Tag: hip-hop

Edinburgh hip-hop artist CTRL highlights racism in new release

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.

Push The Boat Out, Scotland’s second poetry festival, launches inaugural programme today

Push The Boat Out (PTBO) Scotland’s newest and most boundary-bending poetry festival, launches its inaugural programme today, Wednesday 8 September in Edinburgh.

Taking place from the 15 – 17 October 2021 within the creative hub of Summerhall, Push The Boat Out will be the second poetry festival ever to be held in Scotland and its aims to do what it says on the tin, by challenging perceptions of what poetry is and how it can be enjoyed.  

Named after the poem “At Eighty” by the first Glasgow poet laureate Edwin Morgan, PTBO is inspired by the vibrancy and range of contemporary poetry, hip hop and spoken word coming out of Scotland, the UK and indeed the world. The aim of the festival is to not only give poetry a new platform, but to create an environment where all variations of this vital artform are encouraged to grow, evolve and even collide. 

Taking place within the creative spaces of Summerhall in Edinburgh, the PTBO programme will seep into every nook and cranny of this established arts venue through multiple means, including film, imagery, song, music, dance, singing, debate and other forms of poetry performance.

Underpinning the festival are four key themes; social justice and representation; healing and recovery; climate crisis and ecopoetics; and virtual and other realities. 

Audiences can expect first-class performances from around 60 poets, emerging and established, including the newly appointed Scots Makar Kathleen Jamie.

Images: Alicia Pirmohamed and Roddy Woomble

Other key programme highlights include performances by Scottish hip hop legend Solareye /  Dave Hook of Stanley Odd, celebrated Caribbean poet Lorna Goodison, and the author the first-ever poetry collection to win The Guardian First Book Award, Andrew McMillan. Joining them on the many and varied Summerhall ‘stages’ are Roseanne Watt, Hannah Lavery, Nova Scotia the Truth, Harry Josephine Giles, Ray Antrobus, Clare Pollard, Caroline Bird, Salena Godden and many more.

Another key element to the PTBO programme is the Poetry Mile initiative which, through a dedicated web app, allows users to experience Edinburgh differently, filtered through the eyes and ears of some of the country’s finest poets.

Featuring over 50 specifically commissioned poems from over 25 poets, all locations featured are within a square mile of Summerhall. The app generates bespoke walking tours depending on the type of experience the user requests to have.

The brainchild of director Jenny Niven, former head of literature at Creative Scotland, and co-founder Kevin Williamson, writer, publisher and founder of the Edinburgh arts events collective Neu! Reekie!, PTBO is convinced of the need for poetry more now than ever before, particularly as we emerge from lengthy lockdowns and seek new ways to express ourselves.

Images: Founders Jenny Niven and Kevin Williamson

Jenny Niven, co-founder of Push The Boat Out, said: “We are so excited to be launching our inaugural Push The Boat Out programme after what has been a difficult year for everyone, not least those working within the arts.

“That said, poetry is all about using language in new ways, to express new experiences, so if ever there was a time to explore this vital and vibrant art form, it is now.

“We feel incredibly lucky to be hosting our inaugural festival in a city so full of talent, at a time when there is so much to say, and off the back of a summer festival season that saw performance take over more city spaces than ever before.

“With performers and artists spanning the full spectrum of this spectacular artform, from classical verse to hip hop, we can’t wait for audiences to come along and enjoy.”

Hot on the heels of a fringe festival that was soul food for a city starved of culture and live performances, Push The Boat Out founders and organisers hope to harness this sense of the city as a natural backdrop as the inaugural festival takes its first steps onto Scotland’s stage.

Push The Boat Out will go ahead in keeping with whatever Covid-19 regulations are in place on the 15 – 17 October in Scotland. Born out of a time of turbulence, the festival team, venue, founders and friends will continue to manage the festival in a safe and agile way.

For the full programme visit: https://shows.pushtheboatout.org/

Edinburgh hip-hop artist, CTRL, breaking through with poignant new single ahead of Father’s Day

From a childhood diagnosis of ADHD to his darkest moments dealing with grief – the latest track from Edinburgh hip-hop artist, CTRL, is a raw, gritty, full, and frank autobiographical insight into his life.

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 personal experiences on the single, ‘R.S’. The most defining moment being the untimely death of his father, Richard, when CTRL was just 19 years old. His decision to release the record ahead of Father’s Day is a fitting tribute to the most important figure in his life story.

Discussing the inspiration behind the track, CTRL explains: ‘R.S. is about facing up to the worst moments in my life, processing it all, and channelling that energy into shaping my future. It’s based on a text message my father sent me – his words of wisdom which still guide me today – and it’s what I wish I had the chance to say to him today’.

The artist, now 23, first made a name for himself in the Edinburgh rap and hip-hop scene as a regular DJ in the capital. And now he’s taking his love for the genre one step further by founding a record label, Habibi Records, with fellow music lovers, Paddy Do Rego and Mezzo.

‘We want to provide a platform for the amazing talent here in Scotland and we’re looking to sign aspiring, hungry, lyrically-driven rappers’ says CTRL.

Spotting and nurturing talent is something that comes naturally to CTRL, who is also CEO of tech company, incovo, co-owner of street food venue, Ozen, and podcast presenter on The Chris & Ryan Show.

As he says on the single, ‘Richard said, anything worth having in life will take a plan, time and effort’. And with plans to release further tracks in the coming months as well as talk of musical collaborations, it’s clear his father instilled an admirable work ethic in his son, whose unrelenting dynamism and energy is getting him noticed.

R.S. was written and performed by CTRL, produced by Paddy Do Rego, and mixed and mastered by Leftmind. It was recorded in Edinburgh, and the accompanying video was also shot in the city. Watch the full video at https://youtu.be/zjSK-SqI44s or download the track at ditto.fm/rs-ctrl.

To find out more, follow @ctrl_musicofficial on Instagram, @habibirecords_ on Instagram, and Habibi Records on YouTube.