‘Rap is expressive, open, honest. It’s storytelling in your own voice. It’s real’ – The Irish Times

When Jamie Ford was invited to the Late Late Toy Show in 2021, it was said that he would be performing with host Ryan Tubridy. That night, the young Cork rap artist, who went by the stage name The King, found out that he and Tubbs would be participating in a version of Ed Sheeran’s “Leave Your Life,” and that’s when his antennae began to tingle.

“Ryan Tubridy was going to sing for the first time. It was an Ed Sheeran song, so I knew it could be Ed. There was a huge response. loved doing it. ”

Forde’s job was to be the publicist for Sheeran’s surprise appearance. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ed Sheeran,” he shouted, and was quite surprised when Ed Sheeran emerged from the wings.

18 months later, Forde showcases his rap talent as part of the Lime Island Project during Kruinniu na Negu during this year’s “Free Creative Activities for Children and Youth” days across the country. and will again attract attention. Saturday.

He is an ambassador of Cruinniú na nÓg and has joined other Lyme Island artists in Rock the Block, a day of music production for under 14s at Elizabeth Fort, off Barrack Street, Cork City. I plan to.

Lyme Island has its roots in Knocknaheney, a suburb north of Cork City near the Apple factory in Hollyhill, which has historically experienced high levels of social deprivation. Here you’ll find Kabin, a studio and community center dedicated to fostering rappers, writers, singers, musicians and podcasters through workshops.

These roots in the city of Cork are a starting point for Cabin and its founder Gary McCarthy, who host hip-hop workshops across Ireland through the GMCBeats initiative. For example, one recent morning, McCarthy and a handful of rappers from Cork were in Athlone for class with a group of 20 sixth graders. Students were encouraged to compose and perform their own raps and express themselves with lyrics that reflected their hopes and anxieties.

“Back in 2012, I was just going to schools and youth groups and starting workshops. McCarthy, who began composing beats for

“Through Music Generation Cork City, I was given the keys to this building. It was literally a metal shack with some abandoned rooms. That’s where they came from. They said, ‘ If you want to start a workshop, let’s start now.” In 2017, we started applying for more funds and grants. [and took things to the next level]”

A cabin was born. “This is a space born out of our love of hip-hop and rap. It is essentially a space for people interested in writing rap. It’s a space for young people inside and outside the community to be creative, make videos, write lyrics, etc. We strive to build a close-knit community, like one big family.”

Thank you for avoiding trouble. I know someone my age who is trying to do worse.it keeps me out of bad territory

— Darren Stewart

For Forde, the cabin was the gateway to a new world. He has used hip-hop as a way of documenting his daily experiences. Later this summer, he will release his new song, “Life in a Wheelchair,” in which he will discuss his own experiences as a wheelchair user with spina bifida. He shares some of his lyrics from his family home in Fairhill.

“People get in my way while I’m trying to get through / What are you talking about, don’t skip the line / If I have to take the bus, will I be turned away?” / People change their minds I need/I’m not Colin Farrell or Brendan Gleeson/So why am I being stared at for no reason?”

“Hardly [wheelchair] Cork’s accessible building,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to do that rap. I recorded it in my cabin. With rap music, you can express your feelings on a page and write them down and turn them into raps. I think kids should do it too.” It’s a very good inspiration for the younger generation.It helps.”

The cabin also helps children navigate straight and narrow trails. “It kept us out of trouble,” says MC Tiny rapper Darren Stewart, who joined his friend Forde in a toy show appearance in 2019. It keeps me out of bad territory. ”

He agrees with Forde’s belief that expressing one’s emotions through rap music can have dramatic effects on one’s mental health. “Kids put things into rap songs that they don’t want to express in dialogue,” he says. “My experience with hip-hop is that it’s very different from other forms of music. It’s very expressive. You can express yourself more through it. It’s a poem I added.”

Hip-hop is also open to everyone, he says. No need to play an instrument. All you need is a voice and a desire to get something out of your chest.

You can rap about anything.I wrote a rap about how I enjoy my life and don’t take it for granted

— Darren Stewart

“Really anyone can do it. You can rap about anything, and I write raps about how I enjoy my life and don’t take it for granted.”

If teenagers and children are hesitant to speak from the heart, rap can be a means of communication, says Stewart. “I’m not saying you can’t say what you think, but if it feels awkward, it’s a great way to express yourself. It’s very helpful just to have it.”

“Personally, I had no interest in hip-hop at all until I joined Cabin,” said a member of Mithreach, a project whose mission is to “explore female empowerment with the goal of inspiring young women.” says Sophie McCarthy.

“I wanted to try. Garry made us rap. I couldn’t rap to save my own life. I thought this was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” I kept coming and [thankfully] Gary helped me improve. It was never about hip-hop, it was about saying what I mean. ”

Rap is a very expressive format…open and honest. it is poetry. it’s a story. I am speaking in rhythm.so real

— Gary McCarthy

McCarthy believes Kabin’s success could be replicated across Ireland.

“It’s not just what Knocknaheeny needs. I think many communities could create spaces where music, creativity and art are the main purposes. There are projects, to be fair, a lot of youth projects do a lot of art and music, Kabin’s main purpose is creativity, it’s run by artists and musicians. is doing its best to give responsibility to young people and involve them in how this place operates and how things happen.”

Lyme Island is a vehicle for getting that message across to the rest of the country and Northern Ireland, and workshops there have been met with a positive response.

“Lyme Island’s commitment is to bring young people from different communities to experience what we do in Kabin. It’s about exposing young people, and showing them their worth.”

It’s great to see children doing creative things. Hip-hop has the added advantage of being very accessible, says McCarthy.

“Sometimes you meet people who become talented rappers without realizing they are good rappers. He’s a good actor and he’s also great on stage.It goes hand in hand with performance in general.Rap is a very expressive format.Whatever you say, it’s your own voice, your own It’s almost like telling a story with an accent.It’s open and honest.It’s poetry.It’s a story.It’s telling a rhythm.It’s very real.”

The Cabin rappers are set to perform at Rock the Block at Elizabeth Fort in Cork this Saturday. Full details of the Cruinniú na nÓg program can be found at: cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie