Rap and spoken word workshops with Amy True
Project dates: November 2019 - March 2020
To inspire young women in Thanet to find their voices through spoken word and music, in November 2019 the POW! Team commissioned hip-hop artist Amy True to deliver spoken word and rap workshops to local young people.
True’s approach to her music is to deliver a positive message through combining different musical styles from singing to fast-paced gritty lyricism, appealing to younger audiences and Hip Hop fans. True is a socially conscious artist and her work deals with contemporary issues, modern society and everyday life.
photo by Amy True
She has supported acts such as Public Enemy, Mos Def, and Immortal Technique, and collaborated on albums with Akala, Benjamin Zephaniah and Asian Dub Foundation. She released her debut solo album in 2017, entitled ‘Eleven’.
POW! worked with local organisation Pie Factory Music, and educational establishments Hartsdown Academy, The Charles Dickens School and Broadstairs College, to organise the delivery of True’s workshops to 60 young women of Thanet who came away feeling enthused and inspired.
Through exercises in free association, True guided the young women to draw from their own experiences and feelings to generate lyrics.
photo by Amy True
As a successful black woman in the music industry, Amy True provides representation for young women and minorities in an industry dominated by men. Where we see ourselves represented we see potential for ourselves. Through these workshops, Amy True has become an aspirational role model for young female musicians of the future in Thanet.
POW! Thanet has a diverse Community Engagement programme that connects with schools, colleges, universities, and community groups in Thanet and the wider Kent area. Our dedicated Community Engagement team provides workshops, facilitates projects, and supports groups to explore issues regarding women, girls, feminism, equality and wellbeing through creativity. POW! Thanet’s Community Engagement team have worked with 250 children and young people from April to December 2020.
Read about all our Community Engagement projects here.
If you’d like to work with POW! Thanet’s Community Engagement team, please do email engagement@powthanet.com to speak to our Engagement Director, Francesca Alphonso.
