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creativityworks-sx · 4 years

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5 of the Best Alternative UK Rap Albums of 2019 by Dwayne Wilks

With us all home-bound for the foreseeable future, there’s no better time than now to catch up on the music, film and television that might have passed us by in recent times. When it comes to rap in all its forms, the UK took it to new levels in 2019. Dave delivered a seminal album early in the year. Headie One might have established himself as the star of the drill scene with Music x Road. Through Kano and Wretch we saw the scene’s OGs continue to push themselves and cover unchartered territory (can we also acknowledge the crazy feature run Ghetts has been on). Amidst all the heat and the D-Block Europe clones that 2019 has provided us with though, a lot of sick projects from established artists didn’t get the shine they deserved. Here are 5 of the best that fall within that category:

Blood, Swvgg, Tears/Youngs Teflon

For the past 10 years Youngs has consistenly delivered quality UK rap. Now a veteran, Blood, Swvgg, and Tears sees Tef’ continue with gritty tales of the trap and the South London streets, while sounding hungrier than a lot of the scene’s newcomers. The sample driven Aaliyah and the conceptual Broken Safety exhibit Young’s vintage storytelling abilty, the latter inspired by his favourite rapper, Nas’ classic track I Gave You Power. Being a decade deep in the game, Teflon, (aka ‘Jimmy’) has sharpened his pen to the point that almost every bar comes packaged with a punchline and those punchlines don’t (often) miss. Couple his wordplay with the overall sonics of the project; hard-hitting drilly beats that align the album with the current sound of the scene, and Blood, Swvgg and Tears establishes Jimmy as a stalwart of UK hiphop. That’s if he wasn’t one already. The best thing is, it looks like he’s still getting better.

(Best Tracks: 3AM In Brixton, Clout, Rehab, Survivor Stories Pt.2)

Kojey Radical/Cashmere Tears

Cashmere Tears gifts us with Kojey’s usual intricate and poetic flows, introspective content and performative delivery. As he has been for some years now, he gives us finely crafted bars about steeped in introspection, but this time they are delivered over warm sultry basslines and endorphin-inducing horns. On Can’t Go Back, producer Swindle’s joy-filled funk is married with Kojey’s lyrics celebrating his re-emergence from a dark mental space. This is the formula that carries much of the project; candid, vulnerable bars atop infectious instrumentation. When it comes to levels of funk, the album resides high up in the stratosphere. I’m not sure there’s a rapper in the UK that’s as comfortable up at those dizzying heights. Don’t believe me? Do yourself a favour and listen to Kojey glide over the album’s title track Cashmere Tears.

The warm basslines and brass sections are repurposed later in the album, matching the more sombre topics Kojey tackles. Case in point being the track Eleven which sees Kojey grieve the death of his close friend. The vulnerability showed on songs like this and the choir assisted closer Last Night has an endearing effect on you as you listen; you can’t help but appreciate the raw honesty in the act of exposing your lowest moments. Cashmere Tears is an example of how music can offer a view into an artist’s conscience and psyche. When it comes to pushing the boundaries of the UK music scene Kojey Radical is at the forefront, his workload far outweighing his acclaim.

(Best Tracks: Cashmere Tears, Eleven, Feel About It)

Money Over Everyone/P Money

P Money has never made the most humble music. Moretime he’s spitting bars soaked in arrogance over grime instrumentals, and it’s this arrogance that makes Money Over Everyone 3 so hard. P Money revels in his longstanding refusal to comprimise from the grime genre, taking every opportunity to tell everyone that doubted his and grime’s staying power, “hate to tell you ‘I told you so’… but I told you so”. Countless times on M.O.E.3 P Money shamelessly champions his own integrity, like his boasts about touring Australia for the fourth time on Shh Hut Yuh Mout which has JME repeat one of his classic refrains all over the hook. There is a deliberate attempt to align himself with JME who is featured and name dropped at several points on the album and P is fully deserving of the type of recognition that the BBK legend recieves, especially after an album like this. Amidst all the boasy talk, M.O.E.3 does have its more reflective moments; Live This Twice has P show that he doesn’t at all take his success for granted and on That’s Air Manga St Hilare assists in explaining the mindset of the kids on road that have nothing to lose and move accordingly.

(Standout Tracks: Where & When, About Grinding, Live This Twice)

Little Simz has recieved a lot of praise this year, mainly for starring in the latest season of Top Boy on Netflix. While she’s fully deserving of the acclaim for her acting, her muscial endeavours might have gone slightly under the radar. Grey Area is Simz’s best work yet; at times vulnerable and at times aggressive, at times sombre but always honest. The raw drum break and distorted bassline underpins Simbi’s boasy, hostile tone in the opener Offence. Within no time it’s clear: Little Simz can rap. So as impressive as these aggresive moments are, it’s elsewhere on the project that Simz really shines.

There’s a dope moment of nostalgia on the song 101FM; nostalgia both in the sonics and sentiment of the track. From this, the mid-way point of the album, Simz gets into her personal bag. On Therapy she opens up about attending therapy sessions to cope with the burdens of fame and relationships, but unexpectedly declares the practice of therapy ineffective and unhelpful. Unexpected because the next track, Sherbet Sunset, is a rambling confession of the pain of a broken heart. Lines like “ Still it hurts tremendously, can’t bear the intensity”, “ Lost part of myself, and I can’t get her back”, “ Who am I? I’m a mess, more sinning, more spending” paint a picture of someone in dire need of therapy. It seems though that Little Simz’ prefers to heal through her music, putting her pain in her lyrics provides all the catharsis she needs. And long as it works for, I’m here for it. The blessings and burdens of fame, the contrast of her introversion and her intensity, it all makes for Little Simz’ Grey Area.

(Standout Tracks: Selfish, 101 FM, Pressure)

Not Waving But Drowning/Loyle Carner

Not Waving But Drowning feels longer than its 45 minute run time. The record’s generally slow-tempo and Carner’s easy flow don’t make for the most thrilling of listens. Carner’s effortless delivery might even be enough to send the more passive listener to sleep. Animated and energetic it is not, but Carner’s magic is found in his deeply personal lyrics, full of feeling. In his patented fluid rhyme style, he tells of a train journey that spurs thoughts of a future family in Ottolenghi, the track made all the more touching by tenderness of Jordan Rakei’s singing on the hook. There are a host of touching moments on the album like the song Desoleil (Brilliant Corners) which features elusive UK singer Sampha and is a perfect fit for the vocalist, with its ballad-like pace and fleeting drums that hide in the back of the track, allowing the piano riff to lead.

The personal, touching moments continue with songs like Loose Ends (for which Jorja Smith lends her vocals) and Krispy, an attempt to amend a failed friendship. Maybe the most intimate moment is Looking Back where Carner explains his feelings of being lost because of being mixed race. This song isn’t the contrived and corny stuff we hear from some (*looks in the direction of Logic*), but is as earnest as it is honest, exemplified by the hard-hiting line “I’m thinking that my great grandfather could’ve owned my other one/ And yo, that shit is weird”. Despite the reminiscing on times less certain and existential struggles of Not Waving But Drowning, the album doesn’t feel negative or depressive. Even though much of the instrumentation is melancholy in feel, much is also pretty feel-good. There is a lot of optimism about the future and there is a lot of talk of love, whether it’s directed towards his friends, family or partner. Loyle Carner probes around in his own feelings in this project and invites us to join the search.

(Standout Tracks: Ice Water, Ottolenghi, Desoleil (Brilliant Corners), Looking Back)

Written by Dwayne Wilks

#creativityworks #mtfutures #MediaTrust #DwayneWilks

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creativityworks-sx · 4 years

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4 Nuggets of Knowledge from the Henrie Kwushue Press Junket

During yesterday’s scheduled press junket we had the priveldge of putting a series of questions to Henrie Kwushue. In her relavitely short career she’s already achieved so much and her responses to our questions showed honesty, insight and character that gave full explanation to her sharp ascent. Here are four of the best nuggets of knowledge from the junket:

View rejection of your ideas as an opportunity:

When asked why she’s bypassed the industry’s usual gatekeepers to create on her own and with her peers, she singled out her experience of being asked to come up with some ideas for the company she worked for, only for them to undervalue and dismiss those ideas when Henrie presented them. It was then she says, that she realised the importance of investing in herself and being the one to bring her ideas to life.

Don’t conflate the roles of DJ and radio presenter:

Although there are many shared skills, particularly on the more technical side, it’s important to know the difference between the two roles. As a DJ your sole focus is the music you’re delivering, presenting is much more of a front-facing role where your character and personality are as crucial as the music.

Value your relationships with your peers:

As people move forward in their own careers they may need someone with your skillset and offer you opportunities and you may do the same. Many of the people that Henrie started with are doing big things themselves and she has witnessed them all grow together, offering help and opportunities to each other along the way. The recent success of NS10v10 is the example of this: like-minded people that had existing relationships coming together to create and enlisting more of their peers when the chance arose.

You are are own biggest asset:

Your ideas are unique to you and often you’re the best judge of how good the are. Find the essence of who you are and use it to your advantage. Henrie admitted to being shy early on but overcame it to let her natural charisma, one of her best assets, shine in the presenting role. Trust in your ideas and ability!

#dwaynewilks #mtfutures #creativityworkssx mediatrust

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creativityworks-sx · 4 years

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How Trolls On A World Tour May Have Changed Cinema As We Know It

Titanic. Avatar. Avengers: Endgame. All blockbuster movies that raked in huge numbers upon their release. Now you can add Trolls World Tour to the list. Universal Pictures, who produced the animation, had to adjust to the conditions of world-wide lockdown having planned to release the film in cinemas. They chose to make it available for home rental on platforms like Amazon Prime as a form of damage limitation, having accepted the huge losses that they would surely suffer. But to everyone’s surprise, not least of all the production studio, the film raked in almost $200m dollars within the first two weeks of its April 10th release, shattering even the most optimistic of expectations. Believe it or not, Trolls World Tour is now the biggest digital debut of all time.

Photo Credits: cbr.com

For all the unexpected and unprecedented success of this kids film, by far the biggest surprise is the effect it may have become the catalyst for the emergence of a new phase of cinema. The production studio didn’t anticipate a ‘Trolls’ film would have them doing socially isolated cash-angels on the floors of the Universal Pictures office, but they’ve clearly found it to be a fun pastime as they’ve since adjusted the release format for several of their upcoming films accordingly. In fact other studios such as Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros have also moved to push their imminent releases to the digital debut format, eager for their slice of a pie they didn’t know was so lucrative. Jeff Shell, CEO of Universal Studios’ parent company, has indicated that they will continue to release a portion of their films either as home rental exclusives or at the same time as the cinema release even after the current pandemic, a decision made in part because studios receive a larger profit from selling a home rental comparative to a cinema ticket. But for every winner there is unfortunately a loser, and here it’s the cinemas themselves. Numbers of people visiting cinemas regularly had already fallen following the advent of the streaming era, so news that films that they would be refused access to films they were expecting to screen was enough to force AMC cinema chain into retaliation.

Photo Credit: indiewire.com

Through its CEO, AMC who function as Odeon in the UK and Europe, has chosen to boycott Universal. This means that they will refuse to screen films including the new Bond (No Time To Die) and the new Fast and Furious (F9) once cinemas are clear to reopen. That AMC, America’s largest cinema chain and Odeon who are the UK’s biggest chain are willing to lose out on the revenue that these two movie franchises will inevitably bring shows how much AMC feel they are likely to lose if Universal’s new strategy becomes the status-quo amongst the whole industry. It’s expected that a deal will be found in the long-run that suits both parties, but if the boycott stands it will have a profound effect on the landscape of cinema.

By Dwayne Wilks

#mtfutures #mediatrust #creativityworks #cinema #dwaynewilks

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creativityworks-sx · 4 years

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Quarantine Diaries Podcast Ep. 1

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#quarantinediaries #podcast #mt_futures #creativityworks #OrlaMcGroarty #karmetaclarkenewman #judyibelhauptaite #dwaynewilks #ursitolliday #jeevenrihal

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creativityworks-sx · 4 years

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The 4 best music moments Instagram has served us during Lockdown. By Dwayne Wilks

With everyone trying to find ways to entertain themselves at home people have turned to instagram, amongst other things, to pass the time. In an attempt to alleviate their own boredom, artists have increasingly turned to Instagram Live as a way to communicate with fans, play DJ sets or even have friendly battles in which they pit their own catalogue against another artist’s, live for the pleasure of fans. Here are 4 of the best moments so far:

Neyo VS Johnta Songwriter Battle

On March 29th the two industry legends squared off in a RnB battle for the ages. Neyo is well known for his RnB hits in the late noughties, but what’s less well known is the amount of songs he wrote for others. And while Johnta is a name that you may not be familiar with, I’m willing to bet my house that you know at least 5 of the songs that he’s written. The two sounded off, taking turns to play songs they had written on, songs performed by the like of Rihanna, Beyonce, Aaliyah and Mariah Carey just to name a few. Below is a link to a playlist of all the songs played in the battle.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6FjxAlUY9kQBrggtYnlZZE?si=-5_I5DFuTY-nb9asac2jKg

D-Nice’s Club Quarantine

D-Nice is another music legend that most music fans might not have been privy to but since his DJ set broadcast on his IG Live on March 18th, he’s amassed 1.5m followers. The DJ sets, dubbed ‘Club Quarantine’, are as long as eight uninterrupted hours and draw in virtual crowds that number in the hundreds of thousands. Notable names that have enjoyed the online club include Dave Chappelle, Stevie Wonder, David Beckham and Michlle Obama. D-Nice is likely to Club Quarantine for as long as we’re locked down so be sure not to miss the next one.

Swizz Beatz VS Timbaland Beat Battle

This was a must watch any hiphop fan. The super-producers clashed in the virtual colloseum that is IG Live and there was only one winner: the fans. Hit after hit, the two spun the best songs in their production resume and served up a moment as classic as their tracks. Between the pair they have worked with all of the legends of their era so you can only imagine how the battle went. Or better yet don’t imagine, click the link and see how it went down for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H_l_Mzh3EI

Questlove’s Steveland Saturday

Questlove of the legendary The Roots crew is the definition of a music savant so his 6-hour DJ set dedicated to Stevie Wonder was sure to include some gems. ‘Steveland Satuday’ included Stevie’s most well-loved classics, niche covers of his songs and everything in between. Mr Wonder even called Questlove mid-set, giving his appreciation to him and the fans, a moment Questlove shared by putting his phone on speakerphone. Quest’s IG Live DJ sets are now something of a tradition and he’s since done sets dedicated to Marvin Gaye and the recently passed Bill Withers. Follow @questlove so you catch the next one. In the meantime click the link to view the moment Stevie called in to show his gratitude for Steveland Satuday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9YcYelGrT8&t=1s

Written by Dwayne Wilks

#creativityworks #mtfutures #mediatrust #dwaynewilks

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