THE mean streets of New York City are bouncing to the beats and rhymes of a hip-hop record about a small seaside town on the south coast of Britain. Local rappers Sir Mic and Dias have scored an unexpected hit stateside with their track Bournemouth Town.

Sir Mic (real name Darren Linbourn) and Dias (real name Pete Gilliam) wrote the song as an expression of their love of Bournemouth and its vibrant nightlife. With lyrics such as “We live in Britain’s equivalent of California” and “If you want to book a vacation down here, then the best time is August.”

The song Bournemouth Town has received extensive airplay on Hot 97 in New York, the biggest hip-hop radio station in the world.

“It’s a little tune about Bournemouth being played in New York. It’s incredible, as anyone who wants to make it in hip-hop aspires to get played on this radio station,” says Bournemouth rapper Dias.

Sir Mic and Dias also created a homemade music video for the track, which has become an overnight sensation on the website, Youtube.

“We’ve had 5,000 hits on Youtube now in less than two months. It’s a great way to get our message out to a lot of people,” says Sir Mic.

Both in their 20s, the pair grew up in Bournemouth. By day, Sir Mic works as a builder while fellow rapper, Dias, sells mobile phones for a high street chain. The musical collaboration came about through a shared passion for their hometown.

“As long as you know Bournemouth, you’ll get the song. There’s so many different people living here, we wanted to bring everyone together and celebrate. We’re both proud to be from Bournemouth."

“We want to break down the barriers. Rap music doesn’t have to be aggressive. We’re focusing on the positive elements of where you come from and what a nice place it is to live,” says Dias.