Rapper Aitch on quitting his job to pursue music full-time

About a year ago Aitch, real name Harrison Armstrong, dropped out of school to start working with his grandfather as a labourer in Manchester.

Today, the 20-year-old is one of the UK’s hottest new rappers, and his growing popularity in Ireland is underlined by two gigs in Dublin in recent months, and a slot on the bill for Longitude next summer.

His undiluted Mancunian accent, laid-back flow and penchant for poppy beats have earned him a legion of fans.

And a who’s who of features (like on ‘Strike A Pose’ by Nottingham duo Young T and Bugsey) have helped put his face — complete with cheeky grin — on the map.

So what was it that made Aitch quit his job and go full-time with the music? “I was embarrassed,” he explains with a wry laugh. “I started getting embarrassed because I was getting bigger and bigger but I was still walking about in a high-vis, all my work gear and my work boots. I was labouring.

“Then I released a video called Straight Rhymez and that blew up. That went crazy. That was like the kick-start to everything. I was some big new artist that had just gone viral on the internet and I was still walking about in my work clothes,” he explains with a sharp chuckle. “It was a bit mad. Then we started getting phone calls off all these different labels and all different people, from London and what not. I decided to leave work and we ended up signing a record deal.”

Next, Aitch dropped a series of tracks in quick succession, culminating in ‘Taste (Make It Shake)’, which went to number two in the UK singles charts. He had begun to pick up momentum. Soon Aitch was featuring on the remix of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Take Me Back To London’ alongside Stormzy and Jaykae.

And in a further twist, he discovered Robbie Williams is a fan, although he says a collaboration with the chart-topper is not on the cards.

“It was mad,” he recalls.

The Robbie Williams thing was funny. It made me laugh. That was sick. I didn’t expect that one at all. I just woke up one morning and saw the video on Instagram.

Aitch (his stage name comes from his first initial) grew up in NewMoston, north-east of Manchester’s centre. He recognises that his thick Mancunian accent is one of his most potent weapons.

“For a lot of people, it’s my accent that stands out. Not for me — I don’t think it’s different but everyone else does.

“Because I am from Manchester a lot of what I do is Manchester-based. You can tell where I am from as soon as you hear my songs. The things I rap about as well — I’m not rapping about what a lot of other people are rapping about. I tend to have my own opinion on things, my own look on things. I’m not afraid to speak my mind.”

Alongside Bugzy Malone and IAMDDB, Aitch is part of a Manchester rap scene that has been percolating for years, but has only recently gained a foothold beyond its home ground.

London still dominates the British landscape but Aitch sees things changing. “For ages it was just London-centric. No one was looking past London until we came through. Now people have started looking at different cities.”

Artists from outside the capital, he says, have to work harder to get noticed. Aitch certainly put the graft in, making regular trips to London to ensure people on the rap circuit would not forget his face. In conversation Aitch is at once relaxed and intense, clearly at ease with his newfound fame and being recognised in the street.

It’s no surprise then that his favourite part of being an artist is getting up on stage, sometimes in front of tens of thousands like at Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball where he supported Stormzy and Harry Styles earlier this month.

“I don’t get nervous,” he says of his pre-concert game-plan. “I stay occupied and keep chatting to people. I stay in the conversation. Being on stage is sick. I love being on stage. That’s my favourite part.”

Some artists on the up would be reluctant to vocalise their wildest dreams. But Aitch is clear. He wants a number one record and a home-coming gig at the Manchester Arena.

“I want to do the MEN,” he declares. “I want a number one album. A number one song. Then we will see where we go from there. Only when that happens will I be fully satisfied.”

Aitch plays Longitude at Marlay Park, Dublin, on July 3-5. Tickets on sale Friday