A Liverpool musician has come up with a “Scouse anthem” inspired by the city’s unique sense of identity, which is being released today.
The People’s Republic of Liverpool has been created by Nelson Idama, known as MC Nelson, a musician from Aigburth.
The Liverpool artist has a growing reach, “spreading the Scouse hip hop Bible” in recent years at gigs across Liverpool and the UK as well as further afield such as France and Finland, and last year held a three-month residency at arts centre Metal Liverpool, at Edge Lane Station.
Nelson has now created a unique "anthem for our times" exploring Scouse identity.
The 25-year-old told the ECHO: “The People’s Republic of Liverpool is a song of our time, an anthem for our times and a turn of phrase people are using a lot - it just wrote itself.
“I moved away from Liverpool for a while and it made me reflect on my Scouse identity.
“Liverpool is a place with a strong identity and sense of community. We’re quite distinct from the rest of the country.
“I think Scouse identity incorporates a lot given the history of the city. We have the oldest black community, the oldest Chinese community in Europe - although we are a small city, it does cast quite a wide net as well.”
Nelson started rapping aged nine, and finds hip-hop a way to explore issues around identity and society.
He said: “Most of my songs are definitely issued-based.
“I released an album last year, Anglosfear. A lot of it was about politics and the sociopolitical climate we’re living in. It’s not preachy but it does have a message.
“It was about trying to capture the mood of the country.
“Politically it is a tumultuous period and it was about reflecting that, looking at themes of English identity, immigration - things of that nature which are prevalent in the country.
“I look at what it’s like to be Black and English, and Scouse and English, and although it’s a heavy subject, I like it to be fun.”
Nelson says that although he has performed in a variety of places, Liverpool is the place where his dreams came true.
He said: “I have achieved my childhood dream, which was performing at (music festival) Africa Oye, which was amazing and I’ve also performed at LIMF.
“Recently though, I’ve just been releasing singles and trying to have some fun."
Although Liverpool’s hip-hop scene is not as big as elsewhere in the UK, Nelson says it’s a close knit community where artists support each other.
He said: “Liverpool does have a thriving hip hop scene - not as much as some other cities but it is really healthy and there are a lot of good acts in Liverpool.
“I’ve done a lot of gigs - mostly at 24 Kitchen Street, which is my home turf, and they gave me space to practice and improve. As we do have a small Scouse hip hop scene we all help each other.”
While Nelson has been influenced by well known international grime artists, he has recently been connecting with and discovering some of the musicians to have come out of Liverpool in recent decades, including the Farm.
He said: “I’ve been inspired a lot by grime like Dizzee Rascal, when I was first starting, and a lot of American hip hop as well as Scouse music.
“As you get older, you listen to all sorts. Music is my number one love on the planet so I have so many influences it’s hard to say what they all are.
“I really like the Farm. Obviously I didn’t catch them when they first came out and didn’t know much about them, but I’m currently really enjoying their debut album."
On the big question of the day - whether The People’s Republic of Liverpool is a song that Scousers could wash their hands to, Nelson’s answer was simple.
He said: “You most certainly can and should.”
The People’s Republic of Liverpool by MC Nelson is released on March 31. You can find out more about MC Nelson on his Instagram
