Rob Kelly on Jay-Z-collaboration + US success

“The first thing that got me noticed was being the only non-American to be selected for a pay-per-view TV event called 16 Bars in which different rappers compete against each other,” the 28-year-old explains. “All of a sudden I was getting MySpace hits from black, Puerto Rican and Irish-American kids who loved my stuff.
“Then I was on my way to Dublin to see Jay-Z in The Point when this guy who used to work with So Solid Crew and is now an in-house producer at Roc-A-Fella, Sniper, rang and said, ‘Memphis Bleek wants to do a song with you.’ I was driving through Gory at this stage and nearly crashed the car!”
A long-time Jay-Z associate, Bleek invited him to U2’s Clarence Hotel where the collaboration was discussed.
“After the Jay-Z gig, I went back to the Clarence where Sleek was buying up the bar and he said, ‘I’m going to e-mail you the song while you’re on your way home’, which he did and I went into the studio the next day and finished it.”
Produced by another of Jay-Z’s trusted lieutenants, 9th Wonder, ‘Bubblin’’ is coming out on a mix-tape called Coffee Shop Bleek.
“The chorus is ‘Bubblin’ in Dublin’, so the rest of the words kind of wrote themselves,” Kelly laughs. “The postscript to all this is that Sniper phones again and says, ‘I’ve been talking about you to Be-hi (Jay-Z’s cousin and ex-manager) and we want you to sign for Swagger,’ which is their new digital distribution company. Be-hi and Jay-Z have shares in it, and Sniper runs it.”
Be-hi and Sniper are also in charge of the Jay-Z Fan Club, which means that everybody on its mailing list will be told about Kelly’s Bragging Rights album when it comes out on November 17.
It’s also receiving a simultaneous physical release here on November 17.
“If someone from Roc-A-Fella can call from fucking 5,000 miles away and show interest, you’d have thought that the Irish industry would be a bit more receptive,” Kelly rues. “There are some great people here who’ve helped me out, but it’s an uphill struggle.”