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Guala goes back to school

8 August 2022
3 Min Read


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This July, Tottenham rapper Guala returned to his former school, Woodside High (previ- ously White Hart Lane), in a bid to inspire young people through music.

Guala (real name William Landazuri) ran two workshops at his alma mater, during which students from years nine and ten learnt about song structure, writing lyrics and how to explore identity through music. Students were also treated to an exclusive premiere of unreleased music as well as a mini performance and Q&A with the rapper.

This comes ahead of LatinoLife in the Park, the UK’s largest Latin festival, set to take place in Finsbury Park this August. As part of LatinoLife’s outreach programme, Guala is delivering workshops in schools across Haringey, Hackney and Enfield in a bid to teach students about Latin music and culture.

Guala is a pioneering artist who fuses hip-hop, reggaetón, grime and Afro-swing. He became the first artist signed to Warner’s UK-based Latin label Candela Records this year. His song, You’re Not There, was the first ever Spanish grime track to be played on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

“Going back to Woodside felt like home,” said Guala of the workshops. “It felt really good to give back to the younger people of the community and to be appreciated.”

Born in Ecuador, Guala and his family relocated to London when he was eight years old. He attended White Hart Lane Secondary School, then Park View Academy and started writing music aged 14. Guala’s passion for music stems from his DJ father, whose record collection ranged from salsa to Afro-swing. Growing up in Tottenham, he was also influenced by the likes of Skepta and Adele.“I started writing because I felt like I had a story to tell,” he said.

Guala ran into trouble during his late teens: “London street culture makes you think that you have to be the baddest, the bully, the strongest,” he said. He was kidnapped aged 18 due to being gang-affiliated; it was a dark moment, but music ultimately helped him to turn his life around.

Now, Guala is using his experiences to help young people. Alongside his career in rap, and his work with LatinoLife, Guala is a behavioural mentor and music teacher at a North London school.“I can relate to a lot of young people who have been through similar life hurdles,” he says. “I went into youth work because I would have loved to have had a youth worker by my side.”

The rapper proved a hit at Woodside High, with year ten student Ryon calling him “inspirational”.

“It was fun to find out that he raps in both English and Spanish. He has an amazing flow and beat,” said Ryon.

The rapper will be taking his workshop to Oakland Secondary School in Hackney and AIM in Enfield this September. LatinoLife in the Park is coming to Finsbury Park on the 20th and 21st of August. For more information visit latinolifeinthepark.com

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