Street Scholars is a brand new Adult Education programme for Salford residents, delivered in partnership with Greater Manchester WEA and dedicated in memory of ‘Kenzie’, also known as DJ Pressure.
Between October 2025 and January 2026, Hip Hop fans and pioneers explored the elements of Hip Hop, Graffiti, Breaking, DJing, MCing, and Fashion, while preserving cultural history and opening pathways to future possibilities.
Weekly sessions took place at our facilities in the heart of MediaCityUK and connected with Manchester Central Library. During the Street Scholar sessions, participants connected with like-minded people, took ownership of research projects, practised media and archiving skills, produced new music and formed new creativity-based friendships.
With the weekly sessions building inspirational outcomes, the Street Scholars team consisting of Callum, Ciaron, Tyler and Matt, supported by Ceej and Greens, identified pathways into education and potential employment within the local creative economy, beginning with an open door for participants to return to Unity Radio to engage in the Academy programmes and team support roles available.
Historically overlooked by its larger neighbour, Manchester, the City of Salford has its own rich and fascinating musical history, from Salford Lads Club to John Cooper Clarke, and is itself a culturally rich destination. Unity Radio is located within the hub of MediaCityUK and is in a prime location to celebrate Salford’s lesser-acknowledged Hip Hop and Rap scene, with a focus on Salford pioneer DJ Pressure (Andrew McKenzie), who sadly passed away in 2025.
Street Scholar participants engaged in a range of activities and art forms, exploring the history of Salford Hip Hop through archive materials and oral history, researching past and present Salford rappers, including DJ Pressure’s close associate since 1988, Red Venom.
Other researched Salford artists included Broke N English, Remz, Jordan McCann and Unity Radio’s own BeeOne. As Salford creatives themselves, Street Scholar sessions were also spent producing original music and collaborating within the group. The sessions were participant-led, allowing for individual research and collaboration, with a view to exploring each of the five elements of Hip Hop.
A key element of Hip Hop is ‘Knowledge’, often expressed as the ‘each one, teach one’ concept. This was something DJ Pressure was very passionate about: teaching young people the art of turntablism and DJ skills. Producing a Hip Hop instrumental with a focus on Salford, Ciaron celebrated DJ Pressure’s contribution to the city and the music he loved, sampling live clips of DJ Pressure scratching at a Unity Radio workshop. Combined with images of Salford graffiti pieces in memory of DJ Pressure, as well as archive images of DJ Pressure and rapper Red Venom from the Greater Manchester Hip Hop Archive, and footage from Street Scholars sessions, the reel acts as a tribute to DJ Pressure as a Salford Pioneer, Hip Hop in the City and the fantastic work realised through Street Scholars.
