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Ghetts Presents: An Evening of Poetry and Music

The British rap icon, this year’s London Literature Festival co-curator, brings together some of the most exciting names in the London poetry and music scenes.

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Join us for performances from visionary writers and musicians including Yomi Ṣode, Belinda Zhawi, Namesbliss and DC3, followed by conversations and meditations on the lyrics and links to be found in poetry and rap, chaired by Aniefiok Ekpoudom.

Our artists explore the relationship between their forms and the ways each inspires the other. The line-up has been curated by British rap icon and co-curator of this year’s festival, Ghetts.

Born Justin Clarke and raised in East London, Ghetts combines razor-sharp, crystal-clear rhymes with smart humour and creative, intelligent wordplay.

In 2005, he released his debut mixtape, 2000 & Life. Since then he’s gone on to release five further mixtapes and four studio albums. Ghetts’ 2021 album, Conflict of Interest, reached number two on the Official UK Albums Chart, and earned Brit Award, Mercury Music Prize and NME Award nominations; plus DJ Mag Best of British and MOBO Award wins.

His new album On Purpose, With Purpose finds Ghetts expanding his sonic palette and sounding sharper, more unflinchingly honest and boldly confident than ever before. Soon after the release of On Purpose, With Purpose, Ghetts was awarded the inaugural MOBO Pioneer Award.

DC3 is a 17-year-old rapper from Northampton with Zimbabwean roots. After switching from secular rap to Christian music, he is inspiring others with his powerful message of faith. Through his music, DC3 shows that Christian rap can be just as impactful, encouraging people to hear the positive change in his lyrics and his life.

Aniefiok ‘Neef’ Ekpoudom is a writer and storyteller from South London whose work documents community and culture in contemporary Britain. His debut book, Where We Come From: Rap Home and Hope in Modern Britain is a social history of British rap, published by Faber and Faber.

Namesbliss is a Rapper/MC hailing from London known for his lively anthems and mellow thought-provoking cuts. He is recognised as a pioneer in fusing the musical soundscape of neo grime and jazz rap, epitomised by viral hit ‘Iniesta Flow’.

Yomi Ṣode is an award winning Nigerian British writer. His debut collection Manorism, published by Penguin in October 2022 alongside a stage adaptation at the Southbank Centre, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2023 and the TS Eliot Prize 2022. He was shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize 2021 and received the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship in 2019. Ṣode’s acclaimed one-man show COAT toured nationally to sold-out audiences.

Belinda Zhawi is a Zimbabwean literary and sound artist based in south-east London. She is the author of the pamphlet Small Inheritances, and experiments with sound/text performance as MA.MOYO. Her work has been featured on various platforms, including The White Review, NTS, Boiler Room and BBC Radio. She’s held artist residencies with Triangle France, Cove Park, Serpentine Galleries and ICA London. Zhawi is the co-founder of literary arts platform BORN::FREE.

Need to know

Age guidance
For ages 16+
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Stage Sponsor

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Access

This event is Speech-to-Text transcribed (STT).

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For your visit

This event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre

The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.

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Plan your visit

The Queen Elizabeth Hall is home to both our second-largest auditorium and the Purcell Room.

Getting here

Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.

The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues.  More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.

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Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.

Access

We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.

All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.

All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.

Food & drink

From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.

Places to eat and drink whilst you’re here