http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKXYzJEWJac

Video for First Lesson. From the album 'Jerusalaam Come' Directed by Petah Hayes. See if you can spot the faces and name the names.

Lo

This is something Ive been meaning to write for a while.  It becomes hard when your not on Myspace as often as before.

Its only now I can really take in the the amount of great performances and energy that were present at my album launch parties.

From the usual problems of who needs cdj's , phono decks and other technical treats to the not so obvious problem of hearing that the venue we had so painstakingly sought and bartered with was closed for our night.  No not just closed, they were shut down as their electric was shut off around two days before we were to perform there.  WHAAT? Why didnt they tell us before where gonna get another place to play, where in such short space of time?
This news came to me just as I was boarding a train to go to London for a radio show.  By the time I was about to get to where I headed it was pretty much sorted.  Amazing.  I really gotta big up the team for that cos I know many people who are paid a lot of money to do this kind of thing and they can't.

On to the new venue of the MotherBar we had a whole new series of issues as people had to be re-guided to the new place and the new ripple of hearing that Roots Manuva wasnt going to be able to make it back in time....Aargh

with all this in mind by the time Offshore got on the decks it seemed like it was going to work. With newly added host in the shape of the legendary TY is WAS going to work.  From Afua calm and cool crowd connections to HLI's angsty energy riddled set it was an explosive night.  Triple Darkness did their amazing thing with such intensity it became too obvious how much they are destined for great things.  Blackitude got things rumbling with a few classic verses from his back catalog including crowd favourite Slang Teacher.  The always amazing Justice really put it on and killed the crowd dead.  By the time she got to Wonder Woman even those who didnt know her were fans. Not only did Yarah Bravo agree to perform late in the day (communications ) but she also brough along Dj Vadim and Puggs Atomz for the ride.  For those who dont know, Yarah is simply just up there for her performances and ability to get the people into what she does.

With the deck being manned thoughout by Offshore, Charlee Brown and the unflappable Dj Snuff everything was all present and correct.

Oh yeah, we pefromed too.  Myself Moyma and Mad Flow came a crashing down esp at the everybody on stage tunes of 'Straight outta BC' and 'Higher Higher'.  Moyma really had a moment with a bunch of jaws dropped at his skills.





So much vibes were in the place and so many good people who came through, even after the gig was done we just kept on dancing on stage as the tunes rolled on.  A great night with a real feeling that 'something' had happened.  It did and it was duly noted.











Managing to pull it off again would be improbable but not impossible...  This time with the extra magic of Serocee, R-Tillery, Ms C Brown, Quartz Crystallus, Roc 1, Son of Kick and the roped in from the ether via Paris, Mike Ladd we managed to smash more dents through the fourth wall.

Serocee proved why everyone from Dj Cro to Toddla T have been working with this guy with a fluid and engaging bashful set.  For the future version of all of us look no further than R-Tillery who's commanding performance was only underscored by how young he still is.  Just perfik. Quartz is always just as his name says, super right on point, colourful and hard.  Bless for dropping the 'Birmingham 6' version too. Mr ladd introduced us to Job who helped out on the compere tip.  A great addition as Job also happened to be invisible and some kind of medium who passed info to Mike in a savant style.

I been mad busy and should have wrote this a while ago but Lo... Its here.  I am in awae and service of all who came through and those that helped out from the sidelines, al the performers and the people who took themselves out of their comfort orbits to allow the craft to land.

Throughout the nights and the pre/after days I was nothing but humbled by how far some people had came out of their ways both literally and figuratively to reach and make sure the night happened.  From Newcastle, Singapore, Greece,  Derby and beyond there were so many stories of giving that its a whole blog in itself.  Serocee himself came out of his way in between three other shows and came around 50 miles out of his already planned route.  The Gamma reunion was such a surprise: seeing Redeem and M3 after such a long time truly had me moved. Raj driving all day...its so much Im not sure how to give it all back.  I will try.



































Ty, Yarah Bravo, Puggz, Vadim, Serocee, Triple Darkness, M9, Mz C Brown, R-Tillery, Justice, Cipher Jewels, TheWhatSupreme, Sensei C, Roc 1, Dj Moyma, Son of Kick, Mad Flow, Blackitude, Afua, Charlee Brown, DJ Snuff, DJ OffShore, Mike Ladd,  Joel the Custodian, Part 2, Urban Species, Carrie, Fran, Percy Filth, Adam, MSI Asylum, Pistol Petah, Kim Trusty, Michael Ellis, Fod Shabazz, Big C, MicsMan, Sarah, Prof Taut, Stuart Buck, Fais FX, Haris,  Prophet, M3, Redeem, Chris Christmass, Ben, Laura, Apples Sanra and A&A, Jeuce, El and Mel, SicNiss, Mercedes, Raj Pannu, Matt Black, Will, 


Big Dada and Ninja heads, Katrice, Adam Regan and all the others who helped bring this moment to pass.  Lets keep the momentum.

Peace

This morning I heard Ebony Bones on a well known BlackUr*an radio station in the daytime and thought things might be changing.

Ebony is a wicked artist that draws the lines between Post-Punk, Fela, Ska, pop and a million others genres together.  Her and her band are also great live performers so do check them out.

What I didnt realise was it was special slot in which they let a member of the team play an 'alternative' track for a change.

They then proceeded to basically rip the piss out her.  What she desribed as a Marmite track, one of the others called 'vomit'.  She said she had nearly been brought to tears on previous occasions by peoples reactions being so harsh.

As most of the Ur*an station have been playing re-hashed rave Euro-house remixes (for the last year or so) and claiming that everyone from Weezy to Ashteroth to Drake is the 'hottest rapper on the planet' it seems a shame they dont have any room for something different.

I mean they'll play Santagold only after she's been endorsed by Jigga's 'Marked for Death' worthy Holywood Dread impressions.

'Robots who follow cos they know not'

In the time of the most peoples from different backgrounds been able to work in the arena of the farthest reaching multi-faceted multi-media ever we have cardboard cut out characters for spokespeople. 

The same songs on all day. Turn the radio off for a few hours...the same songs...turn it off for a few days...the same so... you get the drift right.

"I only get on the mix late in the night"

with this in mind you can see why the USA is still the big culture magnet.  Now everyone wants to know Estelle and Idris Elba after their successes across the pond.  They are the same people as they were before, just famous.

Though we follow the US too much its interesting to see where they have been failing. From the days of great writers such as Kevin Powell, Cheo Coker, Dasun Allah and many others we saw some amazing magazines fall to become gossip mags and advertisement bloated puff pieces for stars ego's.

Then the actual mgazines began to fold.  Vibe has just gone and others are following shortly.

"Im seeing Robots"

The Garage and Grime scenes continue to give way to generic R&B/Rap/Pop. I have nothing against POP.  I grew up watching Top of the Pops to Madness, Duran Duran, MJ, Prince and many others do their thing.  To this day though, no one sounds like any of the above and thats why they are still relevant.

Let T-wayne do his thing and lets not be told whats 'hot'.  If you feel it you feel it.  Marmite or vomit.

Its been said we are always five years behind the US.  How many failings do we have to copy?

Peace

 

Just gotta big up all the peoples that came down to the Unseen last week.

Was a big thing for me being the first time playing the new material and in Birmingham no less.  It can be so much harder to rock 60 or so heads that you know than thousands of strangers.

Quartz was killin it from the jump with such a tight flow it coulda strangled itself.  It didnt, he and Mantis popped off a few shots from the Stormi Hillz project with squeezy ease.

What Supreme with the help of Sensei and Justice got the energy even upper.  A blast of some of his new and not so new stuff was given to the crowd via the dragon fire com-link.
The rapport between him and Sensei C is Marx brothers level.

Kim Trusty put the words with the wit and told tales of everyperson linked together by difference. All on a possible school night.

The energy was there from the off and just got better through the night.  always good to see faces in there from way back in the day as well as the newer crew.

Damn, even Laing from MSI enjoyed himself (and thats saying something...BIG).

Thanx again peoples for turning up and the hitting the number 11 notch esp when we did the last couple of takes for the video.  I hear the raw footage is just... raw...like roar.

Bless up the L.I.M.E ladies for turning up too.  Peoples gotta check Yelitza and Sykes and the whole crew.  Ladies in Music and Entertainment runs a regular night for females to come down and show their wares.  All female singers, rappers, poets and artists are welcome to and perform as well as link up and get the network thing happening.  Good to see Adante do her thing again, been a while but its always welcome.

For me the biggest shouts gotta go to my soldiers Mad Flow, Dj Moyma and Blackitude for helping me to paint the pictures.  Also x amount shout go to Joel the Custodian for his amazing host skills and getting the whole night sorted as far as cameras and what not.  What Supreme already know I know.

To: Tru Blu, Peaks, Johnny, Joel, Elliot,Mel, Sam Stealth,Justice, Kosyn, Cro, Myers, Mad Flow, Moyma, Kim, Emma, Yelitza, Prit, Dave, Kevin, Sykes, Laing, Ravage, Ranx, Rider Shafique, Monday, Keith, Francis, Fran, Wasif, Tom, Paul, Kelakovski, Blackitude, Seema, Dave,  Kay, Haris, Quartz, Mantis, Rob, Ed, Jay, Percy Filth, Lee, Usama and Raj in spirit and all the others including those who had pelvic breakage from Rollerball, and all the others who i dont know by name or forgot to name.

Love ,peace and happiness

Looking forward to seeing this get put together and whose up for the part two?

anyone?

Lo

The coming thursday 4th of June is regular irregular Hip Hop night, The Unseen.

Ill be dropping new material from my upcoming album for the first time. 

In order to capture some of the events for a soon come music promo we're going to be bringing out the cameras to capture a little of the energy.

To all people in the area please feel free to come on down and be a part of the night.  There are a few free entry spaces for those who get a hold of the password that unlocks the Unseen.

Ill be performing with Birmingham legend Mad Flow and the refined man with soul, DJ Moyma.

Also on the night there will be performances from the always sharp and on point Quartz Crystallus and the hyper-kinetic What Supreme.

decks will be manned by Pinnacle Peaks and Tru Blue

Host with the most is Joel the Custodian


Brush skin, cream hair and wash face....Be good to have you there

Peace

A fire a spark or a glow?
what is that thing that draws you to another.  Magnetism of polar opposites or A-polar a-likes?
From the eyes and the tones in which they speak, to a scent or the lightest of touches a current can be felt.
Do we really choose our friends, lovers and enemies.  Is it when the fall out of the orbit of our magnetic that friends become enemies.  A shift in the axis' or just cold bodies lost in space.
Even the once living things have an attraction.  Some people live for ever. An immortal soul that always was.  What always was always shall be.
So why dont we speak anymore?  Am I dead to you
Have the coals in our fires gone out
have you fell out with me?
I thought we were cool and maybe that was too cold
I forgot to stoke the flames
maybe we can die out     some of us anyway   You
So busy looking cool we miss each others light
I hope your still burning
with ideas ambition and most of all that thing that lit you up in the first place
made you shine in the darkness
Though I miss your warmth these days I still have mine
A lesser light but alight non the less
Keep yours alive till we meet again

Your Sun


Peace

Birmingham 6

Yes I done the tune.   Radio heads been showing some love and the tune seems to be getting felt.  Nice kick start to the album release.

End of a few days on the road and an overlong studio session with people angrily pointing at watches I realised I missed a bunch of names out on the shout outs.  Its barely noticeable.

Its all about showing and proving what we go through here and how many artists and people there are involved in the culture here.  Hopefully no-one else will notice.  A few heads told me how much they liked it (thanx again to New Line and Aston FM) but asked why I had missed out so and so's name.  Barely noticeable indeed.

Then they proceeded to tell me how they liked it but I didnt talk bout this or that part of town or that situation so I said:  " If you feel I left it out why dont you put it back in?"

This artform is for us, by us and about US so if you feel I left important things out, like your name, then get at me and Ill send the instrumental.



Hearing forward to it

Peace

Birmingham 6

Talking to a friend last night and he told me that as he was listening to Benga on the tube and the vox came on at exactly the same time to 'Mind the Gap'.

I recalled a similar thing with and old mixtape and the same Benga tune as well and started to wonder how many times this had happened.  Not just with this tune but any song.

Synchauralnicity

The tone was just off real light.  Something not too far from the living.

Its been such a long time since watching a traditional martial film on a big screen.  Such a long time since hearing the oohs and arghs of the crowd rise and fall with every bone crunching sound effect.  Okay so they changed some of the story from the real life and borrowed from a bunch of other flicks that had gone the same route before.  The whole Japanese occupation of China is still a sore point for many but Donnie hit so hard the soreness seemed to go away.  Probably his best acting to date and always a pleasure to see Simon Yam and the ever under-used Fan Sui Wong.  An even higher peak than Flashpoint and a reason for these guys to keep on working together.
If nothing else, Nic Cage simply must avoid remakes, at all costs.  The original Bangkok Dangerous was a pretty cool film.  Not amazing but pretty cool.  So, take out all the best elements, such as deaf mute hitman and what your left with is far from pretty cool.  Its not even pretty.  A good actor with terrible projects.  I wanted to love Ghost Rider.  I couldnt. Someone give Eva more to do than just pout.  She looks great pouting but surely there's more to her.
Bale growls louder and louder till filmic flaws crack open and swallow what could have been a story. It works overall but only just and turns a possible 5 star classic into a 3 1/2.  Yes, Two Face was great (but unecessary) and Ledger gave a seriously chilling and unhinged performance but it doesnt save the balloon from bursting before all the fun is had.
Walt Disney, you old racist, sexist severed head having undead afro wearing bag of jocularity.  Thank you for your overly precocious heavy make-up wearing homogenous acting multi-coloured non-ethnic children.  You and Mickey must be proud.  For a black mouse and a white man to have had so many off-spring is amazing in itself and for those hu-mice to be all conquering is even more so.  The Chinese white girl, the black white girl, the male white girl, britney, Justin, Raven, Corben, Miley.  High School brings the 1950's to you via high-speed almost life like mostly singing and nearly all dancing 360 degree marketing vomit.  Theres nothing like screaming kids to make you pay up.  Thanks so much Walt.  I bet your frozen face just cracked a smile.
Another of those finest mainstream guys, Ed Norton goes from 1920's bacteriologist in love to gamma-radiated super green man in love in one giant but easy leap.  Not everybody is able to pull kind of stuff off too easy but he made it happen.  Stan got his cameo and the fan boys got to hear the magic words 'Hulk Smash'.
Music from 'Sex Style' in The Wire.
The Wackness could have been.  Shaky accents and a main character you dont have to care about but it rounds off into a likable teen tale with a great 90's soundtrack.
A whole slew of fight films are about to occur but one of the finest and most intelligent has already slipped past the guard.  Im not sure if its enough action to bring in the cerebrals or enough talk to get the rude boys thinking but Chewie brings the whole thing home just right.
Will he ever address Paper plate or his likeness to a certain gangstalicious.
Will they play the Harold Pinter acceptance speech on TV
Gaza
Congo
Tibet

Anderson Silva  "This guys like something from the movies!"


 

The only verdict has been ruled to be Lawful Killing or an Open Verdict?

Even after all the obvious lies of not jumping the turnstile and using a card.  Even after not declaring themselves.  Even after their stories not matching many of the eyewitnesses.  After the wrong description in race, colour and clothing. No one is to be charged or even make an admission of guilt to any degree though a man has lost his life.  A family has lost a son/brother/lover and a whole generation of people walk in even more fear from those who are paid to protect them in case running quickens the hollow point judgement.

A Law full Killing?

Lets be careful out there