Rapper inspires Peterborough pupils with the ‘Microphone of Peace’ made from guns
Children at Peterborough’s Discovery Primary Academy were buzzing with excitement after a visit from local rapper and lyricist Xidus Pain, who filled the hall with energy, rhythm and inspiration.
Xidus, a key figure in Peterborough’s music scene, led a dynamic assembly for the Cultural Xchange project, an Arts Council England–funded programme promoting youth expression, unity and peace through rap and poetry.
Children at the school in Mountsteven Avenue, Walton, were enthralled as he shared stories from his tour of America and his life in music, performing original verses that blended clever wordplay with uplifting messages about respect, identity and hope.
“The pupils heard how Hip-Hop isn’t just about beats – it’s about connection, expression, how every rhyme you write has the power to change someone’s world,” said Mrs Donna Barnes, the Academy’s music teacher.
A key moment of the morning came when Xidus introduced the “Microphone of Peace”, a unique musical artefact he brought back from America that's traveling around the world like the Olympic Torch.
In a memorable first, the children at Discovery became the very first in Britain to see and hold this extraordinary microphone made symbolically from melted gun metal.
Teachers described the experience as both powerful and unforgettable.
This visit marks another chapter in a long-standing collaboration between Xidus Pain and Discovery Primary academy. For the past two years he has worked with the school’s Year 6 pupils on a special Hip-Hop project, helping them to create original leavers songs and performances about their experiences of leaving primary school and moving on to secondary education.