AN artist has landed himself a reputation he could only have dreamed of back when he was a child - and believes that stars like Eminem may have even seen his work.

Craig Dyer, from Wath, has managed to beat the odds to build himself a following in the art world, finding a niche in underground hip-hop album cover design.

This passion is nothing new though, as even when studying at Wath Comprehensive he would be painting non-stop and his designs were ‘hung up in the corridors’ across the school.

“It’s just something I’ve always done to be honest,” the 41-year-old told the Chronicle.

“I was always the ‘art guy’ at school - I’ve also always been into music and films, so I would paint things inspired by that while at school.

“Then just before Covid there was a resurgence in the type of music I like - hip-hop tracks were coming back to this authentic 1990s-type sound on the underground scene in America.

“So I was getting back into that again and it inspired me to start painting the musicians I was listening to.

“A couple of musicians saw my work on Instagram and it was just as simple as that - a musician called Westside Gunn was signed to Eminem at the time and asked for one of my paintings.

“I sent it on and he put it on his story - it just kind of snowballed from there and people were asking me for covers.

“As long as I like their music - I’ve got to like their music, I won’t just work with anyone - then I’ll do it.”

Now, years later, with more than 130 projects under his belt, he’s taken on a leading role in the world of music he loves - though he admits that it’s still thrilling to see his latest work printed and in his hands.

“It’s still strange now,” he added.

“There are vinyls that I’d buy anyway that I’m getting free from the record label because I’ve done the artwork.

“I’ll go on Spotify to listen to music I like and I’ll be mentioned - my name’s been mentioned in about seven songs now.

“One of the songs I’m mentioned in I just went on to listen to the album as normal, I’d not done the cover art or anything.

“I was listening to it on a Friday night and suddenly my name was mentioned - I didn’t even know it was going to happen.

“I’m the go-to guy in the underground scene - nearly every musician wants to at least have one cover from it.

“When I first started I would’ve been happy with just one cover - now it’s just not stopping, I thought people might have got fed up with me by now.

“It’s so weird, you don’t get used to it - it’s next level.”

Yet ‘Craig Dyer the artist’ is something of an alter ego to the Craig Dyer you’re likely to run into in town, as his fame across the pond doesn’t really spread into the communities in and around Wath.

“I kind of forget about it to some degree, because not many of my friends around here and not many people around here at all follow the hip-hop scene in America.

“I just go about my normal life and forget about it until something happens when a cover comes out on a Friday.

“The biggest thing for me was probably that first Westside Gunn painting - knowing someone who’s signed to Eminem has asked for a painting is amazing.

“Let’s be honest, if you’re signed to Eminem then Eminem’s probably seen the painting.

“He hasn’t got a clue who I am but he’s probably seen my artwork at some stage.

“It’s just all a bit crazy knowing that someone of that level has seen it.”