The Rap Game UK’s Lickz On Rap And Neurodivergence

Music has always felt like a safe space for 18-year-old rapper Lickz.

“When I was younger, I would sing with my mum in church,” she says. “My mum and dad used to rap before I was born.”

Writing lyrics has been a way to process the world and her feelings. “I think it’s kind of like people who write diary entries,” she says. “I just write the first thing that comes to my head.”

Based in Croydon, South London, Lickz is one of seven MCs on the fifth season of The Rap Game UK, vying for a £20,000 injection into their career and a spot on Radio 1Xtra’s daytime playlist. She’s also neurodivergent.

“Being autistic, I feel like there’s a lot of people who don’t really understand me,” she says. “And when I try to communicate certain things, it takes a while to get there.”

Lickz, who describes her music as “love songs on drill beats”, shares her experiences of autism on the show, even rapping about it to judges Krept and Konan and music legend DJ Target, along with the other contestants.

She raps on the show: “Look I got ASC, so I see the world differently. And I done took the mask off my face, so sometimes I am hard to read.

“And I am different, I know that I differ from those who live neurotypically.”

ASC stands for Autism Spectrum Condition – an overarching term used to describe a group of conditions related to how our brains develop differently.

‘Communicating through music’

In real life, not many people know she is autistic, she says.

People “just think ‘oh she’s quiet’ but writing how I feel and communicating through music is a lot easier,” she says.

Music has been a source of support throughout her life.

“There was a time when my mental health was really quite bad,” she shares. “Music was the only thing that helped.”

Many neurodiverse people find support in music, according to Pippa Sargent from The Brain Charity, an organisation that helps people with all forms of neurological conditions.

“Creating music can be a wonderful form of self-expression for anyone, but particularly for those who are neurodivergent as it engages sensory and cognitive processes which support communication,” she says.

Pippa goes on to say that in a world built for neurotypical people, communicating effectively can be a challenge, but music can give people who are neurodivergent tools to communicate and means they don’t have to rely on speech.

“There is also a vast range of research which tells us that participating in music-based activity can support positive mental health and decrease anxiety,” she says.

But Lickz’ experience of being an artist with autism is mixed.

“I definitely think there’s a balance of [autism and music] being helpful and it not being helpful,” she says.

Things like song writing can be tricky because it can take longer to decide on language.

But, she adds on the show: “Recognising patterns is part of my autism, so when it comes to flows and how I switch them, how I set them up – that does play a part.”

‘Proud of myself’

But one thing she’s conscious of is the attention artists get.

“I find that with my autism, generally I walk around looking like I’m mad a lot of the time, until you start speaking to me, and then I start smiling. And I’m very straightforward.”

People assume she’s rude as a result, she says. “So I just have to think about things like that when I’m putting myself out into the public.”

But maybe one of the greatest gifts the show has given her is a newfound appreciation for herself.

“I’m definitely proud of myself,” she says.

“Because I think if this was maybe me last year, I don’t think I would have done it. I think I would have been too scared, too worried about what people think about me.”

Her advice to anyone entering the music industry is: “Just trust yourself, and be confident in yourself before anything.”