TRACK: OSH - MY YE IS DIFFERENT

INTRODUCING OSH!!!!! Damn.

THIS TRACK IS GOING TO BE HUGE. The highly anticipated music video finally dropped a couple of days ago with 400,000 views in its first two days (mad YouTube numbers for a debut UK act). 

The guy's vocals AND rapping voice are off the scales and in this, his first track, he combines the two expertly. Something we can all expect to see a lot more in future.

Listen, then follow this link for the video. 

6ix9ine UPDATE: September 2019 trial date, not guilty plea, could face up to life in prison, album STILL drops..

Fans of his music and the general 'new wave' surrounding him will know that, unfortunately.. Daniel "6ix9ine" Hernandez, 22, is currently locked up, pending a humungous federal trial. He faces some serious charges (six in total) including; conspiracy to murder, racketeering, firearm possession and more - all of which could see him locked up for LIFE.. Yes, LIFE.

It's a strange case.. 6ix9ine A.K.A. Tekashi 69 shot to fame last year with the release of his hit single 'GUMMO' - the video featured bloods, big bags of Mary-Jane and Brooklyn streets and turned Hernandez into an overnight success.  The Bushwick, Brooklyn-born (of Mexican decent) rapper has since released ten tracks that have all featured on the Billboard Top 100 (at some point in time) along with two studio albums 'Day 69' and 'DUMMY BOY' - the latter dropping last night on all music platforms after it was leaked last week.

'DUMMY BOY' album cover.

Despite all of this success, 6ix9ine now currently occupies a holding cell somewhere undisclosed in New York and could be held for the next ten months (as his trial date has been pushed back to September 2019), a lot of people are feeling for the kid.

Past Troubles & The Nine Trey Bloods

The rapper has been no stranger to negative headlines dating back to 2015, when he was involved in a sexual incident with a minor, something he pleaded guilty to in October 2015.. explaining that he pleaded guilty because he had no lawyer or money for representation. 6ix9ine was 19 at the time of the incident - which began when he invited some girls to a party with himself and a number of older individuals. Only one girl, 13, showed up, later confessing that she professed to be 16 years old at the time, and engaged in video recorded, sexual activities with 6ix9ine and his friends. Charges were quashed earlier this year.

Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, CEO of TR3YWAY ENT

Since 2015, 6ix9ine switched up his team and the people he 'ran with' on several occasions before landing with Kifano 'Shotti' Jordan, a member of the Nine Trey Bloods and several other members of the same gang. Hernandez paid the gang members for protection, administrative purposes and for supporting him generally until he discovered that a number of people around him such as Shotti were extorting him, pocketing large chunks of the revenue he was bringing in from shows and album sales. After this and other instances 6ix9ine dropped the majority of his team, stating that he 'couldn't trust anyone around him'. This led to 6ix9ine being beaten and robbed at gunpoint for his jewellery and cash.. The rapper then appeared on Angie Martinez's Power FM talk show where he stated that the only people that can get near him are those that are 'already next to him'. Former member of his management, Anthony J. Ellison has now been arrested suspected of orchestrating the heist.

Prior to this falling out 6ix9ine and the Nine Trey Blood members were 'tight', featuring in numerous videos with each other shouting 'TR3YWAY' and throwing up the affiliated gang signs. Tekashi almost posed as a member of the gang, using them in his own protection - the artist had several beefs with notorious gang-affiliated artists such as YG and Chief Keef but was always comfortable, knowing he had the backing of the Nine Trey Bloods.

The term "TR3YWAY!" unfortunately and undoubtedly became synonymous with his music (something the prosecutors will definitely try and use to tie him into the gangs nefarious activities).

During this period of association with the Nine Trey members the rapper was present at a number of criminal instances including a shooting at the Barclay's Centre and a fight outside Los Angeles' LAX airport. This period of association is what has now landed Tekashi in a potential world of trouble.

On the 15th of this month, he appeared on the Breakfast Club for a second time where he explained why he had dropped his management and more. During the interview the artist promised to stop with the antagonistic behaviour towards others if the interview was to hit ten million views. It's currently on 8.5 million after a week meaning that he's 1.5 million views away from dropping his trolling, wannabe-gangsters ways in favour of a more organic rap career.

Unfortunately, it might be too little too late for the rapstar who was picked up by the FBI on the aforementioned federal charges a couple of the days after the interview dropped! Allegedly, Hernandez was picked up by the FBI after they became aware of plots against the 22-year-old rappers life! They had intercepted messages that read "we are going to super-violate this guy." believed to have involved his former associate and friend Shotti. 6ix9ine was advised to enrol onto a witness protection programme but signed a waiver and denied FBI help. They then picked him (probably because he refused to take their protection) and 5 other former associates up a couple of days ago on the charges and all could face up to life in prison.

Court

In the latest trial 6ix9ine was seen limping into court (apparently from super tight cuffs on his ankles), staring into space and at the ceiling whilst the other co-defendants (Shotti etc.) sat directly behind him. All of the defendants present pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and now must wait til September of next year to hear a jury verdict. 6ix9ine allegedly appeared to want to distance himself from the others, not acknowledging them at any point throughout the trial. Kifano "Shotti" Jordan left the courtroom noisily screaming "It's f****** TR3YWAY!" according to media present - sure to not help his case one bit.

The other defendants involved in the case are Jamel 'Mel Murda' Jones (alleged to have said/written the words 'we are going to super-violate this kid'), Faheem 'Crippy' Walker, Jensel 'Ish' Butler - all pleaded guilty.

These revelations are scary for Daniel Hernandez, it looks like we won't hear much from the star for a good 10 months. Unless of course, he release pre-recorded music or miraculously gets off the charges levied against him.

#PrayFor6ix9ine?

Thanks for reading, check out links below, have a great week, bye!






*this is a news item, yes, but as it is MY blog MY views are consciously present and unfiltered throughout. Others articles and the sources I have referred to are always provided below for you to embark on your own research into this topic :) 


Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8gemmlz3Sc - Diverse Mentality Video - "The Reason Why 6IX9INE Will Spend LIFE IN PRISON"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ8NoQTT1fQ&t=19s - The Breakfast Club - "6ix9ine Explains Why He Fired His Team, Recent Shooting & New Album"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8gemmlz3Sc - DJAkademiks - "We don't fold. We don't bend. We don't break. It's Tr3yway!"

Articles
'Tekashi 6ix9ine: Rapper pleads not guilty to racketeering' - BBC
'Everything We Learned at 6ix9ine's Court Hearing' - Complex
'Why Tekashi 6ix9ine Doesn't Shoutout Tr3yway on 'DUMMY BOY' - Complex

5 EAR-WORMS THIS WEEK (2.7.18)

 I'm terribly weird when it comes to a new song. I overplay and overplay AND overplay it, I literally do my utmost to completely ruin the track for me but in a pseudo-psycho way, I never do. 

 After some time, what usually happens is a new track will come into my knowledge (much like the leader of a small rebellion, ready to usurp the aged king) and dethrowns the reigning track looping in my mind. I've never had a problem with my brain being this way and have now decided to document my top 5 ear-worms weekly. 

 I listen to a host of different 'musics' on a bunch of different platforms, as most others do, and feel compelled to share them, as most others don't(but probably also do). Here, I'm going to list the five tracks in order of how much 'I Just Can't Get Enough' of them - with playable links to each - giving people the opportunity to be introduced to new genres, artists and sounds.  

HERE'S THE LIST.

1. Drake - In My Feelings..

2. 20 Min - Lil Uzi Vert..

3. Octavian, Mura Masa - Move Me..

4. XXXTentacion with Matt Ox - $$$..

5. RUSSELL! - Strawberry Shortcake..

Recently, my life's taken an unexpected turn towards the music world. I've found myself interviewing some of my favourite artists and going to crazy shows for forward-thinking & reputable magazines/sites. It's fuper sun. I'm probably going to carry it on - use it as a platform for future plans.. Who knows though.

It's also probably what's influenced this whole post idea.

Have a gr8 week! 

C O L O U R S - Best YouTube Channel for Urban Music?

I and 1,151,382 other people subscribe to a Youtube channel called COLORS, it's a music thing and it's fookin' wondrous. They've got this cool, trendy look to all of their vids; a hanging mic, an artist(sometimes accompanied, most times solo) in the middle of colourful empty space that's different in each vid.

Not something I'd usually care about sharing - the channel usually features up and coming artists which is good if you give a hoot. In the past week or so anyway, both Jorja Smith and Giggs have seen fit to drop some bombs(not debuts) on the channel!! Leading me to believe that the channel's reputation is growing or has already grown to a point where A-Listers may soon be interested. 

It's a band wagon that's worth jumping on, a good way of keeping 'current' and hearing new music 'n' artists.

Nevertheless.. Click the either of the two places I've written the word 'COLORS' to an subscribe to them to become there 1,151,383rd sub!!! Woo.

Here are the two aforementioned videos and a few others for your enjoyment..

'Jorja Smith - Blue Lights'

'Giggs - The Essence'

Others.. featuring.. Mahalia, JGrrey, Jacob Banks, Yellow Days, Flohio, MacDeMarco.

Thanks. Bye!

APRIL 3RD - 'PUNISH A MUSLIM DAY!'

April 3rd has always been nothing more than 'just another day' and probably will remain so despite the bat-shit crazy branch of British society's recent attempts to change this.

You may have missed it but a couple of weeks ago now a number of residents in parts of London, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have been the recipients of a semi-threatening/semi-childish letter titled 'Punish a Muslim Day, 3rd April 2018'.

The pathetic pamphlet which was posted 'anonymously' begins with a typically Islamophobic rant, featuring lines like "They have caused you pain and heartache. What are you going to do about it?" and calling those who don't hate Muslims "sheep" as much as they could in the 150 word limit they allowed themselves. The bullshit rant is followed by a backward point system where Muslim-bashers can earn themselves 'points' (which amount to fuck all in reality) for crazy-disrectful acts such as; pulling a headscarf off a lady, beating up or verbally abusing a Muslim, throwing acid at someone who looks like they may practice Islam and last but not least - nuking Mecca!

Only a tiny minority of the UK population will find this kind of proposal acceptable so the actual threat level is relatively low. That said, I live in Bow and work in Stratford (majority-Muslim areas) where a number of residents have received these moronic messages and community members justifiably have their backs up in anticipation of one or two d***heads acting up.

True Brits like Shahab Ud’deen, a man from Leeds in Yorkshire where a number of letters were distributed, launched the campaign urging people not to be normal, but to be special in light of recent plans to disrupt the Muslim community in the UK changing the name from 'Punish a Muslim Day' to 'Love a Muslim Day' - suggesting people should send families on a 'once in a lifetime' trip to Mecca instead of nuking.

Let's hope these freaks aren't successful in their hopes to disrupt all of us.

'3 DOCUMENTARIES THE GOVERNMENT DON'T WANT YOU TO WATCH!'

Earlier this week, I stumbled upon this photo..

I think I saw it on a jokes, super-left friend's instagram and have yet to thank her actually! But yes. The sticker photo'd above entitled 'These are films the government doesn't want you to see!' instantly had me interested as I live for good conspiracies - however cray! 

The 3 documentaries/films are;

- A Delicate Balance: The Truth

- Cowspiracy: The Sustainable Secret

- Earthlings

All of which are available for free on YouTube.

I've now watched two of the three suggested and probably (A Delicate Balance: The Truth & Earthlings) and have heard enough about 'Cowspiracy' to know that I'll cry through 70%. And I am FAR from a vegan/vegetarian.

All three films focus on the treatment/consumption/production of animals. A Delicate Balance: The Truth is a more informed look at how the consumption of certain foods is more killer than wars, famine, diseases etc.. featuring scientists and various experts - not as boring as it sounds. 

Cowspiracy follows an American environmentalist on his journey to finding out the truth about the impact animal agriculture has on the planet.

And Earthlings definitely explores the topic in most graphic way and if you're easily spooked, saddened or moved to tears watch with CAUTION. It is INTENSE!

Enjoy & click on some links - they take you straight to the respective film.

Finally.. Another Rhye album!

Writing music reviews isn't really my thing but when it comes to 'Rhye' I'll do almost anything!!!!!!! It's been five whole years since the act dropped their debut album 'Woman' (the best album ever IMO, highly highly recommended) and todaaay they just dropped another!! (yesterday)

If you haven't heard of them/him, here's some recent-ish news for you.

In the past half-decade the duo consisting of Michael Millosh, singer (Canadian) and Robin Hannibal, instrumentalist (Danish) has halved and become one with Hannibal playing zero part in the new album after splitting :( quite sad really.

Michael Millosh is now the sole member of 'Rhye'

Millosh explained to Billboard magazine that his former musical partner never toured with him labelling him a "computer-y kind of guy". He also touched on how they split, claiming Hannibal signed contracts that prevented the two from working with each other and calling him "self-destructive". Hannibal has since reminded fans of the part he played with Rhye in a heartfelt message in which he details his influence in the making of their amazing debut album before wishing his former partner the best of luck. Seems like a nice guy to me tbh.


To Michael Millosh's credit, the Canadian with the lungs of the legendary Sade, he has spent the last two years writing, producing and recording the entire new album entitled 'Blood' and there's very little difference in quality. Hannibal's tender instrumentals are missed eeever so slightly as Millosh has opted to be backed by a studio band, making the whole sound easier to categorise I guess? - the tracks however are just as frickin' good.

I've looped and fallen in love with the whole album already. My favourite track ATM has to be numero two, "Taste".. the opener "Waste" is also right on the money but  ultimately, after a shiteload lot of listening, as with the first album, I know that I'll end up loving 6 or 7 tracks equally.

Your lil Rhye' 'To-Do' list for you:

- Listen to the whole album on all major platforms (Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud).
- Read Billboard or Rolling Stone's reviews - they're not crazy bias like moi.
- Find the first album, also available on all major platforms.
- Check out Robin Hannibal, he's worked with loads of cool artists and will definitely have produced one or two of your favourite tracks! (if you're an indie/soul/'alternative' music fan)

'OOPS, MY PHONE'S DEAD OFFICER :((' - FREE DLR TRAVELLING FOR LIFE/FOR NOW.

The wonderful Docklands' Light Railway (DLR) celebrates its 30th birthday this year and it has been nothing short of a blessing for Londoners, especially myself. My uni's situated aaaall the way out in Beckton, E16 (far east) and if not for the DLR getting to uni would be a nightmare.

The line conveniently links you up with some of London's best areas.. in my opinion; Lewisham, Stratford, Canary Wharf, Canning Town, Greenwich, Tower Bridge to name a few and the best thing about it is.. IT'S TOTALLY FREE OF CHARGE NOW UNTIL FOREVER (for some 'daredevils' lol). Of course, it's not, but it is barrier-less at least for now and if you're a 'train station opportunist' then yeah, it's basically always free.

No barriers means you can choose not to tap your oyster or buy a paper ticket as there is a 90% chance that the DLR station you're heading to is also a barrier-less one. Things do heat up a lil' as once you're on the train you've got to emulate the fantastic Mr. Fox in your attempts to read and avoid the ticket man. Look out for signs and signals that tell you what his or her next steps are going to be.

NOW. Most people are already fully aware of this and therefore all the above isn't really relevant to you. Sorry for not saying earlier :)

BUT I'd like to make people aware of something they may not already know..

When the inspector comes towards you armed with his needlessly chunky, card-checky-thingy and there's absolutely nout you can do WHACK OUT YOUR APPLE PAY. A friendly Nigerian conductor once informed me that by law conductors cannot reprimand you if your apple pay fails. This is simply because your payment can fail for a multitude of reasons, usually network/3/4G related and obviously sometimes we can't help these things from happening..  therefore it is unfair to be charged a penalty fare. IT'S NEVER FAILED ME OR ANYONE I KNOW, AS OF YET. 

Photo by Zach Ekpe.

I am, however, pretty certain that TFL are already working on this - if they're not already planning to install barriers at every DLR station. It's just too big a loophole for them to ignore. So if you find yourself in the common situation of being asked to present your ticket and you haven't paid for once pull out your Apple Pay and let them scan that I promise you they'll walk on. It's fool-proof.  Either that or you can always say your phone died and it's the only method of payment you brought out with you. Nothing much anyone can do/say about that either.

DISCLAIMER: Out of the 45 stations, on the 7 different lines, 4 (to the best of my knowledge) will always have automated ticket barriers, these stations are; Stratford (not Stratford International, that's free), London City Airport, Canning Town and Bank - tap your oyster prior to travelling to or through any of these stations. Unless you want to be squeezing through the barriers behind an unsuspecting stranger whilst it squeals out this vile tone in desperation to see you caught by the TFL staff member(s), the barrier not the stranger.

Again, if you're a regular fare dodger you've probably already worked out the effectiveness of the 'my phone's dead' line. But for those who haven't tried their hand a bit of free travel for whatever reason, spread the word for them, so they may travel as freely as the rest of us!

Bye!

MET POLICE 'CBA WITH INVESTIGATING ASSAULT, SHOPLIFTING, GTA & BURGLARIES & MORE'

2017 has been truly loopy and you are 100% forgiven for not being to keep track with all the madness. Today, however, the Met police have made some pretty big changes that I feel we should all be aware of.

"On Monday, it was reported that the UK’s largest force would no longer look into many reports of crimes, including burglaries, thefts and assaults, where there was judged to be little prospect of identifying a suspect."

London's Metropolitan Police announced earlier today that they would be looking to save around £400m on their budget in the next four years as a result of over-spending and immense pressures caused by the current terror threat. Firstly, that's a huge sum. The fact that we're ready to reduce funding for our national/domestic security but happily increase our military budget is beyond crazy.

As a result of these cuts, police will now be investigating far fewer crimes, essentially giving free-reign to some criminals, some think. Nothing's been decriminalised so every crime is still worth it's weight in jail time.. What has changed are attitudes towards certains crimes, with less time being spent on the investigations of them.

Police will now be looking into the following a lot less;

- shoplifting

- burglaries and thefts

- assault (where the attacker isn't instantly idenitfied)

- car crimes

- criminal damage

The deputy commisioner of the Met Police, Mark Simmons said;

“With the pressure on our resources, it is not practical for our officers to spend a considerable amount of time looking into something where, for example, the value of damage or the item stolen is under £50, or the victim is not willing to support a prosecution.

The 'pressure' on their resources that Mr. Simmons is referring to is the supposedly ominous and looming 'terror threat'. 

“We need our officers to be focused on serious crime and cases where there is a realistic chance that we will be able to solve it. We also want them to be available to respond to emergencies and go to those members of the public that need our help the most.” 

He also added;

“Of course, we are not talking about things like homicide, kidnap, sexual offences, hate crime or domestic violence, but the lower level, higher volume offences such as shoplifting, car crime and criminal damage. 

Obviously, he's obliged to say everything he's said above, he has to do a job. However, I'd say that the Met Police are playing a risky game. They are fully aware of the mentalities the 'criminals' they have to deal with on a day-to-day and must surely know that the opportunist mindset of a potential wrong-doer is only going to see this as an opportunity?

This supposed 'let-off' is weirdly coupled with an announcement earlier in the week that the Police would now be looking to clamp down on people for the possession of corrosive acids/liquids in the wake of a recent rise in acid attacks, the most being one in Stratford's old shopping mall. All smells a bit contradictory to me.. 

The police are basically saying they're going to be harder on assault because that's what an acid attack is... at the same time as investigating it less?? I can only think that this will result in more people trying to get away with acid attacks and other assaults if they believe they can remain faceless, resulting in more people from that demographic being jailed. 

The Met are hoping to save this huge some of money over 2020, which is the tiniest bit more encouraging. Imagine if they forecasted themselves a year to save £400m we could be looking at a completely different story. Personally, I hope that these cuts of this nature don't continue. After all we fund the police through tax. If they do continue, we could be looking at a lot more 'leniency' on more severe crimes and that definitely wouldn't be good!

What do people most fear? (TWITTER POLL)

On my Twitter page, I've been conducting a series of polls - oo don't I sound scientific!? I've been doing so for a couple of months now and will probably carry on indefinitely! Given that I study Journalism and am looking to do things of this nature more in the future.. it wouldn't hurt starting now, on a smaller scale and less formal platform.

One of my first (I think my 4th or 5th) poles was targeted at everyone and posed the question, 'Generally speaking, what do you most fear being..?', the possible answers were; A Victim Of Crime, A Victim of Terror, Poor or Lonely.

I wasn't actually going to post anything on it, but yesterday, I mentioned to my mum that I'd polled this question and her reaction reinforced the significance of these findings.

These were the results..

Of course, there are a huge number of negatives that could be drawn from this data as well as one or two positives. This polls suggests that on average people in the UK fear being 'A Victim of Terror' less than crime, poverty and loneliness. The only positive from that is that people (or at least my Twitter seemingly aren't buying into the shit in the media. People, as you can see, most fear being lonely.. closely followed by poor.

My perrrrsonal opinion is that our 'system' is to blame for such a high number of people fearing for the financial stability. It's purely a reflection of the complete uncertainty surrounding employment for over 18s. Zero-hour contracts, poor wages comparably to the price of life, lack of jobs various reasons, poor education system that doesn't prepare you for 'adult life', discrimination (racial, gender etc), lack of motivation, anxiety, lack of confidence... the list sadly is endless! But all of these are indicators of a failing system. Now obviously a number of people have flourished in the same system but again, in my perrrrsonal opinion, that's a kind of luck of the draw thing. Either you were luckily instilled with the right mentality to help you succeed (upbringing/life xp has resulted in good money management, high motivation, innate dislike for laziness etc) from a young age - whether you were raised poorly or well. Either that, or your from a rich/connected family blah blah blah, you know the story.

Now, people most feared being lonely in the future. That's quite telling. I've found this to be true in life tbh; people aren't too scared about terror unless a bomb goes off, people utter the odd word about being the victim of crime but I don't hear it often, people are alllways talking/worrying about money and people genuinely all want to be accepted. It's just important that we speak to people often and if you see anyone looking like they could potentially need a friend, be the friend!!

Follow my Twitter for more polls!

Happy Sunday!

TORRENT COMMENTS, LOL.

Here's a bit of Sunday fun. 

I've recently thrown it waaaay back to the old-school times of downloading torrents. Torrenting isn't that hard to explain for someone who knows more than me, but I do know that it's 'peer-to-peer (person-to-person) file sharing' cutting out the producer of the file your sharing, basically. The poor super-rich person/corporation doesn't earn a buck. Can I get an "oh, well!".

Disclaimer: It's obviously illegal so do it at your own cost and try and buy from those who aren't as fortunate - however you gauge that.

Sooo. The reason I'm blogging. I've downloaded LOADS in the past month or so, it's been a lot of fun. Nothing has been funnier, however, than the comments people leave for whatever reason.. simply, they're usually impressed or not. After yonks of reading them to myself and countless laughing fits I decided to start screen shotting the funniest. In hopes that I'd one day blog about it. 

Anyway, here there are LOL. There aren't that many How people come up with some of these things is BEYOND me. Got to love people.

i love this, hahaha 

demandin'

this album review gets progressively worse ahahahaha, very funny. imho = in my honest opinion, took me a minute

  

i LOVE what he/she said about the video qual!! LOL! try imagine what he's saying hahaha

very ignorant! hahaha

Hahah, that's enough for now. I'm going to be collecting more of these and sharing them with you all again in the future. The internet is foon-eh. 

If you're interested in illegal downloading shit coincidentally after reading this post. Go to this site and there'll be loads of sites you can go to from there to downloads whatever you like!! From games to music to films to programs to books and mags to games and lots more!

Just make sure you download uTorrent. That's basically all you need. Type what you want into a site from the proxy list provided in the prior paragraph, click on the lil' magnet symbol and boom. You're computer will blow up....

JOKES your download will start and you can listen in no time, it's super fun if you've got a speedy internet connection but tbh, most connections nowadays will give you a fast download. The days of waiting a billion days for your favourite new album to download are over, for most of us.

Bye!

BARCELONA: WHY SO MANY VEHICLE ATTACKS?!?!

 A couple of days ago the world saw yet another terrorist attack in the form of a vehicle mowing down groups of innocent people. This time the the victimised city was Spain's second capital, Barcelona. 13 people have been confirmed dead and over 100 injured potentially in what seems to be a continuation of a growing trend.

"Car and trucks have now killed over 100 people in separate incidents in recent years. Extremist groups have long advocated for their supporters to use vehicles to target pedestrians." - according to HuffPost.

ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attacks this time but it isn't solely Islamic extremists that advocate for this kind of attack.

The attack in Barcelona comes less than a week after a member of the White Nationalist Party of America mowed down peaceful protesters in Charlottesville, VA, killing 1 and injuring countless. BUT WHY ARE SUCH ATTACKS TAKING PLACE SO FREQUENTLY???????

This seems to be an increasingly popular tactic employed by only extremists and I believe that they're ultimate aim is to scare people out of gathering in large groups. I mean, I like to bar in mind that however volatile things are the chances of being caught up in this kind of attack are low - but at the same time I had a few seconds yesterday where I stopped to myself and thought 'I'm never ever going to Oxford Street again.' But after another few seconds I rubbished the thought, realising that it was the common irrational fear that they want us to have.

I personally think that people shouldn't stop protesting or gathering in big groups but at the same time there is a threat out there. People are looking to divide us even more and once we can't stand together physically, we can't stand together mentally. I think it's important that we keep on talking, sharing information and learning more.

Police have allegedly foiled another attack in Cambrils, 120km away from Barcelona where 5 suspects were killed. The men were apparently planning to attack people with a car again and some were equipped with explosive belts.

Here are some useful links, if you'd like to read up on the Barcelona attacks;

Barcelona terror attack: What we know - CNN

Spain terror attacks: 13 killed and 100 injured in Barcelona and Cambrils attacks – as it happened - The Guardian

Barcelona Rocked By Terrorist Attack - The Young Turks

Everything we know about the Barcelona terror attack - Telegraph

COOL PLACES; HIIT KITCHEN, St. Alban's (x Zachary Ekpe Photography)

All photos are by moi.

Rob (left) & Kris (right)

5/6 weeks ago I was introduced to a new business in Hertfordshire's St. Alban's (25 mins by train from London - St Pancreas International). A funky, fitness bar/cafe called 'HIIT Kitchen' started by Rob Ashman and Kris Tyrell, specialising in healthy, snacks and juices for fitness fans and everyone else.

The lads are about the same age as myself which I love to see and they've succeeded in creating a cool looking place that appeals to everyone at the same time as a specific demographic.

They've since opened and have enjoyed a great start to business! They had me in again yesterday and here are some of the photos I took to help boost their online presence.

Like other locals businesses I've seen birthed in trendy parts of London and it's trendy suburbs this one has bags of potential and you should 100% pop in to try some of their amaaaazing products - you'll be welcomed by an awesome staff and vibe!

Contact

HIIT Kitchen Facebook Page

www.hiitkitchen.co.uk (coming soon)

HIIT Kitchen Insta (soon to be featuring a number of my shots)

Contacte-moi - Facebook - Zachary Ekpe - @zachekpe (Instagram) - zacharyekpe@gmail.com - for bookings & enquiries.

COOL MUSIC; BEST BEEF EVER?

In allllll my years as a grime fan (13 or so), I am sure that I haven't been lucky enough to witness a better one-on-one, bar-for-bar 'beef' than the ongoing brawl between two of grime's pioneers.. P-Money a.k.a. Paris Moore-Wiliams & Dot Rotten a.k.a Zeph Ellis a.k.a Joseph Ellis-Stevenson, formerly of the same grime crew 'The OGz'.

Tbh, P's been involved in a fair so many beefs with a few big names that I was starting to think I knew everything bad about Paris. On the other hand, Dot Rotten's been in the backseat of the grime whip for so long now it could have been easy to believe that P had this in the bag. But both share one thing (besides double barrelled surnames) is that they are both KINGS when it comes to lyrics and wordplay.

This is the timeline of events so far;

"Dot Rotten Sent For P Money With

Dot Rotten - Organised Grime Freestyle (P Money Diss)

Then P Money Replied With 

P Money - Real Talk (Dot Rotten Diss) 

Followed By 

P Money - Liars In The Booth (Dot Rotten Diss)

Then Dot Rotten Came Back With A Longer Reply 

Dot Rotten - Real Talk (P Money Diss) 

Then P Money Replied With 

P Money - Did You Notice? (Dot Rotten Diss) 

Then Dot Replied With

Dot Rotten - Facts (P Money Diss)

Plus

Dot Rotten - Steak Bake (P Money Diss)

Now P's replied with..

P Money - I Got Bars/Man Like Peri (Dot Rotten Diss)

"

Wiley Vs Kano was my introduction to grime on the first ever Lord of the Mics, so I guess I've had 0 choice but to LOVE clashes ever since. I thought that P was at the tip of his peak in his clashes against Ghetts and the Big H but Dot Rotten has forced Mr. Moore-Williams to level up once again and credit to him.

The latest update I have is that P Money has released a mixtape called 'Snake EP 2', exclusively containing all of his disses, available on SPOTIFY, LOL.. Again another first for a grime beef. 

not taken by moi

Dot Rotten's undoubtedly a don. I have to admit, I've had to do a quick few searches to update my limited knowledge on him, but his name has been synonymous with grime from day one - I know that much. He's produced for nearly everyone and is one of the best lyricists and a minority's shout for the best in grime.

taken by moi

I personally don't know what to make of it, obviously. Both artists are accusing each other of lying and that never helps, both are also using the names of dead people in their defences, making it doubly

impossible to know who's telling the truth. All I know is that after watching P Money for YEARS and meeting him in person a few times, I've even been face-to-face with him on the stage of a big fest and I am positive that he is way to nice to be a roadman. Meaning I naturally can't buy into his version of events to well. I think Dot has no reason to lie whereas P does.

P snapchatted a couple of days ago saying that he was "29, nearly 30" and has "0 time" for the throwing the term 'liar' back and forth between him and Joseph Ellis-Stevenson - before proceeding to call Rotten out on lies he had apparently told, he then said that the next diss he drops this Wednesday will be his last. Dot is 28, so age means nothing and it will be interesting to see if Paris keeps to his word.

Click the links to find out more on the madness!!