No Shame! Join Izzy to level up your lyrics & confidence.

Producer: Kirstyn Lindsay

Shifting gears from my usual news coverage I spoke with Izzy from Lion Movement Radio program to hype up the Song-writing and Freestyle Rap Workshop that starts Tuesday July 21.

Born and raised in Penrith on the Dharug nation, Izzy shares that his father’s people are Gomeroi from Gunnedah New South Wales and his mother’s people are from Greece and the Ukraine with Russian and Polish ancestry. With a few years under his belt as a hip-hop artist and youth worker, Izzy says this program will give mob the tools to focus on writing and recording a song in collaboration with the group using freestyle and improvisation skills.

With my own experience as a learner and trainer in community media, I see how shame culture and unsafe learning spaces creates barriers for people to be themselves and explore developing new skills. Working in Aboriginal communities whether remote, regional or urban shows that it is still an issue, so I wanted to ask Izzy how he breaks down barriers on shame culture with his work.

Izzy says he is known for his skill with freestyling, but he doesn’t want that to put anyone off from having a go. From his experience working with young people and mixing that in with hip-hop he says he facilitates spaces for people to feel comfortable and be themselves.

Izzy says it doesn’t matter what level you’re at; everyone has to start somewhere. “You’ve got some freaks out there who grab a footy or whatever, first go and they’re just a natural talent, it does happen,’ he says ‘ but most people have got to work at things and put in work so there shouldn’t be any shame around that.”

Izzy feels inspired to see people come out of their shell and its hip-hop culture and his community that gave him a platform and he enjoys seeing other mob move out of feeling shame or scared and have the courage to say something and better their community. One of Izzy’s passions is to support people to move away from mainstream hip-hop culture and use their own depth and substance to create something unique.

Izzy explains one of his experiences recording where he felt he didn’t make the grade rapping, he persevered and felt the calling to keep going. From this he kept the energy and it’s clear he is comfortable in creating words to create a song with or without music.

In this interview you can hear more on his tips to creating flow using word association to string lyrics together. At one point I didn’t listen and didn’t make the grade on word association but that’s ok, It’s a fun interview. Listen in and you’ll be able to catch where he accepts the challenge of freestyling to encourage mob to sign up and join in on the workshops.

Song-writing and Freestyle Rap Workshop-Write it, Spit It, Own It!

Level up your Lyrics and Confidence.

The workshop is free and runs from July 21 for six weeks every Tuesday 5:30pm-8:30pm.

Where: Kameygal Recording Studio. 27 Hope Street-Home of Gadigal Information Service Redfern.