Chloe MooreChloe Moore caught up with Enniscorthy’s Lil Skag ahead of his show at The Academy tomorrow night, where he’ll be supporting KIBO alongside Sugaboo, to chat all things as Gaeilge, skags, dream collabs and more. The pair will also take to the same venue on December 18th under their Skagaboo moniker, with tickets already sold out.
The Irish rap scene is doing absolute bits right now, and Lil Skag is right at the centre of the action. Hailing from Enniscorthy, he brings proper humour, unmatched personality, and an unmistakably local vibe to a movement that’s never felt more alive.
Whether he’s sprinkling a bit of Gaeilge into his tunes, shouting out the town that raised him, or bringing pure, scandalous craic to the stage, there’s no mistaking who he is. With Conas Atá Tú? turning heads and even bigger moves on the horizon, we caught up with the man himself to talk about the persona, the language, and what’s coming next.
The name Lil Skag is great. As young people in Ireland, we all (probably) know what it’s like to be skagged. Tell me about the process of coming up with the persona of “Lil Skag”.
When me and my pals were younger, the question of what your rapper name would be used to come up. At that time, many of us had started experimenting and experiencing our first ‘skags’, and I thought ‘Lil Skag’ just sounded hard, so that was my answer. Then I had a finsta where I’d dance to choones and called that Lil Skag, so when I actually became a rapper, I just used that page, and here we are. Since then, it has garnered a deeper meaning, thankfully: Scorthy Kid Always Grateful.
There’s a really playful relationship between the Irish language and modern Irish music at the moment. When you’re writing, do you see Gaeilge as part of your identity, part of your sound or both?
I guess it’s part of my sound now too, but definitely it’s a part of my identity. Despite not being a totally fluent speaker right now, we all grew up talking Irish in school and going to the Gaeltacht and all that, so although the language might not be in all of our everyday lives, of course it’s still a massive part of us all. I’m flat out on Duolingo right now, trying to get back to a decent conversational level because, as I’ve said, I get sick of these English words.
“Conas Atá Tú?” is such a recognisably Irish phrase. What made you want to build a song that incorporates the Irish language?
Being Irish, I’ve always wanted to incorporate the Irish language into my music. I’ve sprinkled cúpla focal in previous tunes, but I guess this one has a lot more. Honestly, I never sat down intentionally trying to write a tune as Gaeilge; I just did what I always do and tried to talk about what was going on in my life at that moment. I hadn’t been living in London long and met an English girl who I went out with for the past year. The song is just a reflection on that experience of being Irish and dating an English person in London. Shoutout Amara for the inspiration. She’ll always be my favourite English person (after Steven Gerrard).
(P.S.) To all the Brits in my comments asking if I hate English words so much, why don’t I rap totally in Irish? Just read a history book, buddy.
You’re bringing the show to The Academy on December 18th with fellow artist Sugaboo. You’ve been doing bits at festivals all summer. Do you think there will be a big difference in energy with the change of venue?
Not at all. Wherever me, Suga and Dewey (our DJ) are, the energy’s there too. I’m so certain that night will be scandalous craic.
What does getting to play a venue like the Academy mean to you at this point in your career?
Makes sense, it’s sold out already. I reckon we gotta dream bigger. Croke Park, maybe. But seriously, it’s a pleasure and a privilege when I think about some of the other huge artists that have played there.
When you walk out in front of a Dublin crowd, do you feel like you’re representing Enniscorthy and where you came from as much as you’re representing yourself as an artist?
Enniscorthy comes first, then me, every time. Someone’s gotta scream and shout about the little town cos it’s got some of the funniest and mad characters I’ve ever come across. I thank the place every day for the person it made me, and even more so for the thick skin I developed from growing up there. You could hurl abuse at me for an hour, and I guarantee you there’s nothing you could call me that I haven’t already been called by someone in Enniscorthy.
If someone has never seen Lil Skag live before and is coming to The Academy on the 18th, what would you tell them to expect?
Craic, craic, craic, craic, craic, craic, craic.
Who is your dream collab – dead or alive?
Biggie Smalls, Young Thug, Lil Uzi.
The Irish scene is really doing bits now, especially the Irish rap scene. How does it feel to see your fellow Irish artists excel and thrive?
It feels like that joint you smoke after dinner. Tops. There’s so many people in the country right now doing their thing, and it’s great to see. When I started out, there was only really, like, Kojaque and Versatile to look to. Now there’s 17-year-olds from the back arse of Kilkenny and Tyrone making crazy-sounding shit, shit that if I heard years ago and you said it was Irish, I’d tell you to piss off. It’s good to see that people have the confidence to do it from a young age now, and the most beautiful thing about it all is that everyone is sound out and really supportive of each other, as we all should be.
What more can we expect of you in the coming months? Collabs, music drops, maybe even more shows announced?
My next tune should come out before Christmas. It’s a collab with Kibo, who I believe to be the best rapper in the history of rappers. Suga and I gotta head to New York for a bit, then. Can’t speak on that. Other than that, I’m trying to drop a project at the start of next year.
