A teenager whose stutter disappears when he starts rapping is on a mission to inspire others with speech impediments.

Ritchie Johns, aka Kitch, has spent the past year-and-a-half writing his own songs, recording them and publishing them online – and has received positive feedback from other youngsters struggling to express their emotions.

The 19-year-old of St James Street, Walthamstow, was recently featured in a BBC documentary is speaking out in light of recent violent incidents in his area.

“When I start rapping I just stop stuttering and I don’t know the reason for this,” said Kitch.

“As I rap, I enjoy it and of course it feels like I have overcome my stutter.

“I feel quite empowered and accomplished. There’s always a chance that I will stutter but I continue to work on it.

“People have said that I’ve inspired them and they say it’s really good that I’m expressing how I feel.

“When I hear that, it makes me feel overwhelmed and I just feel like if I can inspire someone with my music, I have made a big change.

“I feel like there is too much negativity surrounding the youth in our area, and I believe my story can help change people’s perspectives.”

Kitch, who is studying music performance at Leyton Sixth Form, has seen his career blossom in recent weeks, with requests pouring in for appearances at gigs.

He has also been approached by schools who have asked him to come in and speak to students about his work.

The east Londoner first discovered he was a talented songwriter at the age of 14.

During a speech therapy session, Kitch found himself unable to convey how he was feeling so was told instead to write it down.

This led to the student making his notes into lyrics which he eventually recorded and posted on Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.

He remembers: “When I was in Year 10 I was given a notepad as part of my therapy as I could not say how I felt.

“I wrote down my feelings and then it just turned into rhymes. I never thought I would become a rapper though.

“To me, writing lyrics is part of my therapy – it’s naturally evolved into that.

“In school, my stutter was bad. I played football which relieved by stress and I would always listen to rap music. I feel like it is engaging and you can really express yourself with the lyrics.”

Kitch wants to reach out to other young people searching for a healthy way to express their frustration or anger.

Rap music has offered him an outlet to work through his feelings as well as earning him hundreds of fans online.

“I tend to rap from an aggressive tone and rap about things I feel passionate about,” he added.

“I talk about how my stutter affects me and how I felt anger as a kid.

“It’s quite powerful and passionate.”