The young rapper is a leading light in Liverpool’s emerging drill scene (that’s music, not power tools), which itself is a part of a growing Northern rap scene. Following the lead of controversial Belfast rappers (and fellow balaclava fans) Kneecap, he raps in his thick native accent, using Merseyside vernacular, about hyperlocal issues over hazy beats.
EsDeeKid’s a self-confessed “scumbag” who was “raised in Liverpool slums”, he tells us on 4 Raws, a track in which he’s being chased by the police but managing the situation “like I’m Jürgen” [Klopp, that is, the former Liverpool manager].
He’s also a “warlord [with] kilos under the floorboards”. You get the idea. Flash cars are a constant. The subject matter might not be to everyone’s taste but he’s a phenomenal rapper who’s being billed as the next Central Cee. Oh, and nothing is known of EsDeeKid’s identity, age or biographical details. He’s deliberately secretive, hence the perma-’clava. So, yes, Hollywood’s golden boy and the Scouse Scarlet Pimpernel appear to be chalk and cheese.
