Kevin Smith (born 1995), known professionally as Kojaque , is an Irish

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

from

Cabra, Dublin Cabra () is an inner suburb on the northside of Dublin city in Ireland. It is approximately northwest of the city centre, in the administrative area of Dublin City Council. It was commonly known as Cabragh until the early 20th century. Large ...

. He is also a visual artist and filmmaker.

Early life

Smith grew up in

. His parents were originally from

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

. His father died when he was a child. He has three brothers, all of whom are also musicians. He attended

St Declan's College St Declan's College is an all-boys, Catholic secondary school located in Cabra West, Dublin, Ireland. It was originally established by The Christian Brothers in 1960 with an initial enrollment of 75. It is now a public (state-funded) school ...

. He studied

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological University Dublin, as TU Dublin City Campus. The insti ...

and in 2017 received the RHA Student Graduate Award.

Career

Kojaque released his first single, Midnight Flower, in 2015. The music video for the song received media attention, as it featured the artist holding his breath underwater for three minutes while rapping the track. The mixtape attached to the single, Sunday Roast, was released in 2016. Kojaque released ''Deli Daydreams'', a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

about the life of a deli worker, in 2018. It was nominated for the

Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to music from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. ...

. In 2021, Kojaque released ''Town's Dead''. The album deals with themes of heartbreak, his late father's death, gentrification and the Irish housing crisis - with the events of a love triangle that culminates on New Year's Eve woven throughout. For the week ending 2 July 2021, it was the best-selling album on vinyl in Ireland. It was nominated for the

. On 27 October 2023, Kojaque released the album ''Phantom of the Afters''. Collaborations include

Biig Piig Jessica Smyth, known by the stage name Biig Piig, is an Irish singer and rapper, who lived in Spain before settling in West London. She performs in English and Spanish and was signed to RCA before moving to parent company Sony Music. Starting ...

Wiki A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...

, Charlotte Dos Santos and Gotts Street Park. The album traces blurred outlines of childhood trauma, depression, grief and love, interweaving the physical and emotional journey of central character Jackie Dandelion with bigger questions about immigrant identity, homesickness, cultural stereotypes and ultimately the reconciliation of self. It became his third album to be nominated for the Choice Music Prize.

Discography

Albums * ''Town's Dead'' (2021) * ''Phantom of the Afters'' (2023) EPs *''Deli Daydreams'' (2018) *''Green Diesel'' with Luka Palm (2019)

References

External links

Official websiteKojaque on SoundcloudKojaque on YouTubeKojaque on Bandcamp
{{Authority control 1995 births 21st-century Irish musicians 21st-century rappers Living people Musicians from Dublin (city) Irish male rappers Alumni of Dublin Institute of Technology People from Cabra, Dublin