What’s happening everyone and thank you for reading my weekly Focal Point column. If you haven’t read the previous posts, go and get up to speed. A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to join a panel of creatives and speak about how to transition from free to paid work and how to stand out from a saturated market. Having a name that is synonymous with photography in the Grime/UK Rap scene is amazing and I’m grateful to be recognised for my work. But trust me, it wasn’t easy. A lot of late nights and early mornings were involved. I’ve been shut down and parred by security guards many times. I won’t get into it now. If you wanna hear my story, listen to my Focal Point podcast.
The panel was good for me. Another chance to speak publicly about what I do. Usually, I play the background. This was an opportunity to put a face to my name and hopefully help some young people who are getting started in the creative industry. It was also an opportunity to talk, which I love to do. This is the reason I have a podcast in the first place. After leaving the stage and answering some questions, I felt about going through with it. Always try something new. Challenge yourself to complete something out of your comfort zone. You’ll most probably learn something which you can apply to your own work.
After a full days work on Tuesday, I made my way to BoxPark to host my podcast with Morgan Keyz as my special guest. Morgan has been instrumental in producing music videos for your favourite artists and providing a way for rappers in the UK to have something that they can display to their fans. As well as managing WSTRN, a platinum selling group, he has a UK Rap radio show on Rinse. It was great to speak to him and understand his journey and what it took for him to succeed in the music world. I’ve always been intrigued by the music business. Why artist signed deals and released the songs and videos that they did. Nowadays, labels don’t have the allure as they once did because the money has slowed up.
Major labels aren’t interested in developing new artists, especially rappers. This leaves the underground artists to carry on tradition and work on their own craft. Krept & Konan are signed now, but they had a record-breaking album before they signed any paperwork. Wiley, Dizzee, Giggs and Skepta have all had their most successful album releases on their own labels.
Being independent makes more sense as it gives you the freedom do cultivate your audience the best way you see fit. Once an artist has the attention of the people, then moving to a label makes more sense. If we look at Nines, for example, signing with an indie label like XL has enabled him to have his music for sale in LA and Japan. No doubt One Foot Out would’ve made it to No.4 in the charts without the label, but having that infrastructure behind him gives his music more of a reach.
After the live podcast, I made my way to XOYO where west London’s AJ Tracey was about to perform on the first show of his tour. I hadn’t been home yet so I didn’t even have my camera on me as I came straight from work but after some talking, I got into the show and enjoyed the vibes. It weird for me to be in this venue without my camera. I’m not a raver by any means. But I love live music shows and it was great to relax for once and not have to battle with guys in the moshpit trying to get a good picture. AJ put on a good show. I arrived just in time to see YGG shell it down, followed by a gang of special guest including Fredo, Dave and WSTRN. West London was definitely represented as everyone jumped on stage for the last song. The energy was crazy and the crowd was hyped. I was surrounded by 20-somethings who knew every word of AJ’s bars. It was a good thing to experience. It would’ve been better if I had my camera, but whatever init.
Something else that happened last week was the Brits. I’m not going to get into a timepiece about the representation of urban music made by black people on the mainstream stage and all that. Mainly because most of us are smart enough to understand what time it is. All I’ll say is congratulations to Emeli Sande for winning her award and big up Stormzy and Skepta for their good performances. Big Mike even had an advert in the middle of the ceremony for his album. That was a nice touch. All this information came to me via Twitter. I wasn’t able to actually watch the Brits because I was setting up to shoot Skepta’s afterparty. With my tripod setup, I took pictures of the who’s who of the music industry as they walked in all dressed up from the awards. I actually got the chance to meet Sinead Harnett and couldn’t help myself as I poured out my admiration for her EP. The single If You Let Me ft. GRADES is one of the best songs I’ve heard. In fact, this week, that’s my music recommendation. Another album you should check out is Fin by Syd. This sensual album will have you wanting to get closer to someone you like and great to hear Syd on a solo project after multiple albums with The Internet.
By the time you read this, Stormzy would’ve released his album on his own label. A great example of being the master of your own destiny. I’ve known Stormzy for a while and it was clearly evident after speaking to his team that their plan has been in the works for a long time. My first time taking pictures of big Mike was a fast paced scenario. He was sick, coughing in between shots, but after the shoot, still made the 2-hour journey to Brighton where he performed to a sold-out crowd. That dedication can only be admired and his passion for his craft has led him to the position he is in today. Gang Signs And Prayer will be a hit record. No doubt. He has laid the seeds, ploughed the ground and now is the time for his hard work to bear fruit. The least you can do is not buy that meal from Morley’s for one day, buy the album and enjoy some good music.
To promote the album, Stormzy had surprise shows across the city and ended it with a performance at BoxPark in his backyard, Croydon. These times, I’m at work but I was able to keep up via social media. The footage that Kaylum caught from the Croydon show was a mad ting. It must’ve felt great for Stormz to go back to South London and perform his new music to his adoring supporters. Once again, go and buy the album. We need to make a statement with this one.
After work, I made my way down to his album launch party hosted by Red Bull and enjoyed the celebrations. Another late night. At this point, I’ve slept for 5 hours in 3 days. Although a bit delirious, it was great to be surrounded by positivity. The music scene is alive and kicking right now. Long may it continue. As for my weekend, I got a haircut and went to Ikea to buy a door handle and a box for my vinyl records. Normal life. However, the excitement returned when my timeline was alive with the sound of beef. Tired of the subliminal’s from Nick Minaj, Remy Ma hit the studio, loaded the Ether beat and did a mad ting. The Bronx rapper sprayed bars for about 6 minutes. Spilling tea all over the place and putting a few people names in the mix. Meanwhile, Nicki chose to reply back through Instagram. It’s like she didn’t learn anything from her ex-boyfriend Meek Mill. Remy said “Only the kids believe in you. You’re St.Nick” and she might be right. If Nicki doesn’t get in the studio and drop bars and get off social media, she has to hold a capital L.
Well, another week, another glimpse into my life and mind. Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you on the next one. I’m about to dive into my bed and watch this O.J. Simpson documentary. It’s 1 pm on a Sunday but it’s 3 hours long so I’m gonna sip this Ribena, eat these Mr Kiplings treat and chill.
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