A young member of the famous Clann Mhic Ruairí is carving himself out a career in music – but along a very different path than might be expected.
Cillian Gallagher Rodgers, stage name ‘Cillian’, is an upcoming drill and rap artist in London where he lives with his dad Eamon Rodgers and mum Caroline Gallagher.
Eamon and Caroline, from Rannafast and Maghery respectively, have lived in North London for over 30 years.
Singer, bodhrán and whistle player Eamon launched his own debut album ‘Too Many Tunes’ in 2015. And now son Cillian is aiming to do the same, albeit in a slightly less predictable genre.
Drill music has its roots in Chicago’s South Side and is defined by its gritty and often violent lyrical content. It is here that 18-year-old Cillian has been making waves, drawing tens of thousands of listens on Spotify per month.
“I grew up listening to a lot of Eminem,” the teenager from Islington said.
“My sister is a bit older than me and she would have listened to more of my parents’ music. I was listening to rap and playing video games.”
Growing up Cillian spent every holiday in west Donegal and in Leo’s Tavern with which his family has long been linked.
“Every holiday was in Donegal and with my uncle Sean who has been affiliated to Leo’s his entire life. My dad when he came over here first, he worked as a carpenter and spent a lot of time playing the bodhrán in the pub.”
It is all a far cry from London’s increasingly popular drill and rap scene which, according to the UK government, is fuelling a rise in knife crime in the English capital. To date over 30 drill videos have been removed from Youtube due to government claims that they normalise violence amongst young people.
One on of his most recent tracks, Work and Mash It, Cillian sings the lyrics: “If you see us best run or you might get one in your lungs or heart” followed by “I got a passion for violence”.
The teenager says that growing up he “didn’t have to think about what kind of music”. And when he released his first song, Talk of the Town, it became immediately apparant where his target audience was.
“I get that there are things like misogony and violence in there and it’s kind of mad really. But the place I’ve grown up in, the culture, it is what people want to listen to.
“Growing up in London, everybody has been through these things. For example I had a friend who died, I have multiple friends who had been stabbed. It’s the norm.”
It is clear that at least some of Cillian’s songs are born out of personal experience. He also accepts that drill music does, in part at least, glamourise the gun and knife crime that is so prevalant in parts of the English capital.
“People will say yes, it appears that way,” says the musician.
He makes the argument though that drill is not necessarily a cause of violence.
Cillian rapping it up with two of his pals.
“My friends that I am involved with, they see me and it doesn’t make them want to be more violent.”
There is also a case to be made that for those living in parts of London which are blighted by violence, a career in music, regardless of genre, can be a ticket away from a life of crime.
“Sometimes music is the only way,” says Cillian.
On a lighter note, the Islington teenager reveals what it is that has made him stand out from the crowd when it comes to London rap.
“It’s more the fact that I’m ginger. If I go back to my first release, someone sent me a page where it said ‘Who let Ed Sheeran rap again’. I thought I was going to be made a mockery of but then I looked in the comments section and everyone was supporting me. It has been very hard due to my appearance but then again, without it I would not be where I am today.”
The trad roots of his parents and his own musical journey stand in very obvious contrast to one another. But what is also clear is that like his mother, father, uncles, aunts and cousins, Cillian is a talent. And as he matures he says he intends to explore different musical styles and maybe even become a force for positive change.
“In some of my songs I rap about other things, for example I have songs talking about gentrification. And of course it would be great to make a change some day.”
For now Cillian plans to keep recording and says he is working on a ‘mix tape’ of seven or eight songs which he hopes to release in the near future. He also has his eye on bringing his unique musical stylings to Ireland.
“I’m trying to get over as soon as possible. There is an up and coming drill scene and I would love to get over and work with some artists,” he adds.
You can listen to Cillian’s music, including his latest release ‘Gauze’, on Spotify today.
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