A 22-year-old Ipswich rapper making waves in the hip hop world has made it to the final six of a battle of the bands, beating more than 300 other acts to reach the final six.

El-Emcee, real name Lloyd Millwood, is the first solo artist to make the shortlist of the Firestone annual talent search, ahead of the grand final in Birmingham on December 14.

The up-and-coming rapper is vying for a prize which includes £1,500 of studio time and £2,000 of Orange Amplification gear, with the competition aimed at helping unsigned artists.

The university undergraduate said: “I have 200 tracks unreleased in a folder and another 300 that I have got out there. They can be about what I am thinking about at a particular moment in time. Usually it is about life and everything that is associated with life.

“It is therapy for me to get all of my thoughts out there and rewarding for me to be able to display them to other people to listen to.”

The Ipswich 22-year-old now needs your votes to make the final three, with voting open here.