Kidz

Album: Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Kidz" is not to be confused with the far more melodic track of the same name, and to the uninitiated, may appear to be typical hip-hop trash talk littered with gratuitous profanity and violence:

    Break a bottle over some boys head
    Stab a broken piece in to the poor c--t's leg


    Alas, it is actually a song that has both a tragic inspiration and a serious message.

    Damilola Taylor was born at Lagos, Nigeria, and came to Britain in August 2000; his parents, who had met in Britain, had emigrated to seek quality medical treatment for their daughter, Damilola's older sister, who suffered from a severe form of epilepsy. The family were living in South London when on November 27, Damilola left Peckham Library on his way home. Exactly what happened next will probably never be known, but somehow he suffered a severe gash to his left thigh, and bled to death within minutes. He was 10 years old.

    While it's unclear if the death of Damilola Taylor resulted from any sort of malice, he became symbolic of the malaise of gratuitous violence and the knife/gang culture in Britain.
  • Damilola's mother, Gloria, died in 2008 aged 57. In 2011, her widower Richard, Damilola's father, was awarded an OBE for his services to the prevention of youth violence, which includes setting up the Damilola Taylor Trust.
  • In a BBC interview, Plan B said the thought of a 10-year-old boy being killed over a mobile phone - which may or may not have been the case - made him feel sick. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 3

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.