Father And Son Combat Health Struggles With Rap Song

Nov, 15 2019

~Remember that kid that got bullied at Secondary School, yeah, you know the one who was deemed as an outcast, a weirdo and stranger to conformity?Perhaps you didn’t realise that that young man was suffering from autism and his thoughts and actions defined his condition. He couldn’t help it  if he said inappropriate things are embarrassed himself on a regular basis.

The truth is more and more young people are coming forward with this condition and a father and son duo are helping to change the stigma surrounding it.

Matthew Bennett and his son Callum Bennett – aka FMA + 12 Gage – are known for using music to combat their mental health issues. Matthew was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome four years ago, while Callum grew up with dyslexia.

The pair were commissioned to write a song earlier this year by Anna Kennedy OBE, who created Autism’s Got Talent to help prevent youngsters with autism being bullied.

‘Spectrum - Give us a Break’ has been released to coincide with anti-bullying week, and  is now attracting national attention.

The dynamic duo have reached out to commercial television and radio having appeared on Channel 5 News and Capitol Radio in a bid to raise awareness about  autism and dyslexia.

Speaking on Channel 5 News about writing the song, Callum describes the challenge in writing a powerful song which  delivered a clear message to the public,

“It’s the toughest thing we’ve written to date. It’s drawing on a lot of personal experiences for both of us. Also we tried to make a really good song out of all the negative experiences from our past, so it was definitely difficult.”

Dad, Matthew was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at the age of 36. His  words demonstrate the depth of the listening audience and if they respond they will begin to feel more respect for the daily problems people like Matthew and Callum experience,

“Music is so powerful. I used to listen to songs when I was little and words would stay in my head. We’re hoping by creating this that we’re creating something that will have that effect – that it will speak to people who are struggling, who are lonely and who need to speak out.”

An interview on That’s Lancashire captures the two describing their troubles and the positive route they have taken. To view this simply type
in ‘Tackling bullying through music’.

You can also  access their music video by typing in ‘Spectrum - Give us a Break’. It will reveal the depth of the father and son conditions and how they have created a direct statement to those who maybe ignorant of such issues.

Both available via the You Tube channel.

^Alex Ashworth