A NEW artist has joined the latest series of BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK after Afro-Trap MC Micaah pulled out of the competition.

After a year of personal upheaval, coming off the streets and out of homelessness, Hackney-raised Micahh was struggling to memorise his bars and decided to leave the show ahead of a rap battle with Kent MC Zones.

Reflecting on his homelessness in the first episode of series two, Micahh said: “I’m on the street, I had to walk around stay outside 24/7, go into train stations, just so I could be in shelter.”

He added: “Creatively it messed me up because I couldn’t have any energy to do music or to write.”

Before returning to Birmingham to stay in a luxury penthouse for the competition, Micahh had spent time living in hostels in the city. He said his memory had been affected by his experiences.

Hosted by BBC 1Xtra’s DJ Target, and rap duo Krept and Konan, The Rap Game UK sees six rising UK MCs travel to Birmingham to get a masterclass in rap, mentored by some of the biggest names in the business.

The MC who is crowned winner of the competition will be offered a record deal with Krept and Konan’s label, Play Dirty.

Speaking about Micahh after he placed sixth following the first round of challenges, DJ Target expressed concern.

Micahh’s departure has meant a space opened up for D Live to join, giving him a chance to impress the judges and the show’s audience.

D Live is no stranger to the limelight – in 2018 he dropped two videos which went viral, a remix of Boy Better Know and his song Bajan Boy and caught the attention of labels. But when a signing never happened, he almost gave up music completely.

The MC who says music is everything to him, couldn’t stay away from the game for too long, and now his hopes at reviving his career and taking it to the next level could all rest on how he fares on The Rap Game UK.

“I watched the first series and it was positive. I enjoyed watching it and I really wanted the opportunity to get on. I’m excited,” he said.

D Live, who experiments with different genres and is influenced by his Bajan heritage, describes his sounds as “kind of unique”. “I don’t like to fit in any one genre. I like to jump in and out and mix genres together to make my own stuff. I like to put a Caribbean influence into a lot of styles.”

Season two of The Rap Game UK airs Thursdays at 7pm on BBC Three via iplayer.