How a south of Scotland town influenced a rising rap star
- Published
Bemz has an EP out and is performing in Glasgow later this month
A rising star of rap has said he owes a slice of his success to a south of Scotland town.
Born in Nigeria, Bemz spent his early years in London but moved to Stranraer as a teenager.
Now based in Glasgow, he recently released an EP - Nova's Dad - and is playing at the city's SWG3 later this month.
He told BBC Scotland's The Edit that his years in Galloway had played a part in making him the artist he is today.
Bemz was BBC Radio Scotland's Scottish Act of the Year last year and has played at the TRNSMT festival and toured with The Snuts.
The hip-hop artist said his years in Dumfries and Galloway had been important to his development.
Bemz said the south of Scotland town was the place where his music first developed
"The first thing I guess Stranraer really played a part in for me, especially as a musician, is it gave me time to make all my mistakes," he said.
"If you heard the music I was making back then - it's embarrassing.
"It's so bad that I've essentially like just wiped everything off."
However, he said the town had remained a part of the work he was producing now.
"Stranraer played a lot into the type of person I am today - which obviously that influences how I write," he said.
Bemz said he spent a lot of his time in the town playing rugby, but had since had "too many takeaways" to go back to the sport.
He said that becoming a father recently had also influenced his music.
"Now I've got a daughter, so it's like, right, what do I want my daughter to know about her dad?" he said.
"I talk about my mental well-being over the last two years, with the highs and lows of becoming a dad and becoming a musician as well."
He said he could not believe he had a show coming up in front of a big crowd in Glasgow.
"From being that boy in Stranraer, I never thought I would be in a position where I'm playing a headline show to 500 people," he said.
"It is going to be good, I am really, really looking forward to it - but the nerves are there though."