Jasmine’s Juice- MTV EMA’s 2015, Tinchy’s All About The Bants, Google Party, Craig David’s Back!

MTV EMA’S 2015

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MTV EMAS 2015 FUN!

I took the week off my main day job to re-join my old MTV family in Milan, for the annual MTV Europe Music Awards 2015. Like last year with Nicki Minaj, I was host producing. This year our hosts were Ed Sheeran and Ruby Rose.
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THE FIRST PIC OF MTV EMA 2015 HOSTS ED AND RUBY TOGETHER!

Alas Milan was hot. I say alas as I had packed a suitcase full of woolies as every year its always freezing wherever we go across Europe. So on the coach from Linate airport to our hotel, were roadies with their one rucksack and I with giant suitcase. SMH.

The awards were held at the Mediolanum arena. As with all arenas, we could’ve been anywhere in the world. The stage was surrounded by corridors lined with dressing rooms, and production offices buzzing with scriptwriters putting in last minute changes to the script, and techie crew testing mics and rigging.
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RANDOM TABLES HEAVING WITH BOTTLES OF PATRON ALL AROUND THE ARENA.YOU KNOW, JUST IN CASE A RANDOM POPSTAR GETS THIRSTY.

Hair, make up and glam squads were preparing miles and miles of hair extensions, makeup palettes, clippers, weaves, wigs and more. Dressing rooms were being dressed in black, with fancy candles, huge vases of white flowers and flattering lamp lighting for the many private jets and commercial airlines flying in music acts and dancers the next day.
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Our food was provided all week by long-term EMA caterers ‘eat your hearts out’. All staff working at the awards get free lunch and dinner. A daily choice of at least six main courses of fancy meals of chicken, veal, duck, venison, pasta, curries and more. Plus all the salad and accompaniments you may like. Add to that a selection of at least 8 desserts and a heaving cheese board with grapes, it’s pretty easy to put on a couple of stone after four days. Even with the endless walking around the venue, stage and climbing into high stage sets in the arena. Although the sweetie fountains do give you a really needed sugar rush, to keep you high and going at 2am when you’re exhausted.
ARTIST CATERING
ARTIST CATERING LOOKS ALOT SEXIER THAN MTV STAFF CATERING.

Also being prepared the day before are press packs which include fascinating-fact lists that journalists can add to their EMAs write ups. How many miles of cable, how many bottles of champagne and patron, how many cans of hairspray, how many black Mercedes, how many thousands of pounds worth of booty in the goody bags.

On day two we ran through the show onstage with cameras and directors without our main hosts as Ed was flying in the next day, and Ruby was flying in the night before! This day is useful for checking the floor plan and planning routes for sprinting through sneaky backstage corridors for costumes changes and making sure its set in stone with the floor managers so its easy to teach the hosts once they arrive.
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EXHAUSTED MTV EMA HOSTS ED ANDRUBY WITH ME 1 MINUTE AFTER THE SHOW FINISHED STILL ONSET!

Its also a useful day to be able to liaise with the travel/red carpet/ glam squads about times you will need their teams to attend to our hosts and their entourages. Also to make the show running order work with exact minute-by-minute precision to ensure all music stars, entourages and crew are on the same page.
For example Ruby was flying in from South Africa from the film set of Resident Evil, where she’s acting in the upcoming film which see’s her chased by zombies in a post apocalyptic world. So Ruby’s finger nails which were broken and dirty from that role needed immediate attention to be MTV-glam. She also needed her hair colouring, tailor fittings with top Italian designers and a spray tan. So we ensured she was met around midnight the day before the show at her hotel with a manicurist, hairdresser and spray tanner. This process took till around 3am. Being uber professional, Ruby also re-worked her script to perfection so that I was able to have it changed on the auto-cue the following day.
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MTV EMA STAGE 2015 GETTING READY!

The following day Ed flew in straight from his red carpet promo for his film so he was really grafting hard too. This day saw us rehearse with Ed, with me playing the part of ruby opposite him. Ed was also exhausted, as he had just flown in from his best mates bachelor party. He drove straight in from the airport to the arena to see the show set and rehearse his links, all with a smile on his face and a polite greeting for the whole crew. (its so easy to love him).
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FINAL SHOT OF THE DREAMTEAM FRONT AND BACKSTAGE CREW!

Later that day I was rushed off to Milan’s Main Square, to Sugar Music Studios right in the shadow of the Duomo, where I was overseeing a studio rehearsal with the legend that is Andrea Bocelli and up and coming singer Tori Kelly. I was to be the MTV presence in case either of their teams had any questions or concerns about their artist live sets. I couldn’t believe my luck and the fact that this is my job. I’ve had hundreds of ‘pinch-me’ moments and im still excited by every one! I watched as Andrea and Tori ran through their set for the next days show gob smacked at both of their breathtaking vocals. Tori’s manager Scooter Braun (also Justin Beiber and Arianna Grandes manager), was also in the room and his dad called on Facetime whilst both artists were mid-song. So Scooter calmly let his dad watch for a minute before speaking to him. His dad’s stunned, overjoyed face at having been witness to the moment was priceless!
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WITH SARA AND SONIA- MY FLOOR MANAGERS DREAMTEAM!

On show day the arena and the whole of Milan was buzzing. We ran through the camera angles and stage positions first thing in the morning after Justin Beiber had sound checked. Next it was the host’s first and only rehearsal together mere hours before the show. Then a full dress rehearsal with full cast, acts and dancers. Straight after dress-run we gave the hosts an hour to rest before the red carpet before I knocked on doors to drag Ruby to the red carpet. The fans in Italy are amazing! Really passionate screamers and so sharing the red carpet with Ruby and Jason Derulo who was flanked by two tall blonde models was hysterical.
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ARIEL VIEW OF THE MTV EMA2015 BEING PREPARED.

As soon as we whisked Ruby off the red carpet it was go, go, go! The show kicked off with us climbing loads of steep steps for the opening scene and by the end of the show we were all drenched with sweat from three hours of running, changing clothes, changing scripts, learning last minute changes and more. Its tough to keep your host moving when other celebs like Justin and Ellie (Goulding) pass in the corridor and they all stop to chat. Even more impressive was that the autocue /teleprompter on one of the cameras didn’t work for two links and Ruby just reeled off her words to perfection without a flinch. No-one would’ve known.
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WITH TINIE TEMPAH AND HIS MANAGER DUMI AT THE AIRPORT THE MORNING AFTER.

Ultimately, the show was great with performances by Macklemore, Jess Glynne, Jason Derulo, Rudimental and Ed Sheeran, Andrea Bocelli and tori Kelly, Pharrell and more. The celebrity glam pit in the audience was full of other names like Tinie Tempah and Naughty Boy and much hilarity was had during and after the show.

EMA WICKED WHISPERS

Which pop star went around the venue nicking bottles of alcohol to take back to their hotel when they could’ve just added it to their MTV rider?
Which pop star had a last minute hair and dress dilemma and had to make emergency plans for a new look?
Which pop star refused to enter the venue unless they came last cos the last one to arrive is the one most important and worth waiting for?
Which pop star needed their song words on autocue, as they couldn’t remember them?
Which pop star wanted to say very naughty x rated things whilst onstage, but luckily refrained?

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TINCHY STRYDER

On my return to London which barely 8 hours sleep across the past 4 days, I was invited down to a private screening room in Soho to watch a new comedy prank show – All About The Bants – hosted by Tinchy Stryder for ITV2, which is airing this weekend.
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WITH TINCHY STRYDER AND HIS ‘ALL ABOUT THE BANTS” ITV2 TV SHOW CREW.

I entered the basement room to find it full of guys, not one woman up in there except me. I felt like Beyonce for a hot minute. The show is like a newer, fresher, younger version of eighties TV show ‘’beadles about’’ where Jeremy beadle and his acting team of pranksters played jokes on the unsuspecting public.
The sketches are well timed, full of diverse scenarios and a great watch.
My cynical side did think ‘ah ITV trying to tick their diversity boxes with 4 new BAME TV shows’, but actually it was good and Tinchy did a great job hosting.
Watch ALL ABOUT THE BANTS this Sunday ITV2 10.30pm.

(straight after the screening we popped into Nandos where we bumped into Giggs who was telling me about his new projects, both human and music 😉
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GOOGLE BHM EVENT

Then it was off to the uber fancy Google building for their Black History Month celebration, where after a couple of keynote speakers and musician, a panel talked about the importance of young people of colour entering the techy industry. It pays at least 30% more than most industries, and at Google they even provide all food- breakfast, lunch, dinners, drinks, snacks and a gym and cinema room. Where do I send my CV?

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CRAIG DAVID.
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JASMINE WITH CRAIG DAVID THIS WEEK.

Finally it was time to catch up with my old mate Craig David who is back and cooler than cool! He’s been telling me about his new music for months, but this month he’s been interviewed and on front covers of every mag and digital website going from Vice to NME and more! Even Justin Beiber covered his hit ‘’Fill me in’’ in a televised karaoke and Drakes been name checking him for years!

Craig blames it on the cyclical nature of trends ‘’ Things are cyclical. Double denim. Tim boots. Musically my fans are 15 years older and feeling nostalgic. They have memories that are linked to my music. There’s also the 15year old kid that doesn’t’’ know who I am. But the lyrics of ‘fill me in’ whether a decade ago or now are still relevant to any young person’’

Craig took a decade off to recoup and enjoy life by buying a rib in Miami and a super-duper swish sports car and just living the dream. Why not? He’s earned it right? ‘’ My actual last record was a covers record. Just Regular. Nothing but covers I was needing to put it all away and take a break. Live in palace in Miami, drive the car I always wanted’’.

Craig admits his mind became warped by record labels and agendas. ‘’I knew it was unhealthy for me in the music industry when I realised that even though my albums sold millions, I bought into the fact that it was a downer and hadn’t sold enough! The industry males you panic about Chart positions, getting number ones for your next single, you experience extreme success and thoughts of failure in the same seed! ’ Any young act coming through needs to understand these things. I knew rewind was fire and my first cheque proved it. But when that mentality changes to you creating music for a label it changes and isn’t fun anymore. The biggest truth is when Biggie said ‘’more money, more problems’’. So for me right now it’s fun!’

When he moved to Miami craig started an intense #eatcleantraindirty workout regime that showed him transform on social media to muscleman.
‘’my fitness was taking over from music. I was ripped but gaunt. I aged 20 years. My abs were great but my face was not. I eased back to having just 4 abs not my usual 10. Its better to come with good music and I finally found a balance for both. Ultimately it may have been about control as I used to be an overweight kid. And that fat kid inside will always exist with me. I knew I needed to go to the extreme of being ripped. But then the fear of losing it happens as you can’t go out for a meal with friends. My eating thing was deep-rooted as a kid. It’s like telling a girl in the model industry she needs to lose weight, it turns her mad. She eats tissue. Men are also affected, as it’s an ego thing about feeling worthy and in shape. Then you realise that girls don’t need that. My manager told me I looked old and crazy. I saw beautiful girls that just wanted a normal guy. I was killing myself to stay in shape and being in control. So now it’s all about balance’’.

More recently he also stated up his TS5 dj brand in his Miami home, which has now gone global, London, Europe Australia and more!), and has been at summer festivals and did such a hot set at carnival the police had to shut it down after the crowd became too excited. Did you watch him on Radio1 Xtra’s KurruptFM takeover where he was in the studio with Mistajam, Big Narstie, Stormzy and more? He shut it down!

Of course these new, young acts grew up on Craig’s music so is it any wonder they adore him? Isn’t grime the modern day child of garage? Wasn’t UK garage the forefather of grime?
Craig told me ‘’ People hadn’t forgotten me but I needed to find my hunger for the music industry again. You never really go away. As a songwriter I’ve always got a3 minutes in me that can change things‘’

Craig says what happened to the old skool UKG scene was that ‘‘the scene evolved. Led by names like Artful Dodger and Wookie, Timberland and Rodney Jerkins were doing UK vibe songs. We were having an impact on American producers. So Solid changed everything. Then the grime scene did its thing, although I don’t think it got its fair big profile. It then needed a time to go dark. Like the jungle scene. The buzz was still underground when you’d be 5th in line to rip the mic in a dark studio or rave. Now we see Stormzys come through. you see Skepta being recognised Drake. Kanye bringing BBK onstage at the Brits. Also it’s now seen as a commercial asset’’.

So is the garage scene back? Did it ever go anywhere? What changed?
‘’Back then it was more of a fashion scene. Girls felt sexy. Guys were flossing with champagne bottles. If someone steps on someone’s shoe it’s cool no problem, I’m just jamming with my girl’. Then it got dark and the scene was blamed for lots of negativity. I’m seeing organised chaos at grime events though. It kicks off and the energy is crazy!’’

Do Americans steal our sounds?
It goes both ways. We mimic their soul. We have such a multicultural eclectic mix of sounds. When Skpeta does shutdown Americans go \’what is THIS?\’ and try to jump on board. Like when I first did rewind people just looked at me confused but in months the Americans were playing it all over radio.

For this young Boy from Southampton who came to London and made it big, this time around he says ‘’its more important now to make sure that the people around me are happy. I want my team Colin Lester 15 years who’s fought for me for years Alex. Matt. All my team who do this day in and out working hard for me. Matt said I’d have to come to London to make and put out new music and it took me a moment to realise he was right. It was a pivotal moment. I left my apt and car and returned to London and am back in the mix. I wanna see my team enjoy their graft at awards and ceremonies’’. ‎

‘’Big Narstie came to my studio and was offended that my ‘Born to do it’ plaque was just sitting on the floor in my studio. Narstie told me that ‘That album got me through hard times man!’. So I had to get s screwdriver and put the plaque on the wall. I now tell that story to you cos that was a poignant moment for me. I had perspective and realisation’’.

And Craig isn’t like the ushers of this world who jumped into EDM when it was hot to have a hit. Talking about his new music he says the sounds the same ‘’my new music flavor? If born to do it was my first big break I was narrating simple relatable stories and melodies and R&B. That’s exactly the same place where I’m at now. Look at Ed Sheeran…he’s fly, acoustically, with beats or with a guitar. Simple but great!’’

With most of the UKs black soul singers not visible to the public, I ask Craig if at least on the UK soul music scene, the public view of the industry has been hijacked by white singers? Craig disagrees ‘’the race card is a cop-out. Race can go both ways. It would diminish all I’ve done. My mums white my dad’s blk. I don’t recognise it at all’’.

”I’m calling my album ‘Following my intuition’ cos every time I’ve followed it, it’s been right. When I haven’t, it’s bitten me in the ass. I’m working with a guy called White Nerd from Manchester – he’s amazing. Trejohn Marie a great new songwriter. And Kay Trendada futuristic R&B.

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JASMINE WITH CRAIG DAVIDS MANAGER COLIN LESTER.

Hallway through my interview Craig’s manager (Colin Lester), who I’ve known for years arrives in the studio and jokes that the interviews over!. After he leaves the room Craig tells me that he loves Colin like a dad for having his back for so many years. ‘’ We used to do inerviews and Colin would bombard me and play jokes and I’d be like in ’embarrassing dad mode’ but now I’m all good with it cos he’s really held me down over 16 years and always championed me…’’

I remind Craig of the video that was secretly filmed of Colin being furious about the Bo Selecta sketch back in the day that was all over the Internet. Craig laughs ‘’yes, Colin went mad!” It’s a father son thing.

When asked about how craig had felt during that time he reveals ‘’ The mainstream media portrayal of it was out of control. It was flattering. I was caricatured alongside David Beckham, Michael jackosn and more. The thing all got blurred. I thought it was funny and went onstage at Royal Albert Hall even wearing my own caricature mask. But PR teams were putting out stories everywhere saying I was angry. But I wasn’t. Its only hurtful if you let it be. Keith (Lemmon) and I patched it up a long time ago at Ferns wedding. There was an awkward tension in the room. Guests were probably hoping it would all kick off like at school in the playground. I walked over to Keith and hugged him and it was all-good. If you’re a great musician you can take the heat. Kanye gets the heat ripped out of him daily but he carry’s on and says ‘I’m running for president and you\’re going to buy my Yeezys! And by the way, I have the hottest girl in the game!’ That\’s what it’s about. Not taking it all too seriously. People just want to hear new music and that’s what I’m bringing to them!’’

Clearly it’s Craig having the last laugh.

Jasmine’s Juice – Fresh Dressed movie director Sacha Jenkins speaks on Hiphop’s influence, Identity, Nas,Cultural appropriation and ….Miley Cyrus!

Fresh Dressed is the fascinating movie chronicle of hip-hop, urban fashion, and the hustle that brought oversized pants and graffiti-drenched jackets from the New York discount markets to high fashion’s catwalks and shopping malls all around the world. Its out in UK cinemas from October 30th 2015 AND I caught up with the film’s director – Sacha Jenkins – ahead of it’s release!.

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(All photos courtesy of Jamel Shabazz)

Who is Sacha Jenkins, how did this film come about and why was it important for you to make it? What inspired it and why is it timely now?

At my core, I’m just a kid from Queens who has remained a kid for a long time. And in my adult life, I’ve been able to chase the dreams that I chased as a kid. As for Fresh Dressed coming together, I’ve been writing about hip hop for a long time for various publications, writing various books, working on various projects related to hip hop culture. I at some point realized that one of the most important facets of hip hop culture – fashion – hadn’t been touched on in the way I felt I could. I believed that hip-hop could be a platform from which I could discuss a broad range of ideas. I was inspired by what I remember about being a kid growing up in inner city New York, and remembering how important the way we looked was- and how we judged one another based on what we wore. But it was also competitive and fun in many ways…liberating even. Fashion was language for us. I wanted to make a film that could speak to all of these ideas.

Producer Nas? How did that happen, Why was it important to him as he’s not exactly known as one of hip-hops more experimental with fashion names?

Nas and I went to the same crappy middle school in Queens. We were both told that the only thing we can do in life is to go on to become mechanics. I don’t know how to fix cars- I wish I did. But what if Nas went on to become a mechanic? Truth be told, Nas and me are partners in a business. It’s called Mass Appeal. We publish a magazine, produce a website, books music- the group Run the Jewels is on our label. We do a lot of creative things via Mass Appeal. To me, Fresh Dressed is more about WHY people wore/wear what they wear as opposed to specific brands. So while Nas isn’t known for his fashion, he’s known for his lyrics and overall cool vibe; his influence went a long way in getting bigger names like Sean “Puffy” Combs to come to agree to be interviewed and more.

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The influence of hip-hop fashion is global with hip-hop culture taking over commercials, creative arts and modern day language. How big an impact has hip-hop culture had on everyday clothing and fashion?
Hip hop’s influence on global culture is too large to articulate here. I think hip-hop can be distilled down to language, and the words and sentiments of hip hop have been incorporated in the languages and cultures of the world.


Cultural appropriation is a phrase that’s been thrown around regularly in recent years. How much of modern day culture when it comes to Hip-hop culture do you think this relates to?

I think cultural appropriation in America boils down to who’s an American and who is not. In other words, if black and brown people in America felt like Americans, they wouldn’t have a problem with Miley Cyrus getting her Twerk on. But because folks of colour in America don’t feel like “Americans”, their identities become one of the most important and most valuable assets an individual can “own”. If you have to worry about the justice system and bloodthirsty police officers and lack of opportunity and debt and what have you, your culture -your beautiful and vibrant culture -becomes the only asset you can likely control…Until Miley comes along and gets Jiggy with it.

There’s been a real return trend this past year, to 80s hip-hop adidas phat laces. Kangol fashion and more. What are your favourite memories of that time in fashion and the energy around hip hop fashion?

That first pair of suede Puma Clyde shoes-putting those on as a kid, I felt like I could fly. Matter of fact, I felt…FLY.
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At the beginning of hip-hop culture establishing itself, how did fashion speak for communities with political issues and issues with the establishment?

No one took hip-hop seriously in the beginning. So it was ignored. It blossomed quite nicely, minus the thirty eyes of outsiders, and the fact that hip-hop blossomed where and when it did is a strong political statement in itself.

Street fashion used to be organic and uniquely put together by the streets. Now street youth globally, seem to be more fascinated and aspire to top fashion couture lines. Have we succumbed, elevated or sold out?

Hip-hop is about being original, being an individual, and there are a lot of people out there who live by this code. At the same time, there are schools of young people who have bought into a heavy consumerism vibe. It’s scary. It’s sad, and some people are getting rich because of it -and those people ain’t from the ‘hood.

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‘Being fresh was more important than having money’ Kanye says this about his youth. Has much changed in 2015 across 3 decades? Is the emphasis we place on clothing and image I hip-hop culture too strong and unbalanced? Does it make youth aspire to staying poor to look rich?

America is consumed by consumerism – so much so that we’re literally consuming ourselves. Eating away at ourselves. For some poor folks, what you wear is a measure of who you are. I’m not saying that isn’t the case in circles of the rich, but in the inner city, in some cases, poor people judge poor people based on what is being worn by people in those communities. Why have we ascribed so much value to what we wear when there are so many bigger fish to fry? Why am I judging you-and you me- when we both know that we’re poor and living in housing projects?
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Pharrell and his giant ‘’happy’ hat was a ‘moment’…what are your other top five personal favourite hip-hop fashion moments and why?

I’m not much of a fashion guy. I’m more interested in why people wear things as opposed to what they’re wearing. Was Pharrell inspired by Smokey the Bear? We’ll never know. But it doesn’t much matter: Pharrell is an individual and an innovator.

Is there a man more opulent or fabulous that Andre Leon Talley and what’s his relationship to street wear and hip-hop culture if any at all?

Mr. Talley is just THE MAN. Plain and simple. He said he used to spend a bit of his college stiepend on high fashion articles -does it get any more ‘hood’ than that?

Dame Dash and Puffy have always highlighted the importance of not just music, but fresh to death outfits…..are their 360 degree music/business/fashion/film/ etc legacies as respected today as they should be?

The world knows about Puffy’s contributions and his innovations when it comes to maximizing the power of hip hop. Dame Dash doesn’t really get his just due in my eyes. He has always pushed the notion of culture being first and foremost always. Jay Z of course, also personifies that notion of culture first. But Dame, in my eyes, was the guy who was interested in Basquiat before the man became a rap trend.
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Labels like D&G Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph gained from the adoration Hip-hop in the eighties and nineties but never seemed to give back. Should they? Do they owe the culture anything?

America is all about making money and if you can make it there and make money, more power to you. Should these brands somehow give back? It would be nice, but they are of course not obligated to do so. Ralph Lauren is originally from the Bronx. He comes from humble beginnings. Many inner-city fashionistas look to him for inspiration. They believe that if he can make it, they can too. That sounds like the way America is supposed to work.
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FRESH DRESSED MOVIE DIRECTOR SACHA JENKINS.

Will Smith wearing Cross Colours in the Fresh Prince, is a great example of how black brands used to unite to stand powerfully and lift each other up. Have we lost that in 2015?

A lot of folks are more interested in wearing brands that they can’t pronounce. That’s cool. But I get chills every time i hear Karl Kani tell the story he tells in my film about Tupac saying he wouldn’t charge him to appear in a print ad for his Karl Kani brand…

Has the way the hip-hop community dresses ever held us back when it comes to misconceptions or judgments from wider society?

Hip-hop is a reaction to society; therefore what society thinks about hip-hop fashion should never matter.

What is the biggest challenge for fashion entrepreneurs today from the hip-hop community?

The term “hip hop” can sometimes put you in a box marked “dangerous”. That is changing as older folks with negative perceptions of hip-hop leave the planet. I hope Rakim is pumping at their funerals.


How much fun was it making this film and what’s next for Sacha Jenkins?

Making Fresh Dressed was a blast. I had the opportunity to speak with such a diverse range of people. As far as what’s next, I’m just going to keep on telling stories. The beat goes on, and stories will continue to be told over said beat. I’ve loved beats ever since I was a kid and I don’t see that obsession going anywhere any time soon.

Jasmine’s Juice – Sound For Sight gig featuring Markus Feehily, Izzy Bizu and many more!

I’ve never been one of those kinky girls that likes to be blind folded for fun, but last night I popped on an eye mask in public for a very important cause.
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SIGHT FOR SOUND STAGE, SHOWTIME!….WEARING EYEMASKS!

Every 15 minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight, that’s almost 2 million people in the UK. October 8 was World Sight Day, and in London this was celebrated with a very unique music event called Sound For Sight, at The Tabernacle, in Notting Hill, and on October 14 a similar event will take place at The Mint in LA.

It’s a very unique music concert, where music artists from multiple genres as wide-ranging as opera, pop and folk, perform two songs at the “blind” event ‘, which raises funds for specifically RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa) a sight loss disease, for the UK’s leading sight loss charity Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
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IZZY BIZU SINGS AT SOUND FOR SIGHT 2015.

Music Company Soundcheque put on the event because their CEO, Laura Westcott in 2014, found out that her friend Yvette Chivers had been diagnosed with the sight loss condition Retinitis Pigmentosa. The condition means Yvette is losing her sight slowly throughout her life. Last year Laura went “blind” for one week to raise awareness for Yvette’s sight loss condition, and celebrated the end of the week with a concert she called ‘Sound for Sight’ on World Sight Day.

Laura told me: “I did a lot of research last year about RP and found out that it’s potentially curable. After making myself wear the sight-loss glasses last year for a week it really struck home to me how horrific this condition is. The first day the tunnel-vision gave me bad headaches and made me feel nauseous. Throughout the week, the challenges were when other people would try and grab me to help. Its weird, like a weird invasion of your privacy. I realised when you lose one sense, all the rest are heightened. With music being my life I accidentally created something incredibly special for a cause that’s really important to me.I wanted our audience tonight to really feel how life changing blindness can be’’.

Attending ‘Sound for Sight’ made me realize the importance of music to the partially-sighted and blind. The aim of the night was to raise funds to fund research into the curable degenerative eye disease through the power of live music. And what a lineup of powerful musicians there were on the bill!
The inaugural 2014 event was hosted by the BBC’s Jeremy Vine and included performances from opera singer Bryn Terfel and Dan Gillespie-Sells of The Feeling. This year we had a 15-strong line up of names.

I love the idea of a blindfolded audience, particularly as the quality of the acts were true big-voiced artists like Denise Leigh – the blind opera singer who opened the Paralympics, new about-to-blow female vocalist Izzy Bizu, Paul Potts (winner of first ever Britain’s Got Talent), Drew McConnell (Babyshambles), Luke Friend (X Factor 2013) and very excitingly, also solo star Markus Feehily (formerly lead singer ‘’Mark’’ from Westlife!)
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MARKUS FEEHILY SPEAKS TO LONDON360 AT SOUND FOR SIGHT.

Mark told us ‘’If I’m available I like to support charities, and I particularly loved the high-concept experience element of this evening. These days there’s so many charities out there that they have to think of a way to grab peoples attention,this was really unique. I’ve never performed before to a fully masked audience. It’s such a mixed line up too. I love it! If I were to be affected by an eyesight loss disease like RP I cant even imagine life. When I meet people that are affected, it put’s my life in perspective’’. Markus also mentioned that this had been an important show with synergy for him to be a part of, as his solo reincarnation is more about his vocal ability, as opposed to his pin up past from Westlife.
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MARKUS FEEHILY PERFORMING AT SIGHT FOR SOUND 2015.

X Factor star Luke Friend told us the reason it was important for him to support the night was ‘’ playing music is the only thing I’m good at so if I can help it’s a great thing. I mean, if this suddenly happened to me, how would I cope and still play my guitar? Its really difficult, my life would change completely if I went blind’’

Rising star Izzy Bizu had the crowd awed with her jazz tinted vocals and told us‘’ basically everyone in the audience have to wear these glasses so they can only partially see us performing and some people have also been performing with the glasses on too so that’s challenging!’’
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IZZY BIZU SPEAKS TO LONDON360 BEFORE GOING ONSTAGE FOR SOUND FOR SIGHT.

Each act took to the stage for around ten minutes and really did the campaign proud. Scattered amongst the music talent we were also treated to comedy by the hilarious Mark Watson who literally did a freestyle set about the actual night, the cause and the audience.
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IZZY BIZU PERFORMS AT SOUND FOR SIGHT.

Concertgoers wore black ‘’sim-specs’’ which simulated reduced vision as we watched the exciting line-up of artists and experienced music in a whole new way. It was a strange mixture of emotions. On the one hand the music felt so much more immediate, powerful and every layer of musicality was highlighted to my senses. On the other hand it was unnerving as it was like seeing only through a teeny pinprick of a hole enveloped by darkness. So in a usual music show when people pass by you, feet stomp behind you and spotlights spin overhead, it’s all accepted and unquestioned due to our peripheral vision. Here I jumped nervously as I only heard and didn’t see the thuds, nudges and energy from passers by which was anxiety inducing.

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ASHISH GOYAL- AMBASSADOR SIGHT FOR SOUND.

Ashish Goyal, Ambassador of Sound for Sight and the world’s first visually impaired trader told us: ” last year when Laura spent a week living as a blind person I was one of her mentors. My job and journey is fascinating, as I had to convince people at JP Morgan that I could do my job as a blind person after I loss my sight as a teenager in Mumbai. I use screen reading software and technology as I trade, so technology has changed the way I live. Sound for Sight is a remarkable concept for an amazing cause. I’m pleased to be associated with it.”

This is the first ever music concert for the RNIB and James Risdon, Music Officer at RNIB, agreed it was a great night: “As a blind musician I’m really excited about how Sound for Sight challenges the way we listen to music. I hope the audience enjoyed the chance to experience live music from a new perspective, even if it is just for a few minutes with the glasses on”.

Jasmine’s Juice- MOBO Season!

It’s been a strange week for stories in the press dominated by race issues.

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Firstly the debate about whether Jamaicans are owed both an apology and reparations for slavery by the UK, then the protest about allegedly racist nightclub DSTRKT, in London’s west end, where four black women weren’t let in, as apparently they were too fat and too dark.

Being Persian and therefore neither black nor white, I tend to hear comments from all races as they see me as some kind of weird ‘neutral in betweener’’. Many say ‘oh God aren’t they over slavery, it happened nearly 200 years ago, surely we can all just move on?’’, not realizing that the legacy of slavery in this country has kept high society, stately-home owning families rich, and allowed their grandchildren a privileged lifestyle, whilst simultaneously leaving a legacy of destructed black families, broken homes full of poverty, issues of male emasculation and more, as seen by this weeks Evening Standard coverage of life on the Angell Town Estate in South London.

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It’s really important to change the perception of the black community in the UK. They’re not all rappers, reality stars, gang members or footballers. Just as many have careers in medicine, law, fashion, journalism and more but aren’t ever given any profile in public.

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However, I’m not here to dwell on that. I like to think of positive actions to problems. I believe that if you can teach a classroom new ideas, they in turn can change a whole communities thinking, and eventually these small seeds can change the world. Make me sound like an eternal happy-hippie optimist? Maybe so.

Someone making small moves to change perceptions of the black community and all it has to offer is Kanya King with her MOBO brand. Thus far, for twenty years it’s mostly been associated with British black music. But this month Kanya unveiled the MOBO ‘Rise With Us’ Season (at two launch events on London’s South Bank and legendary Soho music venue Ronnie Scott’s), which highlights black talent in the wider creative arts areas.
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JASMINE WITH KANYA KING AND SARAH JANE CRAWFORD AT THE MOBO NOMINATIONS EVENT AND MOBO SEASON LAUNCH THIS WEEK.

The MOBO season (28th September – 4th November) see’s a month-long run of wide ranging cultural and educational events that are taking place in the lead-up to this years MOBO Awards in Leeds on November 4th.

Every act that has ever been nominated or won a MOBO Award has a story to tell. Now, it’s time to tell more inspirational stories beyond the realm of music and pave the way for the next generation. As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, the next chapter of MOBO will look to celebrate and support those driven individuals, whatever their chosen path in the creative arts may be.

MOBO ‘Rise With Us’ Season is jam-packed with an incredible range of events all hand-picked by MOBO from across the creative industries of film, theatre, fashion and art. From a ‘Late at Tate’ event, to the homegrown critically acclaimed cast of ‘The Etienne Sisters’ at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, and the exploration of the golden era of sound systems at the exhibition ‘Rockers, Soulheads & Lovers: Sound Systems Back in Da Day’, at the new Art Exchange in Nottingham, the MOBO team has curated a programme of the highest quality.
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Kanya King, founder of the MOBO Organisation told me; “We are delighted to be launching this exciting season of initiatives and proud to have the support of so many great organisations such as the CIF, ITV, BFI, Warehouse, The National Theatre, CCSkills, the London College of Fashion and the British Library among many others. The Creative Industries Federation report highlighted how much can be done to address the lack of diversity across the industry and the exciting season and the amazing opportunities created by the fellowships are evidence that the industry is ready to join hands and make positive contributions”.

A cornerstone of the MOBO ‘Rise With Us’ Season is a series of curated films within the London Film Festival, including a renovated version of the celebrated Senegalese cinema of ‘Black Girl’ (1966), Hany Abu-Assad’s Palestinian drama film ‘The Idol’ will also be featured as part of ‘MOBO Film’ along with this year’s topical story of desperate refugees ‘Mediterranea’. Also celebrated will be timely Brit documentary ‘The Hard Stop’, which explores the life and death of Mark Duggan and the riots that followed, as well as ‘Fresh Dressed’, a fascinating chronicle of hip-hop and urban fashion, featuring the likes of Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. The selection of these diverse films showcases the fresh talent and established names that should be supported and celebrated within the entertainment and artistic genre.

In addition to the abundance of artistic offerings, there are also a number of educational events, including the PRS For Music Panel session for budding music entrepreneurs who can follow in the footsteps of people like internationally acclaimed songwriter to the stars Wayne Hector, as well as The Labels Fashion show highlighting the next generation of designers and stylists like international stylist to the stars Richard Shoyemi, and ‘Rise With Us’ talks held at the British Library featuring successful entrepreneurs sharing their inspirational stories I the same vein as Colorblind Cards founder Jessica Huie.
Incredibly successful black people in a variety of fields do exist – you just have to know where to find them!

The MOBO Season calendar runs from 28th September until 4th November. For further information about the MOBO Season and the events, go to www.mobo.com/season

FULL LIST OF EVENTS AS FOLLOWS

• 28th September: The Creative Diversity Launch Report
In partnership with the Creative Industries Federation, this event celebrates the launch of the “Rise With Us” campaign by announcing findings around diversity in the creative industries in a diversity report.

• 30th September: MOBO Awards Nominations Launch
The annual event that announces the nominees for the MOBO Awards. This year we are also introducing a new award in conjunction with ITV2 as part of our MOBO ‘Rise With Us’ Season.

• 1st – 3rd October: Hannah and Hanna play performance at Greenwich Theatre London
A play written in 2001, this story is about the refugee crisis in Kosovo, which is still painfully relevant today. The casting is one of the significant changes to the way the play is usually presented, with the UK Hannah played by a young black actress, enabling us to explore changing ideas of British identity through ethnicity.

• 2nd October: Late at Tate at Tate Britain
Late at Tate kicks off the new Autumn series with exploring the idea of status and power by providing a vibrant mix of music performances, workshops, talks, special guests and DJs. The event will include a performance by The Age of L.U.N.A., a digital commission from innovative interactive media artists Jae Huh and a workshop from East London creative Kojey Radical’s project Push Crayons.

• Until 3rd October: The Etienne Sisters at Stratford East
Featuring MOBO Award winner, Allyson Ava-Brown who won Best UnSung Act in 1998, The Etienne Sisters is a brand new British production set to a contemporary jazz soundtrack that explores what it means to be part of a family today.

• 7th – 18th October: Film Curation at the London Film Festival
MOBO and London Film Festival identified 9 films that reflect the MOBO Season values and represent a breadth of styles, textures and diversity of cultures.
– 7th October: Black Girl screening with Borom Sarret
– 8th October: Cronies
– 10th October: Ayanda
– 12th October: The Idol
– 13th October: They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile
– 16th October: Necktie Youth
– 16th October: Mediterranea
– 17th October: Fresh Dressed
– 17th October: The Hard Stop

• 8th October onwards: A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes at The Tricycle Theatre
Award-winning playwright Marcus Gardley returns to the Tricycle Theatre following 2014’s critically-acclaimed The House That Will Not Stand. This fresh take on Molière’s Tartuffe, set in a world of fast-food tycoons and megachurches is a wicked new comedy that rocks the foundations of trust, faith and redemption.

• 10th October: The Labels Fashion Show at The Royal Over-Sea League
An annual independent platform for designers to showcase their work to potential clients and professionals within the fashion & entertainment industry. Its aim is to inspire budding designers by helping them build a brand and a network within the industry, paving a way for their talent and skills to be seen by other creative individuals.

• 10th October: New Art Exchange Exhibition in Nottingham (Rockers, Soulheads & Lovers Sound)
The launch of a new exhibition at New Art Exchange called Rockers, Soulheads & Lovers: Sound Systems Back in Da Day which explores the golden era of sound system culture from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.

• 10th October: 10th Annual Huntley Conference at Guildhall Art Gallery (No Colour Bar Exhibit)
FHALMA (Friends of the Huntley Archives at the London Metropolitan Archives) are proud to present ‘Mountain High_Archive Deep’, the 10th Anniversary edition of the Annual Huntley conference. Artists, poets, musicians and storytellers unite to deliver a live celebration of black British identity and the importance of Black British art.

• 10th October: Africa On The Square in Trafalgar Square
Launched in 2014, this new festival celebrates the best of African culture from noon-6pm with a talent show, fashion show and food market along with live music, DJs, dancing and lots of activities for kids.

• 12th October: London Film Festival Sonic Gala at ODEON Leicester Square
As part of the London Film Festival and in partnership with MOBO, this red carpet event will be the UK premiere of The Idol which tells the incredible true story of Mohamad Assaf, winner of ‘Arab Idol’. Both Mohammed and the two-time Oscar nominated director Hanny Abu Assad are expected to attend.

• 13th October: Miguel Concert at O2 Academy in Brixton
Following his recent sold out London show, Grammy Award winning recording artist Miguel has announced a UK headline tour for October 2015.

• 14th October: The Women of Kampala at Greenwich Theatre
A one-night concert called The Women Of Kampala, presenting an evening of East African music by 5 Ugandan singers backed by a 7 piece band.

• 14th – 17th October: Frieze London
An annual art fair featuring over 160 of the world’s most exciting galleries. View and buy art from over 1,000 of today’s leading artists, and experience the fair’s critically acclaimed Frieze Projects and Frieze Talks programmes.

• 14th – 18th October: Frieze Masters
An annual art fair that brings together several thousand years of art in a unique, contemporary context.

• 15th – 18th October: Stylist Live
A four-day festival of cocktails, culture, catwalks and conversation hosted by Edith Bowman and Dawn O’Porter.

• 15th October: Miguel Concert at O2 Academy in Birmingham
Following his recent sold out London show, Grammy Award winning recording artist Miguel has announced a UK headline tour for October 2015.

• Until 17th October: Our Country’s Good at The National Theatre
A profoundly humane piece of theatre, steeped in suffering yet charged with hope, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good (based on a true story) celebrates the redemptive power of art.

• 17th October: A$AP Rocky & Wiz Khalifa Concert at the O2 Arena
A$AP Rocky & Wiz Khalifa bring their talent to the O2 Arena for a night of great music.

• 18th October: Miguel Concert at O2 Academy in Manchester
Following his recent sold out London show, Grammy Award winning recording artist Miguel has announced a UK headline tour for October 2015.

• 20th October: The Black British Business Awards
An awards programme that recognises, rewards and celebrates exceptional performance and outstanding achievements of black people in businesses operating in Great Britain.

• 23rd October: Otello Opera Show at St. James’s Theatre
Produced by Nadine Benjamin via her company Everybody Can Opera!, this performance of Otello mix opera and jazz to encourage other cultures to join for the evening to celebrate opera and understand it is not just for the upper classes. At the moment, it will involve Nadine, Ronald Samm and Denver Smith.

• 26th Oct. – 1st Nov: ‘Past, Present, Future: An Ode to Black British Artistry’ Exhibit
S|SPACE° will host an exhibition showcasing a range of young Black British artists. The exhibition is titled ‘Past, Present, Future: An Ode to Black British Artistry’ and will attract various creative industry professionals, as well as educational institutions and general art enthusiasts.

• 27th October: “Rise with Us” Inspiring Entrepreneurs the British Library
Four inspiring entrepreneurs will discuss their ground-breaking stories of achievement during a panel discussion as part of the British Library’s “Inspiring Entrepreneurs” event series to celebrate the contributions of British entrepreneurs and creative talent in the UK today. The event will also be complimented by a drinks reception and private view of the upcoming West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song exhibition.

• 28th October: Warehouse Fashion Showcase at Flagship Store
For the first time ever, Warehouse is handing over the Oxford Street mezzanine space to 3 MOBO fashion designers to showcase their clothing and will host an evening networking event where they invite their network of fashion insiders.

• 29th October: Safe Gorton Concert in Manchester
After winning a competition with Island records, members from the Safe Gorton music scheme perform covers of Jessie J’s songs to a crowd of over 250 people.

• 2nd November: PRS Panel Sessions in Leeds
As part of a nationwide road show, PRS for Music is hosting an industry panel event featuring a Q&A with key industry speakers followed by networking event as part of the reception..

• 4th November – The 2015 MOBO Awards ceremony in Leeds