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!!

COOL MUSIC; 67 *POLL*

South London GOONS '67' have just shut down the whole of London with the launch of their latest album entitled 'The Glorious Twelfth'.

The albums perfectly embodies grime's new, brixton drill sound. They haven't tried to do anything out of their comfort zone and it's worked well for them. The first track 'Rolling Up' is a perfect and somewhat calm (compared to some of the other tracks) introduction to a hyped album. 

The albums also features tracks 'Look How Life's Changed.', 'Waps' & 'Guwop'. My personal favourite is 'Rolling Up' the first track (its probably playing out of your laptop/mobile device right now) - and that's purely down to the piano that plays periodically throughout. In all honesty, picking a favourite is too difficult - the whole ting is just too CONSISTENT.

Do make sure you have absolutely no family to see for around a week if you're planning to listen to this album from start to finish.. Listening to bars like 'Nuff DJs spin dem hits, but we just spin dem 40s *BOWW*' & 'The opps don't come to the Hill, if they say the do but they fibbin'! Come to my block, bare gunshots, could be dipping *TRUU*' on full blast may just leave you with a permanent screw-face & attitude problem.

Find the album on Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud & YouTube. Simply search '67 The Glorious Twelfth'.

The whole albums should be available below.. Have a listen and then answer me poll quickly. I wanna see what people think of this genre. The more you listen to their lyrics, the more informed you become about 'gang life' in London. They tell no lies.

COOL EVENTS; DISTINKT SOUNDS - Don't be boring this Friday.

Right at the beginning of summer '16, I was lucky enough to be introduced to a group of awesome people. We met via a long-term pal of mine at Rinse FM's Born & Bred Festival (HIGHLY recommended urban music fest - check the link) and had such a swell time that we moved our boogieing across East London to a Hackney manor occupied by a few members of the group. 

At the party we got talking more, as you dooo.. It was then that I found out that most male members of the group were either underground or established DJs who were buzzing to announce the launch of their very own night, Distinkt Sounds - "London's most fire event since 1666".

Held at Bar 512 on Kingsland High Street, Dalston, the debut was popping and dancefloor packed from 10pm all through the night til 6am! Great vibes and a decent turn out made the event an success and it suddenly became a permanent fixture on the calendar of many. 

"Richard Ware

July 23 · 

Thank you so much for all the hard work, this was sincerely one of the best nights I can (patchily) remember. Cannot WAIT for the next one!"

I, personally, had so much fun that I couldn't resist an invitation to join the team of funky lads.. I now find myself heading up the social media (FOLLOW THE INSTAGRAM) as well as taking the majority of the photos with fellow photographer Dan Munro.

Vol.2 was just as enjoyable if not more. Pelikann was the headliner on the night and preceded fab sets from the super versatile line-up. 

Vol.3 is now a few days away and tickets are still available here. Try something new and get yourself down to Dalston for one of my favourite new London nights. If you have something else planned, especially if it's in the East London area, be sure to pop if after as doors close late.

The night is super cheap at only £5 online and before midnight OTD. That's a tiny amount to let go of in exchange for a guaranteed goood time.

Don't be boring this Friday - come and enjoy a good ol' affordable boogie..

COOL POINTERS; How To Watch Your Team. Any Time, Any Place.

For a number of years now I have had the privilege of never missing a game - and it's cost me SWEET FA!

I am fully aware of the fact that a lot of readers will already know of this little 'trick'. Nevertheless, I still get people who ask me "how?? how do you do it??" and I have passed on this special knowledge on to anyone who's requested it. However, now it is time for me to open the door for all to enter.

Nowadays you can do and find almost anything on the internet and if you didn't know this, now you do. I, personally, have lived in a household where the 'Sky Sports' package was never really considered a priority - this unfortunate upbringing forced me to seek a solution fast. I have since found many sites (some of which do not exist anymore) where I can enjoy a smooth uninterrupted service. Here they are:

1 - CricHD Tv (formally CricFree Tv) - http://www.crichd.co/live-streaming.php

This is my favourite site as it's reeally easy to use. PLUS, I can watch ANY sport. Here's a screenshot..

Here you can see the schedule for all sports matches throughout the day, it's so self-explanatory, just make sure the game you want to see is currently on and click 'watch'. The red 'watch' buttons and the aerials in the column labelled 'Live' are both indicators that the game you are watching is now on - ready for viewing.

You can also simply click the channel that you want the watch of the left-hand sidebar if you know where the game you want to watch is being aired.

(as you can see I was watching the Chelsea, United game here)

This page shows you what the footage is like, usually clear and uninterrupted but this does depend on your connection. Full screening is possible on any channel at any time.

MAKE SURE YOU CLOSE ALL ADS AND ANY WINDOWS THAT COME UP AS A RESULT OF YOU CLICKING 'X' ON AN AD (just to be on the safe side.)

2 - The next best site for you (in my opinion) is this one.. Premier League Live - http://premierleague-live.com/nextmatches/

This site looks like this..

.. and allows you to watch any game involving a premier league side. All you have to do on this site is scroll down to the game you want to watch and the games that are currently live are marked with a 'watch now!' button, games that aren't currently available will display a countdown til the match airs.

(You can also go to both sites for Champions League & Europa League fixtures)

Other sites include:

EPL Site - http://www.eplsite.com/

Stream Sports - http://www.streamsports.co/england/football/1/premier-league/1/

Live Streaming 24 - http://livestreaming24.net/premier-league/

Now hopefully you have enough info and good enough instructions to never have to beg a friend for their 'Sky' or 'BT Sport' login.

Enjoy!

COOL PEOPLE; ELIJAH MUSIC

"My goal in life is to be creative - with absolutely no limits."

The past few weeks have been hectic. I've taken on a number of projects (some of which I will be blogging about) and uni has resumed for the year. I am well and truly up to my neck in work but I've still managed to meet with and get to know some intriguing characters...

The second person I have for you is someone I met in London a few weeks ago now. His name is Elijah and he's a proud north Londoner. He actually approached me in need of a lighter but we soon began exchanging life stories. Elijah (Eli for short) is a second year Fine Art student who aspires to one day live off money made from his art as well as is other passion - music. After meeting we exchanged numbers and plan to stay in touch.

Oh yeah.. he also raps and has dreams of making it in the music industry.. Click here to find Eli's soundcloud and stay tuned he will be uploading some of his new music this week! I've been in a studio session or two with him and boy do I have the utmost confidence in his ability to do well.

I decided to include Elijah in this because he is doing a lot creatively and is letting absolutely nothing and no one tell him otherwise. This is the attitude that everyone should have, whatever you want to do, however it may look to friends, peers & contemporaries.

Your free time is YOURS and though you may not have as much 'leisure time' as a student you still have some so make the most of it.

Age - 19

Full Name - Elijah Brown

A.K.A - Eli

Favourite Colour - Gold.

Favourite Drink - Hennessy & Coke, Pineapple Fanta

Inspiration - His family, especially his dad. Rich The Kid (Eli recommends watching Rich The Kid's semi-recent 'Noisey' documentary - 'Rich The Kid is Rich Forever' for an insight into the rapper and his main inspiration.

Background - Part Brazillian, Part British

Occupation/Hobbies- Student, Model, Rapper, Photopraghy

Dream Job - Rapper, Artist & Model

Location - London

Instagam- @ej.brxwn

Cool Person - #1

Hey, if you didn't read my last post on my upcoming blog series (I forgive you).. and here it is!

Although constant updates on celebs and their lives is entertaining, it really isn't as beneficial as ordinary people connecting with ordinary people. If you know me well then you know I use the term 'cool' broadly - in my world it means 'interesting'. It certainly isn't defined or measured by someone's online presence, although that could be a genuine reflection of someone's 'coolness', I guess? Anyhow, these posts should ideally feature people who:

- have interesting things going on in their lives (could be anything..)

- have had unique, intriuging and thought-provoking life experiences.

As I say, it's important to for ordinary people to connect so that ideas can be shared, relations can be built and prejudice/stereotypes - broken down. Prejudice can be defined as "a preconceived opinion that is not based on actual personal experiences." - learning about others leads to a less judgmental world! Hopefully these posts can inspire different people in multiple ways (fashion, ambitions, work, lifestyle).

The first cool person I'd like to introduce you all too is someone that I've now met on a couple of occasions - both times at fashion-related events and boy does she have style!

 Her name is Emily, she moved to London from Italy and she's determined to make it in the fashion industry as a 'streetwear influencer' (which is pretty self-explanatory), not saying "no" to any modelling opportunities on the way. She strikes a mean pose on her Instagram but in actual fact she is really soft spoken and has an cool Italian twang to her voice. She currently works in and studies fashion in London.

Age - 19

Full Name - Emily O'Donnell

A.K.A - Queen Skally

Favourite Colour - 'Plant Green'

Inspiration - I.D Magazine

Background - Part Italiana, Part Irish

Occupation- Student, Model
Dream Job - Streetwear Influencer

Location - London

Instagam - @emily.j.odonnell

A lot of people like the idea of getting into fashion but it can seem intimidating and opportunities sometimes look out of their reach, but there are loads of routes into the fashion world. Start looking at courses and the requirements of your local college, speak to a teacher or someone you know in the industry. Also.. Check out the ever popular 'Fashion Retail Academy(FRA)' -- who offer LOADS in the way of courses and fashion qualifications.

Thanks for reading  - look out for the next cool person!

COOL EVENTS; LFW - SS'17 (Street Style)

"London Fashion Week (LFW)is a clothing trade show held in London twice each year, in February and September. It is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, along with the New York (NYFW), Milan (MFW) and Paris (PFW)." .. Gracias Wiki!

It is now Wednesday and London Fashion Week is well and truly over for the year.

Once again I got myself down to the vibrant centre of London, to connect with new people and take some cool shots in between. I leave LFW with a bag full of business cards, a bulkier personal portfolio, a slightly boosted online presence.. Oo and a big smile on my face!

Over the past few days I have also been brainstorming various ideas for a potential 'blogging series'.. I've trialed many before but haven't had that burning passion for any of them - the burning passion is the key to it's success, I feel. 

Anyway, I will be blogging more about that later. For now, here are some photos from the past 4 or 5 days.

Follow my Instagram for more of my snaps!

COOL POINTERS; 19.08.16 - The 24-Hour Tube Arrives!

This time two years ago Londoners were eagerly anticipating the arrival of London's first ever 'Night Tube' however due to TFL strikes over pay and potential working condition concerns the start date had to be delayed.

The new all night system scheduled to perform a 'pratcice run' this weekend, in preparation for the actual start date - August 19th. This practice run will be a passenger-less service and will be tested this weeked on the 12th and 13th of August - a week before it's scheduled to fully go live. Trains will be trialled on the Victoria and Central lines and will test the operational capability of the proposed system (basically, the aim is to see how well it runs).

As stated already the Night Tube will be aired on the Central and Victoria lines. This is great news as they covered a fairly large part of the city from North, to East, to West, to South. From a financial stand-point the changes are set to boost London's economy by £360m and ideally we should see improvements in our country, in different areas - infrastructure and jobs being a couple of them. 

TFL Cheif, Mike Brown said: "It is good news for London. More than half a million people use the Tube after 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and the introduction of the Night Tube, which will support London’s businesses and jobs, is a historic step in our modernisation of the Underground and our work to support London’s economic growth.”

The lines that are being tested this weekend (Victoria and Central) are the ones that will go live next weekend. The autumn period will see three more lines added to the Night Tube map, the Central line (between Ealing Broadway - Loughton/Hainault), the Piccadilly line (between Cockfosters - Heathrow Terminal 5) FYI! The 24-hour service will boast an impressive schedule of six train per hour between the hours of 00:30am and 5:30am though this number may vary from line to line.. The northern line will see an even better eight trains per hour!

Obviously this all sounds amazing and I am positive that many of you will utilise this service at some stage, some more than others, but how much of the money made will be re-invested and what differences will be made? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.