Street Cred Magazine - May 30th

THE WEEKLY EYE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE

JUNE 2014

www.streetcredmagazine.com

Jennifer Lopez The American Idol is back with her first love

Jonzi D & Breakin’ Convention X-Men Days of Future Past Review White Dee’s Column Chantelle Guy’s view on relationships

EDITOR Mark Dwayne editor@streetcredmagazine.com

Editor’s Note

O

ur weekly Street Cred magazine online has taken flight and now we have even more readers than ever especially as we are also a monthly supplement in the Phoenix Newspaper.

Street Cred has been reborn and exciting times are ahead. It is great that we can now give you updates quicker by logging onto our website every Friday at 12 afternoon.

Our new trend is to make you have the perfect weekend read on your tablet PC and mag digital style and wow its become a craze already.

Take a look at some of the samples that are in Street Cred in this months supplement and to see more go to our website to read the full articles.

We have the latest in Music, Fashion, Film, Community projects and so much more.

SUB EDITOR Gordy Munro PRODUCTION Daniel Riley daniel.riley@streetcredmagazine. com PR & MARKETING Amanda Bowen amanda@streetcredmagazine.com

CATCH STREET CRED ON: www.streetcredmagazine.com twitter.com/@streetcredmag facebook.com/streetcredmag

We are also looking for new writers so send in your ideas.

This edition we have launched White Dee of Benefits St New column which is an exclusive to our publications. Go Dee Get reading.

Mark Dwayne MDG

@StreetCredMag /markdwaynemdg /streetcredmag Mark Dwayne MDG

The views expressed in Street Cred magazine are not necessarily the editors opinion so do not try to kill him if you read anything you feel offended by.

The magazine is a positive and fun read and is not with the intent to threaten anyone. All images are copyright of their respective rights holders.

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CONTENTS GRIMEY (5-6) - 50 Cent, Culture Club, Joey Essex, P Diddy Big Screen (7) - X-Men Days of Future Past Review White dee’s column (8)

What’s on (9) Fashion lick (10-11) - Lipsy, Keyshia Cole Shoes, Kelly Rowland vs Keyshia Gadgets & Gaming (12) - Stelle Audio Pillar, be.ez Le Littoral, Thomas Was Alone

COVER STORY (15-17) - J-Lo SPOTLIGHT (18) - Jonzi D & Breakin’ Convention Chantelle’s Spot(19)

5

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GRIMEY NEWS

50 cent explains why he hasn’t been able to see his son.

“I don’t need an explanation,” 50 said at the time. “I don’t really. I think that my personal life, portions of it are actually supposed to be personal. The actual life as an entertainer is a whole other portion of your life.

My son—I haven’t received an invitation. When he gradu-

ated I was in Budapest on a movie with Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, and Jason Statham.

I think at some points the reason why it actually comes out is because his mom is going to TMZ. I wish she’d find someone so she could leave me alone.”

CULTURE CLUB LIVE T

here is not a country in the world that doesn’t know the names of Boy George and Culture Club.

Grammy Award winners Culture Club sold in excess of 100 million singles and over 50 million albums, and were one of the biggest pop bands of the 1980s.

They achieved seven straight Top 10 hits in the UK, nine Top 10 singles in the USA and nine Top 20 singles in Australia. They had number 1 singles in over a dozen countries and multi platinum album sales across the world, and were first group since The Beatles to have three Top Ten hits in America from a debut album.

They were also the first group in music history to have an album certified diamond in Canada. The

band consisted of Mikey Craig (bass guitar), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Jon Moss (drums and percussion) and flamboyant front man Boy George (lead vocals.)

And now the original lineup have confirmed they are to play live dates across the UK in 2014 for the first time in over 15 years.

Prior to these live dates Culture Club will be going into the studio to record new material, with producer Youth (Paul McCartney, The Verve, Embrace) for an album to be released early in 2015.

Joining Culture Club on this tour will be very special guest Alison Moyet, well renowned musical icon, who has amassed sales of more than 20 million records both as a solo artist and half of influential duo Yazoo.

WEDDINGS PARTIES FUNERALS CONFERENCES CHRISTENINGS pbcaribbeancusine@outlook.com 07896 174 219

GRIMEY NEWS Joey Essex gets an education in all things confusing

L

eading price-comparison site Confused.com has teamed up with Joey Essex to launch their national ‘Compendium of Confusion’, a new campaign designed to educate the British public about the issues they are most confused about.

Robot – Confused.com’s loveable inhouse expert – in a bid to broaden his knowledge on a variety of topics ranging from sport to politics.

And with the nation scratching its head wondering why the date for Easter changes every year, or why Manchester United ever appointed David Moyes, Confused.com has called in Joey Essex to help search for answers to these common confusions.

The former TOWIE and ‘I’m a Celebrity’ star has turned to BRIAN the

P Diddy is alone on the forbes list of millionaires

D

iddy is back ones again and boasting he is the richest man in hip hop with his new single Big Homie which is released in June.

The single features Rick Ross and French Montanna. To be honest its pretty rubbish but people

THE EYE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND CUTTING EDGE LIFESTYLE

MAY 2014

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NOW S U READ E ONLINY EVER Y A FRID

will buy into it as its very todays type of of hiphop which is boasty all about I got more money than you type of thing.

Yes its real to Diddy; this type of lifestyle but really we dont think its what people want to hear.

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BIG SCREEN

Review wORDS by ANtony brown

W

ith the world on the brink of total annihilation and mutants on the verge of extinction, The X-Men send Wolverine back in time in a desperate attempt to put a stop to an event that acts as the catalyst for the slaughter of millions of mutants and humans alike.

The X-Men movie franchise is a peculiar one.

With a strange disregard for continuity and a series of films ranging from mindblowingly awesome to frustratingly bad, you never quite know what to expect with each new entry to the franchise.

But fear not! For I am here to tell you that XMen: Days of Future Past is not only head and shoulders above every other X-Men movie, but it may very well be up there with some of the best superhero movies of all time.

Bryan Singer makes a very welcome return to the director’s chair and he brings with him a passion and visual flair that we have not seen from him since he directed the brilliant X-Men 2.

Singer appears very much at home with the characters and he has a knowledge, understanding and respect for the material that really stands out on screen. When dealing with a story that relies so heavily on time-travel, there is a very real possibility that the film will end up being an incoherent, confusing mess.

Thankfully, Bryan Singer has adapted the Days of Future Past arc from the comic books into a thoughtful, intelligent and coherent piece of cinema. If you thought Singer directed his ass off during the opening sequence of X-Men 2, featuring Nightcrawler infiltrating the White House and taking out an entire squad of agents, just wait until you see the opening sequence of Days of Future Past, which features a futuristic showdown

between a group of mutants and the seemingly unstoppable Sentinel robots.

It is a brisk, action-packed and surprisingly brutal opening that will leave your jaw on the floor, and that’s only the beginning.

A similarly awesome scene features new character Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver, disposing of a group of guards in hilarious fashion, using his breathtaking speed to take them out before they even know what’s happening. It is quite easily one of the best sequences in the entire movie.

The cast of the original X-Men, consisting of Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, join forces with the cast from X-Men: First Class, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence, in order to form one of the biggest and most star-studded casts of all time.

The chemistry between them is fantastic and the fun they are having is evident and contagious, resulting in a finished product that is far better than I ever imagined it would be.

Unfortunately, with a cast so large, it is inevita-

ble that some characters will have to take a back seat and sadly, one of them is the brilliant Ian McKellen, who is criminally under-used and his brief screen time leaves a lot to be desired.

As good as this movie is, there are a few small issues that stop it from being perfect. The film lacks a definitive villain, sharing the villainous duties between Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), while never wholly focusing on just one of them.

The outcome is a film that consists of an abundance of good guys to cheer for and a stark absence of bad guys to heckle. In fact, the biggest threat in the entire movie are the Sentinels, which are just mindless killing machines who have been programmed to track down and eradicate mutants.

Another issue is the inconsistent continuity, something that the X-Men franchise has become notorious for at this point. This issue arises during the futuristic scenes, in which we see that Wolverine still has his adamantium claws despite the fact he had them amputated during the climax of 2013’s The Wolverine.

There is absolutely no explanation as to how he got his claws back, not even a simple “Hey, Wolvey...how’d you get your shiny claws back, man?” and the entire issue is simply ignored, as if it never happened.

Fortunately, these issues are minor and forgivable annoyances that aren’t enough to drastically hinder the film.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a unique beast. It may be the only film in history that acts as a prequel, sequel AND reboot and what’s even more shocking is that it succeeds at being all three.

This truly is a game-changer that promises to usher in a whole new era for The X-Men and I for one could not be more excited about it.

WHITE DEE’S COLUMN

‘White Dee’s’ Column

I

n case you all don’t know, I’m Dee from the street and I’m pleased to meet all you Street Cred readers.

This is my 1st official column, so its probably going to be all over the place, but that’s how I am, all over the place.

I am so honoured to even be asked to write a column, and I hope to bring you news about what’s happening in my life, and about new amazing talented young people that I have had the pleasure to meet, and also about some issues that I hold very close to my heart.

Firstly my weekend consisted of attending Birmingham Pride, which I have been going to since Caitlin was in a pushchair and Mom was on her scooter, knocking everyone out of the way bless her.

For obvious reasons, this year was a whole lot different to every other year I’ve gone.

Birmingham Pride has been going for 18yrs and I’ve been going for 16 of them. Its a celebration of gay and lesbian rights and people from all over the country attend, whether they are gay, straight, black, white, asian or of any other denomination.

They definitely know how to throw a party, and they do it

in style. It definitely didn’t rain on the Birmingham Pride parade.

I didn’t realise that so many people would recognise me, want a picture taken with me and Caitlin, ask where Gerrard was.

I can honestly say I must have had over 1000 pictures taken with some of the nicest people you could wish to meet.

At the end of the day we all bleed the same colour, and Birmingham Pride showed the world how its done brummie style.

We cant wait for next year, where its guaranteed to be bigger and better, and for the record Caitlin's favourite moment was meeting Conor Maynard and Katy B and mine was the amazing Angie Brown.

On a more serious note, can you

imagine losing a son, brother, father and 3 years later still be none the wiser as to what actually happened to him.

This is the case with Kingsley Burrell's family. Kingsley was walking with his young son, when an incident led to him calling the police for their

help. How then was he arrested and sectioned under the Mental Health Act and three days later he died.

Kingsley had no history of any mental illness, he had so much to give, he had children who needed his guidance and are now fighting for justice for their dad.

There are so many unanswered questions that need answering. Enough is enough, this family need to be able to grieve in the knowledge that Kingsley can finally rest in peace.

So there it is then my 1st column done, I hope its all okay because I could go on forever.

Well until next time, stay safe and keep thriving in all you do and follow me on twitter @therealdeekelly Much Love Dee

Coming Soon Backyard Cinema Madness Camden Lock Market, London LG Arena, Birmingham Various - 16th July - 5th September 13 December 2014 British legends Madness An Interactive, atmospheric, have announced details of a outdoor cinema to conquer all brand new UK tour, ALL FOR others. 20 shows, over 8 weeks THE M.A.D.H.E.A.D. which ar- on the iconic cobbles of Camden rives at the LG Arena on 13 Lock Market. 200 giant beanDecember 2014. The new tour, bag loungers and deck chairs their first UK live dates in over to relax in while you watch a a year follows the premise of blockbuster film selection on M.A.D.H.E.A.D: huge 14ft screen with booming speakers.

James NIA, Birmingham 22 December 2014 Manchester legends James make a welcome return to the live arena with a full UK Tour including a date at the NIA, Birmingham this November with special guests Starsailor.

James are behind some of the biggest hits of the last 30 years and have sold over 12 million albums worldwide.

WHATS ON

Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014 Edinburgh, Scotland 18-29 June 2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in international cinema.

The longest continually running film festival in the world. Now in its 68th edition. EIFF 2014 will run from 18-29 June.

Jake Bugg Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 October 2014

Tiff Stevenson Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton 14 November 2014

Slyde Alive Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton 6 June 2015

Culture Club NIA, Birmingham 12 December 2014

One of the most exciting and unique artists to emerge out of the UK in a long time, in under three years Jake Bugg has gone from first on in pubs to selling out the Royal Albert Hall and playing to an astonishing ten thousand people at Nottingham Arena, his hometown.

Tiff’s previous solo Edinburgh stand-up shows have consistently had packed audiences Come and join her test run material for her new Edinburgh solo show, where she ponders if optimism is possible in a world where the Kardashians and Everyday Vodka continue to exist.

Slyde Alive deliver the sounds, the sights and the power of the UK’s greatest live act: Slade!

And now, for the first time ever...Slyde Alive are to tear it up at the Wolverhampton’s legendary Slade Rooms.

Grammy Award winners Culture Club sold in excess of 100 million singles and over 50 million albums, and were one of the biggest pop bands of the 1980s and are to play live dates across the UK in 2014 for the first time in over 15 years.

W

WE Live returned to Birmingham on May 18th, and did so in style. With crowd favourites such as Sheamus, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler and John Cena to name a few, WWE brought the noise to the National Indoor Arena.

The live version of the show so many have seen on their TV sat at home is just as enthralling to watch, and definitely just as explosive. The crowd were treated to a fair number of matches on the night, including seeing Sheamus defeat Alberto Del Rio to retain the US Title with a Brogue Kick.

One of the highlights of the night had to be Bray Wyatt’s defeat to John Cena, who was met with cheers from the crowd before a very exciting match including multiple false finishes after each man performed their finishers. Cena managed to recover just in time to dodge a chair shot from Wyatt after Luke Harper and Erick Rowan gatecrashed the match leading to a second AA on Wyatt

to finish him off and win the match.

WWE Live is a great spectacle to watch and if you’re a fan of wrestling then it’s definitely not one to miss!

FASHION LICK Keyshia Cole and Kelly Rowland - Street Cred’s Hot Celebs of the Month.

Check out the outfits and ladies of course look at the shoes! Ooh!

Talking of shoes...

Keyshia Cole’s shoe collection is still absolutely kicking it in the United States.

She needs to hurry up and get this stunning collection out in Europe and smartish!

FASHION LICK

GADGETS & GAMING

Stellé Audio Pillar

S

tellé Audio - maybe not the most well known of technology brands, at least yet, but the £300 price tag attached to their Pillar speaker seems rather hefty.

Can the sleek sophisticated design of the Pillar, and the quality of the audio it produces be enough to warrant such a high price?

The Pillar comes in a variety of colours, including brushed aluminium, matte black, bronze and gloss white, and after unpacking it from the lovely packaging it arrives in, immediately makes an impact.

While it may be touted as a portable device, standing 30cm tall, by 11cm wide, this cylindrical beast is a rather imposing speaker.

With the on/off switch oddly placed at back and bottom of the speaker, next to the connectivity ports for a 3.5mm jack, power port, and a USB port which can charge any USB powered device as long as the Pillar is plugged into the mains power, the only other buttons are placed on the top of the device.

These include Bluetooth pairing and speakerphone buttons, alongside volume controls. Connecting via Bluetooth to the

T Le Littoral

A

fter shelling out a small fortune for an iPad, you’ll soon realise it’s a very fragile piece of technology.

Because of this, you want an iPad Case that will not only protect your shiny new toy, but will add an element of style to your day to day usage.

Enter the be.ez Le Littoral Folio case, a pleasantly rust-coloured case with cream interior. Its design and colour coming as “a small tribute to the

traditional blouse worn by seamen in Normandy, France.”

The case fully protects the iPad, with made to measure folios available for all iPad sizes, enabling full access to all functions, whilst securing the iPad in a TPU Soft Plastic holder.

Featuring Auto Sleep/ Wake and 3 reading positions, the Le Littoral is everything you could want from an iPad case, and the look, feel and style really don’t fall short.

At just £39.99, this case is perfect for everyday use, and the increased padding combined with the material used makes it very comfortable to use for extended periods of time.

homas Was Alone.

But not for long!

Now on iOS, the BAFTA Award winning Thomas Was Alone is a beautifully created story of Friendship and Jumping.

Poking fun at itself, and platformers in general, TWA looks stunning on the iPad Retina display, and works so well with the touch controls, feeling like it was designed with an iOS version in mind.

Along the way, you’ll meet the titular Thomas, a red rectangular block who has been blessed with the power of falling, and reverse falling (or jumping to you and me), as well as a number of other blocks, who each have their own personalities and abilities, be that jumping higher, squeezing through small spaces or floating on water.

Using a combination of all of their abilities, you have to puzzle your way through the levels and get all of the blocks to their respective ends of the puzzle!

Thomas Was Alone immerses you in their world, with a stunning soundtrack, cunning puzzles, extremely well written and executed commentary.

It could be a bit steep at £5.99, but with 4-5 hours of gameplay, if you’re into puzzle platformers, that price is definitely value for money.

Pillar is easy, with a female voice greeting you when you turn on the Pillar and guiding you through the pairing process with a hint of an Australian accent.

Find the Pillar in your Bluetooth list on your device, connect and you’re away.

What an away it is too. If the design alone wasn’t enough to warrant the price tag of the Pillar, you surely won’t be upset when you finally hear it. Packing two 1.5” drivers angled out of the top, and a 3” downward firing speaker which is vented out of the bottom of the Pillar, the sounds that are produced are rich and warm.

Handling everything from classical to rock, pop and metal and everything else inbetween, the quality and volume of the Pillar is amazing.

The only slight gripe I have with the system is that due to the nature of the design of the Pillar, there is little to no stereo experience, but for a device that packs quite a punch both in design and audio quality, it’s something we can look past, even at the £300 price point.

Definitely worth a look if you’re after a stylish and impressive “portable” speaker.

Key Music Theatre Comedy Literature & Spoken World Young People Dance Film Visual Arts Workshops Events

May

July

June

The Day after Mayday Show

Showcase Smoothie & Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze

Fri 2 May £36 £13.50 (£11.50) MOTD

Thu 22 May / 7pm / £5

YGB Weekly Workshops

Sat 3, Tue 6, Sat 10, Tue 13, Sat 17, Tue 20, Sat 24 & Tue 27 May Indian Percussion Classes

Bangin The Drum We’re Back and We Need to Talk

Sat 24 May 7:30pm / £7 (£3) Jazz @ The Drum Workshop

Kashmir: Penning the Resistance Book Launch

Sun 1 June 3pm / £3 (£2) YGB Weekly Workshops Tue 3, Sat 7, Tue 10, Sat 14, Tue 17, Sat 21, Tue 24 & Sat 28 Jun Indian Percussion Classes Tue 3,10, 17 & 24 Jun 7pm & 8pm Made in Britain Special

YGB Weekly Workshops Tue 1, Sat 5, Tue 8, Sat 12, Sat 19 & 26 Jul

Beauty in Truth

Indian Percussion Classes Tue 1, 8, 15 & 22 Jul 7pm & 8pm

Tue 24 Jun 7pm / £4 (£3) 1st of May Band: Songs of Struggle

Fri 27 Jun 7:30pm / £10 (£6)

Fri 4 Jul £36 £13.50 (£11.50) MOTD

Nubian Readers’ Book Club Fri 27 Jun 7:30pm / £2

Catching History on the Wing Sun 25 May 2pm / Free Admission TBC / 3pm / £3 ADF 20! Launch

Mon 12 May 6pm / Free Admission ADF 20! Exhibition Mon 12 - Wed 25 Jun Free Admission Shaanti’s Eastern Electronic Community Hub

Mon 12 May 11am / Free Admission

The Stuart Hall Project

Sat 5 Jul 7:30pm / £7 (£3)

Thu 29 May 7pm / £4 (£3) Nubian Readers’ Book Club Fri 30 May 7:30pm / £2 Desi Peo

Sat 31 May / 7:30pm £18.50 £10 (£8)

Fri 6 Jun £36 £13.50 (£11.50) MOTD Sat 28 Jun / 7:30pm £10 (£8) £18.50 Made In the Jazz @ The Drum Midlands Festival Workshop Sun 29 Jun / 2pm / £5 Thu 12 Jun 7:30pm / £5 Citizenship, Democracy and Activism

Fri 20 Jun / 7pm A34 Festival and Open Day

Upfront Comedy

United Rhythms

Tue Jul 22 / 6pm Free Admission

Fri 1 Aug £13.50 (£11.50) MOTD

Sat 20 Sep 7:30pm / £8 (£6)

Illustrate Exhibition

Tue 22 Jul - Mon 1 Sep Free Admission Fred Wesley

First World War Commemorative Remembrance Day Service

Wed 23 Jul / 7:30pm Earlybird £15 / £17.50

Sun 17 Aug / 11am

Nubian Readers’ Book Club

Dome Club Planetarium

Reggae MC’s

Sat 27 Sep 10pm / £15, £18 MOTD

Black History Month

Who Am I? End Event

Tue 15 Jul 7pm / Free Admission Simmer Down Festival 2014

Who Am I? Exhibition

Afrovibes Festival Fri 25 Jul 7:30pm / £2

Thu 21 Aug 6:30pm / £3 (£2)

Jazz @ The Drum Workshop Sun 27 Jul / 2pm / £5

Jamaican Hidden Histories

Mon 20 - Sun 26 Oct

Sat 23 Aug / 10:30am Free Admission

Thu 23 Oct

Jazz @ The Drum Jam Session Sun 27 Jul 2pm / Free Admission

Sun 20 Jul 12pm / Free Admission Mon 30 Jun Tue 15 Jul Free Admission

Sat 21 Jun / 12pm Free Admission

Biko’s Quest

Nubian Readers’ Book Club Fri 29 Aug 7:30pm / £2

Mamela

Jazz @ The Drum Workshop Sun 31 Aug / 2pm / £5

Fri 24 Oct

Jazz @ The Drum Jam session Sun 31 Aug 2pm / Free Admission

Rhetorical

Sat 25 Oct

p:ARTicipate scheme Season Ticket Advanced Booking required

Double Trouble

Sun 18 May 7:30pm / £15

TheDrumBirmingham

Indian Percussion Classes Tue 5, 12, 19 & 26 Aug 7pm & 8pm

The Redeemed

Paiseyan Di Hera Pheri

Jazz @ The Drum Jam Session Sun 29 Jun 2pm / Free Admission

September

Illustrate Launch

Summer Scorcher

Sun 25 May / 2pm / £5 Tue 6, 13, 20 & 27 May Jazz @ The Drum Jam Session 7pm & 8pm

August

@The_Drum

+thedrumbirmingham

COVER STORY

Jennifer Lopez The American Idol is back with her first love

A

t 45 she still looks 21, and the hottest property in pop culture today. Many including Britney, Shakira, Madonna and others alike have passed their sell by date but J-Lo is still the hot chick of the game and relevant.

She is back and of course looking sizzling as we know her. The singer, dancer and actress who has won countless awards and arguably still the worlds most favourite poster pin up.

After being a fantastic and genuine judge of American Idol the time has come to see how the real popstars do it.

J-Lo is back with a brand new album titled AKA with the first single being the R&B track ‘First Love’. This is her 10th studio album, the follow up from Dance Again released in 2011.

One thing with J-Lo is she is the style queen and always comes out with a hot urban record.

COVER STORY Can you believe it was 16 years ago since she released her first single “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”? Look at her now still no change in looks.

We are sure these celebrities drink better water than we do. Ha. J-Lo has had many hits over the years and have seen collaborations with Fat Joe, Nas, Ja Rule, LL Cool J and former partner Diddy and this album is said to have collabs with todays heavy hitters - Chris Brown, French Montana, Nas, Iggy Azalea, and close friend Pitbull .

With production and songwriting by producers Max Martin, Diplo, Ryan Tedder and DJ Mustard, how can J-Lo go wrong?

‘Its great to be back in the studio again and I am working with people who I really get on with.

The magic is there on this album and I am very excited about the whole thing’.

The business woman outbid the beast of Hip Hop, Diddy, in the chance to buy Fuse TV network but apparently its not personal and Diddy has congratulated her on the next success.

One thing for sure is J-Lo is humble and has a good business head on her, with her music,

COVER STORY

to be ‘Its great e studio back in th I am again and h it people working w get on lly who I rea magic is e h with. T this album there on ed very excit and I am whole about the thing’

movie, clothing line & perfume have made her millions.

The press have never given the title legend but we think she deserves that for sure.

At one time Jenny from the block was just a dancer who lived in the Bronx sharing a bed with her sisters and look where she is now.

On a recent interview with Sway TV they asked how she remains humble and she said ‘It’s very easy to forget how good you have it and I always remind myself of where I used to be and that’s what I teach my kids’ She was also asked what she thought of the incident with Jay and Solange and she replied.

‘Well this is what comes with the game. Know that people are going to go into your life and see things you’re not gonna want them to see, but at end of the day we’re all human and mess up, and not everything is perfect we get down and get back up again’.

Right now fans are very excited and the cover over her new album AKA is creating a massive stir with her almost naked look.

So far the tracks we heard from the album “I luv ya Papi” and “Big Booty” are hot and blazing across the clubs. Looks like we got her back and to be fair we’re really excited about the return.

J-Lo is The American Idol.

SPOTLIGHT

Jonzi D is simply

“Breakin’ Convention”

S

o many artists use the Hip Hop tag as a tool to promote violence and really go away from the real concept of the genre. Thankfully there are a few that care about the impact music has on people and use the tool more positively.

One who is very active in progression with youth and utilizes Hip Hop positively is London born-andbred Jonzi D who has created the concept of Hip Hop Theatre.

This dynamic talent is responsible for the creation of the UK’s biggest dance events we know as Breakin’ Convention a platform that expresses the Hip Hop movement with dance and poetry.

Jonzi’s work rate is phenomenal and hasn’t gone unnoticed as he has even had his own short films Silence Da Bitchin and Aeroplane Man that were shown on Channel 4.

Jonzi D MC is known as a British Hip Hop legend of dance and poetry, who has worked with the likes of The Roots, Mannafest, Lenny Henry, MC Mell ‘O’ Monie Love and toured with Hip Hop legend Gangstarr.

From B-Boy dancing in clubs and on the street to graduating from the London contemporary

dance school and now the creator of British Hip Hop theatre.

Breakin’ Convention is an amazing concept that has taken Jonzi all around the world and he has even been a guest on Def Poetry Jam shown on HBO. With so much experience and unique history, when he was asked what gave him the inspiration for theatre he replied: ‘For me Hip Hop went wrong as far as the media was concerned in the 90’s - they portrayed it to be violent, with strippers, gun toting, bling & scantily clad women but that isn’t Hip Hop. I am old skool and I use this medium as a positive voice and to bring the Hip Hop community together and show what Hip Hop is really doing.

With the acts I’ve put together, many are young and they have shown me that we have a bright future in Hip Hop and there is a lot more positive than negative going on’ When asked about most memorable places he has performed, Jonzi said: ‘Wherever it may be I take my show serious, big or small. I see every show as opportunity for expression and I give my full 100 percent to every audience I play to.

I must say though when

I performed Park Jam and at the Apollo in Harlem, that’s when it hit me that some of the greats have been on this stage. We’re talking James Brown performed on this stage.

We at Street Cred went to see the Breakin’ Convention at the Hippodrome which was part of the International Dance Festival, and it was an absolute mindblower.

There was the best of young up and coming as well as established breakers from all over the world even some disabled breakers who stood out for me by the name of ILLAbilties.

These guys inspire you to never give up on your dreams, even through disabilities and illness.

I’m telling you they were simply amazing and likely to bring a tear to your eye. If you ever thought of giving up on your dreams then after watching these guys you sure would think again.

Jonzi D has an amazing vision and is excellent for talent spotting. He put together a three hour Hip Hop theatre event that had the full auditorium at the edge of their seats.

Words : Mark Dwayne

WE NEED SOME MORE ‘STINK’ IN HERE! REALLY?

Q

uick and easy question? Is it the ‘lick’ not to wash? I ask because lately I have been victim to some rank aromas! I mean mega stink, so bad that they could actually sizzle my nasal hairs away and theses aromas are from people!

Now, I don’t know about y’all but after a bath/shower my skin is glowing and I feel right! I just LOVE it! I understand the whole finance factor and times being hard for everyone

but really? Steve Smith he created Poundland…dare I say anymore! Excuseless!

It is important to wash the grime of the day and your night time sleep away because our air is polluted with so many toxins and during our sleep we can burn up to 100 calories!

Then after a wash and you smell fresh its time to lather yourself with lotion, men its okay to cater for your skin it is the largest organ we have, then perfume or aftershave! I’m not

trying to be patronising to my readers but after being a victim I feel that it is my duty to save other nasal hairs!

But people please know when to stop pressing down that nozzle on your perfume/aftershave bottle because it’s not only unpleasant to smell funky but it is also unpleasant to smell of too much Ralph Lauren Millions or Chanel no.5, that also can burn away nasal hairs!

Chantelle’s

RELAY or SHUN THE SHIP?

T

hey’re hard work, relationships, ennit? Hard yet good, maybe, when treated as a relay!

Okay, so it doesn’t necessarily require 4 people but two people that are willing to work together for unified victory.

Carrying the baton of responsibility, romance and reliance then passing onto your significant other who

then runs with it and brings it back to you to do the same. The ‘ship’ would represent the MEHUSIVE reunion with another individual - their past, the present, the ups and down, their strengths and weaknesses, the agreements and disagreements , conversations and squabbles – the list goes on! It moves slowly and steadily effectively managing all the MEHUSIVENESS whilst travelling to

Word on the street CHANTELLE

the desired destination – marriage!

So my question remains, should we ‘shun the ship’ variation and ‘try the relay’ technique. Sharing is caring right? And after all, our parents did say when we were children to ‘SHARE’ but shouldn’t we accept our significant other, ‘ship’ an all? Something to think about whilst you sip ya tea, ay!

Spot

The hilarious weekly column

BREAKDANCIN’ BROKE ME!

U

pon arrival to the Breakin’ Convention at The Birmingham Hippodrome I was greeted to the sounds of some MAJOR old skool hip hop music and vibes in the foyer.

As I walked forward I saw a circular crowd of people cheering like they were in Primary School watching a fight and chanting ‘FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!’ Obviously they weren’t - they were watching break-dancers enter the circle and dance! It was exhilarating! It was like I was watch-

Review by chantelle guy

ing Breakdance the film LIVE! Then I learned that these dance cyphers were on each floor!

Wow, I felt like a spoilt child! When infact I was a very blessed adult! I was in the presence of amazing talent, brilliant core strength, and confidence.

When I eventually tore myself away from the cyphers, where I battled with myself and my own

urges to enter the circle and drop two moves, I was seated and the advertised show started, the lights went dark and the hip hop music played!

My head started bobbing.

The hosts were funny Mad Flow – super beat-boxer and Jonzi D – artistic director and b-boy.

The dancing started with Dance Nuvo telling a wonderful story through the power of dance, I love that! I love to have to read a message without any written words, little did I know that there was more to come! YAY! Jigsaw told a story based on a relationship – the meet then the break up!

I thought my eyes were going to bleed tears…it was so moving!

B-Girl Terra and Eddie feat Soul Mavericks danced hard and B-Girl

Terra was like a little B-Girl explosion!

And then there was ILL-Abilities – they really warmed my heart and shocked my soul with their biographies told over music.

Their story was called No Limits, and their message was ‘no excuses, no limits!’ Their message was poignant, powerful and extremely empowering. I cried! And to all the talents I saw that evening BRAP BRAP BRAP!

7

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