A leading figure in the Northern Rap and Grime scene, Chiedu Oraka, aka ‘The Black Yorkshireman’ defies genres with his blend of raw honesty and social poetry. Raised on a North Hull Estate, Oraka’s lyrical abilities create an in-depth memoir of the Northern Black experience. A strong 2023 saw Oraka sign with Marshall’s live booking agency, perform at TGE 2023, headline his first Leeds show and Humber Street Sesh 2023 as well as the preparation of his first UK headline tour this October.

Oraka is one of the founding members of music collective Lockdown, alongside MC/producer, Deezkid and DJ, Joe The Third. Through their independent label ROOM 73 the collective have released a number of hit songs, including ‘Men Behaving Badly’, ‘Flex’ and ‘Darcy’, attracting attention from Sian Anderson and Annie Mac through to Charlie Sloth and Sir Spyro. Oraka’s highest performing single, ‘Darcy’ achieved 3 million+ streams and sat on Spotify's Grime Shutdown for over 300 days (8th longest on playlist), whilst single ‘War Chant’ held up at 8 weeks in Music Week’s Black Music Chart. Oraka remains one of the scene’s most dynamic live performers and continues to set the bar high for Northern talent