EXCLUSIVE: Malaki premieres single '46A' with Hot Press

Hot Press is proud to premiere a brand new, exclusive single from rising Irish rapper, Malaki – which can be heard for the first time here today (see below).

The new single, '46A', finds the rapper – known to his parents as Hugh O’Byrne – delivering superb, hard-hitting rhymes that address the complexities of heartbreak in the context of one of South Dublin’s best-known bus routes. Trust us, it all makes sense.

Behind the scenes, producer and right-hand man Matthew Harris – who is integral to the Malaki project – cooks up a finely-tuned, cinematic beat that perfectly matches the lyrics. The track is our first taste of Malaki's highly-anticipated EP Butterfly Boy, which is slated for release on December 10.

Malaki is nothing if not ambitious. Having heard the full EP, what we can for sure is that it promises an impressive richness in terms of both words and music. It may well be seen in retrospect as the moment when a long-term star announces himself.

“What I hope to achieve with this EP, is a coherent body of work that encapsulates sentiments that seemed so psychologically intangible at the time of writing,” he tells Hot Press. "The EP touches on themes of pain, trauma and heartbreak, as well as dysfunctional and functional mental health issues."

That there is a distinctively Irish flavour to the lyrics and the storylines adds to the immediacy of the material on the Butterfly Boy EP.

"The project illuminates the complexity of my relationship with Ireland, which I think is something a lot of Irish people share,” he says. "On good days, it can inspire me; but among those days I can also find myself feeling anger, disbelief and a sense of hopelessness. The making of this EP over the past 5 months, with my producer and brother-in-arms, Matthew Harris, was deeply cathartic and I can’t wait for it to be out there in the world.”

To which we’d add: us too!

Bursting on to the scene at the beginning of the year, Malaki has quickly established a reputation as a special talent on Dublin's burgeoning hip-hop scene. He has gigged widely, in places like The Sugar Club and Whelan's. Now, all of his hard work this year will culminate in a sold-out gig at The Academy 2 on December 14.

Malaki is also the first Irish artist to be confirmed to play The Road to The Great Escape gig, at the beginning of May, in Tramline, Dublin. He has also been confirmed for The Great Escape Festival itself – subtitled The Festival for New Music – which is set to take place in Brighton, England, from Wednesday May 13 to Saturday May 16.

Take a listen to '46A’ now. It'll be available on Spotify from Monday – but you can relish its fine words and beats here first...