his past on the single, See it Now, and the EP, Life and Times.
The subject matter covers the many tough decisions CTRL has made, addressing them in the unashamedly open and frank manner his fans have come to admire.
See it Now sees CTRL team up with Jock Begg, a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. The single, produced by Leftmind, is a reflective, progressive track about CTRL conquering problems and becoming who he is today.
I plot the X on my map to grow the riches,
Cross all these bridges ‘n’ ditches, which is
nothing new, I been problem solvin’
Solve all the problems that I’m involved in
(Taken from ‘See It Now’)
Staying true to himself is something that resonates throughout the entire EP, with CTRL’s backstory brought to the fore in the track, Hard to Love.
I unlock the scent of Mr Me
Mr Confident
I gotta vent, pain harder than it’s evident
This relevant from my tone I’m tryna be grown
Cos my roots lead back to Sierra Leone
I’m the clover of the founder of the diamonds you own
Grandad was black and 14 surviving all alone
Prone to the racism. Taught that we don’t moan
For a long time without a place that he could call home
Thank you to the man that rescued his chance
It’s eventually birthed CTRL to give you a glance
The future I create it, the past is what has made it
You can try and save it, maybe you phase it
Best I hiatus, go and create this
Future arena status
Be patient
Commenting ahead of the single release, CTRL hinted that despite baring all in these tracks, there was still more to come, with an album set to be released in Autumn 2022.
‘I take inspiration from what I’ve been through, and as life continues to throw challenges my way, I’ll continue to flip those experiences into something positive and try to find the lesson in each one of them’ he said.
