Lewishams own Chiraq on his new track 'OFC', his BL@CKBOX experience and making beats in his room.

We've recently spoken to South London rapper, Chiraq after being a part of the BL@CKBOX hardest U18 cypher 2022. Touching on his new track 'OFC', how he came up with the hook and where he was at the time, his love for music and how it makes him feel.

Yes Chiraq, would you like to introduce yourself for anyone that isn't aware of you yet?

I'm from South London, Lewisham, and I make all kinds of music. I don't like to limit myself and put myself in a box and say I belong to one genre. Obviously all I've released right now is drill but I look to release a lot of other types of music.

Have you got a favourite genre to make songs for or are you just an everything type of guy?

I’ve made drill the most obviously, but my most preferred genre to make is like kinda hip-hop rap kinda like you know, J-Cole like Kendrick, Drake kinda rap, not like real UK rap, proper hip-hop. But I like doing everything to be honest, I've made afro songs, I've made like trap DBE wave songs so I'm not like, I'm not scared to like dive into other types of music or other types of rap, I've even sung.

I’ve seen on your YouTube that you make beats too, do you prefer making beats or making music?

I get more pleasure out of rapping because I'm the face of my own raps, do you get what I’m saying. So like, I get more acknowledgement like not everyone appreciates the producer, producers make the biggest hits and they don't get the appreciation they deserve so I like being a rapper cause of what you can like, get out of it, but as a producer, I dunno, it’s more fun to make a beat, to make an instrumental, and you can sell them. I haven’t made money off my raps yet but I have made money off my beats.

I respect that so much, the hustle is real, how long have you been rapping for?

I’ve been rapping for a year still, I've been producing for like three and a half years, like I started producing when lockdown came about so I was just in my house everyday, making beats init. Then I started rapping like this time last year, I've been rapping since like September last year, when I dropped my first song.

What’s the goal and plan for Chiraq?

I just plan to be a big figure in the industry, like whether it’s as a rapper or a producer, I just wanna be known and looked up to, so that people see where I’ve come from and where hard work gets you. I also plan to run my own independent label, like once I get the courage and the money to do so, I just wanna help like artists that don’t have the money to like provide for themselves in music, cause music’s expensive man, it’s hard, like my, I’m an independent artist, I didn’t have anyone around me, do you get it?

So I wanna build a label and provide for the people that don’t have nothing but are talented and have talent, not even just artists, producers, rappers, singers, everything, just musicians in general. Right now that's what I'm studying, I'm studying music technology so I'm getting there, like an insight to the industry and how things used to be and how they are now. I'm getting more clued up and smart and I know how to go about certain situations.

That’s so sick, it’s always nice to give back and help others that need it, how does music make you feel?

Music’s my life bro, my escape from the world, it’s the way that I tell my story, do you get it? I don't really know how to express my feelings, like whether it’s joy, upset, like any other way other than music. Obviously, not all of my music is emotionally intact but when I do feel a certain way I just pick up my phone and start writing lyrics, make a beat and start writing lyrics, whatever it is, I'm not really that much without it. It’s crazy to say but it’s literally my life 24/7, it’s music, I study music at school, I come home and make music, every other day I go studio, I don’t know anything other than music.

Have you got a favourite musician, rapper or producer?

My inspirations for music are like Jay-Z but my favourite rappers I listen to are probably like J-Cole, Kendrick and Dave.

Anyone that you would dream of working with?

My dream collab would actually be Tems, I can’t lie, I feel like we’d make a good song, a great song actually.

I hear it, that would sound cold! Do you think that where a rapper is from has a lot of influence on how they rap or succeeded.

Yes and no, because, me like what I talk about in my raps isn’t like as generic as a lot of people, normally people just talk about drugs, road, girls, obviously I talk about that hear and there but I like my content to be different, cause obviously I had a good upbringing so why would I lie about the life I live, do you get what I’m saying. People who rap what they live, then fair enough, I'm not playing them down, like the life on road is so glorified, everyone tries to follow it. Overall, I think, yeah your background does have a lot to do with your content, with success, you never know, rap is so broad now, anyone can be successful, you can be the worst rapper in the world and still be successful, so i don’t think your background has anything to do with your success, it’s just how many people take you seriously

I couldn’t agree more, what do you think of rappers outside of London like Aitch, Mist or M1llionz do you think they’re at a disadvantage or an advantage due to not being in London?

Personally, I like people like Aitch, I think Aitch is probably one of the top five in the UK, I don’t think Aitch has ever missed, M1llionz, I like him a lot, I think he’s unique, his sound is unique. My favourite person from outside of London is probably Meekz, I just think Meekz is mad unorthodox but I think they’re at an advantage and a disadvantage cos some people don’t like it and like it’s easy to realise who someone is because of their accent if you’re from London, like I can tell when M1llionz is rapping, it makes them more distinct, cos a lot of people from like London sound the same so like Aitch and M1llionz and that, they’re like a breath of fresh air.

Where in the UK do you think will be the next London in terms of it being the place of music.

I don’t know to be honest, I think that Brum are doing quite well, but I don’t think that any music that’s in the UK will end up being more popular than what comes out of London to be honest, I don’t know it’s just the capital init.

Of course, I obviously wanted to touch on the Cypher, how did you get to be a part of it?

Basically, they put a thing on their Instagram saying send your music to this email to be on the BL@CKBOX, whatever, whatever, obviously I sent couple songs over and luckily they liked it so I managed to get in.

How long ago was that, last minute or like weeks ago?

Nah it was like, I think it was like September times they put the submission up and then they left if up for like two, three weeks, I think for people to like submit their music and obviously I was on their radar from before that because I kept tagging them in my post because like my goal of this year was to like, get on their BL@CKBOX and luckily I did. Well not luckily, I earned it so thankfully I did.

100% you deserve it bro, what was the actual filming like, were you nervous or was it calm?

I was nervous at the start cos I saw the calibre of people that were there and I was like oh damn, like when I first saw the list I checked couple of people out and I was like nah these man aren’t that good but then after a while, when we got to the venue, people were freestyling and showing what they’re capable of and I was like oh damn. When we actually got to filming it, there was like a whole crowd behind the cameras, I didn’t know there was going to be so many people. I thought it was going to be the crew, couple of people and that’s it, but there was a whole crowd of people, it was crazy. But after a while I grew into it, I think you can see that in the cypher, like I got more confident towards the end.

Did you know anyone else there before filming?

A couple of my boys were on the cypher still.

At least you weren’t on your own bro, I just want to touch on your latest track, ‘OFC’, is there a deeper meaning behind the song or is it just straight of the dome?

I wouldn’t say necessarily it has a deeper meaning, in terms of what I'm talking about is literally in your face, there’s not like a background story but I was sitting on the bus and I heard the beat and I just started just saying ‘of course’, like I was thinking what can be something catchy bro. I started to realise that most of my songs don’t have much replay value, like I don’t really make hits I just make songs with bare bars and I need to think of the way I structure songs. Obviously, I was sitting on the bus and got home to actually start writing it. After I got the hook down the rest was easy, like I feel like the hooks are the hardest part of making music for me.

That’s so sick man, have you got more tracks ready or taking each day as it comes?

If all goes well, I got three video ideas in mind, one with my friend and two solos, all to be dropped like April hopefully. One might be dropped at the start of April if there’s a bit of delay but yeah man, I’m just working.

I hear that, if the track was to have a remix, who would you want on it?

On that song, probably like M1llionz maybe or like Izzpot, one of dem man. But if it’s someone I know, there’s two people I’d probably get on it, Millz and Fade, yeah dem man are hard man.

That’s a wrap man, I really appreciate talking with you, you’re about to blow for sure! Do you have anyone you’d like to shout out, anyone next up or anyone that’s been supporting you?

I want to shout out my boy @ayekazar, he helps me a lot, I don’t know what I’d do without him to be honest, he’s up and coming in music as well, doing quite well for himself, he does everything, raps, produces, mixes all that kind of stuff. There’s bare man I can shout out but yeah man, it’s mad the boys know who they are still. Shout out everyone that supports me init.

Make sure you drop a like on Chiraq’s Instagram @chiraqmusicc, give him a follow and definitely be sure to have a listen to his new track ‘OFC’. Stick around and follow his music journey with us.