LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington-area middle schoolers spent this past week sharpening their skills on the microphone as they collaborated to create an original song at the Bridge the Gap Hip-Hop Camp.
What You Need To Know
- Weeklong hip-hop camp was open to middle schoolers
- Participants collaborated to write and record original hip-hop song
- Presented by ONE Lexington, which has a mission to reduce youth gun violence
- Local DJ and producer J.K. Wyche (JK-47) assisted in recording the song
The children spent about three hours a day at the camp, which was offered by ONE Lexington in partnership with the Lexington Public Library, and on Friday, erupted with excitement when DJ and producer J.K. Wyche, also known as JK-47, played the song in the back room of the library’s Northside Branch on Russell Cave Road.
The mission of ONE Lexington is to coordinate, leverage and mobilize city government and community resources to reduce gun violence in Lexington neighborhoods.
ONE Lexington director and hip-hop artist Devine Carama said gun violence reduction starts with prevention and the camp is an opportunity to teach it to the children while they are young, give them options and support their passions while educating them about the history of hip-hop and how it can have a positive influence on the community.
“All those different sounds, the auto tune and all that stuff that you all didn’t hear yesterday, that is what a producer, a DJ and an engineer do,” Carama told the group after the song was played. “It's called post production. When we go in there and rap in a booth, that's only half of it. You see how much better he made it sound? That song could be played on the radio.”
“I like rapping because I can say how I feel,” said sixth-grader Ciyur W., who contributed heavily to the song’s lyrics and was a featured rapper. I can say what has happened, or what I'm thinking about.”
The children also learned about the anatomy of a hip-hop song and got a glimpse of the technical aspect of producing music.