Listen to Covid rap which Sheffield artist hopes will inspire young people to get their jabs

Sheffield rapper Sliime wrote and recorded ‘Allow It’ in an attempt to drive up vaccination rates among under-30s.

The opening verse addresses the misinformation being spread on social media, which has been blamed for vaccine hesitancy among some younger people.

“I’m hearing that it’s full of bugs or everything other than what it really does,” raps Sliime.

“But then I seen not to believe the posts with no source cause when you find out for yourself you’ll see it’s all talk.”

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Sliime, who teamed up with NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to produce the video, said: “I wrote the rap because young people like me need to hear the truth about the vaccine and to cut through the conspiracy theories on social media, in a way they can relate to.

“I was hesitant when I first heard about the vaccine but then I started looking into it and when I came across any information I would dig a bit deeper, to see if their claims were backed up by official sources. I even started reading scientific articles to educate myself.

“The lyrics of the rap challenge some of the sillier theories like there is a microchip in it. I hope that if you hear my rap you will look at the vaccine in a different light and allow it because it’s the only way we can go back to seeing each other and enjoying life like it used to be, like hitting the town!”

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Sliime was commissioned to write the song by the Burngreave-based youth group Reach Up Youth, who are one of 26 community organisations in the city to be funded by the CCG to increase vaccination rates in communities that face barriers or are more reluctant.

The group’s founder, Safiyya Saeed, said: “Young people are on socials, they’re on Snapchat, they’re sharing songs and campaigning, and this is what the aim was with this. It’s about expressing their worries, concerns, and feelings.

“This past year they’ve been struggling with isolation, covid, mixed messages from the media, and their mental health when feeling trapped in their homes.

“These young people are ready and waiting to make change in this pandemic. Young people want to part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Alun Windle, chief nurse and covid vaccination lead at the CCG, told how the rap had an important message about the need to get vaccinated.

He said: “Most of those still unvaccinated are younger and at much lower risk of severe illness but many have still contracted the virus and are in our hospitals. Covid vaccines are safe and save lives. It is much safer to fight illnesses through vaccination than by catching the virus and treating it.”

The go-ahead was last week given for 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK to be given the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine – a decision which one Sheffield GP praised as ‘another step forward’.

To watch the video in full, visit NHS Sheffield CCG’s Facebook page.