by SCOTT C

For the last 12 years, Youth in Motion has offered social, educational and recreational activities and alternatives for kids aged 12 to 17 in Montreal’s Little Burgundy area. This year, with the help of longtime employee and Butta Babees member Steve “Ziplocks” Hennessy, the kids at YIM have released a new CD called Break Out: On the Rise that features some of the young talent waiting for their chance to shine. The Mirror spoke to Hennessy about the project.

Mirror: So how did this whole project with the kids at Youth in Motion come about?

Steve Hennessy: Well, I’ve worked with kids for a long time, and realized early on how much of an influence that music has on them, especially with this hip hop generation. We’ve always done block parties, talent shows and other events, and it just seemed like the next thing was to have the kids come out with a CD.

M: Where did the money come from to do something like this?

SH: Well, there were actually a few guys who were interested in the whole business side of things, so we got them to fill out all the necessary applications for Canada Council grants. The kids literally wrote their own grants, and in the end they got the money, $20,000, to put together a CD -

M: They must have been bugging!

SH: Yeah, man, you can imagine (laughs).

M: Exactly how old are the youth involved in this project?

SH: I think the youngest kid involved is about 12 years old, but most of them are about 18 or 19 now. It took about a year and a half for the entire thing to come together, so these guys were a bit younger when we first had the idea, but they were eager to see it happen.

M: Is this one of the more ambitious projects that Youth in Motion has undertaken?

SH: Well, it’s definitely been satisfying for them and me. We’ve got a lot of positive feedback from the whole idea all along the way, and it was nice to do something other than our regular annual event, or our Black History Month celebration. It’s not so much about the actual music and whether it sells or not, but these kids started something and saw it through. Some of these guys wouldn’t have been doing anything else otherwise, so at least it was productive and fulfilling.

M: So what’s next, a video?

SH: We pressed 1,000 CDs, we’re putting them in stores, and with everyone’s support we’ll keep regenerating the money. I actually want to take the kids on an industry field trip to Toronto for NXNE, so hopefully we’ll be able to do that, but a video is definitely in the works.

M: How many of the kids involved were surprised at how much work goes into something like this?

SH: Well, a kid growing up listening to hip hop now has it different from maybe how we grew up in it. Their idea of how the industry works is a little bit different. They’re like, “When do we get the Benz?” With all the videos out there it’s hard, but this is a first hand experience for them. The kids got to see how an artist makes his money -

M: Or doesn’t make his money.

SH: Exactly. :

CD launch with hosts Prym Tym and Peaches,
DJs Rol X 2G and Ron, and the YIM kids at l’Alizé
tonight, Thursday, Dec. 12, 9pm, $5

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