PREMIERE: The Ballyboyz - Bad Crook (Official Video) + 10 Questions
Brothers from the Wexside, Dee the Antisocial & Spaceman Steve make up two halves of The Ballyboyz. Rapping and producing together for the past eight years, honing their craft and creating a unique boom bap element to Irish hip hop.
In 2019 the Bally Boyz released three singles; Young Fellaz, Banned from Telly & You Know the Name, which highlight a plethora of flows, beats and personality. 2020 saw the release of One, Get It On Tic and Bizarre World featuring Bizarre of the multi-platinum selling group D12.
In 2021 “Kicks” brought it back to hiphop basics paying tribute to sneaker culture as they swap between flows on a theatrical track. The second hit of 2021 “Balloween” is in true Ballyboyz fashion with a captivating horror music video & fast bars that keeps you engaged with the story.
Most recently “You Know the Name” was featured on the hit AMC show KIN. The brothers have supported some of the biggest names in Irish hip hop such as Versatile, Dubzeno and Lethal Dialect.
The 2022 release for the Bally Boyz is nothing short of innovation. “Bad Crook” can be described as the soundtrack to a short film that encapsulates so much. A creative journey through Irish history gives the viewer a glimpse at where the Ballyboyz might stand if they went back 100 years. An unforgettable isolated piano starts us off in Bad Crook, soon accompanied by boom bap bass and drums there is a sombre sense to the tone that somehow uplifts you with a crowd pleasing chorus. This new track by the Ballyboyz has already been one of their biggest hits live, now joined by incredible storytelling and vision followers can enjoy “Bad Crook” in all its glory.
The Ballyboyz sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:
1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?
Spaceman Steve: The love for music was always there, my understanding keeps on growing everyday. There is no better feeling than when a good song comes on, or when a lyric can seem so personalised at times, it's just like food for your soul. I used to listen to a lot of different genres of music growing up but listening to hip hop meant so much more. I always wanted to be a rapper from a young age, I think it was all the curse words and profanity in skits that amused me.
Dee The Antisocial: For me I started making hip hop back in my early teens. Graffiti played a major role in my formative years. It was one of the elements of hip hop that really attracted me to the Hip Hop movement, we would listen to old school hip hop painting graffiti on the train tracks. I remember being in school one day and one of the older heads showed me a freestyle of Maverick Sabre rapping over a Deep Cover instrumental, seeing a local head rapping made me think shit I can do that to. I started writing over instrumentals and eventually got into sampling and making my own beats. At the start we didn't know what we were doing or what software or equipment to use. Our first little mixtape was recorded with a drum kit microphone so it sounded terrible. At the time the scene in Ireland wasn't as populated as it is nowadays and most of our early influences came from American artists.
2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?
Spaceman Steve: Definitely in the early stages 2pac, Biggie, Nas, Big L, the Wu Tang to NWA, Eminem, 50 cent, The Game, Three 6 Mafia, all the greats from across America and especially in the UK. The underground music that just came outta nowhere that was a huge influence on how we all grew up and how we got into music in the first place. I would like to start working with Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy or some of the High Focus lads, I say we would burst out a few bangers.. high hopes.
Dee The Antisocial: I'd Agree with Steve we are brothers so growing up we listened to a lot of the same music so have similar tastes. He introduced me to Biggie, I introduced him to DMX and so on. We would always be finding new music and showing each other. I definitely would like to collaborate with more US artists and definitely a few UK artists. We have not collaborated with anyone from the UK yet so It would be dope to expand overseas. I'm feeling Potter Payper’s new joint and Ocean Wisdom's last album was sick.
3. What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?
Spaceman Steve: We have a few albums in the pipeline we have been working on for a few years now with 3 different producers but our debut album is due to be coming out later this year 'The Ballyboyz' we said we would drop one more video after Bad Crook for the release, much more of the of our other releases will seep out then.
4. How would you describe your sound?
Spaceman Steve: Our sound is very unique. We love working with boom bap, always our go to sound when we get in the studio but I don't ever hold myself to one style or one way of rhyming, it's too repetitive and gets boring very fast. I like switching it up while keeping it relevant, don't get me wrong it's all for the love at the end of the day but I don't like describing our sound because it's constantly evolving from a west coast sound one day to a Beatles joint the next ha, but definitely you could describe it as "unique".
Dee The Antisocial: I agree with Steve we are forever learning and growing. When I sample I pull samples from all different genres so to limit yourself to one sound can be like boxing yourself into a corner , you gotta leave room for growth everyday is a school day.
5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?
Spaceman Steve: Probably the proudest moment was performing at the Versatile gig at rag week this year. It was so good to get back up on a stage again and especially when the crowd was so crazy. Later on that night a staff member was telling me some young fella was eating the drywall, it was a great night by all accounts and probably one of our better gigs. Every gig and video we ever done makes me very proud so hopefully we keep the ball rolling.
Dee the Antisocial: Yeah the Versatile gig was a trip, the crowd was crazy and the Outburst lads are sound out. Another few high points of our career to date was working with Bizarre from D12. We were and still are massive D12 fans between them and Slim Shady I could relate to their humour growing up the most. Another dope highlight was getting one of our songs into "KIN' a AMC crime drama based in Ireland. Signing those contracts to license your song just trips you out; it's the shit you could only dream of as a kid.
6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?
Spaceman Steve: I don't really have any advice because I'm still trying to learn it myself but what I've found to work is persistence and determination. You have to hustle your work and get it in the right direction. We have spent multiple hours sending pointless emails that never get opened and losing sight of what we were creating. I think the more content you can create the better you can drip feed it slowly to keep people interested. Most important don't ever think you know it all a lot of the time it's not what you know it's who you know.
Dee The Antisocial: Yeah persistence is key you have to have the motivation to keep going even when you really just want to give up. I'm really stubborn and my biggest competition is myself so when I get something in my head I find it very hard to let go of it until I achieve my goals. It's one of the hardest industries to break into and there's a lot of broken dreams, you just gotta be resourceful when it comes to overcoming challenges and keep knocking down doors one day someone will answer.
7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?
Dee The Antisocial: There's a lot of heavy hitters coming outta Ireland at the minute and the scene is blowing up, ya got Dubzeno making moves, Versatile are making bangers with Coolio, Sons Phonetic recently dropped a new album, G.I and Lethal Dialect dropped a new album recently too and the Working Class Records are always bringing heaters to the scene. RiRa who is Irish hip hop royalty just released a new CD too, Rob Kelly who is another Wexford rapper asked us to jump on a few tracks so looking forward to seeing what he has up his sleeve, he's got an impressive back catalogue and it's gonna be dope to get cooking with him. Maverick Sabre will be touring his 10 year anniversary of his first album so it's a great time for Ireland at the minute.
8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?
Dee The Antisocial: Right now I have a few Missy Elliot classics, a lot of Griselda, DMX and Cypress Hill.
9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?
Spaceman Steve: I am an engineer by trade so I am constantly making things and creating new projects. It keeps me pretty busy, when we are not making music, you can find me playing games, writing rhymes or going to scenic places, the country element is in my blood. I love getting out in the open and going to a good gig.. always writing rhymes and smoking weed.
Dee The Antisocial: I recently quit my 9 - 5 to work as a cameraman in TV. I shoot all our music videos so I wanted to get into a career that appealed to my creative side. The hours are crazy and I'm away from home a lot of the time, but everyday is different and I get to meet and learn from some super talented and sound people, so right now I'm blessed. When I do get time off I like having a blaze or painting some graffiti. I also like the odd few cheeky pints in the local.
10. Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?
Spaceman Steve: Weed, munchies & GTA.
Dee The Antisocial: GTA, Weed and Munchies.