Reggie talks new single 'El Paso (365)', working with Fred again.., and why Dundalk will always be home to him • Neu • DIY Magazine

Hailing from Dundalk, Co. Louth, Reggie lights up when talking about home. “I definitely think it’s the best town in Ireland - it’s a very passionate place,” the rapper beams. A border settlement between Dublin and Belfast, Dundalk is steeped in history: from being the birthplace of mythological hero Cú Chulainn to its role in the Irish Republican struggle, it has long been a place defined by promise and defiance - qualities Reggie himself embodies, as he’s grown from a mainstay of the nation’s drill scene to a breakout star who can count Fred again.. as a fan.

Born in Rivers State, Nigeria, he moved to Ireland as a child; now a devoted Dundalk FC supporter, Reggie’s first love had less to do with a microphone than with a football. “I played for Athlone Town in the second division of the Irish League, so I was doing quite well,” he recalls. Music, then, arrived almost by chance. “I was hanging around with some friends - there was a beat playing and they asked if I wanted to try a verse… I guess it worked out.”

At 17, that serendipitous first attempt evolved into debut single ‘Fix My Ring’ - a menacing manifesto for the nascent Irish drill sound, which was just beginning to break from the UK-inspired weight of K-Trap or Headie One. “Especially in Ireland, there wasn’t really any hardcore rap happening,” Reggie reflects. “It was a moment.” As the scene grew - alongside Drogheda’s A94 and Dublin’s 86INK - Reggie began broadening his ambitions, too. “I realised that drill maybe wasn’t the most commercial sound,” he admits. “The people getting festival bookings weren’t the ones wearing masks. I knew I could be more versatile - I wanted something bigger.”

“I realised that drill maybe wasn’t the most commercial sound. I knew I could be more versatile — I wanted something bigger.”

That ambition crystallised with ‘Talk of the Town’, a calmer cut first released in 2022 that celebrates his hometown, but still has plenty of strutting braggadocio thrown in for good measure. “People were stopping me for pictures and I felt like the talk of the town. I was saying: ‘We’re Dundalk, and we’re making noise’.”

This brighter turn eventually caught the eye of Fred again.., whose thumping, house-inflected 2025 remix propelled Reggie onto the global stage. The rapper recalls finding out the good news: “My producer sent me the link and I just tagged Fred with a goat emoji,” he laughs. “A day later Fred texted me asking: ‘what are you doing in November?’” Fast forward a few months, and Reggie is onstage with the dance music giant at a sold-out RDS in Dublin.

It’s a collaboration that has undoubtedly played well into Reggie’s plan of forging a more commercial direction - one that’s in evidence on recent single ‘El Paso (365)’, a lithe house belter rooted in regional lore and featuring local hero David Keenan. “There’s a town on the border of Mexico and America called El Paso,” he explains. “Because we’re near the border with the North, people used to call Dundalk lads ‘Mexicans’.”

Growing up, Reggie adored Keenan’s viral ode ‘El Paso’, which had become an unofficial anthem for their town. “We used to sing it on buses to matches or parties,” he recalls. Bringing Keenan into his own version felt inevitable. “That song’s etched into Dundalk history - I had to pay homage.”

Despite growing recognition, Reggie remains rooted in the place that shaped him. He still lives locally, proudly sports the Dundalk FC jersey, and relishes fans stopping him in the street. “‘El Paso’ was really for my community,” he says. “I just had to give back because of the support they’ve given me.” When asked about global ambitions, he smiles. “Yeah, but Dundalk is the centre of the universe.”

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