23 | THE VOICE JUNE 28 - JULY 4, 2012
POSTER BATTLE
Pull-Out
LIL WAYNE & WIZ KHALIFA
Eddie Kadi
Laughing his way into 2013 Death threats
Rick Ross faces biggest challenge yet
Making changes YV does celebrity New Year’s resolutions
24 T H E V O I C E DECEMBER 20, 2012 - JANUARY JANUARY 2, 2013
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! A cheeky look at what the stars MIGHT be adding to their 2013 list of resolutions 1
ASHLEY COLE: Quit social media and tell my mum to do the same
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NAOMI CAMPBELL: Purchase a windresistant weave
CHRIS BROWN: Choose one girlfriend and stick to her
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USAIN BOLT: Keep fit so I can outrun ‘beasts’ and ‘weirwolves’
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LABRINTH: Spruce up my boss Simon Cowell’s wardrobe
TYRA BANKS: Have some babies with my gorgeous model boyfriend
NICOLE SCHERZINGER: Announce split with Lewis Hamilton and go public with X Factor’s Jahmene
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NICOLA ADAMS: Change up the boxing game so women make as much money as the men do
D’BANJ: Produce Oliver Twist: The Musical using my 2011 hit as the theme tune
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LEWIS HAMILTON: Do more partying with girls who aren’t Nicole
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TREY SONGZ: Keep looking as fly as I do
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TULISA: Give up smoking to avoid further ‘fag ash breath’ ridicule
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VYBZ KARTEL: Stick to making music instead of making pleas
MO FARAH: Stop making music!
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KIM KARDASHIAN: Go back to Reggie Bush
RIHANNA: Go back to Matt Kemp
BEYONCÉ: Take a long(er) break to allow others to shine
Racheal Sanni
LAW STUDENT Racheal Sanni does not shy away from big conversations.
ing vulnerable young people away from gun and knife crime.
Her radio show Leicester’s Biggest Conversation has attracted hundreds of listeners from her University of Leicester residency and beyond since its launch in 2010.
After losing her mother in March 2009, Racheal had to confront the biggest challenge of her life. She took five weeks out of her first year of university, returning just two weeks before her exams to secure a 2:1.
The active church choir member is also a volunteer for the Domestic Violence Integrated Response Project, which supports victims of domestic violence and she is also heavily involved in Positive Passion, a nonprofit organisation committed to steer-
“I like being active and I really want to make a difference in society through my charity and professional work. I don’t believe there is any point complaining if you’re not going to do anything about it,” she said.
* www.rarerecruitment.co.uk
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DECEMBER 20, 2012 - JANUARY 2, 2013 THE VOICE 25
Award-winning comedian Eddie Kadi talks to YV’s Dionne Grant about selling out the O2, venturing into music and daring to dream
I
N 2010 he made history by becoming the first black British comic to sell out London’s sprawling O2 Arena, yet Eddie Kadi is possibly one of the most humble men you’ll ever meet. Hailing from north London, via the Congo, Eddie hit mainstream headlines when he announced that he would take on the “biggest gig of his lifetime” by attempting to fill the 20,000seater venue, often frequented by international stars such as Beyoncé and Prince. Although a huge star on the black comedy circuit, consecutively selling out the O2’s smaller IndigO2 venue in previous years, the funny man was relatively unknown in mainstream circles –
a fact that raised a few eyebrows or two. His story featured on the BBC, The Independent and ITV News to name a few, with one provocative headline reading “The most famous comedian you’ve never heard of.” But on September 4, 2010, Eddie silenced every single critic. Granted he was a few thousand tickets short of his 20,000 target, but his one-man show at one of London’s largest venues, stands as an amazing feat for the comedian and for black British comedy in general. “It still remains the biggest moment in my career so far,” Eddie says. “To have so many people who
I have never met personally come out to support me was overwhelming and humbling. The journey to the O2 was very exciting and hectic, but I had a fantastic management team in Black Grape and everyone pulled together to make it happen.” When I mention the word ‘pioneer,’ Eddie interjects: “That title never crossed my mind when we were considering taking up the task. We just knew that we needed to consistently aim bigger and get attention from places we hadn’t been before. As risky as it was, someone had to do it and find out if it was possible. I’m proud to be a part of a team who dared to dream.”
Asked whether he ever gets nervous about having to top the success of that night, he pauses: “That was a significant step in my career and it has opened doors that were previously shut, so it doesn’t get me nervous, it inspires me to always aim higher. Every project has a new purpose and the O2 Arena gig served it’s purpose to allow me to do new projects.” And that it did. His stint on the east London stage opened up a plethora of opportunities. The Manchester United fan, who can list footballers Fabrice Muamba and Djibril Cisse as friends, later went onto land a weekly slot on Choice FM, a radio station he “grew up listening to and always wanted to be a part of.” “I’ve wanted to get into radio for as long as I’ve been a performer. A lot of opportunities came my way after the O2 gig and one of those was a call from Choice FM to become a part of the team.” Eddie had completed a pilot show months before the call and had resigned himself to the fact that he “wasn’t good enough.” However, he was reminded that his talent far exceeded comedy when he was offered the coveted Saturday morning slot. He spent close to a year at the national station before leaving to focus on “other exciting projects.” In fact, when we catch up, he is just coming down from the high of completing another sellout show, this time at Stratford’s Sync venue alongside fellow British comic Kevin J. EDnKEV saw the long-time
friends, both from Tottenham in north London, share the stage for an exclusive one-off gig Eddie describes as “repackaging the old model.” He said: “Kevin and I are good friends and share a lot of good ideas on paper. We wanted to bring them to life, but package it differently to the model our audience are used to. “We’ve both had successful solo careers and have travelled around the world with our set, but it’s nice to bring our audiences together and take them on a different journey.” If you’re planning on joining him on his personal voyage, you’d better pack your comfortable shoes; it’ll be quite a ride. Not content with a venture into music earlier this year alongside UK singer and “mentor” Donae’o, which produced collaborative effort Hello and sparked forthcoming single Twister with band Trick The Fox and
DRAKE:
The rapper was named Canada's second "most searched musician". Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber took the number one spot
Ghanaian producer Kaywa, Eddie has set his sights on the silver screen. “I am now slowly falling in love with acting and was blessed to be a part of two British films coming out in 2013. The first is It’s A Lot, written by Femi Oyeniran and Darwood Grace and then there’s Gone Too Far written by award-winning playwright Bola Agbaje.” But despite everything, the comedian, who will see in the New Year in Ghana after a Christmas with family, says he is looking forward to nothing more than good health. “I hope 2013 gives birth to all the investments in 2012. I aim to remain relevant to my audience while introducing myself to a brand new one. Good health is the top of my list, though,” he laughs. Keep up to date with Eddie’s latest projects via www.eddiekadi.com or follow @EddieKadi on Twitter
TAMAR BRAXTON:
Toni Braxton’s baby sister stepped out of her sibling’s shadow by landing a number one single with debut, Love and War.
BUFF OR BUSTED?
Dear Kat, I got caught smoking weed in my bedroom last week and now my mum is convinced I have a drug problem. I’ve only tried it a few times, but on this occasion my friend gave me some and told me to take it home and try it. As soon as I opened the door my mum smelled it in the hallway and lost her temper. I won’t do it again, but if she is going to accuse me of being a junkie, a part of me thinks it doesn’t matter if I smoke or not. What should I do? Shannon, 18
TULISA: In a recent interview the X Factor judge revealed that she has had one of “the worst years” of her life
Hi Shannon, The fact that you thought it was a good idea to smoke weed in your house tells me that you didn’t mind being caught.
BUFF
One of the reasons she may be so upset is because you disrespected her by bringing drugs into her home without her knowledge.
BUSTED
I also understand why you’re hurt that she’s being treating you like an addict, but if your mum feels like she can’t trust you, you might find yourself the victim of many allegations that aren’t true. Work on building up her trust again and hopefully you’ll see a change in how she addresses you. Think about your actions a little bit more and stop letting friends influence the decisions you make.
TWEET OF THE WEEK Hollywood’s proudest mum Mariah Carey posted an adorable picture of her 20month-old twins Moroccan and Monroe along with the caption:
SNOOP LION:
GABRIELLE UNION:
RICK ROSS:
Chicago police are investigating death threats made against the hip-hop star by street gang, The Gangster Disciples
Shocking, mismatched, wrong
“Monroe's in paradise…Roc doesn't share the fascination lol!”
Cute, simple, stylish
Mariah Carey
MONICA
26 THE VOICE DECEMBER 20, 2012 - JANUARY 2, 2013
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