Ego Trip is a name you may have heard of recently. Hailing from Consett, this talented rapper is making waves across the UK scene with his thoughtful approach to rap music whilst keeping his feet firmly on the ground. 

Even with this success, Ego Trip hasn’t grown too big for his boots as his namesake suggests, seeming somewhat overwhelmed by the level of success he is having. He has recently signed a distribution deal with Hip Hop heavyweights Def Jam Records and things are going upwards. When asked about how the Def Jam deal came about he replied, “I had some tracks we were just going to put out for free and my management put it out to some email addresses. Then someone was ringing me up telling me we had a distribution deal with Def Jam. I thought it was all a joke because they are massive.”

A family man at heart, he is currently living in Cardiff recording his debut album with his team supporting him all the way. This is the first time he has had such a support network in place and it’s making a big difference. “It’s like, loads of different ideas flying around and it takes some of the weight off my shoulders if I’m honest. “

When talking about rap music in general, Ego seemed to have certain distaste for the current trend in rap lyrics. His influences range widely from the brass section of the Salvation Army band in which he played in his younger years to more contemporary artists, with Jay-Z being particularly important; “A lot of Jay-Z stuff. He’s not all about the drugs and stuff and it’s kind of the same music. I work with a few singers so it isn’t all bassy drum heavy hip hop and there are some catchy songs in there too.”

It’s great to hear that someone in the hip hop scene isn’t following the trends and trying to be a positive role model for young, up and coming artists. The rap world needs this sort of ambassador to highlight the positive aspects of this artistically rich music.

With his love of rap stemming from an early interest in poetry, the artistic merit of Ego-Trip’s work is right up there with the greats of the genre. It’s fantastic to see someone from our local area making it big in such a competitive field whilst keeping his roots firmly in his home town. Keep your eyes peeled for Ego-Trip’s debut album dropping next year by following him on Twitter at @ThisIsEgo