So there i was sitting in the Great Hall at The Dorchester, Park Lane, LDN Monday night at the 2009 Muslim News Awards For Excellence. I could not take my eyes off the gigantic chandeliers! The line up of nominees were pretty amazing too. Most incredible awards went to those individuals who have made a REAL difference in their communities. Much direction in the lives of some winners has come directly from the loss of a loved one, social depravation, low self esteem and generally wanting to do better in life.
I attended with Hanifa ‘Bubbles’ Hudson who is the UKs first recognised B-Girl. We laughed, clapped till our hands turned red and managed to not fall from the high heels we were wearing!
Part of the 2009 International Programme of Mumbai Festival was the joint commissioning of Superfield Mumbai with partner Bradford Mela. The project commissioned Craig Vear.
Superfield is the term taken from physics that describes the art of the sound installation artist/experimental music composer. In this case it is Craig Vear, whose earlier work included recording and creating from the sounds of Antarctica, the opposite end of the temperature scale!
Of all the days to pass Jade died this morning on Mothers Day. Having lost her fierce battle to cancer its very sad to hear of such a young woman suffering the way she did.
Get this juicy info in your diaries – RISING STYLES 2009 is moving from July to October 1-4 across various sites and venues in Brighton. We’re looking to have a launch event in London a few weeks before. We’ll post up more info when we have it.
In the meantime put the dates in our diary and keep checking the main website www.risingstyles.com for upcoming info.
Its with sadness i write this post. Hip Hop Connection – the UKs longest running Rap magazine – is ceasing to trade. The latest issue out now in shops is the last one to be printed so get out there to get your copy.
This is the official notice sent to KP:
In 1988 Hip-Hop Connection (HHC) magazine published its first issue. 21 years later, the world’s longest running rap monthly recently published its last.
It’s a cracker too, answering the question heads over the globe just can’t resist arguing over: Who is the great rapper of all time? And we didn’t just send our top critics down the pub to argue the toss. Rather, we polled over 100 emcees from all walks of life and all levels of superstardom to find the answer.
While there is an inevitable air of sadness that a combination of increased paper and production costs allied to viciously plummeting ad revenues have made continuing unworkable, HHC and its staff are happy the magazine is hanging up its metaphorical boots while in rude creative health.
Independently published by Infamous Ink since 2001, it’s charted hip-hop’s myriad highs and lows in candid and amusing fashion; never cowed by the preening demands of rap’s A-list stars or scared to take them down a peg or too, while also championing the UK’s homegrown hopefuls and the freshest underground US talent. Along the way HHC has posted upfront cover debuts for the likes of The Fugees, Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, Eminem, Danger Mouse, 50 Cent and The Game – long before they were anything close to being on the mainstream’s radar.
And while HHC will no longer be the true rap fanatic’s monthly paper fix, it will still live on in other forms: from April 7 it will become the world’s first dedicated digital hip-hop magazine, available for download from www.hhcdigital.net
All of HHC’s staff and contributors will continue to be active journalistically, so please retain on any relevant mailing lists.
Thank you for your support, in whatever capacity, over the years.
All the best,
Andy Cowan
Lets hope we can continue to see HHC out there in once guise or another.
If your in Redditch tonight (13.3.09), tomorrow or Monday (16.3.09), you could do worse than getting yourselves down to The Palace Theatre on Alcester Street, Redditch and fill your eye holes up with aerosol portraits by Pritt Kalsi.
It’s free to get in too. 10am-4pm Fri/Sat/Mon & 6.30pm – 9pm Friday and Saturday evening.
The most amazing evening was had at the Story of The Supremes from Mary Wilson Collection opening. From beautiful dresses worn by the ladies themselves, to a historical journey from the civil rights movement to a box of boas you could try o and feel like one of the Supremes
The show is cleverly put together, is captivating and just needs to be seen. It was a priveledge to be one of the first to see such historical creativity. To top it all off the great Mary Wilson was there in person and does she look hot for her age. She was amazingly spirited considering she had jetted in from the US earlier that day and had no rest. She was friendly and open to sharing stories – check out the pic taken with her above……………..we’re all smiles! I urge you to see the show – its amazing. Details below:
A V&A EXHIBITION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
Motown Records is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009. To coincide with this historic event, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will be hosting ‘The Story of The Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection’. This incredible exhibition will showcase the stunning performance costumes worn by The Supremes, regarded by many as the greatest female vocal group in pop history. The exhibition will explore the background to Motown records and The Supremes in Detroit, the Civil Rights Movement through the 1950s and 1960s, and how the styling of The Supremes continues to influence the stars of today.
From 1964-1969, The Supremes were the most successful female pop group in the world with numerous No. 1 hits and top 40 entries and millions of record sales.
Their huge success helped make Motown Records (founded in Detroit in 1959) America’s largest independent record label and the most financially successful black owned business in the country. This huge achievement took place against a radical upheaval in race relations across the USA. The success of The Supremes and Motown Records, with black and white audiences alike, reflected changing attitudes in American society. For several years they were the most successful black women in America and arguably the world, particularly in terms of public profile. How they dressed and what they said was noted by millions.
This exhibition will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the founding of Motown. At the core of the exhibition will be the unique collection of Supremes costumes and memorabilia gathered by Mary Wilson, one of the founder members of The Supremes. The music and fashions of Motown are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago. The music is enjoyed by people young and old, whether they remember it from the first time round, grew up listening to their parent’s record collections or simply discovered these timeless classics themselves. The glamorous costumes worn by The Supremes continue to influence music stars of today and the exhibition pays tribute to this with the inclusion of outfits worn by Destiny’s Child and an interview with Trevor Nelson discussing the huge impact the Supremes still have on contemporary music stars.
Admission charge (you can book online)
£7.00 family ticket
£3.00 – adults
£1.50 – concessions
Free – under 5’s
