What a remarkable year it has been for the Tallaght-based rapper Curtisy. Emerging from relative obscurity, he has quickly become one of the most prominent names in Irish hip-hop. Last year, he released his highly praised debut album ‘WHAT WAS THE QUESTION’, which was nominated for Irish Album of The Year at the Choice Prize alongside other renowned acts like Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap. He has performed at packed venues nationwide and traveled to the UK for sold-out shows in London, as well as participating in this year's Great Escape festival in Brighton.
Just back from the coast, Curtisy unveils a new mixtape titled ‘Beauty In The Beast’, a collaborative effort with producer Hikii. This project seeks to find hope in despair, exploring themes such as addiction, nostalgia, and the pursuit of enjoyment.
Curtisy and Hikii have been collaborating since the beginning. Curtisy began rapping during the pandemic and started sharing early drill-influenced tracks on Soundcloud in late 2020. One of his initial experiences in live performance was a freestyle competition for which Hikii provided beats. “I must have been feeling quite bold at that time because I approached him a bit roughly afterward,” Curtisy recalls with a laugh, looking back on their first meeting over coffee. “We had a bit of a disagreement, then we shook hands, became friends, and decided to collaborate.”
They’ve been working together for nearly three years now, but both agree they’ve truly connected over the past 18 months. “We were on the same page from the beginning, but at times I’d come in, and he’d play something that sounded really off, and I’d have to tell him I couldn’t rap to it. He enjoys the more old-school, eerie, dark sounds. I’m open to trying that, but I still need to feel the beat to make it work, while sometimes he leans too far into the spooky territory. There were moments he played something, and I had to say, ‘Hikii, you need to take a break and spend some time in the sun, these beats are wild,’ but we’re mostly aligned in our creative vision.”
‘Beauty In The Beast’ has been evolving for just over seven months. Given the extensive collaboration, they had numerous directions they could take the record. However, when it came to establishing the project’s theme, it soon became clear it would take a darker, more villainous approach. “We had a rough idea of what the project would be based on the songs we had, but we realized we could do better than that,” Curtisy explains. “You hear artists we admire talk about getting into the studio and forming a cohesive sound, and I wanted to give that a try. Honestly, it’s been much more fulfilling than the debut album; I feel far more confident and have learned so much more than just rapping and assembling twelve songs together.”
After the unexpected success of ‘WHAT WAS THE QUESTION’, it became even more crucial for them to maintain the creative process that earned them acclaim rather than altering it entirely for a broader audience. Comfort is particularly essential in everything they do. In an industry where labels and artists are paying a premium for studio time, it was vital that they could take breaks, catch an episode of TV between sessions, or step out for thirty minutes without feeling like they were wasting each other’s time.
“There are only four or five people I can genuinely count on to do that with, and Hikii is one of them,” Curtisy shares. “But if I discover someone else down the line with whom I can share that comfort, we can be lifelong friends. I prefer to work with my guys, and if it’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it.”
‘Beauty And The Beast’ includes collaborations with two of Curtisy’s favorite Irish artists, rapper Flynn Johnson and singer-songwriter Shiv. “Flynn is the most underrated lyricist around,” Curtisy declares. “He contributed a verse to the ‘Tree Sap Remix’ on my last album, and it took me about six months to grasp every lyric. I realized that his entire verse overshadowed my album; so when I had ‘Drive Slow’ which focuses on storytelling, I needed someone who could deliver while sticking to that narrative theme, and I knew he could do it. No one else had a chance after that.” As for Shiv, he and Curtisy are good friends, making that collaboration feel organic. “That was the first track we worked on, and we nailed it,” he smiles. “We have another song in the pipeline that’s not finished yet, but once we complete it, it’ll be a hit as well.”
This mixtape feels like a natural progression for Curtisy. “I just want to keep rapping and evolving, and I’d love to collaborate with a few more artists. There are many musicians I’d like to work with, but I haven’t
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What a remarkable year it has been for Curtisy, a rapper from Tallaght. Transitioning from relative anonymity, he has quickly emerged as one of the most rapidly ascending figures in Irish hip-hop. He