Young rappers ask Yoko Ono to give their piece a chance
Jun 14 2010 By Dan Hodges
A group of young Fulham friends who recorded an anti-violence rap based on John Lennon's Imagine are hoping to win permission from Yoko Ono to release it as a charity single.
The four 10-year-olds recently went back into a professional studio to lay down their updated lyrics, and the new recording has already been passed on to Yoko by her lawyers, raising hopes that she will give the nod for its release.
The group, VIK – or Very Important Kids - came together when member Tyrone Phelps wrote his own version of Lennon's peace-loving classic after being struck by the shocking killing of 15-year-old Sofyen Belamouadden, the Fulham schoolboy stabbed to death in Victoria station earlier this year.
Tyrone's chorus runs: "Imagine there's no violence, imagine there's no knives, imagine there's just people, living out their lives."
Early, rough recordings helped to spread the message and the project was soon picked up by the Damilola Taylor Trust, set up in memory of 10-year-old Damilola, who lost his life following an attack on his way home from Peckham Library in 2000.
The charity sent VIK to professional recording studio Mission in Kingston, and is now hoping to have clearance to release the record for the 10th anniversary of Damilola's death in November.
Tyrone's mother, Debbie, of Burnthwaite Road, said: "It's a very exciting project. Hopefully if Yoko Ono says yes then their message will come across.
"Almost every day there's a stabbing somewhere – hopefully if we can get our song out there it will get through to their age group, and if we stop two or three stabbings it will be worthwhile. We need to get something like this going so we can say 'enough is enough'."
If Yoko gives the thumbs-up, it will be one of the few times an adaptation of a Lennon song has been given her formal blessing.
Tyrone and fellow rappers Ryan Bovell, Fulham Green and Leonard Herbertson, who are all friends from New Kings Primary School in Fulham, will also perform the track at this year's Spirit of London awards at the Indigo O2.
Richard Taylor, Damilola's father, said: "Dami wrote shortly before his death that he thought it was his destiny to save the world, sadly his destiny was stolen from him but how beautiful a thing when a child like Tyrone can write such poetry in this tenth anniversary year of his death.
"I hope we can count on the great peace campaigner Yoko Ono to grant this request for it to be released here in the UK as a single as I truly believe this song could help us in our quest to solve the madness that has engulfed us all with knife crime."
The group are also backing an anti-knife Facebook petition – to add your name visit facebook.com/countmein
