Pupil hears her rap recorded by the army

A RAP written by a 12-year-old school pupil and inspired by the Windrush generation has been recorded by army musicians.

Leila McPhate, from Larbert High School in Stenhousemuir, wrote The World Is A Dark Place as her entry for Never Such Innocence, an international arts competition to give children and young people a voice on conflict.

McPhate learned at school how people from the Caribbean were invited to help rebuild the UK after the Second World War but frequently faced injustice and discrimination.

After seeing rapper Dave at the Brit Awards, she decided to address the issue with a rap.

The army was among the supporters of the 2019-20 competition and McPhate’s song caught the eye of Lieutenant Colonel Wendy Faux, the army’s head of arts, who led the team behind this year’s three-week “Army@TheVirtualFringe” event.

Faux was so impressed that she arranged for the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra to create a soundtrack for her rap.

McPhate was invited to Redford barracks in Edinburgh, where Colour Sergeant Richard Kerr, Musician Brittany Johnnie and Corporal Scott MacFarlane of the band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland presented her with flowers and a copy of the music on behalf of the army.

She said: “It’s been really wonderful doing this competition.

“This was all such a surprise. It’s amazing, I never thought all this would happen.”

Faux said: “Army@TheVirtualFringe has shone a light on many issues including racism and equality.

“We have also been trying to support young and emerging talent, so working with Leila has been a perfect way to round off the event.”

She added: “The contribution of people from Commonwealth nations in Africa and the Caribbean to the army and to civilian life has been immense but is often overlooked, along with the discrimination so many of them experienced.

“The fact that young people like Leila are determined to use their talents to demand a better world gives real hope for the future.

“We are really proud to have been able to bring her together with some superb professional musicians and create a recording of her rap and will be looking for ways to bring it to a wider audience.”

Read more stories about music on Scottish Field’s culture pages.