By Carmen Anderson
Grime rapper Fekky’s recent visit to Gibraltar was his first, a supposedly exploratory trip. Instead, he told Gibraltar Magazine, it sparked off a fresh inspiration, a vision for Gibraltar, the possibility to make it a luxury music venue, offering many genres of music across the rock: “You have so much to offer a musician like me,” he observed.
Fekky had travelled from London, a city in the throes of dealing with the deadliest pandemic in a century. And yet the real fear for many South Londoners is the wildfire spread of knife crime; the victims, more often than not, young people. For the grime MC and hugely successful rapper, South London isn’t just home, it’s his inspiration, not just for hard-hitting lyrics, but for what he aims to achieve for young people experiencing the harshness of inner-city life as he did.
“I was sold on Gibraltar!”
“I had never considered Gibraltar before,” Fekky explained, “but a lady who supports my work at CC Foundation suggested I explore Gibraltar.” This lady was a military mum with links to The Rock. Fekky was introduced to Michael Sanchez who welcomed him with typical Gibraltarian hospitality, showed him the sights, introduced him to people and taught him the history. “I was sold on Gibraltar!” was his verdict.
Music was Fekky’s pathway to success. As a South Londoner, grime, hip hop, and rap comes to him as second nature, a passion, his personal “freedom of expression”. Focusing on making music changed his life, he explained, saying: “Lyric writing is an art form where we can tell our story and free our emotions.”
But it takes more than love of music and a knack of writing powerful lyrics to achieve success in the tough music business. To achieve his dream Fekky had to become a skilled self-publicist and his talent was quickly recognised by the urban music world with the likes of GRM Daily, SBTV and Pac Man TV. “I am not 100% sure mainstream media are fully accepting of grime,” he commented.
Fekky’s tenacity and drive as a rap artist, as well as his difficult experiences as a young man growing up in a tough city, propelled him into charity work. His charity, CC Foundation, is aimed at supporting black talent within music and the arts. Fekky openly admits that he has made mistakes in life which cannot be changed, but he is committed to inspiring the next generation and supporting them so that they can avoid these mistakes. His ethos is that “in building strong foundations in children and young adults, we will build better people.” To Fekky, making social change is now more important than ever, especially with knife crimes in London at epic proportions. CC Foundation is Fekky’s way of building “foundations for the future” and of generating social change.
Also accomplished in business, Fekky has partnered with brands such as Barclay’s Bank and Experian to teach young adults about credit score; “If you cannot manage money, you cannot manage a business” he pointed out. He would like to think that his fame as an urban artist will impact young minds and is attempting to provide a positive influence to young people; fortunate to have parents who taught him work ethics, he understands that not every child has strong role models. Becoming a father was life changing and he said, “CC Foundation is based on my parenting and my parents, sharing the passion to build strong people.”
With a deep concern for environmental issues, Fekky launched his own electric vehicle range called ‘Skrrrtech’. Having an insight into the struggles many young adults in London experience in funding driving lessons as well as his commitment to improve the environment, he adds, “having an electric powered vehicle is cost effective and a green way to get around town.
“Lyric writing is an art form where we can tell our story.”
Fekky loved his stay in Gibraltar, where he had the opportunity of experiencing spectacular views from the top of the rock. He also visited St. Michael’s Cave, immediately recognising it as an opportunity for an exclusive music venue. “I was made to feel very special,” he commented mentioning his welcome at No. 6, and the messages he received via his Instagram from local people, adding that “warmth came from every direction.”
Fekky’s relationship with Gibraltar is only just beginning, we hope, with a number of ideas for projects already being planned.
