Emerging rappers and listening to everyone

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Katy Wilson is the lead artist for the Wester Hailes Expecting Something group. She is a visual artist and a Starcatchers associate artist. Her residency at Tramway, creating work for early years, generated great interest in the community and a wealth of new and exciting ideas and collaborations between artists.

Katy Wilson writes about the mums’ and babies’ first experience with rap!

One of the girls is really into rap music, so we have been listening to lyrics and thinking about messages we like for ourselves and for our children.

We created our own ridiculous rapper /DJ names* (see giggling  pic below) whilst making mobiles for the babies to hang in our homes. But the names (and the mobiles) unpredictably turned out pretty cool and felt like they had real potential so we are keeping them. DJ Abi Scott (Maria) has even got her first gig lined up for our Baby Disco at WHALE, whilst in the wings Regent Pip, Unknown Sam and Hope Bounty are working on their flow – or lack of it as the case may be for Pip . Luckily an established rapper is going to be joining us for a session soon.

We also have one of the mums in another group dusting off her old guitar. This group is going down a more singer- songwriter track and we have had a couple of musicians in getting the babies dancing, creating new music for them (3 week old Cole has a song made just for him, about him), interacting with instruments and singing the babies to sleep.

I’m also seeing the importance of this space we are creating with Expecting Something, as a place to ‘just be’, a non judgmental, off the record place to breathe, be honest (or just listen) connect and be inspired to make things (when we feel like it).

I have been wondering from chats over the last couple of weeks if the younger you are the less ‘listened to’ you feel?  Maybe, maybe not.. I’m just questioning it. There has been quite a lot of talk from the mums and mums – to- be feeling like their opinions have not been taken on board during their journey so far in motherhood. Everybody needs someone to show empathy, respect and curiosity about how they’re feeling and their experiences, everyone needs their emotions valued- starting from when you are a new baby, you need to feel someone is listening to you.

Some lovely new friendships are being formed but we would still like more people to come along. If you are local to Westerhailes or Lochgelly, under 25 and pregnant or have a baby come and join us or spread the word to other people.