Homegrown hip hop might just be the most criminally underrated and under-appreciated genre in Ireland. No matter what the detractors say, the reality is, there are plenty of great rappers and hip hop acts in this country. Diatribe & The Crimson Underground is one to be added to that list. 

A refreshing and thought-provoking new voice, Diatribe & The Crimson Underground, are a hip hop/electronica duo from Derry City, currently based in Manchester. A potent wave of righteous fury crashes throughout the duo’s debut LP, Information Age. The problems of the world may be varied and plentiful, but the duo manage to tackle a good many of them head on throughout the ten tracks. Backed by a varied, mixed and excellent sets of beats (from trip-hop to jungle, to electronica and back again), Diatribe remains passionate, focused and sharp as he berates attacks on civil liberties, imperialism, the global pharmaceutical industry and plenty more. Nuance is sometimes sacrificed to allow the passion and righteous anger to flow unabated, but Diatribe’s distinct and intricate flow means it rarely matters. This is finely distilled, sharp tongued soci0-political rage of the highest order.

There’s a few choice cuts below to get you started and Information Age is out now through Padded Chamber Recordings. 

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