MALAKI

Saturday, September 11th, 7:30  Tickets €15  This very special show is this Saturday the 11th of September.  This show will be held live in our venue and limited tickets available here.

A key figure in his home city's hip-hop community, Malaki's work eschews straight forward definitions, grappling with highly personal forces of creativity. - CLASH “The kind of artistic anomaly that leaves you ravenous for more.” - EARMILK “a force to be reckoned with” - EQUATE “Energetic, empathetic, and excellent, Malaki's rumble is quickly becoming a roar.” — Hot Press Magazine Dublin rapper Malaki has shared his new EP ‘DFTTYM’ (Don’t Forget To Take Your Medicine) featuring new single ‘London Fields’. An incredibly raw project that confronts Malaki’s personal struggles with mental health, ‘DFTTYM’ is a brutally honest account of his darkest times. It centres around the character ‘Calvero’ who Malaki introduces as his manic alter-ego, inspired by the 1952 Charlie Chaplin film ‘Limelight’. This powerful medium sees Calvero personify the negative thoughts Malaki battled with while experiencing depression and anxiety, and has helped form a hard-hitting EP that expertly showcases Malaki’s compelling approach to hip-hop. Malaki explains - “I wrote this project when I was in a very dark time in my life. I feel in our darkest moments we project a false image or a person who we wish to be perceived as. Instead, I embraced this villain, I became him and personified him within this EP. His name is “Calvero” and each track gives you an insight into his character. I hope you enjoy.” ‘Calvero’ takes centre stage for the EP’s opening track, with a mellow jazz instrumental laying the foundations for Malaki’s dark subject content. As his inner demons begin to unravel - with Calvero wrestling with Malaki like the devil on his shoulder - the Stillorgan rapper desperately pleads “will I ever know the real me?” to signal his deteriorating sense of identity. Cut to the silky smooth hip-hop release ‘Head Highs’, an ode to love and intimacy, and listeners experience Malaki’s softer side with his laidback, effortless flow. But like a rapid mood swing, this chilled sound quickly switches gear with rousing spoken word track ‘Dublin’s Burning’, which sees Malaki hold up a mirror to the realities of life for ‘the masked generation’. It’s supported by an eerie music video that reveals Calvero’s Joker-esque appearance while he grapples with these negative thoughts and dystopian views on society. New single ‘London Fields’ is up next, a hazy cut fronted by a saxophone beat that finds Malaki declaring “I’m not saying I’m sad” as the EP’s sinister sound is reinforced. It’s followed by a profound interlude that reads as a heart-wrenching goodbye letter. As the rain pours and ambulance sirens begin to alarm, Malaki thanks “four brave souls” for helping him rise from the ashes in a touching display of vulnerability. Then, as Malaki introduces “a piece of the madness” the EP closes out with ‘The Riddler’, a robust display which showcases Calvero in all his glory, puzzling over anxiety, self-medication and primal fear. It rounds off ‘DFTTYM’ as a deeply personal account and demonstrates Malaki’s willingness to balance dark explorations of mental health with otherworldly escapism. Breaking through as one of Ireland’s most prolific young talents, Malaki’s been championed by the likes of BBC’s Jack Saunders and BBC ATL Introducing, as well as appearing on Ireland’s The Late Late Show to discuss his involvement in RTE series ‘I’m Fine’ which featured four young men who shared their struggles with mental health. An artist not afraid to share his vulnerable side, his music fuses personal expression with piercing social and political commentary, and at just 21 years old, he’s showing incredible promise. Further support comes from CLASH, The Pit, Earmilk, Fred Perry and District Magazine, while a headline show at The Camden Assembly is confirmed for 7th December 2021. With this new EP showcasing his poetic word play and incredible intelligence, Malaki is a refreshing talent with a big future ahead.