Nothing’s Changed (Yet?)

As soon as Bukayo Saka missed his penalty I knew what was coming, and so did every single person of colour who was watching on the night. Most of the English population was of course disappointed, with anger and frustration being thrown in various directions. But a minority, a more significant minority than some people care to admit, continued a cycle that has been present since the end of the first world war (look it up). The packaging and the method of delivery has changed through the generations, but the intention is still the same.

Vinyl Cravings vs Virus Taming

The second coming of vinyl is upon us. Once again the LP takes pride of place in any music store feature or new release centrepiece. Record store days are the most anticipated days of the year for a fair few collectors, with purchases of those splatter pattern hand numbered special editions and vinyl only one off releases have gone through the roof. The amount of times I’ve missed the boat on albums that have sold out minutes after they were released, is frustrating. To then see those same albums resold for 10 to 20 times their original price, can be infuriating. The whole thing can be a minefield of web page refreshes and disappointment, of added shipping costs and let downs from sellers, of missed postage dates and broken promises. Oh the stories I could regale you with about albums I ordered in 2020 that have yet to arrive…

Cruciate Ligament Damage

Black people are not a monolith. We don’t all share the same views on living life, we don’t have a hive mind and we don’t all fit into the one-size-fits-all discussion that racism seems to represent for far too many people. With issues like this, we should all be taking our cue from those best placed to shed light on them. In the same way I would not expect anyone who hasn’t lived the black experience to tell me how I should feel about anti black racism or to define it for me (some have actually tried), who am I to tell a transgender person how they feel about some of the treatment they receive, or to tell a Muslim person how it feels to be called a terrorist. As someone who has been on the receiving end, I am telling you that taking on racism is not a one stop fix. So why do people keep talking about taking the knee as if it’s the only game in town?

Music & Wellness

I get up, brush my teeth, have breakfast, have a shower, put some ‘indoor’ clothes on, and get on with my working day… from home. So goes my new normal for a typical working weekday. As for weekends that should have been spent catching up with family or friends, they had become solo retreats. My regular interactions with my mum had become dominated by WhatsApp, instead of regular visits and Sunday dinners (ahhh those homemade chicken pies!). Now, I understand that there are people a lot worse off than me. Without a job to wake up to, or a bed to wake up in. While others don’t get to spend any time with their family. But the feeling that something is missing, or that I have somehow failed my girls, made its way to the forefront of my mind.

GreNaija

My father is from Nigeria, my mum is from Grenada. I don’t remember what he looks like, I don’t have any contact with him and I have never been to his homeland. All the family I know is based on my Grenadian heritage and connection, and mum’s hard work. Growing up with her, granny and uncle within the same four walls, meant hearing old stories about people with nicknames like ‘Ten Cents’ and ‘Nixon’, and hating the nighttime toads the first time I went ‘back home’. I had never been bothered about visiting Nigeria, I wasn’t that fussed about finding my dad so it never really crossed my mind. But while listening to someone describe the ups and downs of their British Nigerian upbringing (big up Gina Yashere), I seemed to have an epiphany, not knowing my father doesn’t mean I shouldn’t know my heritage. My planned trip to Lagos was to be my first step across the divide. Unfortunately 2020 had other plans.

Criminal Connotations

For people of a non-white British origin, mainstream TVs road to equality has been, and continues to be, challenging. From the minstrel shows and regularly being called n****r, w*g and p**i (add other words at your leisure) in front of millions, to being blatantly misrepresented and stereotyped, to having to become stars in the US before getting decent opportunities in their country of birth, that road is winding to say the least. The progress that has been made is there for all to see. The journey that still needs to be taken is not as clear.

The Forthcoming Album that Never Came (Until it Did)

I am a laid back guy. Of course I feel the rigours of life as much as the next person. But I like to think that my easy going ‘water off a duck’s back’ approach to dealing with things keeps me copasetic. I get things done, but if getting things done properly means I have to wait a little longer, then so be it. I can’t help but think that Jay Electronica has taken that mantra to another level. He was surely well aware of the groans of discontent from fans on social media. Yet as far as we outsiders were concerned, the man was simply getting on with things. None of the debate, questions, or criticism. Seemed to make a dent. If Patents of Nobility wasn’t yet meant to be, then so be it.

2020 vs Everybody: The Creatives’ Affect

2020!? The year that put us in a chokehold (pun very much intended/Rest In Power Mr Floyd) and still won’t let go. For many of us this was the year. We had ideas, we formed plans, we made moves. And then…

The two obvious crises/movements (call them what you will) that have recently occurred were such that, on their own, the consequences would have been felt by most of the world’s population for years to come. Yet, for reasons that I can only attribute to a deep longing for mass self debilitation, the powers that be thought it would be fun to push the boundaries of decency, and lump everything together in the same socio maniacal wash cycle. Whites and Colours together (I meant that too), with the temperature set to cold on an extra long spin cycle. And it’s not about to end anytime soon (no matter what Keir Starmer thinks).

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The Kanye Conundrum

Kanye West, modern music’s ultimate polariser of opinion. Is he driven by genius or is he tainted by arrogance? Is he a supreme forward thinker or is he falling off? Is he Hip Hops premier torch bearer or is he leading us towards our genres damnation? Is he the man that moaned about the lack of traction for his clothing line or the man that cried in front of the world for his mother? With all those juxtapositions in mind isn’t he no more complex than any other modern man? An amplification of the subtleties and flamboyances of alpha males the world over?

For the Love of $

$10,000,000 (£6,120,000). Let me write that in words… Ten Million Dollars aka Six Million One Hundred and Twenty Thousand pounds. That’s a very big number. Too big a number for the average person on the street to even contemplate seeing at on a bank statement, let alone spending. Of those of us that are in a position to have that kind of money available, there is a reason you have it and i suspect you’d be loathed to just fritter it away. To those of us to whom seven or eight figures is deemed as something of a frivolity or an investment. there aren’t many of us about and even less of us that would spend such a vast amount of money on a piece of modern music. So the question is, who exactly are Bone Thugs N Harmony expecting to go the distance for their soon to be final group release, E.1999 Legends?

Your Culture Isn’t Dead

That’s right, the culture we know and love is not dead or in any danger of heading that way. Anyone who says otherwise is doing thousands of lesser known but equally talented artists from those genres a disservice. The affect of the former simply means that you have to look a lot further afield than Capital Xtra or 1Xtra to discover a truer interpretation of the latter and the artists/DJs that better represent it.

Take my (somewhat) recent piece about the current state of Grime as an example. I said at the time that if certain people want to see its mainstream flame stay alight then they have to carry the torch themselves. Some artists are in a more powerful position than others and it isn’t a stretch to include one or two ‘real’ portrayals of the genre on their albums. As a commercial force Grime is clearly on a downward spiral and as much as I can’t help but dance to the music it’s former poster children are putting out there, we all know that those same tunes are nowhere near the heart of what its true fans hold dear.

Beyonce: Changing The Game

Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus. All have, subliminally or otherwise, made protestations about being the so called Queen of Popular music. Their various stunts, frolics and antics designed to put/keep themselves front and centre of the public eye. Then, with absolutely zero promotion and secret service like….. secrecy, the true Queen B shows them all how it’s supposed to be done.

Beyoncé (the album) is breaking sales and video hit records by the day. The visual concept of the album has made every other pretender to the throne take stock of their now mediocre marketing strategies (that includes you Miley). The new Drake like flow and sing song raps coupled with a new emotional courage have set new standards for what any wannabe diva is supposed to be capable of. Beyoncé (the artist) has quite simply put all of her rivals on their arse with one punch.

Bobby Womack: Bravest Man in the Universe?

Is it ironic that a man whose latest full length studio album is entitled ‘The Bravest Man In The Universe’, led such a lurid and controversial lifestyle when compared to almost all of his contemporaries? Whether it was drug binges with Sly Stone, family tragedies, near financial ruin, or a love life that made an episode of Eastenders (non UK citizens transpose for your regions worst soap opera) look like a concluding scene from Highway to Heaven, Robert Dwayne Womack lived a life that will surprise many who knew of the talent but never looked into the man behind it. I am one of the many.

Ahead Of It’s time: Kelis’ Kaleidoscope

When you think of 90’s Rhythm and Blues the word ‘Classics’ immediately springs to mind. The rebellious nature of the genre as it was then, coupled with the dawn of the superstar Hip Hop/R’n’B get-together, saw a mainstream adolescent become a fully fledged icon creating adult. Mary J Blige, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, D’Angelo, R. Kelly (!?!), 112, Keith Sweat, Lauryn Hill. I could obviously go on but Listen again to Kelis’ wonderfully executed, and at that time totally against the grain Kaleidoscope and then remember that it was released in the same year that Sisqo Unleashed his Dragon (pardon the pun), TLC were refusing to be scrubbed and Destiny’s Child were Writing on Walls.

Wu-Tang Clan Concept Album Thoughts

“Shaolin shadow boxing, and the Wu-Tang sword style. If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous”. No one had ever heard anything quite like it before on any Hip Hop album but it is one of the most easily recognisable samples in music history. Ever since the Wu Tang Clan have been breaking new ground in one way or another and that time has come again. The Wu: Once Upon A Time In Shaolin is a polarising concept that breaks down its essential components into two parts.

Blitz The Ambassador – Afropolitan Dreams Review

So you sit down at your table and select your starter but now have a choice to make. Do you go for the standard steak (well done), with peri peri skin fried chips (US citizens: see fries), Caesar salad and a coke with ice? Or do you opt for the pan fried spicy Tilapia & spice fried seaweed with rice, laced with a chilli and peanut sauce (damn I’ve gone all Masterchef on you)? Well if your Blitz the Ambassador and your -to carry through the analogy- cooking up a feast for the ears then you give your restauranteurs a mix of both with your latest dish, Afropolitan Dreams.

The Demise of Grime?

As it was with Hardcore, Jungle, Garage and 2-Step, so it is with Grime. Genres that only cater to one market, let alone one as small as the UKs, are always going to be susceptible to the fickle nature of its fans. They will quickly jump on a bandwagon to be in with the cool kids but will jump off even faster when the fad is over (just ask the So Solid Crew).

Pete Cannon & Dr Syntax – Killer Combo! Review

Can conventional Hip Hop have a twist? What is conventional Hip Hop? Can Hip Hop even be conventional? Questions I pondered briefly while thinking of ways to describe the result of Pete Cannon and Dr Syntax’s duopoly, which has manifested itself in the subtly substantive Killer Combo! A conventional idea, executed in an unconventional way.

Oddisee – Tangible Dream Review

‘Good things come to he who waits’ so the saying goes. To think that there are actually negative reviews of Oddisee’s instrumental opus out there in the ‘interverse’. One can only assume that a constant diet of Trap Music and House Hop has gone to their heads. “This guy tries too hard” some of them said… “ooookaaay” (as I wind my finger round beside my head to make the universal sign for mad man). Those of us sane enough to appreciate The Beauty In All, were made to feel even more so when we found the Tangible Dream mixtape tacked onto the end of it. Well, such is its popularity that it is belatedly being released in its own right next month.

Jonathan and Charlotte Have Got talent

It used to be that talent shows were about talent. Unfortunately by proxy of the delusions of grandeur of producers they have become emotion driven parodies of themselves. There is seldom a case where the “journey” undertaken by those involved is actually relevant to the song they are about to sing and their next performance is always “the performance of their lives”. In the case of Jonathan and Charlotte however, it was a necessity in order that we understood why together, these two are more than the sum of their parts.

It was evident as soon as they first walked out on stage for their first audition that Charlotte was Jonathan’s emotional crutch, his confidante, his cheerleader, and as such was enabling him to go out on stage and do what he does so well. It was also clear as soon as that audition was over that Jonathan was Charlotte’s singing crutch. She is obviously talented but the connection they share means she is far better when in the two are a duet. It was this connection that ultimately saw them both improve significantly as the show went on. Jonathan’s confidence and Charlotte’s singing both went on a steep upward curve so by the time they reached the final, they were ready for whatever the world threw at them…. like a record deal with Sony Music (via Simon Cowell’s Syco music label), for instance.

[The first album, Together, saw the pair riding their huge Britains Got Talent wave and the album reflected that. A well balanced album that drew its audience in by having some popular songs on its tracklist, yet giving them a quite dramatic classical makeover. A theme carried over to the second album, Perhaps Love, that also takes into account the timing of its release with the inclusion of Christmas songs, thus ensuring repeat play and inclusion on many a Christmas compilation. Well executed without being groundbreaking, both albums are a great example of how to make morally accessible talent even more so.]

Thus, two UK top five classical albums later, not only have Jonathan and Charlotte become the first teenage duo to complete such a feat, they are doing it without courting a hint of controversy or marketing gimmicks. Forget the lack of universal critical acclaim, a look through any public comments section for one of their albums makes it easy to see why they are so loved and will continue to be so. Their interviews reveal humble, thankful and on the part of Jonathan, troubled friends who simply love the lives they are now able to lead. Many in the limelight express thanks for what they have but few in the music industry do it with as much sincerity.

As singers there is obviously no doubting the duo’s talent and talent will almost always get you noticed by somebody somewhere. But as always, 24 hour media means that people want a piece of the artists as well as the music. If there isn’t even a modicum of personality for the listening public to get there teeth into, in most cases that initial popularity will not be sustained. People adore Jonathan and admire Charlotte but it is the story of their friendship that clearly resonates with their fans and is what could see the career trajectories of these two continue upwards to rise very high indeed.

Originally Written In 2013 for OnTheComeUpTV