Sharing his love for music with local children is recipe for rapper's delight for Humzah

Trying to make it as a rap artist is hard enough under normal circumstances as one De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student has discovered, but he refuses to abandon his commitments as a youth mentor and a student in order to make it.

Music-mad Humzah Loane, who raps under the name Loaneski, has just completed his second year studying Music, Technology and Performance at DMU, and he is hoping to release ‘Lone Wolf’, his latest EP, in the coming months.

Loaneski recorded his first single at just 16 years old and in November 2014 he released his first EP called ‘Black Thoughts’ with the help of his manager, who is also his younger brother.

Humzah said: “I first got into rap music when I was about eight, my mum was flicking through TV channels and when she stopped Tupac’s ‘I Ain’t Mad at Cha’ was playing and I just fell in love with the track and it started there.”

But it’s not all about Loaneski for Humzah, as he is now approaching three years working as an alternative education provider for the Leicester-based Youth Education Project, which aims to provide local children with the facilities and support to develop their education and provide them with transferable skills which will help them stand out to future employers.

He added: “We work with young people to give them a helping hand. I understand where they’re coming from in a way, I had learning difficulties myself and I think a lot of these young people deserve a second chance and a bit of guidance.”

Humzah credits the guidance he received from his biggest inspiration, his parents, for helping him succeed with his music, his studies and his mentoring.

He said: “My mum and dad didn’t wrap me up in cotton wool but they taught me right from wrong and their best gift was the freedom to go out and explore the world for myself.”

That freedom ultimately led Humzah to DMU which he firmly believes has helped to develop him both as a musician and as a person.

“The course has given me so much more confidence, I’ve learned so many ways of making music with loads of different techniques and a lot of the history behind what we do as well.

“I’m able to immerse myself in music and I feel very comfortable around my peers. The lecturers are so passionate and I really appreciate them helping me and they always encourage you to push yourself and think outside the box.”