BADGE OF HONOUR: BEN WESTBEECH

One of the most important voices in the British music scene of the last year. Here's Ben Westbeech and his new single 'Hang around'. If you like the sound of this please go out and support his debut album 'Welcome to the Best Years of your life' or even better go see him live.

MISSEN IDENTITIES: SKEE-LO

Does anyone remember the one-hit wonder, Skee-lo (the short, quarter-length trouser wearing rapper who wanted to be a baller) yep, him.

Let's not even front, we all bought that record - otherwise how did it become a number one smash in dozen countries.

We wonder what ever happened to him in South Central LA, perhaps was used as bait for a game of Dominos - if you have seen him in recent times, tell him we are fans at the Renaissance Man.

It's all love!

OUT & ABOUT

So we were at the Cabaret Membership Club the other night and bumped into Ozwald Boateng looking sharp with a beautiful blond bombshell.

A very humble man indeed unlike Ms Kelly Osbourne who was too up-her-own-pipes at Bungalow 8 to speak to my face. Bloody-cowfoot!!

BADGE OF HONOUR: BLACK & GOLD

This is by far the most memorable thing on the UK charts at the moment. It's the relatively unknown Sam Sparro with his infectious single 'Black & Gold'

It has one of the best melodies I've heard in a little while. So refreshing!!

This is going to be big till the Summer months. Trust me!

I APPLAUD

I'm not sure how many of you heard Senator Barack Obama's response to allegations made by his pastor earlier in the week. I will not go into detail of this sensitive topic, however I'd like to draw all our attention to the articulate speech delivered by the presidential hopeful. The speech dealt with the broad issue of race relations currently facing America and my word - it was a joy to hear this.

Here's an extract, I know it seems long but we find time to read other crap why can't we read this.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.


It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.


Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.


This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.


And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.


On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.


I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.


But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.


As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

HOT RIGHT NOW: ONNA EHRLICH

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the great work of a young designer Onna Ehrlich. Following the footsteps of renowned Nigerian accessory labels, Tiger Tem and Just Nibi, Onna is taking a leaf out of her African roots to produce a unique accessory line featuring everything from handbags hand made with vibrant, lush leathers to unbelievable snake skin belts.

A graduate of the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Ehrlich takes her Nigerian heritage and combines it with the laid back sophistication of California. In under two years, Onna has quickly emerged as a designer to watch, with her designs making splashes in US fashion and design magazines.

Her celebrity client list is fast-growing with the likes of new-mum Halle Berry, Lindsay Lohan, Sophia Bush, and Eva Longoria donning her creations.

Visit her on www.onnaehrlich.com

VIDEO OF THE MONTH: MY GIRL

People, People, People Lumes Flowne is back again!

This is the promotional video for the toxic single, "My Girl", the video sees Lumes in a natural light. Radio stations across london (pirate & commercial) can't seem to get enough of the single and it's no suprise, Lumes Flowne serves us his dose of vigourous word play and the lady star ain't bad either.

We love this, you gon' love this, London loves this.

Enjoy!



You need to check out: www.lumesflowne.com

STYLE ALERT: BLUE

For the wardrobe-challenged men out there and you know who you are, the fashion world has made things very easy for you this summer. The season colour is BLUE, yes the trusted, lazy colour has been redressed, re-engineered and remodelled to look "high-fashion".

All you have to do is go to any store and buy any shade of blue (aqua,indigo, azure) and voila - you're fashionable. Easy enough for you?!

Take a look at some of our hot favourites and if you really want to be fashion-forward buy yourself some blue briefs.

HALLE GOT A BABY

We are sending mad love to Halle Berry on the birth of a beautiful baby girl.

May she grow up and be as fine as her mama and hopefully never get to hear Will.I.Am's classic

"Baby where’d you get your body from?/ Tell me where’d you get your body from/ I got it from my mama"

DO SOME GOOD TODAY

I'm usually sceptical about certain "Africa" campaigns adopted by corporate giants with biased corporate social responsibility blinkers on their heads however the new Benetton Microcredit Africa campaign has trully challenged my cynicism about the issue.

Benetton has puts the spotlight on entrepreneurial Africa. This campaign is designed to celebrate the hard working men and women on the streets of Sub-saharan Africa struggling to make tiny profits from their respective crafts. The spotlight highlights current challenges facing fishermen, decorators, musicians, jewellery-makers, farmers, tailors, textile sellers and athletes.

The 2008 global communication campaign aims to promotes the Birima micro-credit programme in Senegal, a co-operative credit society founded by the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour. The programme will also receive financial support from Benetton Group.

The campaign slogan was developed by Fabrica and has quickly dominated billboards leaving millions of impressions on the print and online community around the globe. The campaign was unveiled in last month and it features Senegalese workers who have used micro loans to start small, productive businesses. Photographer James Mollison portrays them with the tools of their trade against a neutral background.

These images are tangible symbols of an Africa that uses the dignity of work to fight poverty, promote equitable development, maximise its resources and take back responsibility for creating its future.

We can all show our support by purchasing more benetton goods. Their new range is fantastic so we have litle excuses.

For further information,

http://www.benetton.com/africaworks-press/en/press_information/1_1.html

MOTOWN PHILLY BACK AGAIN....NOT TOO HARD AND NOT TOO SOFT

Will there ever be another boyband like Boyz II Men?

I bet you've never thought about this question - will this looks-orientated talentless music industry allow four chubby boys from (Lord knows where there from) with bad dress sense (faded jeans, ties and biker jackets) to win countless grammys and record some of the best harmonies the music world has ever heard again?

The answer remains to be seen but we can't deny the magic these men gave us - classics like Motownphilly, Yesterday, Water runs dry, I'll make love to you, Song for Mama, 4 seasons of loneliness - are you out of breath yet? Their magic was untouchable and don't get me wrong there has been some great bands in recent times - Jagged Edge, etc but not many have made ladies wet their Victoria's secrets like these chaps.

BET needs to induct these guys into their Hall of Fame cause you know MTV ain't. We'll take second best, it's okay all the guys are out-of-shape anyways, it could be quite disturbing for the TRL kids.

We salute you Boyz II Men. Thank you Thank you Thank you

THE ENEMY'S THIS SONG

Often a band or an artist release a song which lyrically captures what is happening in the world or their respective country. British-indie group, The Enemy have released a brilliant single 'This Song' and I was shaken by the truthfulness of the lead singer's words. Here's an extract

Half the kids who you grew up with,
Were pushin prams by the time that they were just sixteen,
If love is a drug then where is the cure,
For the girl who used to talk to you about her dream.
And all the boys with all their toys,
Couldnt see the signs as we scortched out eyes with nicotine,
And the grown ups said, listen to your head,
But our hearts were crying out for heroes on TV screens.

Half the kids that arnt pushing prams,
Are pushing pills to boys and girls who are half their age

And the pubs and clubs are full of drunks,
They dont remember the day the were born or even their mum or the names.

An old man sings a tune but hes drowned out by a fight next to a fruit machine.

And all of this, our hearts, our nation,
A total lack of civilization,
Will it ever be the same?

Now this song is about you,
Now this song is about...

This is so true about the British population. There's only so much we can categorize as "ASBO" until we tackle some of the issues pointed out in this song - we've got a social epidermic on our hands. This is our future.

AMERYKAH

There is no doubt that this is going to rub people up the wrong way but I'd rather speak than swallow this.

It is the infamous Ms.Badu again and her creative juices. I'm done with trying to defend and justify her perceived "eclecticness" it is just damn tired!

I'm guessing the world has heard the album - oh my bad, let me rephrase - I'm sure a handful of you have heard her new produce <em>'Amerykah'

I actually spent the better half of this morning debating what possessed me to buy an album with such a self-indulging title in the first place. Jesus Lord, help this lady. I don't understand why Lauryn Hill is considered crazy and deranged when Erkyah is an "artist". I don't buy it.

This 11-track record is frankly dull. The attempt to communicate personal beliefs with the world in a confusing and agenda-driven manner is shocking. There is nothing here for music lovers to hold on to. It is full of not-quite-there moments and we have experienced this in previous efforts 'Mama's Gun' and the last one with the unpronouncable title.

You're a singer Erykah, sing - don't fill an album with interludes and public service announcements. C'mon, do something.

How hard can it be to translate your live magic to record. This is so unfair on fans and I'm not even a fanatic.

BADGE OF HONOUR: HOT CHIP

You all probably think I'm part of this group's PR team but sadly I don't have that luxury. The truth is I know very little about the band and their music. I recently discovered Hot Chip during a screening on BBC's Jools Holland show. I was instantly sold and the rest is history.

They've just released an album which is quickly burning up the UK Charts. The album is

Made in the Dark

and it is seriously toxic. If there is an album you should take a chance on this season, this is it!

Very few dance records since Massive Attack's Protection show this much diversity and range. The production quality is so good that you tend to envisage a bunch of keyboard geeks getting the buzz of their lives in the studio.

Standouts include Wrestler, Shake a Fist, Ready for the Floor and Don't Dance and incredibly, there are some great ballads. Yep, you heard me - ballads.

Take a chance today with some HOT CHIP.

EVERYBODY GET ROWDY.....OR MAYBE NOT!

Super Producer Dallas Austin (post-the cocaine bust, post-TLC) launched his clothing line in September last year. The label is 'Rowdy' - a collection focusing primarily on casual-wear - hooded tops, classic polos, etc.

Dallas' justiifciation for the line goes like this "I found that there was a lack of men's clothing that spoke to the new generation. I wanted to fill that void by creating a brand that exemplifies cutting edge style, and a collection that breaks ethnic boundaries." The line, which is described as having "punk and prep influences, with a distinctive European militant touch," will feature jeans, classic polos, bomber jackets, military jackets and sneakers.

Personally, we dont find anything inspiring about his line. It looks like just another "cutting-edge" mediocre line in London or LA. Perhaps better luck with picking the lead designer next time mate.

SNEAKER ALERT: REEBOK 'WHITE' HI TOPS

Say good bye to your Nike 'Hi' Dunks, we don't care if you paid £500 on a pair. They are dated and they certainly don't look good with skinny jeans - stop kidding yourself!
The Reebok 'White' Hi-Top is going to be the must-have footwear for the summer, just think NWA 'Straight outta Compton, it's the mutherfucker.........'

Yep, you better believe it, we are bringing the year 1990 back in a big way. Rumor has it, Ronald Reagan once received a customised pair from the late Eazy E during his courtesy visit to the White Horse - go figure!

This is BIG. You will say we told you so.

THE B.I.G.G.I.E EFFECT

You know I was having a Biggie moment around 2 am this morning. I was completely enthralled in the words from his first-ever single 'Juicy'. I absorbed every single sentence like an eager kindgarden toddler. It was particularly refreshing to finally put my finger on why I've always admired Biggie's music although never quite the fanatic as I was relatively younger in his prime to understand his many wordplays.

I think what Biggie had (and what a lot of current rappers lack) is the capacity to convince. I don't need to regurgitate his verses but I'm most certain that we all know them off by heart and we usually recite them with more joy and vigour. Why? Because we believed the man, we liked what he was saying, we liked the way he delivered it, we liked the charisma is his lines.

I was really moved last night. I'm once again a Biggie fan so go dust off your 'Ready to Die' album. That's what you need to be doing right now!

GNARLS BARKLEY IS BACK

The new Gnarls Barkley video is out. It is fabulous and in true Gnarls Barkley style, it is quickly stirring up controversy.

The fantastic video for the upcoming single 'Run' is comical and colourful. MTV sources are rumoured not consider it fit for viewing because of its strobe effects, which caused the clip to fail the Harding Test - guidelines established to prevent TV images from triggering epileptic seizures.

We personally don't see anything wrong with it and if some people do - then they should throw a pair of sunglasses on. This is too good to miss featuring Trousersnake as Micheal Jackson. It is sublime.

The video centers around the fictional public access TV show "City Vibin"' and is set in the early '90s. A new album will follow titled "The Odd Couple," released on April 8.

Start saving people.

MARIAH WANTS YOU TO ...............

I'M SURE IT'S GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS MS CAREY'S BACKSIDE IN WEEKS TO COME IN THE WAKE OF HER NEW SINGLE 'TOUCH MY BODY'

Although, it is always good to have Mariah drop another great album on us, it is always daunting and often cringing to watch her prance about in the video in nothing but her underwear. I love Mariah dearly but I don't wanna do her......not because she isn't hot but because there's nothing left to the imagination.

It is just damn-right depressing!

ENRIQUE GETS ALL WEEZY

Just in case you thought collaborations in Black America couldn't get any worse than Ricky Martin featuring Fat Joe and Amerie, there's a new one on the block and you know what it isn't bad.

The song is called 'Push' and it's far superior to all the shit Mr. Hero has been dropping on our MTV-watching ass in recent years.

Make up your mind.