RAP ATTACK We are young people, separated in many ways. Separated by petty things, differing views and perspectives. But joined together by the fact we are all students at Broomfield School in Enfield. Joined together through Exposure to raise issues & ask questions about society. Give us a voice and we will talk. That’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve tackled issues surrounding the media, music, film and dance, looking into self-image, even politics and youth unemployment. Me, myself, I’m a 16 year old rapper from Enfield. Name: Ackers. I’ve been rapping since the age of 12 and I’ve jumped from rap to poetry, poetry to rap many a time. For years I had my head stuck in a dictionary, finding words that were well higher than my age. I try to differentiate from the norms of gangsta rappers. I’m not a hipster. I’ve stuck to my roots, growing up in an area that was
Ethan Ackley not the nicest place. I realise that in modern society many people follow one another, especially in the music industry. Summer 2011, when the Tottenham riots broke out, a few people were there, making a statement, expressing their frustration and trying to get their own point across. But hundreds of people just went out on the rob, destroying people’s homes and businesses. To me, this reflected the urban music scene in North London. I witness people trying to break the mould, be different and get nowhere, because people have restricted the way they think and what they listen to. UK Hip-Hop now isn’t any different from American HipHop. At least in what people talk about. There are a minority who differentiate from generic gangsta rappers, but as a whole people are making the same music, just with slightly different voices.
“Give us a voice and we will talk ... I’ve jumped from rap to poetry, poetry to rap” Me, myself - I listen to somebody real to their roots, being their own person. I hear people ranting and raving about Rick Ross or Drake, listening and believing their lyrics. They both talk about selling drugs and hustling, but neither did them - one was a prison guard, the other an actor. Why should we restrict what we want to say as musicians by following trends? Me, myself, I’ll be out there, being true to myself, telling my stories the way I see them, battling other rappers with my weapons. My Own Words!
Ackers at a rap battle in Enfield