Nenagh man's rap reflections of Covid

Nenagh 800 song contest winner Bubba Shakespeare has written a new rap track about his experience of lockdown and limitation in Covid-19.

Complemented with a punchy-choreographed video, 'Covid Thoughts' is the catchy product of Bubba's creativity from the recent time of confinement. 

It is in many ways a milestone release for Nenagh man Cian Morris, who began his Bubba Shakespeare music project 15 years ago this summer. He's come a long way in the time since, releasing a slew of music, playing at the Glastonbury and Electric Picnic festivals, gigging with a cover band and busking in Cork city, where he had been living for several years.

Like so many of his peers, the arrival of the pandemic radically altered Cian's life course. He moved back home and took solace in the opportunity to reconnect with the people and place he grew up with. He also used the time to focus completely on being Bubba and writing music, hence the making of this new single.

"Watching the news and listening to everyone speak from a place of fear got me thinking that I would like to contribute in a positive way and offer some hope and share some thought-provoking questions," Cian said of 'Covid Thoughts'. 

"I believe we are in a time of great change and great healing, so I felt it was important for me personally as well. I was also listening to a lot of rap during quarantine, so my juices were flowing."

A key inspiration in the fabrication of this track was Lil Dicky, a US rapper who has become a big influence on Cian's creativity. "I just watched Lil Dicky do a freestyle on his TV show, 'Dave', and it blew my mind so I reached out to the producers on Instagram and a guy that goes by the name of Freakshow beats - who just so happened to be from around here - sent me the beat and the rest is history."

RUGBY STAR'S CAMEO 
The Nenagh man also availed of the time to match his new song to a video, some of which was shot in his home town, including his estate of Ciamaltha Meadows. Orchestrated with style and panache, the video features performances from several of Cian's friends from around the country, and from Germany, France and Spain.

It also features a cameo from rugby star Simon Zebo, whom Cian befriended through busking in Cork.

"He's so down to Earth," he said of the Corkman. "We started chatting on Instagram - he's a very positive, fun human. I asked him if he would send me a clip of himself singing along to the track and he did."

The Nenaghman sent all his video clips to Dre Productions, which put together the finished article for him.

And a fine finished article it is too from this pioneering local musician at the top of his game. Son of Con and Bernie Morris, Cian quips that he doesn't come from a musical background but did spend his childhood listening to his mother's CDs and singing and dancing along to the music.

"I think we have every edition of the 'Now That's What I Call Music' series from 1 to the most recent! I used to actually study the structure of the songs and all from an early age."

At some stage, Cian got into Eminem and his interest in capturing moments in life around him as rap and R& B graduated to a new level.

"I was always writing songs in my free time and in my teenage years I used to practice rapping every night until it became my nature," he said. "I used to freestyle about stuff going on around me or try to have a conversation in rhyme with whoever was there, just to keep sharp." 

 

A PIONEERING ARTIST
Certainly, no one was releasing and performing their own rap music in Nenagh when Cian burst onto the scene with his debut 'Sexy Momaceta' - recorded locally in the Spain family's studio - in 2005. But he tells of encountering difficulties in Nenagh and feeling the need to bring his music to a wider audience, and so moved to Cork where he studied Theatre Performance at CSN College of Further Education while continuing to write songs in his spare time.

Among the more the more popular songs that he wrote was a rap rendition of 'Oró sé do Bheatha Abhaile', one of several Bubba tracks released 'as Gaeilge'. A past pupil of Gaelscoil Aonach, the local wordsmith has always promoted our mother tongue in his music, a unique penchant that saw him invited to play at Electric Picnic and Glastonbury among countless other festivals and gigs.

Last year he released an EP - 'Understanding My Shadow' - which is available on most streaming platforms. "It's an expression of depression and addiction, and growing out of it," Cian said of the EP. "It's an offering of hope to the hopeless, you could say."
Among many other exploits, he performed with a cover band for the last 10 years. He was also involved with a YouTube channel called The Lab TV Ireland, which profiles music artists from around the country.

He started busking "for the craic" around three years ago and regards it as one of his favourite activities. And, aside from the music, Cian successfully turned his hand to stand-up comedy, winning Cork's Cavern Comedian of the Year competition in 2018.

NENAGH 800
A great personal triumph and moment of catharsis came for Cian earlier this year when he was announced winner of the Nenagh 800 song contest. His entry 'I'm Tipp'n Away' was adjudged by Luka Bloom as the best soundtrack to Nenagh's milestone celebration of history and heritage. 

"It means the world," Cian said of the honour he earned. "I grew up feeling ignored and unseen for my abilities. I also had a fear of being mocked, so it was a very healing experience. 

"I'm currently working on the video for that song with Crude media. I'm excited about that one because I really feel the people of Nenagh and Tipp will resonate with it and  have something to be proud of."

Cian is meanwhile continuing to write fresh music in the vein of US rapper Machine Gun Kelly - whose series of quarantine videos were also an inspiration to the Nenagh man - and the aforementioned Lil Dicky. Another big latter influence is Ireland's very own Kojaque. "Everything he does has a purpose," Cian said of the Cabra rapper. "His videos are amazing, his performances are inspiring, his artistry speaks to me on a soul level."

Looking forward to a time when he will be able to perform to a live audience again, Cian is currently working on a new track with Freakshow Beats and some of Ireland's top rappers. The new ditty is titled 'Put Your Hands Up and Say I'm Class'.

And if all that isn't enough, the Nenagh man is also developing an intriguing play based on his 'Understanding My Shadow' EP.
"It's the 'Journey of Shadow', he reveals, "myself and Da Light all trying to write the EP but Shadow keeps getting in the way... that's all I will say for now, but it will be class!" 

You can follow Cian on Instagram @bubbashakes . Find his music on Spotify, Youtube Music and Apple Music.