As part of District and Havana Club’s ‘Breakthrough’ competition, Dublin rapper KiD V pipped over 50 artists in a contest to find Ireland’s next breakout MC. As a result, he jumped in the studio with three of Ireland’s most coveted artists to cook up a track and next week we’re revealing the exclusive first listen.

We’re in a golden era for rap music in Ireland. For a snapshot of where we are at, you just have to think of the collective success of Soft Boy Records, the impact of the A92 crew or the inspired rise of Narolane Records in the past couple of years. While they all made a splash in a narrow time frame it’s not been the overnight success it might seem. Behind the individual stories is a history of overlooked acts laying the ground work and a strong support network of contemporaries lending an ear to eager artists.

This support and the continued resilience of the past two years has come to characterise the Irish scene and having watched acts move from bedroom studios to international status we recognise the importance of maintaining these traditions. Having seen the impact a trip to Cuba had on Nealo, Denise Chaila, Fehdah and God Knows before releasing some of their most singular work, we’ve teamed up with Havana Club again to help pass the torch to the next generation of MCs.

Inviting submissions from local acts, BREAKTHROUGH saw over 50 artists submit songs for a chance to get one on one studio time with MuRli, God Knows and Nealo. Following shortlisting and extensive discussion from the District team and the respective mentors, Tallaght rapper KiD V was crowned the winner.

Over the course of a day, he received mentorship from God Knows, recorded a song featuring production from MuRli and a verse from Nealo. We provided a full suite of assets to ensure that V obtains a premium experience in the art of music rollout, with press photos, media coaching and a subsequent interview profiling the rising act. What’s more is, we have the exclusive premiere of the resulting track, ‘Song Name’ on site on ‘Date’ at ‘Time’.

Head to the site for the exclusive premiere and keep an eye on our socials for BTS footage of how the experience played out.

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