
The times where rapping was dismissed as little more than rhythmical speaking have long passed. Thanks to artists such as Nas, Rakim, Q-Tip, and Eminem, even the uninitiated have learned to appreciate rappers for their skillful lyricism, delivery, and production, as well as the creativity they put into their work. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West have taken the torch and become all-around powerhouses in any aspect of rap and hip-hop.
The UK doesn’t lack in its stars, with more coming up and pushing the boundaries, furthering the quality of rap as an art form. Turk N16, a London-based rapper with Turkish roots, is one of them, and he’s already noted for his fresh take on rap, hip-hop, and the music cultures of Turkey. To get to the position of the bright star in his national rap and hip-hop sky, Turk N16 had to take building his rapping skills seriously.
It started with zeroing in on the things he wanted to rap about. A rapper lives or dies by the themes he decides to put in his verses. For a perceptive young person like Turk N16, picking up on the themes he would use in his verses wasn’t at all difficult, and neither was finding the best way to present what’s on his mind to his audience.
As far as his delivery goes, Turk N16 has never been shy about giving praises to the paragons of rap he saw as standard-setters. Artists such as Dizzee Rascal have been a huge influence on Turk N16’s style, even though Turk N16 decided to take what he’s learned from them further and give all his lines a delivery with a unique cadence and flair. For Turk N16, discovery was all about experimenting, and he’d encourage any upcoming stars to try as many different techniques as possible to find what suits them the best.
For production, Turk N16 has relied on his trusted team of producers to help him bring his vision to life. They’ve taught him about beats, adding textures, and experimenting with unusual sounds from different cultures around the world. All of this rounded out Turk N16’s sound with an eclectic note, establishing him as one of the most interesting talents on the scene.
Follow Turk N16 on his Instagram profile.