Rapper’s delight at giving voice to town’s voiceless
A LLANELLI rapper has put the town’s drug and poverty problems into sharp focus in a song about the town.
Andrew Booth, 32, in the tune Turk Town places the spotlight on the issues of the Tyisha area, where he grew up.
The area is one of the most deprived in Wales and Andrew says it has been taken over by drug dealers and strangers.
Andrew said: “Tyisha is my stomping ground. I just wanted to give an accurate picture for what it’s like in the area and what it’s like growing up and what poverty does for the town.
“Myself and my close friends did not have an easy upbringing.
“A lot of my friends’ parents had drink and drug problems.
“I wanted to touch on social problems and poverty.”
He added: “Some people think I am trying to glorify bad things but I am speaking about the realities of what it’s like.
“I mainly write on what life is like here and the crime that comes from poverty.
“I feel I’m a voice for the voiceless, and represent a lost generation that were let down by society.
“I feel like I speak for kids that grew up with various social issues, homelessness, parents dealing with addiction. My main goals are to inspire the youth to try and make something out of nothing when the environment we come from is filled with hopelessness.
“And to make sure my generation and area I come from is not forgotten about, and heard at the highest levels. “Because we’ve got something to say.” Cash is being injected into the area by the local authority as part of a multi-million-pound project designed to transform Tyisha, including the area called “the four Tys”.
But despite its problems Andrew said being brought up there had shaped his life. He said: “I’m really proud to come from where I come from, because it made me who I am today.
“And even with little to no support, I still want to champion the town and get it the shine it deserves musically because the people deserve it.”
He said he feared the changes planned for the area would not necessarily make it any better as it was not getting to the heart of the problems faced.
Andrew added: “I feel like they are trying to gentrify the area.
“They are going to put money in and knock down the four Tys flats.
“I have heard they are trying to attract working families to the area and it is not going to solve anything.
“They should put in money to help the people here instead of tarting up the buildings.
“Are these board members from the area and do they have our best interests?”
Filming of the video took place on Sunday, November 7, and ended up being released on Friday, November 12.
He said people living outside the area were big fans of the track more than some people living in Llanelli.
Andrew said: “It’s been a mixed reaction. The average listener gave negative criticism on the video.
“Some feel ashamed to be from Llanelli when they look at someone from the Tyisha ward.
“I’m showing people what life is like.” Andrew added: “But I have had good feedback from people who are into hip hop and from people from out of town who think it’s good work.”
Carmarthenshire Council has ambitious plans to regenerate the Tyisha ward and the wider Llanelli town centre area, which is undergoing massive investment.
An early market engagement exercise has been launched which gives potential partners a chance to express their interest in working with the council to transform the area commonly known as “the four Tys”.
The plans include building a mixeduse housing development, as well as improvements to existing homes and the creation of community facilities and green spaces for everyone to enjoy.