Lewisham Lyricists

British-Irish dual national and Lewisham resident Emma Warren has been documenting grassroots music and culture for decades. She is the author of Dance Your Way Home (Faber, 2023), Make Some Space, and Steam Down: Or How Things Begin which told the story of the Deptford jazz jam. Her pamphlet, Document Your Culture, has become a cult read for renegade archivists worldwide. Hosting a radio show on WWFM for six years, she also has a background in youth work.

Quietly redrawing the lines between genre and style, Anja Ngozi is a producer, DJ, soundtrack composer and visual artist.

Operating away from the centre, the south east Londoner has built a reputation with her own productions and DJ sets. Following a catalog of praised independent releases, she has brought her uniquely eclectic and intuitive sonics to soundtracks for Tate Modern, ICA, The Couch (Het Hem), V&A and more.

Her sought-after DJ sets move at her own freethinking pace, whether she’s exploring noise, ambient or high-tempo footwork. The same is true, doubled, for her club nights and collaborations through the collective she leads, Síbín.

Over the past few years, she’s made a notable impression with her work and aesthetic, (often including elements of youth or community work) and establishing herself artistically with a list of collaborators. These include creatives such as Tirzah, Puma Blue, Fatima, Wu-Lu & Maiya Blaney.

Cecil b is a poet rapper and musician from deptford. A proud lewisham native his work explores class, London, mental health, politics, love and more. Collaborating with a number of fellow lewisham residents his work spans over ten years, and multiple genres with heavy influences from garage, punk poetry and UK hip hop.

Belinda Zhawi (b. Zimbabwe) is a literary & sound artist based in London & Marseille, author of Small Inheritances (ignitionpress, 2018), & experiments with sound/text performance as MA.MOYO. She heavily collaborates with musicians in the ever growing South East London jazz and beat-making scene – mainly with harpist Marysia Osu. Her literary & sound works have been featured on various platforms including The White Review, Vogue, NTS, Boiler Room & BBC Radio. She’s held residencies with Triangle-Asterides, France; Cove Park, Scotland; Serpentine Galleries and ICA London. She was a Brixton House Associate Artist 2022 – 24 and is the co-founder of literary arts platform, BORN::FREE. Her debut album was be released on AD93 Records in November 2024.

No Hats No Hoods Records is one of Grime’s best loved labels with a strong connection to Lewisham through their work developing local talent. They have released Grime classics such as The Square – Lewisham Mcdees, Elf Kid – Golden Boy and Tempa T – Next Hype.

Born in South-East London to Muslim Sierra Leonean parents, Imran Sesay is an experimental filmmaker and visual artist.

Arinola is a producer of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage, born and bred in North West London. She is an accomplished music and vocal producer, singer/songwriter and pianist. With over 1 million views across her TikTok account (@thearinola4), taking inspiration from Missy Elliot, Emeli Sande and Mariah Carey, Arinola has metamorphosed her compositions and demos into brand deals and projects, creating sound beds for Doc Martens, Nike, Native Instruments, GRM Daily, Converse, Adidas and the BBC.

Blakie is a high-octane MC and music producer from Lewisham. Having MC’d alongside the likes of Novelist and Elf Kid in the pioneering grime crew The Square since 2015, Blakie is now receiving acclaim a solo artist, with his 2018 single ‘Jump’ achieving mainstream radio play and a host of notable cosigns. He also received production credit on Skepta’s Mercury award winning album Konnichiwa for production of hard hitting tune Crime Riddim, and has performed all over the world at events such as Bestival, Eskimo Dance, Rio 2016 and SXSW in Texas. He has also started to pursue an acting career alongside music, having starred in the likes of Eastenders and Top Boy. His highly anticipated upcoming project ‘Bare Energy EP’ features influences from Dancehall, Grime, Garage, Bassline and more.