Making one of the most notable returns this year, Ironik rediscovered his early inspirations of the grime and rap world and dropped a massively unanticipated collaboration with none other than the U.S legend, Snoop Dogg. ‘Tuff’ did exactly what it said on the tin thanks to a big reverberating bassline rumbling through the depths of the sonics and Ironik sounding hungrier than ever before. The track came as more of a rebirth than a new chapter for the rapper and now he drops the video to go alongside it http://www.youtube.com/
‘Tuff’ was the first record from Ironik’s second studio album ‘Truth be Told’ which released on the 22nd September alongside a live launch show at The Bull Theatre in Barnet, North London. The album has received an exceptional response with heavy support across BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, the Capital network and Kiss FM all jumping on board. Ironik has also received support from the likes of PAPER Mag, The Hype Magazine as well as GRM Daily and Link Up TV who recently interviewed him about the album and his return.
Talking on his album, Ironik says: “’Truth Be Told’ is only my second studio album since my first ‘No Point In Wasting Tears’ and it’s definitely my best work to date. I’ve been all over the world in the last two years DJ’ing in countries like Dubai, Japan and all over Europe and its undoubtedly inspired my music but there’s no place like home and whilst I reflect the influences I’ve had, the album remains a testament to being UK and homegrown.’
2017 has been a year of re-emergence within the UK urban music scene. For a number of key players that came up in the major fame years (2008 – 11) and dropped classic records, (that are now seeing their second wind thanks to additions on ‘UK Classic’ playlists across platforms such as Spotify), it seems this is the year that is bringing out the hunger and the fight back in some of our most exciting talent.
Ironik shot to fame as a 19 year old, initially as a DJ and producer where he worked closely with the likes of Tinie Tempah and Chip, and then he made his debut as an artist releasing the video for ‘So Nice’ on seminal music station Channel U. The video remained in the top 3 most requested records for a huge 20 weeks indicating big things were to come for the North London rapper. Whilst being taken under the wing of the grime scene, his music often portrayed a softer edge to other acts, tinged with R&B, Hip-Hop and UK Garage, something which clearly resonated well with music lovers and those discovering Ironik. His second release, ‘Stay With Me’ landed him a number 5 official chart position and from there on in his successes grew, resulting in a further top 5 single, one top 10 single, a top 10 album, and over a million record sales. As with many of his peers, his early success came at both a personal cost and a professional one too. The young star was stabbed close to his home forcing Ironik to withdraw from the scene and the limelight, something he discussed in his honest Not For The Radio interview – https://www.youtube.com/
Check out the link to stream ‘Tuff’ below.
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