A British rapper whose song about domestic violence went viral has revealed he was inspired to tackle the topic after a friend escaped an abusive relationship.
London grime star Rapman has racked up almost 14 million views with the video to hit track Promise which tells the story of a young pregnant woman killed by her abusive boyfriend.
The musician, real name Andrew Onwubolu, teamed up with Comic Relief for the song in an effort to shine a light on the thousands of women who experience domestic violence across the UK.
He told the Press Association: “I want someone who is in that situation to realise they could end up dead or lose their child.”
“That was the direct pain in the song, I wanted people to see the extreme consequence of staying with someone and I want at least one person to leave on the strength of seeing that video.”
He added that one woman had contacted him revealing she was trying to escape her relationship after listening to the track.
The Lewisham-born rapper said he was inspired to team up with Comic Relief after hearing about his friend’s sister who was in an abusive relationship.
He said: “If you were to meet her you would never think a man has taken advantage of her at home.
“She isn’t that type of woman who takes any BS, she is loud, she is confident, she is outgoing.
“It’s only after one day when she was quiet and I called my friend to the side and he opened up about it.
“It was shocking and if someone like that can be getting abuse at home, then I can only imagine how a more timid or fragile woman would have felt.”
Rapman said he had struggled to understand why people stayed in abusive relationships until he was invited to Bede House – an organisation that helps women escape their situations and start to rebuild their lives.
He said: “I realised that it’s very psychological and if you don’t have an independent support base away from your relationship you can really feel like you’re stranded and left alone.”
Red Nose Day is on March 24 and more information on domestic violence can be found at www.rednoseday.com/domesticviolence. Anyone who needs help can call the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247 which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
