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LOWKEY



Last Updated: 12/22/2009

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Country: UK
Signup Date: 5/6/2005

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009 

Current mood:  annoyed
This is a group of protestors dancing to the song Long Live Palestine in Trafalgar Square 24/01/09



This is the reaction of the Police



Thank you to Slaine Elvign for recording these events and bringing them to my attention.
FIGHT THE POWER!!
Currently listening:
The Best Of Radiohead
By Radiohead
Release date: 2008-06-02
Monday, January 12, 2009 
I recently received this message. In my opinon, in order for us to move forward and change this situation, some level of dialogue is vital. Whether you agree with this person or not, please be respectful with your comments and only offer constructive arguements. The apartheid in South Africa was partly broken by movements of young white activists who saw the truth and stood up to their own government. This was effective because to the racist opressors  in power, the opinion of a white South African was worth more than anyone else's. Using this same logic, one of the ways we can save Palestinian lives and effect change is to enlist the help of as many Israeli citizens as possible. We must give them the oppurtunity to see the truth, in all it's purity. Then, once free from the influence of identity or faith they must objectively choose where they stand for the good of all humanity.

"Lowkey,
I'd just like to say I honestly appreciate the work you are doing for peace and for human rights and I completely relate to that, I have done a lot of raising awareness for Darfur and Tibet in particular but I'm a Zionist and a Jew. Please don't stop reading here because even if our people can't make peace I'd like to hold my hand out at least. The reason I'm writing is to show you that Israel's supporters are supporters of evil and hurtship of your people. I was rallying for peace for Gaza and Israel on Sunday and I got shouted at by a counter demonstration against the Israeli rally "Shame on you", which was ignoring the "PEACE FOR GAZA AND ISRAEL" placard I was holding when ultimately it was the message on the placard I care about.

I just would like you to understand that I also absolutely appreciate the plight of the Palestinian people. I care vastly for their humanitarian needs and it breaks my heart that the fighting has to go through your people to get to Hamas. It is a huge concern for me that their welfare is looked after. The daily 3 hour aid shipping into Gaza is hugely important in my support of Israel and I really want that to continue and increase, and ultimately I 100% Support your right to your own homeland next to ours and I am a staunch believer in the 2 state solution.

But I just want to express to you that there are people in Sderot that are suffering from shelling from Hamas. Not Palestinian civilians (Hamas's human shields) but from Hamas. When I campaign for Israel, I am campaigning against Hamas and not your innocent people, as I want the rockets into Sderot, Ashkelon etc. to stop from Hamas.

There's absolutely no need for the violence. Here we have a situation where each side keep fighting, terrorism from Hamas is responded with more fighting and it's tragic, but I want you to know that whilst I want immediate peace, I feel ultimately Hamas is to blame for the suffering on both sides, and I would genuinely love it if you acknowledged this.

I am 18 years old now and next year I'm going to Israel for my gap year and will be working with Palestinian and Israeli-Arab children in a peace project. I absolutely support your right for your own land next to ours, and I am going to actively hold out my hand to as many of your people as possible.

The reason I want to say all of this is because I feel it's easy to say the enemy is evil, but I just want you to know, as someone who loves the music you make with Mongrel in particular, that we want the prosperity of your people and for our people to be in peace.

There's an Israeli song we sing that goes

Od yavo' shalom aleinu
Od yavo' shalom aleinu
Od yavo' shalom aleinu
Ve al kulam (x2)
Salaam (Salaam)
Aleinu ve al kol ha olam,
Salaam, Salaam (x2)

Peace will come upon us
Peace will come upon us
Peace will come upon us
and on everyone.
Salaam
On us and on everyone
Salaam, Salaam

We want peace, the same as you. Please accept this. Israel is not necessarily evil it breaks my heart to see the suffering of Israeli's ignored and the labeling of Israelis as evil. Help me to kill terrorism for good, Lowkey. I hope you took the time to read this, and hope you can accept what I'm saying if it made sense to you. Please don't ignore it if you read, and let me know what you think I am ALWAYS willing to listen to the other side of the arguement. I hope you appreciate some rationality from the other side and I hope you haven't had any insulting or offensive comments from any Pro-Israelis.

Thanks."
 
 
Share your views, thoughts, opinions and facts below
Currently reading:
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
By Ilan Pappe
Saturday, January 10, 2009 
This is the account of a 17 year old boy, who witnessed the incident.


"On the 3rd of January 2009, after the heart-warming and triumphant gathering of tens of thousands who support the cause of the Palestinian people in Trafalgar Square, London, most protestors then made their way to the Israeli Embassy to make their voices heard as they had done for the last 6 days. Protestors of all races and creeds, mean, women and children chanted and held banners and signs condemning the Israeli government for there inhumane bombardment of Gaza.



I was there.



We walked singing choruses in English and Arabic waving our Palestinian flags and holding up our signs. Peacefully. When we arrived at Green Park, we were stopped. There was no reason for us to be stopped. I was at the front and asked one of the police officers why we had been halted, to which he replied that we would be permitted to proceed eventually. While we waited, the sheer number of police officers arriving was frightening. All of them were in riot gear and most had balaclavas underneath their helmets. There must have been 500-1000 officers in sight while we were waiting to be let through.



After approximately 20 minutes of uncertainty, we were informed that we could go through the Hyde Park underpass. With haste, and eagerness, we climbed over gates (most walked around) to get to the tunnel. We were split into two groups once in the underpass and the noise was deafening. The chants and choruses became louder and people were greeting each-other. The police who had formed five lines in front of us, two lines directly in front of us in black riot gear and three lines in riot gear and high-visibility coats behind them, made us stop on numerous occasion for minutes each time. Whenever this happened, we would chant and boo. Nothing else.



When we were in sight of the light at the end of the tunnel, we were once again stopped. This time for many minutes, which the crowd responded with demands of why, but still, no violence or pushing. One of the officers then shouted a command. The first two rows of riot police then attacked anyone in sight of them with their riot batons, often surrounding individuals and beating them to the crowd. The crowd tried to run backwards in fear but as the rows behind were oblivious to what was going on, people fell on each other and many people were crushed by the bodies of their fellow protesters falling on them. The police continued to brutally, mercilessly and ruthlessly attack people with such viciousness that many people around me were leaking blood from their head. I saw several people unconscious and many people were clutching parts of their bodies in pain, likely to be a fracture from the sheer force of the attacks by the Metropolitan Police. I stress that there were women, children and babies in prams in this crowd. Furthermore, everyone was innocent and part of a very peaceful protest. There are many things that cannot be explained using the English language and the sheer violence I saw from the POLICE and the fear I felt cannot be expressed in language. It was horrific, I was sure that I would be hit on the head by officers and fall unconscious. If that would have happened, it would not have been the end of it as officers often continued to beat people who were on the ground with their batons of kicking them.



When the unprovoked attack was finally over, the injured were helped onto their feet and in anger many people threw bits of wood at the ranks of evil police in front of them. I was furious. I was possessed by a rage which I have rarely felt in my life as I saw a woman, who looked over 60 years old, being helped up by other victims. The aftermath of the attack left debris of shoes, scarves, signs, blood and bags in between the wide no-mans-land which separated us, the innocent protesters and the riot police, who had attacked us viciously in an unprovoked attack.



After maybe 10 minutes of panic and fear of another charge, the police started to walk backwards again, meaning that we could continue walking forwards and into the open air. We proceeded with caution, this time I was in the first few rows, instead of being right at the front. We walked for maybe to minutes when we stopped yet again and without warning, the police in front of us repeated the horrors of which took place but fifteen minutes before. The same unexplainable attack on innocent people occurred. The police force was as merciless and ruthless with their attacks as before. Hitting any life form in sight with their riot batons, this time, there was no crushing and piles of innocent people lying on top of each other as the crowd were cautious after the first attack. This attack was just as vicious and lasted just as long as the attack minutes prior to this one. As with this attack, men, women and children were beaten senseless and the police were indiscriminate with whom they hit as all were innocents.



After the second attack, the police quickly retreated and left a huge gap between protesters and attackers and we eventually plucked up the courage to walk forward, into the open air. We saw people up on the railings with cameras and signs clapping and cheering as we exited the tunnel. The ordeal was over and chants of "Allah hu Akhbar" were roared as I screamed "TAKBIR" until my vocal cords felt like they were on fire. We were out in the open and were free from the totalitarian police force who had taken us into an underpass where there were no other witnesses and no live news feed or reporters. We had been lured into an ambush that we would never forget. We were treated as Palestinians were everyday in Israel by the, so called civilised police force of London and this made me feel more in touch with my Palestinian akhi's as I had ever felt.



I have a message to the Metropolitan Police who were involved in this despicable act upon innocent peaceful protesters: you may beat us mortals into submission, but your arms are too short to box with God."



By Awate Suleiman

This is another witness account from a different perspective :


PEACE + LOVE
Currently listening:
7 Seconds: The Best of Youssou N’Dour
By Youssou N’Dour
Release date: 2004-03-02
Thursday, January 08, 2009 
Long Live Palestine

This is for Palestine, Ramallah, West Bank, Gaza,
This is for the child that is searching for an answer,
I wish I could take your tears and replace them with laughter,
Long live Palestine, Long live Gaza!!

While we listen to tunes, made by ignorant fools,
Israel blocked the UN from delivering food,
They'll bring in the troops and you won't even glimpse at the news,
They make money of the products that we are quick to consume,
It's not simply a question of differing views,
Forget emotions, this is fact, what I spit is the truth,
Makes no difference if you're a Christian or if you're a Jew,
They are just people living in different conditions to you,
They still die when you bomb their schools, mosques and hospitals,
It is not because of rockets, please god can you stop it all,
I'm not related to the strangers on the TV,
But I relate because those faces could have been me,
Words can never ever explain the raw tragedy,
It's not a war they're just murdering more rapidly,
We are automatically supporting pure savagery,
Imagine how you'd feel if it was your family,


This is for Palestine, Ramallah, West Bank, Gaza,
This is for the child that is searching for an answer,
I wish I could take your tears and replace them with laughter,
Long live Palestine, Long live Gaza,

Palestine remains in my heart forever,
We stand for peace, in times of war we shan't surrender,
Remember, it didn't start in that dark December,
Every coin is a bullet, if you're Mark's and Spencer,
And when your sipping Coca-Cola,
That's another pistol in the holster of a soulless soldier,
You say you know about the Zionist lobby,
But you put money in their pocket when you're buying their coffee,
Talking about revolution, sitting in Starbucks,
The fact is that's the type of thinking I can't trust,
Let alone even start to respect,
Before you talk learn the meaning of that scarf on your neck,
Forget Nestle,
Obama promised Israel 30 billion over the next decade,
They're trigger happy and they're crazy,
Think about that when you're putting Huggies nappies on your baby,

This is for Palestine, Ramallah, West Bank, Gaza,
This is for the child that is searching for an answer,
I wish I could take your tears and replace them with laughter,
Long live Palestine, Long live Gaza,

This is not just a war over stolen land,
Why do you think little boys are throwing stones at tanks?
We will never really know how many people are dead,
They drop bombs on little girls while they sleep in their beds,
Don't get offended by facts, just try and listen,
Nothing is more anti-Semitic than Zionism,
So please don't bring bad vibes when you speak to me,
I know there's plenty of Rabbi's that agree with me,
It's your choice what you do with this message,
Don't get it confused; I view this from a truly human perspective,
How many more resolutions have to be violated,
How many more children have to be annihilated
Israel is a terror state, there terrorists that terrorise,
I testify, my television televised them telling lies,
This is not a war, it is systematic genocide,
But whatever they try, Palestine will never die!!!

www.myspace.com/lowkeyuk
Currently listening:
Tripping Out
By Curtis Mayfield
Release date: 1994-12-06
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 
http://www.hip-hopkings.com/2009/01/lowkey-interview/

Hip-Hop Kings: First of all, thank you very much for joining Hip-HopKings.com today for this interview. For the people out there that do not know Lowkey, can you please give a little introduction to yourself please?

Lowkey: I'm a poet slash political activist who is trying to push boundaries, open some minds and use my work to draw attention to the plight of others. Too many Hip-Hop artists these days are all telling the same story from the same perspective. I feel like the art form known as Hip-Hop has gone from being the voice of oppressed people to being an extremely powerful tool of the oppressor. We as artists have been integral to that process in that we have constantly facilitated this advertising. Rappers these days are advertising products made by companies that hate our very existence. Hip-Hop is being used to sell an unrealistic, superhuman lifestyle. The most successful rappers are almost a new breed of ultra capitalists who are giving birth to consumers who then become capitalists themselves who give birth to more consumers, who then become more capitalists, the cycle is endless. If you listen to the majority of mainstream Hip-Hop now, it leads one to believe, the only worthwhile aspiration a person can have for their life is financial gain at the expense of everything and anyone. I'm the one who will tell you, there is way more to life. If you get to the point where you have the whole planet's ears and the only thing you can tell them is how much swagger you have, how good you are at spitting, what brand of car/clothes/alcohol/trainers etc are cool and how you used to sell drugs, if that is all you can possibly say then you're career is meaningless, you were merely a piece of metal which helped the machine carry on moving towards its destination. Every single human being that has ever lived on this planet was a completely unique creation, never to be repeated, a person's music should reflect this and tell you what is different and individual about them. When your music is played after you die will it reflect how truly individual you were as a human or will it just list the products you wanted. My aim is to leave my footprint on this planet, so that when I die I will be remembered.

HHK: I first heard your music on the Key To The Game series, and the final one, Key To The Game Volume 3 is very impressive. You said your now doing "things your own way", was someone dictating your career beforehand?

Lowkey: No that was merely a reference to the fact that on my first mix CD I was mainly using jacked American beats, and on my second mix CD I had a lot of features and shout outs from other artists. With my third mix CD I felt it approached more like an album and definitely gave more of myself, in terms of honesty.

HHK: You touch some very interesting topics including politics, death, and the sexual diseases and such. What was going through your mind when you made the album?

Lowkey: Exactly what you hear on the CD, I was dealing with everything you hear there. I was going to the clinic for check up's, getting racially profiled by police on public transport, dealing with my brother's death and the falling apart of my family. That was the reality of my trials and tribulations when Key To The Game 3 was being written.

HHK: The series finished in 2003, why such the long wait for your new album "Dear Listener"?

Lowkey: The series didn't actually start till 2003, Volume 2 dropped in November 2004 and Key To The Game 3 came out in October 2005. I have been active since then. I was commissioned to write a play entirely in rhyme based on Macbeth but set in modern day Bath, it was performed at the Egg Theatre and is about to go on tour to different festivals. I recorded alot with Poisonous Poets, I released a mix CD with Logic and another one with Stylah. I toured Europe and supported Guru, Immortal Technique, Canibus, Krs One, dead prez, Pharoahe Monch. I worked with Swiss, Faith SFX and others on music that may never see the light of day. I met with the leader of the Liberal Democrat's Ming Campbell, as a representative of my local community, which was interesting. I took part in the NSPCC's Don't Hide It campaign and recorded an exclusive tune and video to promote that. I co founded non-profit organization Peoples Army with Logic, we ran a free club night and open mic in Brixton. Not to mention in the last six months with my new band, I performed at Glastonbury, T in the Park, Oxygen in Ireland over the summer with Reverend and the Makers. I've been active just not constantly releasing music in the way I did before. I can't stop, trust me I have tried.

HHK: This album is your official debut album, and some of the production is handled by the likes of Scram Jones, Styalz Fuego and Q-Tones. How did you achieve this sort of backing?

Lowkey: Through hard working management.

HHK: What can your fans expect to hear from this album? What sort of direction did you take the project?

Lowkey: Just my take on the world at this moment in time. Experimental sounds, pushing the boundaries of Hip-Hop musically and conceptually. Check www.myspace.com/lowkeyuk to find out what it sounds like. I have shot a video for In My Lifetime feat Wretch 32, which should be hitting the TV February latest. I have shot a video for Alphabet Assassin, which should be out soon after. To purchase the LP visit www.soempire.com

HHK: Over the past year, you have performed at Glastonbury and the Electric Proms, and your career has received some critical acclaim for your lyricism, how does this make you feel? How can you improve next year?

Lowkey: It is always a bonus to get recognition for your work, but there is always a hunger for more. The aim is to just keep pushing myself and challenging my own creativity, trying out new concepts, making the kind of music you want to hear and feel the world is missing.

HHK: In February, you are dropping an album with your group called Mongrel; can you tell me about the group and the project? How did this come about?

Lowkey: My band Mongrel features Jon McClure, Joe Moskow (Reverend and the Makers), Andy Nicholson (Arctic Monkeys) and Drew McConnell (Babyshambles). Jon heard my music and got in touch, it all developed from there. The album Better Than Heavy drops on Wall Of Sound in February and we tour in the same month. Check www.myspace.com/wearemongrel for the dates and locations. I involved a lot of MC's from the UK in this project even remixing certain tracks of mine from KTTG 2 & 3. I felt if I could have the ears of the indie world I wanted them to hear the good stuff.



HHK: I have seen your working on a project with Logic, called New World Order; can you explain about the project at all?

Lowkey: We have an album recorded and ready for mixing, just no investment. Any people interested feel free to get in touch. A successful release needs a strong machine behind it.

HHK: How did you and Logic decide to start the project? Because with the songs, you touch some very deep topics like poverty, and world struggle.

Lowkey: We have known each other for years so it was just a meeting of like-minded individuals. We had one track entitled Home Is Where The Heart Is which got a buzz on youtube, check out my video and blog about it here http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=15294050&blogID=450548492

HHK: I spoke to you earlier, and you told me about your march for the "Free Palestine" campaign, can you tell me your thoughts and stance on this topic?

Lowkey: My stance is from an entirely human perspective, there is a genocide taking place, which is damaging for all humanity. Israel carries out the most heinous crimes without any international action being taken by any governing bodies. No one has violated as many UN resolutions as Israel. It is basically an apartheid system much in the same way South Africa was, the main difference being the international community can't and won't shun the Israeli government the same way they did the South African government. Further more right, left and centre people are falling over themselves to condemn Robert Mugabe's regime yet the crimes and power of Israel far exceed that of Mugabe, yet the silence is deafening, It's as if the life of a Palestinian is worth nothing. The illegal Zionist terror state is a discredit to all humanity. In the same way America was stolen from the indigenous people who inhabited its land, Palestine has been stolen from the Palestinians not only right in front of our eyes but also with our full financial support. In the same way the indigenous people of America are now almost extinct, Israel has the same aim for the people of Palestine. Through our taxes and purchases of products (half of which are endorsed by your favourite rapper) we facilitate this horrible state of affairs. In the same way Jewish people were horrifically oppressed by the Nazi's in Eastern Europe, the state of Israel is trapping Palestinian children in the worlds largest illegal prison and starving them. I have a song entitled Long Live Palestine, which pretty much breaks down my stance on this situation. FREE PALESTINE.

HHK: You're a member of the Catch 22 Network also, what does that entail? Immortal Technique, Kool G Rap and some UK heavyweights are also members. How does that make you feel?

Lowkey: It was something set up by my management in the US; it's a good look. I recorded one track with Stylah, Nino Bless, Kool G Rap and myself, which is yet to be released. We also recorded a track for DJ Mentat's album with AZ, Kyza, Kool G Rap and myself, which is also yet to be released. I'm working on my new album now, which should feature Tech, so it's all positive.

HHK: Do you feel like you have grown as a lyricist from Volume 1 to right up to now?

Lowkey: I have completely changed as a human being let alone a lyricist. The journey from the age of 17 to 22 is a big one and I feel like my music should reflect that. I take myself more seriously now, before I was just spitting bars for the sake of it, the content wasn't all 100% from my heart. Now everything I do, I intend to make it count.

HHK: Your part of the UK super group Poisonous Poets. How was the group formed and how does it feel to be part of such a respected group?

Lowkey: The group was formed on the basis of skill recognises skill. It's good to be in a click with rappers who challenge you and force you to up your game.

HHK: What's new with the Poet's? Any new projects? I know Doc Brown has become a comedian and his brother Luc Skyz is coming out, has he got the support of the group?

Lowkey: Everyone's on their own thing at the moment, remember Double P is a collection of separate entities so it's always going to be a vultron type situation. Reveal is making a lot of moves with rappers and musician's in Iran because as you know home is where the heart is, as for Stylah he's got Treading Water dropping soon, which is a flipping classic. I haven't seen Doc's comedy stuff but he has my support in anything he does, he was the first guy to bring me in when I was an immature little shit so as far as I'm concerned, he deserves success in whatever he does.

HHK: What does 2009 hold for Lowkey? What do you aim to do and achieve this year?

Lowkey: I just intend to travel as much as possible, make the kind of music I like and respect. Learn as much as I can about this beautiful world we live in. Pave the way for Hip-Hop artists from the UK and also open doors MC's of Middle Eastern and Arab descent, as I feel we are definitely an unrepresented minority in this game, and we have a voice that needs to be heard in the western world.

HHK: How do you rate the UK Hip-Hop scene compared to the US? What do you think we're lacking or what would you change?

Lowkey: We just do not have any type of infrastructure in this country, let alone prototype for success. That's why MC's are making dance tunes or R'n'B tunes with auto tune just to get a sniff of the charts. We are being reduced to monkeys in a cage desperately begging for the chance to compromise our integrity. The tastemakers in this country are just clueless about what can or can't succeed. I have been pigeon holed as a "political" or "controversial" artist as if there is no fan base for thought provoking Hip-Hop in the world. Unlike some of my peers I will never compromise my integrity for money, there is more to life. The tastemakers are generally gutless and scared. People would rather promote a stereotype because it makes them feel more comfortable and they believe it has more sales potential, the ironic thing is that, it is the trailblazers and innovators who make history and set the trends. Look at Eminem the biggest exception to the rule ever. He didn't just succeed because he was white, and racist people who were scared when 2pac rapped about killing people, for some reason felt invigorated by Eminem doing it. He didn't just succeed because he tapped into the teen angst felt by Marylyn Mansun fans all over the world, He succeeded because his undeniable lyrical ability afforded him credibility money can never buy. The problem is, these wankers who determine "whats hot and what's not" cannot tell the difference, they don't understand lyricism or our artform the way we do. That credibility counts for so much more than the other stuff, that's why when Major's sign artists who are not lyrically respected by their peers they will always be destined to fail. We need someone who is solidly respected for his or her skills to smash the door down.

HHK: Are the Poison Poets and yourself, the group to take the UK scene to the next level?

Lowkey: I don't know about Poisonous Poets, we all definitely have the skills to achieve it, even as individuals. Whether or not any of us truly have the will to do it, I'm not sure. I honestly believe Mongrel has the potential to open a new door for MC's from this country, just because of the bands associated with the project.

HHK: I seen you in concert before, what are your favourite cities to perform at? Will you be travelling abroad with your music soon?

Lowkey: My favourite show thus far was in Bath 2007, the atmosphere was electric. I enjoy festivals a lot, but it's only fun if you've got a tour bus to sleep on. I've never been a camping type of guy. We've got a show in Holland on the 16th and we are going to Venezuela on the 19th as guests of Hugo Chavez, we are going to do show there. That should be a real eye opener. Got something at a snowboarding festival in Switzerland, April I think which I'm looking forward to.

HHK: Any shoutouts or anything else you would like to add to the interview?

Lowkey: Thanks for the support Stu, it's much appreciated. Big up to all the listeners that have supported my music. Peace and Love.

HHK: Thanks for your time and good luck.

www.myspace.com/lowkeyuk
www.soempire.com
www.grindstonepromo.com
www.myspace.com/wearemongrel
Currently reading:
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
By Ilan Pappe
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 
Relatives is a track taken from my new LP, Dear Listener, this song features Logic and myself going back to back spitting from two different perspectives. This time my character is a young English man who joins the Army and is sent to Iraq. Logic's character is a young Iraqi man from Basra. Throughout the song these two characters lives get closer and closer together until they do eventually cross paths. Neither knew the other one even existed but both effected each others lives profoundly. While their experiences contrast greatly, they do have much in common. They are both powerless human beings in a situation they would rather not be in. Pain is the same.

This video was made by another talented listener Specktakool. The images you are about to view are extremely graphic and may shock you. Do not press play unless you are prepared.



Should there be a Home Is Where The Heart Is Part 3? and if so what perspectives should be explored?
Currently listening:
Daddy’s Gone
Release date: 2008-08-26
Thursday, December 04, 2008 

This video was made by a very talented listener of mine, Hanaa B. The song Alphabetical Slaughter by Papoose was undoubtedly an incredible display of lyricism. That track was the main inspiration for my tune Alphabet Assassin. Never get it twisted I'm a big Papoose fan, and in my opinion he is too underrated, he is an intelligent mc's mc who keeps pushing boundaries conceptually in a game where image is considered more important than substance. Since making Alphabet Assassin I have become aware of tunes made by Phi Life Cypher and Blackalicious (made before Papoose's) which also utilise the same concept and kill it differently.

Here is the video.

LOWKEY (ALPHABET ASSASSIN) VS PAPOOSE (ALPHABETICAL SLAUGHTER)


PROPS TO HANAA B


Now you tell me…

 

Currently listening:
Let It Be
By The Beatles
Release date: 1990-10-25
Thursday, December 04, 2008 

The 696 Form compels licensees who wish to hold live music events in 21 London Boroughs to report to the police the names, addresses, aliases and telephone numbers of performers, and most worryingly, the likely ethnicity of their audience. Failure to comply could result in fines or imprisonment. We believe this places unnecessary powers in the hands of the Metropolitan Police. The 696 form can only serve to deter the staging of live musical events - a positive form of activity in London and all cities - stifle free expression and quite possible penalise certain genres of music and ethnic audiences.

If you agree, please sign the petition to scrap the 696:


http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Scrapthe696/

Sunday, November 23, 2008 

My verse on this track was written from the perspective of a Palestinian boy, who due to a tragic series of horrifying events ends his life with the phrase "suicide bomber" forever attached to his name.  My aim with this verse is not to glorify, condone, justify or encourage violence, war or any form of terrorism, whether it is state sponsored or otherwise. When writing this verse I was attempting to understand what would drive a human being to end their own life by detonating a cheaply made bomb strapped to their body in busy cities like Tel Aviv, full of civilians. The aim of this verse is to humanise the people who are constantly demonised and de-humanised by the rest of the world. These are HUMAN problems with HUMAN reasons for existence, when you deny this fact the problem is guaranteed to perpetuate itself, time and time again.



 


Despite the fact the disgustingly oppressive series of events described within my verse have not been experienced by me firsthand, they are all in fact REAL events, which happened to REAL Palestinian people, who have REAL families and REAL lives. The Zionist controlled media want YOU to forget that, as to them the lives of these human beings are worthless and have no value. They even want YOU to believe that Palestine does not and has never existed. That could never be the truth, Palestine is a REAL country, inhabited by REAL human beings who have REAL lives. As long as I live, YOU will never forget that.



 


The 6th of April 2002 was a REAL day, Jamal al-Sabbagh was a REAL 33 year old man who REALLY had diabetes and was REALLY in need to medicine. The 5th of April was the day a REAL state of the art IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) missile had REALLY destroyed his REAL house. On the 6th however he was taken into custody by the IDF and despite the fact he was obeying their orders, by stripping off his clothes in public (a humiliating ritual the Palestinian men particularly, are subjected to on a regular basis), he was REALLY shot to death with REAL bullets by REAL IDF guns. This was a REAL person with a REAL family. How do you expect those REAL people in his family to feel about this incident or the state of Israel in general? This story is not remarkable or unusual, it has happened many times in Palestine and is likely to happen many more times.



 


The 31st of January 2005 was a REAL day; Noran Deeb was a REAL 10 year old girl, in a REAL school within a REAL "refugee" camp. She was REALLY shot to death by REAL bullets from REAL IDF guns in a REAL school playground. How do you expect her father and mother to feel about the state of Israel, remember they are REAL human beings after all. How would YOU feel? The worst thing is that even this incident is not remarkable or unusual; there have been more incidents of Palestinian children being killed or injured by IDF gunfire even while sitting in class at a UN school. How would YOU feel if that was your sister? What would you do?



 


There have been countless stories of REAL Palestinian people who have been kidnapped, falsely imprisoned, tortured all without trial, then if they are fortunate, released back into the world without apology or even an explanation from the IDF. The unfortunate ones are never returned; remember these are real people like you and me. Imagine one of these people was one of your REAL relatives in your REAL life, how would you feel about the state of Israel?



 


Before some wilfully blind person who refuses to acknowledge black and white facts, accuses me of anti Semitism, let's talk about this word Semitic. The word is derived from the family of Semitic LANGUAGES: Tigre, Maltese, Phoenician, Tigrinya, Akkadian, Amharic, Ge'ez, Arabic and unsurprisingly Hebrew among others. Therefore using the same logic which recognises all Jewish people as Semites, on the premise that they speak Hebrew, every Arabic speaking Palestinian (the vast majority) is in fact a Semite. Therefore there is nobody more anti Semitic than the state of Israel. Besides my problem is not with Jewish people, to suggest so is insulting and negligent, my problem is with Theodor Herzl and every single Zionist since him.



 


So while the world celebrates Barack Hussein Obama as a beacon of equality, he has appointed Rahm Israel Emanuel, a well known ardent Zionist and holder of a dual Israeli and US citizenship as his Chief of Staff. Emanuel himself, the son of Benjamin Emanuel a member of Irgun, a Zionist terrorist organization who helped paved the way for the Zionist's of today, was in fact a voluntary member of the IDF in 91. So not only is his Chief of Staff a former Israeli soldier, Obama has promised the state of Israel 30 billion dollars of US taxpayer's money in "aid" over the next 10 years. It is clear where Obama's loyalty lies, and whose interests he will protect. The fact he is willing to support this long term genocide of the Palestinian people shows his true colours. He is no brother of mine.



 


How do you feel knowing that your taxes are buying the bullets blasted into the heads of ten year old children? How do you feel knowing that every can of Coca-Cola you buy, every Nestle chocolate bar you buy, and even every Huggies nappy you slip onto your comfortably oblivious children is funding the bombs which drop on the houses of innocent people in Palestine every day?  Knowing these facts I'm just not comfortable with myself, that's why I wrote this verse.



 


I hope my intentions have been made clear. Despite the inhumane conditions imposed upon them, these people are human beings, just like you and me.To de-humanise and demonise a person on the basis of their death is like picking up a book and only reading the last page, then judging the entire content of whole book solely on the basis of that last page. With this verse I am attempting to fill in what the rest of that person's life might have contained, and what drove them to this. Before we judge the destination, we must understand the journey.


Peace……



 


LYRICS (VERSE 2):


I pray you can relate to my views and my struggles,


They took my home and they reduced it to rubble,


Nobody cares and no one will help us,


Then they wonder why we're going to their cities and we're blowing ourselves up,


They're acting like we're killing them, they're killing us harder,


They can't imagine what life's like living in Gaza,


Inshallah, with my life I can give you a martyr,


Too young to understand what they did to my father,


But I'm told he was diabetic,


(Israeli) Soldiers said the medicine in his hand looked like a weapon, they're quite pathetic,


They shot his head and never ever will I forget it,


Raided my house broke their way inside and wrecked it,


Kidnapped my uncle took my brother to prison,


They let him out, but when I look in his eyes now something is different,


Took away his pride, he's too weak to be militant,


I know he got tortured but I don't know what they did to him,


He's always acting weird and doing strange things,


He's been out for 3 years but he's never been the same since,


The perpetrators are destined to learn, cos forever they'll burn,


As for my uncle he was never returned,


The things they do now are worse than what they did in the past,


Why should we hear their voice they never ever listened to ours,


They talk about the road map to peace; it's just a mirage,


 My poor little sister got shot sitting in class,


So now you understand that peace is impossible,


When they're even dropping bombs on people in hospitals,


They're eating while my people are wasting away,


It's deep cos we're not even safe when we pray,


My heart's in the Gaza Strip, do you know where it is?


We're living in pain whether or not you're aware of it,


Them soldiers are pussyholes and punks all scared of kids,


We throw rocks, they shoot bullets, now who's the terrorist?


Yeah we hate you,


But if my people bulldozed your house and killed your family, you'd hate my race too,


This is not anti Semitic,


Cos Arabs are also Semites too, how can they forget it?


This is the look in my brother's eyes,


This is the scream that I hear when my mother cries,


This is the wall between us and the other side,


And once upon a time we were brother tribes,


All the stops at the checkpoints are making us madder,


Every night we starve and every day they get fatter,


In a minute not one of these statements will matter,


Cos it's time to detonate, Inshallah I make it to Jannat……






 


DEAR LISTENER LP AVAILABLE NOW FROM WWW.SOEMPIRE.COM

Currently listening:
What’s Going On
By Marvin Gaye
Release date: 2003-01-14
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 
Dear Listener LP – Official Track List

1) Dear Listener (prod by Sivey)

2) Tell Me Why (prod by Q-Tones)

3) Rise And Fall (prod by DockMini)

4) I'm Back (prod by Scram Jones)

5) Alphabet Assassin (prod by Nutty P)

6) Special (prod by Sivey)

7) Revolution feat Faith SFX, Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers) and Mic
Righteous

8) Everything Must Change (prod by Sivey)

9) The Essence (prod by Styalz Fuego)

10) Relatives feat Logic (prod by Sivey)

11) In My Lifetime feat Wretch 32 (prod by Q-Tones)

12) I Believe feat Eden Rox (prod by Sivey)



NOVEMBER 10th....