The government cuts to youth services, hmm? I know, I've got a great idea! Let's get an accident
and we'll get an ambulance to run over this kid and we'll have his head pouring with blood.
His head will pour with blood, paramedics will come and go "you know what, let's let him bleed to death, slowly."
Yes! Great! Good. Because that's kinda what you're doing really.
I had a meeting with Sadiq the other week, as you do.
I thought I wanna go and see this Mayor of London, you know what I mean.
When he bowled in the room, straight up, he showed me his plan, his evil plan.
He showed me his little, hmmm Sadiq. And it's frightening, because it's all based on art!
He gets it! I was quite impressed thinking that a Mayor of this city, who would usually be against the grain
of the youth's voice, because it's usually the older people overlooking the younger people and saying:
"Hahahah (evil laugh) no way."
And the young people going: "but we just want to express ourselves."
Somewhere in between that, some older people forgot they were young.
Not only did they forget they were young, they never were brought up in street culture
because they were cotton covered in their little private place somewhere away from daddy
because daddy didn't like the noise of them.
That's not always the case but it's 99% and that's where the failing is.
There should be more Parkour, areas for people to paint graffiti, areas for open opera,
more areas for black people to do theatre, more areas for a youth carnival that doesn't get associated with
100 kilos of heroin because it gets stopped by the Metropolitian Police.
We need to have these areas of the arts where people can express themselves, no different from Shakespeare.
Where are the programs for people who want to play cello. You know, you've got to go to private school
because you wanna pick up a guitar. This should be a normal thing for kids in this city.
A lot of people fear the barbarians but we're the barbarians, we always have been.
Those on the street, the ones that filter up, give us all these signs, warning signs and sirens,
of what's going to happen next.
The disdained, the duty, the bad-bwoy dem, roadman, whatever that may be,
by telling you how they really feel.
Now those barbarians are here again, it's grime now; the voice of the UK.
So don't talk to me and tell me art cannot work with the youth,
or putting an instrument into a young child's pocket or hand, giving someone instrumentation
is not gonna help their mental pain. Because most of these people who have grown up in music culture
have always used music to block out the madness.
I don't wanna hear your shit, your noise. You're trying to tell me as a yout how I can live.
You forgot how to be a kid, that's what you forgot.
The establishment would like to make you feel like it's a lesser thing, there's no worth in it,
because they want you to put in numbers.
It's a lesser form of education, right? Okay.
The Louvre, Pyramids, let me get rid of them completely. Erase them from your history, completely.
Beautiful pieces of art, beautiful pieces of sculpture.
The Sistine Chapel, I tell you what, let's just put a roller across the Sistine Chapel.
You're interested in the Louvre because you're walking along these hall ways of art that is over 500 years old.
What about 500 years from now? Are you not interested in documenting now?
Just because you have all the technology in the world we don't need to. Ahh okay.
That's because you become lazy right? You think technology is just about being lazy.
We're still here to document btw, note to self.
Ahhh I know let's just get a selfie instead. Do you wanna get a... (makes a grimace noise)
What about putting your fucking phone down for a minute and doing a bit of art?
What about going into a forest and listening to what the sound is? How about that?
How about going into a yoga room with a mirror, taking all your fucking clothes off in your speedos,
and looking at the real you? See how long that lasts.
This is technology, I understand it, but put it down for a minute. What's your life really full of?
So as far as arts concerned as being the lesser God,
we need to put it into perspective of what art can do mentally for people.
I don't know where I would be without music or art.
I actually feel very lucky, people go "well, you're lucky!" Let's not get it wrong, let's not get Nigga twisted!
Sometimes when it's said by the wrong mouth it could come out the wrong way.
LUCKY!
Yeah, I'm lucky. Two ways of saying lucky there: Opportunity and chance make the luck.
Go out there and get it!