Hailing from inner city Dublin, and having only formed in March of this year, The Original Rude boys are one of the most unique acts you will hear coming out of Ireland this year. Fusing acoustic guitar, ukulele and Irish hip-hop sounds like a recipe for disaster, but ‘Stars In My Eyes’ is instead an endearing underdog song about the struggles of trying to achieve fame in a place where it seems impossible to rise from. Sounding like the love child of Uncle Kracker and Plan B’s debut album, the song proves you don’t have to be a novelty to become an Irish rapper.
It can be something which brings about ridicule in this country when attempted, but this track stands out as one which is making Irish hip-hop something which will be more commonplace on the airwaves in the future. From its catchy chorus to the lyrical content of the verses, this is an impressive piece of music, disregarding whatever genre it comes from. Having already played Oxegen and Reading + Leeds this year, achieved a support slot for Eminem and gained a lot of attention in their staggeringly short life-span so far, 2012 will be a big year for the group.
Hopefully this song will propel them to the national attention they deserve, improving on what has already been an incredible year for a band who are only in their infant stages. Some bands shy away from singing/speaking in their regional dialect, but the Rude Boys ignore this, and the north Dublin accent is an integral part of what makes this song more approachable than other hip-hop out there. It gives the song more of an identity than other bands from Ireland who sound more California than Coolock.
If you are looking for something different from the monotony of the Irish top 40, then this is the band for you.
‘Stars In My Eyes’ is available on iTunes to download at
Check out the band at Facebook