Only Built 4 Claddagh Ringz is a direct nod to Raekwon’s 1995 classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, with the Cuban links replaced by the distinctly Irish Claddagh ring. This record has one foot firmly planted in Ireland, and the other stood on a deep and serious respect for the tradition of hip-hop.

Two excellent rappers who happen to be Irish, and who refuse to give up any part of that identity, there are currently a lot of people claiming an interest in Irish hip-hop due to Kneecap who could do with checking out Beano and Donkobz. Their label Outstraight Records has been on fire, with this being the third record from the label we’ve covered in just over a year. This is a scene worth watching very closely. Producer No Venom is a one man factory with a massive range of moods, tones and tempos that are full of variety and the sonic world this time around is murky and dreamy, built on hazy backdrops and catchy earworm loops that Wu-Tang Clan could have used.

One of hip-hop’s most fundamental and celebrated traditions is to take a larger than life persona and a moniker that’s not your birth name so that you can embody a grander and more reckless scale than ordinary life would ever permit. Compared to some of their labelmates such as Panda Drey and Conkan (both of whom feature on the record and are great when they do), Beano and Donkobz are less focused on speed and dexterity, and more driven by building a character, which is perhaps more difficult to master.

The record is full of threatening violence, over the top bragging, substance abuse, regrettable decisions, and a general fucked mindstate, all delivered with thuggish pride. Toughness is not an alien concept for the Irish nation, and Beano and Donkobz embody classic hip-hop bravado and a distinctly Irish swagger simultaneously.

The record begins feeling like a Beano and Donkobz record, but the guest features accumulate and it feels like a full Outstraight crew celebration by the end. Verb T’s appearance is a highlight with a line about loving Beano and Donkobz that sums up why this whole crew is so affable and fun to spend time with. The album closes with Sweet Chin Music, with a 2-step garage beat proving how far their range extends, and whilst their accents might require you to concentrate the rewards come thick and fast when you do with internal rhymes, scene setting, world building, and loads of jokes.

This is really high level hip-hop, and the Irish references don’t feel like gimmicks precisely because they aren’t. The Oustraight crew are true to Ireland and true to hip-hop. Defiantly rejecting society’s expectations and embracing the role of the outsider, Beano, Donkobz and the Outstraight crew pop back into the studio every few months and produce another dozen bangers, each time sharper and more confident than the last.