Cut 6_new website

T P OL H E IT WORICAL SPE D CI A L 06

Secret London Rave Map Africa Style Histories Nollywood New music with Ty, Janelle MonĂ e, Hugo, Dark Sky Akala, G Frsh, Doc P, Marvell Dennis Morris Midnight Madness Spine TV

2010

We Ac ti vi st STASH SH O T B Y C H ERYL D U N N w w w.w e sc .c o m

Includes the Number 1 single featuring N-Dubz Plus Take Me back feat Taio Cruz and Never Leave You feat Amelle

24

06 14

06

INTRODUCING – Harry Mitchell; Skillit; Gabriella Da Silva; Jesse Boykins; ; Rox; Darq E Freaker

FEATURES – The Past Is Another Country; From London With Love; From Gangsta to God; Rave Map

THIS IS REAL LIFE – Nollywood: Politics: Whats Changed?: Gap Year; The Big Debate; The Political Word

34

She said…

Hello and welcome to our “Secret London” Issue! When we were brainstorming ideas for a theme for Issue 06, “Secret London” was the winner hands down.

So we’ll be taking you on a bonafide tour of some of the things you never knew about in the city I’m sure you all love, from BMX-ing in Peckham, through to Buddhist Temples in Wimbledon.

Alongside all our usual music and fashion exclusives, we also have a “Political Word” special, where we’ll be delving deep into what young people are saying about current state of affairs, talking direct to the Met Police about “Joint Enterprise” and looking at the significance of music in prisons. Read on to find out what the secret side of the city has to offer.

He said…

What can I say other than we’re doing it again. As you already know here at The Cut HQ we like to provide with what is fresh, upcoming and different and if that’s why you like us, this issue shouldn’t disappoint. We definitely kept it UK with Akala, Ty, 1Xtra’s very own Sarah Love and we even threw some Nollywood stars into the mix. For even more on all the stories featured in this issue go to www.thecutnewspaper.com and www.thecutnewspaper. com/blog.

FASHION – Cali State of Mind; Africa Style Histories

42

MUSIC – Ty; Hugo; Akala; G Frsh; Janelle Monáe; Dark Sky; Marvell; Doc P: Record Shopping With Ricardo; Spine TV; Cynikal; Labrinth; Ikonica; and Kito

Sponsors

Published by Hardcore Is More Than

The Cut

Cover photography by Jemil Saka

Music Ltd. This project is a partnership

258 Harrow Road

and Akwasi Tawia-Poku

between Hardcore Is More Than

London W2 5ES

Styling by Damian Malontie, Ricardo Nunes, Jemil Saka and Silas Osei

Music and Paddington Development Trust Funded by Westminster City

Contact us at

Styling Mentor Coco Cassibba.

Council as part of the Youth Enterprise

info@thecutnewspaper.com

Make Up by Helina Varma

Hub. Paper supplied with thanks

www.thecutnewspaper.com

Follow us at

to Stora and Southern Print Ltd.

www.hardcoreismorethanmusic.com

www.twitter.com/TheCutMag

THE CUT 03

Inbox

CUT 06

Foot Patrol – Home of Hype Kicks It’s the moment sneaker fans across London have been waiting for. After years of being in the dark Foot Patrol has finally made a come back at its home on Berwick street. The Cut went down to the opening speak to Alex & Sheebs (staff at Foot Patrol), take some pics, as well as do some needed shopping.

In case you don’t know why there is such a fuss about Foot Patrol reopening, Alex AKA ‘The King of Hype’ gives us a little insight into what Foot Patrol means to sneaker heads. “A lot of shops have gone missing..this one has now come back alive.

Another place for sneaker fans to go shopping.

Lots of hype stuff…”

inb www.footpatrol.co.uk

Streetstyle 2010 To get a copy of the original ‘Streetstyle’ on Ebay will set you back £100. But fret not, as sixteen years since the first issue of the legendary V&A exhibition and book, the PYMCA have got together with author Ted Polhemus to publish a new edition for 2010.

Hipsters, Teddy Boys, Beats, Rockabillies, Rude Boys, Mods, Surfers, Hippies, Punks, B-Boys, Ravers, Harajuku Girls - and all the other streetstyle originals are there in full colour, in what Chloe Sevigny described as her ‘sartorial bible’. Cultural anthropologist Polhemus was documenting styles and tribes long before the likes of Facehunter and Scott Schuman, and doing it with an unmatched flare. The new edition will feature nearly 100 extra pages, including 5 new chapters. The book launches alongside an exhibition at The Book Club on 30th September.

Label Talk This issue The Cut recommends:

Label: Hemlock Artists: Ramadanman, Untold and LV http://www.myspace. com/hemlocklondon

Label: Berkane Sol Artist: Geiom

http://www.myspace.com/geiom

Label: Off The Uncertain Button Artist: Dave I.D

http://www.myspace. com/daveidspace

Label: DJ International Info: The legendary Chicago House label have just released a sizeable chunk of their backcatalogue digitally.

Available on bleep.com

To Pre-order Streetstyle: http://

http://bleep.com/

tinyurl.com/buy-streetstyle

index.php?page=label_ details&labelid=2508

http://www.pymca.com

04 THE CUT

Inbox

CUT 06

box UNA NOCHE Still studying film at New York University, Lucy Mulloy’s debut feature film “Una Noche” has injected fresh British talent back into the international film-making world. With a student oscar nomination under her belt, Lucy’s personal mentor is Spike Lee and there is no doubt that he has recognised something of himself in Lucy: authenticity for the world she evokes and a sensitivity for youth culture. Filmed in Cuba, Una Noche tells the story of a 16 year old boy Raul who’s world unravels in one night. Together with two friends he has no choice but to run. Ninety miles of treacherous ocean stand between Raul and his dream. Miami.

Battle Front People say young people don’t care about politics, or social change. One initiative is seeking to challenge that. In its second season, Battlefront brings together 14-21 year olds from all over the UK who want to make a change. Our favourite campaign so far this year is the ‘Meet Your Street’ campaign, fronted by Alex Loughlin. Alex is campaigning for people to ‘Meet Their Neighbours’. Even though it doesn’t seem ‘Political’ with a capital P, if you know what I mean, I think it is an important campaign that says a lot about the way we live now. This year the Battlefront site is jam packed with passionate young people who want to change the world, but are doing things close to home. The Cut commends them. www.battlefront.co.uk

www.unanochefilm.com http://www.myspace. com/lucymulloy

http://www.facebook.com/pages/

UNA-NOCHE/141903289169134?ref=ts

Forget Lady Gaga and check out Lady Marga Whatever happened to all the hype female MCs? The Cut recently discovered Lady Marga, someone we think you should check. A proper East London girl, Marga started out performing with Roll Deep and Dizzee back in the day. Since then she’s toured with Basement Jaxx and Mad Professor. Now she’s back in full force with new single ‘Strike Back’, and look out for her album dropping at the end of this year. www.myspace.com/ladymarga

THE CUT 05

introducing Harry Mitchell

I don’t tell people what to do and I don’t set things up…

06 THE CUT

Each issue we try and introduce introduce young photgraphers who’s distinctive style makes them stand out from the rest.

This time round, seeing as it is our Secret London Issue, we picked 20 year old Harry Mitchell. Here he talks in his own words about inspirations.

My name’s Harry Mitchell. I’m 20 yrs old, I study photography at Brighton University and just finished my first year.

I remember going on holiday with my dad back in the day and asking him if I could have a go on his Nikon SLR. He taught me the basics and I would go out with his camera, not really knowing what I was doing, but just having fun

with it. Since then I’ve been shooting and teaching myself using anything I could get my hands on. The internet’s a really great resource if you know how to use it.

I’m interested in documentary photography, photo journalism and portraiture but I won’t put myself into a specific category.

I don’t tell people what to do and I don’t set things up

“I don’t like making things unnatural, I like photographing things as they are and as there happening…”

a big fan of Matthew Craig, Mustafa Abdul Aziz is really good, Lauren Greenfield too…

because I don’t like making things seem unnatural. I like photographing things as they are and as they’re happening.

There’s a lot of photojournalists that I like, it changes all the time. Antonin Kratochvil is a brilliant photographer. He gets close to his subjects, which is amazingly important; there’s no point of shooting someone from ten metres away. I’m

What inspires my work? I’ve been really lucky that a lot of my friends are interesting characters, I think that comes through in a lot of the pictures, but you’ve also got to put in the effort to find people.

The problem with living in London is that everyone’s scared of each other, nobody wants to talk to one other, nobody wants to engage.

Photography is a really good way of breaking that down, so having that ability to engage with strangers makes for more interesting pictures.

I’m not prejudiced against digital or film although I have my preferences. I shoot film

for my personal work because I like the quality. When you shoot film, you only have 36 pictures, so you think very carefully about what you’re including in the frame and how it’s going to work. With digital you don’t think in colour or black and white, but when you’re shooting with black and white film you know in your mind you’re shooting with these tones and how it’s going to look. I wouldn’t say I have a preference though: I shoot in digital for my commercial work.

I shoot my 35 mm film with a Leica M6. I used to use a Contax T2 as well. For all my medium format work I use a Mamiya 7, when at university I sometimes use a Mamiya R267 and in the studio I sometimes use a Hasselbad with a digital

back or a Mamiya with a digital back. My favourite is probably the Leica because it allows me to shoot really fast. It’s very quick and silent - and since it’s unobtrusive people relax around it more.

I wouldn’t say there’s a formula or a method to making good photographs; anyone can make good pictures. Shoot things that are personal and experiment, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing and don’t worry about having the best camera: I can make the same picture I did with a £2000 camera with a £50 camera. It’s all down to the eye, it’s not down to the equipment.

Text by Jemil Saka Images courtesy of the artist

THE CUT 07

introducing skillit

“Yeah I live with my mum, say something! Yeah I share a room with my little brother, say something!”

Skillit has definitely proved that he has the talent to succeed in both the music and comedy industries.

into The Cut HQ and talk about all manner of things including major labels, his mum’s house and celebrity styles.

We opened up by talking about his music and how he ended up linking it with a unique comedy routine.

W

ith an underground smash to his name in Skeen and regular appearances on the BBC’s No Hats No Trainers, Skillit has definitely proved he has the talent to succeed in both the music and comedy industries. He took time out of his packed schedule to pop

08 THE CUT

“I had always been a big fan of music, but it was never something I took too seriously.

The university I went to was very music based, though, and people were on the same wavelength as me so I took it from there. It’s weird because if you hear my first mix tape Talk of the Town, a lot of it is very serious hip hop, but in general I’m quite fun. When I wrote that song called Skeen, it was based on true events.

We went out for my friend’s

birthday but got turned away from the club, so I was like ‘skeen’, the reasons were just ridiculous. I went home that night and wrote the song.”

Known for his interesting style in clothing, Skillit was only too happy to take up our specially styled celebrity fashion challenge. We listed three celebrities – Simon Cowell, Heather from Eastenders plus his own choice, Tiger Woods - and asked him to say how they could improve their style.

“Simon Cowell wears the same clothes every day, he’s like a cartoon character. But I like him, you can’t mess with him, so I will leave him.

Heather from Eastenders? Oh Heather- wow! She’s sexy! I’m liking the stuff she wears in

the laundrette! Tiger Woods fix up! It’s nothing to do with fashion, but I just had to get it off my chest. I feel good now.”

The home comforts of his mother’s abode mean that it will take a big deal to move on.

“Yeah, I live with my mum: say something! Yeah I share a room with my little brother: say something! It’s a bunk bed as well: say something!

What!? Save money! Basically right now I’m spitting them real bars. Two years from now I’m going to be singing, I’m only gonna break, break, break your heart.” www.skillit.com Text by Damian Malontie Photography by Amber Gilbert, Kiran Nijjar and Edward Kagatuzi

introducing gabriella da silva

“Anywhere, anytime and I get a burning feeling at the ends of my fingers and I know I’ve got to write.…”

Her stories are about love, friendship and relationships as well as loss and sadness.

I

’m sitting across the table from Gabriella Da Silva when she tells me that life inspires her to write. I laugh and stare at her with an expression of pure incredulity; I even look back as if to consult a bystander as to whether or not they have just heard this cheesiness. But she is genuine. She understands why I find it so funny and, as I listen to her story, I understand that even the truth can be prone to cliché.

Gabriella is 19 and a soonto-be published writer. She is currently working on a collection of short stories called Me and Broken Pieces

which is due to be published

by Christmas. I ask her how she got her work published.

“I did nothing they found me.

I had always written short stories and poems as a child but it was one poem written as a tribute to and recited at the funeral of a friend that got me noticed. A friend of my friend’s father was a publisher for Collins and approached me about my work. I showed them some of my other work and they were rather impressed.”

I ask her if it was intimidating writing something for so many people. Her answer is immediate.

“No. I can be anywhere.

Anywhere, anytime and I get a burning feeling at the ends of my fingers and I know I’ve got to write. It just falls out and that is what I love.”

But it isn’t all about love - at least not in the conventional sense. She tells that one of her favourite stories is one about her father, written from the perspective of a father who left his child. She tells me about another inspired by a friend who committed suicide.

She continues in this fashion, constantly emphasising that her stories are about love, friendship and relationships as well as loss and sadness.

She describes her writing as “non-fiction embellished into fiction”. A heady concept.

Our session finishes as Gabriella has to go to a proofing session with her literary agent. She tells me she is looking forward to reading about herself in The Cut and I tell her she should get used to it. She agrees and laughs. We go our separate ways but I am sure this is not the last time you or I will be hearing her name.

Text by John Oduor Image courtesy of the artist

THE CUT 09

introducing jesse boykins Boykin’s aim is to leave an impression on listeners every time he releases a song or an album.

W

e met up with Jesse Boykins after he played his first ever UK gig at the Cargo venue in Shoreditch, where he was overwhelmed by the positive reaction he had just recieved, “It was like when you walk into a new store and you like the new experience.

I wasn’t expecting it as I hadn’t seen it before because I live in New York so when I got here I got all this love.

This is perfect timing and a great decision for my career to come over here”.

Travelling is in the Jamaican born artist’s blood and he puts his musical influences down to his experience of different cultures, “I would probably say Miami had the biggest influence on me as I was there for the longest time. But it was when I was in Jamaica that the music really started and I decided to be a singer. I was six years old and my aunt would take me to music lessons every Saturday.

So when I moved to Miami I

10 THE CUT

came across different types of genres like Salsa, Bachata and Merengue. All that different energy made me get into everything from Jazz to Latin music. Moving to Miami definitely opened my ears to different kinds of music.”

He is keen to stress that throughout all his music, Soul is the common strand that ties it all together. “To me Soul is timeless. It doesn’t have to sound like a Marvin Gaye song but anything that’s from the heart lasts.

You can tell when something is trendy and is only going to last three to four months. I call them ringtone songs! But you can listen to Soul albums which came out 30 years ago and still sound brand new.

D’Angelo’s Voodoo album is one of my favourites it came out when I was 12 years old and I listen to it all the time.”

It was in Miami the young singer cut his teeth singing in a number of bands, “I sang in a lot of little groups. We

wanted to be Jodeci or Boyz II Men. I was only 15 years old and that was like the vibe and the temptation. I was in a high school group called Perfect Timing. We actually got signed, but it didn’t work out because someone in the group had to drop out. That’s when I started to do my own thing”.

After the success of his first two albums Dopamine My Life on My Back and The Beauty Created, Boykins is working hard on his third album, the Love Apparatus, “I’m working with Machine Drum. He has done most of it and I did a

“…it was when I was in Jamaica that the music really started and I decided to be a singer.”

couple tracks. It’s definitely some of my best work. I feel that with this album I have finally found that niche.

The album is mostly about balance and about my being an individual in society”.

Boykin’s aim is to leave an impression on listeners every time he releases a song or an album, “I never want them to stop playing the album.

I want them to know that if they feel a certain way my music will match that. That’s how I look at it when I think about how I want people to look at my music, I want them to apply it to their life”.

He certainly made a lasting impression on London and here at The Cut look forward to his return.

twitter.com/jb3music Text by Ricardo Nunes Image courtesy of the artist

introducing rox

“Song writing is something, along with honesty, that I value very much”.

…self belief and talent leading to dreams coming true, then new sensation Rox is the living proof.

more and more familiar.

She talks us through the first time she hit the road.

“It wasn’t a shock as you kind of get used to living out of a suitcase even though it does get annoying. As much as I love being on the road there is nothing better than just laying in my own bed.

It’s tough but nothing can beat that feeling of going out and performing on stage.”

Being on the tour bus heading to venues up and down the country has left Rox with plenty of time to ponder what the highlights of the year have been so far.

I

f ever there was an example of long term ambition, self belief and talent leading to dreams coming true, then new sensation Rox is the living proof.

“I realised I wanted to be a recording artist from the age of 14. I was a singer at church from a really young age. The choir master saw something in me and would make me stand in front of the choir to sing for everyone.”

Singing is not the only talent south Londoner Rox had under her belt as a youngster. Songwriting was also a passion and something she describes as “like writing in her diary”.

“That’s the best way to write.

When it’s autobiographical I think people value it more. People appreciate

songs that talk about their day-to-day experiences.

Songwriting is something, along with honesty, that I value very much.”

Since this is the Secret London issue we asked Rox to reveal a secret about where she writes her songs.

“In the studio mainly or sometimes at home, I would say that’s the easiest. I don’t tend to start writing stuff out of the blue like on the bus or something like that. Maybe I have before but I tend to be near a piano or a guitar.”

No real surprises there then, but something you probably didn’t know about Rox and her new album was that much of it was recorded in the United States.

“I recorded some tracks with Commissioner Gordon. He

produced songs for Lauryn Hill who made my favourite album of all time. When I sat down with my label and we discussed who I wanted on my album to take it to the next level he was one of the first people I mentioned.”

“I’ve had a few actually.

Overall it would probably be performing with Jools Holland.

As an emerging artist, for him to come out and contact me, wanting me to perform with him is something I will remember for the rest of my life. Supporting Grace Jones was also pretty special.”

The experience of being in studios on both sides of the pond revealed little difference between producers from the UK and the USA.

Having had so many highlights already we asked what will leave Rox satisfied when she looks back at the end of the year 2010.

“I didn’t really notice a difference between the two.

There are slight differences.

Maybe it just differs from person to person. America likes the big productions and everything is more clean-cut but you always find different people making new music.”

“Obviously I would love to get to number one although if it doesn’t happen I wouldn’t think that I would have failed in any way. I’ve always thought that my career would be gradual and it would never be an overnight success.”

Working in the USA is not the only time South Londoner Rox has experienced being away from home. It is becoming

Text by Damien Malontie Illustration by Jason Adenuga

THE CUT 11

introducing Darq E freaker

“I think in due course the spectrum of the audience will be broadened… ”

We had a quick chat with the young man to see where his production talents will take him.

T, Next Hype. We had a quick chat with the young man to see where his production talents will take him.

So for those who don’t know, who is Darq E Freaker?

Darq E Freaker is a 23 year old artist and producer from South London.

W

ith Grime blowing up, it’s not just the MCs you need to keep your eyes peeled on. Meet producer Darq E Freaker. He’s produced hits with NuBrand Flexx and the gob smacking hit by Tempa

12 THE CUT

Where does your passion for grime stem from? My passion for grime stems from following all original UK underground music. I started listening to drum and bass and have just followed from there all the way through garage to what we’ve got now.

Next Hype is blowing up, how did you get Tempa T on the track? Next Hype was hooked up by mate A-List & Rinse FM DJ JJ. We worked together in

a record shop and I used to play him beats from time to time. One day he happened to show Tempa T and that spawned the monster of a track we know as Next Hype.

Who are your top three MCs right now? Ghetts, P Money and Dot Rotten - that’s in no particular order. My top three of all time would be Durrty Goodz, D Double E and Dizzee Rascal.

Will Grime ever be mainstream? We can see such a thing happening before our very eyes right now. It’s a slow transition but all progress is positive. I think in due course the spectrum of the audience will be broadened by the pioneers who are breaking boundaries and opening doors for the future.

What does the future have in store for Darq E Freaker?

My future plans are to take my music to the furthest extent it can go and beyond. I’ve got some big project’s lined up due to drop late 2010 and early 2011. Later this year I have an instrumental EP coming out on vinyl and digital download entitled The Horus EP. Vocal wise I’m working with Lethal B, Addictive, Newham Generals and P Money but as I said I don’t wanna say too much - just wait and see.

www.twitter.com/DarqEFreaker www.DarqEFreaker.tumblr.com www.soundcloud.com/ DarqEFreaker www.myspace.com/darqefreaker Text by Shamz Le Roc Photography by Akwasi Tawia Poku and Jemil Saka

introducing sucker– punch

The Cut caught up with two of the star performers from Roy Williams’ stunning new play Sucker Punch

dashes in. He’s come straight from shooting the new series of Psychoville for the BBC and has limited time to eat, be interviewed and prepare himself for tonight’s performance. He tells me he lost three stone for the role of Leon, changed his diet and hasn’t been drunk since New Years Eve: “I went a couple of months having one day off every two weeks to get into shape. It’s one of the hardest things I’ll probably ever do.” It’s not just that Daniel now physically embodies the character of Leon: he’s got so wrapped up in the character that he’s found himself swearing like Leon - even to his mum.

the Royal Court Theatre. He admitted that he’d had to make real sacrifices in his preparations to play Troy.

T

he Cut caught up with two of the star performers from Roy Williams’ stunning new play Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End. Sucker Punch is the gritty and authentic tale of Leon, a young black boxer growing up in 80s Britain, and his rivalry with his friend Troy, who trains at the same London gym.

Anthony Welsh is the first to arrive; laid back, polite and outgoing. We start talking about the play showing at

“I didn’t find the exercise tough but I struggled with the eating restrictions. Not being able to have McDonalds or cake and custard gave me a newfound respect for boxers who do some hard athletic work.

I’m not going to start fighting though, gotta keep the face.”

As well as the physical training, Anthony researched the historical background to his role. He watched boxing matches, researched police brutality and read Linton Kwesi Johnson’s poems. He also discovered the black movements of that time and realised how much had happened close to where he lived.

Since graduating from drama school, Antony has performed in numerous plays, appeared

in The Bill and last year filmed Red Tails alongside Cuba Gooding Junior and Redman.

“It was a great experience and I learned a lot while on set with Cuba, how he performs differently for wide shots and the closer shots.

Meeting Redman was also special because he was the first rapper whose lyrics I memorised. The first thing he said to me was ‘You got any weed?’. I don’t smoke but at that moment I wish I could’ve given him some!”

At this point Daniel Kaluuya

“…everyone in Hollywood is too beautiful. UK actors are more real, they have an edge.”

“It’s happened before but only for theatre roles. For film work you get treated better, do less and get paid ten times more, but theatre has roles you can do more with.”

Although this is his first lead theatrical role, Daniel has been acting for several years.

He played Posh Kennith for Skins, appeared in Dr Who and frequently collaborates with Jason Lewis with whom he cowrote Too Many Man spoof Too Many Weave. He tells me he is in no rush to work in Hollywood.

“I visited last December to network and am not scared of it anymore. While in Hollywood I realised why British actors did so well there: everyone in Hollywood is too beautiful.

UK actors are more real, they have an edge.”

Text by Jamal Hue Bonner Images courtesy of the artist

THE CUT 13

T P OL H E I T IC WOR AL D

government bring any real improvement in the fortunes of the millions of first time voters who placed their faith in these promises by turning out to vote in record numbers?

D

uring the build up to this year’s election the word change was at the forefront of every politician’s argument as to why the voting public should choose them to run the country’s affairs. We certainly got a degree of change in the shape of the first coalition government for 36 years but will this new

14 THE CUT

newly formed government?

Sadly, there is much evidence to suggest that these expectations will not be met, particularly with the savage cuts in government spending to the public sector.

All parties promised that this election would re-shape the face of British politics.

The focus was on lowering the debt, sustaining the fragile economic recovery, tackling unemployment and, importantly, giving help to the people that need it most – including young peoples and their families.

One of the most hotly debated topics before the election was how the new government was going to tackle the large financial deficit that hit the UK after the global recession. All the parties made proposals for how they were going to tackle the deficit and help the ailing UK economy.

Four months down the line, have we truly seen the beginnings of the fundamental change we were promised by David Cameron, Nick Clegg and the other members of the

However it seems that the only people who are benefiting from the new measures that have been implemented by the coalition government are those in the middle and upper

classes. With hard cuts in funding being aimed at the public sector it appears that the government have ignored the desperate cries for help from the poorer families in the UK. An example of this is the proposed abolition of the Child Tax credit, which affects over 1 million families in the UK. This is going to make life even harder for those struggling to make ends meet, whilst trying to support a family.

Youth projects across the UK are set to be hit just as hard.

With over one million young people currently unemployed, such measures do seem rather short sighted, a view expressed by Senior Youth Worker, Michael Dipple. For the past 25 years, Michael has been involved in the expansion

and development of youth based projects in west London.

He feels that cutting the funding of projects aimed to help young people acquire the skills and attributes they need to move into the world of work can only contribute to further rises in unemployment levels.

‘Community-based projects are essential as they give young people a sense of hope and direction so that they can achieve their full potential. By scrapping these schemes the government are preventing young people from less privileged backgrounds from bettering themselves.’

Another of the main factors that seems to have brought high levels of disappointment is the abandonment of a

number of the policies that the respective parties campaigned on. After the public’s vote led to a hung parliament, the overall feeling was that there was a real need for change in the current electoral system.

Nevertheless, this now seems unlikely to happen as many backbenchers from both the Conservatives and Labour parties have expressed their disapproval.

Alongside this the Liberal Democrats have gone back on their commitments to abandon the costly Trident nuclear missile programme, which is estimated to cost around 76 billion pounds, and helping to make university education cheaper and more accessible to young people.

This is not to say that the measures being put in place by the new coalition government will not be of benefit to British society - only time will tell - but it is clear that some of the immediate issues that effect a vast proportion of the population have been either ignored or poorly managed.

This does give the impression that the persistent call for change from politicians before the election may have misled a number of discontented voters which in turn resulted in a number of people not fully understanding the repercussions of certain policies. This year’s election saw the highest number of first time voters heading to the ballot box and it is

interesting to see that many are already disillusioned by the initial performance of the new government. First time voter Jamal who backed the Lib Dems because of their stated difference from the other main parties speaks for many when he says that ‘The whole idea of hope has been a complete let down. For the Lib Dems to give in so easily to the Conservatives’ polices as they have is not what I voted for.’

Text by Tom Mullett Photography by Marvin Alvarez

THECUT CUT 15 THE

T P OL H E IT WORICAL D

‘Writing a song for my boys inside I think about you everyday…

I wasn’t there when you where born I want to get to know the person you are Without you my heart is torn’ I’m listening to a CD called Beats and Bars, given to me by Sara Lee and Victoria Samuel of Music in Prisons.

The singer’s voice is hoarse and out of tune – his performance is not unlike a pub rendition of Danny Boy, but it has other strengths, qualities like remorse, sadness, pride and hope.

12 THE CUT 16

I meet Sara and Victoria in their Brixton office and, while they make me a cup of tea, they tell me that I ought to watch a video showing the work of their organisation.

The video features four men, two of whom could pass for college boys, standing in a room full of instruments. I didn’t ask what they were in prison for: they could have been murderers but, since the majority of people in prison are there for non-violent offences, they probably weren’t.

The session is difficult to listen to at first, but after the fourth day of the five day project, there are lyrics and a melody – albeit they sound as though they mean much more to the

creators than they can ever mean to the listener. The guys gradually begin to relate to the MIP team as students would to their teachers. When they receive praise, it’s as if they had never been told they were good at anything before.

been teaching music in prisons for eleven years. Her voice is calm and confident and she half smiles when she says that ‘all I’ve ever known since I left college was working in prisons, with music.

It is something special.’

I find myself thinking that the most important things in your life happen when you are not there, before you exist. I don’t know why these four men were in prison but they don’t seem as though they have been given many chances in life and I don’t see what good would come from taking future opportunities from them.

This is lovely stuff, but Sara and I know very well that many people think that these kinds of projects are just fun for people that should be getting punished.

Sara was invited to start up Music in Prisons in 1995; at that point she had already

“Those people haven’t seen the work that we do and quite often when they see it in action they understand what it’s all about. People are going to come out of prison and I just want them to come out with more than they went in with.”

Later on, I spoke to Darren.

Even before Darren found himself in prison, he had lost his money and his job as well as his friends. For Darren the drugs were his support, while the people around Darren thought that his problem was just his problem. Unemployed, lonely and addicted to drugs, Darren started keeping company with people who committed fraud.

He was later convicted for stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from a bank and sent to prison to serve a short sentence.

Programmes like M.I.P changed Darren’s life - he was so inspired that he now aims to teach young people outside of prison the skills and

lessons that he has learnt but he is keen to remind me that he was ‘extremely lucky.‘ Darren shouldn’t have been in prison. No wrong was righted, no debt was paid, and no one was safer for the locking up of a ‘poor, depressed drug user.’ It is said that if you give someone the reputation of an early riser they can afford to sleep till noon - and this is indisputably true. It is also even truer that if you give someone a reputation as a ‘bad guy’ their reputation precedes them in a way that can be quite disastrous.

According to the charity, Mental Health, only one in ten prisoners do not have mental health issues. Yet the

socially accepted response to prisoners is to say they should be punished whereas the response to the mentally ill, vulnerable and poor is to help. With prisoners the reputation blotches out the reality, which is even sadder when you consider what the reality actually is.

For the last twenty years the prison population has been rising and Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke is proposing reforms to change our self-harming opposition to rehabilitation.

It should be remembered that when people come out of prison and reoffend, it is members of the public that suffer. And since the cost of

keeping a prisoner for a year is just under £40,000, the public also suffers financially: high reoffending decreases our safety whist simultaneously increasing taxes.

The case for prison rehabilitation is best summarised by David, an inmate from HMP Brixton, who said that the best thing about M.I.P is that it ‘inspires you to do something positive. It’s better to create something than destroy it and, when you create music, you’re creating a bit of yourself too.’

www.musicinprisons.org.uk Text by John Oduor

THE CUT 17

T P OL H E I T IC WOR AL D

For many, being young is synonymous with being in trouble and being in trouble means being involved with the police. Often the law seems to back that up, reinforcing the idea that young people are intrinsically linked with crime.

The Cut wanted to get to the bottom of this preconception, so we brought together a range of young people, police officers and youth workers. We were particularly interested in the issue of Joint Enterprise, which, to put it simply, is a law which

allows groups of people to be arrested for a crime. This law isn’t at all new as it was used in the 18th century to arrest those responsible for taking part or assisting in a duel to the death. It has become famous – or infamous – because it is being used, for example, to convict gang members for murder, gang rape and other gang related offences. Supporters argue that standing by is no defence whilst critics argue that it ignores the intimidation and bullying that goes on inside gang culture. It proved a lively topic of discussion.

Michael a youth worker for many years in west London said This association stuff is

good because these families are dealing everyday with the loss of their loved ones and there are young people living everyday knowing that their friend murdered somebody else’s child. We are all going to have families of our own and we would all not want our children making decisions like that. It is all about young people making decisions for themselves. Tell a mother or a father who is sitting there crying their eyes about the fact that other people knew and didn’t stop it. The other side of it is there are people that didn’t know and knew that so-and-so had a weapon and now they’ve got caught up in a business with a group of people, that is a worry.

Tom That surely seems more of a moral obligation?

Drew There are grey areas.

PC Grist Without evidence to back something up you don’t have a clear trial. Do you honestly think that a jury and trial will convict someone without evidence?

Tom But don’t you not think that going through that when you haven’t done anything is a bit traumatising.

John Okay, imagine this. I know somebody and I know they have a bad reputation, and I know that they carry a knife. He is dangerous and I see him stab someone and after that I don’t call the ambulance leaving him to die on the floor while I go home and I watch Match of the Day. That’s disgusting. But it’s not the same as murder.

Drew At the same time things aren’t always that black and white. What if somebody

18 THE CUT

says ‘If you tell the police, I’m gonna stab you’, what do you do then? Who you gonna tell, the police?

PC Grist Yes. Michael There should be posters up publicising Joint Enterprise. We should be flooding our community making people aware of their personal responsibilities and what could happen.

John You shouldn’t hang about with people that are like that. But if you have posters explaining Joint Enterprise it is extremely patronising to the majority of young people who don’t hang about with murderers because they are bad company.

Who doesn’t know this?

PC Grist All laws, all the stuff that can happen to people is all available on

Direct.Gov. Or they could walk into a police office and ask anything they want.

Tom What young people would actively go out and find what the law is? Shouldn’t the police be reaching out to them to inform them? If we’re expected to learn you should be expected to teach.

PC Magan There are some things you shouldn’t do.

You shouldn’t kill someone because they’ve been bullying you or they’ve been treating you a particular way.

You should tell someone you should go to the police. You shouldn’t kill that person.

You’re not only ruining their life you’re ruining your life, their families lives and their friends lives. If your friend is involved in crime and they want to get you involved how can you even call that person a friend?

We also discussed the relationship between police and young people and the perception of young people that the police are often heavy handed.

PC Grist You can’t investigate a crime if you can’t find out the perpetrator.

PC Magan There are lots of cases and incidents that come up where by the only way to deal with it is to arrest suspects and take them to the station. Go through the case slowly investigate thoroughly all avenues and possibilities.

PC Grist What if you are a murderer or rapist? We don’t know if you are or not so we stop get us your details and then we can find out.

Tom I understand where you’re going but it’s not very good for community

relations. For the ninety nine percent of people that aren’t murderers and rapists it kind of makes them feel accused and looked down upon.

And if I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong I have to stand there for twenty minutes and explain my innocence.

PC Grist But, we have to make sure the person they stop is the person you say they are.

Thankyou to London Met Police. You can read the full version of this debate online www.thecutnewspaper.com

Read more about Joint Enterprise: www.direct.gov.uk Text by John Oduor Photography by Marvin Alvarez

THE CUT

19

When Cut team member Edward Kagutuzi came into the offices and told us he had been given a starring role in a Nollywood movie we were all green with envy.

However, we thought it was a good enough excuse to break our usual rules about not featuring any of our staff in the publication. Here he tells us more about his amazing real life experience as the lead in “The Mirror Boy”.

How did you get the opportunity to be in a Nollywood film? I was given

20 THE CUT

the opportunity to audition for the film, and I passed the auditioning stage and made it from hundreds of other young actors who went up for the role. The role was for a young African boy aged around about 12-14. I am actually 19 but I’m gifted in looking young, even though it has its drawbacks. Being 19 gave me an advantage as I would be more experienced and have more of an understanding about things, which is why I think I got the part.

What was the funniest thing that happened on set? The funniest thing that happened to me on set was when we were shooting a scene where I had got captured and the Mirror Boy told me to repeat a sentence in the

local language. Being from England I genuinely couldn’t pronounce what was being said. No matter how much I tried, still to this day I can’t, but luckily enough my character to was not supposed to be able to say it. All the local children were laughing at my accent and the way I remixed the sentence to make it my own.

What was the scariest thing that happened on set? The scariest thing that happened on set was when we were shooting a scene where I was with the crocodiles and baboons, I wasn’t used to seeing these animals up close from the wild so I wasn’t comfortable being around them, especially as I don’t know what could happen at any moment. They kept

snapping and scowling at me but these were the scariest things I came across, not just on set but in my life time.

What was the most exciting thing about being in Africa?

The most exciting thing about being in Africa was the weather; it was scorching hot and I loved every minute of it, even though it got a bit tense sometimes. I also enjoyed being around the local people of Banjul Gambia, they were very warm and welcoming wherever you went, even if it was the first time you met them.

How did you get into acting?

I first got into acting when I was 12 where I attended Paddington Arts, an arts club for dancing, acting and singing. I started off with

dancing and acting but as the years progressed I realised that acting was for me when I filmed my first short film ‘Twist’. After that I stopped with the street dance and have been acting since.

What interesting people did you meet? On this project I got to meet many interesting people, but the two most interesting people I met were Genevieve Nnaji and Osita Iheme aka PawPaw. These are two of Africa’s finest actors and actresses, they were both humble and very funny and I enjoyed their presence.

Everywhere we went they were recognised, you could say they were the Will Smith and Halle Berry of Africa. My arrival couldn’t have been any better, Gambia was hosting

a beauty pageant and I was lucky enough to meet the final contestants as they were also involved in the film.

What’s the best thing about Nollywood? The best things about Nollywood films are that a lot of them are completely fantasized, the director and writers make the stories so unreal but yet very interesting.

With the film budget of most Nollywood films they manage to pull in a large audience that are interested even though the quality is nothing like you see over here.

What gives you the drive to succeed? I am mostly driven by my friends and family. I know it sounds a bit cliché but my mum is my biggest fan, she has been really supportive of what

I do since a young age and is always supporting me along the way which I find comforting as some people I’ve spoken to say that they are pressured by their parents to do academic subjects so that they can grow up to be doctors and lawyers.

As long as she’s smiling, I’m a happy man. My friends also play a big part, they are always supportive and happy about how far I’ve gotten and where I’m going. Without my friends I don’t think I would have been as determined as I am today. I am also a strong believer in Christ, I believe he has a plan for me and I should trust in him to take bigger risks and chances no matter what the odds are against me, and push the boundaries so I can become a better actor.

What was the hardest thing about being in the film? One of the hardest things about being in the film was the physical activities. As my friends know I am the laziest person around, I don’t do sports, I don’t like to run or walk and I never exercise. The film involved me doing a lot of running, climbing and fighting. I even jokingly asked the director to get a stunt double but I secretly meant it. It was a hard and long task but I got there in the end, now I am back to my lazy ways. Also, it being a feature length film I had to learn a great deal of lines in a limited space of time.

You can view The Mirror Boy trailer at http://mirrorboythemovie.com/ Text by Edward Kagutuzi Stills courtesy of Olt Films

THE CUT 21

Jamal from West London travelled to Kenya.

I knew I wouldn’t go to higher education for the following year: my applications to drama school had been unsuccessful and there didn’t seem to be anything I wanted to study at university. I read about an organization called Platform2 in a magazine and decided to apply.

Summer can be a bittersweet time for thousands of young people across London but for many the prospect of university, re-takes or finding a job has been deferred as they head off for the traditional gap year either abroad or here in the UK. The Cut caught up with two people who made their year out one to remember.

22 THE CUT

I was quite nervous about my interview but in the end it turned out very informal and just like a conversation. A few weeks later I found out I’d be travelling to Kenya. I got my jabs and vaccinations, packed my bag and a couple of months later I arrived.

After a quick week of orientation in Nairobi I went to Meru to meet my host family headed by Mother Dorothy, an aunt and three children Paris, Lynette and

Kim. I lived with two fellow volunteers from England, which really helped. There were 12 volunteers and we worked from Monday to Friday planting trees, cutting weeds and digging a dam for a waste system. The work was good and we were able to see the difference we made each day.

After work we’d spend time in the community, playing pool in the local café and volleyball outside. At 6pm we had a curfew and although it felt quite weird not being able to be out at first, I rediscovered my love for reading and writing.

On the weekends Dorothy took us to see and experience different things.

We saw a dance show full of amazing acrobats, a wedding with lots of dancing and singing and we visited the local museum and an area where we learnt about the traditions of Meru people.

I felt more free in Kenya and just waking up to a different place made me feel more energised. The heat and the colours of Kenya were refreshing, the massive green trees and the rich red earth was so different to the greyness of city life.

Eating more simple foods such as chapattis, stews, rice as well as fresh mangoes and pineapples also made a change from my life in England.

The people in Kenya were very welcoming and warm and they were really interested in learning more about us and England. Although they are laid back, the people there work very hard with both men and women doing manual jobs and working long hours to support their families.

Kenya was better than England in some ways but it still has problems. The big problem in Kenya is homeless

children who have run away, many from broken homes and abuse, to spend their time begging on the street.

There’s little help from the government and they’re looked down on by society.

There are some charities that help these children to get into children’s homes and get back into school.

Arman from Chelsea wanted to experience something different in the US and found it at Camp America.

Being in a third-world country and seeing their problems humbled me and put everything in perspective.

In Kenya lots of people live close to their family and know their neighbours and I think this was why they have such a strong sense of community and togetherness. Seeing Kenya and living amongst the community learning about a different culture is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I filled out the on-line application and attended an interview which was really more to help me strengthen my application. In March I attended a recruitment fair where I spoke to many different camps and that’s where I was hired to work as a general counselor at Camp Lanowa, which is in New York State.

Camp Lanowa is for underprivileged kids from New York boroughs who either live in either shelters or are in foster care. Most of the kids who come to Lanowa have had a rough upbringing and been

I’ve always wanted to take part in Camp America but it’s not until my friend decided to do it last year that I thought I should finally attempt to go for it.

through a lot of bad times in their life. Lanowa gives them the chance to be free from all that and just be a kid again.

My role at camp was as a general counselor and I was assigned to the older boys unit. My duties included looking after the five kids that were in my cabin and we would go to different activities such as swimming, drama, music, arts & crafts, sports and much, much more.

I would make sure that the kids were enjoying themselves and would be there for them if they had any worries or problems. Camp consists of three two-week long sessions and different set of kids would come for each session.

It could be a very stressful job at times but you have so much fun that you just forget about it after a while. Just to see the kids laughing when you’re throwing them about in the pool, or teaching them

how to play football or getting involved with them during music and drama, simple things like that can make them so happy. They feel like they don’t have a care in the world and you feel like you’ve done a good job when you see them enjoying themselves.

I gained a lot from this experience and it has definitely changed me as a person for the better. I would 100% recommend anyone and everyone to take up this opportunity of doing Camp America because as everyone else once told me, it will be the best experience of your life!

www.savethechildren.org.uk/sky www.myplatform2.com Text by Jamal Hue–Bonner Images courtesy of the writer

THE CUT 23

Acquiring a new job

in this day and age is no walk in the park. The new coalition government’s £6.2 billion spending cuts are expected to push unemployment in the UK from an already alarming 2.5 million up to a staggering 3 million!

I’d be lying if I said I was happy about the spending cuts - I know that I speak for all students when I say that the oyster card and EMA shall be missed immensely. Nevertheless, the most worrying aspect of all this is the lack of employment opportunities for young people. This came home to roost earlier in the summer when exams ended and hundreds of students competed against each other to scoop up the few available jobs. Sadly many talented youngsters were left stranded and unemployed.

During this time I read a newspaper story about a young unemployed lad whose desperation to get his foot on the career ladder caused him to something incredibly ballsy: he stood by a busy road in the pelting rain with a cardboard sign which said ‘Please give me a job’ and amazingly enough someone did!

What this lad did showed a lot of courage and determination reminding me of the desperately poor children in the bygone Victorian era who would wander the streets for long periods of time selling matchsticks for money.

That’s when it struck me that I should apply the bold qualities from this unemployed lad and those Victorian kiddies to myself and take a step back in time to see what jobs were undertaken by young people from yesteryear on the streets on London. With colleagues from The Cut I considered a number of the jobs including chimney sweeping, mud larking on the banks of the Thames and cleaning the capital’s sewers. For various health and safety reasons, one job came out on top of the pile and I duly became Iva Lila the shoe-polisher.

So it was that one sunny July evening, I tottered off to Covent Garden with my fellow Cut pal Jamal to keep me company at my new job. I had made the effort of creating my own cardboard sign which read Shoe Polishing 50p. Please don’t judge me for

24 THE CUT

charging only 50p as I’m not exactly an experienced shoe polisher! I placed my shoe polishing kit and sign outside a 5 star hotel and sat patiently on the pavement gazing up at the many pedestrians who passed by.

I shall tell you this for free, do not pick shoe polishing as a career! After a gruelling evening of sitting on a busy pavement bellowing out “spit-spot shoe polishing only 50 pence,” over and over again I felt a bit like a broken record stuck on replay. I also had to endure a lot of sniggering and shifty looks from passers by which was also quite embarrassing.

The serious side to this venture was only too apparent: being desperate for work is no fun at all.

On a more positive note, I am glad I took up this challenge as I had some customers and left Covent Garden £3.50 richer and somewhat wiser. You might also be interested to learn that I spent my earnings wisely later that evening on a lush cheesecake with butterscotch sauce.

Tasty!

Text by Iva Lila Photography by Jamal Hue Bonner

The London Mudlark

The Sweep

In the 19th century, long before the birth of what we know today as the ‘teenager’ in the 1950s, many young people worked from the age of eleven or younger to earn a living. Henry Mayhew was a Victorian anthropologist and journalist who conducted the famous social survey London Labour and the London Poor (1849-50) Through this study, Mayhew gave voice to those who could never have hoped to be remembered years, decades, even centuries after their deaths. Here we uncover some of the secret London youth occupations of bygone years. Images courtesy of the Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg memorial web site.

In the 19th century, mudlarks would search in the muddy shores of the River Thames, scavenging for anything and everything that could be resold. Even dogs’ turds could be collected and sold to the tanneries. Gross! Some young people could make their whole living from mudlarking. They were usually male and aged between eight and fifteen, although you did sometimes get female mudlarks too.

The occupation of chimney sweep is considered to be one of the oldest in the world, as chimneys have been around since ancient times. The chimneys of the 18th and 19th century were very large so a master chimney sweep would use small children to climb up inside flues with brushes and metal scrapers to clean them. Children and young people working as a chimney sweeps were very common in this period, as a sweeper would be allowed a limit of six apprentices of at least eight years old.

The London Match-girl

The London Costermongers Boy

The London Flower Girl

Match girls produced and sold matches in the streets of London. Match making and selling was a gruelling and dangerous profession and in 1888 women and teenage girls came together in protest against the appalling conditions at the Bryant and May Factory in Bow: fourteen-hour work days, poor pay, excessive fines and the severe health complications of working with white (or yellow) phosphorus, known as phossy jaw. The strike led to the formation of the first Matchmakers Union, and the use of white phosphorus in match production was banned in 1901.

Revolutionary youth in action old skool style.

Still seen today in London street markets, costermonger is the Victorian name for fruit and vegetable sellers. Costermongers often had coster-boys, who would help them shift their barrels and help out on their stalls. Their membership as a coster was signalled by a large neckerchief, known as a kingsman, tied round their necks. Mayhew noted their use of slang, and the fact that they often used back slang where a word was turned round - you still get this in English in the word `yob’ which is simply `boy’ backwards.

Those of you who have seen or read Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist will be familiar with Nancy’s cry, “Who will buy my beautiful roses?” Young flower girls were a common sight on London’s streets.

According to Mayhew, “The better class of flower-girls reside in Lisson-grove, in the streets off Drury-lane, in St Giles’s, and in other parts inhabited by the very poor.

Some of them live in lodging-houses, the stench and the squalor of which are in remarkable contrast to the beauty and fragrance of the flowers they sometimes have to carry thither with them unsold.”

THE CUT 25

was revealed that we would be watching Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner; the audience broke into a roar of approval.

Not being diehard sci-fi fans, we were not particularly excited by the film but we sat back to enjoy the show. As well as the film being shown, actors suspended in front of the screen simultaneously acted out scenes from the movie. The entire experience was amazing. It was an utterly surreall experience that we highly recommended to everyone!

The Cut sent us out to explore London to find things to do: not

your usual kind of things but those in keeping with the secrecy theme of this issue.

Secret Cinema

First stop Secret Cinema, a monthly gathering of film fanatics who up until the day of the screening have no idea what they will be watching or even where they will be watching it.

All is revealed via email on the morning of the showing. We joined the group online and on the day were told to be in Canary Wharf at 7pm dressed as cyber punks. We couldn’t have felt more underdressed surrounded by fluorescent tutus, legwarmers, arm bands, spiked jewellery and crazy hair in an array of colours!

We were ushered by Utopia Airways air hostesses onto a bus with blacked out windows to ensure our journey was entirely secret. We were finally let off with the strict instructions to “RUN!” as we were in China Town, Los Angeles, 2019 and the apocalypse was nigh.

The tall dark towers of Canary Wharf loomed over us as we scrambled towards a derelict warehouse for cover. No stone had been left unturned, the detail was intricate and the ‘world’ seemed to be in total ruin. Crazed scavengers approached us desperately attempting to sell whatever they could, from eyeballs in jars to spare car parts.

Coaxed into a warehouse, there were more people selling their wares, dancers behind screens, bizarre music blasting, bright neon signs, robots, live reptiles and food stalls.

To be honest we would have been more than happy to go home at that point, but we hadn’t even seen the film yet! After a few light refreshments, we were taken into another warehouse; the auditorium.

Once everyone was seated, the credits rolled and it

26 THE CUT

Buddhapadipa Temple

Stop number two, the Buddhist Buddhapadipa Thai temple in Wimbledon couldn’t have been a greater contrast.

This really could be one of London’s best kept secrets and is like being in another country. The temple is located on a quiet street, off a main road leading down from Wimbledon village.

The towering wooden gates symbolise the seclusion and once inside them there is no escaping the disparity. It is literally like stepping out of hyped up London and into a quiet courtyard of a humble Thai abode.

The surroundings, the people and the aura itself are so peaceful; a perfect getaway from the outside world.

Before entering the temple itself, you walk through a beautifully kept garden, complete with exotic plants and wind chimes, past a pond spotted with lily pads and bamboo shoots protruding up through the water and finally, up magnificent white marble stairs that lead to the mouth of the temple, which is guarded by two golden dragons.

Inside is even more sensational with the predominately red and gold decor further emphasizing the richness.

We learnt that the temple grounds were home to the grave stone of Billy Cox, the fifteen year old youngster tragically shot in his bed in 2007. With the sense of warmth and serenity, it’s easy to understand why anyone would want this to be the resting place for their loved one. The temple is a must see for all as it gives a great insight to another culture within our own.

Lluyds Building

The last stop on our journey was the Lloyds Building in Lime Street, East London. Now the world’s leading marketplace for specialist insurance, during the 17th century Lloyds had slightly more lowly beginnings as a meagre coffee house.

It was the building itself that grabbed our attention, a Richard Rogers design made of glass and steel towers, it remains as one of the most controversial buildings in London, with twelve exterior glass lifts running up its 197 foot sides.

When we reached the top and opened our eyes, we were shocked by how spectacular the view was. This was our London and we did not know it. Along with the Secret Cinema and the hidden temple we learnt that there is so much we haven’t seen. We call ourselves Londoners but do we really know our city?

Text by Aniah Boakye Smith Photography by Jemil Saka and Amber Gilbert

THE CUT 27

Secret Grave

As we all know, London is jammed packed with hidden secrets for people to discover, however one particular area that is often missed out can be found tucked away in the back streets of Southwark.

Cross Bones graveyard pays respect to the hundreds of unmarked graves that were the final resting place for young women of the sex trade, that walked the streets of London in the 1600’s. At the time the area was outside the jurisdiction of the City of London, and as a result became a hot spot for brothels and other establishments that would have been considered illegal within London itself. Along the rails of the former cemetery, there are countless ribbons, poems, and messages dedicated to the unknown dead that once lay here. As this issue of The Cut is focusing on what can be found in the secret avenues in London, it seems appropriate to remind everyone that such a memorial is there to be visited.

28 THE CUT

With this is mind, it draws us to consider the continued presence of young girls that are using their bodies to earn living on the streets of London . In 2009 the Home Office estimated that 80,000 people in the Uk were involved in prostitution, demonstrating the magnitude of the sex industry in today’s society. Many of the young women involved are often forced into walking the streets, as well as thousands being brought into the country illegally to earn money for gangs and other stone-hearted syndicates.

It is clear that Cross Bones Graveyard is not only a historical reference to those that walked the street 400 years ago, but a silent reminder of the struggles that so many young women are facing up and down the county in 2010.

Peckham BMX

Peckham may have a bad rep, but I bet you didn’t know that it hosts the South of England’s number one BMX club? The Peckham BMX club, situated in Bird In Bush Road (what a road name!) which is run by Michael Pusey aka “CK”, and has produced British BMX champions, many of them now aiming for London’s 2012 Olympics. In fact, the club was the training ground for Kye Whyte, U.K number 1 and 3 times British Champion.

Saturday morning at the track was quite a spectacle, with around 40 young BMX-ers free styling around the circuit, all in Peckham colours. Although

we didn’t get our BMX gear on the day, we fully intend to go back and do some circuits when we are not on a full on tour of “Secret London”! The club also sells and hires out fresh BMX’s and customised racing gear, so you’ve really got no excuse not to get involved!

Text by Aniah Boakye Smith and Tom Mullet Photography by Jemil Saka and Amber Gilbert

THE CUT 29

It might sound surreal

that a man who was once one of the most notorious gangland figures in East London ends an interview by offering you God’s blessings, but John Pridmore who used to have his jackets tailor-made to hold his machetes and knuckledusters - now devotes his life to God and helping others. The Cut met the author of Gangland to Promised Land and A Gangster’s Guide to God to hear about his amazing transformation.

John Pridmore became a key figure in London’s criminal underworld, but it needn’t have been that way and he traces the roots of his criminal career to certain destabilising experiences from his childhood. Born and raised in Walthamstow, John feels he lived a fairly normal life until the age of ten when he had to make a devastating decision: his parents were getting divorced and he had to choose who to live with.

John’s life took a definite turn for the worse from that moment on. His mother suffered a nervous breakdown and was sent to psychiatric hospital. His father remarried. John recalls that this time as a very traumatic period, which left him dealing with a huge amount of anger. John channeled his anger into theft and at the age of 15 he was sent to a detention centre. This was supposed to be the “short, sharp shock” that turned his life around but, ultimately, John found being confined with other young offenders better than home life.

When John left the detention centre, his only qualification in life was stealing, so that was what he continued to do. Inevitably, a spell in prison awaited him but being sent there at the age of 19 was still not enough for John to see the error of his ways.

30 THE CUT

“I dealt with my problems through anger, which led to twenty-three hour solitary confinement. Then when I was released from prison, I started to lead the life of a rock star”.

When John left prison, he became a bouncer in the East End of London and this was his route to becoming involved in more serious criminal activities. He was soon working alongside very powerful gangsters and seeing serious profits.

“I felt East London was the capital of crime in London and most likely the UK. Even though at this point in my life I had the virtually everything - the cars, the drugs and the women - I still felt empty inside.”

John was still trying to find something to fill this nagging emptiness, when he experienced something that he would never forget. While working at an East End club, he ended up hitting a drunken man who he genuinely thought he had killed. Making a quick exit back to his expensive flat, John started to ask himself why he was so unhappy and why he didn’t care that he may have taken someone’s life.

“Suddenly I became aware of a voice deep inside my heart, and I knew that voice was God. I knew a dramatic change was taking place and for the first time in my life I started to pray”.

John began to feel the love of the Holy Spirit inside him and from then on, his life took a dramatic change. Instead of taking part in important drug deals worth thousands of pounds, John was meeting Mother Theresa and sharing his life story in schools across London. John feels that his emptiness has been filled

and told me that his message to young people was simple: that God has a place for everyone, especially those whose lives have led them into dark places.

“There are much better ways to live. When I was involved in crime I was so unhappy and unfulfilled - it actually can consume you, so you should escape that life as soon as you can. You can open up your heart to God and, whatever your gifts and talents are, he will lead you to your destination.”

Text by Fraser Simpson Image courtesy of John Pridmore

THE CUT 31

H

ave you ever wondered what links Vitamin C, Wonky and Mount Kimbie to Flying Lotus? Or how dubstep even came about?

The Cut has delved inside resident electronic-musicobsessive Tom Mullet’s brain to reveal all. Coincidentally, if anyone out there is a graphologist and can give us the psychological lodown on Tom through his handwriting please email us with a similar diagram.

Text by Tom Mullet Image courtesy of Tom Mullet

32 THE CUT

THE CUT 33

34 THE CUT

THE CUT 35

36 THE CUT

Previous page Jake wears hat by Anything; shirt by 10 Deep; shorts by Carhartt; shoes

by Addidas. Rivah wears jumpsuit bySwansfly; jewellery by Stussy; shoes model’s own Korel wears hat by Vans; shirt by Second Son; shirt by Carhartt; shoes Nike Air Max 90’s Rory wears jacket and T-shirt by Stussy; shoes

by Gourmet Andre wears Raiders snapback, shirt by Stussy, jeans

by Mishka; shoes Nike Jordans.

This page Jake wears hat by Anything; sunglasses by Super; jacket and T-shirt by Stussy.

Opposite page Jake wears hat by Anything; shirt by 10 Deep; shorts by Carhartt shoes

by Addidas. Rivah wears jumpsuit by Swansfly; jewellery by Stussy; shoes model’s own.

THE CUT 37

This page Korel wears hat by Vans; shirt by Second Son; shirt by Carhartt; shoes Nike Air Max 90’s.

Opposite page Korel wears jacket by Stussy.

Photography by Jemil Saka, Akwasi Tawia-Poku, Styling by Damian Malontie, Ricardo Nunes, Jemil Saka, Silas Osei Styling Mentor Coco Cassibba.

Special thanks to Zone 7 style.

Make up by Helina Varma Models Jake, Rory and Korel at M and P, and Andre.

38 THE CUT

THE CUT 39

•

Style Secret Histories Here at The Cut we’ve noticed more and more young designers are using their heritage as an inspiration for their collections. Here we showcase some of the best designers exploring their African heritage to create something new for 2010.

•

Laime wears dress by Ohema Ohene; scarf (worn as belt) from Beyond Retro; bangles stylists own; shoes from New Look

•

Harry wears cardigan and t-shirt by Ohema Ohene; denim shorts by Money.

40 THE CUT

•

Michael wears tracksuit by Courtney Mc; t-shirt by Ohema Ohene; beaded necklace stylists own.

•

Saffiya wears jacket and belt both by Ohema Ohene; Leggings by Puma; Bangles stylists own..

Styling by Leonie Gilbert Photography by Kiran Nijjar Models; Michael, Saffiya, Harry andLaime Hair and Make Up by Charlotte Broadbent

THE CUT 41

arts spine tv

“I

”

It was a gloomy Friday afternoon meeting point at the Benito’s Hat. So as we finished our Burrito’s which were stuffed with chicken beans, rice, lettuce, sour cream and salsa we got on with what’s really wrapping with Mystro and his new channel on Spine TV. What is Spine TV? Spine TV is an online channel giving

42 THE CUT

space to independent artists whether they be presenters, making videos, working on mini-documentaries. And giving them a chance to get their stuff out there. It’s a channel for basically all ages really, a demographic between 15-35. But I’ve seen some stuff on there for 7 year olds. Like my friends 7 year old has been into it and at the same time his great gran has been into it.

How did you get involved with Spine? I think it came from me hosting nights I’ll be Emceeing for DJ’s or if there is like a performance going on I might be the sort of compere

or whatever. Once they had the idea to do a channel they put the idea to me like “Do you want to do a show, why not do Mystro Investigates?”.

And I was like “What you mean?”, they was just like, “You just go an investigate stuff, whatever it is”.

The whole Idea with the magnifying glass is that I got these press pictures of me smiling using my eye. When I first found out the first one was going to be Horse Riding, I was like “You’re gonna get me to ride a horse?” I’ve ridden a horse before but bare backyou know what I mean the

horse was bare back, not me, so it’s kinda weird but with the saddle and all that it felt a bit better I can’t lie so I would love to try that again. And the thing is you know a lot of the stuff I have never done, really I’m investigating not just for myself but for the viewers as well. I think it’s a really good idea man I got to give it to both Leo Leigh and Leo Marks at Spine TV who came up with the idea.

What has been the longest Mystro Investigation then? When we did Ghost Hunting that was like for mad hours from I believe from 9pm until 4am.

“Spine TV is an online channel giving space toindependent artists whether they be presenters, making videos, working on minidocumentaries.”

So who ever is editing it I do feel for them cause obviously they got a lot to deal with.

What’s been the funniest moment’s behind the scenes you have had doing Mystro Investigates? I think it’s got to be Mystro Investigates The 1960’s. We met some real people out there…There was one woman that was really trying to get us into her shop; she came out to me and she went, “Oh in there we got someone whose entered into the X-Factor” and I was like “Oh is it?”.

I didn’t understand what

she meant. Then she came back out with this little bubble head Simon Cowell thing, then I was like “Rarh where have I seen that before?”. Then she’s said, “Oh I’ve been on X-Factor 3 times...” and then she puts the bubble head on, it was madness man.

So what was the funniest moment in the Mystro Investigates Ghost Hunting?

For me it was either the mini Ghostbuster dude who had all these little gadgets that would detect Ecto Plasm. Then there was this woman who said, when the air is moist you get these particles of moisture like

these mini dots of rain. It was 3 in the morning and we are out in the field this woman starts taking pictures of the air and then going, ‘Look Look Look Look’. So all the little dots you can see like you can see the moisture on the digital camera and she was going, “These are Orbs, these are all little Orbs”.

What was the most challenging Mystro investigates? It would probably had to be Mystro Investigates Acupuncture.

If anything, I think that was the only one that we had to walk tip toe through a bit. But the woman was really good, I think she’d seen the show

and was really happy so that was cool. But yeah that is one thing people have to understand, that sometimes you still got to respect whoever’s establishment we are in, so you can’t take the mickey too hard. I try to take the mickey out of myself most of the times anyway, it’s kind of easy with a forehead like this.

Watch an Episode of Mystro Investigates on Spine www.spinetv.net Text by Ricardo Nunes Images courtesy of Spine TV

THE CUT 43

music TY

Ty is definitely an artist who believes in taking his music and audiences seriously and staying true to his Hip Hop roots. His track Emotions with its reference to our ‘dying of collective diarrhoea’ is highly critical of all those who don’t understand the culture of hip hop and treat it as a hustle instead.

“The track is about hip hop and how the mindset of making it isn’t there anymore. I’m finding out very quickly that given the chance most people would rather do pop than hip hop. My main aim is to make honest music. I’m not a bully so I don’t make music like that.”

“While it’s still free people should utilise YouTube and watch Doctor Dre’s Yo MTV Raps and they’ll really see what they are missing. What we’re seeing now is dryness.

Idolising this is whack!”

The lack of originality on the UK scene also comes in for criticism, with Ty comparing the conformity of the scene to the way people wear their trainers.

“Back in the day you’d see someone wearing some trainers and you’d like

44 THE CUT

“Ty believes in taking his music and audiences seriously and staying true to his Hip Hop roots.”

them but not buy them, or if you did you’d rock them differently. Now there’s no embarrassment at being the same. When you say that though you’re seen as a hater.”

One era Ty doesn’t believe is whack or dry is the 60s and 70s, a time he would love to go back to.

“Rock festivals when synthesizers were coming into music - we’re so familiar with it now we don’t notice it, but Stevie Wonder! That was the best time! Being a child doing what I love in hip hop, learning to do the turtle... I’d do anything to bring that back.”

Away from music Ty let us into his secret London gems.

For food he recommends the Roti Juopa opposite Clapham North station.

“It’s near the studio so after creating some special music we’ll go there as well as The Coriander in Lambeth which makes a special King Prawn Masala. For vintage clothes I go to Spitalfields market and for records it has to be charity shops.”

Since being a teenager Ty has dedicated his life to hip hop. Now a big representative of UK hip hop both at home and abroad, he gives some

final advice to other rappers or musicians wanting longevity and success in the music industry.

“Don’t just be hot - if you are you’ll be replaced by the next new hot act. Learn as much as you can and study music. You are a musician so don’t get it twisted, your voice is your instrument. Make sure you learn how to produce music.”

Text by Jamal Hue Bonner Photography by Kiran Niggar

music hugo “I hope it’s an album that is accessible. I can’t imagine that it is like anything else out there.”

Despite being a member of the Roc Nation family Hugo is unclear as to whether there are going to be any features by the likes of Jay-Z or even the beautiful Rita Ora on his tracks.

to get out of the rock ‘n’ roll way of thinking which is very spontaneous,” he enthused.

He went on to explain that the creative talent he clearly demonstrates in his cover version of the Jay-Z hit “99 Problems” grew out of his love of rap music.

the Ladbroke Grove born singer to hear about his success in being signed to Roc Nation and his eagerly awaited debut album.

The Cut was out and about once again in The Big Apple this summer and we thought we’d check out some of the talent New York had to offer.

Funnily enough that talent happened to be the UK’s very own Hugo. After catching his show at the Rockwood Music Hall we caught up with

Hugo was only too happy to tell us what it was like being part of the Roc Nation family.

“It’s pretty cool living in this country for a guy like me. It’s like being part of a country and yet a citizen of a different country. It’s also very refreshing because its good

“I didn’t really get into the ‘80s hip-hop, it was the ‘90s stuff like ‘The Chronic’, and ‘All Eyes On Me’ that got through to me.

I dug out all those records before I signed and two of them were ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and ‘99 problems’. I loved the way ‘99 problems’ sounded when it first came out,” he said.

The unique creativity shown in “99 Problems” runs strongly through Hugo’s debut album “Old Tyme Religion”. He was optimistic that it will be well received.

“I hope it’s an album that is accessible. I can’t imagine that it is like anything else out there. I have tried to make it different and it’s not really a blues, pop or hiphop album,” he explained.

“No. No features not yet I think the cover was enough! To get the man Jay-Z (who features on the album cover) down from his office at an early stage was a bit weird. I don’t know about features because you might be on the radio with a number one single but people may not be buying it because of you. For me that’s the whole point of being a solo artist. Me, me, me! I left a band you know?” he laughed.

With the interview coming to a close he rolls up a fag and to the sound of people knocking on his door reflects that sharing the same vision is the best thing about being signed to Roc Nation.

“At Roc Nation I only talk to Ty-Ty and if I don’t wanna do something he won’t make me do it. We both want the same records. He sent me that Jay-Z track ‘Old Tyme Religion’ and told me on the phone that I have to say ************ in it. I’ve never even met him so I mean you gotta sign with that!” he recollected with a smile, “I don’t feel part of a particular scene so people who don’t want to be in one can vibe to this. Its not exclusive or elitist music it’s for everybody.”

Text by Damian Malontie Photography by Akwasi Tawia Poku

THE CUT 45

music AKALA

“I think it’s good to get your music out to more people but for me I’m not trying to make music that I don’t like and doesn’t resonate with me.”

Dressed in khaki jumper and trousers and sporting his signature afro, Akala cuts a relaxed figure but he’s a dynamic, engaging and animated interviewee - giving me so much I struggled to keep up.

Akala’s family wasn’t wealthy but he had a culturally rich upbringing. He ‘grew up’ in the Hackney Empire where he attended an Africa Saturday School from the age of five.

Later on, he traveled and this breadth of experience had a major impact on him and the subjects he addresses in his music.

“I’m not saying I’m better than anyone but I can’t pretend to be down with the bull**** because I’m not. In Brazil I stood next to kids holding guns and all they talked about was wanting to go to school because they hated having to be soldiers. That can’t help but affect you.”

46 THE CUT

Akala rarely goes raving, preferring to stay at home and read a book (he recommends Centreprise in Dalston for African literature, by the way). This divergence from the mainstream is reflected in the music he listens to, which ranges from UK artists like Lowkey, Wretch 32, Klashnekoff and Black the Ripper through to left-wing rappers Ty and Roots Manuva and other influences from across the world including South American rock band The Mars Volta, African musician Fela Kuti and electonica artist Aphex Twin.

With this kind of playlist, commercial American rap doesn’t have quite the same appeal as it used to for Akala, but his favourite performer will always be Notorious B.I.G: “He was the Quentin Tarantino of hip hop. Obviously he didn’t run into hotel rooms and shoot 45 people but

he was such a good storyteller it doesn’t matter that it was clearly fiction. There’s only room for one Biggie.”

Akala is open about the principles behind his music and that he puts the political imperative ahead of the commercial one. This puts him at odds with a lot of his contemporaries who have achieved chart success by compromising with the mainstream, but Akala is clear about where he stands: “I think it’s good to get your music out to more people but I’m not trying to make music that I don’t like and doesn’t resonate with me. The only way I’d do that would be if I lost my mind or had a lobotomy!”

“When did you hear Bob Marley say “have you seen my new BMW”? At what point did material objects become things to talk about in art? It’s only really happening in hip hop.

If Radiohead started singing about how much money they had I’d stop listening. I’m not criticising any man for getting money. I understand that’s cool but let’s call it what it is.”

Purpose is important for Akala, so when I asked him what legacy he’d like to leave, he thought for a while before answering.

“That I attempted to tell the truth. Art is something that is supposed to reflect human consciousness, whether it’s a painting, a sculpture or music and, for me, a lot of what we market today doesn’t do that. I want my music to stay inspired. People may say “You won this award!” but the day-to-day reaction and love from the community and fans is worth a million of that.” www.akalamusic.com Text by Jamal Hue Bonner Photography by Amber Gilbert and Kiran Nijjar

music G FRSH

“One thing I realised at university is that I didn’t have to do what everyone told me I was supposed to do”.

his lyrics, filthy lucre always seems to be a hot topic. Given this, it wasn’t too much of a surprise to hear that he had studied for a degree in Economics at UCL, but I wanted to know why it was he decided to make music rather than doing something more in line with his degree.

G FrSH is a man making major moves in the underground scene with his unique sound and mad wordplay. He’s a man with a lot to say and definitely one to watch. The Cut asked him a few questions in front of the BBC’s No Hats No Trainers cameras.

G FrSH always gives the impression of being a money man: from his clothing line to

“I think education is the key, but the most important thing about education is that it’s the key to everything. One thing I realised at university is that I didn’t have to do what everyone told me I was supposed to do.”

As an artist G FrSH is hard to put into a particular category or scene as his style is completely its own so I asked him to do the hard work and describe how he feels he compares to other UK rappers:

“Initially I was quite flamboyant in comparison to other people but I think UK Hip Hop has gone slowly through stages. First it was more conscious, I would say, then it turned violent and now it’s more flashy and happy, even though there’s recession, and at first that was my angle. But now I think the main reason why I stand out is because I just do me and by doing that there is no way I can be like anyone else.”

Having opened for 50 Cent, Rick Ross and Fabulous, it would be fair to say that G FrSH has had a busy year. He’s also dropped a metaphor-filled 64 bars for the first season of SB.TV’s F64 as well as a downloadable mix tape titled Lego-man Where’s My Brick - both of which showcase G FrSH’s unique flow, concepts and content. But the main

thing I’ve come to know G FrSH for is the way he seems to flood listeners with constant music videos – and they always tend to be high quality.

I wanted to know what it was about videos that G FrSH found so appealing as a tool to gain a new audience as well as entertain his current one.

“I think TV and visuals have the most impact because, as people, I think we’re very visual learners and everything has a screen nowadays. So taking advantage of that , especially with the internet and TV channels like Channel AKA, is a great avenue for me to harness everything.” www.gfrsh.com Text by Drew Mark Photography byMarvin Alvarez and Akwasi Tania Poku

THE CUT 47

music jonelle monáe

“Musically, The ArchAndroid is an epic James Bond film in outer space…”

accolades. Born in Kansas City, Monáe was headed for a career singing and dancing on Broadway when her quirky style and ineffable cool caught the attention of Big Boi, the rapper from Outkast.

After causing a big stir on the live scene, Diddy Coombs has signed up Janelle for a debut EP on Bad Boy records and other collaborators have included Saul Williams, Lupe Fiasco and Of Montreal.

24 year old Janelle Monáe has had a meteoric rise to success with current album “The ArchAndroid” nominated for a Grammy amongst other

48 THE CUT

“Musically, The ArchAndroid is an epic James Bond film in outer space,” describes Monáe, “in terms of influences it’s just all the things I love— scores for films like Goldfinger mixed with albums I adore such

as Stevie’s Music of my Mind, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, and jamming experimental hip hop stuff like Stankonia.”

The album realizes the next chapter in the story of Cindi Mayweather, the heroine of Monáe’s debut album Metropolis. She has been sent to free the citizens of Metropolis from the Great Divide, a secret society using time travel to suppress freedom and love throughout the ages. “It’s said that when the ArchAndroid returns, it will mean freedom for the android community,” explains Monáe. “Cindi Mayweather realizes that she is indeed the ArchAndroid.”

If this all sounds like the plot of a great movie, we view each album as the creation of an “emotion picture.” Says Monáe, “The ArchAndroid is very inspiring for me. In terms of writing the music, we wanted the story to be very compelling, but we also wanted to make sure that the journey we’re taking people on makes them feel like they’re watching one big emotion picture.”

www.myspace.com/janellemonae Text by Kim Canterbury Photography by Sam Awuku

music dark sky

Following up a successful first release is always a nightmare for artists trying to establish themselves but it appears that London based trio Dark Sky have managed to do just that.

After exploding onto the scene in April with their debut, Something To Lose/ Ghost Notes, Dark Sky have been working continuously to build on that momentum. With remixes for The XX and Aerials under their belts, Dark Sky are set to impress even more with their new Frames EP.

This four-track EP demonstrates the trio’s versatility, with each track holding its own unique aura.

Drowned City and Reflex provide heavy 2-step rhythms in completely contrasting styles. Night Light offers a more jump up vibe to the collection but it is final track Fly that impresses the most. Combining edgy drums with a punchy synth bassline, Fly proves that the fresh sound provided by Dark Sky is certain to have dancers across the country moving in whole new way.

“With the EP, the main thing we were conscious of was making sure that it had good variety. There are too many EPs where it is very hard to tell the difference between tracks. We thought it was really important that we made different types of music so that it would be interesting to listen to at home, as well as being effective within a club setting.”

“I think people will see the EP as a change, but I hope that they will see it as an evolution of the sound that we put out there on our first release. We never use the same techniques when producing something new, which is brilliant as it forces us to explore different avenues. This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to tell it’s a Dark Sky tune - our signature sound is still there - but it means we aren’t constantly releasing the same old stuff.”

so we just started playing about with it. At first it was a bit of a struggle, but then it seemed to fall into place. It’s weird with remixes because when you add your own elements to the tune, it kind of remixes itself, if that makes any-sense… As you work on it, certain parts of the tune lend themselves really well to your style, and then you just focus on that.”

“I can never decide which is our strongest tune but, for me, Drowned City is the most interesting. I think you can really hear the old school D n’ B influence in that tune, both in production and composition.”

“We have a release forthcoming on a new label called Light-Works, as well as another four track EP coming out on Black Acre. But the coolest thing is that one of our tracks, Leave, is coming out the 20th anniversary box set for Ninja Tune, which features the likes of Flying Lotus and Diplo - that is going be amazing!”

Tell us about some of the remixes you have done.

“The main one we are known for is the remix of Crystalized

by The XX. One of our friends hooked us up with the stems,

What is next for Dark Sky?

www.myspace.com/darkskyuk Text by Tom Mullet Photography by Marvin Alvarez

THE CUT 49

Arts marvell

North London’s diverse New Era cap wearing super trio came out of album making mode to meet us at The Cut HQ to talk about their plans for the year, f64s and about their much envied deal with New Era. Marvell are definitely a hard working collective releasing three mix tapes Marvell FM 1-3 as well as endless videos such as “The World Is Ours”, “Successful” & “Marvell Music”. All this and performing countless dates on Chipmunk’s “Shine Shine” Tour.

Seen by many as grime’s answer to JLS, Marvell have got their own clothing line as well as their own New Era caps to match, “It all started from the Make Noise video we asked if we could sport some hats.

Then New Era liked what they saw in the video and when we went in the week after they spoilt us with another 60-70 hats and we shared them between us.” Vertex told us, “we went in the second time we asked them if we could get our own hats which they said was really exclusive. So we just showed our loyalty did their World

50 THE CUT

“I think 3 is the perfect number, you get a girl each and everything splits neatly.”

Conference, did mad virals in the New Era factory. And then eventually they decided they wanted to work with us more and we got the deal.”

Marvell also played a part in one of the talking points of 2010 SB.TV’s F64, Shocka let us know know what all the hype was about and what they thought was the best and silliest question, “F64 was a very good look though because you get to hear bars. F64 is different because you know the artist is coming to spit a ‘Fresh 64’ so you need to listen to see if he’s good. You get to see who’s fell off and who’s still on point and luckily we fell into that still on point bracket.”

The grime scene has seen a lot of large groups like Ruff Sqwad, Roll Deep and even back to Garage days So Solid some small and some large, the group were split as to what they thought was the better size, “Smaller groups definitely because large groups tend to have a lot of weak links and I would actually say all three of us are actually good.”

Marvell member Vertex is also a music video director he’s directed videos such as Chipmunks “Diamond Rings”, “Superstar” and “Chip Diddy Chip” plus some of the Marvell’s own videos such as “Marvell Music” and “The World Is Ours”. Double S has also been singing on more and more of the Marvell choruses and in the words of Vertex it is always good to know you got a “Chris Breezy” in the group.

Shocka is known for his mad concepts anyone who has listened to the “Marvell FM” mix-tapes would know that he’s the radio host on all the skits.

Throughout the interview the trio have been dropping hints about their forthcoming album and according to Double S, “Everyone is on this earth for a reason there shouldn’t be a day in the year where you think I’m not gonna do anything today.” If quotes like this are anything to go by Marvell’s album will be well worth the wait.

www.marvellmusic.co.uk Text by Drew Mark Photography by Akwasi Tawia Poku, Amber Gilbert and Jemil Saka

arts doc p

“You don’t get MC’s in Dubstep raves because it ends up being about the MC, and I think Dubstep is more about the music…”

Dubstep raves because it ends up being about the MC, and I think Dubstep is more about the music than the MC. So I’d say Grime is Dubstep with MC’ing on it.

Twenty four year old Northampton born Doctor P has the clubs going nuts with his new screechy Dubstep sound. With DJ bookings and production requests flying off the radar, we caught up with the sub bass maker to see what exactly it is about his sound that’s made him the hot topic of all Dubstep conversation at the moment.

So Doctor P, where does the name stem from? Basically when you type my name into predictive text it comes up as Picto so people always used to write that in texts rather than Sean. I called

myself DJ Picto for like three years, then in need of a Dubstep alias I shortened it and called myself Doctor P. Give us the run down on how you make your beats.

I just generally try and find inspiration from somewhere like a sample or a sound in a track that I like. I’ll start messing around with that and put it into a track but it usually ends up being taken out or switched up by the end!

If I was senior citizen, who lived in a village in Morocco, how would you describe Dubstep to me? I’d say, take

all the music from the last fifty years, all the different sounds and cultures and it’s a mash of all of them. You can find a Dubstep track with just about any sound in there and any style ever. I think it’s like the ultimate modern music.

Lately there’s been a swarm of MC’s jumping on the Dubstep beats, from P-Money, D Double to Badness. Do you welcome them aboard Dubstep? I think I generally tend to classify Dubstep lyrics as Grime. I think Dubstep never seems to work that well with the lyrics, it kind of looses the Dubstep feel. You don’t get MC’s in

We like your Sweet Shop remix with P-Money, how did that come about? Well Sweet Shop has been about for a while and there’s all sorts of vocal versions. One of the versions we got sent was P-Money’s and we liked it so we’ve arranged to release it in a few months.

Give us the three ingredients of making a great Dubstep track? Sub bass, a lot of reverb and something weird, crazy, unique.

A screech perhaps Doctor P? Well yea, that’s my thing. No one else can do that now. www.myspace.com/doctorpdubstep Text by Shamz Le Roc Photography by Rassi Miller

THE CUT 51

music record shopping with ricardo DJ SARAH LOVE

“I want to see artists having their own identity and not just rapping over other beats.”

perfect setting to hear about the five records the London based DJ would recommend purchasing. Her selections are sure not to disappoint.

First up is Fashawn’s debut offering Boy Meets World:

As the long lazy days of summer open our ears to new vinyl sounds we decided to take advice from someone who knows and loves her albums, namely DJ Sarah Love. Phonica Records on a lovely summer’s day was the

52 THE CUT

“This is a really nice album which came out originally in 2009 and was then released

by High Water Music on vinyl.

Coming from the West coast, it is entirely produced by Exile, the guy who did one of the last classic hip hop albums, Blu and Exile below the Heavens.

The beats are really banging and sharp with content in the lyrics. I really like the way they ordered the tracks. Fashawn

is a really nice guy and a young kid who is putting in the graft through his work and his touring in the States. I have so much respect for people like him who are holding down hip hop for all of us. It’s a deep album giving you a lot to feed off and it is uplifting.”

Next on the list is Homeboy Sandman’s, The Good Sun:

“Again this came out on High Water Music. I was the first DJ to play Homeboy Sandman in the UK because I’m a trail blazer not a follower. Releases like this are the new era for hip hop. Homeboy Sandman’s unconventional in terms of what the charts, the media

and the industry want to represent but he’s hip hop which to me is being the talking, walking newspaper.

This is a really strong record with full on content and production from DJ Spinna and the UK’s own Ben Grymm.

We just can’t wait to see more Homeboy Sandman he just has a sideways approach to making music!”

Third in line is the offering from Iron Braydz, Devil May Cry:

“OK, so let’s have a UK representative. It really upsets me that there are not many people in the UK putting the effort into albums. Mixtapes

are all good but they’re kind of disposable. I want to see artists having their own identity and not just rapping over other beats. Iron Braydz is an MC who comes from Harlesden, he’s a mad cool dude who has his own show called the Iron Rap Show on Bang 103.6 FM. Iron Braydz is a young man who has been doing really good work out in the States, he is into giving food for thought for people and spreading knowledge. He is also making beats himself and that’s what I really rate because when I was listening to his beats I was like, “he’s not that good,” and then I was really really feeling it. Devil May Cry is the name of the album so go and pick it up.”

Roc Marciano’s Marcburg EP also makes the cut:

“Roc Marciano, what a rudeboy! He is one half of the group called the UN. The whole thing is produced by him and there is one guest verse on there. What I love about this record is that it is shamelessly, unapologetically hip hop: it’s raw and it’s gritty.

There are artists out there who just want to paint pictures of fantastical stories, but this has a real authenticity to it.

It’s a modern day classic in my opinion and gets better every time I hear it. I would even go as far as to say that it’s better than Raekwon’s Only Built For Cuban Linx II

and that’s because it’s just so pure. If you are a fan of that or Mobb Deep’s Infamous album you are going to love this. Seriously this record is bananas and by far one of the best releases of 2010.”

Last but not least is Freeway and Jake One’s Stimulus Package:

“The album artwork is the best piece of packaging I have seen for years. They basically made the album like a wallet with notes in and it has a credit card with a code to download the instrumental album. Jake One is such a sick producer.

The only criticism I have about this album is that it feels a bit

Femi, but it’s still a really dope record and one you would not feel disappointed about spending your money on.”

After this mind blowing list of favourites we finish by asking her where a newcomer to town should purchase their sounds.

With record shops it’s kinda hard these days, but this whole area is really dope for records. You have Phonica where we are now, you have Wyld Pytch just down the road and the Sounds of the Universe just around the corner.’

Text by Ricardo Nunes Photography by Sam Awuku

THE CUT 53

music at home with the producers

Kito In the past couple of years Kito has worked tenaciously to build upon the sound that saw her signed to dubstep pioneer Skream’s label.

Now rooted herself firmly in the dubstep scene, Kito is exploring a progressive style of production that has earned her forthcoming releases on Diplo’s label, Mad Decent.

54 THE CUT

Kito’s sound has varied so much throughout her journey into the world of dubstep, it is no wonder that the lively Australian finds it difficult to sum up her sound. “I find it really hard to describe my music as I work with so many different tempos and styles.

I don’t think you can box it in.” Since her first release on Disfigured Dubz, Kito has vastly changed from the sound that saw her break into the scene. “I’ve been writing for about three years and I was listening to things like Burial and other deep abstract stuff.

After I got signed I was DJing so I got to hear lots of different stuff, which I think really helped develop my sound.”

In 2010, Kito is at the top of her game, writing incredible music that is jam packed with energy and texture. She has branched off from the typical patterns of modern day dubstep, with

the silky vocals of fellow Australian Reija-Lee adding a whole new dimension to her composition. “I’m looking to push my own sound now. It’s a lot more poppy than typical dubstep, but working with Reija really helps to move the sound in its own direction.”

Dubstep was initially a very UK based music, so it is interesting to understand how Kito has managed to contribute so much without being directly involved in the genre’s progression during its early years. Being somewhat detached from the UK dubstep movement has allowed Kito to develop her own style, one that doesn’t conform to the stereotypical patterns that have wilted in the past few years as the scene has exploded on to the worldwide stage. “In Australia dubstep wasn’t really big, and a lot of people didn’t get it. I think

being disconnected from the scene really helped because I was able to write what I wanted to, rather than what I knew would be popular.”

This open minded approach to writing tracks has not only caught the attention of music lovers in the UK, but has largely impressed a number of influential players including veteran producer Diplo, who has recently signed the stylish Australian to his label.

“To be honest anything can influence me into making a track, whether it be a sample or a sound that I hear or just something that I am listening to. I just get a bunch of ideas and then work on that, which is good as it I think it stops you falling into one formula.”

www.myspace.com/thisiskito Text by Tom Mullet Photography by Carrie Sage

respective genres in a whole new direction. Hyperdub’s Ikonika is a prime example who has mesmerized so many people with her production.

Combining intricate melodies with her own distinctive 16-bit timbre, Ikonika has cemented herself as one of the leading players in forward thinking dubstep.

Ikonica Today’s underground music scene is full of vibrant producers, but the influence of women within the world of dance music is often overlooked. At the present time there are number of females that have locked into their own unique sound and are seriously pushing their

Many artists struggle to give a brief explanation of their music, but Ikonika is quick to describe her music as a fusion of “Hot and cold, light and dark, joy and sorrow. I love the idea of contrast, it’s something that I really want to be present in my music”.

Growing up on a musical diet of 90s RnB and a love of old school computer games, it’s easy to see the part these elements play in the London based producer’s music, but Ikonika is definitely more than the sum of her influences.

Ikonika has developed a distinctive signature tone, but there’s no strict method to how she goes about writing her music. “When I start writing I usually start with melodies, I don’t like to start with drums.

I tend to map out all of the melodies, which helps me to progress the tune a lot easier.

After that the drums and the bass are so much easier to work around it. Usually I don’t plan what I do, I guess it’s just my mind reacting with my emotions and musicality and then I just work with that and see what happens.”

It was not music that provided Ikonika with her route to being signed to Hyperdub. “At university I studied film and in my second year I made a dubstep documentary called It’s Not Just Bass that won an award on the dubstep forum.

This was really helpful as it helped get my name about, so

that when I sent music to Kode 9, he had remembered my name from that documentary.”

In 2008 Ikonika released Please, which was then followed by a handful of releases that brought Ikonika to the forefront of the scene.

This year Ikonika has released her first 14 track album, Edits, also on Hyperdub, and it is clear that she intends to continue expanding upon the sound that has made her one of the most fascinating players in experimental dubstep. “For the time being I just wanna keep making tunes and progressing my sound.

This year I have worked really hard on my album and loads of remixes, so I just want to keep pushing forward with that.”

www.myspace.com/ikonika Text by Tom Mullet Photography by Chantelle Clarke Medford

THE CUT 55

music at home with the producers

soulful vibes, inspired by the likes of Kev Brown, 9th Wonder and Quincy Jones.

What’s more important, production or Nando’s? To be honest, I can smell the Nando’s around the corner which is five minutes away from me, so today I’d say Nando’s but on the whole it’s production.

Cynikal Cynikal is a 23 year old rapper and producer hailing from Ilford in East London. Try not be fooled by the replacement of the letter “c” for a much hipper “k” in his name, he’s already broken through local barriers like many East End urban artists before him.

Unlike the current grimebased takeover, Cynikal’s music is more known for

56 THE CUT

Have you ever mixed work with pleasure? Yeah it’s gotta be done. If you think it’s an avenue to try and talk to someone that you like, you’re gonna use it right?

What’s the last beat you heard and thought, “damn! I wish I made that?”

Transformations by Jay Electronica - the chords!

What’s the longest time you’ve spent making a beat? Two years. I’ve made a million beats since, but

I’m still working on this one because when I get it right, I know it’s gonna chart. It’s got all the ingredients that people want to hear.

How much would you charge for that beat? That beat is priceless, I want a big big cheque to say well done. I know it ain’t gonna happen for a while. When you work with someone it’s like a collaboration but when you sell a beat you feel like it’s not yours anymore.

Seeing as you’re a West Ham fan, can you explain Rob Green’s failure? I knew you’d bring that up! I spoke to him just the other day and he told me he just did it to make the World Cup more exciting. But you see how everyone is moaning about the ball? I just think Addidas are waste, they moan about the ball in every World Cup.

What are we looking out for from Cynikal this year? I’m basically working on my art, so hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be a package that people want to purchase and have in their mp3 players.

Any artists you’d like to work with? Will.I.Am, he makes the pop I’d like to make, also Drake. Plan B is a real hot producer right now and I’d quite like to work with Roll Deep - you know, branch out and make some club bangers with Wiley. I don’t make beats like that so it’d be a challenge.

Any last words? If you want something, go out and get it.

www.cynikalmusic.com Text by Marvin Alvarez Photography by Amber Gilbert

signed by Simon Cowell he is soon to be the man in the foreground in videos.

Labrinth I think it’s fair to say I just interviewed one of the UK’s most highly anticipated artist/ producers. In 2010 Labrinth has definitely had the Midas touch when it comes to producing tracks for others, but with him recently being

Coming from a Christian family Labrinth’s love for music began in church along with the rest of his family. Having spent his teenage years producing tracks as well as singing on them, Labrinth is definitely beginning to master his craft.

After producing and co-writing Tinie Tempah’s Number One single Pass Out he went on to feature on the followup Frisky, which reached number two in the charts.

With an eye-catching website and unique style transmission videos, Labrinth’s definitely puts his character forward

and I think this Jermaine Jackson look-a-like will be a fixture on our TV screens for some time to come. The young man with the Midas touch is far from finished making chart topping music with his solo track Let The Sun Shine in my opinion far superior to both Pass Out and Frisky…

Labrinth is a true musician who plays guitar, piano, drums and bass. His enthusiasm for what he does is contagious and his sense of humour makes him a real easy guy to interview and get along with. I think this explains why so many artists seem to be collaborating with him. This includes the likes of Loick Essien on his new single Love Drunk, Tinchy

Stryder and Master Shortie.

It will be interesting to see whether production or a solo career takes priority with the musical whiz in the future, but I’m sure Labrinth will be planning on balancing the two.

Let The Sun Shine is due out September 26th with Labrinth’s debut album forthcoming the next few months. Only time will tell if Simon Cowell’s new signing will be the huge artist he obviously has the potential to be.

www.labrinth.co.uk/ Text by Drew Mark Image courtesy of the artist

THE CUT 57

ARTS Dennis Morris

of 11. Here, Dennis Morris, the photographer famous for his images of Bob Marley and The Sex Pistols shares some tips.

With so many young people setting their sights on photography as a career path, we thought we’d seek out the advice of someone who had his first front page photo published at the age

58 THE CUT

Mentors can change your life: I was a choir boy in Hackney and the church had a photographic club. The moment I saw an image being developed and printed… well, it’s a very magical process. Mr Patterson was an incredible man, people like that don’t really exist anymore. He was trying to pull us out of the ghetto mentality. In his mind, if he saved one person,

then he did well. I think you can say that he saved me.

Educate yourself: There’s a lot of frustration among young black kids because they don’t really understand what’s going on in society. I think what they don’t quite realise is that the society we live in, the system we live in - this is one of the things I learnt from Bob Marley - it’s never really going to be about that you’re black, it’s about the fact that unless you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, nothing is going to be given to you. You’ve got

to take it, you understand.

Taking is not stealing. Taking is educating yourself.

Be comfortable in your own skin: I’m comfortable anywhere, because I’m comfortable in my own skin.

I’ve been in some of the most horrendously racist scenarios and still felt safe and comfortable. We are animals and, like all animals, if you show fear, you will be savaged. Accept who you are and accept others around you.

We’re all here struggling and trying to find our way through.

Sometimes it’s good to limit your options: I’ve got lots of different cameras, but sometimes I only take one lens to a shoot because it forces me to use it. The more you have, the more confused you get.

Too many possibilities are not a good thing. You can make more possibilities with one.

Success takes time: The problem with the society we live in now is that everybody wants to become managing director straight away. They think because they’ve gone to university or they’ve got

A-levels they are going to get a top job. It doesn’t work like that. When I started off, my wages were £5.10 per week.

I kept wondering, when am I going to be able to take pictures? When am I going to be printing? I just kept going shooting, all the time, but I knew I needed a job when I left school, so I got a job.

Deadlines and budgets matter: You have to show that you can meet deadlines. It’s all very well when you’re at college and you’ve had three weeks to do something. At the very

top level you don’t get three weeks. You might have a shoot to do with Madonna; sometimes you get an hour and in that hour you’ve got to come up with images. You have to be prepared mentally for that. Deadlines are what it’s all about in this business.

Deadlines and Budgets.

www.dennismorris.com Text by Nina Manandhar Image courtesy of the artist

THE CUT 59

reviews Mu s ic

BILAL – AIRTIGHT’S REVENGE Bilal Oliver last released his debut album ‘1st Born Second’ back in 2001 under Intersopce records. 9 years on he is back again but this time more explosive and soulful. With tracks like ‘Restart’ really showing his experimental sound with a blend of melodic and premorse singing from Bilal. In many of his tracks of this glistening album the track ‘Move on’ is where he really gives it all to this track just like Prince did with ‘I Wanna be Your Lover’ which respectively was also his second album called ‘Prince’. In ‘The Dollar’ his use of propulsive notes and joining them up with a very distinctive sound go hand to hand perfectly. Bilal has certainly has proven that quality of music still matters.

With this album he made many regret that ‘Love for Sale’ being shelved back in 2006 should of really been released, but pays the fans back this is illustrious album which will certainly not be shelved. Airtight’s Revenge out September 14th via Plug Research. RN www.myspace.com/bilaloliver

DURTY GOODZ – BORN BLESSED “Born Blessed” is Durty Goodz long-awaited album. While a surprise that it has been released as a free download the fact that it is free says

60 THE CUT

mus ic

nothing about the quality. The standard is very high and I would have easily paid for this.

Each song sees Durty Goodz switching his style and flow to rap about poverty, crime and his future aspirations.

The stand out track is “Marijuana” which sees him rapping over hip-hop, reggae and acoustic guitar.

It is a disappointment that there are no grime songs present and at times I felt the mood needed to be changed by including a clubbing track with a song about romance or something more light hearted that could be danced to.

Overall however this is a good hip-hop album that is definitely worth the ten minutes of time required to download. Do it now! RN

WROWRECK BY CYGNUS, OUT NOW ON ICASEA “Wrowreck” is the first release for ICASEA from Cygnus (USA).

This Texan wunderkind’s sound is awash with sumptuous and rich sounds. Showcasing his detroit-influenced electro, brimming with classic tr rhythm sounds, ambient space and sci-fi synth work, “Wrowreck” veers from the tough, elegant swinging electro-funk workout of “Donorax” to the gorgeous title track “wrowreck”. With unique- sounding futuristic soundscapes, synthesis mastery and sample manipulation this is one of the debuts of the year. JHB www.icasea.net

http://www.myspace.com/ officialdurrtygoodz

IYAZ When I was asked to review Iyaz’s debut album Replay I wasn’t ecstatic as I felt two that his two hits to date, “Replay’” and “Solo”, were too similar to Sean Kingston’s reggae tinged R’n’B pop songs. Suffice to say I am not a big fan.

I gave it a chance but guess what? It was exactly as I expected it to be with

nothing original, edgy or even entertaining. A few songs in and I was already bored as most sounded the same with the same drum patterns and annoying voice singing soulless love songs.

I know not being a teenage girl means that I am not the target audience for this album but not one word did I enjoy.

If you like Sean Kingston and Iyaz’s previous songs you’ll like this but for me it’s a CD I will never replay. JHB http://www.iyazmusic.com/

Reviews byTom Mullett, Ricardo Nunes, Amanda Harina, Akwasi Tawia Poku.

AR T

WE ENGLISH, SIMON ROBERTS NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM BRADFORD Together with his family, Photographer Simon Roberts travelled throughout England in a motorhome between August 2007 and September 2008, exploring the notion of the English at leisure. Roberts draws on the rich historical tradition of British landscape and social photography and painting in this series to create a picture of a nation at play in the Great British Outdoors.

Roberts finds beauty in everyday contemporary British life and creates what he himself calls an “unashamedly

g a me s a nd f il ms

lyrical rendering” of the landscapes. The collection documents everything from the Mad Maldon Mud Race in Essex to Ladies Day at Aintree, through to Chelford Car Boot sale. Throughout the process Roberts also opened up the process to the public by inviting people to submit ideas for places to be photographed through the website for the project, where you can now see all the images for yourself. .NM http://we-english.co.uk/

NBA 2K11 If you like to be Lakers your mind set might change, Miami Heat have Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Not hard to select what team you should be using against your friends and playing online. NBA 2K11 is a very competitive online gaming experience with outrageous graphics and simulating game experiences that take you into the full gaming experience of an NBA game. It’s definitely one of best basketball games in the market. Did I mention that you can play with the greatest basketball player of all time Michael Jordan?

NBA 2K11 out 5th October mark your calendars.RN

other people dreams and steal ideas. Eight years in the making the plot is detailed and has been well thought out. It has a stellar cast including Leonardo De Caprio as the head of the operation, Although a psychological thriller the well paced action and comedy keeps it entertaining without becoming too deep or serious. The only downside is that the story becomes quite confusing at times with the sheer number of dreams being entered but on the whole it is easy to follow and an enjoyable watch. JHB

INCEPTION Directed by Christopher Nolan of Dark Knight and Momento fame, Inception is a film that follows an illegal group of dream hackers who drift into

THE CUT 61

Sport midnight madness

“Players from across the UK as well as overseas, come together for the utmost and ultimate basketball tournament at Crystal Palace in London.”

Midnight Madness is London’s biggest sports secret, a tournament that brings players from all over the UK and overseas to compete at Crystal Palace, all in the dead of night. Yes, that’s right: while other sports players are drinking warm milk and watching Emmerdale, basketball players are battling through to the unspeakable hours of the morning for that number one spot.

62 THE CUT

Basketball is still an emerging sport in the UK so it’s not exactly suffering from media over-exposure, but the home grown game is developing at a prodigious rate. Not only are players from the UK going to American schools and learning the game over there, thanks to NBA commissioner David Stern dedicated UK fans get to enjoy top-rank NBA games in the O2 arena every year.

comedians, singers and some of the world’s best Slam Dunk teams all hyping them up for main event. If you have any doubts about UK basketball, you won’t after you catch sight of an unreal dunk or catch a magical pass from the finest players England has to offer.

Midnight Madness first came to the UK in 1999 and this year’s finals took place in front of a sold-out crowd with performances from

When was the first time you took part in MM and what do you get from coming? The first time I took part was in 2006.

In 2009 I finished in the top 10

LEON BENNETT-HARRIS AGE: 17 POSITION: SHOOTING GUARD

and got to go to the US and compete against players there.

Competing in MM, you get to see the different skills and attributes of different players. Looking at the positive parts and trying to add these to your own game makes you a better player.

RYAN MARTIN AGE: 19 POSITION: SMALL FORWARD I was 16 years old the first time I took part in MM. A lot of coaches come to watch you play, especially at the boot camps and at the finals. You’re on show for everyone, so if you’re really

paid to play this game it is a lot more serious and you realise that if you mess about out in Europe you’re going to be sent back home - it’s the same thing in the States, if you mess about you’re going home.

basketball players out there that they need to be able to tell you apart. Grades are just one of the things they use to do that.

OVIE SOKO AGE: 19 POSITION: FORWARD

What were you trying to achieve when you started MM? MM started way back in 99. We aren’t new to this but we’re true to this. I was coaching a youth team at the time and I was trying to give them something more positive to do. There was nothing like it in London or in the UK - there still isn’t - so we wanted to hold a competition for the whole of London. A year later, we got sponsors on board, which allowed us to take it to the next level. Eventually we took a team to America and now we’ve been all over the world.

good people will come and find you. The buzz is amazing - a lot of players have never played in front of a crowd like MM and the experience of playing in front of your family and friends with such a big capacity of people, there’s nothing like it.

You’re already one of the best basketball players in the country, so what does MM do for your game? MM helps my game a lot: I get to find what I’m strong at and what I need to improve. MM is where the best in the UK play and playing against the best is the only way I’m going to be able to improve my game. There really aren’t a lot of competitions like it.

Winning in the MM finals meant you had the opportunity to play against teams overseas.

Did this help you out with your game? A lot of players from the UK have never played over in the States, so when you see the level of competition over there you get inspired to raise your game. When you’re getting

You’ve been playing and studying in the States. What has the adjustment been like?

Grades are big out in the states.

To be honest I didn’t really buy into the education system here and that really hurt me when I went to the States, but when was there I got it together quickly. There are so many good

NHOMA SHIRE, FOUNDER AND CREATOR OF MM

The main aim of MM now is taking the game to a new level over here and keeping the players inspired.We try to make sure the players feel like even if nothing else is working out, they still have something to look forward to and that’s MM. The rules have changed over

the years. In MM we always aspire to get better so we listen to the players about what they like and what they don’t like.

What we often hear is that players never get to play with their usual team mates, so this year we introduced the team format. If your team wins you all go through to the next stage, but for individual players we’ve also got the stats system, so if you have good stats you qualify for the next stage too .

Basketball players travel all around the UK just to get picked to go to the next level of MM. What keeps them coming back? We have players back from international duty coming straight from the plane to the tournament because they know they can’t miss it. MM is more than just basketball, it’s like a family gathering.

It’s about community; it’s about sharing something you love with people that understand it and with people that love it just like you do.

Text by Silas Osei Photography by Ricardo Nunes

THE CUT 63

Sport polo in the park

You could say we’re not your stereotypical Polo fans down at The Cut HQ but earlier this summer we brought our Ralph Lauren shirts out for the final day of Polo in the Park tournament held at the prestigious Hurlingham club in west London. The organisers of tournament were keen to claim on their website they

64 THE CUT

were bringing the sport to inner London, so we wanted to see for ourselves as well as what kind of audiences they played to.

More than 27,000 people attended over the course of this three-day event, watching eight games and enjoying a range of activities including bouncy castles and face painting for

the kids, shopping villages and stunt riders. The idea of the event was to create a Polo equivalent of the cricket Twenty20 format with a fast form of polo and a real family atmosphere.

To be honest I doubted whether this was the type event I would usually attend. However, I recognised that this was possibly due to the stereotypical view

“I definitely would have liked to a see a more young people and a wider range of ethnicities to represent the capital.”

I and a lot of people have of polo. I won’t lie, before the event I had my preconceptions of champagne gardens, expensive cars and few if any young people. Funnily enough a lot of my preconceptions were right; there were champagne gardens and expensive cars but I must say a decent amount of young people including cheerleaders.

Considering that the idea of Polo in the Park is to bring the sport to a wide London audience, I definitely would have liked to a see more young people and a wider range of ethnicities there to represent the capital. Maybe the event organisers could have done more to help the sport lose the old stereotypes that, perhaps unintentionally,

create a barrier stopping some people from attending.

This sounds like a tall order, but it can be done: cricket is another sport that suffers from similar preconceptions, but it is managing to attract new audiences to the game.

MINT Polo in the Park isn’t quite there yet, but this event

is only in its second year and it definitely seemed to attract a load of polo newcomers, which can only be a good thing.

Text by Drew Mark Photography by Akwasi Tawia Poku

THE CUT 65

out and about bust a nut

Bust-A-Nut the new monthly party founded by The Cut’s music editor Shamz Le Roc. Every second Wednesday of the month 250 party goers come to have a gun finger skank to the latest, grime, house, bashment and R ‘n’B riddims! Sponsored by WESC (super Swedish brand) and Black Dice Watches, this is definitely the only party of its kind giving away free merch from both brands every event.

The DJ’s, the people, the vibes are simply jizztastic. www.bust-a-nut.co.uk www.bustanutparty.tumblr.com www.twitter.com/bustanutparty Photography by Iola Dee Red Head

Contributors Issue 06

Executive Editors and Publishers Nina Manandhar and Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky Photography Mentors Adrian Wood and Derek Wiafe Journalism Mentor Paul Macey Design Sara El Dabi

Executive Editors of The Cut Nina Manandhar and Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky are directors of Hardcore Is More Than Music, a Social Enterprise specialising in youth consultancy and arts collaborations.

The Cut is a non profit project which is part funded by work for clients including The Stephen Lawrence Centre, The Tate, The Institute of Contemporary Arts, Exposure PR, Dr Martens, The British Youth Council, Blue Rubicon PR and Westminster Council.

Drew Mark Senior Editor

Shona Harvey Senior Editor

Chloe Forde Fashion Editor

Amber Gilbert Photographer

Damian Malontie Journalist

Shamz Le Roc Music Editor

Alpha Gougsa Journalist

Tom Mullett Politics Editor

Chantelle Clarke Medford Photographer

Amber Gilbert Photographer

Iva Lila Journalist

Jamal Hue– Bonner Journalist

Jemil Saka Photographer

Ricardo Nunes Journalist

Silas Osei Photographer

Aniah Boakye– Smith Photographer

Kiran Nijjar Photo Desk Editor

Edward Kagatuzi Photographer

Patrick Owalbi Photographer

Akwasi Tawia Poku Photo Desk Editor

Leonie Gilbert Stylist

Kevin King Photographer

John Oduor Journalist

Anna Craven Journalist

Hardcore Is More Than Music is in The Observer’s Top 100 Creative Business’ in the UK / Courvoisier Future 500 for 2009.

Contributors Fraser Simpson Sam Awuku Marvin Alvarez Chantelle Clark Medford Joseph Grant–Adabayor Blessing Whelan Nat Krumbein Sarah Darby Joss Varley Jenny Robey Genevieve Lerouez JJ Caspar-Long For information on our activities please visit www.thecutnewspaper.com www.hardcoreismorethanmusic.com