| Walking into Rocky
Sullivan's, you might expect to find an Irish pub offering
pints of Guinness and, if you're even slightly familiar with
its reputation, a good political debate. But on Friday
nights, the joint is jumping to the only Celtic-influenced
hip-hop band on either side of the Atlantic.
Seanchai(pronounced shan-a-kee) and the Unity Squad take the stage
each week with their mix of hip-hop, rock, reggae, and
traditional Irish music. With the in-your-face politics of
Northern Ireland and laments about the commercialism of
hip-hop, lead rapper and songwriter Chris Byrne meshes these
eclectic styles. DJ Flo mixes it up on the turntables,
offering the hip-hop backdrop that drives Byrne's slamming
rap rhymes. Adding Fenian flavor is David Monaghan on the
mandolin, Dublin-born vocalist Rachel Fitzgerald, and Byrne
himself on the tin whistle, uilleann pipes, and bodhran.It
doesn't take long for the audience to hit the bar's small
dancefloor. Byrne began his rapping career with Black 47 and
now takes it to a higher level with the Unity Squad. In the
tradition of hip-hop, he offers up celebrations of his
native Brooklyn in songs like "718 Baby" and "A Sunday at
the Turn of the Century." But his politics are never far
behind. In "Rebel Hip Hop," he berates the industry's
rampant materialism: "Gold chains and clever rhymes/I see
chains as somethin' to be broken/Wrap 'em round ya neck,
look it, you're chokin'/On the same old thing that keeps the
people down/Ya should know by now a real king wears no
crown/Versace, Hilfiger, minks, or sable/When I shop for
gear, I look for the union label."
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Though Byrne cites Public
Enemy, Grandmaster Flash, KRS-ONE, and 3rd Bass as early
influences, he also notes "summers spent in Ireland with no
TV," where he listened to the spoken rhythms of storytellers
and ballad singers. "I Am Garvaghy Road" which blasts
the annual English Protestant march through the Irish
Catholic enclave is perhaps the most distinct blend
of those two major influences. The song offers a staunch
chorus typical of Irish traditional music
"I am Garvaghy
Road/I demand equality/I am Garvaghy Road/There'll be no
more walking on me") coupled with free-flowing verses
("Since the state's creation/Ruled by domination/Through
intimidation/And humiliation/To cause isolation/To a
population/It's an aberration/Not a proper nation"
It proves the band can as
easily segue into an Irish reel with uilleann pipes and
mandolin as they can a hardcore rap with DJ Flo feeding in
Motown, reggae, or early-'80s dance music. Then Fitzgerald
takes center stage with a version of the traditional ballad
"Field of Anthenrye," which surpasses the conventionally
slow-paced rendition. By adding a strong beat compliments of
DJ Flo, the crowd favorite allows fans to abandon the old
45-record version of their parents' generation.
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