Loki (Scottish rapper)

Darren McGarvey better known by the stage name Loki is a Scottish rapper and hip hop recording artist, who has made regular media appearances as a social commentator.

He has been seen as a champion of working class values, emphasising community, social responsibility, and self-actualisation. He came to greater prominence during the days surrounding the Scottish independence referendum, 2014.

He was brought up in Pollok on the south side of Glasgow. He wrote and presented 8 programs for BBC Radio Scotland between 2004 and 2006. In these programs he looked at what might be the root causes of anti-social behaviour and social deprivation. He worked with the youth organisation Volition and took on a role where he was teaching young people to rap. In 2012 the PowerRap competition for schools culminated in a workshop with Loki, encouraging young people to explore important issues through music and language.

He went on to study journalism at Glasgow Clyde College.

He was part of the Poverty Truth Commission that was hosted in Glasgow in 2009. In 2015 he began a trial six-month period as rapper-in-residence with the Violence Reduction Unit.

Loki appears in the socio-economic documentary The Divide; released April 2016. He discussed his troubles with alcoholism and its impact on his life.

Discography

Government Issue Music Protest (GIMP) (2014), a science-fiction concept album with significant contributions from singer-songwriter Becci Wallace which enjoyed some critical acclaim.

External links

• Loki the Scottish Rapper