Pupils hope to go viral with rap track for school fundraiser
Pupils are hoping to go viral with their latest rap song, which will help fundraise for their school.
The track has been created and professionally recorded at Crown Lane Studio by a group of young artists from Chestnut Park School in St James’s Road, Croydon.
Launched at the school this week, the Easy Beat will be available to download across multiple platforms from Monday, January 27.
Its subtitle, Chestnut Park is in Our Hearts, gives a clue as to the content, a rap devoted to life at the school.
“I wake up each day ready for maths, ready for reading, ready for rap,” sings one of the young artists.
“You’d never be smart if it wasn’t for school,” they continue.
A sample of Easy Beat by Chestnut Park pupils (Credit: Chestnut Park)
The group of students spent the past term working together to create a Rap Club at the school where they will continue to learn about the art form and create new works which will be performed at the end of year carnival.
Kareem Myers, club leader, said: “We are thrilled to share the incredible journey of our students who have taken their love for music to the next level.
“Rap Club is a way for the kids to express their feelings through music.”
One club member and Chestnut Park pupil, Alexandra, said she felt “shy” when she first joined.
She said: “I did not know what to do. I wasn’t getting involved but now I have started to build up my confidence.
“When we went to the recording studio, it was lots of fun and it was a really amazing experience because we were privileged to record the song and the end results turned out in a spectacular way.”
Another pupil, Mia, shared a similar experience.
She said: “I was also very shy just like Alexandra. I have really enjoyed going to the studio to listen to beats, but first we had to set up the wires for recording; the microphones cost one thousand pounds each so we had to be really careful when we were carrying them.
“We had to rehearse our raps lots of times so that it sounded just right.
“John and Chris from the studio helped us and we were very grateful to them for making our dream of recording our raps come true.”
The pupils also recorded a second track, Jamaica, while they were at the studios.
Mr Myers said: “Students embrace rhythm and rhyme to tell their stories and share their voices. The club has also encouraged the children to explore their love of language and reading and, using those skills, have worked together to write an original piece.”
The talented group of Croydon pupils hope their efforts can enjoy similar success to that of The Spark, a viral sensation from a group of children in Ireland.
The Spark, which has racked up millions of views on social media, was created on a shoestring budget by Rhyme Island, a youth rap project based at Kabin Studio, a non-profit in Knocknaheeny, a suburb of Cork, in collaboration with Creative Ireland, a government initiative that funds Cruinniú na nÓg, an annual celebration of youthful creativity.
Pictured top: Chestnut Park pupils at the recording studio for the rap Easy Beat (Picture: Chestnut Park)