For the 26-year-old Irish-Nigerian rapper Travy, consistency is key, and manifestation works. After only pursuing music seriously in the past three years, his natural talent for rapping came from posting freestyles on Instagram encouraged by his older cousin as a pre-teen. With two collaborative albums already released and his new EP out today (10th January), there is a humble aura around the artist, who has been nonstop working since he decided to let listeners in on the name only close friends would know him by until now, “SPOOKY”. His third project positions this title at the heart of the themes he explores in his raps. “Everything on the project is based around the name, I knew all of the tracks were going to embody that”. 

Tracy’s music interest began with listening to 50 Cent on an iPod Nano, lent to him by his father who served in the Nigerian Army during the rapper’s childhood, tuning his ears to the sound of American hip hop. “I had to be the man of the house especially when pops wasn’t home”. Growing up as the eldest brother of three younger sisters naturally shaped Travy into a figure with a strong sense of leadership and responsibility. The hip hop legend who inspired Travy, 50 Cent, claimed in his self-help book The 50th Law: “Every negative is a positive. The bad things that happen to me, I somehow make them good”. And Travy’s mentality seemingly aligns with such. “For me, I didn’t know where this was going. I just had to go hard and not sleep on myself”. Defying expectations, his hard exterior and bold demeanour portrayed in his music and visuals instantly dissolve in person. Instead, it’s replaced with the personality of a down-to-earth and charismatic star.

The new EP “SPOOKY” revolves around the idea of Travy’s dual personality, an escapism for his mind to express both sides that play in his head. Speaking on the title of the project, he says, “It’s what people call me. It’s the side of me that doesn’t give a fuck. Everything is based around that name, I wanted to be able to show the duality of my personality”. The cover art for the new EP takes inspiration from Andy Warhol with shadows and dark hues that visibly depict his two perspectives but is also “up for interpretation.” 

Travy explains the difference between his inner devil and angel also known as Travy and Spooky. He retains the childlike ideology of good and bad from within. He highlights the temptations that lead him to make decisions as an adult, portraying them as two separate characters for the project. “It’s like, instead of thinking, this guy was racist to me, instead of teaching him and telling him, ‘Yo, don’t be racist’, it’s that thought, I’m gonna punch him in the face instead.” He raps on the chorus of the EP’s deluxe track ”IMMIGRANT”: “I’m a young black immigrant coming to take everything,” courageously using his music as an outlet for the adversity he faces. Tying into the darker side of Travy’s character on the EP, these instances continue to push the momentum for this project, giving context to the more aggressive tones heard in this song. “We were just young kids trying to get by by any means necessary doing whatever. You know if you had a friend who was just down for whatever? That was me. I was a good kid don’t get me wrong but I was also up to no good,” he says. The familiarity with the nickname reiterates Travy’s integral mission to keep grounded in his Dublin roots where he feels most comfortable.

The rapper relocated to Paris with his producer Liam to seek creative solitude in an isolated setting from Dublin to focus on “SPOOKY”. Successfully creating the 13-track EP in just over two months in the summer of 2024, the seclusion worked wonders for the pair. “We would sit down for two hours, Liam’s making beats, then the melody would come straight to me, and then we would go to the studio and record.” The pair produced “MASTER SHIFU” in a couple of hours. Inspired by the Kung Fu Panda soundtrack which played on the TV in the background of their Parisian hideaway, the song features high-pitched traditional guzheng and flutes sampled at the beginning. The introduction abruptly falls into an 808 drum roll, a familiar feature that signifies Travy’s gritty edge. 

Stepping away from joint projects, such as DOGHOUSE, his 2024 joint album with Elzzz, this EP is a new turning point for Travy to prove his talent away from his many ventures with fellow creatives. “It was important for me that the versatility of the tracks were of the same nature,” he says. Utilising this freedom of direction allowed Travy to fully focus on a sound from his perspective. In this independent chapter Travy’s EP stands as a testament to an introspective journey from its songwriting to its overall vision.

Travy infuses choral vocals on “MEET SPOOKY”, lo-fi beats on “CONVERSATIONS”, and French rap on “EUROSTAR”, a combination of universal sounds that forge his unique stylistic lane. Profound lyricism and gritty basslines create a distorted feel especially heard on “ME & HER” and “TYPICAL RAPPER”. Strong uses of 808 subbases and off-beat percussion paired with unconventional sampling have segregated Travy’s music from fellow rappers and hip-hop artists in the scene. Some tracks feel utopian and create a soundscape for listeners to imagine and others are deliberately dramatic and distorted, and form tense melodies. 

Mentioning the spiritual and emotional disconnect he has felt, “FORGIVE ME” is an ethereal whirlwind of poignant lyrics, layered adlibs and a repeated four-note echoed backing vocal that depicts Travy’s progression within his personal and professional life. “This project was quite healing. I forgave myself for all of the things I did in the past. Strive to be a good person but perfection doesn’t exist. This is as much you, as this side to you is.”

In his unconventional ways, Travy admires the old-school take on the connectivity experience between the musician and fans stating, “If it was up to me, I wouldn’t do social media.” Giving strict instructions for listening to the EP he says, “One, leave your phone in another room. Two, close your eyes. Three, listen either early in the morning or late at night.” Connection is a pinnacle point in the project’s execution, a recurring theme Travy leans on when using music as a healing tool. “I went to Nigeria last year for the first time in three years and that was eye-opening for me, I felt like I got some power back. For migrants you can lose that and be disconnected, for me I wanted to use it as a superpower and make the most of it.” 

Undeniably the rise of Irish music talent has made its way to the UK and the States. Travy has ambitions to grow beyond his grassroots beginnings being named as a first-generation ‘Black Irish rapper’ over the last couple of years. “It’s something that I obviously think about because there have been so many people making music that haven’t gone anywhere. So for me, I feel their pain. Now I’m in a place where, while I’m here, I’m trying to go as crazy as possible.”

Travy has an objective that reaches beyond the expectations of a young emerging artist. He plans to lend his gift to motivate listeners with music that explores resilience, pain, relationships and the duality of oneself. The rebranding of Travy in this project reshapes his challenging cultural context into a musical power vessel that shares his self-discovery and connection to his heritage in this new wave of Irish-Nigerian rap. “There was no industry in Ireland for me to jump into, so I made one,” he says. Confidently carrying the weight of expectations in the UK & Ireland’s rap and hip-hop realm, Travy is only beginning to change the narrative as he continues to foreshadow the success that awaits him from his new EP “SPOOKY”. “This project has given me purpose for sure,” he finishes. “I want people to stick around for the journey.”

Listen to “SPOOKY”…