Ireland isn’t typically seen as a hotbed for rappers, yet 23-year-old rising hip-hop artist Alexander Anyaegbunam (AKA Rejjie Snow) was born and raised in Dublin. He relocated to the United States to attend high school in Florida on a soccer scholarship, then attended Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). After just one semester, he dropped out to further develop and focus on his musical talent. Snow’s sound is marked by highly spaced out and instrumental boom bap beats, and lyrics often discuss his life and his observations of race and culture.
Snow’s deeper, solitary yet calming voice typically adds aspects of solemnity and straight-forwardness to most of his raps, regardless of the song’s content. With these characteristics, Snow provides newer rap that’s an interesting break from the temporarily heightened presence of trap rappers.
Snow has only released one mix tape from 2013 called “Rejovich” and a handful of other, newer songs. These other songs will form his debut album, set to release in 2017. The first song from “Rejovich” is “Loveleen.” Snow clearly establishes his introspective and somber sound with this song. Lyrically, he describes his devotion to speaking in a more straightforward way than other new rappers. The song “1992” is one of Snow’s most popular songs, and may have triggered the recent small increase in his popularity. This rap was a duo with fellow rising European rapper Loyle Carner.
The song continues Snow’s tendency toward somber sounds, with a slow piano-based beat. Lyrically, the song continually refers to the year 1992, the year Snow was born. Rejjie Snow’s verse discusses his experience with growing up in the 90s, while Loyle Carner’s verse discusses the problems his family underwent once his dad abandoned them. Finally, another notable song from this mix tape is “USSR.” In this song, Snow raps over a tranquil piano-based beat.
Lyrically, he reinforces the notion that he’s determined to leave a mark on hip-hop, and also takes a critical look at some aspects of Christianity.
Since “Rejovich” was released, Snow has slowly released songs that will be featured on his upcoming debut album. These songs have begun to vary in sound, suggesting a better budget and a self-recognized need for diversifying his sound. One of these newer songs is “Pink Beetle.” This song incorporates a small trap influence.
Lyrically, Snow criticizes popular rap for being stale and non-creative, and vows to continue being different while growing in popularity. His newest song called “Crooked Cops” features a scathing criticism of police, drawing from very negative experiences he’s had with Irish police and combining them with the controversies involving police and the black community in the U.S. The beat evokes a fitting amount of tension, which helps drive home this picture. Finally, another newer song is “Keep Your Head Up.” This song marks a change in theme from his other work. This song is quite happier and lighter in tone. Lyrically, Snow expresses his continued interest in a particular girl.
Snow has proven himself to be a different and thoughtful new rapper despite his younger age. He entices listeners with both creative sound and creative storytelling lyrics. It wouldn’t be particularly surprising if Snow’s upcoming debut album garnered massive attention and increased his popularity to new heights, making him a bigger name in hip-hop.
