AS hip-hop in the US suffers through the era of mumble rap, we can be thankful that UK artists continue to remind us how great rap music can actually be for us this side of the Atlantic.
And thankfully, for those Carlisle-born, it doesn't get more real than Carlisle-based rapper, Lil Sago (aka KJ), who's been bringing the sounds of the 'Great Border City' to the forefront over the past four years; incisive in its storytelling of life growing up in Carlisle.
"It's something that has kept me going, and now I've got young lads speaking to me talking about how they're depressed and my music is helping them, so that's better than money really," he said.
The rapper counts as his influences everything from the Arctic Monkeys to Skepta, and has also cited the G.O.A.Ts such as 2pac and Drake.
Lil Sago, who is looking to take his Carlisle sounds to Cyprus, prides himself on making positive music that makes you want to rewind and bop.
"Throughout my life, if I've ever had an issue with something or someone, all I've done is make a song; the pain in my life has brought me to this position. Pain has brought me success because I've taken back the energy and made something positive," he said.
Lil Sago said it's not always been easy growing up in Carlisle, though he now expresses those lived stories through his music.
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He said: "My friend, who passed a couple of years ago (Ryan Kirkpatrick) came as a shock because he was such a person.
"A lot of people hate on me because I'm doing music, I feel like they get a bit jealous because they're not doing what they want to. But Ryan was always positive about it, giving me ideas, such a nice guy," he said.
The Carlisle United fan is certainly soaring to the top, as his latest track 'Manifestation' has reached over 30,000 views within six days of being on Youtube - with his main aim to build a Carlisle scene using the '#CAONTHEMAP' tagline to grow his reach.
The song will be released on July 1 on Spotify.
The '#CAONTHEMAP' is certainly growing, and Lil Sago gives a shout out to the likes of Crossfire, Koobz, C Wavey and North Sound Productions for helping grow the stature of the region in the UK's hip-hop scene.
You can keep up-to-date with all things Sago via @lilsxgo.
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