Local Rapper Pays Tribute To Siblings, Children's Day In New Song

NORWALK, CT - Though he has already written, produced and released a number of tracks professionally over the last five years, 25-year old Billy Keeley "Be Kay" of Norwalk takes special pride in his new song "The Next Generation." Part of this joy comes from the fact that he has been working on it in some form for the last half-decade.

"The Next Generation" began life as a poem the rapper/songwriter performed in a college poetry slam about what his five younger siblings mean to him and what he hopes to be for them. He has been retooling and adding to it ever since.

“I’ve been writing it for a few years," Keeley said in an interview with Patch. “I started writing it as a love letter to my siblings. They’re all young and they all look up to me, so I wanted to write something that could show them the right way to go and what to do; like a road map of sorts.”

Keeley purposely released the track on Universal Children's Day, a day devoted to promoting the welfare of children worldwide.

According to the United Nations website, the day is celebrated annually on Nov. 20, the anniversary of the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959. It is meant to "promote international togetherness and "awareness among children worldwide," as well as to improve children's welfare.

“Initially it started as something for my siblings, and then I wondered why it couldn't reach more people," Keeley said. "When I saw Universal Children’s Day was coming, I figured this would be the perfect day to release it.”

The new track was released on SoundCloud and Keeley's website, and should be hitting all the major distribution channels (ITunes, Spotify, Pandora) this week.

“I’ve been holding on to this song forever," Keeley said, "so when I saw this opportunity I figured it would be a good time to get it out into the world.”

The track was produced by Accent Beats and recorded and mixed by the late Dolo Ragin at Sono Entertainment & Recording Studios in Norwalk, where Keeley records all his music. He previously worked as an intern for the studio, where he developed his passion for writing and recording music.

“I fell in love with that industry and world," Keeley said, "and I have been [creating] nonstop ever since.”

It is that commitment to following his passion that he hopes to pass down to his younger siblings, as well as to any children who might listen to the song.

“One big thing I want my siblings to take away from this is to follow your dreams," Keeley said. “That was a big takeaway from this for me. I never knew I could make music until I tried. There are a lot of less fortunate children in the world who either don’t have tangible things or just don’t have someone to look up to. It’s important to lead them in the right direction.”

Photo credit: Richard Bonenfant