Young DJ from Llandudno Junction making it big

Mar 4 2010 by Eva Ketley, North Wales Weekly News

A YOUNG rapper from Llandudno Junction is attracting a large local following.

Gavin Pettifor, 23, and his friend/promoter Paul Lloyd have already set up their own production company C3–Who’s Laughing Now?

Gavin, who is influenced by American rapper Eminem and Dizzee Rascal amongst others, explained how the name of the company came about.

He said: “It’s because whenever I tell people that I rap they start laughing.

“They just see me as this white boy from North Wales, what would I know about rapping?

“But when I do rap people tend to go quiet because then they find out that I can do it.

“I don’t rap about the hood or gangsters or anything like that, I rap about what I know about, everyday things that a 23-year-old gets up to.

“I rap about girls, parties and what goes on around here.”

Gavin is determined to achieve his dream of making it in the highly competitive world of rap.

“At the moment I’m rapping to other people’s beats but I’ll soon be going to a recording studio to make my own,” said Gavin, who is also a firefighter based in Conwy.

For a time, Gavin, also known as DJ Gavner, worked in New York city and California as a football coach and his music went down well with even hardcore US hip hop fans.

He said: “Again they laughed when I told these young guys that I rapped, but I handed some tapes around and they came back asking for more.

“I’ve got three albums out now and I’ll soon be working on my fourth at the Orange Sounds Studios in Penmaenmawr.”

Recently, Gavin held a sell-out gig at the Labour Club in Llandudno Junction. He said: “It was a great night, although I get nervous before I go on stage, when I perform my alter ego takes over.

“I’ve got a range of T-shirts called C3 out and nearly 300 have already sold.

“I’m hoping to get on a digital TV channel called Channel V, that’s where a lot of new talent is discovered.

“If I do make it I want to represent North Wales, I want to put it on the map.

“All the C3 posse are proud of where we come from.

“I want to thank everyone for their support, one of my biggest thrills so far was hearing one of my tunes as a ring tone on someone’s phone outside Lidl!”

mari.jones