Blog Post: Kojaque’s Debut Album ‘Town’s Dead’ Curates the Cultural Anxieties of the Irish Youth Scene
This year, emerging rapper Kojaque released his debut album ‘Towns Dead’, which was immediately met with praise from much of Dublin’s youth scene. Throughout this album, Kojaque unapologetically confronts many of the contemporary concerns which have plagued the youths of Dublin, and Ireland on a larger scale. In particular, the titular song ‘Towns Dead’ encapsulates the current disillusionment between the state and the young people of Ireland.
Currently within Ireland, the Irish government have continuously refused to acknowledge the influence of emerging Irish artists through its inability to provide a sufficient roadmap in relation to the reopening of arts amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to this, there is currently a housing crisis within Dublin and Ireland, which makes the prospect of affordable living within the capital a distant memory. As a result, many emerging artists emigrate from Ireland in favour of greater career prospects elsewhere. What is left as a result is a capital that has so much potential and talent, yet the state cannot provide the means for these artists to thrive. Kojaque skillfully captures these modern concerns by balancing his poetic lyrics alongside an upbeat tempo: “You could try the house share, try rentin’, bit of money for the landlord’s pension.” What is so resonant within this song is the inherent ‘Dublinism’s’ that exist within the lyrics. Kojaque implores a thick Dublin accent to reiterate that not all is lost within the culture of Dublin: “Towns not dead it's just dormant.”
Overall, Kojaque’s titular song embodies cultural concerns regarding the neglect of the Irish youth scene, yet provides a hopeful and optimistic tone for the reclamation of Irish culture and arts. Kojaque’s excellent lyricism provides a voice to the young people of Ireland and a means in which to articulate such issues within society. Ultimately, ‘Towns Dead’ is a form of catharsis for many of Dublin’s youth who are concerned for their future.