Robert Byrne (born 15 April 1987 in Tallaght, Dublin), better known by his stage name Nucentz, also known as Nu-Centz or Nuie, is an Irish rapper. In May 2011, Nucentz won Ireland's First Rap Superstar Competition to collaborate with world-wide hip-hop star Lupe Fiasco.
Nucentz was born and raised in the area of Tallaght , Dublin. At age 12, he began penning his own rap tunes under the alias Nu-centz, a name he once joked that was given to him by his mother. He was a regular guest on 2FM's Friday night Hiphop show "The Big Smoke".
At age 15, Nucentz and fellow emcee Rawsoul, set up the group Hot Property. The group were also affiliated with Irish rapper Filthy Rich and Dublin singer-songwriter Paul Donnelly. Over the next few years, Hot Property performed in several gigs across the country, and gained recognition for their controversial live sets. Nucentz and Rawsoul's Hot Property album was released in 2010 and featured popular page 3 model Claire Tully on the front and back cover.
Nucentz performed his first gig at 15 in the renowned Temple Bar Music Centre (now The Button Factory). Since then, he has performed in every major Dublin venue, including the O2. Nucentz has also supported Public Enemy, D12, Asher Roth, Styles P, Skinnyman, Royce da 5'9", Plan B and several other successful hip-hop acts in concert
In 2010, Nucentz appeared in two of the successful Da Fighting Irish Rap Battle League (D.F.I) events, winning both of his battles. Nucentz also featured on the DFI compilation mix-tape with his track "Win or Lose
In April 2011, Nucentz won Ireland's First Rap Superstar competition, securing more than half of the 67,000 votes. The competition was launched by popular Dublin radio station Spin 1038, who teamed up with worldwide rap star Lupe Fiasco in a search to find Ireland's best hip-hop talent. Lupe Fiasco informed the entrants "if you bring a nice record, we'll narrow it down to three, we'll pick the best one and I'll do a verse on it". The search began on March 7, with hundreds of entrants short-listed and eventually narrowed down to three finalists by Lupe and David Miller, Vice President of Atlantic Records.The three final tracks were subsequently put forth for a public vote. Nucentz' winning track, entitled "Had Enough", was produced by Jamie Mc Peake, and features vocals from recently signed Irish R&B singer Gabriella Marsella and musician Barry Moore. The original track was featured on Nucentz and Terawrizt's 2011 collaborative mixtape Sense the Terror 2. In January 2012, Had Enough debuted on Irish National Radio to much success. The popular radio single received ongoing air time and was play-listed on a host of top national radio stations.
Described by Ireland's biggest music website as "one of the standard bearers of hiphop in this country", Nucentz is also recognised for his easy-to-relate to lyrics, humorous punchlines, and ability to deliver a variety of styles and subject matters. Nucentz is currently working on a long awaited solo album Tryin' 2 Build a Life on Curse Words, set for release this October. The album is set to feature prominent artists from both Europe and America.
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