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BBC DJ Nihal Arthanayake and comedian Romesh Ranganathan visit Burnt Mill Academy
Posted: 18th August 2017Burnt Mill Academy welcomed radio DJ Nihal Arthanayake and comedian Romesh Ranganathan as part of filming for an upcoming series for Sky Arts.
Produced by independent production company Storyvault, Private Passions will give people in the public eye the opportunity to explore their secret (and not so secret) enthusiasms.
One of the films will feature Nihal and his love for hip hop music, which he developed while studying at Burnt Mill.
"Hip Hop helped me to be proud of being different, to question the world around me, to use my mind as a weapon, and to enjoy music," explained the DJ, who is a presenter for BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio 5Live.
"Every time I open a debate on my radio show I subconsciously think of the politician or community leader as an MC. They have lyrics, I have lyrics, let the battle commence."
As well as explaining to students why hip hop is an important art form, Nihal along with friend and comedian Romesh, staged a rap battle in the playground.
The winner lucky Year 8 pupil Ricardo Ramirez was picked by the pair to get some rapping tips from Nihal's famous friends as well as performing in front of a packed house of 10'000 at Wembley Arena in July.
The programme will be shown on Sky Arts in the Autumn