Rising Stars: Meet Josh Kidd of Meath, Ireland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Kidd.

Hi Josh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Josh Kidd, I’m an up and coming rapper from Meath, Ireland with a style heavily influenced by the sound of 90s Hip Hop. My stage name is ‘KIDD,’ as in Kidd by name, kid by nature. I’ve always been a fan of Hip Hop, growing up listening to Eminem, Tupac and a lot of West Coast artists. I wanted to try rap even as a little kid but just never had the courage to even pick up the pen. Fast forward and I’m a year off going to college when my friend showed me A Tribe Called Quest. Once I heard their stuff I became obsessed with Hip Hop as a genre, culture and craft. I dug deep in to so many MC’s and producers I had not heard much of, particularly from New York and over the next year began writing some verses. It took me a while before I could rap in my own accent or even write a verse worth recording but eventually I got there.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some of the trials and errors along the way include severe cases of writers block, the fear of releasing something that wasn’t good or that you didn’t put you’re best effort into, lack of an online presence and also trying to stand out in an oversaturated market.
My friend, Cian Arthur who I began recording with moved away to New Zealand a couple years ago, it was hard to pick up without him as he was the producer of my first few tracks. He has a great sound that I loved and we had great chemistry so trying to find beats elsewhere and also someone to record with was a challenge. Luckily my friend, Podge Collins has helped me continue by producing and recording with me. We’re currently working on my second EP due to release in the Summer.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Using common Irish phrases and slang in my verses, my music is high energy Hip Hop dealing with relatable topics the average young buck might get up to on the day to day. I wear my influences proudly on my sleeve such as The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Lords Of The Underground, Outkast and many more from the Golden Era of Hip Hop.

I’m a student of Hip Hop and love learning all there is to about the genre and craft. While I’ve been writing, rapping and recording since 2018, I’ve only been performing and releasing music since 2023. This was because I knew I wasn’t up to a standard yet that I was happy sharing. I believe now I’m ready.

I’ve recently released my debut EP ‘Kiddology,’ a conceptual project that centres around the life of a student as he coasts through the semester before graduation. From the high highs of a night out at the races to the low lows of breakups and self-doubt.
Kiddology tells the story of KIDD, a student who is more concerned about when the next gaff party is than what he will do after college once the party’s over.

Most recently I’ve released my first music video, ‘Saddle Up’ from the Kiddology EP. The video shows a simple stable boy with big dreams and an even bigger imagination slowly descending into madness as he forms a plan to steal one of the prized ponies from the yard just in time for the races. Sporting a sharp white suit and a matching cowboy hat, this farm hand blurs the lines between reality and his own fantasies while he lets the voices in his head lead him astray.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Who could say? The world is in such a crazy, unpredictable state at the moment its hard to think that far ahead in to the future about anything. But in regards to Hip Hop, its like Mos Def said: “If we smoked out, Hip Hop is gonna be smoked out. If we doing alright, Hip Hop is gonna be doing alright,”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/KIDDbyname
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshkidd96/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572362846825
• LinkedIn: https://linktr.ee/KIDDbyname
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kiddbyname
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-427957082
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3KrQ1mETWRzbTxs03161JU?si=I7AL86nxRZKVMDWd_hhEDw

Image Credits
Kelly McSweeney

EP artwork covers by Alicia Kidd