Rapper Frenzy and a group of his friends who grew up in Hackney have set up an annual music workshop called Fast Forward to offer opportunities to youngsters in the borough.

The event last week gave three young musicians the opportunity to record a track and have it produced and mixed for free.

They also invited a panel of guest-speakers working in the music industry to talk to a larger group of young people about their careers and what it takes to succeed.

Frenzy grew up in Clapton when it was known as the notorious murder mile.

He told the Gazette how he lost friends to violence and crime and about the lack of role models and opportunities for kid growing up today..

"We want the young people we work with to be able to have the same opportunities as kids in a thriving area." Frenzy said.

"This place needs work. It needs more opportunities.

"We need more workshops, youth clubs, things to motivate people because a lot of it is negative.

"The media is negative and when you walk outside you look around and sometimes you see dirty streets, needles on the floor and people that are mentally ill.

"A lot of it is negative but we need more positive in this place and that's what we have been creating with the Gokhan Durmus Foundation."

Frenzy and friends created the Gokhan Durmus Foundation in memory of their friend - Gokhan Durmus - a promising young footballer who was fatally stabbed in 2015.

Arz was one of the artists chosen to record a track last year at the first Fast Forward workshop.

Since then he has released three singles.

He told the Gazette: "I enjoyed it a lot because there wasn't really anybody else offering that opportunity.

"The best thing was listening to the music after and actually appreciating that we made that in a day at the workshop."

This year about 20 aspiring rappers and singers submitted their music for a chance to take part in the workshop at the Fisheries in London Fields on August 3.

The three that were chosen were MaZz, Kwes.e and Pins.

Their songs will be released in October.

For more information visit instagram.com/gokhandurmusfoundation/