The Voice of the Voiceless
New music project helps ex-offenders use rap music as a force for social change
Conscious Frontiers has loved setting up initial press and broadcast features for a brilliant collaborative music project between crime prevention charity Key4Life and Columbia Records/Sony Music, using rap music as a force for social change and to prevent crime.
The Key4Life Volume 1 EP, produced by Fred again (BRITs Producer of the Year 2020) and Jevon – plus overseen by DJ Semtex (Sony’s Director of Artist Development) – is helping nine ex-offenders share their stories through rap, unlock the therapeutic power of music, and deter other young people from a life of crime.
This feature in the i newspaper yesterday gives the lowdown on this inspirational project and shares sample lyrics from a couple of the EP’s tracks, illustrating the young men’s stories:
And this piece on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, recorded in a studio at Sony Music’s London offices, shares the powerful turnaround stories of two of the Key4Life rappers involved, Liam and Shaq, alongside live excerpts from tracks, plus interviews with DJ Semtex and Eva Hamilton, CEO of Key4Life. Semtex expresses the importance of giving a “voice to the voiceless”, and Liam urges corporations to give more jobs to ex-offenders, leaving them a powerful message: “If you’re not part of the solution then you’re part of the problem.”
“Know How It Goes (feat. Jevon)” is out on 3 September. “Let It Go” is released on 17 September. The Key4Life Vol.1 EP is out on 1 October. For more information about Key4Life, visit: www.key4life.org.uk