#146 FESTIVAL I$$UE
JOEY BADA$$
BOY WONDER APR 14
@PXLpics | PXLclothing.com
Pharoah
clump of Joey’s ‘fro from all the reckless stage diving. In short, man knows how to rock a mic and crowd with finesse. Within our in-depth festival guide, expect Big Narstie to bless you with his Do’s and Don’ts, then Wilkinson, Pusha T and D’Banj give you their most memorable moments whilst DJ Target unleashes his very own festival survival kit.
Eds Letter Finally festival season is upon us, my favourite time of the year. Not because we get at least one weekend of sunshine - that we all complain about because we’re British and therefore miserable – but it’s a chance to see artists in their element. So there’s no surprise that Brooklyn’s Joey Bada$$ covers our annual festival issue. For those that haven’t seen him perform, don’t think he’s anything close to subdued; I’ve witnessed the rapper kill stages, where girls literally left with the barriers imprinted into their chests and maybe even a
Elsewhere, we highlight chicks doing their thing, whether in the club, on the international circuit or out in the blogosphere, it’s time to take notice of these singers. Kidnap Kid tells us why he’s finally #ReadyForAnything, Bipolar Sunshine blows up and it’s only right we catch up with funny man Kevin Hart every time he steps foot on British soil - it just so happens that his boy Ice Cube was riding along too. Last but not least, take note all you broke bloggers and writers who are attempting to pay bills with thin air as Music Week’s Rhian Jones speaks out and lets you know just how you can get yours. Until next month you can catch me at the bar, mine’s a Patron…
RWD Team Editor Feature Writer Digital Editor Staff Writer Contributing Editor Contributors
@nardenescott @moorizzla @tegosigel @benrebuck @chantellefiddy Alex Johnson, Carly Wilford, Rhian Jones, Joseph “JP” Patterson, Big Narstie, Sian Anderson
Creative Director Designer Stylists
Dacre @PXLpics Sam Hardy Sabina Emrit Sophie Robinson Violetta Thalia, Neesha Sharma Funny Tummy, Rachel Goslin, Matt Glasby, Sam Taylor
Illustrators
Photographers
Andres Reynega, Jon Attenborough, JPH, Response London, Adrian Nettleship, Kevin Joseph, Sam Bond, Liam Ricketts Verena Stefanie Grotto
Video
Greg Bond, Felix Kemp, Darren Rahaman, Andres Albert
Publisher Commercial Dir. Senior Sales Account Managers
Nigel Wells Paul LeFevre Matthew Richards Vikki Moore Albert Fairfield Hattie Collins Martin Ferguson Bob Austin
Brand Relations Operations Thanks
@nardenescott
Contributors
Contact RWD RWD 4th Floor 60-62 Commercial Street Greater London E1 6LT Tel: 020 3176 4299 staff@RWDmag.com @RWDmag
Rhian Jones
Big Narstie
Pharaoh
In a word, I’m... determined You’ll normally find me... writing, cycling or reading This issue… I’m sharing my expertise I’m all about... saying yes to everything (within reason) I’m so over... negativity Get at me... @JonesJourno
In a word, I’m... MEGA-GASSED You’ll normally find me... next to the enchanted tree of neck Wushu Ming This issue… I drop who will and won’t F up the BASE at festivals I’m all about... Latino buff tings I’m so over... Ikea flat packs in batty riders Get at me... BigNarstie.com
In a word, I’m... inventive You’ll normally find me... nowhere This issue… is my first cover! I’m all about... travelling I’m so over... negative energy Get at me... phrh.co and @PHRH_
RWD Magazine is published monthly by Rewind Creative Media Ltd. All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the publishers. RWD Magazine: 25p where sold Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which RWD holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of RWD Magazine or it’s staff and we disclaims liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. RWD is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations
CONTENTS / 4
CONTENTS ISSUE #146 Regulars 6 8 10-13 14-15
#WGAF @RWDmag Instagram Check-In Check Out #ReadyForAnything: Kindap Kid, Euro League, The Illestrator 16-17 About To Blow: Bipolar Sunshine 82-83 Speaker’s Corner: Making Money
RWD Football 19 20 21 22-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33
Prime Time Eds Letter Champions League In Numbers The Majista My First: Logan Sama Off The Pitch: Phil Jones Two Sides: League Of Its Own FIFA World Cup
Style 35-43 Festival Fashion 44-45 Gourmet: A La Carte
Festival Special 53-63 Festival Listings: D’Banj, Pusha T, Wilkinson 64-67 Do’s and Don’ts: Big Narstie 68 Festival Essentials: DJ Target 70 Festival Apps
Unwind 73 The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Webb of Intrigue 74-79 Bold & Beautiful: Tanika, Anabel Englund, Anne Marie, Max Marshall 80-81 Get Along Gang: Kevin Hart & Ice Cube
Caterpillar boots catfootwear.com Crooks and Castles camo jacket threadsaddiction.com Alex Chrisropher grey washed jeans alexchristopher.co.uk Tourne de Transmission sweatshirt tournedetransmission.com
#WGAF / 6
#WGAF
Prince of Compton
Here we are again, not giving a you know what. Apologies for the American slant this month, but these US peeps know just how to cause a right fuss over a load of nonsense/s**te innit
The ‘Ellen Degeneres’ selfie, became a ‘thing’, with everyone and anyone including The Simpsons following suit in what, at 1.7 million retweets - has become the most retweeted post in history. At The Oscars, Ellen whipped out her Samsung for an epic selfie with Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Spacey and Bradley Cooper. Ppfff. Our selfies are WAY better If there was one big winner at the Grammy’s this year, it was Pharrell’s hat. When he rocked up to the Grammy’s in the oversized creation, the interwebs went cray, even spawning a Twitter account in the hat’s honour which very quickly racked up over 22,000 followers. Sandwich chain Arby, whose logo looks pretty identical, shelled out £26,444 to buy the now iconic hat on Ebay
We know we’re not supposed to care, but this one is kinda cool. Beyonce’s Drunk In Love has been given the video treatment in the form of a pretty brilliant emoji viral. Finally a use for that aubergine emoji! Even Queen B herself was pretty impressed with the result, posting the video on her Facebook page. Google it. Thank us later
Well, they were always going to come up with an excuse, weren’t they? It’s all been a bit downhill for poor Chris Brown after that whole Rihanna debacle… now apparently it turns out he’s Bipolar and suffers from PTSD, hence the anger, and his inability to pick between Karrueche and Rihanna, obvs... Rolls eyes
Tweet To Win Cat’s iconic Colorado boots have been protecting feet for over 20 years. A festival essential, RWD and Cat Footwear have joined forces to give away a pair of the 1991 Colorado boot. Entrants
must follow @catfootwearuk and tweet, “I want to win some @catfootwearuk festival boots with @rwdmag” to enter.
While in London last month, Alya Mooro caught up with Compton hailing rapper The Game to talk his new label Blood Money. LA Kings – the first signees under that imprint - and his kids, who seem to have melted the heavily tatted rapper’s heart. LA Kings are your label’s first signees. How did you find them? One of my best friends manages them; he brought me some music. I never really listen to new artists because personally, most of them, they f**king suck… out my way. Every now and then you get a diamond in the rough like Kendrick or Nipsey or something like that. He was just playing the music, I heard it and I liked it. Your kids are a very prominent part of your Instagram feed. How do you think having kids has changed you and your music? When I had my daughter she laid me back in life, humbled me and made everything slow down, I had to pay attention to detail. She’s so beautiful and she does amazing things for my heart but I’m so over protective of her. My familys my heart, my love. I do it all for my kids. What’s the most important lesson you’d want to pass on to them? The only lesson I would need to give my kids is a lesson on love. If you got a tree and love is the foundation, you can build branches on that. I want them to love themselves as much as possible because life is so short. You’re working on a new album and there’s talk you’re signing to Young Money – any truth to that? I finally got my independence from Interscope, so I’m just testing the waters. Birdman, Tune, those my homies so if it can be worked out and they’re comfortable and I’m comfortable, then it’s something I would definitely do. Get following @thegame
@RWDMAG INSTAGRAM / 8
CHECK-IN CHECK OUT / 10
CHECK -IN CHECK OUT The New Classic Iggy Azalea’s Debut Comes To Light Check out… Iggy Azalea’s long awaited debut album The New Classic. The controversial rapper with a back for days, has beefed with a number of her peers including of course Azealia Banks - but who hasn’t right. She’s still had time to focus on the music though don’t get it twisted. The album is set to feature vocals from Rita Ora, T.I and Mavado. Interesting... The New Classic is set for release April 21
Reign Supreme
The Truth
Lads On Tour
Get your debit at the ready, the new Supreme web shop is live
Scotts are still celebrating their 30th Anniversary strong
Take It Down Under
Check in… at Supreme’s new online store for a slice of real streetwear. One glance at the Schott x Supreme suede jackets will end in a guaranteed purchase, and then there’s the leather perforated 5-panels, trippy printed polos and pins. Hit supremenewyork.com
Check out… these exclusive ONE True Saxon trainers. As well as finding the source of the infamous Hallenschuhe, the GAT aka German Army Trainer and the hand crafted white Italian leather Hastings there’s something for every occasion. See scottsmenswear.com
Check out… take two of hit film The Inbetweeners. A release date has recently been announced for the sequel to the multi million blockbuster and we’re kinda freakin’ excited! Set for release early August, the film sees the foursome reunite in Australia for pure banter. The film lands screens 6 August
RWD Check-Ins
Boy London
Shakkashake It
Mr. Compass takes to the stage
Shakka Lights Up Barfly For First Show of 2014
Check in… to XOYO on 29 April to witness one of the UK’s more exiting all round artists @joelcompass as he headlines the Old Street haunt. Already his falsetto has reeled in the likes of Pusha T and Pharrell, and he’s no stranger to these pages, so it’s about time y’all jump on the bandwagon. You feel me! Tickets available from £7.50 on XOYO.co.uk
Check in… to the one and only Shakka’s headline show. He has made himself at home in many a fan’s most played list with his ‘Shakkapellas’ and features and now the West London hailing burgeoning star is set to take to the Barfly stage in Camden on 28 April. Check gigsandtours.com
Kelis At Metropolis Studios
Set to launch new album Food this month, Kelis took to the Metropolis Studios stage for an intimate performance of old and new material. 12-piece band in tow, the singer previewed a steamy heatwave of an album. Our favourite was still definitely Trick Me, though.
Hayemaker Training Camp
World heavyweight champion boxer David Haye launched his camp along with strength and conditioning coach Ruben Tabares. Tinie Tempah, Disturbing London’s Dumi and Clement Marfo had a bit of an insight into exactly what it takes to make a champion. Yeah, we ran for cover...
Go Global Uniting streetwear communities from east to west Check out… 10.DEEP’s diverse spring drop. Taking on board the influence Japan has on street culture, the brand straight out of the Big Apple managed to blend Japanese graphics amongst Americana details like paisley prints to provide a collection of unified streetwear. Check out the full collection on 10deep.com
Sound City, Brooklyn, NYC
Last month the G that is Hattie Collins headed out to The Big Apple to represent a decade in grime alongside Skepta and co-founder of Butterz, Elijah. Waxing lyrical about the scene this very magazine helped to push in panels and discussions on the genre, as always Collins donned the ting.
CHECK-IN CHECK OUT / 12
Fit For The Win
Trocadero Treat
Tarzan Set Loose
Samsung Beats Out Apple With New Wearable Device
US Hut Opens On UK Shores
Former N Dubz frontman Dappy steps out on his own
Check out… Samsung’s new line of Gear Fit devices. The lightweight, curved screen device – the first of its kind – contours to the wrist of its user and boasts customisable workout routines and real-time coaching. Plus, it provides notifications for incoming calls, emails and texts. Head to samsung.co.uk for yours
Check out… American seafood chain Bubba Gump’s first foray onto UK soil. Famed for its fishy delicacies, (crab stuffed mushrooms and shrimp shack mac and cheese) with a dollop of Southern cuisine, it’s about time London was graced with its presence and it’s good, good, real good grubbin’! Go directly to Trocadero, London
Check in… to Dappy’s two date headline show at London’s 02 Islington Academy. The CBB runner up capitalises on his new found fan base, announcing shows this month, where he’ll be performing tracks from debut solo album Bad Intentions as well as the forthcoming Miracles. Tickets at ticketmaster.co.uk
Story of Running Saucony have something special for you sneaker lovers
Back Once Again Don’t be lazy try a fresh look for spring Check in… to the recently refurbished Lazy Oaf London store on Ganton Street for a taste of what the brand have coming over the next few months. Graphic print waterproof jackets, ideal for the festival season are joined by exaggerated polka dots tees, bold cotton shirts and of course their famed tongue in cheek Simpsons-esque additions. Don’t be scared to click lazyoaf.co.uk
Check out… Saucony who, for a limited time only, are opening up a pop-up exhibit featuring an archive of their legendary footwear. From producing boots for the first American Astronaut to walk in space to that of the military boots for the American Army in World War II, the showcase will feature Saucony Originals, Saucony Performance footwear and some extremely limited, much-coveted collaboration pieces. Head down to the pop-up on Neal Street @ London’s Seven Dials
JP’S ADDICTED TO DANCE
Hi. I’m Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson. I’m going to be 26 years old in May, and I have been addicted to raving for almost ten years. This is my story… No matter how hard I try to stop partying like some unknown rockstar, I somehow find myself head-in-hands every Sunday from going in too hard the night before, and the one before that. I need help, people. A lot of it.
Wu Ready Please respect the Clan, two decades deep! Check out… what happens when NYC homies team up, as HUF release a capsule collection to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of Enter The Wu Tang: 36 Chambers. From the throwback to the socks to the boots, we can’t decide, all we know is we need this range in our lives. Released 1 March on hufworldwide.com and wutangclan.com
Make Peace, Not War
Allow The Spoilers
The Lynx Effect
Gone are the days of spoilers
Check out… the latest way to get the Lynx Effect with Peace. Comprising of a body spray, deodorant, shower gel, shampoo and hair styling gel, the collection scents even evolve throughout the day. Smelling good has never been so easy. Lynx Peace is available nationwide
Check out… the most useful app on your phone to date, Spoiler Shield. No longer will your followers be able to tweet the latest footie results or exactly what went down in the latest True Detective and House of Cards as this app blocks up to 50 shows and major sports. Download via spoilershield.co.uk
It first started around 2006/7. It’d be up to Niche in Sheffield for an 8-hour shift of 4x4 on a Friday night, and then back down to London for gunfingers and grime at Dirty Canvas or Urban Nerds on the Saturday. It got to a point where I, too, wanted a piece of the club promotions pie. And so, in 2007, I came up with the name ChockABlock and went forth. My night ran monthly and smoothly for three years at EGG Nightclub, but my raving addiction didn’t stop there. If anything, it’s worse now. I went to Ibiza twice in 2010, and have literally gone house raving every weekend since. It’s peak for man! I’m trying to stick to the big festivals though: Circoloco, Outbreak, Global Gathering, Bugged Out... It’s gonna be a task, to say the least. Speaking of Bugged Out, I attended their weekender in Southport. Now, I’d be lying through my rattling teeth if I told you I remembered every DJ who played and what they spun, ‘cos I was gone to the world for most of the time I was there. But two sets I do remember were Green Velvet’s and DJ EZ’s. GV killed it with the acid and deep tech-house (Robots shut it down!), but EZ was by far the highlight. The way he mixed Daniel Bedingfield’s Gotta Get Thru This with Lethal B’s POW 2011 was insane in the membrane. Can someone hook that guy up with an MBE, or something? Anyways, I’m out. Pray for me and my raving addiction, folks. I need all the help I can get! Amen. @jpizzledizzle
#READYFORANYTHING / 16
Kidnap Kid Refusing to blend into the dreary background of dance-pop that’s flooding our lives, Kidnap Kid is freshening up the UK scene with his anything but generic sounds. The Sheffield hailing producer takes a stroll with Nardene Scott to talk ditching politics and moving into dance music. Photography JPH
“I feel like a year ago I was a bit more middle of the road and pop friendly, but the stuff that’s out now is a bit more experimental,” Matt tells us of his sound developing over the past two years. Vehl, a track flung onto Soundcloud during the writing of his dissertation at Leeds University, soon found the ears of Olly at Black Butter and his politics degree took a backseat. And a good decision too, as the post led to a pretty hefty accolade from iTunes – Electronic Track of the Year 2012.
“I feel like a year ago I was a bit more middle of the road and pop friendly but the stuff that’s out now is a bit more experimental.” Holed up from the age of ten in his parents’ garage (no NSPCC) writing and playing the piano, music was always the career he envisaged and after Vehl dropped, a Soundcloud initiative pointing to new subscribers meant that literally millions of followers were introduced to the world of Kidnap Kid. The laid-back musician still needs to work on his superstar status though, “I got told off by my agent who said I had to have a more respectable rider.” Don’t worry, the bottle of water has been pumped up to whiskey and beers and when the entire Black Butter Records crew hook up, well... “it’s terrible, some of the Rudimental lot can go for it!” Currently developing his album in between dates across Europe supporting Disclosure, the Winter Music Conference, Coachella and Snowbombing is a tall order, but the wishlist is still growing, “I’m a huge Lianne La Havas fan, I think her voice is just unparalleled.” The latest track from KK, Like You Used To, featuring Piers of Rudimental’s younger sister, Beth Aggett, has found its way into the hearts of a wide audience, pleasing the producer who’s always more than happy to follow his intuition rather than join the crowded pop-house market. When your desert island discs consists of Booker Shade, Venetian Snares and The Beatles it’s clear you’re not exactly the run of the mill, button pushing bedroom producer. When the whiskey swigger isn’t vibing away on the keys in his Finsbury Park studio (his favourite phase of production), he’s touring, or at his east London flat, the very same home he stayed at two years ago “for the weekend”; he’s since upgraded to a room you’ll be glad to know. Stronger/Like You Used To is out now. @kidnapkid
Euro League Having already garnered support from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q, Bronx native Euro League is proving himself a force to be reckoned with. Citing Nas, Tupac, Biggie and Lauryn Hill as influences who have inspired him to develop a “sense of consciousness to express myself with a meaning”, the self professed lyricist spits pensive, honest rhymes, aiming to “encourage those who are being oppressed and show them that they can achieve any dreams or aspirations they may have.” Raised by his grandmothers due to an absent father and drug addicted mother, Euro cites his own life as proof that that it is possible. @iameuroleague Euro Trip: Continuum EP is set for release this summer
The Illestrator
Tweet To Win! Duck And Cover’s directional take on trend-led menswear always keeps us one step ahead. RWD and Duck And Cover partner up to champion the hottest emerging talent and this month Kidnap Kid, Euro League and The Illestrator are all #readyforanything. We’re here to make sure your style is on point and the Duck and Cover zip- up track jacket is the perfect crossover casual for the unpredictable spring. Get involved in this competition by heading to Twitter using #readyforanything @RWDmag @duckandcover_ duckandcover.co.uk
Kuldip Ghataora aka The Illestrator has, in the past year and a half, amassed over 125,000 followers on Instagram – counting artists Rihanna, Emeli Sandé and Ne-Yo as fans of his artwork. “It’s a great feeling to know that people who you are actually spending hours drawing, appreciate your work and support you,” says the FIFA fanatic. Previously creating just as a hobby, until his artwork started making him more money than his actual job did, the avid Walking Dead comic book fan aims this year to launch a clothing line that will feature his artwork, as well as hold several exhibitions. the-illestrator.com @theillestrator
ABOUT TO BLOW / 16
About To Blow: Bipolar Sunshine Acknowledging tastes as varied as Ella Fitzgerald, Kanye West and Paramore, it’s no wonder it’s difficult to pinpoint the sound of fast rising Bipolar Sunshine. The 26 year-old singer recently exploded as a solo artist having spent five years on the cusp of greatness as lead singer in ska-infused troupe Kid British. Alya Mooro finds out more… “It’s scary and daunting, but I’m taking to the challenge,” says Bipolar Sunshine, born Adio Marchant, on his expanding solo career. “I think being in Kid British, we entered the game really early and didn’t know ourselves… when you don’t know yourself as a musician, anyone can tell you anything and you’re going to believe it,” he continues. “Now, I’ve come to terms with what I’m about, what I sound like and [I’m] just going with it and allowing what needs to happen happen.” And happening it is, fast!
“I think [Kid British] entered the game really early and didn’t know ourselves… when you don’t know yourself as a musician, anyone can tell you anything and you’re going to believe it.” The Manchester hailing artist has toured with Rudimental and London Grammar, as well as performing at tastemaker’s paradise SXSW festival before setting off on his own headline tour. “I think once you get to perform a track that you’ve slaved away making, it’s always amazing.” But that’s not to say he doesn’t still get a teensy bit nervous; but that’s nothing that “a reasonable sized shot” preshow can’t cure, though.
Hollie Fernando
“I’d want [my music] to uplift; I’d want [listeners] to go back to whatever was their passion,” reveals the Breaking Bad fanatic. “When people are messaging me saying, ‘I’ve listened to this song so many times because I’m going through a certain situation in life’ those are the greatest moments.” But truth and beauty come in equal measure for Mr. Marchant, who’s notched up over thousands of listens on his Soundcloud alone. “I just want to make something with substance, but something that can also stand with the rest of the big tunes.” This, he says, is particularly paramount at a time where musical genres and people’s listening habits have blurred many-a-line. “Music happens and changes ever so quickly that you’re only ever one click away from listening to something else. You don’t have to sit there with a vinyl and listen to a whole album for like two hours.” This is something he’s taken into consideration crafting his own debut album, set for release later this year. “It’s about just trying to put the best stories out there.” @bipolarsunshine kicks off his headline tour 27 March in Southampton
Prime Time
-
This year the challenge to the biggest brands in football appears to be making a boot that feels as barefoot as possible, and in embracing their primeknit innovation, adidas have upped the ante ahead of a World Cup, which will see heavy competition for column inches. The Samba primeknit has been launched in limited edition with its upper knitted from heel-to-toe, which aims to offer the second-skin fit that players so desperately seek. Constructed without any wastage of material, the primeknit is also adidas’ most sustainable football boot, while a high precision coating guarantees water resistance in all conditions. adidas have kick-started a war which will likely carry on through the summer and beyond. The limited edition Samba primeknit is available at selected adidas retail outlets and adidas.com/football
/ 20
editor’s letter
Do you ever get to that point in the spring when you kind of want the season to just end? Football takes an incredibly emotional toll across the course of a season and as the campaign draws to a close and each game becomes more important, you get more stressed. The sweet relief of getting your weekends back, knowing you won’t be dictated to by Sky and BT’s oh so giving television schedule. Free to be swept into the summer with your moods no longer reliant on your team’s latest result. The weekend after the season ends is how I imagine newly released convicts feel when they first get that fresh air smack as they rejoin the world. The following weekend though. That weekend is a killer. Institutionalised by the very thing we cry freedom from; football rations us with months of transfer window nonsense. Glued to social media where once there was Sky Sports News, desperate for that Saturday feeling, unknowingly empowering our master as its grip grows ever tighter. Only through absence can the heart truly grow fonder. The withdrawal symptoms can become something akin to that of a cold turkey heroin addict, the shakes, the mood swings, the delusions that lead to the believing of the most insane of transfer Tweets. Lionel Messi spotted buying egg and chips in the café outside Stamford Bridge? I knew it! The World Cup this summer will prolong our agony, teetering on the edge of overdose with the world’s best playing the world’s best three-times a day before disappearing, not to be seen again. What then? What of those two months before the domestic season begins again? Huh? Well? Then friends, then we play! Everybody surrounding the game is predicting a sharp uptake in grass roots playing after the World Cup. There is a massive debate to be had about youth development on these shores, the creation of an English Cristiano Ronaldo, of an English Neymar, but that’s a conversation for another time, now we play!
IN THIS ISSUE: Primeknit Starts World Cup Boot War
Will The Magista Change The Game?
Logan Sama Breaks Down His Firsts
Champions League In Numbers The Champions League gets interesting this month with the regularly epic quarter-final stage upon us, a round that has seen varying levels of success for English sides. Ahead of this season’s last eight, RWD Football breaks down the numbers that have made this stage of the competition so exciting over the past 10 years. Only once in the last 10 years has an English team not made the last eight of the competition, with the 2012/13 season clearly an uninspiring one for our four representatives The highest aggregate score across a two leg quarter final clash came when Chelsea and Liverpool played out a 7-5 thriller in 2008/09 Barcelona and Chelsea have been the most successful sides in getting to the quarter-finals over the last 10 years, reaching them seven times apiece Four English sides have reached the quarter-finals on two occasions, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United qualifying in 2007/08 and then in 2008/09 A total of 30 goals were scored in the 2003/04 Quarter-finals, the most in 10 years, with Real Madrid’s 5-5 aggregate score with Monaco the largest that year English sides have represented their country 21 times, more times than any other at this stage. Spanish sides trail with 16 and the Italians follow in third with 13 English sides have only faced each other four times at the quarter final stage. Chelsea have featured in three of them, Liverpool and Arsenal two and Manchester United the once
Phil Jones Takes Us Off The Pitch
Two Sides Debates The Value of a Europa League Run
0 12 7 2 30 21 4 Hands on With FIFA World Cup 2014
/ 22
MIDFIELD MAESTRO MAGISTA According to Nike there hasn’t been a bigger innovation in football boot technology since they launched Ronaldo’s iconic Mercurials way back in 1998, and while we’re sure their rivals in the sports marketing universe will have a few things to say about such an incredible claim, the brand’s promise that football will never be the same, was always going to prove a hard one to ignore. Jumping on a flight to Barcelona this month, Tego Sigel witnessed the reveal of the would-be world-changing boot, the Magista.
The ultimate tool of the trade, every brand that surrounds football would like to believe that their product is the thing that scores the goals, stops the shots and wins the trophies, but it’s a claim that only the football boot can legitimately stand by. So it’s no surprise that boot culture has grown so rapidly over the last 24 months, as a significant increase in grass roots playing has been matched by a generation’s change in attitude toward fitness and performance. Call it an Olympic legacy or divert the praise to the unprecedented coverage and access to football and football culture through social media; whichever it is, it has led to players in the Saturday and Sunday leagues getting younger and fitter and a lot more serious about what has grown to be so much more than just a hobby.
“The inspiration for us was our players and how we could help them perform to their full potential” - Phil McCartney, Nike’s Global VP of Sports Performance
/ 24
The process which ends on your feet, begins with the professionals at the very top of the game “The inspiration for us was our players and how we could help them perform to their full potential” Phil McCartney, Global Vice President of Sports Performance at Nike told us. “We heard a lot of [players telling us] ‘I don’t want to think about the boots when I’m playing because I have to operate at such a high level’” he continued. “I’ve really got to get to a place where my instincts take over.’” So it becomes the job of the brand to create the ultimate tool of the trade, innovating through materials, shapes and concepts to help players play better and ultimately show-off the swoosh, stripes, formstrip or other, in glorious HD. “We always think about the boot as an holistic product, rather than one feature,” McCartney explains “but I think that how those features come together is pretty unique.” Taking their Flyknit technology, which affected the running market so heavily when it was launched in 2012, it’s claimed that four-years of research went into making the innovation pitch-ready “The fact that we can knit once piece, allows us to do this in a way that is really performance led.” Joining the headline grabbing Flyknit material, is the equally striking Dynamic Fit collar “the Dynamic Fit collar is only enabled by Flyknit,” explains McCartney. “We had to think about how the plate and the upper interacted, so the ‘Briol Cables’ were important, and then we also had to think about the motion fit collar itself.” With the intention of making the boot “an extension of the body,” the collar is designed to hug the ankle and provide a glove-like second skin feel. Taking another highly successful concept from the running world, McCartney explained how the Magista’s innovation runs from top to bottom, “The inspiration for [the sole plate] was actually Free and what Free did to midsoles and running shoes. We were thinking about how we can use that as an insight for plates.” Made of compressed nylon, the plate offers a new flexibility for the creative playmaker, while keeping lightness as a main priority; “one of the things we wanted to do was get the players closer to the ground.” Offset by the playmaker’s favoured 360 degree conical studs, the needs of the Andres Iniesta type was the major consideration, “this [kind of] player has a lot of rotational agility, moving both lateral and medial on the pitch, so we wanted to make sure that we allowed for an ease of access traction but also an ease of release.” Player reaction is always going to be a major part of a boot’s marketing, and Nike’s initial viral clip showing the likes of David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Mario Götze being presented with the prototype, certainly played up the support being shown by the world’s best. “The fit of this boot is so unique that I don’t think about it when I’m wearing it,” offers Andres Iniesta, “It allows me to move the way I need to instinctively and with more confidence.” But it was Bayern Munich’s Mario Götze whose reaction had the biggest impact on McCartney, “he had a very emotional and visceral reaction - which I can’t repeat - but it was fantastic.” Given a very social media driven launch, it would be conservative to say that the Magista divided opinion
upon its 7 March unveiling, not least due to its striking volt green colourway, “I think it was important [to make them striking] and I think it’s important because when we talk to players, one of the things they talk about is confidence, and one of the ways we can deliver confidence is through colour.” Building on their London 2012 legacy, Nike will carry their distinctive colourway into the 2014 World Cup, “we wanted to bring that level of energy onto the pitch and you can see that against the green [of the pitch] it looks incredible in terms of its visible impact.” Whether football will ever be the same remains to be seen, but the Flyknit, mid-top, second skin Nike innovation certainly offers a new experience worthy of conversation, and just as significantly, it serves as the biggest launch of the new boot-era. With a whole new generation of grass roots players set to choose their boots following a World Cup which will boost playing the UK all over again, the importance of these tools gets bigger with every release. The Magista will be available for pre-order at nike.com on April 29 and to purchase from 22 May
“So it becomes the job of the brand to create the ultimate tool of the trade, innovating through materials, shapes and concepts to help players play better and ultimately show-off the swoosh, stripes, formstrip or other in glorious HD.”
/ 26
Logan Sama
Former West Ham Season Ticket holder DJ Logan Sama saw his team through thick and thin. The record label owner and Grime specialist whose gallows humour is about what you’d expect from a supporter of the habitually relegated and relegation threatened side, sat down with Ben Rebuck to talk all things Hammers, goalkeeping potential and Italian football. Photography Verena Stefanie Grotto My First Football Memory… I have early memories of going to matches, when I was younger my dad took me to a Chelsea game, I think they were in the second division so I was really young. I remember it pi**ing down with rain and moaning at my dad to take me to the toilet, and every time I went we missed a goal. We used to live near Stamford Bridge so it was a convenience thing, but both my dad and my grandparents all supported West Ham; my mum and dad both grew up within a stone’s throw from the Boleyn Ground. It’s been an interesting experience, including two stints in the Championship watching that dreadful stuff. My First Goal I Remember… I used to watch a lot of football when I was little, I didn’t really have a team, but I remember a goal John Barnes scored against Everton for Liverpool [1991 FA Cup fifth Round] where he ran through the whole team and then curled it in the top corner. I never saw his [goal] against Brazil live but it was almost as good. My First Heartbreak… [Laughs] I don’t know if anyone has had a girlfriend who continuously lets you down but you just stick with her because you don’t know any better? That’s like supporting West Ham [laughs]. It merges into one long memory of heartbreak. [Losing] happened so often that I’d just end up going and not expecting anything, so if something good happened, it was a bonus. My First Cup Final… I went to every Play-Off final. We went all the way to Cardiff and ended up losing, and back again the next year and we won. Then I think we went back for the FA Cup final and we lost to Liverpool in extra time. My First Team I played For… was a team called Old Parktonians in Johannesburg and it was a big thing; I was actually a good keeper and I got scouted by a few teams but chose to play for them. I remember the manager’s son was a goalkeeper too, so got bumped down to the B team, which was a par. I started playing left wing because I could play with both feet and I was fast but then I was diagnosed with asthma and struggled to keep up. My First Hero… when Paul Gascoigne went to Lazio I used to watch Italian football regularly, so Roberto Mancini, Gianluca Vialli, Gianfranco Zola. I liked Marco Simone at AC Milan, George Weah too. At West Ham Julian Dicks was always proper. My First Pair Of Boots… were Hi-Tec Rockies and they had a picture of Stuart Pearce on the tag. They were plastic and they were terrible. Keep an eye out for Logan’s new KeepinItGrimy range at keepinitgrimy.bigcartel.com
“I don’t know if anyone has had a girlfriend who continuously lets you down but you just stick with her because you don’t know any better? That’s like supporting West Ham”
/ 28
Off The Pitch:
Phil Jones A phenomenon at Blackburn Rovers, Phil Jones has grown into one of Manchester United’s most reliable stars. Tipped as a future club captain by Sir Alex Ferguson, Jones has been increasingly called upon to add stability and a maturity beyond his years to David Moyes’ transitional side. Tego Sigel grabbed the 22 year-old Preston born all-rounder to talk music, away days, FIFA and more. Photography JPH
We hear Patrice Evra is in charge of the music in the dressing room. How do you rate his skills as a selector? Pat’s in charge, yeah, he’s all right. He’s got a few dodgy tracks on there but we let him get away with it. [I listen to] a bit of everything really; R&B, dance, funky house. If it were [up to me] I think we’d have a better song choice. Give me a year and I’ll be on it. Is there anybody you never want to see near the dressing room iPod dock? David de Gea! His bad Spanish music is absolutely terrible. What are you doing to pass the time on those long away trips? We usually have the PS Vitas out, playing a game called; oh what’s it called? I can’t remember what it’s called. It’s an old army game and everybody gets involved on that. I’m the best at FIFA! [laughs] Wayne [Rooney] likes to think he’s good; Danny [Welbeck] likes to think he’s good as well but no, I’m the best! Are you a DVD man? Are you watching anything at the moment? I tried to get into Breaking Bad just recently but I’ve seen three episodes and I’m lost already. I don’t know where it’s going so I’ve binned it. Do you consider yourself a stylish man? I’d like to think so, yeah [laughs]. I think so. I think I’m swagging it out. I think I’ve got it going on, yeah [laughs].
“I’m the best at FIFA! [laughs] Wayne [Rooney] likes to think he’s good; Danny [Welbeck] likes to think he’s good as well but no, I’m the best!” And who have you seen in the Manchester United dressing room that actually lets themselves down in the style department? There are a few of them but I’d probably say Anderson. He’s got some bad gear. What’s your favourite film of all time? Law Abiding Citizen is a good film. What has been your favourite on-pitch moment as a professional? Probably winning the league last year against Aston Villa and Robin [van Persie] scored that worldy of a goal. That was a great moment. What advice would you give to any young player trying to make his or her way in the game? Just to never give up. Always believe in your ability and if you do that, then the rest will take care of itself. Phil Jones wears the adidas Nitrocharge 1.0 available at jdsports.co.uk. @adidasuk #allin
14 FOR 14 / 30
TWO SIDES:
League Of ITS Own The Europa League, Europe’s secondary club competition has its fair share of critics but with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton fighting it out for qualification to next season’s competition, RWD Football’s Ben Rebuck and Tego Sigel assess take Two Sides on whether it’s worth it.
“With no disrespect to Newcastle United and Swansea City, Manchester United, Spurs and Everton are a far greater force” Manchester United’s fluctuating league form looks likely to result in a Europa League spot. That is if they pip Everton or Spurs to a place in the top six. Whilst the competition doesn’t posses the glamour of its sister tournament, I’m a firm advocate of the trio going for it wholeheartedly, believing they should take it just as seriously. United’s European form has been the only saving grace of their otherwise miserable campaign, and the thought of them missing out completely next season should be a terrifying one for fans. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has already expressed a desire to take United on a money-spinning world tour should they miss out on Europe, meaning regular jaunts to the Far East and America during an already demanding domestic schedule -hardly ideal if they really want to mount a top-four challenge.
Spurs have become something of a regular in the Europa League, and it’s clear they aim to get as far as possible this season after missing out on the elite competition by one point last season a year after Chelsea’s Munich triumph saw their Champions League place stripped from them last minute. They’ve since embraced the second tier of European football, to blood young new talent. History will point to a team’s inability to juggle the demands of the Europe with those of the Premier League, but with no disrespect to Newcastle United and Swansea City, United, Spurs and Everton are a far greater force and it’s crucial that all three use the platform to attract players. You only have to look at Atletico Madrid model of success in the competition as a viable method to work off. Success in the competition wouldn’t quite echo the glory of Moscow 2008 nor Barcelona 1999 for United, but it has the potential to kick start a faltering era whilst bringing back a feel good factor to the club. Moyes’ CV could do with one or two pieces of silverware to silence the critics; the Europa League should be one of them. @benrebuck
Chelsea
Fulham
The Blues tasted Europa League success last season and in the process became the first side to simultaneously hold both European cups, albeit for 10 days. Branislav Ivanovic’s stoppage time winner saw them defeat Benfica in Amsterdam.
After overturning a 3-1 away loss to Juventus in Turin and knocking out Wolfsburg and Hamburg, Fulham’s luck in the competition ran out in the final where they lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid. The run was a success and brought Roy Hodgson to national prominence.
The Europa League has developed an identity as the scrappy younger cousin of the Champions League and as charming as it can be in its earliest stages, it’s only when the knockout stages get going that anything approaching a decent quality match is played. For teams qualifying from Europe’s top four leagues, the group stage is just a series of home matches against teams with entirely too many Zs and Xs in their names, then away games in the far reaches of the continent, resulting in hypothermia riddled stars battered and bruised by artificial pitches and the kind of sub-standard tackling to be expected in the Latvian Premier League. Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham have squads that are capable of claiming a place in Europe’s elite competition next season, and need look no further than Liverpool’s relentless chase for top-four glory to see the value in keeping your eyes on the prize. No Europe, no distraction. Raheem Sterling told RWD Football that the coaches at Melwood have had the players ramping up their mid-week training sessions to match the intensity of a full calendar, but it’s clear the
“The Europa League adventure has shown-up the lack of depth at both Swansea City and Newcastle United in recent seasons” difference in injuries, fatigue and concentration when Liverpool faced teams in European pursuit, sweeping Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United aside this season. The Europa League adventure has exposed the lack of depth at both Swansea City and Newcastle United in recent seasons, with both clubs having rapid ascents up the table arrested by relegation dog-fights caused by the distraction of the cup. Manchester United in particular have the kind of squad that could dominate the Europa League while mounting a realistic push for a Top Four finish, but anything beyond that would be a stretch. I don’t think we’ll ever see a Europa League winner from the Top Four European leagues win their domestic title in the same season. @tegosigel
Newcastle United
Swansea City
A fifth place finish meant the Geordies qualified for the Europa League, and despite reaching the quarter-finals they nearly lost their place in the Premier League, finishing just five-points above the drop zone in 16th. They won’t be doing that again.
Having won the League Cup last season, Swansea qualified for this year’s Europa League campaign. After struggling for form and finding themselves in the relegation mix, Michael Laudrup lost his job and the Swans face a fight for their league status. Peak times!
ROAD TO GLORY / 32
Road To Glory It will be less than seven months between the launch of FIFA 2014 and the latest installment, 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil which hits the shelves 17 April. That’s a lot of FIFA to cope with. You’ll have to shell out full price for it too, which means it’ll hit your wallet harder than an Asamoah Gyan stoppage time penalty. But not to worry, Ben Rebuck gives you plenty of reasons why this game is for you.
We love FIFA in the RWD office; it’s almost become a ritual on Fridays after a hard week (I’m the best, trust). Things are about to hot up thanks to EA Sports, who have once again pushed the boundaries between real life and footballing gameplay. The World Cup is about more than just the football; it’s a worldwide phenomenon that caters to generations of both traditional football fans and a nouveau clientele of enthusiasts. EA Sports have incorporated that into the game. Matchdays aren’t just the 90 minutes on the pitch as live streams of the games are beamed to big screens in squares across the world where thousands of jumping fans line the streets. The littlest of details really do make the largest of differences, from fans flocking to the stadiums, to everybody’s friend Sepp Blatter smiling Anne Marie gleefully at the opening and closing ceremonies…no, really. Aside from the FIFA chief’s grinning gob, the game is awash with new and unique features and animations, the latter of which brings an extra realm of realism to the game. Players have added flair and flamboyance, necessities for Brazil, with those lucky enough to be blessed with the pre-requisite talent
sets capable of the paramount. The likes of Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar can use the front, inside, and now outside of their foot to control the ball as well as performing gravity-defying skills. It doesn’t stop at skills and passes. Oh no, there’s so much more. Defensively you can now tower yourself over the attackers, climbing on their shoulders for that extra elevation. This works as an attacker from crosses too. Goalkeepers were next to get the animation treatment, with four new distraction techniques from the Bruce Grobbelaar crazy legs to my personal favourite the ‘Toro Toro’ which sees the keeper impersonate a matador whilst waving an imaginary red cape. Goalies are smarter too, now with the added ability to change paths mid-penalty. Set piece tactics are a helpful new feature which allow your teammates to move into specific areas for you to pick them out, be it front post, back post, crowding the keeper or Beckham to Scholes-esque edge of the area volleys. Offline, the ‘Road to the FIFA World Cup’ mode allows you to take any one of the 203 FIFA recognised nations all the way to glory, so those of
“Aside from the FIFA chief’s grinning gob, the game is awash with new and unique features and animations, the latter of which brings an extra realm of realism to the game.” you still gutted about the lack of Zlatan can rewrite history. Alongside friendlies, ‘Captain Your Country’, sees you start off in the B team aiming to progress all the way to the finals where you will take your team to glory. Online, the game comes into its own, with a selection of real-time scenarios to play within hours of matches taking you directly into the action. There’s so much more but we don’t want to spoil it all for you. World Cup fever is just around the corner, so whet your appetite with the only thing as immersive as a stroll down Copacabana beach. 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is out 17 April for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
@PXLpics | PXLclothing.com
STYLE
Photography Verena Stefanie Grotto Photography Assistant Sam Travis Stylist Sophie Robinson Grooming Jodie Hyams using Bare Minerals make up and Avene Skin
Models Tidiou M’Baye and Jake Love @ select
Opp above: Tidiou wears Crooks & Castles paisley anorak threadsaddiction.com adidas Originals sweatshirt jdsports.co.uk
Jake wears Jeremy Scott x adidas cap adidas.co.uk Henri Lloyd orange anorak henrilloyd.co.uk PXL 0207 vest pxlclothing.com Nike jersey shorts nike.com Nike Air Force 1s jdsports.co.uk
Tidou wears Nike tracksuit top nike.com New Love Club galaxy vest newloveclub.co.uk Samsoe and Samsoe shorts samsoe.com Nike Air Max 90s jdsports.co.uk
Jake wears Crooks & Castles varsity jacket threadsaddiction.com Supply & Demand logo T-shirt jdsports.co.uk Native Youth Stone wash skinny jeans nativeyouth.co.uk Nike Air Force 1s black jdsports.co.uk
Tidiou wears Lacoste LIVE! sweatshirt lacoste.com Hype tie dye vest (worn under jumper) hypeclothing.com Anerkjendt woven print shorts asos.com Jake wears Nike tracksuit top nike.com New Love Club galaxy print vest newloveclub.co.uk Samsoe and Samsoe denim shorts samsoe.com Nike Air Max 90s jdsports.co.uk
Tidiou wears Weekend Offender yellow mac weekendoffender.com Supply and Demand flag T-shirt jdsports.co.uk Anerkjendt denim shorts asos.com CON Star Player Canvas converse.com
Nike Lunar Elite nike.com PXL 0207 T-shirt PXLclothing.com Luke sunglasses luke1977.com Skullcandy Aviator black headphones skullcandy.com
Above: Tidiou wears Hype leopard flower print T-shirt hypeclothing.com Levi khaki shirt (worn around waist) levi.com Native Youth bleach jersey shorts nativeyouth.co.uk Nike Air Max 90s jdsports.co.uk Unit Portables 01 bag unitportables.com
Above: Jake wears Nike lime tech sweatshirt nike.com New Era tropical print T-shirt and hat neweracap.co.uk Quicksilver palm print shorts quicksilver.co.uk Nike Air Force 1s jdsports.co.uk
Tidiou wears Weekend Offender yellow mac weekendoffender.com Supply and Demand flag T-shirt jdsports.co.uk Anerkjendt denim shorts asos.com CON Star Player Canvas converse.com
Tidiou wears CON Star Player Canvas converse.com Crep Protect trainer guard crepprotect.com
Jake wears Nike blue windbreaker nike.com Luke parrot T-shirt luke1977.com Native Youth jersey shorts nativeyouth.co.uk
Tidou wears Ben Sherman green waterproof mac bensherman.com PXL Import T-shirt and bucket hat pxlclothing.com Scotch and Soda tie dye shorts scotch-soda.com Palladium Pampa Hi leather boots palladiumboots.com
Converse Allstars duffle bag blackleaf.co.uk Nike Air Max Lunar90s nike.com Jason Markks 4oz Premium Cleaning Kit size.co.uk
Opp above: Tidiou wears Crooks & Castles paisley anorak threadsaddiction.com adidas Originals sweatshirt jdsports.co.uk Native Youth acid wash skinny jeans nativeyouth.co.uk Palladium Pampa Hi canvas boots palladiumboots.com
Above: Tidou wears New Era x Liberty London print cap neweracap.co.uk Scotch and Soda yellow print jacket scotch-soda.com One True Saxon burgundy pocket T-shirt scottsmenswear.com Brookhaven cargo shorts jdsports.co.uk Palladium Pampa Hi leather boots palladiumboots.com
GREG LUCCI - GOURMET / 44
À LA CARTE As CEO of Gourmet, Greg Lucci is considered one of the forefathers of streetwear and completely self-made. Dacre Bracey and Crepe City founder Ronal Raichura delve deeper into the makings of the footwear brand with undeniable refined yet casual swagger. Photography Kevin Joseph
Explain a bit about yourself. How did you become CEO of Gourmet? I’m born and raised in Boston. I moved to LA when I was around 23 years-old and got into the industry through retail. I started a shop out in LA, it was kind of, like music and skateboarding and I guess streetwear before it was called streetwear. The beginning of a lot of forefather brands for this time and what’s going on in this space today. Through that, many people came to see the shop; people form Nike, adidas, Polo Ralph Lauren - would pick my brain and ask me for ideas and designs. That’s kind of how I got into the industry. When did you start designing footwear? Outside cut and sew stuff, it was adidas; bags and accessory and technology for skateboarding. The first footwear I was involved in - I was introduced to a guy named Peter Moore, he did the Jordan 1, the Jordan 2, the logo with the wings and basketball... He kind of took over around Jordan 3, then went to adidas. Moore created the new landscape for the corporate logo - a legend to say the least. I found myself in a room with him, Audi and a couple other people and we were working on the Kobe Bryant stuff, that was the first shoe design related thing for me. Was that when you got the bug for it? I think I’ve always been into footwear, obviously like everyone else. Getting the opportunity through design and product creation was phenomenal. I kind of always felt like I didn’t belong in that room, because I wasn’t really educated in the arena of where I do business, I always undervalued what I brought to the table. I thought I was getting away with something, if I wasn’t like manually doing labour, I just felt like it was a joke, which was a curse and blessing to my career. Tell us about Gourmet. Gourmet, when we did it, it was really about a couple things; more about style than it was fashion, the highs and lows of life,
“I started a shop in LA, it was kind of streetwear before it was called streetwear, people came to see the shop from Nike, adidas, Polo Ralph Lauren - over the years would pick my brain.” cheap things, expensive things - what they look like together was the bigger ideology behind Gourmet when we launched it. The underlying theme was American Italian culture – I’m an American Italian my two partners I founded the brand with were, so it all had an American Italian theme. It was more about style and how to put things together than creating a lane. There were no emblems at the beginning so did it experience branding issues? It still does. It’s hard ‘cos a lot of people wear our stuff but footwear doesn’t translate to pictures of celebrities and this and that and if it does, you have to have a big honking logo on it. It’s something we did consciously and we kind of stuck with it unconsciously, it’s kind of a curse and a blessing - it’s mostly a curse until people recognise you for that and then it becomes a blessing. There’s definitely a more mature look to the Gourmet range… Absolutely! Part of our angle was we still want to be functional and do athletic things and really draw aspiration from every form of footwear if we’re gonna do footwear at all. To have no branding on it just gives it more adaptation to things. The era we’re from you’d also see the person who had Nike shoes on with adidas pants and a Reebok T-shirt and you’re like, really? That’s kind of all over the place. You consciously don’t want to fall into that over logo’d pieces; you almost want to make the thing that you can just wear with whatever. Make sure you follow @gourmetfootwear and check out gourmetfootwear.com
Black Scale sweatshirt threadsaddiction.com G-Star trousers g-star.com BAPE belt eu.bape.com
PRO GAME Entering the game with some serious 90s swag, just a couple of years ago with his 1999 mixtape, Joey Bada$$ instantly stood out amongst the rest of the radio ready crowd, breathing life into the hip hop scene. The debut was heralded by everyone including RWD, having tipped him in our #13For13 issue. Since then he’s worked with all generations of the genre from Action Bronson and A$AP Rocky to DJ Premier, The Alchemist and MF Doom. But hip hop is a pretty confusing place now and the Brooklyn boy, born Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, is the first person to tell Nardene Scott that. Photography Pharaoh Photography Assistant Karen Storey Styling Sabina Emrit Styling Assistants Atiya Ahmed & Georgie Rennie Concept Dacre Bracey
The photoshoot having gone down without a hitch, Pro Era’s Kirk Knight on the YouTube playlist (old Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot videos completely gassing them up); Joey decides he wants to have a little stroll around Shoreditch, to just “soak up the culture.” The destination simply being Boxpark, it’s probably not the first place a US rapper wants to head, but that’s just the start to what sets Joey apart from the rest of the Givenchy, grill sporting lot. The spree simply ends in the purchase of a Protect Ya Neck scarf from the nearby Wu Tang exhibition for just £15 - I lent him the £2 as he was short - and a quick instagram against a wall with graffiti spelling out PRO, naturally. As we’re pulling up outside The Hoxton Hotel for lunch, Joey nudges Kirk, “OMG this is the spot we stayed in after XOYO,” before also making a point of the fact that from Boxpark we could have easily walked the 500 odd metres here. After he’s ordered his salmon fishcakes and mac ’n’ cheese (minus the bacon and jalapeños), we kick off with exactly what went down last time he stayed here, on his first trip to London way back in December 2012. “It’s funny that we’re doing this interview here because after that show we had about thirty chicks here, and there was three of us,” he laughs. “It was me, Kirk and CJ Fly, so we had like ten each. It was crazy!” He remembers, shaking his head before addressing the shift in post show antics. “That was a younger thing, like when I first first came out, I was new to it so I was just like… argh.” The now mature one utters, shrugging his shoulders, “now, I’m extremely picky. Not even that, I’m just more focused on thyself.” Anyway, it’s back to the present and his thoughts on working with tour buddies Disclosure who @jozifbadmon has been supporting throughout the UK. “I’m down to do a track with them for sure and they probably don’t even think that”. I explain the brothers being huge Dilla fans, it’s probably not a surprise they both found an affinity to one another. “Oh word? Me too! When I think about that era, it’s just Dilla for me. Like Dilla brings out the greatest in me. I could just play a Dilla instrumental
“When I think about that era, it’s just Dilla for me like Dilla brings out the greatest in me. I could just play a Dilla instrumental and find a part of my artistry, I just feel it in my soul, I love it, I love the chords and I just start going.”
and find a part of my artistry. I just feel it in my soul, I love it, I love the chords and I just start going.” With production in mind, we lean on him for some exclusive info behind his debut album, already knowing he still has to get in with Hit-Boy and Premo, for Before The Money stylised B4.Da.$$. “What I can say is that I really love where I’m at… I’m a real difficult person when it comes to beat selection and features,” before concluding. “I got a strong belief that things happen at the right time and not being forced. I’ve got to learn to just say no sometimes as well because that just interferes with my whole creative flow.” Someone who hasn’t been messing with his flow is the UK’s very own Maverick Sabre, whom the lyricist came across via Pandora (a personalised internet radio) reaching out to the Irish lad on Twitter. Since then they’ve been recording together, from the reggae tinged My Yout remix to the snippet of the track they did a night before the shoot, that we had the pleasure of listening to. There’s even more UK love for Krept & Konan who he’s been trying to track down whilst he’s in London to jump on a Don’t Waste My Time remix. There’s no wonder the artist refuses to box himself in, considering the team around him. Managed by Jonny Shipes [Big K.R.I.T, Nipsey Hussle, Vashtie] and signed to Shipes’ label Cinematic (alongside Sony RED) he’s pretty much an independent artist with an awesome reach, so deadline pressure is a lot lighter than the average artist gearing up for his debut; bar the whole dropping your first album ever issue. With such a strong 90s feel to his music what impact does the gruff voiced lyricist expect his 2014 drop to have? “The album is called Before The Money so it’s just to get out of the struggle… I think it’s going to really inspire the generation especially kids where I’m from. I want this record to be an inspiration tool for them to get up and follow their dreams.” I bring up the upcoming anniversary of Nas’ seminal debut Illmatic and the influence it had on the hip hop fiend especially after all the comparisons between the two. “I mean that album, I’m competing with the most,” Joey says screwing up his face, “Yo, I’m like this gotta be better than Illmatic.” Growing up in Bed Stuy before moving to
East Flatbush and heading to Edward R. Murrow High School – also attended by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat - with his late friend and co founder of Pro Era, Capital Steez with plans to be an actor originally, life wasn’t all hunky dory, which explains his intentions. Especially since the death of Pro or Steez, who on Christmas Eve, 2012 committed suicide, throwing himself off the roof of the Complex and Cinematic offices, despite the Pro Era crew being at dizzying buzzworthy heights at the time. It all remains a bit of a mystery, with a lot of unfounded truths circling the net about sects or cults he may have been enticed by, the loss was tragic for a teenage crew who went from rapping on street corners to being bloggers’ most valuable primates. With the initial hype sustained, I question simply where he sees himself as an artist, “I say period, like whether it’s a statement or a conversation, I always just try to leave it as something that someone can think about. I guess it’s intellectual rap.” And what about fitting into the actual scene itself, two years after his 1999 mixtape, an almost throwback to the boom bap tapes of yesteryear? “Erm, I fit… erm… yeah I’m tryna put myself in the puzzle and I don’t see it,” he laughs. “I don’t see it. I don’t think I fit actually? I’m often left out of like conversations and s**t when it comes to that.” I presume he means last year’s BET Awards where crews like TDE, A$AP Mob, Slaughterhouse and even Kevin Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood were all given their own cyphers, despite Joey being selected the year earlier alongside other rookies Angel Haze, Childish Gambino and A$AP Rocky. Feeling undefeated, and obviously as a slight indirect, the teens filmed their own cypher, which currently sits on just over 600k views over at YouTube.com/ PROfckingERA it’s clear being part of Pro Era is as important to him as ever. “For me, one I’ve got a lot of people around me that I trust, two it puts us in our own planet, our own field zone, of just working and getting things done and we don’t really gotta worry about the outside too much.” Despite the whole own lane agenda, as a New Yorker he has to feel something towards King Kendrick’s attack on his city. “Honestly, it got me worked up! I guess I
Ice Cream reversible jacket bbcicecream.com G Star trousers g-star.com BAPE belt bape.com HYPE peacock print sweatshirt hypeclothinguk.bigcartel.com
was offended on behalf of my city because I thought about it and I’m like, ‘Wow, who would be able to come back at this?’ I know I’m not the King of New York, I know I aspire to be it someday but I know I’m not it yet.” We then pour into a convo about hip hop in general. “I can’t really say there’s anything that has been catching my appeal, I’m honestly devastated with the state of hip hop. Like I check the blogs every day and I don’t see anything interesting,” he laughs heartily, searching his brain for names finding only one; his homie from Chicago, Mick Jenkins. “Oh my gosh! [hip hop has] lost its soul, it’s lost its culture, it’s lost its whole attitude and once you lose your attitude, there’s no more personality. Even I feel like sometimes just being a part of this game subconsciously steers me another way that I don’t wanna necessarily be. Hip hop today is really distracting, from everything but the music. For example, everybody is so caught up on the fashions now, you could have a shi**y rapper but if he’s like the flyest s**t you’ve ever seen, then he’s got a wave. Even every now and then I try to keep up with the latest trends and s**t but it’s not about that to me at all, that’s way down my list. I’m making my music first and I’m adapting to my craft before I even think about what I put on.” Having slipped into a scene he seems to be upset with what does Bada$$ think about what he’s managed to achieve? “I wouldn’t have imagined this as my future but I can definitely say that I steered it to this and I definitely accepted becoming this. I’m just trying to triple everything, my worth, my potential, my revenue, everything…” And as to the future? “My legacy, I definitely don’t wanna call it because they say conceal your intentions. I just hope that I can reach that longevity that I aspire to reach, that’s by far the most important thing to me.” Having held his concentration for a good 25 minutes - bar the squinting across the table to check if the girl opposite was Lorde, it was - we end on the theme of the issue. RWD having witnessed at least three Joey gigs we can only urge you to catch this guy live in action at Lovebox and Reading & Leeds. “Parklife and was literally like the Top 5 show of my life. I did my last song Survival Tactics and they just all bum-rushed the stage, like literally crashed the barricades” he says in amazement before his reaction. “Every time people run on my stage me I just fight (laughs) I don’t know maybe it’s just some cool hip hop thing I guess for someone to just like save me and s**t. [In general] expect a whole lot of energy, a whole lot of abrasive all in your face type s**t. Stage diving, definitely, especially if I got my Pro’s with me, you might get kicked in your face.” B4.Da.$$ drops September 2014
“I’m honestly devastated with the state of hip hop. Like I check the blogs every day and I don’t see anything interesting. [Hip hop has] lost its soul, it’s lost its culture, its lost its whole attitude and once you lose your attitude, there’s no more personality” Quicksilver bomber jacket quicksilver.co.uk Tourne de Transmission sweatshirt tournedetransmission.com Crooks & Castles camo sweatshirt threadsaddiction.com
FESTIVAL GUIDE
We’re here again folks! It’s only bloody festival season, so get your Palladiums or Caterpillars on - do people really wear wellies? Strap your little man bag to your chest and get your skank on, FYI Big Narstie recommends The Teapot.
Welcome to our festival guide and please take heed, purchase your tickets early and allow all the moaning and hating on us when you’re left at home scrolling through your instagram timeline, fiending for a vibe. You’re guaranteed to find a festival you like within our specially crafted listings from the intimate to the huge and the homegrown to further afield. Book your flights/ trains, pick what friends you think can handle the festivities, and get yourselves out there. First though make sure you listen to words of wisdom from Big Narstie who’s seen the highs and lows of just what a festival can offer, hear what Pusha T and Wilkinson are looking forward to and find out exactly what D’Banj remembers of his 2013 foray.
SUPPLY FESTIVAL & DEMAND GUIDE / 54
WIRE UP Not content with being one of the most highly anticipated London festivals, this year Wireless have decided to simultaneously hold the festival in Birmingham too, over the long weekend, 4-6 July. As always Wireless pull out all the stops from the headliners Kanye, Pharell, Drake, Outkast to the fan faves J. Cole, 2 Chainz, Basement Jaxx, Ella Eyre, Earl Sweatshirt and emerging talent too as tipped by our selves, in the form of Raleigh Ritchie, Joel Compass, Jess Glynne and Kwabs. 2014 sees two venue changes with the move to Finsbury Park for the down south festival and the addition of Perry Park in Brimingham. Tickets are kind of hard to get hold of, so if you don’t want to be caught out applying for every competition going just a week before the festivities using your little made up twitter handle and generic egg avatar, buy one fool! A 3-day pass will set you back around £170 for Birmingham and £210 for London from head to wirelessfestival.co.uk
FESTIVAL GUIDE / 56
“At last, a festival that has proper plumbing. Leave all your skiddy portaloo phobias at all those other festivals and get yourself down to Camden Crawl this year” We Outchea Last year RWD headed out in full force to Croatia for Outlook Festival and there are plans to get involved in the madness once again. Set in a 19th Century fort, the site is second to none with the likes of Lauryn Hill, Busta Rhymes, Stwo, Stylo G, DJ EZ, Chronixx, Buraka Son Sistema, Mala, Kaytranada, Bishop Nehru and DJ Premier amongst about 300 others killing unique stages from dungeons and courtyards to harbours; lest we forget the boat and beach parties! Tickets are going for a mere £140 but they’re already down to the third allocation so you have to be quick. If you’re a fan of bass, reggae, hip hop, house, D&B, dubstep, grime and everything in between, then this is you boss. Hurry up and book yourself a good time over at outlookfestival.com
Gather Round We’re just going to go ahead and list all the reasons why you really want to make it down to Global Gathering this year: Chase & Status, Knytro, Breach, Duke Dumont, Friend Within, All About She, Fuse ODG, Hannah Wants, EZ, Kove, MK, Shadow Child, Huxley, David Rodigan, Toddla T, Eton Messy; the list literally goes on and on. Here’s the long and short of it, head to globalgathering.com, bag yourself a weekend ticket for £120 and then get yourselves to Long Marston Airfield, Stratford Upon Avon, 25-26 July.
D’Banj
Crawl Home At last, a festival that has proper plumbing. Leave all your skiddy portaloo phobias at all those other festivals and get yourself down to Camden Crawl this year. Over 25 venues spanning a two mile stretch host up to 200 acts over the weekend of 20-21 June. Known for pulling in artists just on the brink of stardom – we all remember when Odd Future absolutely tore up the Red Bull stage - in unique and intimate venues; the newly branded CC14 has a lot to offer, why do you think RWD have been involved for all these years? As always, we’ll be down there providing the vibes in the evening, you’ll have to keep it locked to RWDmag.com to see who’s on the line up though as we like to build the hype nicely. Until then, head to camdencrawl.com and grab a weekend wristband
Go Deep It’s not often we rush to Essex - we don’t want to cause offence we just have to be honest here – but you see that weekend in May (24-25 to be precise) we’re all about that TOWIE life, as We Are FSTVL takes over Damyn’s Hall Aerodome in Upminister. It’s completely a house heads affair with the likes of Amine Edge & Dance, Infinity Ink, Kenny Dope, Jamie Jones, Pleasure State (Anabel Englund, MK and Lee Foss), Hot Since 82, Duke Dumont and more taking over the airfield. Proceedings are 9am-12am, so a standard weekend ticket isn’t bad for just £132.50 or VIP £199 and there’s even VIP Plus at £300 – although we definitely want our feet rubbed afterwards for that price. Just do the right thing wearefstvl.com
G.O.O.D music signee D’Banj has single handedly helped propagate the Afrobeat sound worldwide. the Nigerian hailing artist prides himself on his ability to entertain any crowd, any where, any time. Alya Mooro caught up with the bundle of energy to pick his brain. What do you think the difference is between performing at a festival and performing elsewhere? Festival is spirit! When you go to a festival from the door you’re already feeling something. People go to festivals dropping everything behind, their worries, their lives, and their egos. For me, a festival is like a holiday - you don’t even have to know who’s playing, the spirit just takes you. What has been your favourite festival to perform at so far? BBC Hackney Weekender in 2012. It was crazy. Oliver Twist had just gone Top 10. That was the first time I was performing to different types of people and everyone just knew it! The only thing I didn’t do was jump into the crowd like a rock star. Are you planning on stage diving next time? I don’t want to tell them now because they’re going to part like the Red Sea! I think so but I’ll take off my jewellery first. I always move very flashy (laughs). D’Banj unveils single Bother You this month. @iamdbanj
SUPPLY FESTIVAL & DEMAND GUIDE / 58
“For a third of the standard Ibiza trip, you can buy all the rounds you like on the Balearics; although we recommend you cop one of those huge glass pitchers (to drink solo obviously)” Get Out There Don’t be spooked by the non-UK festivals, especially when they’re based in Croatia. For a third of the standard Ibiza trip, you can buy all the rounds you like at Hideout Festival; although we recommend you cop one of those huge glass pitchers (to drink solo obviously) whilst your vibing at any one of the sick pool parties. Rudimental, Breach, Redlight, Dusky, Bondax, Mistajam, B. Traits, Jackmaster, Krystal Klear, Route 94, Huxley, Shy FX, Ben Pearce and sh**loads more will be tearing entirely new holes into Zrce Beach on the Island of Pag from 30 June - 3 July. A new batch of tickets have just been added so hurry yourselves to hideoutfestival.com and then get to blagging as many boat parties as you possibly can.
Park It Up Once again the only reason to ever festival up north (we could be bias here) Manchester shows out for the weekender to end every other Parklife. Reminiscing on last year’s absolutely rammed and an uncharacteristically hot Manchester served up the likes of Danny Brown, Action Bronson and David Rodigan – just some of our highlights. We’re already booking our hotels and train tickets for 7-8 June, as we get ready for Snoop Dogg, Rudimental, Disclosure, Kendrick Lamar and Maya Janes Coles to grace the tents. Weekend tickets start at just £79.50; a snip of the other offerings this summer, so you’d be silly not to step out and try something different. Check the full line up if you don’t believe us via parklife.uk.com
Pusha T
Viva Espana Even when there’s not a festival eating up the city, Barcelona is the spot. But each year when Sonar comes to town for its 24/7 parties there’s even more reason to endure that Easyjet flight with their stingy ass legroom out to Spain. Massive Attack, Bonobo, The Martinez Brothers, T. Williams, Kaytranada and Rudimental are a few of the acts that have been announced so far for the festival that takes its visuals as seriously as its music, and there’s plenty more from where that came from. Take yourself to sonar.es to find out how to buy tickets
You The Best Okay fair enough, not a lot of people would be able to point out where Isle of Wight is on the map - even though there are only two islands to choose from - just know that this is the slightly warmer one that houses one of the UK’s finest festivals, aptly named Bestival. From the global superstar line up including Outkast, Nile Rodgers, Major Lazer, Disclosure, Chase & Status, James Blake and Sam Smith, to the weird and wonderful happenings around the site including a twisted fun house and bespoke amphitheatre to host films in the forest and lets not forget the whole dress code. There have been some pretty trippy fancy dress codes over the years too! Tickets start at £195 on bestival.net
Ahead of his foray into UK festivals, gracing the stage at Manchester’s Parklife Weekender, we caught up with Virginia’s finest Pusha T for a few musings on life… On festivals… I really don’t know what I’ll be doing, I don’t keep up with those kind of things but I know I’m doing everything, so I’m told. The dream? They still do Glastonbury? I’d love to do that. There’s so much history and heritage behind that one as well as a bit of controversy so I’d love to do that On that rumoured Clipse reunion… Yeah I’d love to do that, but right now me and my brother are on separate solo missions; he’s trying to get his message across and I’m trying to get mine across, but when he’s ready I’m ready. Hopefully one day. We talk every day, we’re family. On self-reflection… I would have to say Pusha T is on cruise control touching his fans, being in front of the people he wants to be in front of every single night; it’s the best part of the rap game. On Virginia Beach growing up… I think the area being a melting pot of so many differnet people meant we had so many different influences when it came to music. Then we had the likes of Teddy Riley to cultivate and make it a reality. @Pusha_T for more musings
FESTIVAL GUIDE / 60 Wilkinson After the success of Afterglow, Wilkinson is the underground D&B world’s latest export. Managing to walk the difficult line between the mainstream and the underground, he is still respected in the scene Words Carly Wilson When you’ve worked so hard, having a breakthrough track like Afterglow must make it all seem worthwhile? Yeah, it does. It was never meant to be what it turned out to be. I never wrote it to be a top ten hit or to sell as many records as it has. I think the video helped. I get people sending pictures of their kids dancing to it and people telling me their parents like it too. It’s just nice to know D&B is getting appreciated by everyone and that has always been important for me. What’s your most memorable festival memory? It’s got to be Bestival. I played in a tent that was quite far away and there were two people in it mashed and dancing around like idiots. Within five minutes of me being on the decks the tent was absolutely rammed and there were queues. It was fancy dress and everyone was throwing me their mad hats, so I was DJing in a helmet or with a jellyfish on my head. It was the best experience ever.
What about the worst? I guess the mud. At Global Gathering this year I had never seen rain like it. What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at a festival? In America, it’s next level out there. You can have your dinner on the main stage looking over 100,000 people whilst watching Tiesto and David Guetta. It’s pretty surreal. What are the perks of being back stage? Golf buggys! I’ve broken a few of them. I’m not going to name the festival but first I tried to hotwire one because I couldn’t find the key. Then I found the key and tried to turn it but it broke in the barrel. I’ve also gone around the Las Vegas speed track in one. Lazers Not Included is out now. @wilkinsonuk plays Reading & Leeds festival this summer amongst many other dates so be sure to catch the man live in action
Original Don Reading and Leeds are two of the more iconic festivals in the UK but don’t let that put you off; there’s still a lot to get your ears around, even if you don’t like all of that screamo metal biz like us. BBC Three will be streaming the festival live, so you don’t wanna be one of those people sat at home hating, get yourself a weekend ticket for just £210.50 way ahead of time, as long as you can handle the camping. Falling on 22-24 August there’s a high chance of sunshine too as you head from stage to stage at Richfiels Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds, catching Arctic Monkeys, Annie Mac, SBTRKT, Krept & Konan, Disclosure and our boy Wilkinson amongst others. @OfficialRandL or readingfestival.com and leedsfestival.com
“BBC Three will be streaming the festival live, so you don’t wanna be one of those people sat at home hating”
Fresh Attitude Take a look at festivals from a different point of view and try to get a little cultural by heading to Latitude. Situated in the picturesque British countryside of Henham Park, Southwold in Suffolk where the rumours are rife about a load of super secret special guests so don’t take the line up as final. Diverse artists that have been confirmed though include Kelis, Crystal Fighters, Haim, Lykki Li, Robyn and Kwabs join an equally amazing comedy line up too with Dara O Briain heading up that side of affairs. A step into the wilderness for your average festivalgoer but it’s all about trying something new, see for yourself on latitudefestival.com
SUPPLY FESTIVAL & DEMAND GUIDE / 62 It’s All Love London’s most loved festival Lovebox always travels to each end of the musical spectrum to keep their revellers happy and 2014 boasts the likes of A$AP Rocky, Banks, Bondax, M.I.A, Elli Ingram, MNEK, newbies Cyril Hahn and Kiesza plus our very own cover star Joey Bada$$, to name but a few. Red Bull are already known for throwing it down at festivals, we’re still reliving Rodigan’s show and Artwork’s Jungle set from last year; so they’re on board again along with Annie Mac Presents, Noisey and others. Not with all the moving around that other festivals are about, Lovebox remains at its East London home of Victoria Park on 18-19 July. Keep your fingers crossed for sun and make a bold purchase ahead of time with tickets starting at just £35 at mamacolive.com/lovebox.
“Red Bull are already known for throwing it down at festivals, we’re still reliving Rodigan’s show and Artwork’s Jungle set from last year”
“The May Bank Holiday sees curators including Secret Walls, BSupreme, Unsigned London and adidas entertain the 7,000 strong [Streetfest] crowd”
Line Em Up Southerners, listen up, there are festivals that exist way beyond the Watford gap! In fact, Tramlines, held in Sheffield, literally takes over the whole city each year, this time around from 25-27 July. Katy B, Benji B and the Steel City’s very own Toddla T, whom will be providing a full live set up with his entire sound system, take over in venues across the city. The line up is yet to be fully announced, but just expect that anything from deep house and hip hop to the alternative is going to go down. Tickets for the weekend are pretty much loose change considering normal festival prices, so grab one for just £28 over on tramlines.org.uk and tey something new this season
Take It To The Streets Having outgrown their Shoreditch home, the 7th annual Streetfest, the only festival celebrating all areas of street culture from the skaters and graffiti artists to the beatboxers and of course homegrown streetwear brands as Hackney Wick’s Forman’s Fish Island hosts 2014’s festivities. The May Bank Holiday sees curators including Secret Walls, BSupreme, Unsigned London and adidas entertain the 7,000 strong crowd on 4 May. In the past few years everyone from Wretch 32 to Maverick Sabre and Professor Green have taken to the stage before storming the charts, so make sure you catch the Next Big Thing showcase. Tickets are bound to be snapped up fast, so go to streetfest.net stat
BIG NARSTIE / 64
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF FESTIVALS
ACCORDING TO
With the BDL (Base Defence League for those that don’t know) on the rise throughout the country and known for shelling down stages across Europe, Big Narstie drops some serious knowledge for all of you revellers looking to hit up the festival scene this summer. Listen up! Photography Verena Stefanie Grotto
BIG NARSTIE
DO’S Mix It Up I did Hip Hop Kemp and I met some Neo-Nazis, P13, like Russian and Czech hooligans. They had a couch in the middle of a field and I was drinking vodka the Russian way, vodka in one cup and coke in the other, you take separate sips because it gets you f**ked up! Two, three bottles later, I’m acting like an eediat, the inner pi**head inside of me is just screaming out for mercy. I don’t even remember getting home to my hotel or anything; I was in a bad way bruv. Apparently, I was in McDonalds drive thru in the back of a cab trying to give orders of like 90 nuggets. I had an emotional moment don’t judge me. Get On A Hype Croatia, the first day I got there, I swear I broke a boat. I made the people on the boat get so gassed and that, man conga’d in flipping Mediterranean waters, am I not a gassed guy?! On the Rinse boat I started spitting and they went nuts. They actually tumped off the top of the boat and I got scared. I put them on a million and fifty-seven, screaming #Gas and #Base and the boat started shaking. I sneaked around the back and tried to climb off the boat and someone came up to me like, ‘Hey man, what has happened to my boat?’ I was like, ‘Yo, you booked me to perform, I just did what you asked me to do’. Rinse looking at me like you scumbag; I put them on a million though, I’m so proud of that! They got so gassed off the 140 bpm.
“Hear what I’m saying, make man do your burger well done. I’d rather it be a bit charcoal instead of that flipping mad cow that’s got you moving like 28 Days Later in the bathroom. Have you ever had the all three? Where you vomit, s**t and p**s at the same time?” poisoning?”
Take Time With The Food Hear what I’m saying, keep it simple. Chips and a burger and make man do your burger well done. I’d rather it be charcoal instead of that flipping mad cow that’s got you moving like 28 Days Later in the bathroom. Have you ever had the all three? Where you vomit, s**t and p**s at the same time? I remember this one time in Ayia Napa, I was backing brandy with ice and their water gives you some orange doo doo cuz! It curls up your belly like man has just given you some mad Hadouken. Anyway, I had a girl on the back of my bike and my belly went grrrr and I just thought no way, I am not s**tting myself in Napa with a girl on the back of my bike. I was like get off my bike, get off my bike… GET OFF MY F**KING BIKE!!! Man just flipped at the traffic lights. I had to breeze out, busting red lights and I flew into a kiosk and that, threw man an English score and just went right back to the villa. Those waters will mess you up, give your belly the war talk. Stick To Artist Vehicles Wireless was epic, but stick to the artist vehicles. Man tried to walk to the main stage to see Jay Z. Bruv do you know how far that walk was? I got like half way and I was like f**k Jay Z, what has man done for me? You know when man starts talking like that because my foot is bunning me.
BIG NARSTIE / 66
DON’TS
Be On A Long Ting Any chick that you’ve got eyes on, don’t be trying to pre-lay. Scoop that early because she’ll disappear. I see bare man looking sad thinking, I have to pleasure myself. You know them ones at like 2am, thinking she was just here with me? Man ain’t seizing the moment, talking about, ‘I’m gonna lines it up for later, WhatsApp me’. You’re in a foreign country, WhatsApp my arse cuz! Tarzan beat Jane; you have to up the ante straight away. Man is there 3am talking about… he’s lonely, walking around kicking rocks and that. Back Too Much Drink This is why festival alcohol is a bad thing. Imagine we finished doing our show and two chicks were sitting on the wall talking to man, one of the chicks fell off the wall, the girl buss her head. I’m talking and she’s got blood coming out of the back of her head but she’s so drunk, she’s just chilling like everything is normal! How can nine people all be drunk and not see that this girl has blood dribbling down the back of her head. My boy is there, trying to put in that butter, next minute the ambulance pulls up and puts her in the back and when she’s walking into it you just see bare blood coming out of the back of her head. Everyone on the sideline must have been thinking, ‘you man are on some rape s**t’. I said bruv, ‘What if you would have got her back to the hotel? You would have been on some OJ Simpson trial in some foreign country cuz.’ Get Accustomed To Your Surroundings Argh what! You nearly got away with it. RWD tried to put man on the scavenger hunt, make man do some mad walk for an hour and a half up some cliff hill. F**king up mans foot bottom on them Croatian big rocks and that, get up there, all a myth and that AND they only gave four people a burger. I didn’t even get a burger, like I’m not up there, like I’m the Vauxhall Conference MC and only the Barclaycard MC can get a burger. I hope them man choked on their bloodcl**t burger. Trust me, I was so pi**ed, I walked off - you know them angry walks - and then I got lost. I walked in a circle twice and the same car is just driving past me, looking at me and every time I ask him for help, he’s saying, ‘No English!’ When I got to the depot, I just felt like a wreck! Hold tight RWD, that’s the life of a rock star cuz. My foot was swelling though, like patty and coco bread. Forget Your Survival Kit Volvic Fruit Water is first on my list, I’m about that. If you’re gonna get technical and get into the levels of juice, as standard it’s the Orange and Peach flavour because I’m sexy them way there and lemon because I need that zing. They imported that to Croatia for me. I take the Volvic Fruit Water serious.
I need it mad frozen, the worst thing a man can do is give me a warm juice, I will hate your life, your soul is dog s**t. Or some eediat cups, look at the size of me, trying to give me some Fruit Shoot. And then the Henny or Courvoisier, when the cork goes ‘boop’ you’ve sold your soul for the night. All I can say is if you’re going to Croatia, Public Announcement! Don’t think about wearing pumps, it’s Dr Martens because those Muay Thai stones will shank up your foot. Stones were going through my Nike Air Force Ones, twisting up man’s foot. Fam, I was walking like I was twerking. That festival was like survival, army cadets. I f**ked myself right up, my self respect went all out the window. Don’t forget the Base Defence League Tour 28–31 March. It’s becoming a serious movement. Get involved @BigNarstie and seetickets.com
“Wireless was epic, but stick to the artist vehicles. Man tried to walk from mans stage to the main stage to see Jay Z. Bruv do you know how far that walk was? I got like half way and I was like f**k Jay Z, what has man done for me. You know when man starts talking like that because my foot is bunning me.�
DJ TARGET / 68
3.
I’ve never been a camper. I understand why people do it but the main reason why I wouldn’t is because of the hygiene thing. I wanna have an actual shower with hot water and to be fair and a bed
4.
With the wellies you need practical clothing. Most festivals are in the summer but in the UK that’s dodgy because you can’t really rely on it, so definitely bring something waterproof. I always bring a jacket, I don’t like cold weather, it’s like my worst enemy, so I always try and keep warm
DJ TARGET’S ESSENTIALS BBC Radio 1/1Xtra DJ and Roll Deep member Target exposes his festival essentials ahead of Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Glasgow, 24-25th May. Catch the festival live on Radio 1, online, on mobile or via the BBC iPlayer Radio app. Catch DJ Target on BBC Radio 1Xtra Fridays 7-10pm, Saturdays and Sundays 4-7pm and on BBC Radio 1 on Saturdays 11pm-1am. Photography Andreas Reynaga
1.
I’ve always used the Sennheiser HD 25s. A few DJs I’ve seen with Beats but I’ve used the same headphones for the whole time I’ve been deejaying - not the same pair (laughs). I’ve gone through a lot of pairs but they’re just my standard DJ headphones
2.
Next of course, wellies, depending on where you’re going but as we’re going to Glasgow, if there’s gonna be rain anywhere in that country it might be Glasgow as lovely as it is. I’ve seen a lot of people wearing the designer wellies but the ones that I wear I got in Carlisle; they are cheap, like £17 from any garden shop
5.
I use Serato now, I don’t know if I trust them 100% because when I speak to my DJ friends, they’re like I was at a festival there were 20,000 people and it just stopped and people were throwing things at me. OMG I can’t do that, so I’m thinking of taking a back up USB
6.
A phone charger is essential because I spend time looking for a phone charger and then when you find it, spend half the time looking for a socket. I’m gonna invest in these juice packs from Mophie for sure, no hassle just whack the phone case on and it charges you back up
FESTIVAL APPS / 70
APPY DAYS There’s now an App for pretty much every single thing you could ever imagine, and that includes major festivals. We’ve rounded up some of the most useful festival apps, designed to do everything you could possibly need. You’re welcome.
Shazam Aside from obviously catching performances from your fave acts, one of the best things about festivals is that you get to discover so much of that new good good, too. Shazam any unknown tracks (yes, it’s a verb) and you’ll be able to delve further into the realm of the uninitiated. Plus, it automatically saves all your discoveries so at least your phone will remember who and what you were listening to, even if you can’t.
Find My Friends
Victorinox Festival Ready
Air BnB
The headliner you’ve been waiting all day to see is about to hit the stage, you look around, left, right; your friends have disappeared. How. Annoying. Find My Friends is the app designed to help rid you of that first world pain. Get the homies to download it on their phones and you’ll be able to see where they are at all times on a map which updates in real time, with estimated distances. Pretty amazing right?
The makers of the Swiss Army Knife (yes, really) have gone App appy and created the all encompassing, essential download that is Victorinox. Including a packing checklist, weather updates, emergency medical instructions and a geotagging feature that will help you find your tent, your friends and your head (maybe not the last one), don’t leave home without it. Oh, and it’s free!
For those making bolder festival moves, you know way out of the ends where you have to get on a plane and everything, Air BnB is a blessing. Although based in the US, the app allows you to scour all types of unique accommodations right across the globe. From a castle to a tree house or a plush contemporary pad to a beach villa, forget hotels this time around and get a cool spot for the crew, preferably with no neighbours.
UNWIND
WEBB OF INTRIGUE
Andrew Garfield’s man-spider is back. Having vanquished a giant lizard in the first film’s reboot of the series, he must now contend with an electrified Jamie Foxx whose god-like powers threaten to squash New York’s favourite arachnid, once and for all… Words Julius Pepperwood
Director Marc Webb’s – I’ll avoid the puns - first attempt at re-introducing audiences to Peter Parker was met with a decidedly mixed response from critics and audiences alike. Andrew Garfield delighted fans, picking up where Tobey Maguire left off with aplomb, but the film struggled to define its credibility as a reboot, a mere five years after Sam Raimi’s villain-bloated ‘threequel’. But Webb and Garfield are back! Offering us a Spiderman embraced by his city but threatened by a growing villainy, epitomised by Jamie Foxx’s Electro. Can the pair follow up Raimi and Maguire in delivering a superior sequel or should we expect (cob)Webb’s? Sorry I had to. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is in cinemas nationwide from 18 April
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL / 74
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL Tanika It’s a good time for the fairer sex. We last placed the spotlight on the gyaldem in our girls cover feature last year, but with the strong and unique pool of female creative talent continuously making moves, it’s high time we revisit. Alya Mooro caught up with singers Tanika, Anabel Englund, Anne Marie and Max Marshall to find out their influences, what they think distinguishes them from the rest of the pack and their thoughts on the ever-rising selfie trend. One constant? They all classified themselves as their only competition. Now how’s that for confidence? Just how we like it.
“I’m putting in the work, and I hope people are noticing that along with me making good music. Making good music consistently is very important to me.”
No stranger to the scene, Tanika has already worked with the likes of Sneakbo and MNEK and unveiled supremely catchy numbers, including the likes of debut Bad For You. The South London hailing singer; songwriter has fast been gaining credence as a quality live performer. You’ve been garnering more and more attention as of late, what do you think it is about you / your sound that’s distinguishing you from the pack? I’m putting in the work, and I hope people are noticing that along with me making good music. Making good music consistently is very important to me. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? The best advice is my mum’s advice - “you’ve come too far to give up now, keep going Nika.” Selfies are… AMAZE. For girls though… It ain’t cute when dudes be doing selfies. At the moment, I’m listening to… myself, FKA Twigs, Haim, Drake. Also Sam Smith’s album is the best thing I’ve heard in a while. You’ll believe me once you hear it. If I were scheduled for the electric chair my last meal would be… BBQ lamb chops, sweet mash and sushi. Loads of sushi! My biggest competition is… I see nobody - nobody but myself. I always stay focused on me. The first thing I do in the morning is… feed my son his breakfast. Success is… surviving in this jungle, life ain’t easy. Male groupies are… I love them lol, and the girls too. Ha! Tanika’s F**king With My Heart EP is available on iTunes now. Catch her performing at Juice Box this month. @iAmTanika
Having already performed at the likes of Glastonbury, Sonar and Bestival with house crew Hot Natured and also part of house supergroup Pleasure State (Lee Foss & Marc Kinchen), 21 year-old Los Angeles hailing Anabel Englund has taken the scene by storm. Born into a supremely creative family, helmed by an academy award winning film and TV star grandmother, the sultry temptress is destined for big things.
“when people ask to take pictures with me I usually do something naughty like pinch their nipple or bite their ear/cheek/face!”
What’s the best advice you’ve been given? My grandma once told me I was dumb for being shy and that not singing is only doing myself and everyone else an injustice. After that I always sang my heart out. Some say music is the most faceless it’s been for a while. What are your thoughts and do you think the same applies for female musicians? I don’t think that music right now is faceless at all. There are artists left and right making names for themselves or sustaining what they already have by keeping their look and their brand. Even the super underground people who don’t want anyone to know what he or she looks like because “it’s all about the music” have a face. Their “face” is being that person. Selfies are… funny and fun - something to do when you feel pretty and bored My biggest competition is… is myself. Other than me, Madonna is someone I certainly look up to The first thing I do in the morning is… stretch out in bed and make some noises Feminism… means a lot to me. It’s something I stand for. Being a woman and pushing the limits feels so empowering, which is why when people ask to take pictures with me I usually do something naughty like pinch their nipple or bite their ear/cheek/face! #freepu**y Success is… motivation to achieve something greater. Catch @anabelenglundz this summer at @wearefestvl alongside MK and Lee Foss
Jasmin Bell
BOLD & BEAUTIFUL / 76
Anabel Englund
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL / 78
Anne Marie She performed in the West End alongside Jessie J, now she’s touring the world with Rudimental. The Essex girl, who’s caught the attention of Elton John’s management company, is a force of her own. Don’t believe us? You’d better. Anne Marie’s allegedly an international karate champ! What do you think it is about you that’s distinguishing you from the pack? My music is pretty fluid so I think people can take my voice and what I’m singing about and let it go wherever they want it to go. I also don’t take myself too seriously; I’m pretty approachable and try to talk to my fans as much as possible. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? “Free your mind and your ass will follow” and “Preparation is key.” Selfies are… the explanation of Anne-Marie in the dictionary, haha. I’ve been known to take one or two – see my instagram @annemarieiam At the moment I’m listening to… Purity Ring, Outkast, Little Dragon, Drake, Brandy and Frank Ocean If I were scheduled for the electric chair, my last meal would be… a Philadelphia sandwich, without butter and on brown bread… I’m a cheap date! My biggest competition is… choosing between my head and my heart
Max Marshall Baltimore hailing singer/songwriter Max Marshall picked up and moved to London on the eve of her 18th birthday. Now, the 23 year-old fashion design graduate, produces, does her own hair, make up, styling and designing, and has the ability to play all the instruments in a string quartet. Impressive! What kinds of things influence you on a daily basis? I’ve always been a really creative person across music, fashion and art. In terms of inspiration, it’s as simple as anything – it can be the district line train tracks in West Kensington or a pattern in somebodies walk. Some say music is the most faceless it’s been for a while. What are your thoughts on this and do you think the same applies for female musicians? I don’t think that at all. The standards are always going to be there when you’re in any kind of entertainment industry. I feel like people are being more bold, people are trying more things. My biggest competition is… myself The first thing I do in the morning is… go back to sleep Success is… what you make of it Your Love Is Like is set for release 12 May. @TheMaxMarshall
KEVIN HART & ICE CUBE / 80
GET ALONG GANG We’ve been watching the trailers for a while so once the film dropped we had to catch up with the stars of Ride Along Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. They all knew the production was bound to be a hit and they weren’t wrong already having bagged a sequel before they even finished the promo tour for the original film…
On each other’s favourite catchphrases: Kevin Hart: “Ye ye! Ye ye!” (laughs) Ice Cube: With Kevin it’s something out of his stand up – “you gon learn today!” And “alright, alright, alright!” When he says that, I remember the times because I had uncles in that same era and age so it takes me right back. Kevin Hart on working with Ice Cube: I felt I was working with a guy who had launched careers. A lot of funny comedians were able to go on and do other work because of the platform that Cube gave them. I can honestly say I see why he is who he is; I see why he is where he is. It’s the knowledge that he has of the business; he understands comedy, really. It takes a unique person to understand funny – when to be funny, when to not be funny, when to let somebody else be funny, when to jump in, jump out. He gets it all, man, so it was a dream come true.
RWD Album Reviews
Elli Ingram
“Jheez” Doghouse Island Our girl Elli is putting the world to rights with some serious attitude and even more soul. We like the fact she’s got her own language as well, C’Dawha to you too! There’s really no stopping this chick, can’t wait to see what the album has in store. Track To Check: C’Dawha
Rick Ross
“It’s a vibe” Mastermind MMG This big guy has a lot of rhythm and always picks the right beats, which makes it a little hard to hate on him but lets be honest, no one could care less what he’s actually saying. Great music, huge content fail. Track To Check: War Ready Ft. Young Jeezy
Schoolboy Q
Ice Cube on working with Kevin Hart: He’s a master of comedy, straight up. He can make anybody laugh in any situation, and not all comedians can do that. A lot of guys need a stage, a lot of guys need everything to be set up – Kevin don’t need any of that. Comedy is not easy. It’s not easy for people to expect you to be funny and then you deliver. To be so good and natural and have it come so easy for him. I couldn’t wait to work with him. Ice Cube on his career thus far: I wish I had a couple more dramas under my belt but comedies are my wheelhouse, it’s what people love to see me in. They’re easier to get made from a studio point of view than drama, so it’s like those little things. But as far as planning out a career, I couldn’t ask for anything better than what’s took place. I couldn’t draw up a career like this. Ride Along is in cinemas nationwide
“Gangsta” Oxymoron TDE We have been waiting for some real rap and our boy delivered. We can only assume those not feeling it, just can’t handle the amount of gangsta Q has to give. All we can say is thank you for blessing our ears with that gutter, downright disrepectful ish. Track To Check: Hoover Street
Virus Syndicate
Aggressive The Swarm Midication Recordings These Mancs have been fusing grime, electro, dubstep, hip hop and bass for a minute, so this album has serious intent. Consistently setting their own agenda, expect the vibe that only they can provide. Track To Check: Knock It Back Ft. Teddy Killerz
SPEAKER’S CORNER / 82
MAKING MONEY As staff writer at music industry trade magazine Music Week and a successful freelance journalist, Rhian Jones knows quite a bit about how to make a living from words. Here she reveals exactly what it takes to go from pyjama-clad blogger to professional paid journalist (Clue: you don’t have to lose the pyjamas). Illustration Sam Taylor
I’ve worked for free a lot. And not out of the goodness of my own heart, either. As an 18 year-old aspiring journo with lots of ambition but zero experience, any offers of my services as a writer fell on deaf ears. All my emails to the editors of national newspapers and magazines were ignored. Not one reply. Zilch. They all hate me and the world is against me, I thought. My career has ended before it’s even started. That’s not true; of course, I just didn’t have any proof to back up my grandiose claims of talent and ability. So I spent the next few years blogging and writing for no pay. Many hours were spent in dirty basement bars reviewing unknown bands for an unknown website, before I graduated to yawn-inducing art galleries and political protests for a student newspaper. Aged 21, I got my first pay packet. After a six-week full-time work experience stint, I managed to negotiate a flat fee of £500. Progress… sort of. However, after writing an opinion piece for a national newspaper on the importance of interns asking for pay while not being paid a single penny for writing the article, I decided enough was enough. Dreams of being the best hack Fleet Street ever saw were never
going to be realised if I didn’t get properly paid for my work. Also, everyone’s gotta eat. I’d done tons of blogging, built up a portfolio of work and it was time someone took me seriously. So, I sent off pitches to the Guardian, Cosmopolitan magazine, heat magazine and The Independent. The idea for Cosmo was a particular stunner. My sister and I had written a painstakingly true account of our disastrous love lives and decided it was hilarious. I crafted an 800-word analysis of the article complete with excerpts and sent it off to the commissioning editor. And while I had a polite reply from a few of the titles, none of my ideas got commissioned. But thanks to lots of advice from my previous boss, three years later, my luck has changed. These days, I am paid to write for Company, The Sunday Telegraph and a fair few trade and education publications. So how do you go from no dollar to nuff dollars? When it comes to pitching, think outside the box. Well-known titles have a slew of established and experienced writers that they rely on and are unlikely to have any space for inexperienced and potentially
unreliable names. There are tons of websites, independent magazines and newspapers that as long as you’ve got a good idea, are pleased to hear from anyone. And the most important thing to remember when writing that email is – keep it brief. Sum up your idea in three or four sentences and draw the editor in with your first line. If your hook is buried under two paragraphs of chat, you’ll lose their attention. Also: read the title or blog that you’re pitching to and work out exactly where you see your article fitting in. Use Google to get the right contact details of the person who edits that section and you’re off. Always discuss payment terms straight after the editor has said yes and you’ve agreed the word count, date and content of the article, if they don’t bring it up first. Finally, fake it till you make it. You’re no longer an ‘aspiring’ writer/journalist, you are now officially a writer/journalist. Look like an amateur, and you’ll get treated like one (ignored). Make sure you have a professional looking website and easily viewable portfolio of your best and most recent work. It doesn’t matter if it’s blogs or unpublished, as long as it’s good. What are you waiting for? Get money making!
“However, after writing an opinion piece for a national newspaper on the importance of interns asking for pay while not being paid a single penny for writing the article, I decided enough was enough.”