Mental health: NI rappers use their art to deal with grief

Many of the musicians look up to James Ayo, who runs Hotbox Studios.

He admitted losing Woodzy and Rich Smicks was “very hard.”

He said they “had so much passion for music”.

“They used music to talk about what they were going through.”

James Ayo has been trying to offer comfort to the rest of the young community who gather in the studios.

“I’m only one person, I ain’t got all the answers,” he said.

“Sometimes it is very hard, I don’t know how to deal with it.”

He said he had encouraged the musicians to write about their feelings.

“I always try and get them to talk from their heart and what’s going on in their minds and what they’re suffering with,” he said.

“For men, as you know, a lot of guys don’t like to talk sometimes.

“They’ve found this space and this is what they use to get whatever is on their chest out there,” James added.