Aisleyne takes stand against knife and gun crime

05 July 2007

In May 2006, Kiyan Prince was stabbed outside his school gates in North London, aged just 15 years old. Kiyan was the young footballer destined for stardom and two weeks away from his debut with QPR. Within minutes his life was taken from him. On Monday 2nd July, at the Central Criminal Court, a 17 year old boy was found guilty of Kiyan's murder.

The verdict is marked by the release of a single called ‘Put The Knives & Guns Down' Co-written by Kiyan's father Mark Prince, the song has been recorded by two very talented young artists, the rapper and MC Tinie Tempah currently number 1 in the urban charts and the vocalist Maresa MacBeth.

Tinie Tempah is the hottest young talent to arise from the UK rap scene. At only 18 he has held the number one slot on Channel U for 8 months and has worked with many established artists including Lethal Bizzle, Wiley and Dizzee Rascal. Maresa MacBeth is already an accomplished vocalist, harpist and pianist. Though reminiscent of Kate Bush or Enya, Maresa’s music has a tone and quality that are truly all her own. Her exquisite soprano voice is gloriously stellar.

The mix of Maresa’s angelic and classic vocals and Tinie’s moving rap the message of the single is clear and powerful - put the knives & guns down.

Since Kiyan’s death ITV News correspondent Chris Rogers has been filming Kiyan’s father Mark Prince and the resulting film-piece ‘Put The Knives & Guns Down’ was shown on ITV News on Tuesday 3rd July.

13 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 23 have been killed through knife or gun crime in London since the start of 2007. ITN, GMTV, Radio 1, The Sun and Hello have all confirmed their support of the single and the music industry’s leading PR companies have given their services in order to support the campaign and secure a high level of promotion and exposure.

Put The Knives & Guns Down is released 6th August 2007 through De Angelis Records

All proceeds from the single will go to the Kiyan Prince Foundation, which will help fund projects and individuals who want to get away from street crime in the UK and help get children off the streets of London.

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