BEAUMONT ROAD, LEYTON

The Beaumont Road estate is home to many young people who identify themselves with this area of Leyton so completely that, like countless other young people living in highrise estates in urban areas, it becomes more than the place where they live - it becomes their identity.

young people from Beaumont Estate, photo taken from Stana's myspace page. 

Growing up together, children and teenagers become like brothers and whole crews and gangs form out of this sense of shared experience, often filling the place left by broken families. The Beaumont Road estate is known by these kids as "B-Block" or "BASE".

The resonating bass and dark lyrics of grime music are the soundtrack to East London life and MC-ing is a way that many young people from East London (the birthplace of grime music) express their feelings.

One young MC from Beaumont, known as Stana, makes music and writes lyrics about the struggles of his life. One of his tracks, Can you relate, is a deeply moving expression of grief and anger. He talks about the devastation he felt as a child when his parents died, and how he was separated from his siblings. 

Can you relate to my memories of bringing flowers to the cemetery?
It’s f***ed up, I can never sleep, cos I’m stuck with these memories
of my loved ones that rest in peace, and it’s stressing me...
I’ve got memories of my Mum and Dad, listening to Marvin Gaye,
Everything I love always seems to pass away
And so I lost my Faith, I find it hard to pray...

Who will go to these children with the message of hope and eternal life?