Some conversations stay with you long after they’ve ended. Speaking to Reece Walker was one of those. I came across Only Notts online and instantly felt that pull – the kind that tells you something meaningful is happening. But it wasn’t until I heard the story behind it all that I properly understood the depth of what he’s building. By the end of our chat, I felt more connected to him and his mission than I’d expected. And if I’m honest, a bit emotional too. Because when someone talks about community, structure and giving people a safe place to create, it hits home. That’s the reason Fleckies exists, too.
Reece grew up in Nottingham in a loving single-parent household. His mum raised him and his younger brothers, and responsibility came early. School never quite worked – not because he was disruptive, but because he wasn’t engaged. He left without qualifications, and his year group was the last before the building itself was knocked down. “I wasn’t academic,” he says simply, “but I was always trying to build something.” Whether it was selling sweets, sketching out computer repair ideas or drafting business plans, he knew he wanted to create something big. He just didn’t know what that something was yet.
Music didn’t properly enter his world until loss forced it to. At 20, Reece and his friends lost someone close to suicide. It was the kind of moment that splits your life into before and after. “Our whole group only really got into creativity after that,” he tells me. “Music became an outlet for grief. It gave us direction when we didn’t have one.” He stepped into production, building the sound behind the group while his friends rapped. He dabbled himself, but it was behind the boards where he felt most at home. He even started teaching beat-making on TikTok and YouTube, sharing knowledge openly. Looking back, he realises the creativity was always there. “I just saw it as entrepreneurship before I saw it as art.”
As they grew older, something felt missing in Nottingham’s scene. The city is proud, working-class and full of character, but at the time Reece and his friends questioned whether it was enough. So they left. They booked one-way tickets to Thailand – two rappers and a producer chasing something bigger. They documented the journey and threw themselves into the work. But distance brings clarity. “Being away made me realise the talent in Nottingham was never the issue. There’s serious ability here. What’s been missing is structure, belief, and connection.” And he’s right, across the UK, we have talent in bucket loads. The issue is rarely ability – it’s whether people are given the right channels to hone it safely and sustainably.
Thailand was where the real shift happened. Reece went thinking he’d double down on production, but instead he rediscovered his core drive – building businesses with purpose and connecting people. “I want to make the world more creative,” he says, and there’s nothing fluffy about it. Creativity changed his life, but it came through pain. “Not everyone should have to go through something painful to discover their outlet. Being human is to be creative. Everyone can create.” When he and his friends began planning their return to Europe, he told them if they were serious, they needed a bigger mission. And if you’re building something meaningful, you start at home. Only Notts was born from that.
It’s easy to assume Only Notts is just another Instagram platform, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. “The Instagram is just the surface layer,” Reece explains. “It’s about building creative infrastructure in Nottingham. Bringing artists together physically. Giving talent real structure instead of just online exposure.” That word – structure – keeps returning. Exposure can create noise, but without systems and support, it fades quickly. Stories, on the other hand, stick. “Artists are more than songs,” he says. “They have backgrounds, struggles, journeys. If you want to build real culture, people need to understand the person behind the music.” It’s something I believe deeply too. Sharing stories creates empathy, and empathy builds community.
Reece knows what it feels like to build something that doesn’t align with who you are. At 18, he started a phone repair business because it seemed sensible. He ran it for five years before selling it, then worked in a phone shop that never felt like the right fit. “I know what it feels like to build something you’re not passionate about,” he says. “Now I know the role I’m meant to play.” Only Notts feels aligned. Bigger than him. Focused on impact rather than image. If he can help people unlock their creativity without trauma being the catalyst, that’s worth the graft.
The next chapter is physical. On 6th March, Only Notts steps into The Palais with an event that feels symbolic as much as it is celebratory. “Culture isn’t built purely online. It’s built in rooms,” Reece says. “Face-to-face, where people connect.” The night will feature more than 25 artists across rap, R&B and singing – different styles, different lanes, all under one roof. It isn’t just a lineup. It’s proof that the city can move together. That scattered talent can be unified. That competition can be replaced with collaboration.
Grassroots culture sits at the centre of everything he’s building. “If you don’t protect and invest in the early stages of a scene, you don’t have a future scene.” Nottingham doesn’t lack talent. It lacks unity and infrastructure. That’s where the work begins – local artists supporting each other instead of waiting for validation from outside the city. There’s something quietly radical about that in a world driven by algorithms and ego.
Looking ahead, Reece envisions a permanent creative space in Nottingham. Stronger infrastructure. Bigger collaborations. More structured pathways for artists. A sustainable hub supported by a registered CIC arm to properly help young people. Events are part of it, but they’re not the end goal. “This is just phase one,” he says.
When I ask what advice he’d give to someone wanting to build something similar in their own city, his answer is refreshingly honest. “Build outside the box. Build community before ego. Make sure you’re genuinely passionate, because if you’re not, someone will outwork you.” Then he asks the question everyone should ask themselves: “Are you ready for the work, or do you just like the idea of it?”… and that isn’t a question to deter anyone, just one that serves as a reminder that building something from the ground up is not an easy one, so true passion is something to definitely have in your armoury.
There’s nothing performative about Reece. No inflated promises. Just a clear belief that creativity should be accessible, supported and celebrated properly. Only Notts isn’t just spotlighting talent – it’s building the channels that talent deserves. And if more cities followed that blueprint, imagine what we could create together.
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