Limerick and Clare hip hop/world/soul trio Rusangano Family have just released ‘Let The Dead Bury The Dead’.
Critics and music bloggers have declared the album a game changer for Irish hip hop.
The record was named Album of the Week on Irish Times and Nialler9. Rusangano Family launch the album in Dolan’s Warehouse this Friday.
#musiclimerick Rusangano Family is Zimbabwean/Shannon MC, God Knows, Togolese/Limerick rapper MuRli and Ennis producer/DJ MynameisJ0hn (John Lillis).
Ahead of the launch party in Dolan’s for ‘Let The Dead Bury The Dead’, MuRli spoke to Limerick Post.
The first single from the album ‘Heathrow’ got the trio noticed in the US last year with positive reviews from media site NPR. 2016 has been busy so far with Rusangano playing two of the world’s biggest showcase festivals, Eurosonic Festival (Groningen, The Netherlands) in January and SXSW (Texas, US). The places where bookers for the major festivals do business and record companies search for new talent.
MuRli says that the experience at SXSW Festival was life changing.
“We came back rejuvenated. It gives you more confidence that you are definitely doing the right thing. The reaction was amazing. There were a lot of Irish at the last gig, they were all really proud.”
The new album is described as a journey by MuRli.
“Our shows are so energetic, people also expected our album to be about that as well. The album itself is a journey. The one thing this time around is that we defy expectations. So I think on this album you get to hear more and focus on what we are saying.”
The theme of ‘Let The Dead Bury The Dead’ is moving forward. The band has stated that the album is “a call to redefine success and failure” and a “reminder of the impact individual lives can have on the collective.”
On the opening track named after the father of existentialism, ‘Søren Kierkegaard’, the trio deal with the battles to pursue one’s true purpose in life. ‘Lights Out’ sees the rappers finding their identity as young black men arriving in Ireland in their schooldays.
‘Heathrow’ features Stephen Ryan (Windings) on guitar. It is a strong statement from the group about immigration and issues of identity and belonging. The track explores the situation for people who are restricted in their day to day life and denied the opportunities to live normally.
Final track ‘Eyedentity’ and its hidden bodhrán and flute-led lilt is a delight and closes the album on a lighter note.
Talking about ‘Eyedentity’, MuRli added that it is a celebration of all the friends they have made from early school days to touring venues promoting this new album.
“When you see myself and God Knows you see foreignness but the one thing that is hidden behind that is that we are young Irish men, who grew up here, went to school here. We went to school with Irish kids. This is a celebration of anyone we encounter on our way, from the people we met on our first day at school to the people coming to watch our shows today.”
The launch show in Limerick is very special for Rusangano. It is where everyone who played a part on the album is based and the trio want to make it the best show that they can. On the back of a very fine hip hop album just released from Rapper Weenz (‘Selling You My Sins’) and strong material emerging from SameD4ence, as well as the multitude of rappers up and coming from the Music Generation project, we wonder if MuRli thinks there is something significant happening in Limerick right now?
“I think music moves really, really fast. The music that we are making here in Ireland is now being heard in Austin US. Through music we are able to pass on a message.
“When you are a young rapper in Limerick City people can come and look at you and think ‘these kids don’t have anything better to do!’ but do you get to see the artistic side of this?
“It is more than what it looks like! The talent that some of these kids have, I had the privilege of working with them on a regular basis, like SameD4ence. Some of the stuff that they write, it outweighs the biggest stars. It is about time that we championed this thing. Because Limerick is a force right now. Get rid of the stereotypes and actually see what is actually good!”
‘Let The Dead Bury The Dead’ is produced by mynameisj0hn. The 16-track album fuses hip hop, grime, highlife, trad with socially engaged lyrics from God Knows and MuRli and is set to be a game-changer for the group.
Rusangano play Dolan’s this Friday April 22. Support from Shookrah (Live) and DJ Peter Curtin.
The album is available on iTunes and on CD at tour dates and on their bandcamp page.
