A pixie's everyday writing adventures
Avit Clothing go behind the scenes for Mic Righteous’ new video ‘I Know,’ taken from his new album Campaign. He also spits a freestyle for us. I interviewed him on the day so watch out for the interview coming soon….
One of the most talented rappers to emerge in the UK, Mic Righteous is fast, steady and on point with his lyrics and sound. His lyrics show us his world, and his delivery proves he is hungry, but ready for it.
As I approached The Garage in Highbury & Islington for Lowkey’s album launch, ‘Soundtrack To The Struggle,’ at 7pm, there was already a massive queue of fans outside. The bouncers tell us that even though we are there to work, we have to get in the guestlist queue. It was never going to happen, as myself and the photographer for the event make our way round to the back of the venue, and into the backstage area.
The first DJ is already playing with host Jonzi D. We go outside and talk to Iraqi born, 18-year-old rapper Crazy Haze, one of the supporting acts for the night, who tells us what he’s been up to at the moment and that he has just come back from a tour of the Middle East. At 8pm the legendary Charlie Sloth graces the stage to gear up the crowd, who to be honest, don’t really need much hyping up. As he comes on stage he announces, ‘I was walking down here and I saw the queue and I nearly cried, it was emotional. Real talk.’ That’s kind of how I felt when I saw the support for Lowkey, who’s video’s and songs have been blocked from most airwaves.
While Charlie Sloth is in the background playing the best in UK and US hip hop, I’m introduced to New Jersey rapper Hassam Salaam, who gives me his album ‘Children Of God’ – which I’ve now listened to and am blown away by. He tells me, ‘I met Lowkey a few times, he told me he was having an album launch tonight. I haven’t heard the album yet, so that’s why I’m here to check it out. I know what his work is about and I know what he’s about and I respect him.’ I also hear him freestyling later and he is not a rapper anyone should sleep on, with Haze remarking, ‘where did this guy come from?’
Camden rapper Awate came on the stage to perform some tracks, including some acapella performances, which got an amazing response from the crowd. After this DJ 279 came back on, with Logic’s performance up next. Logic performed tracks from Freeman and Listen including ‘Price Tag’ and ‘Begging You.’ Special guest Jody McIntyre came on next to perform his ‘War Poem.’ One line I remember strongly from this poem is, ‘fight with a pen, but write with a sword.’ For those of you that don’t know, he is a journalist and political activist, and a very inspirational character. The last supporting act of the night, who comes on to rapturous applause, is Akala. Host Jonzi D comes on the stage and announces, ‘who told you conscious music does not fail.’
It was now time for Lowkey to come on. As he touches the stage he exclaims, ‘I feel like I’m Michael Jackson.’ He performs a whole list of songs including, ‘Obama Nation,’ ‘Obama Nation part 2’ with Black The Ripper joining him on stage, ‘My Soul,’ ‘Terrorist,’ ‘Voice Of The Voiceless,’ ‘Alphabet Assassin,’ and ‘Too Much,’ with Shadia Mansour. ‘Dear England,’ ‘Haunted,’ and ‘Cradle of Civilisation,’ which all feature singer Mai Khalil, when Lowkey performed, ‘Long Live Palestine,’ he got the crowds involvement, chanting, ‘Long Live Gaza, long live Palestine,’ before he performed the track. He also dropped a freestyle during the night, and was joined by another special guest Ghetts at one point. All in all this was a great night for political and conscious music, and one of the best albums of the year by far.
Lowkey briefly talks to me about the album, ‘the album is a culmination of all of my last few years of my life and the last few years as an artist. The main issues I talk about in it us being human. The experience of being a flawed human being in a world where we have clear currency on human beings. Some human beings are worth less and some human beings are worth more, and that’s something I want to change. That’s what the album is about, that’s what my life is about, I try to even the score.’
‘My favourite tracks are Dreamers Or Haunted because they’re both about very personal matters. When writing them I went on the longest journeys. A good song is where when your writing it, it takes you on a journey. You’ll be writing the chorus, and it will take you to a place emotionally.’
*published at Flavour Magazine
Some of you may recognise his name from being the frontman of Mattafix. Now Marlon has embarked on his solo career and has just released his 4 track EP, ‘Riding Home,’ which he previewed for the tough crowd at Yoyo’s in Nottinghill last Thursday. Shireen sits down with him in a coffee shop off High St. Kensington to talk to him about his time in Mattafix, St. Vincent and this exciting new period of his life.
Your parents are both in creative industries how influential was this to your music career?
It’s been very influential. Mainly because I grew up with the idea that expressing yourself is a normal thing creatively. It was never like I was rebelling against parents that wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor or anything like that. At the same time they weren’t very heavy handed with it, so fortunately for me, that’s what I chose to do.
You were living in St. Vincent why did you decide to return to London at the age of 17?
Mainly for A Levels. I thought I’d probably have a better chance of making a living if I did film. I came back here and studied film and photography but I was working in studios at night. The music took over after a while, I got my first publishing deal and that was that. London is probably the best town to be doing it in. I love St Vincent, I escape home after a tour or to visit mum at Christmas and stuff. It’s a great refugee for me, but London I like big bad towns and for songwriting London seems to fit the bill.
How did this environment inspire your path?
Going backwards and forwards between the Caribbean and St. Vincent has been a huge inspiration. Tracks like ‘Riding Home,’ or ‘Brotherhood of the Broken,’ they all have a sentiment of not home sickness exactly, but the fact there is another location where you’re able to be creative. Two of the things the Caribbean has an abundance of are rhythm and melody. The tracks that make it there in the clubs are very hard judges of songs that move them. It was front-page newspaper headline when we got to No.1 in Germany the other day. The Prime Minister rang my mum at work.
How did it feel becoming an ambassador for Save Darfur and will you ever do anything like that again?
It was mad, they heard a song that I recorded in South Africa, and said ok we’d like to use it leading up to the UN Convention. We got on a tiny UN plane, and they dumped us in the middle of nowhere.. It was nerve wracking but incredible at the same time. Darfur people, Sudanese people welcomed us all, I was blown away by how they could go through something like that (genocide) and hold themselves together. It was an incredible experience.
How different is your sound now from being in Mattafix?
I thought it was loads different and I thought I’ve sold out to the demons of pop. I think feedbacks come back saying I’ve still got the same vibe really. Maybe I was more of a driving force of Mattafix then I thought I was. Mattafix was more political, there were a couple of personal songs, but it was mostly how we felt as young Brits going to war in the Middle East, having our tax money spent on the invasion. It was stuff like that that motivated us. Then I got my heart broken, and much more of a personal vibe ended up on the tunes.
You seem to have a big following in Europe. Where do you find you have the biggest support?
Germany is my biggest market. You can never tell why a record or an artist touches a nation at any one given time. It’s probably a culmination of reasons. We’ve had the best set up there in terms of labels, were on Universal Europe. It’s what they call an uber hit out there, 8 weeks at No.1, platinum straight away. It’s been absolutely mad. I’ll play a stadium TV show and come back here and get on the 52 bus, it’s a weird transition but it’s a great one especially for songwriting.
Read the rest of the interview here
An interview I did with Maz at Flavour Magazine…
DJ Mo Beatz has been on his grind since he was 14.
His devotion to music kept him climbing the DJ ranks until he was the most sought after disc jockey in most of Detroit; with artists like Gucci Mane and Wiz Khalifa calling him for his services. Now the DJ from Motown is travelling the world with Big Sean, DJing for the biggest events in the world and is generally living a sweet (but busy) life. Flavour’s Maz and Shireen meet him at the bar of his grand old West End hotel to talk about his journey, from making beats on tables to mixing at Lil Wayne’s party…
S: So you’ve been called DJ Mo Beatz since school days. How did the name come about?
Every day at lunch I would make beats on the table; this was before I was DJing. Some dude who was rapping was like ‘rah!’ and my boy said ‘that’s my boy Mo Beatz, he can make beats with his hands’ and then eventually I started DJing and it kinda stuck.
M: Is this your first time in London?
No, it’s actually my third time in London.
M: So what do you think about the music scene here?
Umm, I don’t know too much. The first time I came out here I had a tour of the city and the second time I was out here with Big Sean; we met Semtex and Tim Westwood and they put me up on [pauses] how do you say it, Wretch 32?
M&S: Yup!
Yeah so I heard him, Tinie Tempah and others.
M: How was meeting Tim Westwood?
He’s very funny… very very very funny, he’s definitely a comedian. I was surprised; I didn’t think he’d be that silly, on and off air! He’s real cool… But as far as the music scene, I’m digging some stuff, I have to do some research and find more, but the stuff I’ve heard so far is cool.
S: You’re from Detroit, aka Motown. How has growing up in such an exciting place musically influenced you?
Detroit is known for Aretha Franklin… soul musicians. It influenced me to a certain degree, if I had wanted to become a singer it would have had a lot more influence, but my influences came from different areas. Motown music made a big difference in music, but not as hugely to me – I’m a different kind of musician I guess.
S: Detroit is also the birthplace for Techno music, along with the great Jazz, Hip Hop, Blues and Rock produced there. How does it influence the people living there?
Well, the Detroit Electronic Music festival is like the biggest festival every year – it’s one of the biggest festivals in the world. That brings a lot of people to the city from all over. I was surprised people came to downtown Detroit for this one festival, its real good to see. Living there, it doesn’t necessarily influence you, but when you come in to the city to enjoy the music, yes it does. Our music does attract people to the city.
S: Who’s your favourite artist from Detroit?
Big Sean of course! J Dilla, Dwele… Those guys I really rock with.
Read the rest of the interview here
Sneakbo has just independently released his dance-influenced single ‘The Wave,’ which has been playlisted on Radio 1’s B list, and is produced by the dynamic duo Ill Blu. The single comes with a Nu Skool remix from Mike Delinquent, along with a Sibling dubstep remix and various others. The South London rapper can let his amazing Youtube and download hits speak for themselves.
His recent mixtape ‘I’m Buzzin’ obtained 5,000 downloads in just a day and a half, and his Youtube hits reached 5 million in 5 months. Along with this he has opened up for Rick Ross at his London concert, and released songs with Chipmunk and Mavado, not bad for an 18 year old….
Does your heritage of being from Lagos influence your music in anyway? Yes my mum listens to a lot of Nigerian music so growing up in the house there was always a lot of that around me.
How did you first get into music? I was more on the road but a lot of my friends were doing music and I thought for fun let me try and everyone kept saying I’m good at it.
How old were you when you wrote your first lyrics? Around 15.
You’re 18 now, but when you’re 21 what do you want to have achieved? I want to have at least one BIG album out and I want to be touring the world.
How did being in prison change your mentality? Being in jail makes you appreciate your freedom and things you take for granted like your friends and family. I try to see them as much as I can.
Where did the phrase jetski wave come from and what exactly does it mean? Jetski is something I used to say in my lyrics and it just stuck. It means fun because Jetski’s are all about fun and holidays. And its a wave life, is a wave to me with all the ups and downs.
Do you feel by coining phrases like ‘wave’ and ‘Dagga Dagga Da’ that it makes you instantly recognisable? Yea definitely but I’m not just narrowed down to those catch phases, I have mixtapes full of songs about my life experiences.
Tell us more about new single ‘The Wave,’ how did the song come around and what’s it about? It was mad because Semtex hollered at us to do a dubplate for him which we did, and it was over a dancey beat and when I did it we all thought the song sounds big almost too big for a dubplate. So we decided to go back in the studio and make it an original song, but using my bars that everyone knew from my street record ‘touch a button.’
What are your thoughts on the Nu Skool garage remix done by Mike Deliquent on ‘The Wave?’ It’s for the Garage fans I try and connect with as many audiences as possible, so I’m hoping this will get played by people like DJ EZ.
Read the rest of the interview here
Emeli Sandé is one of the clear rising stars of 2011. The Scottish-born singer-songwriter has already co-written songs and collaborated with some of the cream of the UK music industry, including, Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder, Professor Green and Susan Boyle, while also achieving two Top 10 hits alongside Wiley on ‘Never Be Your Woman, and Chipmunk’s ‘Diamond Rings’, which she not only sang on but co-wrote. With her debut single ‘Heaven’ peaking at No 2 in the charts (blocked from the top spot by Wretch 32’s ‘Don’t Go’), this talented young woman is hard to miss.
Erupting back onto the scene after completing a Neuroscience degree at Glasgow University, Emeli has decided to concentrate solely on music, which has always been her dream. ‘People I’d meet on the course would inspire me because they had wanted to be doctors since they were four or five, and I just knew I didn’t,’ she says. Although she loves medicine and would like to go back to it in the more research side of things, learning about the brain and musical therapy, her passion remains her music, which comes through clearly in her voice.
While studying medicine, her stylistic freedom was held in check, but now we can see the real Emeli emerging. Cutting her hair short and dying it blonde was something she had always wanted to do, along with the addition of a few tattoos. ‘I love tattoos. I have Frida Kahlo on my arm, but I should probably stop; I’m getting a little bit to addicted to it now. I love expressing myself through the way I look just as much as my music.’
So can we expect to see more crazy styles from Emeli as her sound evolves? ‘Probably,’ she says, ‘I’m always changing. I hate being the same thing for too long. Maybe I’ll have green hair by the end of the year, I’m not sure. At the moment I’m OK; I think I’ve gone quite crazy quite quickly. I think I’m just going to chill out and stay a bit calm.’
With the music industry not making as much money as it used to and major labels suffering a loss, it is not always a bad thing as it can pave the way for independent labels and artists. ‘Artists are having to develop and build this big fan base without major labels,’ Emeli explains. ‘Major labels are becoming less and less important, which is quite exciting. With people like Ed Sheeran coming up and Wretch, they have built their careers from just having great music and great lyrics, and people connecting with them. I think it’s exciting to see people like that in the charts. It’s a good time right now, especially in the UK. People can be quite experimental, and great musicianship is just essential.’
Emeli has always said her music does not fit into one particular genre. Her debut single, produced by Craze & Hoax, is a mix of soul, jazz and drum ’n’ bass. This is a strong and powerful start to her career as a solo singer. ‘I really wanted ‘Heaven’ to be the introduction to me because I loved the lyrics and it really sums me up. It’s one of my most honest songs. It’s a confession, saying you know what? I’m human, I have flaws, I mess up every day – but I am trying.’ The video includes a lot of religious symbols, such as angel wings and crosses, with ‘Fear Is Your Only God’ written on a window.
With her debut riding high in the charts, Emeli can relax for a bit. Before the single was release she says, ‘I felt very excited, but at the same time quite nervous, because usually I would have had someone to share the pressure with, or blame someone else if it doesn’t work out. This time it was all on me.’ Now she can add one more Top 10 single to her list.
But where does her music ability come from? Her mum is from England and her dad, Joel, is from Zambia. He taught himself how to play in the school choir, and many of her family members in Zambia are musically inclined. Though her mum may not be musical, she is her number one fan and like us she’s looking forward to hearing the album.
As a songwriter, Emeli likes to tell stories about her personal life and life experiences, those of herself and people around her. Talking about one song from her album called ‘Clown’, she says, ‘I’m really happy with the lyrics in “Clown”, it’s just describing how I felt in that moment; it’s quite hard to describe, you will have to hear it.’ Emeli promises the album will be full of ‘good lyrics’. She says, ‘That’s the first and foremost thing. I just want it to be very honest and very exposing; I never hold anything back when I’m writing songs. You can expect to just really get to know me when you hear it.
Talking about the future, Emeli says as long as she is making music people want to hear, she will be happy, along with writing music for films. ‘This is my ultimate dream, making music as a career is just perfect. I’d love to win an Ivor Novello; that would be fantastic, just for songwriting. I’d love to work with André 3000 and Nicki Minaj.’
My review of what happened when I attended the MOBO’s in Glasgow 2011…
Flavour magazine had a great time attending the MOBO awards 2011 in Glasgow SECC yesterday. The nominees were outstanding so the competition was tough. It was a great night of music and fashion, with the big winner being Jessie J who picked up 4 awards out of the 5 categories she was nominated in, including Best Album and Best Song.
Dionne Bromfield gave a stunning performance in tribute to late Godmother Amy Winehouse singing ‘Love is a Losing Game’ which gainned her a standing ovation.
The fans on the red carpet lined up and the biggest screams went to JLS, Dappy and Fazer, Rizzle Kicks and Tinchy Stryder who stayed signing autographs, taking pictures and talking to fans in the rain.
A lot of people were left disappointed that Wretch 32 did not win an award as Mann, Encore, and Dionne Bromfield were rooting for him before the awards took place. With Mann saying, ‘my homeboy Wretch 32 deserves to win, he has done amazing.’
Loick Essien who was up for Best Newcomer said before the awards took place, ‘I’m feeling great. I’m feeling amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone perform. Everyones got their best attire on and everyones got there game face on.’
When asked what is his favourite memory of the MOBO’s, Chipmunk said “winning one when I was 17!”
Boyz II Men closed the show with their sensational old school performance of their classic hits End of the Road and I’ll Make Love to You.
MOBO founder Kanya King told CMU: “The excitement and atmosphere of our second year here in Glasgow has shown the love that the whole country has for MOBO. We felt so welcome the first time we came here, we didn’t think it could be topped. This year has been a phenomenal success and we can’t wait to return in 2013. It’s been a great event that has welcomed some exciting new award winners to the MOBO roll of honour including the global superstar Adele, the UK’s hot talent Tinchy Stryder and of course the fantastic Jessie J walking away with four awards”.
Here’s the full list of winners:
Best UK Act: Jessie J
Best Newcomer: Jessie J
Best Hip Hop/Grime Act: Tinie Tempah
Best Video: Tinchy Stryder feat Dappy – Spaceship
Best International Act: Rihanna
Best Song: Jessie J – Do It Like A Dude
Best Album: Jessie J – Who You Are
Best Reggae: Alborosie
Best Jazz Act: Kairos 4Tet
Best African Act: Wizkid
Best Gospel Act: Triple O
Best R&B/Soul Act: Adele
Outstanding Contribution To Music: Boyz II Men
BeMOBO Award: Youth Music
*published at Flavour Magazine
Damien O’Brien has made his mark as one of the best street and close-up magicians in the industry, turning his biggest sceptics into fans with his astounding magic and cheeky charm.
Not one to use just one style of magic, 25-year-old Damien has mastered a dazzling repertoire of disciplines and tricks, using everything from bottles and coins to watches and fire, in addition to reading minds, levitating and hypnotising a spellbound audience at will.
This versatility, along with his unique style, is what sets him apart, as Flavour finds out. “The way I dress is very street and urban and very relaxed. Most magicians you see will be wearing a suit – it’s not very me. I like to be comfortable, and I think the more comfortable I am, the better I perform.” Introduced to magic at the tender age of 12 by magician Richard Bellars, Damien picked up his cards and never looked back. He took to the streets, pubs and nightclubs of southeast London at 18, performing professionally and blowing away unsuspecting members of the public.
His first paid performance was at a pub called the Rising Sun. “I had a group of guys taunting me, going, ‘Come on, then, pull a rabbit out the hat, show us some tricks.’ They were really winding me up. I plucked up confidence and went over and said, ‘I’ll tell you what, as you’re running your mouth, I’ll start with you.’ I did a mind-reading trick on one of the guys where I knew what card he would be thinking about and totally silenced them, and turned the sceptics into fans.” This is something that occurs often after his performances and is one of the key reasons he became a magician.
The defining moment he realised magic was to be his career was in 2003 when David Blaine stayed in a box for 44 days. “I went and stayed the whole time; I loved the response of how a performance like that could hold such a mass audience. I was there every day performing and thought this is what I want to do all the time.”
After this he used his charm to wow a club owner, gaining entry to the club which led to many performances at exclusive private parties full of celebrities, reality TV stars and talent agents. “I wasn’t even meant to be in the party, I just heard about it. I turned up, said I’d been booked here to perform tonight and managed to get my way into the club. I met the owner and started doing magic for him. The main one, which really got him, was a trick where I took his watch from his wrist without him knowing and put it on my own wrist. Right at the end we shook hands and I went to him, “Have you got the time?” He realised he didn’t have his watch, it was sitting on my wrist. After, he started telling everyone in the club about me, saying, ‘You’ve got to go meet everyone’ and introducing me to people.” Damien became a regular fixture, allowing him to perform in front of some of the world’s most famous celebs.
Performing at many events and after-show parties, including the Brit Awards, Cosmo Awards, T4’s On The Beach, NME Awards and World’s Richest Party at the Atlantis Hotel Dubai, to name but a few, he says his favourite events are “the MOBOs or especially the Brits because they were one of the first places that gave me a chance to perform at the official after-party. I love to perform and go out there and mess someone’s head up and leave them totally amazed.”
Read the rest of the interview here http://www.flavourmag.co.uk/damien-obrien-up-close-and-devilishly-magical/
The highly anticipated J Cole album was played to a room full of London critics including DJ’s and journalists. The walls were decorated with quotes from the album, teasing us with what we were to expect. As soon as a member of Roc Nation introduced the album, the buzzing room went silent. Being the first signee to Jay Z’s record label would make many feel pressured. J Cole has proved with Cole World: The Sideline Story that he can handle it, giving his fans what is owed, a truly thought out, lyrical masterpiece.
The album begins with a piano led intro with J Cole introducing the album, explaining how he’s taken his time and that stories will be told, sounding as hungry as he did on the first mixtape. What can only be expected from hearing the intro is that when hearing the songs it will be like watching a movie, keeping listeners interested the whole way through and seeing what the talented Cole has to tell us now. Dolla and a Dream III is the opening track on the album leading on beautifully from the intro with pianos and a big beat to follow, with the beats switching up on every verse, progressing to something better. Launching straight into second single, Can’t Get Enough, which has an addictive bassline line and beat and could easily be heard in clubs and on radio, unlike some of the other tracks on the album. His line, ‘ and I got love for the underground,’ is no lie, as he showcases his ability to be himself and not pander to record executives who want his style to change to fit into more commercial hip hop.
Lights Please from the Warm Up mixtape is a cleverly mastered track that was so well received it has made a place on the album, entwining serious issues with relationships. Mr Nice Watch, which features a verse from Cole’s boss Jay Z, with him encouraging Cole on, ‘You go Cole, it’s your time,’ is a straight banger with a catchy hook, guitar strings and drums. In Cole World there is one word he says in his lyrics which describes him and his artistry perfectly, ‘innovation.’ A nod towards the haters this is an intense track that will get you in deep thought. Lost Ones is a heart wrenching, emotional song about a teenage couple finding out that their expecting a child. It speaks from both the woman and mans point of view about the difficulties they face, the first that they are not ready, money worries, and the woman feeling alone.
Read the rest of the review here http://www.flavourmag.co.uk/j-cole-album-review-cole-world-the-sideline-story/
pixiewithapen 