Cultural (Mis)Appropriation At It's Finest!!!

I cannot be the only one seeing this?  I cannot be the only person that thinks that this is not okay?

Are "we" really just sitting back, quoting a couple 'Hashtags' on a Saturday night (I'm guilty) and 'LOL'ing' whilst she raps off beat, with her annoying catchphrase and stupid-ass pose?

When I say "We", I mean, "Us", as Black people and people who respect the culture and the work put in to make what we have created a success. Have we just sat back and allowed this to continue, without saying a word. 

"Thank you, Professor Green for saying something and not being afraid to speak your mind, because some of these rappers had a platform called the MOBO's to say something but said nothing."

Professor Green speaks the truth on the Xtra Factor.

I've been watching Black British (Thank you, BBC) for the past three or four weeks, and then on a Saturday night, when it's time to see credible contestants competing on a credible singing show, I'm made to watch, A fraud and a lie.

Honey Fraudster G

"When I say Honey, You say G, Honey. GO, Honey. GO"

That's what the G should stand for. GO!!!  "What does it stand for anyway?"

X-Factor Judges

Thanks to Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne, who I actually like and Simon Cowell who I used to have a decent level of respect for, I am being made to see this woman take the piss out of my culture and misrepresent the genre that I love.

"Simon, why???"

Every Saturday she gets a standing ovation. What for? Bad Karaoke?

The MOBO Awards 2016

What an absolute mess. I wasn't going to dredge up this "made for stream, fraudulent, all about the money, award" show but as a black person who is inspired by black music I was categorically disgusted.

How dare they still call this programme the MOBO awards, unless they have changed the meaning of,  'MOBO'.

There was nothing that symbolised, "Music of Black Origin."

I had to express my frustrating via Twitter.

Firstly, why hold this award show in Scotland? Was is just me or weren't the crowd as dry as a Scottish oat cake.

Traditional Oat Cake

"They had no vibe and no interaction with the performers."

ICYMI: Celebrity News

I've missed blogging and putting my opinion out there.

So much has happened since I last blogged, some not so relevant, some life-changing.

Kim Kardashian was robbed at gun point whilst in Paris for Paris Fashion Week.

She was allegedly bound and gagged, placed in a bath, and had a gun held to her head. Her expensive diamond ring (Pictured above) which was a gift from Kanye, was taken during the heist along with other pieces of jewellery.

The biggest moment of 2016 has to be, Angela 'Blac Chyna' White having her and Rob Kardashian's new baby girl, Dream Renee Kardashian.

Blac Chyna & Rob Kardashian

Blac Chyna with baby Dream

"Only playing...."

The New iPhone 7.

Apple have launched the new iPhone7 and iPhone7 Plus and being an Apple fan I am very satisfied.

Colours available: Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, Black, and my favourite, Jet Black

Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, couldn't of said it any better..."This is the BEST iPhone ever!!!" - and with all the new features - "10 to be exact" - he is not lying.

iPhone 7

Sexy and Sleek

The new iPhone has no headphone jack, so to make up for this little design change, the iPhone7 and iPhone7 Plus have two stereo speakers - one at the top and another at the bottom, as pictured below.

Dual Stereo Speakers

Fabric Nightclub's Licence Is Revoked.

Islington Council have closed down Fabric Nightclub. The Club has had it's licence permeanently revoked and will no longer be open for business.

Fabric

After an overnight review meeting which saw Fabric's owners Cameron Leslie and Keith Riley, Staff members and many more fight for the nightclub to remain open Islington Council sided with the MET Police and concluded that the club should be permanently closed as it had become a "Drugs haven" and would only get worse due to the lack of staff and security intervention when it came to drug use.

"Staff intervention and security was grossly inadequate inthe light of the overwhelming evidence that it was abundantly obvious that patrons in the club were on drugs and manifesting symptoms showing that they were. This including sweating, glazed red eyes and staring into space and people asking for help." - Islington Council

The closure of the club was said by Islington council and Metropolitan Police to be due to the recent drug-related deaths of two 18 year olds at the club within a space of 4 months.

Ryan Browne, 18, and Jack Crossley both died after taking the ilegal drug, MDMA. Mr Browne was said to have bought the drugs into the club, he had also taken three ecstacy tablets which he had smuggled into the club. Mr Crossley smuggled MDMA into the club in his boxer shorts after a relaxed search by security.

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan

When initial talks began about the closure of Fabric, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would help to keep the club open.

Before the final decision was made to close Fabric, Mr Khan had sent a letter to Islington Council asking them to reconsider closing the club as it was a part of London's iconic clubbing scene.

Read letter here.

So is closing Fabric really the answer?

In my opinion, "No!!!"

Gangland: Turf Wars

On Thursday night (1st Sept 2016) I watched the first episode of a two-part series on Dry Snitching.

"Jokes... but it should of been called that."

Gangland: Turf Wars (Channel 5, Thursday 10pm), a Channel 5 documentary, which was made to show the lives of gang members in London, giving full access to the world of gangs and drugs in the UK.

Now I'm of the older generation, "See no evil, Speak no evil." 

"Keep your mouth shut and do not divulge the secrets."

via GIPHY

When did people forget the Jamaican motto: "Walk and Live, Talk and bombaclart dead."

This concept has definitely left the building.

I wish I could blame Channel 5, but I can't. This poor reflection on the black youths, was provided by the black youths themselves. Channel 5 did not force them to speak on everything that has happened and is happening in the gang culture.

During the filming the narrator said that they were able to gain access under one condition, "that the gang members filmed themselves."

Wiley Speaks To RWD Mag.

Earlier this week (16/08/2016) Grime artist Wiley put out a tweet asking to be interviewed.

Joseph Walker took him up on the offer and what has come from this exclusive interview for RWD Mag, is very interesting.

Album Review: Giggs - Landlord

Giggs' newly released studio album, 'Landlord', brings you the wordplay and metaphors along with the clarity and effortless flow that we associate with the UK rapper.

The album kicks off with a candid insight into the world of Giggs. The ups and downs of being Giggs - The Rapper, The Road Dude, The Man. He opens the door to his life and lets you into his 'home'.

From the old school feel of a hip hop album 'Intro', to the trapsoul feeling Rico Love featured track, 'Of Course', Giggs references the real life struggles. The daily tug of war between the street life and the Music.

Stefflon-Don Signs Publishing Deal With Sony.

UK female rapper/singer/songwriter, Stefflon-Don is the latest newcomer to sign a publishing deal with Sony/ATV (Associated Television).

Stefflon-Don

Following in the footsteps of many artists and producers, including Jessie J, Calvin Harris and Ed Sheeran, Stefflon-Don has joined the big leagues.

But is it all that it seems? In a previous post I have spoken about new artists signing deals before they had crafted their skills and I explained why I didn't think it was a good idea.

Congratulations!!! Kevin Hart & Eniko Parrish Have Tied The Knot.

Meet the Hart's.

Comedian, Kevin Hart and Model, Eniko Parrish have tied the knot, two years after becoming engaged.

The Harts

Eniko looked beautiful in her Vera Wang wedding gowns whilst Kevin kept it James Bond-esque in his tailored tuxedo.

Summer Of Love - Congratulations!!!

This is definitely the summer of love.

Congratulations to Adrienne Bailon, who said "Yes!" to her beau, Israel Houghton after he went down on bended knees whilst on vacation in Paris with their family.

Picture courtesy @AdrienneBailon

Adrienne flashed her gorgeous ring on Instagram in front of a backdrop of a lit Eiffel Tour.

NME Issues A Public Apology To Giggs After Album Review.

In my recent post about the UK scene, I said the industry needs people who "fully embrace our culture", people that understand the artist and what they're really about, and less than a week later, my point has been made.

After UK rapper, Giggs released his fourth studio album, titled 'Landlord', last week Friday, (5th August) - "which is a monster by the way" - a writer for the British music journalism, NME - (New Musical Express) -, wrote a review in which they said a track on the album, called 'The Process' ended with "rape".
The writer incorrectly thought Giggs had said "Man rapes her" instead of his actual words, which was "Man rates her."

The NME Review

Due to this "mistake", NME retracted their review and issued a public apology.

The UK Rap Scene - Let's Start Keeping It Real.

After Chipmunk called out Charlie Sloth and 1Xtra for removing Charlamagne's opinion on Bugzy Malone's freestyle, I expected to see many people step up and say something, but as time has gone by, nobody has tweeted or said anything about this and due to this being the UK, realness and honesty means nothing, especially within the "urban" music scene. This is why I am so fed up with the "scene".

"Nobody talks up."

Beenie Man Cancels OVO Fest Appearance Due To Contracting The Zika Virus

Jamaican reggae artist, Beenie Man, has taken to Instagram to confirm his non-attendance at Drake's OVO fest due to contracting the Zika virus.

Four cases of Zika was recently reported in Florida and Usain Bolt had said, prior to Beenie Man getting Zika, that it was in Jamaica.

Beenie's none attendance seems to also have something to do with not being able to acquire a visa - which seems to be affecting alot of Jamaican artist at this moment.

Get well soon Beenie.

The UK Music Scene.

"Freeing the realness."

A couple days ago I saw something which involved one of my favs, American radio and TV presenter, Charlamagne the God, BBC 1xtra radio pretender, Charlie Sloth and UK "Grime" artist, Chipmunk.

Charlamagne Tha God

Chipmunk was tweeting about Charlie and BBC 1xtra and some "lost" footage from an interview with Charlie and Charlamagne.

In the video that has been uploaded, Charlamagne was asked to give his opinion on a few UK rapper's performances on Charlie Sloth's show, 'Fire in the Booth' and Charlamagne's opinion about UK rapper, Bugzy Malone.

Summer Trouble In London Again?

On Tuesday, the 18th of July, we saw what looks like the start of summer trouble.

Hyde Park, 2016

Tuesday's escapades at Hyde Park saw over 4000 youngsters - who had showed up to a pre-planned water fight and what the media are calling "A Bashment Music Festival" - caused mayhem and turned against each other and the police. Five people were stabbed including a police officer - "a video is circulating on the web showing a young man being chased through traffic by three youths, and then allegedly being stabbed."

This isn't the first time we've seen scenes like this in London - although this time it was a little milder.

In the Summer of 2011, following the police shooting death of Mark Duggan, after what started as a peaceful protest, turned into complete mayhem, people became opportunist and used this time to make some sort of statement rather than focusing on what the real issue was.

Fashion Alert: The ISHU Invisible scarf.

I was watching The Wendy Williams Show this week and saw during her 'Hot Topics' segment she  spoke about The 'ISHU' scarf, which makes the wearer invisible when a picture is taken using the flash.

Access All Brands is the creator of the Anti-Flash 'ISHU' - "A collection which has been made with not only luxury in mind but also privacy", as said on their website.

In the pictures below, Paris Hilton is able to not be seen when the flash is used whilst taking a picture.

Is Making A Stand Not Allowed For The BLM Movement?

We live in a world where society reflects that the lives of black people are not deemed as important as any other lives.

The NBA have revealed that they will be moving next year's All-Star games from North Carolina in protest at an opposing LGBT law brought into place in March of this year. The North Carolina Bathroom Law also known as the House Bill 2 (HB2) states that people must use the bathroom which  identifies to the gender on their birth certificate.

NBA Officials Statement:

"Our weeklong schedule of All-Star events and avticities is intended to be a global celebration of basketball, our league and the values for which we stand and to bring together all members of the NBA community. we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by (the) HB2 (law)"

Now this shows a stand against the government and the state, as they could stand to lose close to $100m and we all know hitting them where it hurts is what matters and that's in their pockets.

So please tell me why the WNBA have fined several basketball teams and players for wearing Black t-shirts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

New Yorn Liberty Players

Moncler's New Campaign Linked To Racist Doll.

Moncler's newest campaign made in conjunction with the Friends With You Art collective has got social media heated.
The image resembles the 19th century offensive doll, 'The Golliwog'.

Moncler's New Collection

Golliwog doll

Taylor Swift Finally Exposed!!!

"When the grass is cut the snakes will show, Shouts out to my girl, Kim K for that though." - *Jay Z voice.*

Kim K has done what I asked and what any loyal wife/girlfriend should do - expose the bitch that is trying to take their man down.

From my post written on 13th July 2016

"Ask and ye shall receive."

I've been patiently waiting for the video recording of Kanye talking to Taylor Swift about his song 'Famous' to be put out and thank you Kim. Kim posted the recording on her snapchat, Sunday night and social media went crazy.

Baton Rouge Police Shooting Suspect Name Released.

The police have released the name of the Baton Rouge shooter, who today (18th July 2016),  killed 3 officers and injured another 4, in the same city which saw the death of Alton Sterling, on July 5th, at the hands of police officers.

Baton Rouge Shooter named as, Gavin Eugene Long

Former marine, Gavin Eugene Long, an alleged former Nation Of Islam member has been named as the suspect of today's tragedy.

Not much information has been released about Gavin Long, aside from whatever is already on the web.

Tyga Remixes Drakes Controlla.

So I watched the video for Tyga's new song '1 Of 1'  and I cannot believe that this isn't a joke.

Why has Tyga done this?

Does he not realise he looks like a joke?

The song is a shit version of Drake's 'Controlla'  and the video reminds me of a shit version of Drake's, 'Find Your Loving' video. "What the fuq is this Tyga?"

Rich Homie Quan Messes Up At The Hip Hop Honors.

The VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2016 aired on television on Monday, 11th July and Rich Homie Quan has been the talk of the show, for all the wrong reasons.

Rich Homie Quan was a surprise choice to perform Biggie's verses in 'Get Money' wth Lil Kim and to make a short story even shorter, "he flopped."

His lack of respect was worthy of a cup being thrown from the crowd."Although I do not condone violence."

Calvin Harris Is Not Taking Taylor Swift's BS.

Before I start - I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift at all and I wasn't happy with the union of her and Calvin.

She was no better than Rita WhOra in my eyes.

From the moment Kanye took that mic and gave her life, she has been nothing but a "Bih...and a Bih not to be trusted."