Ruff sqwad arts foundation

Our Projects & Events

Stay up to date with all of the Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation’s events and projects. Here is some of our latest news!

Lights Up Showcase

In Feb 2023 Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation (RSAF) partnered with Certain Blacks, an East London arts development organisation, to showcase young artists from around the UK at the exciting event - Lights Up. This live youth showcase was held at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green and aimed to nurture diverse artists to help them reach their full potential.

The Full Clip Winternship

The Full Clip Winternship pilot offers an exciting new opportunity for young people to gain valuable knowledge and experience within the screen/stage/music industries.  This program offers paid training and shadowing opportunities with top industry professionals / mentors, including screenwriters, directors, actors, film producers, cinematographers, music producers, and more. The aim of this initiative is for young aspiring creatives to gain tools, knowledge and resources that will help them to take their technical  skills to the next level as well as essential life skills and confidence. 

Mu-School

In August 2022 Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation (RSAF) officially launched a new music project called Mu-School.

Newham Unlocked Festival 2022

As part of Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation’s (RSAF) wider Newham engagement strategy the foundation took part in two incredible events as part of the Newham Unlocked Festival.

A Change For All - Documentary Project (Newham Heritage Month)

In June 2022 as part of Newham Heritage month Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation worked with a group of young creatives in a series of workshops to create a short documentary, music and poems based on their perspectives of living in Newham and their perspective on the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Queen’s Jubilee Celebration Concert

In June 2022 Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation took part in a series of workshops to write and produce music alongside a short film to showcase in a festival in The ‘Knees Up Festival’ in Royal Docks.

Grime Stories Exhibition 

In June 2022 young people from Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation and Co-founders Prince & Ebs featured in an amazing Grime exhibition celebrating grime’s story of Black and working class ingenuity.

The Discuss & Devour podcast is a youth-led initiative where young people get the chance to voice their opinions on a range of different topics and issues which are relevant in today’s current climate. Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation believe that this podcast will play an essential role in giving young people the platform to become agents of positive social change as well as bridging the gap between different cultures, and serve as a key agent in promoting intercultural understanding. We are super excited that The Joe Strummer Foundation funded this pilot and continue supporting Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation and the young people

The Grime Pays X Royal Docks program was a 6 weeks initiative for young people who live in the Royal Docks area , they were provided with advanced talent development sessions which included, beat making, lyric writing, performance skills, software and technical skills, team work, critiquing and career development. The young people explored all facets of the music industry and some Grime Pays graduates were provided with employment opportunities to support the Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation staff throughout the program.

Grime Pays X Royal Docks Advanced Performance Skills Sessions

Grime Pays graduates were provided with the chance to take part in additional performance skills workshops to continue developing their skills as there was a high demand for more opportunities. Alongside these workshops we filmed a music video for one of the tracks which the young people created during the Grime pays x Royal Docks project. All the footage captured was used to provide content for the Royal Docks Cultural strategy Lunch where we were given a platform to speak about the work we do as a charity.

Grime Pays extension

The Covid Pandemic affected the number of applicants which we could accept onto the program, these restrictions plus the demand by the young people for more support led us to provide additional studio sessions for the young people to produce and write music. their own music. We picked the best tracks over the 10 sessions and rewarded the young young people with a music video.

The Arrivals

We collaborated with Beatbox Academy to take part in a theatre show where the local community and young people from Royal Docks and Newham were taken on a visual audio journey through the local streets of the Royal Docks with music, beatboxing, dance and an animated film projection projected onto the iconic Millennium Mills. Grime Pays graduates Style, Mello and Deekay performed alongside the Beatbox Academy in a blistering performance which saw UK Rap and beatboxing merge to create a completely unique hybrid of sonics, creativity and colour.

Fading - Short Film

Fading is a short film which was written by Grime Pays graduates Tofi & Olu Sobodu with the help of Suzi Ewing. Our young people were involved throughout the whole creative process from script writing, set design, acting, producing/writing music, costume designs, filming and editing.

Synopsis: A young up and coming artist's world is turned upside down when a brutal attack leaves her wounded whilst her attacker faces an uphill struggle to redemption.

You Cant Handle The Summer Booth Challenge

In June 2020 we worked with Mc’s, sound engineers and producers who gained experience in recording, performance skills, beats & lyric production, how to generate income from music and the skill of how to self-critique. The young people also planned and recorded an EP as well as filming music videos for marketing tools.

Joe Strummer Foundation Studio Sessions

In 2019 (Summer) Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation and Producer Rowntree worked with 15 young people aged 15-20 – 13 MCs, 1 producer and 1 sound engineer over 10 studio sessions. Advanced talent development elements included beats, lyrics, track production, performance, software and technical skills, team work, critiquing and career development.

SERIOUS SESSIONS

In July 2020 we delivered the “Serious Sessions” program which gave young people a starting point that directly connected them with music industry skills, experience, professionals, further training and networks which also gave the young people an advantage in progressing into the many career & freelance opportunities available inside and outside the studio.

One Time

In light of the Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations, Grime Pays Graduates S.T.Y.L.E and Mello produce a new heartfelt track ‘One Time’.

“Ride For My Bros”

Grime Pays graduates Mello and Style launch their new single and visuals “Ride For My Bros”

Grime Pays #3

Grime Pays is back with its third season! Follow this group of young people on their journey discovering the music industry.

Grime Pays Music Video

Grime Pays Season 3 grads are back with their new music video!

Street Art Wall

Earlier this year the foundation had the privilege of having a mural on the world famous Shoreditch Art Wall.

Grime Pays #2

The Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation returned with Grime Pays series 2 in July 2018 with 12 talented 16-20 year olds.

Jazz Café 

On Sunday the 18th of June Prince Rapid presented a once in a lifetime event at the world famous Jazz Cafe in Camden.

Grime Pays #1

Grime Pays aimed to give young people an insight and experience into the music industry.

YCHTB

You Can’t Handle The Booth is a open access music session in which young people can write, record, and engineer music.

Arts Kickers

Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation recently won an ArtsKickers Award on March 29th in the “Kickstarter” category.