British Asians in Comedy?

New Talent: Mawaan Rizwan

Badman Comedy Tour 2011

What are your thoughts on the riots? What about the news coverage (or lack of) in Newham? Leave a comment.

Click the pictures to enlarge.

Duke of Edinburgh pub on Green Street, day after riots/looting.

Argos windows smashed, looted. Police presence.

East Ham Poundland boarded up.

Barclays Bank in East Ham boarded up after its windows were smashed, and then looted.

Barclays Bank in East Ham boarded up after its windows were smashed, and then looted.

Police hanging about in East Ham, whilst reports of violence in Canning Town/Custom House emerge.

Shisha

A shisha bar has been shut down by a local council in a bid to reduce anti-social behaviour in east London.

Newham council and the metropolitan police have come together to help put an end to the recent rise in the noise and other disturbances being experienced by residents in the area.

The owners of the shisha lounge in Katherine Road, East Ham, were given an enforcement notice in August last year to close the premises.

The shisha bar were also told to take down a marquee that had been set up at the back of the premises as the construction did not comply with planning laws.

However, the owners of the bar appealed against the decision. The appeal was later dismissed in January and now the shish lounge has shut down.

Public realm executive Councillor Ian Corbett said: “Shisha lounges are a relatively new phenomenon in the borough and we will be working with the police to keep on top of them”.

The shisha bar on Katherine Road had been promoted on the social networking site Facebook and became popular amongst the youth in the surrounding areas.

Councillor Ian Corbett added: “We will not hesitate in shutting down other unauthorised venues like this which disturb the rest of the community and flout planning laws”.

There have been many incidents and problems surrounding the increase in shisha bars across the capital. Two shisha bars in Tower Hamlets were recently fined for allowing people to smoke in an enclosed public space.

Detective inspector John Cushion said: “The police licensing team were glad to assist in gathering intelligence and evidence regarding breaches of the law from these venues, in support of our partners and the local community”.

Ajay Nair.

Click the image to view the article as a magazine spread (design by me!).

Whether it’s that dirty bassline, the shuffling hi-hats at 140 beats-per-minute or the striking sampled string section, there’s no mistaking the dark, yet compelling sounds of Grime. The UK boasts rappers who are adept at flowing double-time over Grime beats, as well as those wordsmiths who can slow it down and display social consciousness through lyricism and Hip Hop. These are the two parallel genres that crossover and intertwine, but lay the foundation for urban music in Britain today.

There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you’re shaking your head in a frenzied attempt to catch the flow of some of the hardest-hitting, hype-inducing bars, by the biggest and most boisterous of MCs. It’s an enthralling experience.

However, it seems as though urban genres, such as Hip Hop and Grime, have come under threat. The mainstream success of a growing list of British rappers is gradually sculpting urban music in Britain. The hybridisation of genres, and the lack of importance placed on lyricism in mainstream rap music, has diluted quality in the underground urban music scenes, as artists try to emulate those who have ‘made it’.

Rap music has been made in Britain since the 80’s, with a number of variant genres stemming off it throughout the years. Whether it’s Drum ‘n’ Bass, Garage or Grime, emceeing has always been a fundamental aspect of urban music in Britain. From the likes of Overlord X and Blade in the 80s to Grime’s Kano and Ghetts, who are still prominent today, they demonstrate how lyricism is a key element in urban genres. British rappers have had relatively little success in the mainstream charts and struggled to gain any sort of longevity in the music industry, only until recently however. An increasing number of rappers are successfully crossing over to the mainstream charts, and becoming household names. In 2009 we saw Grime emcees Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk all with singles making the number one spot. Tinchy even had two number ones in the same year. 2010 saw Grime crew Roll Deep, Tinie Tempah as well as Dizzee again grabbing the top spot in the singles charts. Amidst the number ones, there were many more top tens and tracks from urban artists that made the top 40. Now, in 2011, the trend doesn’t seem to be waning, with more and more traditionally Grime and Hip Hop MCs being snapped up by major record labels and the large independents.

So why now? What’s changed? If we look back to the early 2000s, the Garage movement was picked up on by labels, and we started seeing music from DJ Luck & MC Neat (You remember them?) alongside Oxide & Neutrino (Yes, they sampled the casualty theme song), and they were doing well in the mainstream charts. However, the success of Garage was short-lived. It soon mutated into what we now call Grime. Lethal Bizzle’s ‘Pow’, was one of the first ever Grime tracks to hit the charts. The song was an underground phenomenon and even got to number eleven in the UK singles chart. Nevertheless, bad press tarnished the songs reputation, as critics said it promoted gun violence. As a result, it shed a negative light on Grime, as well as urban music in Britain as a whole. After ‘Pow’, only a handful of rappers entered and left the charts, without leaving any real mark in the music industry, apart from the exception of Dizzee Rascal, who’s been relatively consistent. There’s been definitely a dramatic shift in attitudes since 2004 when ‘Pow’ was released. In recent years, British rappers have become a regular fixture in the mainstream music world. Maybe it’s because rappers have toned down rawness of what’s natural to Grime and Hip Hop. Don’t forget the electro-pop beats that have replaced the gritty instrumentals of yesteryear, not to mention the talented singer for the chorus. It’s a formula that seems to have worked for the most part. It’s made British rappers a lot more marketable, in other words, your mother wouldn’t mind listening to some Tinchy Stryder too!

Now that artists, such as Tinie Tempah, have got their foot in the door, what does it mean for the rest of the rappers who have not yet ‘blown’ up? BBC Asian Network ‘Mic Check Show’ Presenter Kan D Man told me that “It’s opened a lot more doors, it’s made it much more acceptable…People like Tinie have taken the UK urban sound to America, even Australia and asia”. So the emergence of the British rapper has given many rappers the hope of superstardom. So it’s only natural that other rappers would want to cash in on this newfound popularity of British MCs. This means changing the style of music they make. Essentially, they stop making Grime or Hip Hop, but ‘Hip-Pop’. Up and Coming Hip Hop artist Alfa Mist says, “It depends on what you’re trying to do. It depends on the reason you’re doing music. If you’re doing it because you actually love music, you shouldn’t have to change yourself”.

If we look at the US, even their mainstream rappers have had to change their styles, maybe not as dramatically, but nevertheless, still have. Their mainstream artists bounce off their underground counterparts, who have kept the rawness of their Hip Hop. Maybe the UK can learn a thing or two from them. Kan D Man says, “there’s always going to be that underground element of Hip Hop and Grime, it’s not losing its essence in any way”. Alfa Mist added, “Grime and Hip Hop will always be there, because pain will always be there, poverty will always be there, and the genres were born out of hard times”.

I think it’s nice that British rappers are getting the recognition they deserve. And even if there will always be an underground and mainstream, I can’t help but feel what the mass audiences are faced with are a heavily watered down representation of Grime and Hip Hop.

MTV Base compiled a top ten list of the best UK MCs of 2010 on the weekend. The list was put together by a panel consisting of DJ Logan Sama, RWD editor Hattie Collins, Grime Daily Presenter Donatella, Journalist Chantelle Fiddy, True Tiger DJ Stanza, DJ Ras Kwame, Journalist Joseph Patterson and Rapper/DJ Charlie Sloth.

The list is as follows:

1. Tinie Tempah

2. Dizzee Rascal

3. Skepta

4. Professor Green

5. Wiley

6. Giggs

7. Devlin

8. P Money

9. D Double E

10. Chipmunk/Lowkey

The news of the list soon reached Ghetts, who was not listed, and was quick off the mark to make his voice heard, recording a diss track and an accompanying video the next day. Logan Sama himself, dropped the exclusive diss track on his show, before the video was put out shortly after. Twitter provided the forum for debate as ‘Ghetts’ trended in London. Check out the video below.

There’s no doubt that Ghetts is one of the best the UK has to offer. There are people on the list that I feel should not be there, and others that should. Here is my revised list, bearing in mind that it’s 2010‘s best UK MCs…

1. Lowkey

2. Devlin

3. Maxsta

4. Dot Rotten

5. Ghetts

6. P Money

7. Tinie Tempah

8. D Double E

9. Skepta

10. Wretch 32

This what I’ve come up with. Am I totally wrong? Am I Gassed? I’ve listed MCs for different reasons, I’ve based my judgments on lyrical skill in 2010, the music they’ve put out in 2010, the success they’ve had in 2010.

Please hit me up with some comments, what do YOU think? Who should have been listed??

AJ Nair.

Jaya

Singer Jaya has made history this year by being the first British Asian female to be signed by a major record label. After success with her first single ‘DJ Do It Again’, she’s back with another track, this time with Jojo Simmons featuring. I headed down to Poplar in the east end of London, to nose about on the set of Jaya’s video shoot for her new single.

I found myself at a very stylish Caribbean restaurant, in a very remote location. As I arrived, the cameraman, the director and the rest of the crew were setting up the equipment, but there was no sign of Jaya, and I’d heard that Jojo was shooting his scenes in the US. Twenty minutes later, Jaya bursts into the restaurant singing away, and is escorted away to hair and make-up. She later emerges, looking the part and ready for her close up with her lead man. After a few takes, they’ve got the perfect shot. Jaya’s a true pro. After her scene, we sit down to have a chat, but there’s no time to waste, as she’s off again to change for the next scene.

After a while of waiting around, I eventually caught up with the woman herself, and finally had a little chat on the set of the shoot.

On the set of the shoot.

How did the collaboration with Jojo come about?

J Well he basically heard the track through my booking agent because we have the same booking agent, and as far as I know he heard the track and thought it was something that he would like to sit on, and it’s something a bit different from what he’s used to kind of rapping on and that’s how it really came about. I was really surprised that he did it, it was really a kind of unexpected collaboration, but I’m really happy and after hearing it I was just like…you know, he made the track his own so I’m really happy with it.

What’s the track about? What kind of message were you trying to put across?

J Well the track is called ‘Outta Control’, and it’s basically about when you’re in a situation and you’re falling for somebody and you’re kind of losing control of who you are, you’re doing things that you’re not really used to doing, you’re not in control of your emotions and it’s just about being scared but also being ready to take that jump, but yeah, that’s what the song’s about. It’s all about love.

What other projects are you involved in? And are there any other collaborations we can look out for?

J Yeah well I always love collaborating, collaborating is like one of my favourite things to do, because I just think when talents from all different areas of music come together and sit on one track or one project, something amazing and almost magical happens. With this song, ‘Outta Control’, we’ve got an amazing line up for the remix. We’ve got Ruff Sqwad, which is Tinchy Stryder’s group, Marvell Music, which have like three up and coming great guys from the scene and we’ve also got Mr Wretch 32, who I’ve been a big fan of, and yeah those collaborations I hope you guys will enjoy as much as I have, but in the future I’m always doing bits and pieces.

What advice would you give someone trying to break into the music industry?

J I think one thing I always say, I think you’ll always hear the normal ‘work really hard’ and this that and the other, but one thing I’ve learnt that I think is really important for people to know that this industry isn’t all glamorous. I’m sure from being on my video shoot, you can see. For something that is only 3 and a half minutes long, it’s taken me a good 24 hours to shoot. So it’s not all glamour, it’s a lot of hard work and determination, and you really have to work hard, and I would also say, on a more positive note, that if I can do it, like I haven’t had any vocal lessons or any dance training. There’s no gold dust kind of sprinkled in that sense, but I really just loved what I did, and it just goes to show that if I can do it, I’m a very normal girl, that it’s very possible for anyone, anywhere to do what I’m doing, and to be happy.

Jaya’s single featuring Jojo Simmons ‘Outta Control’ is out in February 2011.

Find out more about Jaya and her music at www.JayaWorld.com.

Ajay Nair.

The original album cover was banned because of the obscenity. So he went with a ballerina instead.

Kanye West isn’t in unfamiliar territory when it comes to all things controversial, and he hasn’t failed to deliver with his latest instalment, ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’. Love him or loathe him, the hip hop genius has returned with an album that’s not short of brilliance.

Kanye has ditched the Electro-Pop-RnB with an auto-tune twist, which we heard on the previous album ‘808s & Heartbreak’, for a harder-hitting hip hop sound. ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ comes two years after his earlier album.

The album features production from the likes of RZA, No I.D. as well as Mr West himself. It’s safe to say that they do an amazing job too. Kanye had stopped the extensive sampling of songs for a few years after facing criticism, but the samples are back in this album, and Kanye proves that he’s a master of the art of sampling.

‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ features a star-studded line-up of musical guests, with Rihanna, Jay-Z and John Legend making appearances.

As a concept, ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ works well. It’s well written, funny at times and slightly ironic. Kanye explores dark themes, accompanied by catchy choruses and slick production.  He’s not afraid to be himself, he doesn’t hold back and he lets loose on the album. It’s easy to forget that Kanye is a talented lyricist, and not just a music producer with a microphone.

‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ compliments his short film ‘Runaway’, which was released online earlier this year, perfectly. A few of the songs from the new album were featured in it.

My favourite tracks off the new album are ‘Lost In This World’ with Bon Iver, ‘All Of The Lights’ featuring Rihanna and ‘Dark Fantasy’ with additional vocals from Nicki Minaj.

One thing that stands out is Kanye’s ability to think outside of the musical box and come with something original and innovative, instead of conforming to the rigid guidelines of mainstream music. With ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’, Kanye is most definitely back on form.

Rating: 5/5

Ajay Nair.

London 2012

Today marks exactly two years until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic games, and now the Olympic organisers have started a campaign to find around 70,000 volunteers for the games in London.

The initiative looks to recruit volunteers-which will be called Game Makers for the event- from all over the country. Game Makers will be divided into Generalist and Specialists roles.

Stewards, ticket checkers and athlete escorts make up just some of the generalist roles that are available for the general public. Specialist posts will require necessary skills and qualifications for their roles such as doctors, nurses and sports specialists.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The summer of 2012 is a unique opportunity for London, when the world will come to our city and we want them to have a really awesome experience.”

Volunteers will play a vital role in allowing the Games to run smoothly when the Olympics eventually come to London.

People can also sign up to be London Ambassadors, who will be needed to guide the millions of visitors travelling here to the capital and be a welcoming face providing much needed information on what to do.

Guess what? Applicants only need to be at least 16 years old by January 1^st 2012 if they wish to apply.

If you’re interested in becoming a ‘London 2012 Games Maker’ volunteer and being part of London 2012, log on to www.london2012.com/volunteering for more information on applying.

Rapper Devlin has had a great 2010 so far, and looks to top it off by finally releasing the long-awaited debut album ‘Bud, Sweat & Beers’. He’s made a smooth transition from underground emcee to mainstream rapper, all the while retaining his authenticity as a powerful lyricist. ‘Bud, Sweat & Beers’ brings socially conscious lyrics to a mainstream audience. Devlin definitely delivers on this album. His unique flows and technical rhyme schemes set him apart from most UK rappers. Some of the songs on the album are gritty enough for Devlin’s grime fans, while other tracks will be able to climb mainstream charts with ease. My favourites of the album are ‘1989’ and ‘Runaway’.

Rating: 4/5

Out 4th October.

‘Disc-Overy’ is the debut album from London’s very own Tinie Tempah. After going number 1 with his first single ‘Pass Out’, and the follow-up club banger ‘Frisky’ getting the second spot, ‘Disc-Overy’ looks set to be a successful first album for the rapper. ‘Disc-Overy’ boasts Tinie’s fast flows, clever yet funny rhymes and hard-hitting delivery. The album hosts production from Al Shux (Empire State of Mind), Naughty Boy as well as Labrinth. Emeli Sandé, Ellie Goulding and even Kelly Rowland feature on the album too. My favourites off ‘Disc-Overy’ are ‘Snap’, ‘Wonderman’ and ‘Let Go’. Tinie’s developed a new style, a new edge that we hadn’t seen from him before the mainstream success. ‘Disc-Overy’ is definitely worth the listen.

Rating: 4/5