Switch! At Ministry has developed quite a rep among hip hop heads in recent times as the place to go on a Friday night. In the last few months alone it has attracted such names as Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, Estelle, Klashnekoff, Grandmaster Flash, Cash Money, Maseo (of De La Soul) and Sway, to name but a few. Last week was no exception. The legendary Guru of hip hop super-duo Gangstarr made a one-off exclusive appearance, landing in London for a fleeting visit before jetting off to Hamburg the day after. No longer collaborating with DJ Premier, Guru has now hooked up with super producer Solar, who added his magic touch to the latest release, and who was also there on the night. Throughout the two hour long show, we were treated to new material from the album Guru Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures. Highlights included the infectious Step in the Arena 2 (I’m Sayin’), as well as the thought provoking street anthem Surviving the Game. We were also taken back to the old skool with such classics as Step in the Arena and Take it Personal, illustrating why Gangstarr are one of the most respected acts in hip hop history. Never really reaching the dizzy commercial heights of some of their contempories, throughout their 17 year career, they have nevertheless proven to be one of the most enduring, if underrated artists ever to grace our air-waves. And judging by tonight’s show, Guru is not going anywhere. While the mainstream market may be dominated by commercially-friendly acts like 50 Cent and Kanye, Guru proves that he’s got the staying power to deliver us true hip hop for years to come. The crowd stayed hyped throughout, and by the end of it, were ready for more. Luckily David Banner was in town and made a surprise guest appearance at 3am, so just as we thought it was all over, the party was getting started again. Providing a typically energetic show, the crowd went wild as he jumped across the stage and then dived into the sea of people, keeping the energy levels high throughout his performance. DJ Shortee Blitz was also there to lay down some heavy tunes until the 5am finish, and UK hip hop personalities like Killa Kella were spotted in the crowd. What’s so good about Ministry aside from the live performances is the laid back vibe, and the fact that you don’t feel like you have to turn up dressed to the nines to have a good time. You’re always guaranteed to hear the hottest selection of hip hop, from the latest release to classic old skool beats, as well as both US and UK flavour. Again Switch! delivers on every level, leaving us waiting for Friday to come round so we can do it all over again.

Anna Nathanson - March 2006

DJ Samurai kept the crowd tanked up on hip hop and grime as Sway stopped off in his hometown London as part of his UK tour.  London’s youth showed it’s love for Sway as the venue filled to capacity.  Right-hand man Pyrelli opened the live performances with a couple of his new tracks and kicked off the proceedings nicely.  Next up was support act David Banner who gave a nice speech on the importance of supporting UK artists.  Entering the stage and then launching into a back-flip Banner sure knows how to entertain the crowd.  The artist showed his humbleness by walking through the audience and interacting with them - not before trying to drench us with water and beer though.  A memorable performance no doubt.  Sway eventually arrived to cheers and treated the audience to tracks from his first to promo album and his first studio ‘This Is My Demo’.  Surprise guests included Baby Blue (Little Derek), Nate James (Still On My Own) and the charismatic Bigz. 

Catch Sway on the remainder of his tour:

16^th March - Leeds University, Leeds
22^nd March - MTV Spanking New Music, Dublin
23^rd March - Shoestring @ Fez Club, Bristol     
24^th March - The Consortium, Bournemouth
28^th March - The Shed, Leicester
29^th March, Fibbers, York
31^st March - Ocean Rooms, 1 Morley Street, Brighton
1^st April - Club 2K, Penzance
 

Ihunna Eberendu

Along with a full live band Terri Walker showed she was back with a bang.  Now signed to London-based Dekkor Records Terri treated the selected audience to tracks from her new album 'I Am', which will be released in May. 

Always a pleasure to watch live Terri belted out tracks old and new including 'L.O.V.E', 'This Is My Time' and her first single which is also entitled 'I Am' which is out next month.

Catch Terri Walker at the following live dates:

10 Mar - London, Live On The Park - Hyde Park

21 Apr - London, Jazz Café

22 Apr - London, Jazz Café

26 Apr - Leeds, The HiFi Club

27 Apr - Bracknell, South Hill Park

29 Apr - Culdaff' Inishowen (Ireland) - The Backroom

30 Apr - Manchester, Living Rooms

01 May - Brighton, Komedia

06 May - Liverpool, Carling Academy 2

Ihunna Eberendu - March '06

Holland’s own Tasha’s World lit up Jazz Café as she treated the crowd to a one-off show as part of her ‘Strong Powerful and Righteous Tour’. 

Firstly much respect to her opening act El Crisis.  Regulars to performance poetry nights will no doubt have had the pleasure of seeing this brother perform. With a mixture of rap and chant El Crisis brought the house down.  Finally Tasha’s World graced the stage to a warm reception and immediately performed tracks from her debut album ‘Tasha’s World’ and her new album ‘World Domination’. 

Reminiscent of Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Tasha’s World wowed the intimate crowd with her smooth vocals and made the night well worth the wait.  Neo soul lovers should definitely check out this well kept secret.

‘World Domination’ is out now

For More click to www.tashasworld.com

Renegade Theatre kicked off the exceptional Rumble tour at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on the 2^nd February.  Directed by Markus Michalowski, Rumble is a hip hop dance interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo & Juliet.  The auditorium was packed as young and old as the story unfolded set to music.  Choreographed by Frenchman Lorca Renoux the audience regularly cheered the performers on as they wowed the crowd with their street dance ability.  With comedy elements thrown in for good measure Markus Michalowski presented a wonderful take on the popular story. 

A definite must see for all ages.  The theatre group will be touring across the UK throughout February & March so make sure you check the show out!

For tour dates click here (http://www.rumbletour.co.uk/dates.htm)

www.rumbletour.co.uk

Ihunna Eberendu

Feb ‘06

We all love a good break dancing event, and when the proceeds are going to a great cause, even better. So EUT headed down to the annual Breakin' Boundaries event last Thursday, which was put on in aid of the Asian Earthquake Appeal. The event, organised by The UK's Lady Cyanide, saw seven crews from as far a field as Bulgaria, Turkey and of course Britain battling it out on the dance floor, with the latter emerging victorious by the 3am finish.

Situated on the river in the heart of the Capital, the stunning views over London by night, visible from Tutu's windows, made for a perfect backdrop to this vibrant event. The atmosphere was laid back and friendly, and as well as the skill of the dancers, we were also treated to a selection of live PA's from the UK hip hop scene. Excalibah, Dek1, Chop Suey, Just 1, Skinnyman and Deckline were all superb. Skinnyman as usual tore it up, but tonight he came with a powerful message to end world poverty. He even recited a poem that he'd written especially for the night, and speaking to him just before he was due on stage, he told us; "We're going through a dangerous time, we've got famines, plagues, we've got people dying of malnutrition, while on the Western side of society we've got people eating in McDonald's and going to diet camps. Where we have the gift and the blessing of being in a position where we can provide a message within our music, then how dare we not?"

Over 87,350 people were left for dead in the tragedy of the Asian Earthquake last October, and with the onset of the treacherous winter months, conditions are harsher than ever. Organiser Lady Cyanide says; "I chose this charity in particular because the disaster occurred at a time where it was overshadowed by a previous disaster which meant it received less media coverage and interest from the public. Many people are still unaware of the extent of damage caused by this earthquake and have stopped donating money as a result. Now they are under target, which is why I wanted to make a contribution. I know this money is going to a worthy cause".

Breakin' Boundaries raised over £1160 on the night. Thanks goes out to everyone who came along and supported this cause, as well as everyone involved, who offered their time, energy and skills to make it happen. To donate money to the Asian Earthquake Appeal, log onto www.dec.org.uk

For more info on Breakin' Boundaries, check out www.breakin-boundaries.com

Review by Anna Nathanson

Young and old turned out in force to support London's sweetboy, Mr. Robinson in his sell-out headline gig at Astoria.  Originally scheduled for The Scala the dates were pulled due to over-zealous "precautions" from The Metropolitan Police.  Kano is undoubtedly UK hip hop at it's best.  He has managed to appeal to a huge mixture of fans crossing colour, race and age boundaries dismissing the myth that hip hop can only be appreciated by 'young, angry, black youths'. 

With the crowd hyped up bursting point, courtesy of the DJ's, Kano eventually graced the stage, opening with The Mitchell Brothers' 'Routine Check'.  To say that the ladies (young and old!) are feeling him would be an understatement as he was nearly mobbed as he knelt to serenade some lucky ladies at the front.  His live performance effortlessly show-off his showmanship as he delivered hit after hit to the crowd.  Favourites such as 'Boys Love Girls', 'Typical Me' and 'P's and Q's' had the whole auditorium singing along.  Kano closed the lively show with his upcoming single 'Brown Eyes'.  All in all it was well worth the wait and hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more live dates from the youngster.

Brown Eyes/Signs in Life is released 13^th March '06

Check out www.ka-no.com for further dates

Corinne Bailey Rae had blessed Camden with one of her biggest sell out shows to date. After touring across the UK, Dingwalls was overwhelmed with admiring fans. With the support of newcomer Ben Earle, the night was filled with a glitzy percussion and glamorous vocals, what better way is there to spend a Wednesday evening other than chillaxing to some soulful sounds…

Corinne Bailey Rae was born and raised in Leeds where her ambitions in music started at attending a church choir and at school where she studied classical standards with the violin. With influences from Billy Holiday and Erykah Badu, her passion in music persisted throughout her teens and she even set up her own band until she started university. Even whilst she was at her highest peek of education, it never phased her aspirations in music as she started a part time job at a jazz bar when every now and then she was able to perform with their resident band. After 10 years of expressing her skills in soulful jazz and indie music, Corinne was signed to EMI Records in 2004 and has been on touring across the UK since late last year, promoting her forthcoming album, Corinne Bailey Rae.

Ben Earle who had been touring with Corinne was no doubt an unexpected and sensational opening act to the show. Flexing his vocals with his keyboardist and guitar, his smooth powerful voice astounded us all. The amusing part was when he was introducing himself to the crowd and cracking jokes; he seemed like your average student on a night out enjoying being centre of attention! But as he was about to perform his next piece he would close his eyes and become Ben Earle the artiste. He made you want to listen to his words and watch his expressions as he sang, feeling what he was feeling through his words.

When it was time for the main act to perform, as soon as Corinne stepped on stage it was as if she was in another world. Like Ben, she would close her eyes and you could see how in touch she was with the music and how every word she sang meant something strong to her. Her band was so in tune with her performance and from the response from the crowd you could tell how much this lady is musically respected. Corinne performed tracks taken from her new self-titled album, which includes the latest single 'Put Our Records On' and other track listings such as 'Like A Star', 'Trouble Sleeping' and 'Enchantment'. Her passion for music reached out and grabbed her fans, showcasing a fantastic performance for a very memorable night.

Corinne's album is to be released on March 6^th.

For more information on the featured artists, click on to

^{www.corinnebaileyrae.com}

2005 has been a fantastic year for Da Marvel lounge, but fortunately for us there is no end, only a beginning! We’ve had huge response from both artists and our guests, and what better way to end the year with another jam packed-riddled with talent-show! This month we helped support the Royal Priesthood’s album launch, ‘Built To Last’.

The opening act was performed by Mr Scaramanga aka the Artic Panda and what a great introduction he was! From the moment he stepped on stage you could feel his energy and drive, his stage presence was just as lively as the crowd. With his uplifting beats and British swagger, this up and coming rap artist has already a place reserved in the UKHH scene. Unique Hastings was the next line up to state his name. He records through an independent label, Duel Amp Recordings and took up the opportunity to promote his forthcoming project, ‘No Matter’.

Another act that represented the new era for UKHH were artists from the independent label, Netty Entertainment. Zor Denning, Goku and Kellogz must have been drinking red bull because these guys were pumped with so much energy as soon as they stepped that stage. Performing their recent single ‘Memories’ and then they individually flexed their skills with samples of forthcoming solo projects. The Netty crew are just oozing with confidence and riddled with bare skill; with their determination to fulfil their musical aspirations, it won’t be long before they will be penning contracts.

More Hip Hop acts were to follow such as Blak Marvel Entertainments own brand, S.H.A.D.O.W. This rapper is no stranger to the stage, and he took a different approach to the night and brought Hip Hop back to its US roots, with samples taken from his new mix tape. S.H.A.D.O.W as always didn’t disappoint the crowd and walked off with more ego rammed into his artistic mind! Judah&Secret aka 2Men From Tibet took over the stage and performed tracks from their new LP ‘Truth Syrum Vol 1’.

But one lady who impressed us all was Madga. The soulsta wasn’t afraid to slow down the tempo with her sensational accapella after a good hour of pure Hip Hop. Anyone who says UK R&B doesn’t exist then think again, because Madga’s glamorous sound and sophisticated flow, the British Rhythm and Blues category is on a rise.

The night felt it had only just started when it was time for the final act to take the stage. The family orientated trio of the Royal Priesthood had the crowd absolutely buzzing from start to finish. Even after encores people were eager for more, no one would go home! Every act that performed that night was fantastic, you couldn’t fault them. But these guys were incomparable. If you don’t understand the term ‘Urban’ then check out Royal Priesthood. Give them Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop…and they will turn it into a remarkable track, a unique mixture of sound with conscious lyrics. After amounts of compliments to each other and sending out birthday regards, the show had to come to an end.

With 2006 getting closer it won’t be long before Da Marvel Lounge will be preparing their New Year resolution of showcasing more fresh talent and entertainment for the people’s love for UK urban music.

For more information on some of December’s artists, log onto:

www.mrscaramanga.com      www.duelamp.com

www.truthsyrum.com           www.theroyalpriest.co.uk

Review By Nina Carmela @ damarvelounge.com

G-Force productions Presents…

UK Street Dance Weekend Championships

Sunday 4^th December 2005 @ Wembley Conference Centre

The year of 2005 was a prosperous venture for the UK urban music scene. After a heavy flow of numerous organisations showcasing talents from singers, rappers, dj's and producers, it was time for the dancers to step up their game in the world of Urban UK.

G-Force Productions is an organisation that represents talents from the urban culture and the street dance championships had a fantastic second year run. Talent amongst talent set their territory on that stage, polishing the floor with outstanding dance routines. Every Urban Thing supports the show along with the likes of Choice FM, The Stage and Atari, and it's also a charity-funding event in support with African, Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.

Although the crews were competing against each other, every act was just as exceptional as the next. Hosted by the comical Kat from Choice FM, the show was full of entertainment. Each act stood out with their outstanding costumes and dramatised routines, it must have been a tough decision for the judges to mark individual performances. Sony Pictures (You Got Served film makers), MOBO, Nation Management and the Princes Trust UMF were marking the contestants out of 80 on presentation, dance ability, technical ability and originality. Giving an overall score out of 400 points.

The acts that topped the scoreboards were Karizma Krew, Company Fierce, Flawless, Chukie and K. Flawless also achieved the number one spot on the UK Street Dance Groups and Freestyle charts. Runners up included some well-known dancers such as Richochet, X-Clusive and Taboo. Not only did we get a glimpse of professional movers, people from the crowd were encouraged by Kat to take part in freestyles and battles.

While the dancers went to rest their feet it was time for a sing along fashion show that was presented by Urban Style. Up and coming R&B soulsta's Tez'Lee, Rene Byrd and Mosaic all hosted the show with their exceptional vocals, showcasing their forthcoming projects. Trim guys and gals sported wear from Fresh Flames, Akademiks, Southpole and UNK. Forget the catwalk, we prefer the street talk!

 It was a golden opportunity for all the organisations that promote the urban community to come together and represent a culture that is highly respected in the UK.

The US may be the birth home for R&B and Hip Hop, but the day proved that the UK live up to the same standard of musical abilities. Although the crowd were blown away by the US dance act Amount Crew, who have appeared in top Hip Hop videos, it wasn't enough to win over the hearts of the UK. Maybe the crowd were biased, but the judges certainly weren't! UK smashed it up again for the second year running walking away with the main dance trophy.

Overall it was a brilliant show with amazing talent and we certainly look forward to more events held by G-Force Productions. For further information on the results, lock on to www.gforceproductions.com

Reviewed by Nina Carmela

UKSTREETSOUNDS launched last month and celebrated with an exclusive launch party at Cargo.  Looking after the decks were DJ's Shortee Blitz, Wayne McDonald and Manny Norte.  The crowd, mainly full of music industry professionals and artists,  were treated to live acts from Nathan, Choong Family, Bruza, JME, Tinchy Stryder, J2K, Davinah and Oblit-R8 - all of whom gave a lively performance and kept the vibe lively.

UKSTREETSOUNDS.COM includes a catalogue of impressive artists; UK and international; signed and unsigned to cater to your mobile download needs.  Music from the likes of Sway, Lethal Bizzle and Skinnyman can be found alongside international artists such as 50 Cent, Mobb Deep and Mariah Carey.

For further info check out www.ukstreetsounds.com

Ihunna Eberendu

December 2005

Sway @ Cargo

Wednesday 23^rd November '05

Recent UMA and MOBO winner Derek "Sway" DeSafo performed a headliner gig at East London's Cargo.  Joined by Bigz and label-mates Pyrelli and DJ Turkish the crowd were treated to a fine show.  Currently on a mini-tour of England (Manchester 25^th, Nottingham 30^th and London 1^st Dec), Sway has become a familiar and popular face on the bill at UK music events.  Tracks such as 'Flo' Fashion' and 'Little Derek' had heads bopping but it was 'Up Your Speed' that got the crowd going. 

It just goes to show that you don't need to be with a major to get your music heard and appreciated by the masses.  A firm favourite already, it will be interesting to see how Sway translates to a mainstream audience.

Ihunna Eberendu

November 2005

To coincide with the annual Brick Lane Festival east London based initiative EMEP (ethnic minority enterprise project) presented Sew East's 'I Luv Brick Lane'.  Organised by Jennifer Williams-Baffoe the event showcased new collections by local designers who have been assisted by the project. 

The audience were treated to a spectacular fashion show featuring innovative designs from newcomers such as: Aarong, Dragana Perisic, Tina Atiemo, Wolf Whistle, Born in 72, Ahead Fashion, E-Sinn Soong, Rufus, Roy Ashong, Nicola Desnoes, Emporiana, Rebellion, Just Judy, Samson Saboye, Joe Blake, Pasha Razo, Zed Eye, Junky Styling, Warped and the Oxfam Make Poverty History Collection.  The fashion show was a complete success with over 1000 people turning up to view the collections.

As well as generating awareness of the local talent the show also raised money for Oxfam GB and the Sickle Cell Society.

The Sew-East programme is aimed at providing financial support and advice to designers/manufactures in the clothing sector within Tower Hamlets.  For more information go to; www.emep.co.uk

Ihunna

Sept 2005

URBARHYTHMIC

PRESENTS

IMPRESS UNSIGNED SHOWCASE

Friday 1st July 05

Urbarhythmic is an organisation that supports and guides unsigned acts in the right direction into the music industry. From recording advice and showcases there's no excuse for wasted talent!

Impress Unsigned Showcase is held by Urbarhythmic and the second show was held at Yaa Asantewaa Arts And Community Centre, London. Nine acts covered music genres from R&B, Hip Hop and Garage. Benita Awounou was the first act on stage and was prime example of what Urbarhythmic is all about.

Benita aka Lyrical Laydee is 18 years old from Essex and has been trying to pursue her career for the last year. She saw the showcase advertised in the New Nation newspaper and decided to take her talent to the next level and experience her first live performance, "It was nuff prang, I was shaking! But I wouldn't be if I done it again, it's like taking an exam". Fortunately aspiration took over the stage and Benita put on a great performance, " I will definitely consider going to more showcases, nothing ain't gona stop me because I still have to climb a very long ladder. I know my weaknesses and I am working on it, I have to believe in myself before other's will believe in me, regards the critism".
Other acts included Meleka, Nat-More, Melissa and Claire Angel who were alongside Benita showing off there soulful sounds, Urban-2 are a young duo with a commercialised urban flow who have already been promoting themselves across the globe, BRC are a crew with Hip-Hop vibes and Jaygo flexed his MC'ing skills over garage beats. W.Squeeze made a guest appearance giving a fantastic and inspiring performance.
Benita had a memorable moment that night and it has built up her confidence into taking her ambition further, "my plans are to continue going to shows, with the hope of getting noticed. I want to improve; I don't wana stay at one level. My main aim is to aim higher and improve my voice and songs everyday, I learnt that from that one show". This Lyrical Laydee has learnt to just keep trying and with the likes of Urbarhythmic around theres no stopping these guys from doing what they do best, music.

The next Impress Unsigned Showcase will be held sometime in September. For more information and inquiries click on to www.urbarhythmic.co.uk
You can check out Urban-2 at www.urban-2.co.uk
Reviewed and written by

Nina Carmela

EARLS COURT, FRIDAY 3^RD JUNE 05

Who would've known that it was in their destiny to be one of the industries most successful female Pop/R&B groups in music history to date? Still lingering in the charts after 8 years of stardom, after all the crazy commotion with members coming and going, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams have kept Destinys Child alive and glazing with success. From solo projects to acting roles and co-producing their own work, these girls are blessed with so much talent that the industry just can't get enough of them. It was a roller coaster ride into show business but we've watched them grow from young determined girls to independent artists.

Three albums and four solo projects later, they bring to us their long awaited fourth album 'Destinys Fulfilled'. Looking back over their material over the years shows how much they've grown not just musically, but emotionally. They say this may be their last project together as Destinys Child, so we cherish this tour as their last and wish the girls much luck in their future projects.

Earls Court was buzzing before you even reached the venue, hundreds of fans waited patiently while screaming at the stage screens every time Destiny's Child appeared. Half an hour of anticipation the three girls opened the show with 'Say My Name' and then performed a little remix of the top tracks taken from 'The Writings On the Wall' album. At the start the bass was too high and it was hard to hear the girls sing but once it was lowered their exceptional vocal ability took over the stage.

Kelly Rowland started her solo performance rhyming 'London I love You, London I need you' over her number one track 'Dilemma' taken from her solo album 'Simply Deep'. After minutes of getting the crowd buzzed Kelly made her exit and Michelle appeared on stage dressed from head to toe in glamour. Performing 'Do You Know' taken from her second solo project, proving to the crowd that Beyonce isn't the only one who can shine. Her performance was absolutely sensational and was the best performance so far. Miss Knowles then hit the stage wit her 'booty bouncing' presence with her backing dancers, performing 'Baby Boy' along with 'Naughty Girl' and 'Crazy In Love'. She then raised the temperature with her astounding vocal range to 'Dangerously In Love', which drove the crowd absolutely wild.

Not only did the girls have their fair share in the spotlight, the dancers also had their time to flex their bumping and grinding talents. Every dancer had their time to shine and take the stage, and the response from the crowd must have been very rewarding to these magnificent acts.

'Soldier' was the opening act to present their 'Destiny's Fulfilled' LP, while the fans were singing along, 'If your status ain't hood, don't be checking for me I need a soldier..' the girls then went to perform their recent single 'Girl' along with the up tempo track and strong lyrics 'Through With love'. Along with more tracks performed from the album of 2005, and after deciding whether it was a Beyonce concert or a Destiny's Childs! It was time for the finale act of 'Loose My Breath', which left the crowd hyped up with DC spirit and still rhyming the theme while leaving the building.

It was a fulfilled night with glitz, glamour and pure talent. Brilliant show.

Reviewed by

Nina Carmela

“The Carnival�

“Choreographer’s Ball�

Thursday 12^th May ’05

“Choreographer’s Ballâ€� the popular LA event took over Cirque in Leicester Square for a night that can only be described as dancer’s paradise.  Although a monthly event in LA this is only the 2^nd time the event has taken place in Europe. Brought to the UK by organisers Patrick Alan, Xlantic Music Group, Showcase PR, Arlene Philips as well as the LA organisers the event showcases different genre’s of dance including Hip-Hop, Body Popping, Contemporary, Jazz and Street Jazz.  By 11pm the club was already near capacity; filled with amateur dancers, professionals and fans standing on sofas and tables to catch the amazing performances.  Headliners included the legendary stars of “Breakin’ 1â€� & “Breakin’ 2â€�, Shabbadoo, Boogaloo Shrimp, Poppin’ Tac and representing for the ladies Ana “Lollipopâ€� Sanchez.  Even though they’re all getting on a bit they could still bus’ a move.  Various choreographers from around the world who made everything look so easy further entertained the crowd.  Especially Janet Fuentes & Jhesus Aponte (3 times Salsa world champions) who performed some moves that left me speechless- not an easy task!  In a night dedicated to honouring the choreographer, awards were presented for achievements including ‘Most Innovative Choreography’ – Supple for VW “Singing In The Rainâ€� Gene Kelly advert; ‘Best New Choreographer’ – Francisco Sisco Gomez; and ‘Lifetime Achievement For Outstanding Contribution to Dance’ – Shabbadoo – who at 50-odd still looks good!  International choreographer Luca Tommassini, currently doing his thing on BBC1’s ‘Strictly Dance Fever’, received a special tribute for his work with Whitney Houston, Kylie Minogue, Madonna amongst others.  Finger’s crossed the London event will follow in the footsteps of the LA night, which regularly draws celebrities such as Usher, Britney, Janet Jackson and more.

Ihunna

Natalie Williams @ Cargo

Wednesday 15^th June

If you don’t already know of Natalie Williams, all you need to know is that this 27-year-old lady from Berlin is one of the most talented and incomparable soul/jazz singers to date. Not only does this girl sing, she writes, composes, plays the piano and teaches music. Dedication is in her soul; Natalie started studying music at John F.Kennedy School in Berlin and then went to take her study further in Boston along with taking part in music workshops during semesters. She then brought her multi-talents to the UK and studied an undergraduate course in classical and jazz music at The Guildhall School Of Music And Drama.

Natalie is now signed up with eastside records and has worked with many producers and artists of all music genres. She is currently promoting her new album ‘Secret Garden’ and had blessed London’s Cargo with a live performance from herself and members of The Heritage Orchestra.

UK’s soulful Lee Henry put on a fantastic performance to introduce the main act. With his wide vocal range and his sexy smooth sound, this boy is the next best thing since Maxwell and D’Angelo. Sadly, he had to finish his 3-track performance with ‘Say My Name’ that had the crowd singing and dancing until Miss Williams stepped on stage.

Natalie opened her show singing ‘The Secret Garden’, showing off her new fresh sound and her band. She went straight on to perform her next track ‘Does It Feel Good’. After a great introduction Natalie was already thanking her fans for their support and encouragement and gave a huge shout out to her boyfriend! Her personality was shining through her music, her vocal ability and music is fantastic, proving that her hard work had certainly got her where she is today and her laid back image shows she still has plenty more success ahead of her.

The sensational Nate James joined Natalie on stage, and set the tone with his forthcoming single ‘Universal’. Berlin’s jazz diva then stepped back on stage singing ‘Dance For Me’ which had the crowd moving with her. Singing more tracks taken from her new album such as ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Since You’re Gone’, it was time for the finale song of ‘The Way We Like It’, which was the perfect track to end a perfect night.

To hear the latest and previous albums, visit Natalie’s website www.nataliewilliams.net

Written and reviewed by

Nina Carmela

Nokia Urban Music Festival with The Prince’s Trust

Saturday 16^th April ‘05

This year’s highly anticipated festival took place on Saturday 16^th April at Earls Court, London.  Originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday the festival was condensed into one jam packed day.  The event was headlined by megastar Will Smith and super producer DJ Jazzy Jeff.  Other US stars present were Faith Evans, who looked and sounded amazing as ever, Xzibit, old school vets De La Soul, Common, Jon B and Akon.  Repping for the UK were the likes of Estelle, Floetry, Sway, Kano, Keisha White, Blak Twang, Craig David, Jay Sean, Nate James, Jamie Scott and Lady Sovereign.  As if that wasn’t enough there was tons of onsite activity to keep everyone occupied in between acts.  Demonstrations included Street Ball (looks like basketball…but on the street) and Parkour – the art of jumping over large objects – looks much more impressive than it sounds.  Budding performers were given the opportunity to learn from leaders of their chosen fields in workshops for Djing, beat boxing, breakdancing and producing.  RWD magazine hosted their own stage which featured performances from Roll Deep, SLK, and Shola Ama amongst others.  However the most popular stage was without a doubt London’s premier hip hop night The Jump Off.  Festival goers practically climbed on top of each other to get a glimpse of performers in the MC, Producer and the Crew Street Dance Battle.  As always we were treated to memorable performances.  Professor Green won the MC battle walking away with £1000 and the task of representing the UK in the Rap Olympics.  After some technical hitches Damn Trouble walked away with the cash prize for the producer battle and crowd favourite KI predictably won the Crew Street Battle. 

In line with the Prince’s Trust’s effort to help young people realise their dreams thousands of artists applied for the opportunity to take part in Nokia Raw – a series of talent nights across the UK.  Seven regional finalists made it through (L-Marie, Glasgow; Nadine Charles, London; Broken English, Manchester; Sirplus and the Epidemic, Bristol; Blaq 1, Birmingham; Twin MC’s, London and Digitek, Brighton) and performed live on stage at the festival in front of 16,000 people. 

Check out the highlights on T4 and MTV Base

Ihunna

April ‘05        

Overground 3 @ Cargo

Wednesday 13^th April ‘05

Triple Vision presented Overground 3 at Cargo in Shoreditch, representing some of our finest up and coming UK Urban Music acts about to blow up the industry.

Dancehall phenomenon Warrior Queen was the opening act and boy did she give us one huge introduction to the many acts to follow. The crowd was hyped up before she even finished, ready to take in UK’s young one, 19-year-old MC Baby Blue who showed us some verbalicious rhymes proving females can rock the mic too.

The night kicked off with some more dancehall from Tug-A-War who is gonna be huge! Trust me you guys out there are gonna be shocked! The tone mellowed down when soul/jazz singer Andrew Balkwill took over the stage with his band and gave an extraordinary performance driving the crowd absolutely crazy!

More Hip-Hop followed from MC Dex and Fusion who took over the decks and showed UKHH some mad loving and represented new MC’s who are raring for the spotlight. The night brought us to the end with some more dancehall from Gappy Ranks of Suncycle who done his solo bit and proved his talent has far to go, then the tempo slowed down to welcome well known UK soulsta Shola Ama who gave us a glimpse of her new solid material and fantastic vocals.

Every act put all you UK haters to shame. The venue was small and the crowd was limited, to get up on that stage and see every single eye watching, making out everyone’s facial expression/reaction, is one of the most difficult showcases to perform. Each and every act united and represented each other, from all gender, all race and all age.

Watch out for more unsigned showcases yet to come, this is just the beginning. For a full glimpse of these acts check out Channel U and unsigned act profiles and interviews still yet to spread in Every Urban Thing.

Nina Carmela

April ‘05

Nokia Raw with the Prince's Trust @ ICA

Friday 8^th April, London

The second and final London heat of Nokia Raw with The Prince's Trust was held at ICA last Friday.  As before, five unsigned artists performed for a chance to appear live on stage at the Nokia Urban Music Festival with The Prince's Trust this Saturday (16^th April).  The five performers tonight were Lee Henry, Natasha Drum, Luc Skyz, Loick and Twin MC's.  Judges for the night were 1Xtra's Ras Kwame, rapper Ty, Urban Voices and Prince's Trust ambassador Estelle.  After a rousing performance from each act Twin MC's were crowned the winners.  Their ingenious rendition of the nursery rhyme 'Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes' clinched it fir them.  They go on to represent London on stage at the Nokia Urban Music Festival alongside the first London heat winner Nadine Charles.  The Jump Off as usual hosted the producer and MC battles.  Firstly the producers took to the stage.  The heat winner gets the chance to compete at the Nokia UMF for a cash prize of £1000. The talented four contestants were Kay Young, Pale Face, S-Jay and Joey Sticks.  It's great to see how talent getting a chance to showcase their skills.  Each contestant used their allotted three minutes well but the overall winner was Joey Sticks.  He joins 7 other up and coming producers on stage at the Nokia UMF on Saturday.  The final event of the night was the MC battle.  The MC's were Press 1, TCO, Roky, Professor Green, Scott Free, Breaker and last minute entrant JASE all the way from Oz.  True to form the MC's had the crowd in stitches with their witty insults.  The final showdown was between regular winner Professor Green and Roky.  Although Roxy gave his fair share of one-liners, it wasn't enough to faze Professor Green who seems to be invincible (except against Jin). Professor Green joins the MC finalists from the previous heats for a shot at £1000 and the chance to represent Europe at the US Rap Olympics to be held on Sunday 17^th April.

The Nokia Urban Music Festival will now be held on Saturday 16^th April only.

For tickets and info call 0870 903 9033 or www.umf.org.uk

Nokia Raw with The Prince's Trust @ The Jump Off

Monday 4^th April, Mean Fiddler, London

On Monday night (4/4/05) Nokia Raw with The Prince's Trust returned to London for the long awaited Street Dance Crew Battle at The Jump Off.  The popular Hip Hop night played host at Mean Fiddler on Charing Cross Road, London.  This is by far the crowd's favourite event and we were not disappointed.  Eight crews gathered for the chance to battle Jump Off champions T.I. live on stage at this year Nokia Urban Music Festival with The Prince's Trust.  First to take the stage were youngsters Funk It Up verses Break 4 Life.  Funk It Up were practically babies.  Consisting of three girls and two boys the crew will be a force to reckon with in a couple of years.  It was their cute factor that helped them to oust Break 4 Life who to be fair were carried by the older member in their crew.  Next up were Black Arts verses Assassins.  On first glance not many people knew what to make of Black Arts as they had a unique dress sense.  Regulars of Jump Off will have recognised Assassins who were previous Jump Off winners.  As with Break 4 Life, only one dancer from Assassins was really good and seemed to carry the whole crew.  Black Arts had tight routines and a variety of different skills which carried them through to the semi-final.  Next up were TNL versus Entropy.  It's scary when guys can shake their butts better than girls and this was definitely the case in this battle.  Both all-male crews, who range from 16 to 22, were flinging their butts every which way, much to the amusement of the crowd.  When it came to the crunch Entropy had more skills up their sleeve and made it through to the semis.  The final heat was between R.A.I.D (Red Assassins Impact Dance) and Move It Aside.  Now I don't want to seem rude but if Move It Aside had spent the same amount of time on their dance routines as they did on their hair and clothes, they would have been in with a chance.  R.A.I.D. wiped the floor with them.

The first semi-final was between Funk It Up and the Dark Arts.  This was really unfair as Funk It Up were definitely out of their league.  Major props go out to them though because I know for a fact that at their age I would have froze.  Dark Arts sailed through to the final.  The second semi-final was Entropy versus R.A.I.D.  Both crews were neck a neck with Entropy doing their fair share of body popping and acrobatics until R.A.I.D annihilated them by two members swinging one of their members back and forth and then over (it sounds dodgy – but you had to be there!).  From that point on Entropy knew they had lost it and had no comeback.  Raid won, hands down and joined Dark Arts in the final.  If I'm being honest the final was a bit of an anti climax with both crews doing nothing spectacular. To be fair they were probably knackered.  Dark Arts, who had the most adventurous moves, of the two went on to win.  They need to make sure they pull out all the stops when they face the legendary T.I who are in a league of their own.  That will be one battle that I will not miss!

Click here for Nokia Raw with The Prince's Trust events

For further info go to: www.princes-trust.org.uk/umf

Tickets for the regional Nokia Raw with The Prince's Trust events are £5 and available on the door of each venue or by calling 08700 600 100. 

Ticket prices for Nokia Urban Music Festival with The Prince's Trust at Earls Court on 16th and 17th April start at £28 available on 0870 903 9033 and www.princes-trust.org.uk/umf. 

Tickets are also available to UB40 holders for £15 from the box office only.

Ihunna

April '05

Musiq at Shepherds Bush Empire

2^nd April ‘05

The venue quickly filled up as people arrived eager to see a rising soul legend take to the stage.  Compered by Choice FM various UK talent warmed up the crowd.  This gave a great platform to upcoming UK artists and was much better than staring at an empty stage for 30 minutes at a time.  While the crowd anticipated the arrival of Musiq we were treated to the talents of new artists such as Aaron and Lavinia, Soul Symphony and Sparky.  Shola Ama, who had a lot of fans in the audience, made a surprise appearance and sang a couple of tracks.  Next up was the main support act Noel McKoy with full band.  I’m not really familiar with this guy but he was aiite.  As it neared 10pm the venue became packed to capacity, then to the delight of the audience Musiq’s band and backing vocalists took to the stage.

This is the second time that I have been fortunate enough to witness this guy live.  With a voice mature beyond his years, young and old jammed along singing his lyrics out loud.  With three great albums under his belt, ‘Aijuswanaseing’, ‘Juslisen’ and ‘Soulstar’ Musiq was not short of popular songs to sing and trust me the audience knew all the words!  One example is as the intro to LOVE started the audience began singing (not skipping any words) and the star was openly taken aback that his music had touched so many people.  The artist accompanied by his charismatic band and backing vocalists put on an excellent show for the crowd as he ran through tunes including, Soulstar, For The Night, Best Friend, Previous Cats, Stop Playin and Girl Next Door.  He ended the show on the anthem Mary Go Round which closed the night with a bang.  The whole night ran smoothly and I can’t wait till Musiq drops another album and gets back on stage.

Reviewed & written by Ihunna

Once again Café De Paris played host to MTV Base's popular night Baselounge.  The Easter special had a great line-up.  Performing tonight were Blak Twang, Shola Ama, The Stix, Teedra Moses, Juggy D and Jin.  The artistes performed to a packed house and as always, host Darae kept the crowd in check.  The first act to take to the stage was The Stix.  They performed three tracks including the popular 'Young & Foolish'.  Their featured artist Leeds-born Corinne Bailey Rae is set for big things this year. Her voice is amazing!  Next to woo the audience was TVT Records (Lil' Jon, 213) latest signing Teedra Moses.  By now most of you will have heard the catchy 'Be My Girl' which is a regular on MTV Base.  She was in the country promoting her new single.  She certainly knew how to work the crowd and seemed very excited to be performing.  Next up was Juggy D who served the audience some bhangra beats.  He was joined on stage by Jin who worked the crowd up into a frenzy with his hit 'Learn Chinese'.  The two then performed their new single 'Khol Aaja' (Come Closer).  The next artist was veteran Shola Ama who briefly spoke about her journey to hell and back and her gratefulness at being given a second chance.  Shola performed two new tracks as well as her hit 'You Might Need Somebody'.  The next event was the popular open mic session.  The winner was rapper Novocain who won by a long shot.  Finally Blak Twang took to the stage with K9 and closed the show with a bang.  He finished his set with the conscious and informative track G.C.S.E.   DJ CLK then hit the decks and the crowd partied on into the early morning.

Written by Ihunna

March '05 

The Prince's Trust has teamed up with Liquid State, Urban Voice and The Jump Off to create Nokia Raw.  The event is a series of showcase nights to give Unsigned Artists, MCs, Producers and Street Dance Crews an opportunity to give a once in a lifetime performance live at this year's Nokia Urban Music Festival.

The London heats of Nokia Raw kicked off on Wednesday night at Neighbourhood, Ladbroke Grove.  In the build-up to the Nokia Urban Music Festival with The Prince's Trust on the 16^th and 17^th April, Nokia Raw will be visiting six major cities across the UK (see 'Club Nights' for full listing) with giveaways and prizes courtesy of Nokia.  The first competition was the Unsigned Artists category.  Each artist performed three tracks live.  Once all the heats have finished the overall winner will win development career support in conjunction with Sony BMG.  First up were the band Captive State who flew the flag for alternative Hip Hop (think…a funky Limp Bizkit with full band).  The next act to take the stage was the soulful Nadine Charles.  Make sure you remember this name.  With her sister on backing and her uncle on guitar it was a family affair.  The third artist to grace the stage was rapper Spitin' Python who got all the heads bopping with his lyrical flow.  Jump Off host Kimberly Jay took to the stage next to introduce the participants in the Producer Battle.  Hoping to represent London on stage at Earl's Court were; Bode - an 18 year old from East London, Fire – the only female in the competition, Teeq Flows – a 22 year old from South London, Labrinth – an 18 year old also from East London, Demelo – a 24 year old south Londoner, Nutty P – a former Jump Off producer champ, Chris Styles – the current Jump Off champ and Tyrone a 22 year old.  Each participant had 3 minutes to make a beat on the spot.  These guys made it look easy.  Every one did really well but Labrinth had it in the bag.  He walked away with a new Nokia 3230 handset and the chance to win £1,000 on stage in the finals at Earl's Court.

The Unsigned Artist competition resumed and garage MCs Hector took to the stage.  The duo gave a lively performance and got the crowd moving.  The final act was drum 'n' bass artists Dust 21.  With veteran Lady MC on vocals they bought the competition to a satisfactory end.  I've never had the opportunity to hear drum n bass performed live with a full band and like the rest of the crowd I was very impressed.  The judges then retired to decide a winner while host Big Ted (Kiss FM) kept the crowd entertained.  The winner was… (drum roll) Nadine Charles who also walked away with a Nokia 3230 handset and the chance to win development career support in conjunction with Sony BMG.  The 26 year old has been singing solo for the past four years.  She used to perform with her sister, Obenewa under the name Nile.  The budding songwriter/singer (she wrote 2 of the songs she performed –her sister wrote the 3^rd song) heard about the competition in The Voice Newspaper and didn't realise how big the competition was until she was contacted by one of the organisers!  "I'm from West London so it was nice to come down here and sing in front of local people and I enjoyed it as well even though I was nervous.  I was so nervous it was unbelievable.  I was more nervous on my last song than on my first song.  My nerves just kicked in on that last song.  I spend a lot of time writing songs.  I haven't done that many performances by myself, which I want to do to get more comfortable because I was really nervous and I think that's to do with me not being used to it.  Because I prefer [performing live] than being in the studio – you get more interaction from people.   The demo I entered I did that myself.  I've got a G4 – like a mini studio at home.  This is a good opportunity [for me] to get out there." We hope to hear a lot more from this West Londoner!

Finally we witnessed the MC Rap Battle featuring eight MCs, namely; Professor Green, Shinobi, Chalk, Ask, Nuisance. After 3 rounds (and some great lines) Shinobi was declared the winner.  He goes on battle the winner of the Brighton heat for a place in the semi finals and a chance to win £1,000 and entry into US Rap Olympics. 

Well done to all the participants and good luck to all those representing London at the Nokia Urban Music Festival at Earl's Court.

For further info go to: www.princes-trust.org.uk/umf

Tickets for the regional Nokia Raw with The Prince's Trust events are £5 and available on the door of each venue or by calling 08700 600 100. 

Ticket prices for Nokia Urban Music Festival with The Prince's Trust at Earls Court on 16^th and 17^th April start at £22.50, available on 0870 903 9033 and www.princes-trust.org.uk/umf.  Tickets are also available to UB40 holders for £15 from the box office only.

Written By Ihunna.E

On Saturday 19^th March ’05 the only place to be was at the Gizmondo Launch Party.  The Gizmondo device is the newest entrant into the handheld gaming market and is about to be the latest must-have gadget.  Its functions include; gaming, multimedia messaging, MP3 music player, movie playing capability, digital camera, GPRS network, GPS navigator and is equipped Bluetooth.  The party was to celebrate the opening of their flagship store on Regent Street, London and what a party it was.  The venue for the night was the luxurious Sheraton Park Lane Hotel.  Paparazzi lined the street as celebrities including Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, Sting, Lennox Lewis, Verne Troyer (Mini Me), Jay Kay, Sophie Anderton and a host of others made their entrance.  The hosts were Tom Greene and Danni Minogue who kept the crowd entertained and amused.  The lucky audience were treated to live performances by Sting, Jamiroquai, Clipse featuring Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes, The Kray Twins and the Gizmondo dancers.  The night was definitely one to remember and the lucky invitees partied on into the early hours.

Gizmondo, 175 Regent Street, London W1       www.gizmondo.com

Coverage By Ihunna E.

March ‘05 

If you were clever enough to bag yourself a ticket to the Shepherds Bush Empire on Tuesday night then you would not have been disappointed.  West London played host to ‘neo-soul cum rock star’ Van Hunt.  Van Hunt is still a relatively well kept secret in the industry but he looks set to blow this year.  The US artist’s influences of funk, soul and blues are more so evident in his live set.  Van Hunt had warned me earlier that his live shows do not involve him just standing and singing.  Although his album is quite mellow his stage show is far from this.  With what can only be described as ‘a rock remix’ Van Hunt manned with his electric guitar and full band banged out his hits spiced up with a rocky edge.  The audience of die-hard fans and press were thoroughly entertained and cheered as Van Hunt performed his tracks which included ‘Highlights’, ‘Hello, Goodbye’, ‘Down Here In Hell (With You)’ and ‘What Can I Say’.  The crowd joined in as the artist performed ‘Dust’ which is due to be his 2^nd single later this year.  As his current single ‘Down Here In Hell (With You)’ receives more and more airplay it won’t be long before the rest of the UK cotton on to his talent.  The highlight of the night had to be his rendition of James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s, Man’s World’ complete with screams and knee slides.  Like the Godfather of Soul himself Van Hunt definitely knows how to put on a show.

‘Down Here In Hell (With You) is released on 21^st March ‘05

Reviewed & written by Ihunna E

March ‘05

To read our exclusive interview with Van Hunt click here 

Friday night saw the Apollo Hammersmith play host to the King of the South Ludacris.  The night was opened by garage collective SLK.  They performed their debut single 'Hype' 'Hype' much to the delight of the audience.  Next to grace the stage was human beat boxer Faith SFX.  This guy has got skills!!!!!.  It is not often that I am lost for words but this was one of those rare occasions.  The guy ain't human!  The next two acts were courtesy of The Jump Off.  Those of you who have had the chance to get down to the fortnightly event will agree that the crew battle is one of the best events.  The prize…£100, the contestants…K.I versus Karizma Cru.  K.I won hands down but major props go to Karizma Cru who despite their young age, gave K.I. a run for their money.  To keep the fellas happy the booty bounce contest was up next.  Once again the winner pocketed £100.  For those that were there please tell me what the girl in the tartan skirt was on – answers on a postcard???  The final support act was another beat boxer called MC Zany.  To be fair the guy was good but the crowd didn't show him much love- either because a) their beat box appreciation was all used up on Faith SFX; or b) they just wanted to see Luda.

Finally at 10pm (on the dot) the man himself graced the stage and went straight into his current single 'Number One Spot'.  It's easy to forget that this cat has only been in the game for four years.  Prior to his fourth album 'Red Light District' Ludacris had sold 10 million copies of his first three albums, namely; 'Back For The First Time', 'Word Of Mouf' and 'Chicken N Beer'.  The crowd was treated to a couple of new tracks such as 'Blueberry Yum Yum' and 'Get Back' as well as the old favourites like 'Southern Hospitality', 'Rollout (My Business)', 'Area codes', 'Saturday (Oooh, Oooh)', 'What's Your Fantasy', 'Ho', 'Move B***h'…(that's a lot of hits in four years!).  To top it off the packed out audience got to their feet to jam to 'Stand Up'.  Half way through his set Luda let his DJ "JC" take centre stage and show-off his skills – which he had a lot of.  In all honesty Luda did not leave out one popular track.  He even performed 'Yeah' and 'Lover's & Friends' inviting the audience to fill in where necessary.  They always say time flies when you're having fun and this night was no different.  Throughout his set Luda kept the crowd hyped and everyone left with a smile on their face.

Reviewed & written by Ihunna E

Thursday night saw Elysium play host to a special showcase from 1XTRA LIVE as part of 1XTRA's R&B Sensations month.  The line-up featured the very best of up and coming home-grown talent.  The night kicked off with a performance by Double V.  One member of the duo, Dwaine Hayden, was a finalist in the BBC Talent competition: Usher Masterclass.  All I can say is them boys can sing!  Unsurprisingly Dwaine performed at last year's Prince's Trust Urban Music Festival after being picked to join a group of unsigned artists who performed as the Urban Sound Live Band.  Next up was a vocalist by the name of Amina who performed one track.  So far she has featured on 'Are You Really From The Ends' by The Ends.  Judging by her performance this won't be the last time we hear this young lady.  Corinne Bailey Rae from Leeds was next to take the stage.  She recently collaborated with Craig David producer, Mark Hill, on a track called 'Young and Foolish'.   She gave a moving performance - my girl gave me goose bumps!  She was followed by the multi-talented Carmen Reece ? as well as having a kick-ass voice she is classically trained and can play the piano and flute. Her single 'U Got Me' drops in April.  The next vocalist was Sabrina Chyld.  Hailing from West London Sabrina was involved in a car accident on the way to the venue.  Fortunately she arrived in one-piece and treated the audience to one of her tracks which no doubt will be featured on her Low Fat E.P. which hits the streets in February.  The next act was south Londoner Avani.  The technical difficulties at the start of her set didn't faze her and she performed two tracks for the audience.  Avani has recorded a cover of Loose Ends' 'Watching You' with Carl McIntosh and Rahsaan Patterson ? keep an eye out for that, Avani's got a voice on her.  Next to hit the stage was gospel trio Siani.  Their single 'Love Is' has been doing the rounds on the airwaves and is an uplifting, feel-good track.  Last year they were nominated for a MOBO and they recently won the Gospel Entertainment Award.  Nina Jayne was next up.  Nina was due to support Rahsaan Patterson last year at The Jazz Caf? but had to cancel due to ill health so it was great to see her perform.  Lain took to the stage next performing some of his new material.  Many will remember the ex- Nu Colours member as the vocalist from Wookie's hit record 'Battle'.  Newcomer Nathan took to the mic next and proceeded to get the crowd pumping.  He performed two tracks.  His single 'Come Into My Room' will finally be released in February.  Terri Walker graced the stage next, to a huge applause.  Ms Walker as always cracked nuff joke for the audience and performed three tracks including her latest single L.O.V.E.  The final performer was new kid Nate James.  You are going to hear a lot about him in the future and I have to say that the picture on his flyer does him no justice!  Backed by a full band Nate, who is performing at The Jazz Caf? next month, closed a night of top-class UK Talent with a bang.

Written by Ihunna

A young person's view.......

Choice FM hosted their third and hopefully not last Under 18's Junior Jam at the Hammersmith Palais on Saturday 15^th January 2005.

1500 hip hop and RnB lovers from North, South, East and West London came to watch a great line up of artists perform but more important than not just to catch joke with the hilarious Choice FM DJ's.

Kiesha White was the first act to go on stage and looking even prettier than she does in her video she preformed her debut single 'Don't care who knows'. It was a great performance and trust me that girl can sing, but you could see that the crowd was struggling to sing along as where ever you hear the song it is the version featuring Cassidy which has kind of different lyrics.

Next on stage was Lyracis he preformed at the first Junior Jam and I'm glad he came back for this one. He was off da hook. And I, alongside thousands of other girls could have fainted the moment he lifted his t-shirt to reveal his firm, caramel chest.

The two hottest MC's in the business at the moment Wiley and Kano freestyled for the thousands of screaming fans.  And once the letters P and Q left Kano's mouth there was a total uproar of excitement.

The big let down of the day was Houston. To tell you the truth I don't think I have one good thing to say about this man. I personally believe it would have been a better show without him. Let me start with his appearance. What is it they say? The camera puts on 30 pounds, well in his video it looked like it took off 100 pounds because in real life he looked like he had spent the whole day in Mac D's taking advantage of the buy one get one free M^cChicken Sandwich deal.  The man is supposed to have pure money init, so why couldn't he take just ?1 and buy himself a comb to comb out the pepper grains that he calls a beard. I was tempted to give him my comb out of my bag. Please tell me if you think that I am wrong but if you are performing at an under 18's Jam every other sentence you say should not have a swear word in it, and you should not be inviting girls to your hotel room and groping them on stage.   

Bringing back up the vybz came the 18 year old hotty from Atlanta, Ciara. She absolutely took the crowds breath away. She had girls wishing they were her and boys wishing they could be with her. I mean this girl can bend further than a supper flex ruler. However, some may say that a little less dancing and a little more singing would have been better. She performed songs from her debut album 'Goodies' including the hit itself US number 1 single 'Goodies'.

The icing on the cake was Lemar. The cutie from Fame Academy who totally surprised everyone by turning up. He didn't even need an introduction, he just sang a line from Mario Winans' hit 'I don't wanna know' with his heavenly voice and it was obvious that it was him. He came out on stage and being the sweet boy that he is, gave his thanks to everyone in the audience for supporting him from the beginning. He sang 50:50 for the ecstatic crowd. He could have done the show alone. He is a true star.

Two other men performed, but to tell you the truth I can not remember either of their names as I had never heard of them before. Though I do remember that one of them is HUGE in Japan and the other one kept on talking about there being bombs in the place.

Overall this was a great way to kick off 2005 and knowing Choice FM there will be another Jr Jam right around the corner. Just make sure you get your ticket quick, as it is a guaranteed sell out!

By Karimah Campbell

On the 27th November the roots made a rare appearance in London at the Brixton Academy, alongside the self proclaimed Queen of the UK urban music scene Estelle. The Roots are pioneers in the neo soul movement hailing from Philadelphia USA. This scene has bought us the likes of D'angelo, Dwelai, Jill Scott, Musique Soul Child, Erika Badu and Indie Arie to name but a few. Estelle on the other hand reps the booming UK urban scene, she has had recent chart success with her debut single 1980. So how did they do on the night? Brixton Academy is a spacious but at the same time an intimate venue, ideal for fans to feel the artist in very close proximity. Estelle had a set of 2 backing vocalists, a DJ and guest guitarists for the acoustic sets. She came out very confident determined to make an impression bearing in mind that she was the supporting act and people paid to see the roots. The DJ sets were pretty standard, but when her guitarist came out and commenced the acoustic set, the whole venue was impressed by the warmth and depth of the performance. This is where Estelle really shined; there was a real connection between herself and the audience. Then she went on to perform her big tune 1980, which in my opinion could well be a classic. So Estelle showed that the title of Queen of urban music is probably a little pre-mature however, she certainly showed that in time she might well be! Now on to the main act The Roots. The set looked more like a Guns and Roses concert rather then a hip hop act. Then again the roots are not your ordinary hip hop act. In reality they have much more in common with Linkin Park then Jay-Z. They are extremely talented musicians - certainly world class. The lead vocalist demonstrated his years of experience in rhyming his flow was breathtaking. So we have determined how talented they are, but did the music quite measure up? They started of with some heavily rock influenced tracks which went down well with the crowd, it took a little while before they moved on to there better known tracks. If you're a true hip hop head you would certainly be impressed but after a while you would probably get a little tired of all the guitar riffs. However, the performance livened up for me when they moved on to the phenomenal Scott Storch track 'Don't say Nothing'. This is a seriously heavy tune, which was poorly marketed here, if you aint heard it go and get it! Then The Roots moved on to their soulful collaborations with Musiq soul child and Eryka Badu which definitely went down well. In the end it was a very long set, which is testimony to their professionalism, endurance and experience. The roots over the years have successfully created their own genre within a genre, although their musical creativity hasn't quite caught up with their performing talent or at least the same consistency. Nevertheless, even the greatest skeptic could not have left with out developing a deep respect for the roots, there certainly is no one out their quite like them. No regrets!

Review by W.Harris

The Forum played host to the award winning "Boy in a corner" Dizzee Rascal, as Garage & Hip Hop fans of all ages packed out the venue. Mums, dads and kids as well as grown men as old as forty and above were caught "skanking out" to Dizzee's influential beats and rhymes. The lights were dimmed, which followed a split second of silence as the crowd roared with anticipation. A small flame flickered in the corner of the stage and began moving into centre stage as if magically floating. And in the midst of the darkness
the crowd was illuminated by literary hundreds of video and camera phones all anticipating the first glimpse of Dizzee Rascal.
What followed next was award winning its self, as the young MC captivated his fans with performances from his previous album such as "jezebel" to "his just a rascal". Obviously not forgetting his new material! Dizzee laid down the standards for upcoming MC's with
head bopping tunes as well as treating the fans to a number of mind-blowing freestyles. It truly was an award winning night for all Dizzee fans. 

One of the supporting acts ? Taz, put on a great show and took some of the limelight. As the fierce MC set the forum ablaze with devastating lyrics, you would have
expected someone to come in and put a stop to the show. Simply because at one point in time Taz had the crowd so hyped it was starting to look like a battle
more than a concert. With performances from his channel U video releases which the crowd was responding to like it was an outplayed MTV, none the less Taz was
there for one reason which was to be heard. "Point taken Taz" at least that's how I felt when he was done. Going back to him being a supporting act, the way he was
reaching out to everyone someone should have been supporting his act because I don't think the crowd was ready for his energy. Between Dizzee and Taz there were serious lyrics being spit! Lyrics that painted images that even digital camera's couldn't capture and painters could only hope to portray.
Right from the start of his performance Dizzee unleashed waves and waves of energy that the crowd responded to with loads of enthusiasm. As people danced the balcony
received the beating of its life as it started to wobble, at first I just thought it was the baseline from the massive speakers planted all over the forum.
Of course what happens when there is a crowd with lighters and they're feeling the artist, nothing but a display of mini fireworks! There was an atmosphere in the forum that can't be described by words by showcasing the limitless talent of some of the UK's finest!

Review By Tyler J