21 minute read
INTERVIEW WITH GUVNA B
GUVNA B
Rapper, Author, Broadcaster, West Ham supporter and very proud Dad
Isaac Borquaye was born 13 June 1989, in London to Ghanaian parents from Accra. He is better known as Guvna B, and is a rapper, author and broadcaster from Custom House, London.
He has released ten albums, two books and has produced segments for the BBC and is a football pundit for Sky Sports News’ Good Morning Transfers. He is also a staunch West Ham fan.
In January 2013, Guvna B launched his own urban clothing brand, Allo Mate. He has also appeared on television to discuss topics that affect young people from underprivileged communities. He is currently on tour, but found the time to speak to BHM 2021 Magazine...
What is your family background? My parents are from Accra in Ghana, and they came over to England in their early twenties. Me and my brother were born in England.
Were you interested in writing and performing at school? I actually became interested in writing and performing in primary school, and I did well in my English classes, but I struggled with my behaviour.
One day when I had been sent out of class, my primary head teacher told me you are so good at English, why don’t you try to concentrate in class and develop your skill set there.
It was the very first time anyone had told me that I was good at something, so I then started to take writing seriously.
What reaction did you get when you told your parents you wanted to become a performer and writer? They were really supportive, but coming from a poor African family, my Mum want me to have better opportunities than they had.
Therefore, she said get a degree first, so I studied Business and Journalism at got my degree at Hertfordshire University.
After that it was OK to pursue writing and my music.
How did you get your first big break and what was it? It was at an album launch party I did with my local youth group, when I was just 17 years old. 800 people turned up for the launch and I was shocked and surprised.
Someone from Black Grape Productions came, who at the time were handling comedian Eddie Kadi and YolanDa Brown and said they would really like to become my manager.
Within 12 months I had won my first MOBO award and was touring with Tinie Tempah.
What medium do you enjoy the best… live singing or writing? I guess the writing, as you have to first write lyrics, as that’s the stage before you sing them or rap them. I also have to write books and TV links and scripts for documentaries.
I always find the magic’s in the writing.
The medium that comes after that, whether it’s being on tour live on stage or on TV or on the radio, that’s all great too. But every one of those communications starts with writing
How did you get the chance to be a sports pundit? I am very vocal on social media, especially about my love for West Ham and having worked in radio and TV for so long. A producer at Sky Sports suggested I went on their Good Morning Transfer Show.
Through the power of social media, I also went on the Soccer Bible and various other publications, and even West Ham also go in touch too.
Was there a moment when you realized you could actually make a living from being a rapper and performer? It was the morning after my album launch at the local youth club. 800 people turned up and paid to get in and bought my album. When I added it all up there was £4,000, which was a substantial amount of money for a 17-year-old kid living on a council estate in East London.
And the best thing about it was it was legal! I thought WOW, here was something legal that I enjoyed doing, and it inspired me to kick on from there.
Was it easy to launch your clothing range, and what advice would you give to others wanting to follow into the fashion scene? I launched it off the back of the sound my music and the phrases which people liked, so I thought why not put them on T Shirts like Allo Mate. Fans would also have another keep sake, along with my albums. Just cool merchandise!
I am far from Kanye West’s standard, as I feel I still must grow in my fashion.
What I would actually like to do, is to employ a young person who is passionate about fashion and has ideas to manage the clothing range for me. So, if you love fashion get in touch.
Do you think the move towards diversity over the past few years in the industry has made a difference? That’s a tough question! I think on the surface undoubtably yes, and it is obviously a buzz word for the right or wrong reasons. It causes people to have the conversations, which a few years ago were not happening. Most importantly things are being listened too, so that’s good.
I just feel structural systemic change takes a lot longer, and it takes diversity to be more than a trend. The change comes when all the cogs are turning at the same time, from companies to government legislation, employers to HR organizations. I think it now on everyone’s radar
How do you manage to swop one day from being a rapper to a writer and the next day designing clothes? I think what I do is who I am, and what I carry, rather than the method.
So, who am I?.…Guvna B, someone who tries to inspire positivity and show the younger generation it can be done. And I can do that by my clothing range, writing a book or by my music.
I think it great to be multi skilled or a Jack of all trades, and it opens a lot more opportunities.
What advice can you offer to young Black people considering working in the music industry or becoming a writer? The first thing I would say is work hard and put in your 10,000 hours.
I always say to Black people its 20,000 hours to become an expert, as we are systemically and structurally set up in this country, it means we must work even harder, especially as where we are at with diversity and equality. Hopefully that will change.
Until then don’t give anybody the opportunity to say you are not good enough, and embrace what makes you unique, and embrace your authenticity.
There’s already a Guvna B, Stormzy or Kanye West, who ever you look up to. However, there is probably something you have which is unique to your story, that is authentic to you. Don’t hide it embrace it.
Life doesn’t owe you anything, so wake up and be as optimistic as possible. If you get knocked down, get back up again, and don’t take anything too personally.
Finally, what are your plans for the next twelve months? My genuine plan is to be a great husband and a good dad, and yes more music and more content in the form of broadcasting. I really have a passion to tell the stories of those who are unheard and unvalued. So, watch this space.
DEREK
REDMOND
Derek Redmond may not have won the 1992 Olympic semi-finals, but he still made history with his sportsmanship, perseverance and courage by crossing the line despite his injury. Off the track, Derek experienced microaggressions within the sports industry, and now supplies event presentations on diversity and inclusion to tackle racial discrimination.
In this exclusive issue, Derek revealed what diversity and inclusion means to him and the metaphor he uses to explain equality. Also reflecting on his proudest professional achievement, do not miss this official Q&A with one of sports most inspiring figures.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you and why are they important? It’s majorly important. Having competed in sport, worked in the corporate world and being somebody coming from the [Black] community, this is something that I have my own experience in.
To answer the question as a whole, what it means to me is, if organisations are open, honest and fair about diversity, actually, it can be a plus for their organisation, it can actually be an asset to their organisation.
Now, that’s quite a big, bold, sweeping statement to make. But if we just break it down a little bit. First of all, when people talk about diversity, they think of the obvious things. They think of somebody’s ethnicity, where they were born, what sex they are, male or female, if they’ve got any disabilities they think of the obvious.
Actually, there are four types of diversity, and that is only one type of diversity; that’s what we refer to as ‘internal diversity’. So, internal diversity is basically the things that we are born into that we cannot change, they are us and that’s what everybody looks at.
But there are three other types of diversities. We have ‘external diversity’, which are things that actually we do change; the way we dress, our beliefs, things that over time, can change. These are things that we choose to do.
We then move on to ‘organisational diversity’, which really looks at where you are and where you stand within your organisation, like your level or your position.
And then we have a fourth diversity which is actually called ‘world diversity’. So these are the things again, that you have some control over, like your intelligence. We all choose to a degree how intelligent we are, and we choose how much we want to learn and be educated. Our political beliefs, we have a choice over that, our morals, how we are prepared to behave within the workplace.
All these things need to be taken into consideration when we talk about diversity and inclusion. It’s not just the obvious, and the advantages give companies and organisations a much bigger pool of experience to call upon, because people come from all different walks of life with different morals, with different beliefs, with different thoughts.
Actually, to have all that on the table when making decisions and coming up with ideas and coming up with plans will take your company from where it is to where you want to be.
How would you describe diversity and inclusion? I’m going to tell a story about my dad, and you will like this one because it involves food!
My dad once told me to treat everybody like a sausage. He says, ‘when you’re older, just treat everybody like a sausage’. You might think, ‘what the hell is he talking about?’ I don’t mean pick a fork up and jab it in them to make sure they’re all cooked!
To explain it, my dad was in the meat trade for many, many years and he sold meat processing equipment. And like every industry, there were exhibitions. There was one that went on for a week, and one of the events that used to take place was the final of the Britain’s Best Sausage Competition.
Butchers would make up these weird and wonderful flavoured sausages. There would be a panel of judges and they all walk around in their white coats on, wearing little white butcher’s hat and holding clipboards. Every sausage already had 100/100, they were all marked as perfect sausages. And then, the judges would go around a knock off marks accordingly.
So, if the shape wasn’t correct, if it wasn’t soft and juicy enough, it was too salty, too spicy, not salty enough or whatever, they would knock marks off. And it was the [person] with the least amount of marks knocked off who deemed the winner.
My dad always used to say, ‘treat people like a sausage’. In other words, give them 100/100. Give them the benefit of the doubt and let them determine how far down the sausage scale they go.
I think if everybody took that attitude, diversity and inclusion wouldn’t even be a topic that we would need to talk about, because you would be judged on your own actions and behaviours rather than how you look, how you dress and what disabilities you may have, what sexuality you are - all those sorts of things.
For me, I would always say to people, treat people like a sausage!
You are described as an expert on reaching peak performance – what advice could you give to others looking to do the same? Peak performance is all about performing when it really matters - certainly in sport. The two ingredients you need to be at your peak; you need to be physically in shape and be at your best mentally.
You need to work on both of those at the same time. Interestingly enough, an hour before an Olympic final, it doesn’t come down to your physical ability because [though] you’re a talented person so are all the other seven people. It isn’t going to come down just to your talent alone.
An hour before a race, you can’t say, ‘you know what? I’m going to nip to the gym and do an extra training session’, because it’s going to make no difference to you performing any better. If anything, you’ll perform worse because you’re going to be fatigued and tired. So physically, an hour before the race, there’s nothing you can do. But mentally, there’s a hell of a lot you can do.
I used to do a lot of visualisations, visualising myself running the Olympic final, in beautiful weather, in the wind, in the howling rain, in thunder and lightning. With different athletes, with them going off super quick and me going off slow. And I would do this over and over and over.
Every time I visualised one of those races, I won. I visualise myself winning in all sorts of different scenarios. You start to believe that you can and will win that race - you’ve run so many scenarios in your head that you have run the scenario that is actually going to happen.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? If we step away from sport, I’ve had a couple of a few different businesses before. Myself
and my business partner set up a company making and manufacturing gym and fitness equipment many years ago.
We started from scratch, became very successful in a two and a half year period, and then went from the height of success to going bankrupt and the company going bankrupt and me going bankrupt personally for a lot of money.
And that’s something I’m proud of, because when I went bankrupt and lost everything, I had no idea what was around the corner for me. But the one thing that I always believed was that I would be successful in life.
I had no idea what it was going to be, and as it turns out, 25 years later, here I am as an international speaker, bestselling author and award winning speaker!
So at that time, I had no idea that was going to be the case - I’m pretty proud of that.
If you could give yourself one piece of advice at the start of your career, what would it be? If I was talking to a younger me in the world sport, I would say ‘be patient’. You know, as a young athlete, I was always eager and keen, and I wanted everything straight away.
I wanted to be the best, and always train hard like, ‘now, now, let’s do more, let’s do more, let’s do more’. More isn’t always better. Even when I got injured, I would come back too soon and aggravate the injury, and then further down the line, I’d get injured again.
So, as an athlete, my advice to myself would be to be a lot more patient. I think as a businessman, it would be ‘listen, see and take advice more’. Take advice because your ego can get in the way.
An ego is a massive thing, and sometimes, you can’t see around the thing. Well, you know what? You’re going to kick that ego to the curb and ask for help, ask for advice and take it if you’re able to rub shoulders with people who have done what you want to do. Boy, do it and listen to them, take their advice!
I guess it depends on which young Derek I was talking to, but that would be the advice I would give myself!
SECOND WORLD WAR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE NORMA BEST
Born in British Honduras, now known as Belize, Norma was twenty years old when describing herself as ‘one of those nice middle-class Black women seeking adventure’, she decided to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) – the ATS was at the time the Women’s section of the British Army, with women taking on a range of tasks which expanded over the war from cooks, clerks and orderlies, to drivers, serving anti-aircraft batteries and military police.
A desire to travel and her father’s encouragement, he having served in the First World War in Egypt, provided motivation for Norma to join the ATS and support the war effort. Norma was in the second group of six women recruited from British Honduras. Before journeying to Britain, she was sent to Jamaica for initial training.
After leaving Jamaica she continued her journey via New Orleans and New York. Departing New York on the Queen Mary she set sail for Britain, arriving Scotland in August 1944. Following further training in Guildford, Nora wanted to emulate her father’s role during the First World War and become a driver.
However, driving around in dress uniform in a jeep was not to be, as Norma struggled to cope with Britain’s colder climate and decided instead to do office-based work instead. She served in Preston, and then Derby, and was to be in London in May 1945 when the war ended which enabled Norma to attend the parties held on the Embankment.
In Steven Bourne’s book, The Motherland Calls, Norma said of her time in the ATS “Serving in the armed forces was wonderful. It was the best experience I’ve ever had”. She went on to say of the war time spirit, “I think the spirit of the war is that we were all fighting to win. Colour didn’t come into it”.
In 1946 Norma went to Durham University to become a Primary School teacher, qualifying in 1947 she was then told she had to return to British Honduras despite having a job offer from a school in Cambridge. But Norma would return to the UK in the 1950s and would be employed as a teacher from 1961-1988, ending her career as a Primary School head teacher in Brent, London.
BHM INTERVIEW WITH...
LUKE SMITH
(LUC SKIES)
Luke Smith (also known as Luc Skies) studied Performing Arts at the college of North West London and has since studied and practiced a combination of Stanislavski method acting, Brecht, and Improvisation.
He has played theatrical roles such as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, and the lead role of Ode Wale in The Gods Are Not to Blame, an adaption of the Greek Oedipus Story.
Luke also began writing and recording music from the age of 16. At 18 he had toured the UK, as well as performing overseas, having been featured on R’n’B singer, Nio’s single entitled Do you think you’re special?.
He has performed live in front of 30,000 people at T4 On the Beach which was also televised. He then went on to continue making music independently, releasing a string of mixtapes, an EP, and an album under the name of Luc Skyz.
He started song writing for popular comedy/musical series 4 O’Clock Club on CBBC, in which he has also made acting appearances as character B-mode.
Luke was nominated for writing at the Childrens Bafta’s and the North West Royal Television awards in 2017.
What is your background and where were you born? My Mother is first generation Jamaican and my father is English. I was born and raised in North West London.
When did you know you wanted to be actor and writer? Since I was a small child, I always had a vivid imagination. In primary school I always enjoyed writing stories. Like many young children, I would re-enact entire movies like Batman using figurines as the characters and my voice to bring them to life. Music and Performing Arts made my desire to create, more concrete. The arts felt like a safe space to express feelings and emotions and that resonated with me much more than other subjects such as math or science.
What reaction did you get when you told your parents you wanted to become a performer and writer? My Mum wasn’t surprised as I am from a creative and artistic family, and I had always been that way inclined.
How did you get your first big break and what was it? My first break was being selected to write for the popular kids show 4 O’Clock Club. It threw me into the world of television and gave me experience working under pressure.
What medium do you enjoy the best… live theatre or singing? No preference. I just enjoy performing.
What have been your most satisfying role/s so far? Playing the character Odewale, A King in the Nigerian adaptation of the Oedipus story called The Gods Are Not to Blame.
Was there a moment when you realized you could actually make a living from acting? Seeing the success of my older brother Ben Bailey Smith, made me realise that it was possible.
Do you think the move towards diversity over the past few years in the industry has made a difference? There are certainly more black faces on television in recent years and that’s great. I believe that anyone with an immense passion and discipline for any job, irrespective of the shade of their skin; should be given the same opportunities as anyone else, purely based on their merit and level of ability.
What are your future plans for the next twelve months? I am planning to release two music singles and work towards an album. I would also like to go into development with a production company to produce an original TV series I have written. I want to expand my voice over work and be involved in something fun like an animation. I also plan to go on an acting course to improve and learn more about the craft so I can apply the practice this in front of casting directors.
Have you found casting directors are now more confident in offering Black performers parts on stage and on TV? I would say yes, they are.
Finally, what advice can you offer to young Black people considering working in showbusiness or becoming a writer? Work hard and know that the colour of your skin doesn’t define you, even if society says it does. Secondly, I wouldn’t let the motivation for writing a script or acting be because I think it’s current or popular. I do it because I love it and I would encourage you do to the same. Do it because it really means something to you, and yes sometimes you do it because it pays. But don’t lose your integrity along the way. Enjoy the process. Love what you do and if you don’t- change it. Walk boldly, fearlessly and above all, master your craft!
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