SEAZ420 - SEWER RATS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2022 marks the 10th anniversary of an authentic piece of Irish Hip Hop history. Ten years ago the landscape of Hip Hop on these shores looked very different than it does today. With notable exceptions from a small number of early pioneers, the scene back then was largely unseen, unheard and very much underground. Enter Sewer Rats in the summer of 2012 from Belfast producer Seaz420 and that landscape was forever transformed. Featuring a plethora of MCs from the early underground, the mix is imbued with a certain darkness and gritty edge that only the era and circumstance could produce. Kicking off with a feature from legendary scratch wizard DJ Koncept, Plagued sets the stage perfectly with a hard and slightly unnerving style to showcase the superb production on offer throughout. The album is a sonic battering ram, breaking its way into the room with unforgettable style. Thunderous, dusty drums and an ever-present eerie vibe set the perfect stage for the hard-hitting, lyrical styles of the Sewer Rats.

Stand-out tracks include Grapeseed ft. DEXTER, which hits you like a nihilistic attack on the senses, Watery Circuits ft NOIZE THIEVERY, with its cryptic rhyme style and delivery and Pipe Dwelling with a rare and iconic feature from the circus master himself SEAZ420. In the years that followed since its release, Sewer Rats has taken on a larger significance to all who listened and still listen today. The album was, and still is for many, a baptism of fire into the world of Hip Hop from this unique corner of the world and to this day it remains the gold standard against which everything since shall be measured. With multiple features and influence from some legendary Belfast graffiti writers, the album reads like a tapestry of wild styles from the infamous TMN crew, reflected in the mood and delivery of its words, bold, raw and unapologetic. This is the real face of underground Hip Hop in Belfast and is as relevant today as it was then. Big shout out to every piece of the tapestry for their part in this masterpiece, DJ Koncept, Dexter, Setanta, Wreck, Noize Thievery, Spix, Fube, No Studio Pet and the master in chief Seaz420. To mark the occasion of its 10-year anniversary Sewer Rats is being remastered by Violentlyill and re-released this month on Ill Records. So whether you're an old listener revisiting the album or a brand new listener discovering Sewer Rats for the first time, there's never been a better time than now to tune in, sit back and take a listen to where it all began.

- Matty Dreads