Sheffield rapper encouraging young people to get jabs and dispel misinformation

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A rapper from Sheffield has written a rap song to inspire young people to get their jabs.

It is part of the NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group's efforts to increase vaccination rates among young people.

The rap, 'Allow it' by Sliime, is also one of the first rap songs in the country to tackle vaccine hesitancy.

One of the themes is disinformation on social media that has led to some young people rejecting the vaccination.

He said he hopes to dispel the conspiracy theories on social media platforms. He himself was sceptical about the vaccinations because of conspiracy theories.

“I was hesitant when I first heard about the vaccine but then I started looking into it and when I came across any information I would dig a bit deeper, to see if their claims were backed up by official sources. I even started reading scientific articles to educate myself.''

“The lyrics of the rap challenge some of the sillier theories like there is a microchip in it.  I hope that if you hear my rap you will look at the vaccine in a different light and allow it because it’s the only way we can go back to seeing each other and enjoying life like it used to be.''

Dr Anthony Gore, the Clinical Director for Children, Young People & Maternity for NHS Sheffield CCG, said the Delta variant spreads more rapidly amongst the unvaccinated group which is predominantly young people.

''Because they're the most socially mobile group, it's really important they get vaccinated just as it was to vaccinate older people because they were the group most at risk of getting Covid and dying.''

The rapper was commissioned to write the song by Burngreave based youth group, Reach Up Youth, who are one of 26 community organisations in the city to be funded by the CCG to increase vaccination rates in communities that face barriers or are more reluctant.  

The founder of the group, Safiyya Saeed, said it is a way to get young people involved in the conversation.

“Young people are on socials, they’re on Snapchat, they’re sharing songs and campaigning, and this is what the aim was with this. It’s about expressing their worries, concerns, and feelings.''

Watch Sliime's video here: