During lockdown 2020, creative projects were a way to take your mind off the situation and turn a waste of time into a productive activity.

As for Darren (DG32) he wanted to pursue his passion for music and created lyrical content relevant to many of the criminal issues within the community. His release – Trapped, uses the slang term ‘trap’ as both a reference to the street drug trade and a metaphor for the difficulty of removing one from such a situation.

Currently studying at Gorse Hill Studios, as a part of the Alternative Creative Education program. After researching the statistics on relevant issues, such as; knife crime consistency, drug misuse on the streets, gang violence and other topics, DG was determined to create the piece of content to share his point of view on the severity of criminal issues and to help create an understanding, from a first-person perspective, of the impact in the community.

Being a young person from a similar background, his lyrics show the contrast between the minds of those who are ‘trapped’ in this cycle of criminal activity and the people who then must face the consequences. DG has spoken on the meaning behind some of the lyrical content, giving an idea of the context behind the song.

‘I focused on common issues such as the process of county lines, explaining in the song that “out on the roads” is anything but ‘fun,’ and how my mum is on the phone, referring to the conversation as “where’s her son?” I thought about how the ‘streets’ have included me as a part of their team and have shown more care to me than many other groups of people. I understand that their intention may not have been in my favour, however, at the time, I felt as if I had no one else. I say in the song, ‘all it is now is me and my team’ to show that there was once some sort of association with a different group of people (my family) whereas now, it’s just myself and those part of the ‘team.’

I go on to say how ‘I wish life is a dream,’ along with ‘late nights got me ‘shouting to the fiends.’ I have used the word ‘wish’ to create an image of how strongly I feel about not wanting to be a part of the activity. As the ‘late nights’ are what is making me do these things, I have used the word ‘dream’ to refer to what I wish it was instead. I also say, ‘I be on top with all of my G’s,’ meaning that I have the upper hand with my G’s (my team) as opposed to before when I was on my own.

I believe that this is a reason why so much of the young population feel the need to engage in this criminal activity, as it makes us feel powerful and that there is another ‘better’ way of life. I go on to say that I’m ‘living lavish, life so sweet,’ showing the benefit of being apart of such a group, also backing up my previous statement.

Finally, the last line of the last verse concludes the meaning of the song and the main reason I made it. I state that I am ‘stuck in these streets,’ as I can not see myself going back to my prior lifestyle, and ‘that’s why they call it trap.’ This is a metaphor, using the word ‘trap’ to show not just the lifestyle of one in this situation, but how it takes over your mind until you no longer want to go back.

I have written this piece to emphasize the meaning and context of the song, giving insight into the minds of those who take part in this cycle of criminal activity, for a related audience that may not have the understanding of why the young population take part in the criminal activity they do.’

Watch DG – Trapped (Official Music Video) The track is available to stream on Spotify or Soundcloud, along with a music video on YouTube.