A TALENTED rap artist has beaten thousands of acts to the shortlist for a national urban music award.
Derby rapper Eyez is determined to bring home the Mobo Unsung Award and follow in the footsteps of his idols.
The 22-year-old has been singing and rapping for more than a decade but only decided to turn his talents into a career four years ago.
Eyez, of Sinfin, has been selected for a shortlist of 10 unsigned urban acts.
He has seen his online presence soar, collecting 12,500 Twitter followers and creating a YouTube channel.
And he is hoping for success at the finals next month and to take his career to the next level.
He said: "I believe I can win. Everyone in that shortlist is really talented, so it will be hard. But because my genre is grime, I offer something a bit different."
Eyez has lived in Derbyshire since he was eight. He also lived in Brighton and Birmingham.
He has seen his following spread from Derby to the rest of the country and abroad to Germany.
"When I get phone calls from fans from other countries saying they like my music, it really makes me want to carry on," he said.
The young artist has also attracted interest at a corporate level.
He will be releasing a mixtape in October and will follow that up with his first album, Taking Control.
His lyrics – delivered with a mixture of rapping and singing – are based on his life experiences and the environment he grew up in.
Born in London, he has lived most of his life on council estates. Some of Eyez's friends and family have been involved in gangs and he has seen the way they operate.
"I write about a variety of things," he said. "A lot of it is about things in my life that I would like to change and I reflect that in my videos so that people can see that.
"Some of my lyrics are very serious but then I make lots of party music, which is fun."
Eyez will find out next month if he will reach the final three, before an overall winner is announced at the awards ceremony.
