KREPT AND KONAN

J2K

NICK BREWER

CREPE CITY

SHADEZ THE MISFIT

What the

motive magazine

Editors LetterHi Guys, this issue’s theme is all about trainers! Yes thats right trainers. Initially designed to

enhance sporting ability, the footwear now stands as an iconic fashion statement. Trainers not only express our individuality but they are also becoming an exciting culture within

the UK. The artists in this issue ‘just do it’ (no pun intended).

So with that in mind, we thought why not ask them about their personal experinces, memories linked with the iconic footwear.

On behalf of the Motive team, I would like to say aspecial thanks to all the, artists featured and to those who have contributed this issue.

I would like to give a shout out, to Jonathan Francis for his continuous support. The Motive team and God for making our second issue possible!

Thank you to the readers AND supporters, Hope you enjoy. Malaika george.

IF THAT’S YOU, WE CAN HELP

www.victimsupport.org.ukRegistered charity number 298028 • Registered address: Victim Support, Hallam House, 56-60 Hallam Street, London W1W 6JL

founder & editor malaika georgecreative DIRECTOR daniel .p. shirley

assistant editor sam Amponsah

Photographer jeaniq Amihyiaphotographer rochelle spence

interviewer Emmanuel obosu Interviewer SHERIE MYERS

Interviewer lauren la rocQUEinterviewer mansour bellowwriter maamun hajmahmoud

WWW.MOTIVEMAG.CO.UKtwitter - @Motivemagazine

www.facebook.com/motivemagazine

“Stomping in my Air Force Ones?”

I don’t know where I first saw it but I knew after seeing Nelly’s ‘Air Force Ones’ video (featuring Kyjuan, Ali and Murphy Lee remember them?) I NEEDED to get a pair of Air Forces. At that time there was no Tumblr so we looked to hip hop videos for fashion inspiration and when this particular video dropped I knew Nelly was telling me that if I didn’t have Air Forces I may as well walk out my house bare foot. Air Forces were the last piece to my swag along with the sweatband over the durag look (please don’t judge me, we all did it).

It seemed like everyone I knew had Air Forces, it wasn’t about following fashion it was just because they were “nang”. After weeks of harassing my Mum to buy me some and getting the answer “why do you NEED trainers?” I was ready to give up but on a hot day in Lloyd’s park playing basketball with my friends and losing to some guys wearing Air Forces I was convinced it was the creps. In my mind Air forces got you girls and made you sick at basketball, it was the final straw and I had to get involved.

I went home and gave my best proposal to my mum and she finally gave in. She slapped £60 in my hand and the next day I was on the 97 bus with two of my boys heading to footlocker to buy my black Air Force 1s. I really felt like Diddy giving that woman £60 and telling her to keep the change (they were £59.99 who did I think I was?). I’ve come to realise that in childhood certain things made you feel cool and my Black Air Force One’s were definitely one of them.

adrastichyperlink.co.uk

coach potato

Since the recent Israeli military campaign against the Gaza Strip in November, and the proceeding UN vote in favour of Palestinian non-member ob-server status, the focus on Palestine has largely, and understandably been on Gaza. It is easy to get lost in the details of what happens in the Gaza Strip – no matter what side of the debate you fa-vour, the Strip represents great conflict, human suffering and is a reminder of how fragile and tur-bulent the Palestinian-Israeli relationship is.

However, the Strip does not constitute all of Pal-estine. The greatest land mass within Palestine is the West Bank, to the East of Israel, an area with its own Authority – led by Fatah – which has certain jurisdiction over the land that is separate from complete Israeli control. It is the Palestinian Au-thority that has been pushing for wider UN rec-ognition, and advocating the two-State solution, headed up by Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas; and al-though it is likely that the events in Gaza helped to ultimately swing public opinion in favour of Palestinian liberty, it is the work of Fatah on the most part that is shaping any real push towards independence. The UN vote was significant in its symbolism – it was the first real sign in recent years that the international community would support the setting up of an in-dependent Palestinian State in some form. The vote was won by 138 votes to 9, with 41 absten-tions, a far cry short of unilateral acceptance, but still significant enough to show a global trend that ran counter to the US and Israeli agenda of trying to keep the Palestinian question out of the UN.

Israel had long since declared that any motion in favour of an independent Palestine would reap repercussions for the Palestinians, a feeling they expressed by immediately ordering 3000 new settlement homes to be built in the West Bank – a moved deemed illegal under international law. The importance of this is that these settlements and those pre-existing, are the single greatest barrier to the ‘two-State’ solution that Palestine, Israel and the International community have been pushing for a long time, aside from perhaps the refugee crisis.

These settlements require the forced eviction of Palestinians from even more of their land, di-vide up the West Bank even further, placing Is-

raeli land between entire Palestinian towns, and makes any return to the pre-1967 borders more difficult. So why then, was a vote seen to promote the two-State solution, led by the more liberal and pragmatic of the two Palestinian factions, met with such hostility, petulance and blatant hypocrisy? The answer lies in the very founda-tion on which the Israeli State is laid on: A Jewish homeland for a Jewish people, justified through doctrine and rights of conquest.Any allowance of Palestinian expansion or land returns would begin to skew the demographics of the area away from a Jewish majority and risk a situation such as that in 1980s Lebanon. It would also lend credence to the idea that Israel does not have sole ownership rights over their biblical land – that Palestinians have a right to self determination. Israel’s status within the Middle east is tenuous at best and reliant on International support – the vote undermined this and suggested its global backing was diminishing.It is key to note that it is primarily the radicals within Israel who fight for increasing settlements within the West Bank, not the population in gen-eral. This is despite the danger of greater hostility from Palestinians and the International commu-nity, and the very real risk that the Palestinians within the West bank will follow the same route that those in the Gaza Strip took; to elect a far more radical and hard line party to represent them (Hamas), and shrug off the pragmatism of Fatah as ineffectual.This would be a sorry state of affairs, not only for the Palestinians and Israelis themselves, but also for the International community, who have invested so much in supporting a two-State solu-tion. This begs a further question – why is the In-ternational community standing by and letting the last chance for peace in Palestine be jeopardised by these settlements? The sad truth is a mixture of Real Politik, war guilt, ignorance, and downright apathy. The settle-ments are in direct violation of reason and basic human rights: totally undermining the more lib-eral and pragmatic approach of Fatah, which in all likelihood is the only approach that Western nations will respond to. By allowing these expansions to continue, Israel is legitimising the more hard line approach of Ha-mas, and diminishing any International support they had left.The recalling of Israeli ambassadors in different EU countries may be the first real sign

a little pieceis that too much too ask?

This collection of photos explores the boundaries between invincibility and stupidity in youthtoday. I enjoy capturing photos of the nightlife, as people seem to act up, with their presence and attitude. I call this collection, ‘Living on the edge’.

Each of these photographs have a narrative of ‘Living on the edge’, from sitting on a window seal, to physically showing your body is feeling over the edge.

hannahuschmidt91.tumblr.com

Hannah Schmidt Living on the edge.

Who is Nick Brewer? I’m a 24 year old rapper from Ilford, Essex.

Who would you consider your early influences? I always loved music from a young age. I learnt to play drums and guitar a little bit. The first album I ever got was Cyndi Lauper’s (hangs head in shame), and my first ever rap album was Puff Daddy’s Eternity (continues to hang head in shame). But I just loved any music I could listen to really. My dad played a lot of Eric Clapton and George Benson and stuff. Then guys like Big L, Wu Tang Clan, Nas, Eminem, and Mos Def had a big influence on me from the age of about 11 onwards.

Have you always been sure that a path in music is for you? Not at all. I never really thought I could rap. All my mates at school used to tell me I sounded too posh. I don’t even know how or why I carried on with it. I guess it was just something I really enjoyed doing, and I loved expressing myself. But even now i’m always wondering whether I actually have what it takes to do this. I hope I have.

Your sound has a strong 90’s rap element but you have managed to keep your English accent. Tell us why keeping your identity is important in your music. I always struggled with accepting my identity when I was a teenager. I wasn’t particularly cool or gangster or anything like that. But as i’ve grown up i’ve realised that this is what makes me unique. I used to try and pretend to be something i’m not, but I realised that everything about me that I used to be embarrassed about is actually what could make me stand out.

You came up in the Golden Era of grime what made you choose rap over it? I loved grime so much when I was growing up. I used to be a DJ, and I spent the majority of my pocket money on white label grime instrumentals. I used to spit over grime beats only, and sometimes I still do. But I personally just find it quite hard to express myself and tell stories over beats at a grime tempo. I always loved hip hop so it just made sense, I’d like to think I can still both though.

You’ve got a song called ‘Nikes On My Feet’ but talk to us about the trainers back in the day that kept yourcypher complete. Haha to be honest my trainer game has never been too strong. I guess I used that in a kind of ironic way, cos I felt like a lot of people found their identity in stuff like the trainers/clothes they wear, and I was trying to say something different. Don’t get me wrong I love trainers, but i’m trying to say something more than that.

Tell us about how you linked up with the confectionary; you seem to have a Justice League/Rick Ross relationship with them. Yeah I don’t know if i would be able to make music without those guys. They reached out to me at a time when I literally had no belief in myself or my music. They literally hounded me and kept asking me to come down to their studio. To be honest I ignored them for about 6 months. Not because I didn’t rate them, more because I didn’t rate myself. But finally a mutual friend convinced me to go down, about 4 years ago, and we haven’t looked back since.

What does East London mean to you? East London taught me everything man. I’m an Essex boy now but I grew up in East London. I sometimes wonder if I would’ve still been a rapper if I was born in somewhere like Yorkshire, where a lot of my family are based. The people I met and grew up with in East London have made such an impact on me. It’s just such an interesting area. So many different communities and cultures.

What’s the significance of the title of your EP ‘Flat 10’ ? Flat 10 is the number of Jo’s (part of the confect) flat, where we recorded the whole EP. It just kinda represents where i’m at right now. Just me and my mates making music in Jo’s front room. No bright lights or high end studios. Just us guys trying to find our sound.

You have worked as a youth worker in the past so do you feel a responsibility to put a message in your music that can inspire young people? Yeah that’s something i’m definitely conscious of. I remember literally taking every word I heard a rapper say as the complete truth when I was younger, so I try to be open and honest about my flaws and what I hope to achieve.

What’s your motive? Right now it’s jam on toast and Match of the day 2!

Twitter: @ ItsNickBrewer

j2kYou were the first Grime MC to put out a mixtape with “Heat In The Streets’ and you are also the first Grime MC to come out with a shoe spray, how did Crep Protect come about?My mates and I came up with it like everything else it was just an idea. We sourced the solutions, the scientists to develop the spray and designed the branding. After a lot of testing on different fabrics and marketing we put it out and that’s Crep Protect in a nutshell!

Were you excited to test out Crep Protect on your trainers?Yes, I’ve always liked to maintain my trainers so this business is a natural fit for me. I’m always trying to stay on top of my Crep game so my trainers usually stay fresh for as long as they possible can. How many trainers do you own?A lot, there’s actually an issue in my house because they have literally taken over. They are in the bedroom, living room, passage way there is no actual room left!

Tell us about your favourite pair of creps going up?Back in the day I wore Reebok Pumps, the sky blue Adidas Torsion and Air Max’s. It’s funny how they have all been rereleased now so I don’t think there is anything I can bring back.

“I thought African print had soooo much potential to do other things so that people all over the world could relate to, because usually people only see it used in a dramatic way, I want bukki to be everwhere. I was soooo happy when I got an order from Hong Kong I just want people to experience these fabrics”

With your campaigns for Adidas do you think Crep Protect is a natural progression from your involvement in fashion?In terms of fashion I don’t really wear my clothes and trainers in excess so they last for a longer time. I don’t really follow fashion so I like wearing old pieces like in the”Lightwork” video I shot with Mercston you can see us wearing old Avirex and Evisu outfits from ‘05. I was actually surprised by the fact that they were still in good condition, I could remember wearing them in old Grime DVDs.

It doesn’t really cost to look fresh its more about being you. You can wear a basic white T shirt, some jeans and spend a bit of change on some trainers. Swag is not what you are wearing it’s what you are.

We’ve recently heard SOME fresh music from you, tell us about the LL COOL J mixtape?I had finished it a while back but when you’re apart of the Roll Deep project you have to adjust to that time schedule too.

Is there more freedom to make the kind of music you like when you are not in a big group like roll deep?Yeah, because working in a group can slow down the stuff you have planned for your own solo career. At the same time you are committed and you are still working on good music so it’s not exactly a bad thing. When you are working with team like Wiley and Roll Deep a lot of things can clash and you may have to push back different projects, there are only so many days in the month so you have to look for the right opening to put your stuff out. So now I believe is the perfect time to drop my stuff.

How did you come up with the mixtape title “LL Cool J”?It really came about as a reference to how iconic LL Cool J is. When you do anything remotely smooth as a MC its like “yeah you’re LL Cool J” you get me, If you want to appeal to a lady you might spit some LL. So I just messed about with that concept and that’s the vibe of the mixtape, its more mature; me being on my “LL Cool J”. Whilst we were recording we were watching interviews that LL had done over the years, he is quite a deep brother and has a lot to say that makes sense. It’s funny because a lot stuff he was saying I agreed with it felt like I was talking. You will hear snippets from interviews between tunes along with the music to reinforce the theme of the whole tape. It was suppose to be a fun idea but during the creative process it came out as a more meaningful tape.

Do you think individuality is lacking in the UK Music scene?Yeah, me personally I’m always forward thinking I don’t listen to anyone and think “ah I got to do that”. I know a lot of rappers do, a lot of rappers and MCs just use American flows with English accents. I remember back in the day when accents was a big issue! People are now using their English accent but you’re not even paying homage to an old flow you’re using what is out today like the Ace Hood flow which is straight imitation. You’re not even putting your twist on it or being creative with words you get me? It is what it is. I’m comfortable with the levels though. What does East London mean to you?Bow is the mecca of Grime. A lot of the forefathers came from and created the sound from there. The water is different there, they have different sugar (laughs) nah I’m joking but it started from Drum n Bass. Really Wiley started Grime and a lot of people don’t know but he has been around for donkey years doing Jungle music! Wiley, Riko Dan alongside other MCs who didn’t really make it were doing music before Grime. So in Bow there was always that energy of music; from Jungle it transcended to Garage with Pay As You Go Cartel. MCs were always mandem from the area like there were family members in crews all connected to Bow, East London. So me being from Bow and seeing all this I just embraced it. In any other ends in London you do music or football or you might go to work so just being exposed to that sound you can only fall into that slipstream because its there for you and the artists aren’t far away you can see them going into the shop and then see them going into the shop in a magazine.

I’ve always been a Hip Hop fan first, I got onto garage late but just being from Bow and being at events that MCs would spit about like being there for “that beef” I was always around the music. It was a good area to be from at the time and now we are here with Grime which is more MC based as opposed to the DJ based Jungle and Garage genres. To be fair, I was equally influenced outside of East London by people who were just sick MCs like So Solid Crew who are from South. I wasn’t really the type to be repping my ends because I appreciated everyone.

mOTIVE? Be the best you can be!Twitter: @j2klive

KREPT AND KONANYour newest mixtape feels more like an album what was the thought process behind young kingz?Konan: We are just going to do what the hell we want.Krept: We weren’t thinking about TV or Radio it was down to us. If we liked the song then it wasgoing on the mixtape. When you put a body of work together you want it to sound as best as it possibly can so the fact that people are referring to it as an album can only be a good thing. In the words of Drizzy drake…Krept & Konan: “Dropped a mixtape sh*t sounded like an album”.

You have a lot of features on this mixtape, do you think that shows how respected you are in the scene?Krept: A lot of times people are very busy but when you are a respected artist other musicians find time for you. For example, Giggs and Tinie Tempah dropped but during their album process they still found time to add their feature to our mixtape. Also, it shows our growth as rappers in the UK music scene.Konan: We asked Chip and Gfrsh to feature on Young Kingz and they both came to the studio the same day that they were asked! Tinie wasn’t even in the country but he told he us that he was going to fly back home for one day to work in the studio with us. So yeah it’s kinda sick that everyone we asked features on the mixtape.

Was that your strategy with Young Kingz?Konan: Yeah we planned what emotion we were going to tap in to, when and what will come out so we were strategic with our approach to Young Kingz. If you do it the other way around and your single flops you will be their thinking what the hell do I do next?You will be panicking like shall we do a club track? Do people want to hear something deeper? Shall we cater to the girls? You’ll find that you loose sense of yourself. Krept: I would rather us to be known for our full bodies of work than songs because you won’t be classed as a one hit wonder.

With new music coming out everyday do you feel like solid bodies of work aren’t appreciated anymore?Krept: Yeah, people get caught up in trying to make the perfect single. Rather than make an album and choose what the singles will be a lot of people right now are putting out lots of singles one after the other. You can get signed to a single deal by a record company but that just means you are going with the flow of the moment. If the single does well you will have a deadline to complete an album, the album probably won’t do well because there is a time restraint. The American format is better where they get the album finished in their own good time. If you look at Drake he finished his latest album “Nothing Was The Same” and started putting out songs.Konan: At the time you wouldn’t know what was going to be on the new Drake album so you wouldn’t know if it was a single or not you would just have to wait for the release of the album tracklist. Even if it wasn’t the single you will still be anticipating the next possible single to come out. So it’s better to finish the album first if you just put out singles you won’t really care about a forthcoming album. Krept: A lot of people sell loads of singles and don’t sell any albums. Why is that? Surely, if you are selling singles your album should sell too. I feel like if you branded your album as well as you did your single there is no reason for your album to not sell. Konan: In terms of strategy it helps to complete a body of work before you put out singles because you think tactically as to where and when you will release singles. For example, you can have singles targeted at the girls or the clubs. So you can plan your singles around the mood of the world.

you get into alot of twitter banter what has the funniest tweet you have read about you?Konan: One of the funniest things I’ve seen happened around the ‘Kony 2012’ hypee, someone had a picture of our mixtape and replaced my head with Kony’s head so it looked like Krept & Kony. That was probably one of the funniest things I’ve seen on twitter. Krept: Outside of us those Drake pictures from the “No New Friends” video. They were remixing it and there were new ones coming out everday (laughs).

Tell us about your favourite pair of trainers growing up.Konan: I think mine were Nike TNsKrept: Nike Huaraches, the ones with the strap. See when there’s a strap on man’s foot I was thinking what is this?! (laughs) A strap on your foot! I had the dark blue ones.Konan: I had the green ones. It’s mad I remember they didn’t have my size and I still got them and they mashed up my foot! That’s how catty I was (laughs).Krept: The whole strap thing changed my life. They were In!

Your music often deals with the reality of living in London, with songs like ‘Devil’s playground’ how do you talk about the ends without glorifying what goes on?Krept: Just being real. If you are telling the truth you can’t be glorifying something. Konan: You just have to point out every aspect of the city. You can be like yeah we’re trappin’, making money but no one sees when Mum’s are grieving. Everyone is not rich, a lot of people make it look like what it’s not and I feel we just give you the larger picture. It’s negative so when you show people what it actually is it won’t be glorified because it’s not something good. We’ve grown up in it but we are not trying to stay in a negative mind frame.Krept: We are giving people a different perspective of the ends. For example, if you told a story about a boy who stole an apple you would brand him a thief. But if I added more information like he stole the apple because he was poor and his family had no food you would probably think differently about him that’s why I think it’s important to tell the whole truth.

What’s the motive?Krept and Konan: WORLD DOMINATION!

twitter: @kreptplaydirty X @konanplaydirty

Justin Amoa

My motive is to make people think and feel strong emotions. twitter : @justinamoa justinamoa.com

Coptic Christians have been increasingly targeted in Egypt following the overthrow of the Islamist President Mohammad Morsi. Recently there has been an attack on a Christian wedding ceremony

in Cairo which left 12 people dead and 19 injured, the Christian community is reeling from yet another attack against their community. The government seems loathe to act against these acts of violence as their statement that as 3 Muslims were injured in the attack it should not be considered

sectarian was widely perceived as a denial of how grave the situation is.One of the most serious incidents of religious violence was in September 2013 the town of Delga suffered an islamist uprising which threw out the army and police force and ran a reign of terror

on the Cristian minority, the most disturbing fact is that this situation was left unresolved for over 2 months while in the town there was various attacks against Christians.

One reason for the renewed violence against Christians is that when the army overthrew Ex-President Morsi, the Head of the Coptic Christian Church Pope of Alexandria, Tawadros II was

present at the coup TV announcement and gave his support to the military backed coup. This action has led to more hatred of the Christians by Islamists groups as during the crackdown on

the Muslim brotherhood hundreds of islamists lost their lives.The Coptic Christians make up 10% of the 80 million People who live in Egypt, big enough to be a noticeable part of life yet not large enough to defend themselves against the Muslim majority. What

the future is for this community in Egypt is uncertain, while the military is cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood the Christians make an easy target for attack unlike the army soldiers.

Many Christians feel that the army does not care about the Christian minority enough to put much effort to stop these attacks and some are wondering if they should arm themselves which could

lead to the formation of Christian and Islamic militias pitted against each other. Some also feel that the military lets the attacks happen to show to the world that the Islamic brotherhood is

causing these attacks to shore up international support for their regime at the expense of the Christian community.

The future for Christians in Egypt is bleak, a government struggling to claim legitimacy after toppling an unpopular yet democratically elected president. Christians are the easily targeted

scapegoat for violently minded islamists, as Christians generally will always back a secular government over an Islamic one as they will most likely always be the enemies of islamists

in Egypt as they are an obstacle to their goal of an Islamic state. Their position has mainly been kept static by the various authoritarian governments which held a hatred for the Islamic party (the Muslim brotherhood) and kept them from ever achieving prominence. If under the present secular military government they are threatened and in a democratic election Islamists have a high chance

of success at the polls where the Christians stand in this new Egypt is an existentialist question which people are afraid to answer as many people fear the answer.

by stuart bolus

Christian Egypt in Peril?

“My work tends to focus generally around photography and filming, (I haven’t decided which one I’m stronger at yet, ill leave that for you to decide. I started photography first, roughly around the age of 15 I think, with my first camera being a Nikon D5000. Roughly around this time I started getting into filming, which resulted in me being picked up by SBTV to do some freelance work. Since then Ive had the pleasure of working for companies such as Nike, G-Shock, Crep City, Afro hair and Beauty and Wimbledon just to name a few. Hight lights of my career so far are partaking in the filming of Artists Dappy’s ’Tarzan 2’, editing my first american artist video ‘Waka Flocka’ and being invited to take pictures for the wimbledon championship dinners 3 years in a row.

My photography tends to lean on the more editorial side however I have a slight passion of capturing action shots, or ill take pictures of pretty much anything which seems interesting. Without sounding to big headed, I’m probably the funniest photographers you’ll meet, (wagers are welcome to see how long it will take to make you laugh)”

Peace Jeaniq

Twitter:@jeaniqamihyiajeaniqamihyia.com

jeaniq amihyia

Jeaniq Amihyia

Eddie InterviewHow did you start working for G Shock east?Basically I went to a G-Shock session, liked it and thought let me do one myself so let me go speak to one of the organisers. I wrote a proposal and from there they just liked me so it was cool. I’d say I just came at the right time this was around the time of the London Riots (2011) and they didn’t want to give young people an opportunity but I just came through that barrier and opened the door.

What was different about you?I came in and told them exactly how I wanted it to happen and what was going to happen. Everything really took off from the proposal them times there I didn’t ask for any extra help I did it all off my back. I didn’t ask for microphones not even watches I just asked them to “let me use this space” and that’s how it worked.

What’s it like being part of a major organisation like G Shock?You know what it’s cool because every time they do a Sessions or an event it’s a platform for other people and it’s place to connect like me and you (Sam, Motive Editor) would have never of crossed paths if it hadn’t been for Sessions. It’s the environment G-Shock brings, It’s Brick Lane, It’s East London all of that ties and it just perfect. Its nice.

Have you always wanted to get into event management?You know what it is, I’m just an entrepreneur to stay relevant I can’t stick to events and I don’t want to be just known for events because people will get bored of me. Events are a constant battle to get a crowd and sponsorship but at the end of day its fun. What’s been the best event you have been apart of so far?My first one, it was here (G-Shock East) 1st September 2011 called ‘Open Night’ there were 600 people, all upcoming artists and it was a good vibe. From the time it started to the time it ended everyone was just smiling so it was good.

What missing in the London events scene?Oooo, something to break in new artists. We have seen too much of the older artists and they aren’t really bringing people in. Like Wiley didn’t bring in Krept & Konan they went out and got it themselves. A platform is missing for the talent that goes unnoticed like the hipsters who we haven’t heard of on the main stage but are making hits. Right now we are seeing a lot of the same stuff it’s nothing new or out the box.

What advice would you give to others your age who want to get into event management?Believe in who you are, what you do and come correct. In this world it’s all about coming correct being able to present yourself properly with the way you talk, what you wear and how you are with different people. All that is really the main thing.

What would your dream line-up of artists be for an event dead or alive?Michael Jackson, Jay Z, 50 Cent, The Game, Kendrick to open up the show, Eminem to headline, Wiley and Skepta will get involved too. I would mix the US and UK Kings in one place ripping it down for 24 hours.

Musically who has caught your attention this year?Krept & Konan are doing it correctly right now from Otis to the MOBOs. They are doing it independently as well so it sends the message that if they can do it you can too. Skepta has been doing the same for years and he’s got too much now so the key is still being independent. Even in America, Mac Miller is independent but can still collaborate with the biggest artists who are signed. Everyone is doing their ting but Krept & Konan are gonna be massive because they are going for the kill, they’re not trying to make two or three tunes and fade out.

Outside of events, what else are you into?Photography, Videography, Fashion and just game designing really. They’re all something new to learn, educates you and gives you a new perspective of life if you are a success at it or not. It’s just about always taking in new information and learning.

Tell us about your favourite pair of creps when you were younger.I’ve always been an individual and never one to follow fashion but I’ve always liked air forces. Everyone had a pair and the white ones were the best and you could wear it with anything.

I remember being 15 and we went to a Wiz Khalifa party. We got to the club and the bouncer said we couldn’t come in because we were wearing air forces I asked for the manager and she spoke me and I told them that I was part of the crew so she let me in. We caught a vibes but its crazy for the simple fact that I got in to a WEST END CLUB WITH AIR FORCES ON. Like that’s mad!

What’s the motive?You lot init, your magazine. The motive is as long as the outcome is income.

twitter: @stahtalent

Shadez The MisfitI first got called Shadez at secondary school (shout out to Ernest Bevin lol ) everyone thought I was cool cause of how I was dressed and just being always ahead with everything so was basically to represent cooling off in the shade, I then added a real meaning behind Shadez to remind me that I am a shadow in God’s light but the misfit as my purpose in anything and everything I do is to stand out amongst the crowd.

Was music something you fell into or have you always believed this to be your path?Music for me has always been in my life always writing music secretly and having my mum and dad constantly play vinyl in the house honestly I started out as a creative within fashion and graphic design and didn’t start music fully until my first year at university, I also saw music as a bigger picture a pot in which I could also add my skills in fashion and graphic and inter link them together.

Tell us about your affiliation with G-Shock Sessions.My affiliation with G-Shock is seen as an ambassador for the brand and also playing Host to the G-shock sessions, The G Shock East Sessions were created to give up and coming artists as well as established artists a platform to perform in the Casio G Shock store. These are music sessions with top DJ’s and great performances and it is totally free.

How did your partnership with Samsung Galaxy S4 come about?I was approached by Samsung to take part in a new campaign titled #OverToYou in which they chose a number of influencers to put the new Samsung range to the test and in everyday life situations. I was given the opportunity to let Samsung into my recording process for my new project but showcase this whilst using the cool features on the s4. People also Included in the campaign are Jamal Edwards (SBTV), Harry Main (Pro BMX rider) and many more.

You have an identifiably British rap flow what British rappers do you feel have opened the door for you?A lot of UK rappers I feel have not just opened the door but have paved the way as early as London posse, Rodney p and skitz, Ty, Sway, Dizzee Rascal, to even Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32, Gfrsh, Bigz and more.

What story are you trying to tell in your music?The story I aim to tell is the battle of someone who aims to stand out amongst the noise amongst the constant negativity and expectations of the world, being in a environment where your sub-ject to gang culture and low self esteem where for all my life your seen as a statistic. It’s a story showing you despite that, you can and will be more than just your environment. That with God anything is possible and if there’s dreams or goals set in your heart you can achieve them.

Tell us about your favourite pair of trainers growing up.Growing up I would definitely say my favourite pair as a kid was my LA gears watching old school wrestling with my potty and LA gears lool growing up you tend to get caught up in what’s in trend. For me I would definitely say Vans Authentic before anyone really knew about them. I use to get cussed about the shoes back in school those same people didn’t realise they would follow fashion and copy.

Outside of music is there anything else you would like to pursue creatively?What I love about music is that its one big pot for me as I don’t just do music, I design and I also do fashion but feel they really interlink together. If I could go outside that realm of what I currently do, I would love to be an art director or creative director of a brand established or new. I feel I can really push boundaries but also keep the values and ethos of a brand there.

When you have felt like giving up what has motivated you to keep going?It’s easy to really give up in this industry not just that, you will realise that you have to put in blood sweat and tears. In these situations I pray, or turn to God, I’m also reminded of close friends and family I’ve lost and had previously supported me and believed in me before I even built the courage to pursue my dreams. Not just that the fact that I have achieved and I am capable of so much makes me feel a lot better and motivates me to do more then take the easy way out.

What would you define as a successful music career?For me success in music comes and goes I feel a successful music career is being able to connect on all levels with an audience. For that audience to feel like they know you, through that one thing which is music. Being able to touch them with words, which may relate to people differently. Being able to create a lifestyle and live off something you love in this case music.

What’s the motive? To be the human personification of creativity through music, design and fashion, to aspire to in-spire and live life by this motto “onward and upwards.

Twitter: @ShadezTM

incisiveI I use to have a funny name I’m not going to say it but I had to change at some point so it was a case of looking in the dictionary and I stumbled upon Incisive. Incisive meaning concise, precise, mentally sharp, acute, on the ball, intelligent and I thought those words best describe me so I went with it. It doesn’t really rhyme with a lot so its not the best name to have as a rapper but it works for me.

What made you want to rap?My older brother would produce for fun in his bedroom and my cousin would come over to rap. So while they were making music I would be the boy in the corner just listening you know what I mean. They did that for a while; proper old school like mic inside the stereo eventually I picked it up and just wanted to be like them, so it all started from there.

You started off in rap group I.n.A, how did you find the transition from group to solo act?Ok so before I.n.A I was just rapping and then I

got to secondary school and I met a guy called adrenaline and started rapping with him. We did quite a bit we did Choice FM’s rapology in ’98 we got to the final but I went off to university in Essex. I was the one who was producing and engineering so when I wasn’t around he wasn’t able to make a lot of music. So I could make music whist in uni whilst he was still in London. That’s when my solo work started and when I graduated from Uni he sort of fell back from music.

Tell us how you started working with Shakka?When I went to Uni I went with a guy from my area and he was always telling me about his little brother that “he could sing”, “he’s really good” but I was always like “yeah, yeah whatever” (laughs). Then I came out of uni and I volunteered as an engineer for a youth centre working in their studio. The youth centre held a talent contest and in walks this guy with this unfinished song and it was amazing. He told me that it was the only a verse and hook, this guy was Shakka. I told him that we needed to finish the song so lets get working and it was then I realised that ok this is my friend’s little brother that he’s been telling me about. So we started working from there really and recorded his first EP “Foolishness”. He doesn’t live far from me so if we are not featuring on each other’s track we are bouncing ideas off of each other so it’s just a real organic relationship.

What does West London mean to you?West London to me means underdog, the unknown. We aren’t really on the map like that; when you go to the raves and they say make noise if you are from North London, East London, South London the place goes MAD!!! No one really rates West London like that (laughs) there are only one or two people on the scene who are doing it for us. West London take longer as well I was saying to a friend if you’ve got a beautiful woman in the room with four guys respectively from North, East, South and West. The guys from East and South will probably be on her quick! Closely followed by the guy from North, the guy from West will be standing in the corner just looking fly (laughs).I think that reflects the scene because South came up with the So Solid days and East with the grime days, North with Sway and Chip, Now I feel like it’s West London’s turn.

‘Where is he’ reached number one on the MTV base fresh beats chart does that give you a greater incentive to make music that doesn’t sounds like everything else in the charts?Hmm yeah, it just let’s me know to keep going. We recorded “where is he” two years ago maybe and used it in a video on YouTube that had the song in the background and everyone was like you should release this. So we put it on the mixtape and did a video. We didn’t expect it to do what it did so just the fact that Hip Hop at the level is still being embraced reassures me that I’m doing the right thing.

We’ve been trying to work this out for a while now but how did you shoot the ‘closer’ video?(laughs) Alright so I used to do this thing called a “Car Show” where I would sit in the car with an artist, play a track and we would freestyle to it; I would then plant the camera on the dashboard to record everything. I edit a lot of videos anyway like the “winners” video so realised that I could use the same camera technique that I used for the “Car Show” so I stuck the camera to the dashboard and filmed myself in different positions.

Your music has a nostalgic side to it can you take us back and tell us about your favourite pair of trainers when you were a kid?I had a pair of Reebok Pumps and the tongue had a bubble that you could squeeze that wouldincrease the air in the trainer (laughs). You would literraly be walking on the street with your friend and you would stop like “wait guys I need to pump my trainers”. I think the novelty of those Pumps just made them my favourite.

Why did you feel it was necessary to go to Uni if you always knew that you wanted rap?Because I’m Ghanaian (laughs). My parents sent me to University, I studied Law and it is a good back up plan to have. I learnt a lot of life experiences outside of my degree such as living by yourself, paying your own bills and meeting new people which all helps with your growth as a person.

What’s your motive?Good music.

Twitter: @Incisive1

The Crepe City The sneaker festival capped off the year with another unmissable event in the Capital. Since it’s first outing in 2006 with a handful andful of trainer collectors in attendance, Crepe City has grown to become an important figure head in London street culture and a celebration of art, fashion, music and all things creps (not the pancakes). It attracts ‘sneakerheads’ and fans of 90s throwback fashion from around the UK and Europe at large who are looking to pick up rare vintage trainers at a fair price. As the first sneaker festival in the UK Crepe City has inspired other events to pop-up in the past year but a 2000 strong crowd and 20,000 Instagram supports are testament to it’s popularity.

November’s event saw a change of format and a move into three rooms of the spacious Old Truman Brewery venue, Brick lane. Over 2000 trainers were on sale from over 50 UK and European shoe sellers showcasing the UK’s favourite brands including; Nike, Asics, Adidas and New Balance.Hip Hop, Trap & Rap DJ’s played at the Wray & Nephew Rum Bar and Brixton;s Wishbone cuisine kept the crowd fed. Hammersmith Tattoo were also present with a range of Michael Jordan inspired designs alongside Hackney’s 3DPrintLab making 3D printed trainers respectively.

As a special treat Crepe City brought a world exclusive Jordan Exhibition curated by sneaker collector Gerard Starkey (@Gerard_OG_VI). The display featured an incredible collection of shoes worn by Michael Jordan during his championship years with the Chicago Bulls. An era which would go onto define Hip Hop and Fashion. The one-off event featured shoes so rare that not even Michael Jordan himself owned.

tinchy stryderWhy did you want to get involved with the East Village Artist in Residence project?I’m from Bow, East London, just around the corner from everything going on at the Olympics last year, and helped out with the torch relay song. With the Olympic legacy, if I can be an influence by getting involved in any way then that’s dope.

You grew up in the East End – what is it you love about the area and what makes it so unique?For me personally it’s the friends and family I have here but when I was younger I guess watching telly like Eastenders! I guess the whole cockney, east feel, it feels good now east London feels like somewhere where people meet and there’s different places where people socialise. East London is good; it’s where it’s at! There is something very special about the east London thing.

Some old-time east-enders were nervous about the regeneration of east London – why do you think this is?Change is one of the hardest things to be able to adapt yourself to and people are like “No, we like this, don’t change this, this is what east London is.” I feel like overall it is for the best and giving opportunities to people.

You have worked with a lot of young – what is it you enjoy about the work?Working with younger people, I really enjoy it because I feel like sometimes when I was younger I didn’t have the opportunity to meet or speak to people or get advice from people who you might respect or look up to in a way for what they do. I feel like I can say “I’m from where you’re from” for the younger people and I can show that it can be done! I like the connection and the bonding, it feels like they like respond in writing, it’s natural, like that feeling in the air, it can’t be replaced, I really enjoy doing that.

If you could give yourself a piece of advice as a kid looking back, what would you say?I focused on too many different things growing up, I would say to focus on one thing that you love, go with your heart and stick to it. Without the heart there is no you.

Tell us about the song you are writing with the young people from ChobhamThe anthem I am writing for the students in Chobham I wanted to bring it up with them and see what the school means to them. They told me about what different colours mean to them, about healthy competition and working together. They gave me ideas about the melody and rhyming patterns. So I gave them a few ideas and will be back to see how they get on.

How important is it for kids to get involved in the arts?I think it is really important for students to get involved with the world of arts. I believe everyone is artistic in one way or another. If you are in the right surroundings where there are loads of people as creative as you are or maybe even more or less it is good to put energy together. I think it is really important; it is only going to help them grow.

You’ve worked with both Pixie Lott and Dionne Bromfield in the past; who’s next on your list of women to work with?There are so many people I would like to work and you never know what is coming next. In an ideal world I would love to perform with Beyoncé. Apart from her looks she is a wicked singer

What’s your guilty pleasure?I don’t know if this is even a guilty pleasure now because she’s cool but I like Miley Cyrus. I like her because she is now the most talked about star, her music is selling like crazy and I liked her last song Wrecking Ball. What do you think of the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus?I think she is doing something right because at the VMAs she performed alongside Kanye West, Gaga and Drake but yet she is the most talked about performance of the night.

Tinchy Stryder has launched the East Village ‘Artists in Residence’ programme which will celebrate the homes and cultural legacy at the former Athletes’ Village.

‘Maybe it’s because he’s a Londoner’ or more correctly, an Eastender that the East Village ‘Artist in Residence’ programme has been launched by Tinchy Stryder. The programme aims to deliver a new legacy and drive more creatives to London’s new cultural hotbed, a community of 18,000 homes, offering London residents affordable housing which was formally the Olympics Athlete’s village. In what may go down as one of the coolest music lessons to date sixth form students at Chobham Academy were treated to a masterclass with the Rapper and also composed a new school anthem. Here Tinchy shares more about the importance of East Village, music and the ‘Twerking Queen’ herself Miley Cyrus.