Pembury Estate teenager turns Cambridge down

Aiming high Franklyn Addo

He’s been offered places at six universities including Cambridge, but  17 year old Franklyn Addo is seriously considering London School of Economics, where he will study sociology.

Explaining to Hackney Hive his choice of LSE over Cambridge, he said: “I really love London and I don’t want to leave. Besides, it would be hard to carry on doing music if I was in Cambridge and there isn’t much of a scene there”.

The teenager from the Pembury Estate  in Hackney Downs, is also known as MC Franklyn – a rapper with high hopes, who is being mentored musically, by MOBO award producer Victisizzle. He released his first mixedtape ‘Just Being Frank’ in May.

While he is still unsure of what the wants to do with his degree, he’s certain it will involve working with youths from areas similar to Hackney.

“I’m lucky that I had support and encouragement in the form of my family and teachers. My mother Gloria Addo has been an inspiration so has my sociology teacher Nazia Rahim. I’d like others to know they can do it too”. explains Addo.

“I know some people will be surprised that I am a rapper and academic but for me it is all one.

“A lot of my inspiration for my music comes from literature or I might think something we do in sociology class might be relevant to people, so I write a song about it. One of my songs is called William Wordsworth and I rap about how similar rap is to poetry.”

Addo started rapping at age 15, while attending Cardinal Pole School, achieved 100% in his AS sociology exam. He is currently a student at Woodhouse College in Barnet, where he is sitting A-levels in sociology, English literature and business.

Round about the time he enters LSE this Autumn, his first album will be released.

www.franklynmusic.co.uk