Northern rapper Chiedu Oraka is set to cap off an incredible year with the release of his eagerly anticipated EP – 21st Kid.
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Hailing from Hull, where he is the pioneer of the alternative urban scene, 21st Kid is the final chapter in a year that has seen him perform at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Leeds Festival and gain national coverage as one of the most exciting talents to grab the spotlight during Hull’s year as City of Culture.
21st Kid – the name inspired by the street on the north Hull estate, 21st Ave, where he was born and raised – explores Chiedu’s journey from boy to man growing up as the only “non-white kid” in a northern working-class community full of disbelievers and naysayers.
The EP, released on Friday 15 December, is an honest and emotionally charged memoir, produced by the supremely talented DeezKid – a member of the Lockdown Collective along with Chiedu and DJ Joe the Third.
Chiedu said: “21st Kid embodies a lot of the pressures I had growing up. Most of the people I looked up to in my area are now either in jail or drug addicts. I didn’t always fit the mould, I was definitely an outsider for a lot of years, and then you decide to conform in fear of further alienation.
“This EP tells the story of someone eventually finding themselves in a place that is surrounded by deprivation and pessimism. The 21st Kid EP promotes a new-found confidence which celebrates being proud of your own personal journey – don’t ever let anyone or anything define your purpose.”
