NEW MUSIC- Album Releases

Busta Rhymes

Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God

This 22 track, 77 minute Busta Rhymes album is an undeniable ode to old school hip-hop. Just as it prequal, ELE2 is padded with conspiratorial and apocalyptic harangues with the additional pop up from Chris Rock, acting as the ultimate hype man.

However, Busta brings a nostalgic project with heavy beats along with his classical flow and goofy but rowdy personality, with features (and a samples) from Bell Biv Devoe on 'Outta My Mind' and a Michael Jackson 'I'll Be There' sample featuring Kendrick Lamar. We are also graced with a squeal to 'I Know What you Want' featuring Mariah Carey.

On ELE 2 addresses the political, social and racial tensions on the tracks 'Purge', 'Freedom' and 'E.L.E.2 The Wrath of God' which features and intro from Minister Louis Farrakhan; anticipating anarchy and vengeance as a lack result to the recent injustices and abuse of power. Busta also addresses co-parenting and wanting to be better for his kon 'Best I Can' with Rapsody.

The album also brags appearances from ODB,, Q-Tip, M.O.P, Rakim, Pete Rock, Rick Ross, Anderson PAAK, Vybz Kartel, Nikki Grier and Mary J. This project is refreshing as it stands completely apart from anything we've seen recently

Queen Naija

missunderstood

Queen Naija opens up her debut album with clips of comments on her career, directly related to he title of her album misunderstood, Queen Naija explains how she feels like people misinterpret things she says. She addresses some of these comments made about her on the tracks 'Too Much to Say' and again in 'Trial and Error' on which she reminds listeners 'Did you forget I'm human too, Human, just like you.'

Missunderstood brings classic deep, chilled but relatable R&B album vibes as Queen Naija explores love and heartbreak with the help of Russ, Jacquees, Lucky Daye, Kiana Lede, Lil Durk and Toosi; as well as the fun and funnny with the track Bitter ft Mulatto and introduced by the big social media personality Pretty Vee. The 18 track album also brings nostalgic feelings with a Bumpy's Lamentby Soul Mann & the Brothers sample, flipping Erykah Badu's 'Bag Lady' on 'Pack Lite'; and a sample of DeBarge's 'A Dream' (as has been heard most popularly on 2Pac's 'I Ain't Mad at Cha' and Blackstreet's 'Don't Leave Me') with 'Lie to Me'.

Queen Naija has proved that she is undoubtedly not one to disregard in the music industry.

Common

A Beautiful Revolution pt1 LP

A beautiful revolution part 1 is the new EP from Common and beautiful it truly is. The EP is a well crafted project with tracks that are both healing and uplifting. Common collaborates with PJ who is a Los-Angele singer, songwriter. Her voice adds a nice touch to the EP giving a soulful warm feeling. The EP also features the amazing Lenny Kravis and Stevie Wonder who add their own finesse in tracks like Courageous and A Riot In My Mind.

Releasing the EP ahead of the US presidential election was no coincidence, this is a time where positivity is needed. Common creatively tackles racial injustices with the intention to inspire the people. He quotes ‘ It’s affirmation. It’s recognition. It’s elevation. It’s music to go with the movement. Because the truth is there is still so much work to do.’

Giggs

Now or Never Mixtape

This year the UK has seen legendary rappers such as Dizzee Rascal and Ghetts make a comeback. Next in line is Giggs who has just released a surprise mixtape named ‘Now or Never’. The 16 track project is infused with grime, hip-hop and dancehall alongside Giggs well known flow and rapping style. The mixtape is in a different category from what you would expect from UK rap today. Giggs has made no attempt to switch up his sound to fit today's top charting rappers. Instead he has continued walk his own path by bringing back faded trends while still managing to tease a fresh nuance from his character.

The mixtape includes UK's growing talent with features from Emily Sandé, Jorja Smith, Dave and Kyze. It’s as though Giggs has used this project not so much to reclaim his position but as a platform to pass down the touch to the next generation of artists, giving each collaborator an opportunity to contribute their own unique flow in each track .

WizKid

Made in Lagos

Get ready to update your afrobeats playlist! Wiz kid is back with another killer album ‘Made in Lagos’. Wiz Kid is always finding ways to show love to his country so it’s no surprise that this new project is a dedication to his hometown. Wiz Kid’s signature flow is present in every track but it’s locked in with a new sound of maturity. As you make your way through the album you hear the blend of cultures and the evolving theme of embracing one's roots through love and gratitude. Inspiration is everywhere and the new generation of afrobeats cross blends with the island sound, from soca to Dancehall. In ‘blessed’ ft Damian Marley we hear the blend of Jamaican rhythms and reggae infused melody. If you are looking for a little pick me up, definitely check out ‘Made in Logos’

DaVido

A Better Time

American born, Nigerian artist DaVido brings nothing but absolute good vibes with a Better Time, his third album. There's something about the simplicity of the beats fused with Davido's voice that is just so sonically pleasing. He employs the help of Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and Young Thug, Tiwa Savage, Nas, Kenyan group Sauti Sol and more to bring a beautiful mix afro-pop, pop, hip-hop and R&B flavours. This 17 track project is guaranteed to keep you on your feet from beginning all the way through to the end. Definitely one that'll be on repeat!

Davido to Complex:

'We (African people) always like to celebrate and A Better Time is that outlet to be free, be happy and hopeful for a better future.'

2 Chainz

So Help Me God!

Bree Runway

2000AND4EVA

Bree Runway is a singer, rapper and songwriter from Hackney, London. Her new mixtape ‘2000AND4EVA’ has surprise features from Missy Elliott and Rico Nasty. Bree is daring and isn't afraid to push boundaries when it comes to her sound. The 9 track mixtape crosses over different genres from hip-hop to R&B. Each track is filled with energy along with catchy vocals to get you feeling hype.

"This year hasn’t been the easiest to take myself to a place mentally where I can feel good to create songs to make others feel good. But constantly fighting for inner peace and creativity daily, I’m glad I was able to put together a body of work for fans to press play on and feel like a rockstar with no problems for a second.”

Future & Lil Uzi Vert

Pluto X Baby Pluto

Future and Lil Uzi Vert have teamed to create a new album titled Pluto x Baby Pluto. At the start of the year both artists released individual projects, Future released an album High Off life which featured the hit single Life is good with Drake. While lil Uzi dropped Eternal Atake accompanied by another project Eternal take (deluxe) -LUV vs The World 2. The momentum was only growing for the pair especially when they started teasing the collaborative project on social media. The 24 track deluxe album is in-tuned with the pairs well known flow from previous joint records All Bad and Wassup. The production is an impressive blend of the two artists' sounds. Listeners will thoroughly enjoy how the two managed to bounce off one another so effortlessly while maintaining their individual recognisable vocal performances. Alongside the album the pair teamed up with Hype Williams to direct a video for the album track That’s it. Be sure to check out the video as well as the album.

DaniLeigh

Movie

‘Dominican Mami’ Dani Leigh is bringing us nothing but hits in her latest Album Movie. Her released singles ‘Levi High’ featuring Dababy and Dominican Mami with Five Foreign gave us only a taste of what was to come. This female artist is definitely making a name for herself as a singer, rapper and dancer. It’s no wonder people view her as one of ‘Def jam’s most promising artists.’ Movie Is a 16 track album with amazing features from well known artists who are currently killing it in the music industry - PartyNextDoor, Gunna, Ty Dolla $ign’ and many more.

Alongside her album Dani posted on instagram a short teaser of the visuals for the album. The album is truly living up to its name, the counterpart visual is a work of art. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourselves, the video is now available on Youtube.

K-Trap

Street Side Effects LP

#EndSARS

#EndSARS

The current crisis facing Nigerians has been brought to the forefront recently, with Nigerians worldwide, and with the help of celebrities, calling for an end to SARS.

SARS (the Special Anti-Robbery Squad) is a unit of the Nigerian Police Force established in 1992 in Lagos by Police Officer Simeon Midenda at a time when crime was on the rise. At the time the unit was responsible for covert operations, including the investigation and detainment of individuals involved with violent crimes; with SARS officers in plain clothes and unarmed.

In 2002 the Sars SARS was rolled out across 36 states, with its officers now armed. The unit became responsible for handling crimes related to robbery, firearms, vehicle theft and kidnapping.

Power abuse by SARS officers followed with reports of unlawful detention and extortion. The unit became became even more contraversial following evergorwing claims of extrajudicial killings, torture, extortion and abuse.

While being recognised on a wide scale globally in 2020, SARS has been the topic of controversy multiple years prior. In 2017 an online campaign was started calling for the abolition of the SARS unit and the #EndSARS movement has been building momentum since.

Since then multiple videos and posts have made their way around online detailing cases of harassment, physical abuse and unlawful detainment by officers. These videos and the call to end SARS sparked organisation of multiple peaceful protests in Nigeria from the 8th October 2020. As with most protests there are reports of hostile protestors partating in destruction and looting, however, the theme remains common.. A general contempt of governments and leaders.

On the 11th October 2020 the government announced that it would disband SARS. The Inspector General of the Nigerian Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced a new Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to take the place of SARS, and that officers of the SARS unit would be redeployed to other police units.

Protesters remained unsatisfied with the response as such action had been promised before on multiple occasions (in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018) with no real changes being made and so protests continued calling for the following 5for5 demands to be met:

1. Immediate release of all arrested protesters

2. Justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensation for their families

3. Setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation & prosecution of all reports of police misconduct (within 10 days)

4. In line with the new Police Act, psychological evaluation & retraining (to be confirmed by an independent body) of all disbanded SARS officers before they can be redeployed

5. Increase police salary so that they are adequately compensated for protecting lives and property of citizens.

The protests became about more than just the abolition of SARS with the youth also calling for nationwide reform due to hardship, large unemployment rates and high levels of poverty despite the nation’s wealth.

Osai Ojigho, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria said:

“This is yet another lame attempt to rein in this unit of the Nigerian police which is notorious for the widespread torture and other ill-treatment of Nigerians. We have seen from bitter experience that past investigations into violations were either never carried out or marred by irregularities. To date, the Nigerian authorities have yet to show a genuine commitment to ending the lawless activities of SARS...Such abuses will only be prevented when SARS officers are held to account for their actions and face disciplinary or criminal punishment if they are found to be responsible for human rights violations.”

The protests by Nigerians throughout 21 states have been met by police with violence. Details of police use of tear gas, water cannons and gunfire against protesters as a means of dispersing crowds have emerged, resulting in the death of university student Jimoh Isiaq in Oyo State and Ikechukwu Ilohamauzo in Lagos. AMNesty reported 15 deaths between the 8 and 19th October 2020.

Police use water-cannon against protesters in Abuja, October 11th. Photograph: Abraham Achirga/Reuters

On the 20th October 2020 a round the clock curfew was declared in Lagos by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Oluand saying, "We will not watch and allow anarchy in our dear state"; and anti-riot police were deployed. On the 20th October 2020, at dusk, lights were shut off and armed men dressed in military uniforms opened fire against peaceful protestors sitting arm-in-arm and singing the national anthem at Lekki toll plaza in Lagos, resulting in the death of at least a dozen of the preststors. Videos and images of the attack quickly made their way onto social platforms of bloodied and wounded protestors and of emergency personnel who were turned away from the scene sparking outrage. The Nigerian Army denies reports that they were responsible for the shootings at Lekki toll plaza.

The BBC reports that:

“Protesters were waving flags that looked covered in blood - they told me that the Nigerian flag, usually green-white-green, turned green-red-green yesterday from all the killing. Many of them had been at the site of the shooting the night before and recounted horrifying stories of seeing other protesters shot before their eyes.”

Protesters continued to show up the following day with further reports of gunfire.

State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Oluand claimed that only one person had been killed during the protests and that 25 had sustained mild injuries and 2 were in intensive care but this statement was contradicted by a statement by speaker of the Nigeria’s parliament saying it was “unavoidable and painfully clear that there were a number of casualties.”

A statement made by the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, on the 22nd October 2020 addressed the concern of the international communities saying “..we thank you and urge you all to seek to know all the facts available before taking a position or rushing to judgment and making hasty pronouncements.” However, fail to address in totality the shooting of the protesters. What was clear though was his unnerving and threatening undertones in telling the youth to discontinue protests and asserting that undermining the law will not be tolerated.

Currently, the Nigerian Government has called for the regulation of social media platforms via a ‘Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill’ and the ‘National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech Bill’. This attempt at control and censorship would be devastating considering how large of a tool social media platforms, especially Twitter, played in drawing attention to the #EndSARS movement and events occurring in Nigeria.

The minister of information said:

“However, we must regulate social media in a manner that it does not become a purveyor of fake news and hate speech. We will not fold our arms to allow purveyors of fake news and hate speech to use the social media to destabilise the country.”

Under the proposed bills individuals can get fined up to 300,000 naira ($785; £600) and up to 3 years in prison for posting false information, information that affects national security or information that causes animosity between the population and government.

As is expected the social media bills have been met with much opposition, as it is an infringement of human expression, by citizens, human rights activists and organizations.

Black British And Talented: Tv Shows

Following on our black British and talented series we have put together a collection of Black British tv shows and documentaries that are a must watch.

Get your binge on!

01

Small Axe 2020

Available on BBC iPlayer 15th Nov (also on Amazon Prime)

Steve McQueen is the director of Small Axe, a collection of five films. Inspired by real life events and people, Small Axe is an exploration of systemic racism in British amongst the west Indian community from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s. Staring John Boyega and Letita Wright, the show aims to celebrate blackness in all its beauty.

02

I May Destroy You 202

Available on BBC iPlayer

10/10 would recommend! Hands down the best drama I’ve seen this year. I May Destroy you is written and produced by the talented Michaela Cole. A remarkable piece dissecting the principle of sexual consent, race and life as a millennial, highlighting all its highs and tragic lows. It follows a young black woman, born in London to Ghanian parents. Cole's character Arabella unravels as she aims to tackle past and present relationships with her father, exes and friends. We see the effects of harbouring hate and unresolved issues. The drama is captivating, from the character developments to the visuals, I May Destroy You has unmissable layers of untold stories effecting our society today.

If you’re like me and can’t get enough of Michaela Cole check out Chewing Gum, a British sitcom created and written by Michaela Cole.

03

Top Boy 2019

Available on Netflix

Top Boy is one of the best gangsta/crime dramas to come out of the UK. To say people were happy to see it reemerge for a 3rd season after 7 years would be an understatement. The latest season did not disappoint, it still maintained the integrity of the original episodes while offering an authentic perspective. The drama follows two friends Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kano Robinson) drug dealers from a council estate in London. What makes Top Boy so popular amongst black Britons is the representation! . We faintly get to see ourselves represented or have our story being told. For many Top Boy is more than just a fantasy drama, it exhibit themes that are relatable and true to those living in council estates and growing up as a working class citizen. Dysfunctional families and friendship dynamics, metal health, lack of opportunities are just a few themes the drama successfully addresses that many can identity with.

04

Generation Revolution 2016

Available on Netflix

A documentary following the London Black Revs, a new generation of black and brown activists with a mission for “black liberation and the end of exploitation and oppression”. Utilising mainstream media and solidarity protests with the black lives movement, to fight for a more equal future, we see how the group gained attention to pursue social change.

05

Desmond's

Available on Netflix

A British sitcom classic, released in the late1980s. Set in a barbershop that is owned by a British- Guyanae family in south London. Desmond's if filled with nostalgia and good old British ‘Banter’.