Live Magazine Vol 2 Issue 1 by Live East Magazine

FREE Vol 2, Issue 1

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SHADRACK AND THE MANDEM officially jokes s Slang through the age Plus: Maverick Sabre, kid, 1950S fashion, Cocknbull ion! reality TV, pupil exclus

Contents features Tinchy Stryder talks business on his second Live cover

04 Ed’s Letter / Key Playaz 05 Big Ask / Big Ups 06 What’s On In LDN 07 Opinion 08 Live Loves & Loathes 10 Dummies Guide to Unemployment 19 Street Style 36 Live Challenge 44 Fashion 48 Cookin with... Ed Sheeran 51 Culture Club 52 Sound Advice 56 Fully Booked 58 Front Row 60 Poetry 61 Short Story 62 Ones to Watch Don’t know your Christmas from your Hanukkah? Find out here

Relationship violence hurts both ways. By two people who know

Caramel. Shadrack and the Man Dem. Duncan and McCoy. Live’s favourite funnymen KG and Marston step out

He’s an MC and an astrobiologist: meet Jonathan Chase

regulars

NASA

Get schooled with Pro Green’s guide to East London

HAVE YOUR SAY AND JOIN THE DEBATE AT LIVE MAG

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ed’s letter It’s that exciting time of year again when we all wait anxiously for the new issue of Live (what do you mean Christmas and New Year are a bigger deal?!). Seriously though, it’s been a big year for us. We’ve given you early pieces on some of the best UK acts, including the Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Devlin, Roll Deep, Tinchy and more. We’ve talked business, sex, fashion, employment, religion and all those other topics that interest you and we’ve turned live-magazine.co.uk into a truly on point website. If that wasn’t enough we’ve also decided to join Live South and Live East into one great big magazine, and as of this issue we’ll be distributing the mag Londonwide. We’ve also made a big decision to start working with a few big name partners so that we can ensure we keep going through tough financial times, and that we offer great work experience opportunties to our contributors. However, we do have some sad news, my wonderful editorial partner is leaving. Over to you Kiran…

big ask

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Haroon aka Sin One, has been with Live East from the very beginning. He’s an allrounder and has contributed poetry, short stories, artwork, illustrations and interviewed our last cover star, Riz MC. At just 19, Haroon is a spoken word artist, rapper/MC, illustrator and guitarist. He is a fitness freak so you’re bound to find him in the gym letting off some steam in his spare time. Just remember you saw this supremely talented guy in Live first!

BIG UPS hi

Editors Kiran Kaur, 18 Lina Bastidas, 21

Rak

Name: Symone Age: 21 Ends: Lewisham Have you ever won a medal? In primary school I was very into football and netball and I won a few certificates for them, but in secondary school I wasn’t too into sports.

We think this issue is the perfect present to keep you going over the holiday season. We’re curious to know what you think of it and would love to see you get involved so get in touch and get involved.

Twenty year-old Rakhi is a key member of our brilliant Live graphics team. She’s done a great job of codesigning this issue and making sure our illustrations are on point, because this girl has brilliance coming out of her keyboard. Currently studying at The Arts University College, Bournemouth, with fellow playa Hannah (see issue 36), she’s an understated talent with bags of creative ideas. One class act.

Name: Rebecca Age: 21 Ends: Brixton Have you ever won a medal? I won a sports medal for swimming and for running, when I was about 11 in Edinburgh, a cross-country and also for air cadets in Britain.

Name: Sarah Age: 17 Ends: Sydenham Have you ever won a medal? Yes I have, I won one for swimming when I was 14. It was fun, I came second but it was worth it.

Thanks to all the staff that made me feel so welcome and kept me smiling all the time. I will miss you all. And to all those lovely contributors I’ve met throughout my time working at Live, don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of me, I’ll still be around.

Haro

Tom Tom has always had a passion for graphics - ever since he was a kid designing Christmas cards for fun (sorry Tom, secret’s out). After studying graphic design at uni, Tom threw himself into the deep end – and he’s been key in designing this issue, as well as art-directing the Tinchy cover shoot. Tom’s also an athlete, playing hockey and cycling. Watch out for Mr Tom Salter, the soon to be big-shot graphic designer.

Name: Lloyd Age: 20 Ends: Brixton Have you ever won a medal? I won a heavyweight amateur boxing trophy, it was a great experience and I won £5,000 too! Hopefully, in the future I’ll be able to pursue my career again.

Yes, unfortunately, it’s not just the fireworks that are going out with a bang right now. I (yes, that’s me, Kiran) am leaving! Of course, I’m very sad about this but it’s all for a good cause... university. I know I don’t have to worry about the magazine, it will be left in the lovely hands of Lina and big things await every single person who gets involved with the mag.

KEY PLAYAZ

With the 2012 Olympics just around the corner, we decided we’d check in with sporty south London to ask ‘have you ever won a medal?’

Chief Designers Tom Salter, 22 Hannah Leon, 20 Rakhi Mawkin, 21 Online Editor Daniel Oniya, 22 Deputy Editor Jacqueline Eyewe, 17 Features Editor Kerrie Braithwaite, 20 Assistant Asst Online Editor Tyrone George, 17 Fashion Editors Osman Ahmed, 15 Priscilla Mensah, 16 Ibrahim Kamara, 18

Film Editors Hajra Islam, 15 Jack Ayers, 18 Books Editor Anita Opoku, 18 Music Editors Emil Ahmed, 17 Emma Hitchens, 21 Politics Editor Leke Oso-Alabi, 18 Design & Photography Team Charlene Namakusa, 19 Rebecca Need-Menear, 19 Laura Gineitaite, 17 Chantelle Clarke-Medford, 18 Philip Pelka, 21 Connie Preston, 21 Live Plus Kardelen Ketenci, 22; Darryl Daley, 24; Lucy Gillfillian, 23

Contributors Shineze Henry-Wallace, 15; Caroline Odogwu, 21; Chenai Takundwa, 16; Corrine Burton, 21; Christine Nderitu, 20; Joe Stratton, 18; Haroon Anwar, 19; Karn Kachiko,19; Deni Toma, 20; Ollie Lister, 21; Shaaveh Spence, 15; Jesse Johnson, 17; Jean-Michel Mbala, 19; Salma Omer, 17; Muna Ibrahim, 17; Irene Amadi, 16; Damilola Olufemi, 17; Abdou Cisse, 18; Musa Mohammad, 17; Mikaela Spiteri, 19; Nicole Robinson Gordon, 16; Laura Black, 18; Sami Pontin, 14; Jacqueline Owusu-Boakye, 16; Celeste Morton, 16; Tyrone Oliver George, 17; Raziya Gulam, 22; Ralph Hardy, 18; Jennifer Ampen, 17; Chequelle Leigh, 16; Naomi Williams, 16; Reece Akins, 18; Yara Shiakh, 16; Junior Walker, 21; Scarlett Stewart, 16; Tamar Brown, 16; Augustina Opong-Asiama, 16; Zainab Ahmed, 15; Urban Articulations, 19; Kawsar Zaman, 19; Chitra ‘Ziggy’ Sangtani, 17; Claudia Ornelas, 15; Shadrach Straker, 18; Rickie Davies, 21; Bianca Manu, 15; Damilola Omole, 15; Casey Davoren, 19; Maria Grillo, 16; Esme Sackey, 16; Maeva Chandler, 16; Holly Stratton, 18; Mo Barrie, 17; Jason Richards, 18; Kathryn Bell,16; Carl Rendora, 17; James ‘Shorty’ Arnold, 17; Camila Karimova, 17; Rashid Muhidin, 17; Alex Darby, 18; Niall MacLaughlin, 15; Iram Sarwar, 19; Lucy Gillfillian; Nadia Meksem, 22; Olawale Okunrinbaye, 20; Natasha Jarrett, 18; Crystal Straker, 20; Albert Harvey, 19; Zoe Clarke; Ash Jay, 17; Nashrin Hussain; Kristian Sakulku 17; Natasha Furlong, 17; Sadikur Rahman, 21; Cam-Yan Ha, 18; Melissa Ho, 17; Suhail Zaman, 19; Ajay Nair; Bejjy Mulenga, 15; Theo Jackson, 15;

Name: Saidi Age: 20 Have you ever won a medal? I’ve won a medal for football, but if I could win anything else it’d be athletics - for running and some more in football!

Marwa Bouziane, 15; Daisy Botha, 15; Bella Aghedo, 15, Nojan Hassanzadeh, 15; Matthew Haughton, 15; Ruby Moore, 15; Sam Lam, 20; Kamilla Baden, 19; Btisam Mailoud; Michaela Williams; Adiatu Sambu-Balde,; Chineyere Ogwe, Whitley Richards, 19; Priscilla Ogedengbe, 17; Louis McDermot-Supiya, 21; Shaquille Edwards, 16; Naomi Mbelu, 16; Tujuana Hewitt, 16; Marisa Inacio, 16; Salome Dior Williams, 17; Aneeka Williams, 17; Tanya White, 21; Abi Poulding, 17; Simona Morina, 17; Keam Clarke, 12; Busola Babalola, 16; Danny Byrne, 12; Johnny Greetham, 13; Sandra Nanyanzi, 15; Tega Uzezi, 16; Andre Anderson,18; Foyzul Hassan, 25; Elleshea Brown, 23; Mahfuz Rahman, 20 Senior Editorial Mentors Rahul Verma Emma Warren Design Mentor Mark Calderbank Live Mentors Hayley Joyes; Zena Alkayat; Steve Yates; Camelia Muldermans; Jason Page; Ben Ferguson; Zainab Jamaa Photography Mentors Heiko Prigge; Pru Waldorf; Becky Maynes Production Editor Kay Daylami Retouch Mentor Katie Peabody Zaid Alkayat

Live Unit 11, Piano House, 9, Brighton Terrace, Brixton, London, SW9 8DJ Tel: 0207 326 5979

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Words Words Iram Name Sarwar Surname 18 Age

Words Words Sam Name Lam Surname 20 Age

Words Words Priscilla Name Ogedengbe Surname 18 Age

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Words Words Cameron Name Clark Surname Age

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Let’s be straight here. Why do people insist on explicitly dancing in raves, clubs and parties? By explicitly dancing, I am talking about the kind of dancing that would make your parents frown and cover their eyes in shock. Dancing that isn’t designed for public viewing and most importantly, gives people the wrong impression of you.

“I am talking about the kind of dancing that would make your parents frown and cover their eyes in shock.”

I propose that we go back to the times when guys and girls were not allowed to dance together in the dance. How about this? Next time when you go to a party, yeah by all means have a good time, but why don’t you and your guys learn the latest funky house dance and shake a leg together with people you know. And females, why not practise shaking your leg in time to the music, rather than shaking your bum 90% of the time with a guy you don’t know, then moan that you’re not respected by men, or can’t find a boyfriend.

As far as I know, funky house was designed to allow people to dance to in a ‘funky’ way. Not designed to dance as if they are listening to an old school slow jam or a bashment song. Slow grinding to funky house just does not match, it does not work together, it doesn’t even go in time to the music.

news & views

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So next time you’re in a rave, think about the poor people who do not wish to see you dancing. Keep it clean! (KB)

Back in the days, (I’m talking about the ‘60s), our grandparents would have gone to a party and danced nicely. They would have boogied down together, in time to the

OPINION Design Tom Salter 21

Want to read more opinion? Check out Pete Apps’s brilliant piece on the banning of the veil in France at live-magazine.co.uk

Too Much Too Young? In recent years, Muslims have been at the centre of many controversial issues, such as terrorism and wars in Islamic countries. The latest news to spark controversy is that a local Muslim school, the private Madani Girls School in East London, is making it compulsory for all girls to wear the niquab – a religious piece of clothing that covers the face – when travelling to and from school. Critics are saying it’s ‘brainwashing’ and will mean that the young girls will find it harder to integrate. But parents have the right to pay huge amounts for their children to be educated on Islam. The stigma appears to be more around the religion rather than the school’s policy. (SL)

There’s the personal hygiene (or lack of), the repetitive music and my all time greatest annoyance, explicit dancing. It’s enough to make anyone want to stay in.

music, but also in a respectful way. They would not have been slow-winding in public. They would have left that to the private area, the bedroom. They would not have dared to embrace each other, so close that not even a strand of hair could get between them.

Illustration Andre Anderson 18

Pakistan floods: months on Due to the heavy monsoon rain in July, Pakistan is now experiencing the worst floods in its history, with almost two million homes damaged or destroyed. But that’s not all: 20 million people have been affected by the flooding and urgently require assistance. Fortunately, help is at hand; a recent survey by the Disasters Emergency Committee tells us that the British public has given £60 million to help the victims of the flood. The money has provided 155,000 people with tarpaulin and tents, as well as food and household items like pots and pans. However, we need to give more for clean water, and help flood victims rebuild their lives. (PO) Donate at www.dec.org.uk

Ready, Set, Grow! Growing your own vegetables can be a great way to save money, or even make money as students in Whitechapel have discovered. Year 7 and 8 pupils at Mulberry School for Girls have started growing their own greens – everything from chillies to lettuces. The girls use their newly installed hydroponic greenhouse system, growing their greens without any soil. As part of the Energy To Grow project, vegetables that are grown are then marketed and sold by Year 12 students to their fellow hospitality and catering students, who then provide a catering service to the staff. It seems like a win-win situation to us! (IS)

Raves, parties, shoobz, clubbing. Whatever you want to call it, it’s something nearly all young people love to do. It allows us to dress up, shake a leg and meet new people. However, raves are also becoming something that really irritates me, and I doubt I am alone.

I don’t mind when girls or guys are giving a little two step together, but when things start to get a bit more, let’s say “steamy”, that’s when I think people should give it a break and go and get a drink. Or better still go home.

Words Danny Byrne 12

At the moment the poor and the vulnerable seem to be on the frontline and the wealthy in a more recoverable position. Labour has said that cutting spending early could jeopardise the economic recovery. The results of these changes will be seen in full effect by 2011. Watch this space... (CC)

Chasing Mirrors: Portraits of the Unseen As part of the three-year project between the National Studio Gallery and John Lyon’s Charity, British-Iranian artist Alinah Azadeh has opened a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. The Chasing Mirrors: Portraits Of The Unseen exhibition explores the ‘unseen’ inner self through non-figurative portraiture. With the help of young people from Brent, Barnet and Ealing, he has created the exhibition using colour and mirroring, with objects wrapped in cloth and texts written or spoken by the collective. Check out other artwork by Azadeh at alinahazadeh.com or visit the gallery at St Martin’s Place, WC2. It’s on until 9 Jan.

bump bump && whine whine

Words Daisy Botha 16

Government Cuts The coalition government has set tight goals to tackle the debt crisis. Quangos have been axed or merged and some are facing reform. The government has also cut funding within the education department, axing EMA payments to 16-year-olds from poor backgrounds to stay on at school. With tuition fees about to soar, young people will struggle for places at university.

Ice Skating You might have heard of England’s most infamous king, Henry VIII, who had six wives and chopped off the heads of two of them. Well now you can ice-skate in his former home, Hampton Court Palace. That’s just one of the many temporary ice rinks set in some of London’s most famous monuments and buildings, such as Canary Wharf and Tower of London. Somerset House even offers DJ Nights, with a chance to play Dancing On Ice with top guest DJs. Dates vary, so see here for details. (CC) visitlondon.com/events/ special/ice-rinks-winter-2010

Words Kamilla Baden 19

Q&ARTIST @ TATE BRITAIN Q&Artist is a one-off, free event, hosted by Tate Forum – a public programme organised by young people for young people. Young art lovers will get a rare opportunity to meet contemporary artists who will discuss their work and responses to this year’s Turner Prize, an annual contemporary art award given to a British artist for outstanding work. So, if you’re interested in finding your way into the world of art, go along. Just make sure you book to secure your spot! 22 Nov 6pm-8pm (DB) tateforum@tate.org.uk.

Corps blimey

Live Loves... Cupcakes

LIVE Loves... Life

Live Loves... Watches

Fashion symbol or helpful timekeeper? Before the phones and the internet, watches were the ideal visual aid for time. Wearing them is more practical than taking your phone out all the time just to tell the time and unlike a phone you could even change the colour of your wrist band. Now that’s a bonus. (JR)

Live Loves... Breakdance

When I hear people look up to the sky and wonder to themselves how hard life is I always have the urge to ask them ‘compared to what?’ Compare your life to that of the people of countries like Sudan, where the children are born into a life of poverty. Life is only meaningless if you make it that way. Everyone has the power to give life a meaning. (FH)

I know what you’re thinking: ’80s, right? The truth is this art is still one to acknowledge – many dancers are inspired by the style and many still practise it. It’s a dance that pushes boundaries, keeps you fit, and makes you look darn right cool! (KB)

A few hours painting earned Lina Bastidas, Salma Tiff and Emma Hitchens a meet with Mark Ronson and tickets to the Albert Hall. Here’s how. The volunteering

Joining the RockCorps was easier than you can image. We signed up online, then on the day, turfed ourselves out of bed and turned up at 10am. The sun was shining and we were greeted by a very friendly, loud and energy-filled host who explained how the activities of the day were going to run. She went through all the health and safety procedures and told us a guest celebrity would be joining us.

Live Loves… The Sales

SALE

NOW ON

>>>

LIVE LOVES LIVE LOATHES

Lets face it even when we have the money we still have more important things to spend our money on. However, when sales come around we can get the things we want. Clothes, shoes, you name it for cheaper. Sales leave us still with enough money to spend on the more important things in life. SALES… Priceless! (MO)

Live Loathes... Kate Moss

Live Loathes... Flashes (call back)

Live Loathes... The end of Festival Season

Live Loathes... Miserable bus drivers

So summer’s over and with it the outdoor music and festival season. It’s time to wave goodbye to the likes of Glastonbury, Wireless, Latitude, Reading, Lovebox and loads of other great music outlets for our favourite artists. (MW)

By donating four hours of free time we were able to help the community, meet new people, make new friends, meet a celebrity and get a free ticket to the most exclusive gig in town. It was definitely a not to be missed, amazing experience and we can’t wait for next year. (LB)

Live Loathes... Lady Gaga

No she is not original. No she is not pop royalty. She doesn’t even act like a ‘lady’. And don’t get me started on her singing voice. All this attention for someone who wears a telephone on her head? Well, maybe I should wear a toilet on my head. That way I could be famous too. Nobody likes a show-off dear. (AS-B)

Bus drivers must either hate teenagers or their jobs. Always moaning and never wanting to open the door when the bus is literally still at the bus stop. Come on drivers! These drawbacks to the job should have been expected! (BM)

The fact that you can’t win or buy these tickets made the whole Rockcorps experience even better. We truly felt we deserved to be there and we also got to meet and greet Mark Ronson. When we arrived at the Royal Albert Hall the place was jammed packed with excited teens, adults, and children who couldn’t wait to watch their favourite acts perform.The concert was fantastic, with performances by Pendulum, N-Dubz and even Boy George who surprised us by appearing in the middle of Mark Ronson’s set.

I really wouldn't give four dying monkeys if anyone flashes my phone. We are in creditcrunching times and while it’s nice to give people a helping hand once in a while, I think it’s funny how people drop-call me so often just because they are selfishly saving themselves money! (IK)

PIC CREDIT: BIXENTRO

Promoting size-zero policies, having a background of drug abuse and a past relationship with a drug addict. Hmm, is this really who we want as the face of London? Goodlooking? Maybe. Good role model? Certainly not! (CH)

Then we split into groups and given the task to re-paint a couple of benches that no longer looked like they had ever had paint on them. After cleaning the benches, masking them with tape and getting a perfect finish, our task was completed. And we were the proud owners of our own concert tickets.

The gig

A-Team erupt. With its infectious bass riff and gritty vocals, the pop anthem seemed enough to hype a moderately infused crowed into a small frenzy. Superstar Taio Cruz provided good support, with his consistently impressive collection of catchy, well-crafted R&B songs. Special guest Plan B went down a treat, with his poised and polished renditions of the expressive and soulful. The ever-outspoken N-Dubz provided a crowed-pleasing set, with hit singles, Number One and Best Behaviour. But it was the remarkable Pendulum that lifted the entire crowd, tearing the roof off with signature hits Propane Nightmares and Watercolour. Their performance climbed to the dizzying heights of delirium, animating every single person in the hall, catapulting everyone into absolute furore, which we all truly deserved. After all, we didn’t buy a ticket; we didn’t win a ticket – we earned our ticket. (EH)

“

They look absolutely lovely, and taste so delicious! They are a fantastic treat for anyone, not just for Christmas but all year round. Whether it’s someone’s birthday, a treat while you’re out shopping or a present for your best friend, they’re perfect. (CO)

“

We didn’t buy a ticket, we didn’t win a ticket. We earned a ticket

And do it!

Helping your community and getting rewarded is easier than you think. All I had to do was to register online on the Orange RockCorps website and volunteer at a local charity for just four hours, then I received my exclusive ticket. I then found out about The Collective. It’s pretty much the same as RockCorps, but the reward is a gift card from Ticketmaster, meaning that you get to choose what concert you go to. I’ve already joined The Collective and I suggest you do too! (AS)

The event, at the Albert Hall, was hosted by MTV personality Alex Zane and opened with a performance from Mark Ronson and the Business International. It was Valerie that really saw Ronson and his international Orangerockcorps.co.uk projects.orangerockcorps.co.uk/thecollective

Words Name Surname Age

Words Name Surname Age Design Tom Salter 21

Words Name Surname Age Words Ana Soares 15

Words Emma Hitchens 21

Words and Pics Lina Basitdas 21 Words Name Surname Age

Words Adiyatu SambuBalde age

Words Ibrahim Kamara age 20

Words Michaella Williams age

Words Btisam Mailoud 16

Words Cam Ha 19

Words Jason Richards 17

Words Mo Barrie 17

Words Karrie Braithwaite 19

Words Chichi Ogwe 17

Words Fawaz Hamzat 15

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something sounds like trash you never know what it might lead to

. Get qualified: if a high-level job is out of your reach now then find out what skills you’d need to get it

3. Be confident: Making a good impression is the best way to get anything... girls, boys and even jobs

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UNEMPLOYMENT T he issue of unemployment has surfaced once again with the publication of some new statistics. The ONS (Office for National Statistics) shows that in just three months this year the number of 18 to 24-year-olds out of work for two or more years rose to 72,000. Add to this economic backdrop the fact that there aren’t enough university places for all applicants, and the often aired belief that a degree no longer guarantees you a job and you’re left with the makings of a gloomy, anxiety-ridden society – and a very depressing article. However, that doesn’t have to be the case: there are still lots of opportunities out there.

system encourages young people to remain jobless. So here’s their argument: there are 490,000 jobs available to the 2,457,000 people who are currently unemployed in the UK. Should 490,000 of these people be working or not?

The issue of unemployment has been on the rise in the media for a while now. During a recent episode of Channel 4’s Benefit Busters, I saw a woman decide not to go back to work because she received more money via benefits than she would’ve earned through working.

Why work to live then? Because the benefits are not purely financial. In all seriousness you really do learn a lot through working. Furthermore, research by the Royal College of Psychiatrists shows that one in seven men who become unemployed will develop a depressive illness within six months. If you’re currently unemployed while waiting for the perfect job, volunteering or doing a different job in the area you’re interested in could help

This is the type of scenario that some people cite as evidence that our welfare

Live to work? Or work to live?

I’m not going to lie, working to live, or working to get the things that I want, has not been a barrel of laughs. In my experience the first job is particularly challenging. During my first(ish) job, I broke things, was asked to smile more and had one colleague greet me with “Hello Africa”. Yeah, working to live has been… educational.

you fulfill your passion while you earn money or make yourself more employable.

Aspiring actress Elizabeth, an usher at the Young Vic and Almeida theatres, explains why she applied for such jobs. “I want to be as close to the theatre as possible,” she says. While she may not be on the stage, she gets to watch plays for free, see professionals working – and she’s built networks. And that’s exactly how she got the job in the first place, by networking. There are many sites that list what’s available, which you can access by simply googling ‘jobs’, although one of the easiest to use is Gumtree. Also, try to set yourself apart from other candidates. I wore a suit to my first interview and although I did feel a little, scratch that, very overdressed, ultimately, I got the job. Get online to find help for job seekers fish4.co.uk/jobs jobsearch.monsters.co.uk reed.co.uk connexions-direct.com

Design/ Illustration Rakhi Mawkin 21

REGULARS Words Leke Oso-Alabi 21

REGULARS REGULARS

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With government spending cuts in effect, graduates and experienced workers will soon be in the same boat: unemployed. Live's very own Politics Editor Leke Oso-Alabi, tells us how to dodge the dole queue.

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LDN 2012

it’s less than two years until the world’s biggest sport event comes to London. Welcome to our new regular olympics page

news: Keep up to date with London 2012

Triple-jumper Nadia Wiliams, 28, is a hard-working athlete with high hopes. Having secured a bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and competed in Delhi’s Commonwealth Games she’s a major hope for the London Olympics in two years time. Has your event always been triple jump? In school I was an all-rounder, but then I met a scout who saw I was predominantly good in the long jump and advised I go to a jump-specific group. The majority of my group were triple-jumpers, so when you start to do their training you latch on to the triple jump. Who’s your inspiration? I have two: Jonathan Edwards due to the effortless way he jumps, and Ashia Hansen because she was jumping 15 metres when she was younger than me. No one today has matched her among British jumpers. Have you got any advice for young athletes? What I really like about athletics is you can relate everything to your everyday life. People think you just go to the track and run, but there are many interpersonal skills within athletics that relate to your school, work and everyday life. How do you feel about London hosting 2012? Everyone’s really excited about it, including myself. I’m a realist – I’d love to be there but I am taking each month as it comes; 2012 is the final destination.

Peter Bakare, 21, is currently playing for the GB Volleyball team and has just signed to a pro-team in Holland. Born and raised in East London, he dreams of representing GB on his home turf at London 2012. How excited are you about London 2012? Extremely, especially as it’s in my backyard. The Olympics is the biggest stage and as the area develops I’m becoming more enthusiastic. How did you get into volleyball? I played for my college basketball team at first, but my coach was constantly pushing me to play volleyball. I haven’t looked back.

If you had to sum yourself up in three words what would you say? Meticulous, infectious, feisty and, for a bonus, intuitive. What does your typical day consist of? People assume I’m a full-time athlete, but I’m not. I work in sports development at Copthall Stadium, which gives me the opportunity to engage with a lot of youngsters, infants through to secondary school. My typical day is training for an hour before work, then work from 10-4; after work I rush to my evening session for 5.00 and train until about 8.00. This is during the summer, but in winter I have to work harder. (MW)

Words Daniel Onyia 22

Words Irene Amadi 17

Words Laura Gineitaite 17

Words Dhara Syal 17

Words Michaella Williams

EAST END LOSES OUT TO WEST END The Olympic organisers LOCOG have decided not to run the marathon route through the streets of Whitechapel, Bethnal Green and Bow. Instead it will loop through the City and Westminster, because the East End is not “attractive” enough to be viewed by international broadcasters. London is not perfect, and the East End is full of diversity and culture which should be represented. (DS)

OLYMPIC PARK’S ROYAL STAMP The Olympic Park in Stratford has been given a royal treatment with its new name ‘The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’. It’s a tribute to the Queen as she will be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the Royal association will help transform the area, after the Olympics, into one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions, and also draw investment. (DS)

would you adam and eve it?

The decision to re-run the race left Halswelle as the only one runner left, after the rest of the participants, who were all American, refused to take part in protest at the decision. Adding to American angst, Halswelle was awarded the gold medal.

The marathon in the Stockholm 1912 Olympics also caused some confusion when one of the runners, Japan’s Shizo Kanakuri, went missing during the race. Apparently, he lost consciousness because of the heat and was taken away by a farming family, who cared for him until he had fully recovered, but they failed to notify the race officials. Fifty years later, Kanakuri returned to finish the race, setting a new record for the longest ever race: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds. (LG, LA)

Strange but true facts from the Olympics over the years

The Olympics doesn’t always run to plan. In the first of a regular series, Live details some of the muck-ups and mishaps down the years.

And the strangeness doesn’t end here. The same year Dorando Pietri collapsed several times whilst running a marathon The 1908 Olympics held in London did not and even ran the wrong way. To help pass without its share of strange but true events. One of the most famous was during Pietri cross the finishing line a few officials stepped in and carried him over. He was a 400 metre run in which the American disqualified at first, but received a silver cup winner of the race was accused of * ‘Adam and Eve’ is Cockney ryhming “interfering” with a British runner, Wyndham the next day, when the authorities ruled that slang for ‘believe’ it was not his fault he was carried across. P2W Halswelle. AD v2 27/10/10 1:03 am Page 1

£££s of High WIN Street vouchers

What’s your biggest achievement? Earning my first cap for the GB team. It was nerve-wracking, you train all those months for that very moment. You’re signed to a team in Holland now, will you miss home? I’m used to being away, it’s how you move forward. Before I was just a development player and allowed to make mistakes. Now, if I do, it’s costly, there’s always one person that wants your spot. What are your plans for after London 2012? Continue playing, but also finish off my degree, because education is important. My other ambitions are in acting, writing and animation. (DO)

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Public’s Money Memento Members of the public have designed one side of new 50p coins to mark the Olympics. Each design represents one of the 29 Olympic sporting events and will appear on 50p coins this November. There were over 27,000 entries and the winning entries were approved by the Treasury and the Queen. We think it’s a great way of keeping a long lasting memento of London 2012. (DS)

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How can we find more people like you? Come up with a great idea for attracting bright young people to our new project ‘Passport 2 Work’ and your marketing genius could be worth £100 of High Street vouchers. Four runners up will also receive vouchers worth £25! Passport 2 Work is a new scheme helping young people who aren’t in education or employment. We can help you get exciting work placements, and find the training and support you need to do some of the things you always dreamed of! At the moment we’re using all kinds of ways to reach those who deserve our help, but we’re sure there are bigger and better ideas out there!

Top Tips

about the places you might find the people we are looking for, youth centres etc • Think your knowledge of people’s likes and interests – what would make you stop and listen? • Use Big, expensive ideas aren’t always the best – it’s more important that your idea works. • Simple ideas are often the most effective. To enter, go to www.trianglefusion.co.uk/eZine/P2W_competition.aspx Hard copies are available by calling 0208 735 3540. Send your entry, with your name, address, phone number and email address to: FREEPOST, RRBJ-LALG-TZAS, Triangle Fusion Ltd., 32 Caxton Road, London W12 8AJ or email to competition@passport2work.org.uk by 31 December 2010. Winners will be notified by 31 January 2011.

If you are: aged 14-16 in ed ucation and do n’t know what to do when you leave school or aged 16-19 and unemployed and want to fin d out more abou t Passport 2 Wor k, contact: 0208 735 3540 or email info@passport 2work.org.uk

If you’ve ever been amused by the likes of Catherine Tate or The Real McCoy, get ready for the UK’s latest big LOL! Thanks to their music production Ain’t Got No Chicken Wings, featured on BBC 2’s No Hats No Trainers, the duo’s popularity has entered a new dimension. How did the two of you meet? M You know when you have those Jamaican parents who have kids all over the place, my dad started to introduce me to family that I didn’t know when I was about 18. KG grew up with a cousin that I didn’t know, basically. Where did you both grow up? M Tulse Hill, it’s a nice place to grow up. KG I grew up in Mansfield. So where did Shadrack And The Mandem come from? M We roller skate, though I’m not that good. One time, we were in Thornton Heath and I decided to do a quick little rap and take the mick out of the song Bad Boy For Life by P Diddy, in a gangster chain, with a roller skate off at the end of it. Everyone thought it was funny so I thought let’s just do some comedy videos. We remixed it and named it Shadrack And The Mandem. This guy is just the best on skates (points to KG), so we got him to do it. Did you study acting and singing, or did it all come naturally? KG I went to uni, I got a degree in Marketing, Advertising and PR – this is far from that. M My career aspiration is to be a writer or producer. I went to the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, then I went to university to study broadcasting. I worked in America as a production assistant on Stomp The Yard 2. Working in this industry is hard, so we thought… KG ….Let’s create our own dough.

They may not have any Chicken wings, like their latest music video said, but they’ve definitely got jokes. KG and Marston talk to Live about their rapid success which all began with a video camera and some skates

How long have you been working in entertainment? KG We started seven months ago. When we got 100 hits on YouTube we were excited. That’s now gone up to 2,000 a week. M We made Shadrack And The Mandem on the 10th of January 2010, so literally this year. Crazy! Do you make your own material? M It’s original, man, we get the inspiration from the world and work subliminal messages into our material. KG We try to be clever with our stuff, so whatever is happening in society we try to flip it. Some people have said we have broken down barriers with what we’re doing.

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Whatever is happening in society, we flip it

Why do you use YouTube? KG It’s free. M It’s a good platform. As long as you get the views up and do something original, you’re showing people that you’re marketable and bankable. What do you think about the success of your videos? KG I would say Shadrack And The Mandem really helped us. But we didn’t want to stick to the hood stuff, we wanted to have a range. M People in the industry respect us now, especially with Guns And Pork. The production values on that were crazy. It’s given us a platform to network with other businesses. Why support guns and pork? M Again, a title to mock all this hood crap. I got nephews and nieces who are growing up in this so-called hood, they’re not going to see their teenage years if they get pulled into traps by all these youths. You know that dead class in school, PSHE? They need to have a lesson like that, but start putting real messages in them. I have always had a vision: put £30,000 on the board and ask the students, “How are you legally going to make that money when you leave school?” What do your friends and family think of your work? KG I’ve got Nigerian parents, so they will just react when the money starts coming in. They’re really behind my stand-up, but me on skates, I don’t think they are ready for that yet. What could we expect from you next? M We are going to be doing some stuff with BBC 1Xtra, and we have been picked up to do all the comedy sketches on all the episodes of No Hats No Trainers. KG Kojo is our film coming out. M We’re also working on some independent films as well. We’re still going to stay in entertainment. What about work experience? KG For anyone who wants to do what we’re doing, I would say get a camera, and network. M YouTube, Facebook. KG If you ain’t got a a Twitter account, you ain’t serious. Can you relate to any of the characters in your videos? M I’m not a bad boy. KG I would say back in the day, I maybe would have had a couple of elements of Shadrack, but I’m a church boy now. Twitter.com/NicholasMarston Twitter.com/KGthaComedian

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WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

“It’s well Mork and Mindy today”, in other words, it’s a bit windy, Or so you might have said in 1983. Live decided to take a look at the past three decades of trendy talks.

ho’d have thought, that over 400 years ago instead of saying “You look like you’re ready to bounce bruv”, youngsters were saying, “I see you stand like greyhounds in the slip”. The invention and reason of slang’s existence is to represent a kind of group, for instance your area, your cultural background or maybe your interests. It’s a method of familiarisation and representation. Despite the fact that I didn’t even get the slightest glance into the ‘80s (I’m a ‘90s baby), I can’t help but feel this was a time of big hair, shoulder pads, large jackets and overall madness. Electronically made music, brit hop and rebellion! South London slang was in its prime. With a funky influence from America and a foundation of cockney, Londoners had a real ridiculous way of proving the level of cool through their speaking arrangements.

“Wah blow? We went to that shebeen, then one of the slags got taxed so Five-0 came down. But it was mental anyway, we all had a top one!” The ‘90s were defined by shell suits (the things I was forced to wear before I was old enough to dress myself), platforms, dungarees, bling and Reebok trainers. In the ‘90s baby’s case, bomber jackets, mood rings, garage and the Spice Girls may trigger your memory. A time for future predictions and inventions, a revolution that never seemed to happen, with less than ten years counting down to the millennium. The influence of America in the ‘80s was beginning to die out here in the UK, and now we were finding our own style. Ultimately, this meant finding our own lingo with one another. “This guy try screw me, ain’t my fault my kicks are dope, he needs to go to his yard… fasty!”

Finally the noughties. The present and by January the 1st, the past. This has been the year of developments and real change, especially in language and style. From the rise of UK grime to the comeback of annoying girl groups. Nowadays it’s the jafaican label most of us are tagged with. “Low it, that peng tings coming haaard fam. That’s peak! She’s making you look like a wasteman, bruv!” Language is the factor that brings us together as a whole, nowadays it can also be the thing that divides or stereotypes us. But whatever the wording, the most important thing is that we’re still individual. And who knows what we’ll be saying over the next decade. The only thing that’s for sure is that Britain’s youth will find more smart ways to make sure not everyone understands what we’re saying to each other. Get me?

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WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

“It’s well Mork and Mindy today”, in other words, it’s a bit windy, Or so you might have said in 1983. Live decided to take a look at the past three decades of trendy talks.

Design/ Illustration Rakhi Mawkin 21

Words Kerrie Braithwaite 20

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Real Talk?

are reality TV shows total genius or shockingly wrong? Live writers fight over the remote

Street style A formal playful look is always classic. Yellows and blacks can never go wrong on a grey winter day.

This all black look is ageless and goes into every season. The lace top paired with black jeans is a must have this winter.

SGT STYLE

GOING UP The leather inspired vintage bag completes this outfit and a great look for spring to winter.

Capes

Not just for superheroes, they’re warm and figure fixing. What more could you want from a coat?

Military boots

Rain. Snow. Sun. An easy way to do rock chick chic any day of the week.

Satchels

A multi-purpose handbag that’s durable and fashionable. Just decide: short straps or long?

Grey

FOR

AGAINST

Remember those cold winter nights in with nothing to do but watch television? How bored you got watching the re-runs of Friends and The Simpsons? The colourlesss, bland sound it brought into your home?

Reality TV cheapens television, often literally. It costs actors’ jobs because it is cheap and doesn’t involve paying professionals. These shows also make a lot of money from people phoning up to evict a member from the house and in ads: The Guardian claim X Factor makes £20m in advertising from the final alone.

Thanks to reality TV, life has become a whole lot more interesting. Our evenings are jam-packed with an assortment of appetising, entertaining and thrilling television. Shows such as I’m A Celebrity…, Britain’s Got Talent, Big Brother and the nation’s favorite, X Factor, to name a few, all manage to engage, entertain and educate diverse audiences of various social situations. There’s something for everyone, whether it’s an import like Aston Kutcher’s Punk’d or Jo Frost’s Supernanny. A classic moment in Reality TV has to be Big Brother 8, when rejected housemate Charley Uchea returned 90 minutes after her fake eviction. The jaw-dropping reactions and suppressed emotions were absolutely priceless. Reality TV is basically doing the job of TV soaps for them. With every show there is a fresh storyline and new characters. Their emotions are raw and they can go either way. You can either fall in love or hate to death. Interactive shows such as Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing let you have your say. Reality TV provides a fresh outlook on life, endless adventure and something people of all ages and races can unite around.

Dr. Martens are here to stay. Pair with skinny fit jeans, jackets and t-shirt for an urban look.

Floral prints are timeless and ready to wear for all seasons. Wear with caution!

When you think of how many people begrudge being captured on CCTV every day in London, why would they be so interested in watching others being filmed? Reality shows have created a voyeuristic culture. At first it seemed more interesting and original, but now it has become cheap, boring and worn out. Reality shows also have a human cost. X Factor’s SuBo needed psychiatric care after appearing. One of the US Apprentice stars lost her real-life job after being shown criticising ‘old, Jewish, fat ladies’ and some reality TV contestants including BB 2006 contestent Lesley Sanderson and Nadia Almada attempted suicide and suffered from depression after appearing on shows. It purports to be real life but the producers of the shows choose people who will cause tension and increase ratings. One episode of Wife Swap was dropped because there was no friction between the families – too boring, said the producers. These producers have a lot of control over what those participants do and how it is presented. Real life is unpredictable and if a family does not want to fight and argue then you should televise that. That’s another reason I’m against reality TV – it does not portray real life, it shows you a dysfunctional lifestyle.

The new black, and a must-have for the winter months, so wrap up in it.

Sequins

They were fun and glamorous for a while but let’s leave the sparkle on the disco ball.

See-through leggings

Leggings are comfy and useful, but no one wants to see your underwear.

Waist belts

Blacks will be a huge trend this winter. For a casual look, throw shorts, a heavy jacket and a t-shirt on. Sorted.

Trousers, a top and a waist belt on your top? - No thanks!

Summer clothes

It’s just not the season, summer’s long gone, it’s cold outside, so get real!

GOING DOWN

Why make it up when reality is so much more dramatic?

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May 8 Marcin Bilaszewski, 19, Stamford Hill stabbed.

May 5 Nicholas Pearton, 16, Sydenham, stabbed.

April 23 Charlie Wright, 17, Eltham, shot.

April 18 Wesley Sterling, 16, Norwood, stabbed.

April 16 Agnes Sina-Inakoju, 16, Hackney, shot.

April 3 Aliza Mirza, 18, Ilford, Stabbed.

March 27 Godwin Lawson, 17, Enfield, stabbed.

March 25 Sofyen Belamouadden, 15, Acton, stabbed.

MARCH 4 Jessie Wright, 16, North London Strangled

February 19 Olukorede Fajinmi, 17, Ilford, stabbed.

January 15 Isschan Nicholls, 18, Poplar, stabbed and beaten.

Even now, Alex finds it hard to shake off his reputation; “I was just sitting with a friend at a bus stop and out of nowhere, around 30 policemen surrounded me and told me I was arrested, all for what I had done in the past.” He adds, “Now every street, road and corner I turn into, the past comes back

Whether it’s death, imprisonment, violence or a guilty conscience, gang life is not worth the hype. Alex also stresses it’s not all it’s cut out to be. He says “If I could, I would have stayed focused on school when I was 12 and avoided all this. I wish Evidently, you don’t need to be in a gang I could change my past but I can’t. Instead to find yourself involved in the violence. Earlier this year, on April 14, the tragic story I’m using my past to help other young people’s future.” He adds, “You’ll have a of Agnes Sina-Inakoju’s murder illustrated minute of success, but five minutes of grief, the devastating consequences of gang unhappiness and everything you won’t violence. The 16-year-old girl was not an want to feel. Just don’t do it. Don’t get intended target, but died after being shot involved.” in the neck while waiting at a takeaway in Hoxton, East London.

Additional Reporting Daisy Botha 16

Design Tom Salter 21

Illustration Haroon Anwar 18

FEATURES Words Cam Yam Ha 19

FEATURES

OCTOBER 27 Marvin Henry, 17, Mill Hill Shot

Life as a gang member isn’t as glamorous as it sounds, with 29 London teenagers dying from gun and knife crime in 2008. Money-minded Alex was arrested by police and victimised by fellow gang members. He confesses to experiencing issues with his mum, who’d refuse the money he offered due to its illegal origins. This was crippling for Alex, who was desperate to help but had to accept that his own mum lacked trust in her son.

Salum Kombo, 18, was a victim of youth violence. He was killed in late December 2009 in Bromley-by-Bow, reportedly for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Speaking anonymously, a friend of Salum shared his views on gang life. “Because of area codes, gang violence and rivalry the situation has become worse over the last few years. I could get attacked simply for walking into a certain area. You don’t even need to instigate a fight no more, a fight will just come to you”.

Joe Rahman, an outreach worker for ACF, advises: “If you’re not in a gang already, just don’t go down that road. It’s not a good way to spend time. Once you’re in it, it’s hard to come back out and you can spiral down that route.” If you are in a gang, ACF are effective in helping each individual with unique treatment, catering to their needs and maintaining absolute confidentiality.

OCTOBER 23 Samuel Adelagun, 16, Newham, Shot

Alex, now 16, is no longer a gang member, having dramatically turned his life around and is studying business at college. But he remembers clearly what attracted him to join. “It was all about the money and motivation to get money. No matter how I could get it, I would get it,” says Alex. “Money is why I would rob people or sell weed.”

Despite the harsh reality of gang life, London’s gang-affiliated youth show no sign of slowing down, with this year’s teenage death toll already exceeding last year’s total of 13.

However bad the situation, it’s not a lost cause, as many organisations and charities are out there to help. Active Change Foundation (ACF) was set up in 2003. Based in Waltham Forest, it aims to take young people off the streets, to get them away from violence and gang culture. Being the middleman between the authorities and gang members, the organisation is essentially a voice for young people, helping them to get their opinions heard by the government. This means less crime and less violence.

July 4 Ailton Campos De Oliveira, 16, East Ham, stabbed.

Read the papers and it can seem like every kid in London is in a gang. The coverage maybe sensationalist, but it is a serious problem. Live’s cam investigates why young people get involved in gangs…and how to get out

Money isn’t the only reason people fall into gangs. Street cred, boredom, peer pressure and escaping family life are all big factors. Of course, where there’s gang and criminal activity, there are always victims.

July 2 Zachary Olumegbon, 15, Tulse Hill, stabbed.

Alex was 12 when he joined the Walthamstow Mans. It was an easy decision – one that promised quick money and street status. Many young Londoners find themselves in the same situation, with approximately 30,000 members belonging to one of the 169 organised criminal gangs across the capital.

to haunt me. Every area reminds me of the bad things I’ve done. It’s not nice and it wasn’t worth it”.

June 1 Samuel Ogunro, 17, Peckham, shot.

“You’ll have a minute of success but five minutes of grief and unhappiness”

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May 8 Marcin Bilaszewski, 19, Stamford Hill stabbed.

May 5 Nicholas Pearton, 16, Sydenham, stabbed.

April 23 Charlie Wright, 17, Eltham, shot.

April 18 Wesley Sterling, 16, Norwood, stabbed.

April 16 Agnes Sina-Inakoju, 16, Hackney, shot.

April 3 Aliza Mirza, 18, Ilford, Stabbed.

March 27 Godwin Lawson, 17, Enfield, stabbed.

March 25 Sofyen Belamouadden, 15, Acton, stabbed.

MARCH 4 Jessie Wright, 16, North London Strangled

February 19 Olukorede Fajinmi, 17, Ilford, stabbed.

January 15 Isschan Nicholls, 18, Poplar, stabbed and beaten.

Additional Reporting Daisy Botha 16

Design Tom Salter 21

Illustration Haroon Anwar 18

FEATURES Words Cam Yam Ha 19

FEATURES

OCTOBER 27 Marvin Henry, 17, Mill Hill Shot

OCTOBER 23 Samuel Adelagun, 16, Newham, Shot

Despite the harsh reality of gang life, London’s gang-affiliated youth show no sign of slowing down, with this year’s teenage death toll already exceeding last year’s total of 13.

July 4 Ailton Campos De Oliveira, 16, East Ham, stabbed.

July 2 Zachary Olumegbon, 15, Tulse Hill, stabbed.

to haunt me. Every area reminds me of the bad things I’ve done. It’s not nice and it wasn’t worth it”.

June 1 Samuel Ogunro, 17, Peckham, shot.

“You’ll have a minute of success but five minutes of grief and unhappiness”

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Wasted Youth

A young man recalls his time as a QS Boy “Getting involved in a gang as a youth was easy, almost natural. Aged 14, I used to cycle around the estate, hanging out with people my age and older. My local gang was known as QS Boys, for Queens Station, an overground station in Walthamstow, five minutes from the estate. We fought with other gangs but nothing more. By about 2001 the founders were in their late 30’s and had moved on, but young people reformed the gang under the name QS 17, adding the postcode for Walthamstow. It became more violent as we were selling drugs, which provided a reason for fighting beyond mere machismo. I joined because, hanging around the estate, I felt like I was already part of it and it was part of me, like I had to help my friends when they were getting into fights. When I first joined I was involved in stupid activities like smashing windows and marking territory with graffiti. The gang made me feel protected, like nothing could ever happen to me because they had my back. Gangs in the area were generally divided by race rather than religion. For instance, the Pakistanis thought anyone brown could join their gang, regardless of their faith. There was also a Somali gang drawn largely from their own people. Teenagers get involved in gangs because they see it as a family and a shortcut to a name and a reputation. I left because I realised it wasn’t leading me on a good path. I was wasting my time, hanging around the estate till late at night. There was no peace. One time a gang member from another area, who suffered a serious disability, had trespassed in ours and was about to get into major trouble. The gang had him by his arms and threw him, scraping his body against the floor while he was yelling for help. I received a phone call and got there before they did anything major. I protected him and made sure the gang never bothered him again. Later he contacted me and thanked me for helping him. It woke me up to the realities of gang life – a pointless beating that could have resulted in major injuries.

Our Tube YouTube: The History

LIVE Magazine loves YouTube. I mean come on who doesn’t? But the website’s rise to a massive online community with a tonne of different channels is truly amazing. YouTube has become such an important part of modern culture that even politicians use it to communicate to the public. Here’s how it happened. (AH) April 2005 First video uploaded to the site.

Jokes!

Where do you find the best comedy talent on YouTube? Tega Uzezi, 16, finds out. RayWilliamJohnson This man is known for =3 (you say it ‘equals three’). He’s best known for his reviews of clips and slogans ‘it’s foreign’ meaning that the video makes no sense at all, and ‘you ain’t got no pancake mix’ which basically means that the argument is OVER.

July 2006 YouTube reported to receive 100 million video views per day and 65,000 video uploads per day. October 2006 Google buy YouTube for $1.65 billion dollars. October 2007 Queen of England jumps on the YouTube hype and launches her own channel. May 2008 YouTube reports 13 hours of video are uploaded every minute. February 2010 US President Barack Obama is interviewed on YouTube March 2010 It is reported that 24 hours of video is uploaded very minute.

RecklessTortuga This crew are widely known for the OnlineGamer series which focuses on a gaming obsessive. He ignores everyone, girlfriend included, to play COD. This series showcased a lot of game talk like ‘noob’ (new player) and ‘pwned’ meaning you got killed fast. And they did the jokes Racism In America episodes.

Hold the front page! Live has hooked up with YouTube! And this page is just the start of a beautiful friendship... YouTube Channel Of The Issue: SB.TV What is it? SB.TV (Smokey Bars TV) is the fastestgrowing youth channel on YouTube with over 16 million views. The man behind this empire is West London resident Jamal Edwards aka Smokey Barz. Jamal founded SB.TV by recording MC battles on the school playground. Why is it so popular? SB.TV started the ‘Fresh 64 Bars’ series, known as F64s where artist are challenged by SB to think of fresh, original exclusive lyrics. F64 gives artists the chance to shine and ‘go in’ on camera. Even pop stars like Chipmunk jumped on the SB.TV bandwagon and delivered an epic F64. Top three vids to check? Check out Devlin’s F64 with killer lines like ‘he positive like HIV”. Also Gyptians ‘Hold Yuh’ remix where he changed the lyrics to show appreciation towards SB.TV. How’s the future looking? The future looks bigger and brighter for Jamal and his empire. They’ve also started to cover overseas artists like Gyptian, BOB, Chiddy Bang and Drake. There is also a rumour going around that Jay Z wants to deliver his own fresh 64 bars, but that’s another story… (AH)

May 2010 YouTube exceeds 2 billion views per day.

Gangs are a blight on young people. Trouble is always around the corner and there’s rarely a happy ending.”

KGMarstoncomedy As you’ll know if you’ve read our piece on these comedy heroes, these are the guys behind classic YouTube comedy skits from Shadrack and The Mandem (police duo Duncan and McCoy) and R&B duo Caramel, who did the infamous No Chicken song.

Don’t be intimidated by gangs. Here are some useful links: stoptheguns.org crimestoppers-uk.org victimsupport.org.uk gangsinlondon.piczo.com

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Words Suhail zaman 19

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orn in Stoke Newington, east London, Maverick Sabre has always had music in his blood. From a young age he found himself experimenting with instruments thanks to his musician father (who was a fan of Chuck Berry and folk music). “I used to go and bang on bongos and play the harmonica when I was a toddler. Then my dad taught me guitar when I was at primary school”. Sabre began to sing and write his own songs, but didn’t take his talent seriously, until the age of 14. Raised from the age of four in Wexford, Ireland, a town with a population of only a couple of thousand, there wasn’t the influence of the bustling music industry to provide opportunities for him. However, this didn’t seem to de-motivate the young vocalist, “I’m glad that I had that upbringing, I got to see both sides of it, I’d come back to London in the summer.”

Don’t have a Plan B, because you will always rely on that

As an up and coming artist collaborating with big names such as Professor Green and Chase and Status, Sabre is starting to reap the benefits of his work. But getting to this point for him has been an uphill struggle… as he tells Live.

At 16, the Irish Londoner had to choose between going back to his hometown in Ireland to study, or to stay in England to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. It was the advice from fellow up and coming artist Plan B that gave him a push in the right direction. Maverick and Plan B crossed paths backstage, at a gig in Dublin. The rapper told Sabre to stay in England and focus on his music, “He said to me straight, don’t have a plan B, because you will always rely on that.” After playing a gig in Brixton, south-west London, the unsigned artist was picked up by his current manager who knew that Sabre was something special. He continued to play gigs in and around London, and managed to land himself a slot on BBC Radio One’s Live Sessions with Ras Kwame, where he sung three original songs, If I Knew, Sometimes and They Found A Gun. “It was nerve-racking, it was the first time my music got played on the radio, I had only one take.” Sabre has also featured on Professor Green’s chart topping album, Alive Till I’m Dead, released July 2010.

Would you say Plan B helped you get your foot in the door? He made me focus. I was in the studio with him and he asked me what I was doing, I wanted to go university in England but I didn’t have the grades, so I could only do a select amount of courses. I was doing some computer technology course, as that was the only thing I could do to say I’ve got something to fall back on. He was one person that gave me that push when there wasn’t anyone else that would say ‘just focus on your music, that’s the main thing.’ How would you class your music? It’s hard for me to do that, especially when I’ve come in between a mix of singing, it’s funky soul. I think I’m experimenting, that’s the whole point of music; you can’t be releasing the same type of music forever. I think selling out is when you change your view and your opinions on your music. Where’s your main musical inspiration? There’s a lot of people: Skinnyman, Johnny Cash. I wrote a song along to the One Love video by Nas. I wrote a song about the scene when the woman gets shot. I just put the video on mute and sat there playing along to it.

Would you ever cross over to a different genre of music? There’s no problem. Experimenting, that’s the whole point of music. You can’t be releasing the same type of music forever. Like the Plan B thing, he was totally hiphop and suddenly he’s making hits. If you’re making that transition you can’t be expecting to make the same music. I think selling out is when you change your view and change your opinions on your music and you’re not making good music. That’s selling out. Is there any artist you want to work with? People on the UK scene: Dizzie, Klashnekoff, Benga, Skream, Katy B. I’d love to do something with Movado. I just love his voice, I think his voice is serious. What things are next for you? Well, I got a feature called Selecta. I got a next feature single coming out with Chase and Status, which will be on his album. Hopefully releasing a dubstep EP soon and an album next year. www.myspace.com/mavericksabre twitter.com/mavericksabre

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In association with

“Camden Town because of all the crazy shops and different types of people you come across.”

“Westfield shopping centre because it’s beautiful and has loads of shops, restaurants and even an extremely large screen cinema.”

north

“Brick Lane, just because of the cool vintage shops available there, even though it gets really packed!”

“I would take them Wembley Stadium because there are loads of events held there and it’s famous.”

Moana, 21, Finsbury Park

Adina, 20, Mile End

Camilla, 17, Wembley

“I would take them Stratford so they can visit the brand new bigger and better Westfield.”

Emily, 14, Piccadilly

WEST

“I swear you can’t have a bad day out at Portobello Road so I’d take any visitor there.”

Raza, 18, Walthamstow

east “Tayyabs Pakistani restaurant in Whitechapel, it’s London’s best kept secret, yet it’s always packed out, I love the sizzling atmosphere and delicious plates of barbecued meat!”

John, 19, Kilburn

Charlene, 18, Leyton

“It would have to be the British Museum or the National Gallery because they’re both amazing.”

Emma, 18, Holborn

Rep your ends in 2012!! “I would take them to The London Eye. It’s fantastic because you can see the whole city from up there, and it looks like EastEnders.”

“The Science Museum. It’s one of my favourite places ever, it’s totally free and you get to mess about with levers and things.”

Moses, 17, Caledonian Road

As we all know the Olympics are going to be heading into town as will hundreds of thousands of international visitors wanting to see what else our awesome capital has to offer. So LIVE went out into the streets of London to find out where you would take a tourist if they approached you during that all important summer in 2012.

Amy, 17, Kennington

“I would take them to Brixton Village because it would give them a taste of how diverse South London’s community is.”

SOUTH

Eric, 17, Stockwell

London Calling!!

“The London Dungeon because it would be fun, educational and scary!”

Vanessa, 18, London Bridge

Mayor Boris Johnson needs a whopping 8,000 enthusiastic volunteers to become London Ambassadors - welcoming visitors from around the world during London 2012. So how do you jump on board? All you have to do is give up some of your free time between 20th July 10th September during the games in 2012 and be the face of London. Not only do you get to rep your ends but you would be given a swaggaliscious uniform, a super hi-tech mobile device and on top of all that you get all your travel expenses paid. You’ll get the chance to learn even more about your city and would be skilled in the art of first aid via the top-notch training given to you before you hit the streets. So go on become the ultimate London tour guide and show tourists why we have the best city in the world! Register by 31 December on londonambassadors.org.uk to be a spectacular London Ambassador and represent your ends.

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Janelle Monae

Anthony Head

Sci-Fi R&B godess

Addictive

Buffy, Merlin, Dr Who… he’s done them all

“This year has been special for me but really I try not to get too high from the accolades or too low from any criticisms. By staying on one vibration, I find my way to survive this year and prepare for the next! However, I think that in 2010 the colors have been brighter and more intense.”

East London singers, Aisha and Louise

Richard Wilson

“My highlight would have to be finishing Merlin”

His acting skills haven’t faded with age

“Shooting our video for our single Bad Girl in Ayia Napa was definitely better than all the natural disasters that have happened like in Haiti and Pakistan”

“Mine was directing a play because I haven’t directed one in a long time”

Jenna Downing

Griminal

21 year old champion skate girl

Grime + Criminal= Griminal! Genius!

Target

Roll Deep producer

“If I had to choose a highlight it would have to be the first ever number one as it set the ball rolling.”

“It was winning a really big competition in February out in Germany. It’s called the Winter Clash and it’s one of the biggest competitions in the world”

“Getting signed to Universal/ AATW. That was big.”

Snow in April, disasters in Haiti and Pakistan, a new government…. it’s 2010! Good or bad, a lot has happened and before you start to look forward to the next 12 months, can you think back to what your highlight of the year is? We decided to ask some of our friends from music, TV and sport about their 2010 highlight.

Bradley James

Wiley

“Scoring a penalty in Old Trafford, in life overall it was the single greatest moment of my life”

“Wireless festival. Performing with Roll Deep on the same stage as Jay-Z. It was a big highlight for me”

Ghetts

The reigning king of beef

“I went to Africa Express, a music festival in Spain. It was crazy! I’d definitely say that was my highlight of the year so far”

Devlin

MC behind Bud, Sweat and Beers

Angel Coulby

Cute and a prince! Get in!

The godfather of grime still rocking the game

“It would have to be Wireless in Hyde Park. It was an amazing crowd, a lovely sunny day and me and the boys really enjoyed performing”

King Arthur’s queen-to-be

Babyblue

Heading for pop stardom

“Mine was Glastonbury festival, definitely”

Colin Morgan

This mythical wizard will put a spell on you “Going on holiday with my family. That was ace.”

“Going to the Caribbean for the first time and meeting Snoop Dogg”

Dame Kelly Holmes Double Olympic gold medalist. Score!

“I’ve made a lot of changes to what I’m doing this year, trying to build my own business and website, doublegold.co.uk, so I can put more money into my charity. ”

Words Sandra Nanyanzi 15

Design Charlene Namukasa 20

Words Name Surname Age

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religious It’s a festivals parr...liament Being a Christian, Christmas is one of my favourite seasons of the year. You might think this is due to the fact we all receive presents and get to dress the tree in pretty lights and eat loads of chocolates. However I love the fact Christmas brings my family together in unity as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year on Christmas Day we go to church and celebrate the life of Jesus, the whole day is not only focused on the commercial side of Christmas but also on the religious side. We sing songs together, pray and eat. Also my family always come together in the living room and watch a film or play a family game. Last Christmas I remember playing Bible Monopoly – it’s like the normal game but with Bible city names. Christmas is a day for family and celebrations where everyone is in a good mood and sense of harmony spreads out within all. (MW)

Eid is a festival celebrated by Muslims all over the world. Unlike Christmas, there isn’t a specific date for Eid, but it falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar so Muslims follow the lunar calendar to keep in the know! There are two different types of Eid, but Eid ul-Fitr is the big festival celebrated at the end of the month of Ramadan where Muslims fast throughout the day. The process of fasting is very difficult living in a non-Muslim country. The fact that people are eating around me makes it very difficult but if you have self control, that sure helps! I believe that Ramadan is a positive attribute in a Muslim’s life as it helps them to refrain from temptation and follow rules. Eid ul-Fitr is then celebrated for three days and I love the celebrations! Muslims all over the world buy brand new clothes, cook traditional foods and celebrate with friends and family. Special prayers are read to show gratitude to Allah (SWT) for helping all the Muslims fast during Ramadan. (TB)

Diwali is a festival celebrated by Hindus across the world for many centuries. It celebrates the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness based on the events of a mythological story. Despite communities believing many different versions of the legend, today most people celebrate Diwali in the same way. In preparation for the festival, Hindus wear brand new clothes and give their homes a good spring clean and decorate their houses with lights. Sikhs too celebrate Diwali as Hinduism and Sikhism are close sister religions. Prayers are said during the festival, plus firework madness in the evenings – which is everyone’s favourite part! Food is also a big part of the festival and delicious varieties of Indian sweets and savouries are given out to neighbours, family and friends. Food is also offered to the goddess Laxmi, the god of wealth. Diwali is a key time to worship her! (DS)

Live’s Leke oso Alabi, 18, went to meet Streatham MP Chuka Umunna, to ask him why politics matters. Five hours later (alright, slight exaggeration) he emerged, full of the answers. Here’s what happened. You’ve been a lawyer and now you’re an MP. What made you successful? Me and my parents believed I had the ability to achieve. Being focused is so important and you might not always find the magical thing you want to do in your life immediately. You just need to work towards that rather than waiting to be hit by lightening. Are you in favour of positive discrimination? No. I don’t want you to vote for me because I’m black. How much are the spending cuts going to affect people in your area, Streatham? Every week I come across people who are dying to work, but the jobs market is very difficult out there. There are a number of members in this government who have no ideal what it is like to live on job seekers. Living in this area, would you like to be unemployed moping around a Lambeth estate on £65 a week? Do you see that as a lifestyle choice? I know I wouldn’t. What about your background. You are half Nigerian? Yeah, I’m half Nigerian, quarter Irish and a quarter English.

Are you interested in Nigerian or African politics? Well Im actually the vice chair of a parlimentary group about Nigeria. There is a fantastic book, you should read by a guy called Stewart Weir, who used to write about Nigeria for the Independent newspaper. It’s such a fascinating country. I think one of the saddest things, my late father told me this, is that when Mandela got released from jail in South Africa, soon after he said that he saw Nigeria and South Africa as being the two powerhouses which were going to drive Africa to be the big super continent that it should be. But it didn’t happen. And Mandela himself said how disappointed he was about that. Now one thing about Nigeria, we are never going to solve the problems of Nigeria, so long as we have a bunch of old men who continue to loot and

pillage the treasury and engage in corrupt practices, until we deal with that corruption issue you can give all the aid you want… sort out the trading system in the world so it isn’t biased against the developing countries, otherwise Nigeria won’t get anywhere and that really is the problem. I am not pulling my punches with this. I will be very frank on these issues. But why is politics relevant to young people? It affects your life in every single way! We had a fantastic scheme called the Future Jobs Fund and young person is guaranteed that if you were between 18-24 and you’d been unemployed for six months, you were guaranteed a job or training place. The [coalition government] have stopped it now. So break it down: why do you think readers should take an interest in politics? Because this affects your life, I’ve went to various different projects over the summer and was saying what would of you been doing if you weren’t here? they was saying I’ll be sitting around an estate. These issues that affect your life are political issues that is why I encourage people to take on an interest.

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Schools, clubs, shops...we all have places we just can’t forget. Upper Clapton’s Professor Green takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the greasy-chicken spots

8 Barbers I used to go to Mario’s on Southwold Road. Do I go to Toni and Guy now? Nah, come on, look at my hair, are you serious? You can’t get a shape-up at there. They’ll be like “What?!’

9 Sport Everyone on my estate used to rollerskate back in the day. Some of the olders played hockey so we’d all go to Springfield Park, take the nets down and play hockey. We spent a lot of time there or over at the Marshes, hanging out doing what kids do. The Marshes is a completely different world to Hackney, it’s the only green part.

2 7 8 3

9 2 Childhood haunts Mostly the swing parks on Northwold Estate, that was where everyone used to jam. It’s a lovely place. That’s where I spent all my years, getting up to mischief! Apart from that there isn’t much in Clapton, except the Shell Petrol Garage.

6 Video location We filmed Upper Clapton Dance on the estate where I grew up. In that video there was shopkeepers that I knew when I was a little boy. It’s a weird one though, as much as I’ve got love in the area, people are different. I probably shouldn’t walk through there now but I’m stubborn as a mule!

4 Food My favourites are both within five minutes’ walk of each other: Peppers & Spice on Balls Pond Road, and another place called In-Ting on Dalston Lane. I love Caribbean, jerk chicken. Was I ever into fried chicken shops? Ooh, I used to be, I’m just re-living it right now (screwfaces)!

10 5 hanging out I love Brick Lane. I used to be there from midday till late, but it’s not that easy anymore, not as relaxed. I love the vibe, though it can be a bit cool and trendy. I’ve had some horrible nights in 333 on Old Street; that was always when we couldn’t get in anywhere else.

1 Shopping I get a lot of free stuff but I still buy clothes – in fact it’s probably my biggest addiction. I spend a lot of money on clothes and trainers. Meteor Sports on Bethnal Green Road is a really good place to get trainers, they have the latest imports.

5 10 gig My favourite performance was probably the last Green Party I did at The Macbeth in Hoxton. It was cool because I done it before which was wicked! But the second one, after the first single, I Need You Tonight, was the first show I realised things were on the up.

3 Clubs I remember being outside Chimes a lot. I never went in because I was too young, but that was probably for the best. There was a lot of trouble around that club and an underpass underneath the roundabout that all got filled in years ago because of the stuff that used to happen. 7 Making music I got into music quite late. As far as I was concerned I was academic, no creative flair, never good at art. I was at my friend Cores’ house – he ended up executive producing my album – everyone was freestyling, so I rapped a lyric, went all red in the face, embarrassed, but everyone was like, “you can rap”. I just started messing around with it from there. Most of the album was recorded in Cores’ bedroom in Upper Clapton. Professor Green’s Album Alive Til I’m Dead is out now. www.professorgreen.co.uk

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dropping science

Wife beaters come in all shapes and sizes, and we’re not just talking about white vest variety! Live Magazine heard two accounts of abusive relationships to find that the badge of domestic violence can be slapped on anyone who hits out at a partner, and no matter how it’s worn it never looks cool.

Music meets Science! And rapping astrobiologist Jonathan Chase is the catalyst. The boffin with rhymes dropped into Brixton HQ to talk about the stars that never lose their shine

Confessions of a dangerous heart

arah* awoke from her latest ordeal to find her mum sobbing in a seat by the hospital bed. Her swollen brow made opening her eyes nearly impossible but thanks to a heavy dose of painkillers she couldn’t feel a thing.

Sarah* was too scared to leave her boyfriend so the cycle of abuse wasn’t going to stop.

Bed-bound due to a broken leg, Sarah’s mind could only wander, in circles, the same thoughts going round and round.

Jason* speaks honestly about a time when he was sworn at, lied to and pushed around by his then-girlfriend. He didn’t imagine the situation would lead on to the events that unfolded.

“Before I blacked out I remember my boyfriend dragging me by my hair back to his house. I couldn’t ever remember him beating me this bad before and I honestly thought it was the end. As I lay there I wondered what I’d done to deserve this. It seemed like my fault. What had I done? Blam, back to the numb thumps. Over and over.” This wasn’t the first time Sarah* had been a victim of relationship violence and according to Women’s Aid – a charity focusing on reducing rates of domestic violence – her experience wasn’t unique. The charity predicts that 1 in 4 women will be victims of violence from their boyfriends and partners at some point in their lifetime.

But what if it happens only once? Our other case study believes his reasons for hitting out were justified.

“We were both fifteen. She had a lot of attitude and I had a lot of pride. I heard that she’d been making up stories – like that I’d bought her a chain and I’d bought her trainers.” ‘One day I confronted her about it at school. We were in the yard and there were loads of people about. ‘Why you lying for? Who have you told that I bought you this and that when I don’t even have the money for it?’ I grabbed her, then she hit my face so I reacted and slapped her back.’ So is provocation an excuse? Jason isn’t proud of his actions but

thinks girls can’t expect a guy not to hit back if they hit the guy first. “I felt like a fool, embarrassed. She was angry, hot headed, one of those ones who when there’s a crowd she’ll put on a show.” Years on from each of these events, do either of them think differently about what happened? For Sarah, ten years have passed. “I can’t believe I ever blamed myself. He was insanely jealous. I was a model at that age, 13, and he was much older than me. He had serious drug problems and was often never in a straight state of mind. I eventually got out, but there’s no logic to these relationships.” And for Jason, “It happened only once but we never spoke again. And I’ve never forgotten it.” Violence in our relationships is growing. We need to remember that it’s never right to hit a woman, and that violence hurts both the attacker and the victim.

pen University was made a little more open today by Jonathan Chase's bubbly character and sheer love of science. Recording a special episode of the show in Live’s office, he often made jokes in his native West Indian dialect. For readers who don't know what astrobiology is, Chase simply defines it as "Studying life in space, or life that might be in space". Jonathan started his unusual career after finishing university, where he obtained a degree in aerospace engineering, and wanted to rap about what he'd learnt. His unique talent and craft has won him vast recognition, most notably from NASA, who approached Chase to include his rap about astrobiology (which has had almost 10,000 hits on YouTube) in their European astrobiology magazine.

Being yourself, going out and representing who you are can be a big obstacle when you’re up against people who judge the way you look We wanted to find out what makes it all worthwhile. "My music has given people

more ways to engage with science," he replies passionately. "You don't have to read books that you can't be bothered to read, you can just listen to some of my music on your mp3 player, go down the road and get science on the go.” You have already infused music with science. What are you going to do next? I want to do all angles of hip-hop, to get guys graffing fun-looking chemical symbols, giving personality. I had this other idea called ‘galaxy mansion’, where basically you go into a mansion and there's loads of stars, for example Biggie, 2Pac etc. I would have burnt-out stars and upcoming stars representing the stars in the universe and the galaxies. You'll have to wait for that, that’s a big one. What kind of obstacles have you faced in your career? For me, it was always about being yourself, going out and representing who you are. That’s a big obstacle when you're up against people who judge the way you by face value, rather than finding out who you are deep down. Do you think science and religion go hand in hand? Religion has fuelled science and discovery. Through scientists trying to find out whether God exists, they developed all these techniques which led to what we now call science. www.scienceraps.co.uk www.youtube.com/oortkuiper

nAsA

* Live has changed the names of the individuals involved to protect their anonymity.

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My Live Challenge started one random day when I was extremely bored on my Blackberry. Fiddling between applications I couldn’t decide if I felt like playing poker or poking people on Facebook. I then decided to settle for an unconventional option of writing poetry. Something I knew I was good at, but for one reason or another kept avoiding.

waterloo bridge played host to shadrach’s busking

I sent a broadcast message to all my contacts, searching for inspiration that could spark my enthusiasm for the art I once loved. Surprisingly, people were interested and someone recommended I write a poem entitled Forbidden Love.

THIS ISSUE’S CHALLENGE SAW SHADRACH STRAKER USE BBM, BUSKING AND A CELEBRITY TO PROMOTE HIS POETRY. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED.

After reciting my poem MTP took a step back and called me sensitive. That is not at all what I expected.

The story behind the poem was typical EastEnders-type controversial love, involving 1001 reasons why two people shouldn’t be a couple, but I wrote it anyway, receiving rave reviews. I was pleased with feedback from my Blackberry contacts so I decided to continue my poetry… but only in innovative fashion. Primarily I’m an entrepreneur and I was at a young entrepreneur event where the infamous Michaela The Poet was one of the guest speakers. As she normally does, MTP capped off her performance with a sensational poem titled Breasts of America. Despite being borderline anti-American in front of some Americans, MTP received an encore and unfortunately I was too hypnotised by her poetry to even remember to record any of it. After she finished I managed to squeeze past groupies in order to have my moment of fame with MTP. I decided to recite some of my poetry to her in a bid to not only complete part of my Live Challenge, but also to get compliments such as ‘wow’, ‘wonderful’ or at least ‘hey, you’re good’. What I got instead was rather quite odd. After reciting my poem MTP took a step back and called me sensitive. That is not at all what I expected. It got worse: “I love it when a male can understand the mind of a female,” she said…

STOP STOP STOP!!!!!!!! No man will ever understand the mind of a female. Kings and philosophers have fought very hard with no avail. Despite MTP complimenting me and glorifying me on to a feminist pedestal, I must remember a compliment from MTP is not to be ignored. The third and final part of my challenge was monstrous, I truly thank God that it’s over. Due to the overwhelming pressure I received from Live mentors I was forced to busk at Waterloo. Now for those of you that don’t know what that is, busking is when people stand on street corners or tube stations and sing or play an instrument with a bag ready to take donations from the public for their services. In this case I was instructed to recite my poems. I spent the best part of 20 minutes walking up and down Waterloo Bridge spluttering words rather than reciting poetry. I was looking for the friendliest face in the world so I could ask if they would like to have a little listen. And they did, liking it too. I had a plastic cup intentionally in my pocket and didn’t take it out until my 10th poem. I should have done it earlier because as my confidence grew, I started to get paid. I earned £3.89 in forty minutes. OK it’s not the most in the world but it’s something. Aside from getting barged, dismissed, temporarily ignored and silenced (at one point) it was absolutely great. I challenge every reader to reignite their passion for a lost talent they’ve loved. A little advertisement: due to the success of my challenge I am now interested in starting a poetry group that would record poems together. If any Live reader is interested contact shadrach.straker@hotmail.com

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exclusion I was permanently excluded because I got into a fight. It happened because of constant bullying and I felt I had to take my own actions to get it to stop. It got so bad they even tried to rush me but the school didn’t find out. At first they only excluded me for five days then I got a letter saying that my exclusion was permanent.

15-year-old Sapphire* has been out of secondary school for nearly a year as a result of permanent exclusion. She was kicked out in April and couldn’t find a new school because of a lack of places. She tells Live how she ended up missing out on valuable education.

darius

knight Table tennis pro Darius Knight is the England number two seed who won the Fred Perry Urban Cup at 17, tours with the ITTF world pro team and plays for the Spanish Superleague. He’s a legend in the world of ping pong... and beyond.

When we think of role models and sport, I’m sure that ping pong isn’t the first thing that you think of. But 20 year old national table tennis champion Darius Knight might change your mind. This young, born and raised South Londoner doesn’t let popularity or fashion phase him. Darius, who is humble, athletic and somewhat innocent looking, won the national championship at the age of only 17. How did that make him feel? “A lot of the time I lost in the finals, so it was quite good to win the under 21s before I won the under 18s.” Right now, he’s heading towards the 2012 Team GB Olympic team.

Without a doubt Knight speaks with total and utter confidence and honesty. “Before that, I won European medals, but I could never win the nationals. So it was quite obviously uplifting to achieve what I wanted, you know, as my name’s down in English history as having a national title.” Knight is no stranger to the more underground view of South London, growing up with only his mother to support him. But he found alternative ways to fund himself, which included him rolling into a bit of a phase doing what he describes as ‘negative things’. By the time the young sportsman turned 17, he had won the Urban Cup, a scheme that promotes sports in inner cities, earning more money and fame then most his age. And legally, too. Top table tennis players in China, like Ma Lin, make hundreds of thousands a year. As a figurehead for the Urban Cup, we asked Knight what he thought of the youth of London, and the idea of him becoming more of a role model. “I look up to young people and sportsmen, they’re young, the same age as me and they’re doing really well. If they can do it, why can’t I do it? It’s typical to relate to David Beckham, but that’s a bit unrealistic for me.”

Like any other guy his age, Darius is still finding his feet, and what it is he truly wants to do, but for now, he knows he has a destiny to fulfil in table tennis. The level of his motivation became clear when asked what he would do if he were to win a million pounds. “Well first I’d make sure I buy a house, and make sure that I’ve got a big massive table tennis centre table. I’d put in more funding and support for the community centre where I live, and pay for the academy, Instead of one there would be ten of them. I would definately take a holiday. I haven’t really taken a holiday in a long time.”

The irony is that before I started secondary school, I was excited. I didn’t think it would end up like this. I had experienced some bullying in primary school but my teachers were more helpful. They would make sure the bullying wasn’t constant and they supported me as much as I needed. I expected the same from secondary school but it was completely different.

I feel that teachers are more worried about school uniforms and the building rather than students. I don’t think teachers spent enough time on me, not as much as I needed. Instead they were always telling people they were never going to get anywhere in life which was really depressing. My school wasn’t a good school. They focus on what you look like rather than your level of intelligence. I felt teachers didn’t want to help me or other girls in general. It seems like more girls get pregnant than they get GCSEs because teachers don’t motivate them. My head teacher would rather tell me to get a transfer and leave instead of helping me deal with my problems. It’s sad that we don’t have a good education system in England. The government seems more concerned with investing thousands of pounds into buildings rather than pupils and the idea of exclusion doesn’t help anything, it just narrows our opportunities, leads people into crime and into pregnancy.

We asked students how they would improve schools. A youth worker in every classroom “It would leave the teaching to teachers and the problems and distractions to the youth worker” Concentrating on all students “Foreign students get more educational support, however some English pupils should be given support to get them to where they need to be” emotionally stronger teachers “Teachers are very easy to break down, If they were stronger students would take them more seriously” More creative lessons “More lessons in dance, construction and MCing. Not everyone is good at maths or science, so BTECs should be in all schools” Encouragement to all pupils “Teachers should be trained to motivate and encourage disruptive pupils rather than taking the easy way out and excluding them”

I hope I can go back to a different school and get on with my learning and just focus, forget about friends and do my coursework and my GCSEs and go college. I feel a lot more confident about my future than I did five months ago. I’ve been working at Live and that has made me feel so welcomed and they have helped me a lot. No one has pushed me away like they did at school. I feel like I’m learning here and my skills are improving. *Names have been changed.

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Following Darius Knight’s past on the streets we were interested to know what it was like for him when he started out, as a kid at youth club, ‘whacking balls at people’ before being selected for training, at 50p a session, in a local shed. “It was obviously quite intimidating at the start, especially when I was starting out. It’s different, but now, there are loads of young black kids, loads of white urban kids, so I think I’ve bridged a gap, and maybe made it a bit more popular in London or in other less fortunate cities.”

I just cried and cried and didn’t think I would cope I felt my life was over. Nothing mattered anymore; I didn’t care what I wore or how I looked. I loved my education and they just took that away from me. It was devastating. I became so depressed I even considered suicide.

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gone commercial, because the last thing I put out was a free EP full of tracks that were fully grime. I didn’t grow up on one genre, so when I’m in studio I just enjoy music.’ P Diddy clearly appreciates Tinchy’s Tinchy Stryder needs no introduction as a UK rapper. He’s been to number one with the appropriately named mixed musical style. ‘I went to my label one day and someone came up and explained Diddy wanted me on track Number 1, collaborated with the likes of N-Dubz right through to Lil Jon, and won an army of fans along a Hello Good Morning remix. I didn’t think they were serious.’ They were, and the remix smashed it. But the way. it’s not just rappers Tinchy’s up for collaborating with. ‘I’ve met La Roux before and she’s cool, I like her stuff. Third Strike, Mr Stryder’s third studio album, is said I like Kings of Leon too. So maybe both of them one to be a lot darker than his previous output and, in day.’ the words of the man himself: ‘It’s a crazy album! Creatively, lyrically, production-wise. It’s a step-up in Despite his love of pop, Tinchy also has things to every way.’ say about the UK grime scene at the moment. ‘It’s Step up or not, Tinchy (just like every other successful definitely growing,’ he says. ‘There are more people going mainstream now as there are more opportunities grime artist) has felt the wrath of people saying that for people, so hopefully it will carry on. Nothing lasts he’s forgotten about grime and gone too commercial. forever though, and only the strong will survive.’ With a Tinchy has an answer for his critics: ‘I’d say good luck lot going on for Tinchy in the next year, it looks like he, to them in their life. It’s funny that people say that I’ve at least, will survive.

Tinchy talks to Live’s Tasha about his first love: music

Three of Live’s finest journalists get in touch with the three sides of Tinchy Stryder

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Kiran Kaur delves into the business brain of Mr Stryder Having recently signed a deal with Jay-Z to create Takeover Roc Nation – a collaboration between the US hip hop star’s company Roc Nation and Stryder’s management company Takeover – Tinchy Stryder seems every inch the businessman. ‘It’s crazy now, it’s a mad feeling,’ he says. While he argues his passion for business just came ‘naturally’, he’s clearly aware of the madness and how far it’s all come. Takeover Roc Nation offers hope for fresh talent as it breaks new acts as well as handling merchandise and tours.

It’s meant Tinchy has gone from being a student, to a music star, to an entrepreneur. As a young man who has come so far, Tinchy is happy to offer Live readers the do’s and don’ts of starting up their own business. ‘You definitely need to have the right team around you and understand that everybody has the same aims and ambitions

and same drive. My business don’ts would be the opposite to everything I just said!’ Taking a leaf out of Live’s book, Tinchy says he’d like the opportunity to offer internships and apprenticeships to young people in the future. ‘I love to believe in people,’ he says. ‘Even if they take the smallest thing out of something I’ve said, it makes a difference. If I could offer internships one day, I would love that.’ So watch out – it’ll be mentor Stryderman before you know it! He’ll have to find the time first, though. In between Takeover Roc Nation and looking after his clothes label Star In The Hood, Tinchy is strapped for minutes. Despite this, he has big plans for the future. “Hopefully Star In The Hood will just get bigger and bigger and I will see it expanding in shops.” With his entrepreneurial skills, we don’t doubt it!

Knowing Tinchy’s success as a rapper and a business man, you might find it hard to believe it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Like many of us he also found it hard to find something that he really wanted to do in life. ‘When I was in school I didn’t have a clear plan of what I wanted to do. I used to want to be a footballer. In the end, deciding whether to do music or football wasn’t really hard. Music was something that I did and enjoyed, I came away from football because I got a little side-tracked by how great music was!’

Celeste reminisces with Tinchy about his early days as an East London student

Before he found success, however, Tinchy attended the University of East London and studied Moving Images as a degree – he hoped that some day it would help him shoot his own music videos. ‘It really helps now to have that background,’ he says. ‘When I’m working on my own music videos with the directors, it gives me creative freedom because I understand everything that’s going on.’ Tinchy had to work hard for this knowledge, but he explains university is as much about growing as a person as it is about education. ‘University is a stage that you have to go through to learn more about life and yourself,’ he says. ‘You have to learn as much as you can and it helps to know the simplest things like how to add up – those are the skills you need working on the business and music and everything. My advice to any young person who wants to study a degree is to look at it as a positive thing and not something boring or a chore.’ There is certainly more to see from Tinchy in the coming months. Where will this star go? Only he knows.

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COOKING WITH

a good thing. When I’m with SB (founder of SB:TV) people are like ‘Is that? No! It can’t be! No, wait it has to be, because he’s with SB’. We’re really bait together anyways so we probably shouldn’t hang around together. You have thousands of friends on Facebook, do you ever get weird inbox messages or anything of the sort? It’s gotten to the point where I can’t read them anymore, there’s so much spams, people sending me, invites to their raves and links to download their mixtapes. Dead or alive, who’s the person you would most want to collaborate with? Stevie Wonder! Because to be honest in the UK I’ve worked with pretty much everyone I wanted to work with.

Lucky for some... who was the best? I really enjoyed the JME session because he’s just too sick. Two words, one name; Jamie Foxx. How did that happen? I booked myself a ticket to LA just to have a break as I had a friend out there. When I got there I did a gig and some open mic nights. A girl who did the bookings for Jamie Foxx’s night, Foxxhole, approached me and I did a gig at the Conga room. I wasn’t allowed on stage to begin with, I had to prove myself. Jamie Foxx’s manager then heard me play and invited me onto their radio station. I played You Need Me, I Don’t Need You with a Jamie Foxx song at the end, he was impressed, gave me his number and I ended up partying and staying at his house for a couple of nights.

Having written over 100 songs, when are we going to hear them all? I have about 400 now. Some have been put in the hands of other people, like Olly Murs. I also have a song on Sway’s album, wrote some songs for VVBrown’s little sister J Brown, she’s sick and also Leddra Chapman who’s like a female version of me. So what should we expect next from you? I’ve got a live DVD recording coming and also a live EP, so watch out. Check out Ed Sheeran’s exclusive video his new single Wake Me Up at live-magazine.co.uk. Many thanks to Bamboula, 12 Acre Lane, Brixton, SW2

Ed sheeran Live met up with upcoming acoustic musician Ed Sheeran to talk Jamie Foxx, crashing on sofas and being ginger all whilst cooking Jerk chicken at Bamboula on Brixton’s Acre Lane.

Live: Hi Ed, first and foremost when did you develop your passion for making music? Ed: I was in the local church choir when I was four and I began playing guitar when I was eleven. Any other instruments we should know about? Erm... I started off playing the drums when I was nine years old, actually. Having toured and collaborated with many underground artists (Wiley, Dot Rotten and P Money just to name a few) and most of them being grime artists, would it be naive to say grime is one of your favourite genres? No, I just like any music that actually expresses people’s love for music and I think grime does just that. I mean, I don’t make grime music but I think that they are very talented lyricists.

You’re from a small town in Suffolk, how was it coming from home to the big city? I came to London a few years ago. I moved to Finsbury Park but ran out of money and ended up crashing on sofas, which I’ve been successfully doing for a year and a half. I have to say, I’ve stayed on a lot of sofas. Alot. You won the ‘2008 Next Big Thing’ competition, can you tell us about that? That was a weird gig actually. All the strings on my guitar broke on stage. I think they probably thought ‘Oh well, he carried on’. It was a cool show and I did try and do my best in the end. At least you still won. Or maybe it’s because they liked your hair. Do you get more attention because you’re ginger? Yeah I do but it’s not always necessarily good attention though, sometimes when I play gigs when I get off stage that’s how people recognise me so I guess that’s

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REVIEWS

PREVIEWS StorySLAM: Live @ The Albany

Culture Clash @ The Roundhouse

Turn up the bass! Original soundsystem business at the Culture Clash Cocknbullkid on Nicki Minaj, primary school pop songs and Plan B Coconut Unlimited author Nikesh Shukla on hip hop Plus everything you need to know about music, film, culture and books

StorySLAM: Live @ The Albany 17 Nov

Are you a budding writer? Want to kick start your literary career and win a cash prize? Yes? Then the answer is simple, write a short story on the theme Getting Older, and tell it on stage at the Albany Deptford. Simple. (IA) storyslamlive.net

Soundclashes originated in Jamaica in the 1970s, where different soundsystems would be played to roaring crowds. The event, run by Red Bull Music Academy, was about each soundsystem doing their thing: Metalheadz had recorded a special version of Katy B’s ‘On A Mission’ dissing Skream and Benga hard! Skream and Benga hyped the crowd up whilst their MC pushed the boundaries of battle talk. Soul Jazz played a mixture of old and new skool, but Channel One won it, reminding everyone what a soundclash in the original Jamaican style is actually about. Watch out for the next one, but it’s over 18s only. (DJ) redbullmusicacademy.com

T4 Stars @ Earl’s Court 21 Nov

N-Dubz, Tinie Tempah and The Wanted are just three of the acts lined up to perform for T4’s Stars of 2010. Amongst fun activities, the host of T4 will be conducting a tour of the past year in a celebrity-packed event! (RM) eco.co.uk

Hell’s Half Acre @ Old Vic Tunnels

The man behind this exhibition is also Banksy’s agent, so that should give you a bit of an idea of what to expect. Based around the nine circles of hell, as explained by Italian writer Dante back in the 14th century, the artists were given a copy of the book a year before the exhibition and created pieces inspired by it. There were paintings, rooms full of smoke, doll sculptures with weapons instead of heads, and even a lump of meat with pigeon feathers sticking out. Wow. (JJ) oldvictheatre.com

Black Watch @ The Barbican 27 Nov - 22 Jan

Based on interviews with former soldiers who served in Iraq, Black Watch presents the harsh reality of those involved in war. Winner of four Olivier Awards, Black Watch combines music, movement and song for a hardhitting production. One to watch for 16s and over! (JOG) barbican.org.uk/ theatre

Move: Choreographing You @ The Hayward

Every exhibition has a problem: the barrier between the audience and the piece. Move: Choreographing You breaks down these barriers and invites all to explore movement through visual art. No two pieces are the same. Above all, whether hula-hooping on the balcony looking out on the South Bank or swinging across a jungle of gymnast hoops (only the fittest make it across) Move: Choreographing You is unique and unlike any exhibition you have ever seen. (HS) Until 9 Jan move.southbankcentre.co.uk

Dan Dare and the Birth of High-Tech Britain @ The Science Museum Until 30 Mar

Want to know how Britain reinvented itself after the Second World War? Learn about the foundations that were laid for us to enjoy the Great Britain we live in today. The nation’s rebirth reveals a surprising lost world of British manufacturing. Don’t miss it! (MO) sciencemuseum.org.uk

Culture Club been there, seen it, done it

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Big Things You and your parents speaking a different language? Think Big might have the answer.

One of the ideas they’ve funded is the very brilliant Why Do. It is a new online question and answer forum with the aim of closing the age gap between adults and teenagers. The online space allows adults to ask young people random questions from ‘do people still say cool?’ to ‘how do you want adults to act around you?’. The project is being supported by Tulisa from N-Dubz and by Larry Lamb who played Archie Mitchell in EastEnders, who have decided they want to help bridge the gap between youth and the older generation. WhyDo.co.uk was initially just a thought from 22-year old Sabian Muhammad. He submitted the idea to Think Big, and with additional support (as the idea was so good) he has been able to build it up into the WhyDo.co.uk you can see today. The free online Q&A service has found a way for young people and adults to interact. “I believe that much can be achieved if we can help bring different generations together. All too often the media portrays young people in a negative light. It’s a frustrating and unnecessary situation: if we took the time to understand each other better we could help bridge the ever widening generation gap. We’d also learn a lot, as every generation has unique skills and perspectives.”

Have you ever dreamed of changing something in your community? Ever wanted music lessons, or maybe a new community centre, or possibly even special gigs from your favourite bands? On a sunny afternoon Live went out and asked people what they think should be changed in their community. Some people wanted free film nights, other people suggested homework clubs (with snacks and drinks) but everyone had an idea. But ideas cost money and money is in short supply. Luckily there are some places out there to help. You can start changing your community with O2, who have launched Think Big. You come up with an idea, fill in the online application form, and if O2 believes that your idea will improve your local community then you get £300 to get you started. Yes, three hundred free pounds! And if they think your idea is especially brilliant then you can even get the opportunity of another £2,500 plus mentoring to take your project on to the next level.

We caught up with Sabian to find out a bit more about WhyDo.co.uk What is the main purpose of Why Do? I created Why Do, because I wanted adults to understand why young people do the things they do. I also wanted to help stop some the stereotypes about young people. What tips would you give someone to make their idea work? You need to know what you want and how to get it, otherwise you won’t succeed with Think Big. What was the role of Think Big? It helped me to refine my thoughts, because my initial idea was very wild. Why are these types of programmes important? Think Big is very important to the community, because it helps to push your ideas forward and achieve what you really want and make unique ideas real.

In association with

Live’s Keanna Williams, 13, thinks that Why Do is exactly what we need. Nowadays young people and the older generation don’t have much in common and the bond is lost. Young people have no respect and adults don’t understand us, they don’t seem to realise our generations are completely different and things have changed. Many young people feel misunderstood and that they can’t speak to adults without being patronised or looked down on. Adults believe they know it all which makes some young people feel intimidated and belittled. Our generations are so divided even our language is different - things you may say to your friend you cannot say to your mum and dad. To them it may be seen as rude; things like this divide us even more as our points cannot be put across. That’s why it is important for young people and adults to start talking again. If young people and adults reconnect then the many holes in society will slowly close up and the many issues we face can be conquered and resolved. The holes in society can be closed up by us young people showing more respect to adults by bonding with each other. Barack Obama is a prime example of an adult who used young people’s views to show how much he appreciated us as the future generation. Because of this he then got elected to be the President of the United States. Projects like Why Do made by young people helps us get a step closer to rebuilding the bridge between the two generations and understanding one another. www.o2thinkbig.co.uk

Inspired by Sabian? LIVE have decided to submit our own Think Big project, so we want your help! If you are aware of a community need, or have an idea that will improve the lives of young people in your area then we’d like you to get in touch. The best will all go up on our website www.live-magazine. co.uk and the winning idea and the idea’s originator (ie YOU) will get the full backing of LIVE and O2 to help make it happen. Please email your ideas to live@livemagazine.co.uk with the subject “Think Big”, final deadline January 10th at 5pm.

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SOUND ADVICE

ALBUMS Brackles

Good Things

K7 Inspired by dubstep, Brackles’ CD is a mixture of styles from Detroit Techno to Funky. The album includes songs from Roska and Flying Lotus, mixing successful artists like Cooly G, Kyle Hall, Zomby, and Floating Points to the lesser-known Funkineven, Rishi Romero, and Deadboy. With so many names on the same platform Brackles seems set to get some new names out on the circuit! (FH)

Stones Throw Good Things speaks some truth about the world today. Aloe Blacc has produced a piece of musical genius giving accounts of being jobless, homeless, the disproportion of wealth, theft of resources, and a universal lack of compassion from capitalism at-large. This great album places Aloe directly in the framework of modern soul. (JR)

King Cannibal

Devlin

FOUR TO WATCH

Aloe Blacc

Songs For Endless Cities

The Way of The Ninja Ninja Tune

Kof

Janiece Myers

Cocknbullkid

Terror Danjah is a well established producer from Forest Gate, east London. He founded label Aftershock, which helped create the success of artists like Tinie Tempah, Mz Bratt amongst others. Since that ended, he has been working on his own solo productions and he is now set to release Undeniable as an album. “I guess, in a sense, I do like working with new artists and that’s probably why Dream Mclean’s on there, so I can see him grow, because I’ve brought a lot of artists through. I always watch them grow into something big’’. Undeniable features original veterans from the scene on powerful production including Bruza and D Double E. It’s also got a crazy epic track called SOS. “They told me to cut it down, and I said no. I want an eight minute track for everyone to get into.” (SN)

Bud, Sweat and Beers

Island Dagenham’s Devlin has produced yet another grimetastic album. The album opens up with his memories of being 12 with a pound in his pocket and a chest consumed with smoke and it ends with the emotional End Of Days. The album features rising star Labrinth, Yasmin, Ghetts and Dogzilla. A potential grime legend, watch this space! (BA)

This is a 254 track journey through 20 years of the London-based record label mixed by King Cannibal. If you’re into funky, soulful house or even techno you need to get this because it’s virtually impossible not to move to it. With tracks from Roots Manuva, DJ Shadow and Wiley, it’s a bag of something different and definitely worth it. (NM)

Terror Danjah

You’ve probably heard of Kof through his recent single Fire It Up, which featured fellow Liverpool singer Chelsea Grimes and grime don Wiley. “When Wiley called me it was a big shock to me,” says the one-time music student who now lives in east London. He began his journey in the industry by entering talent shows and is now working on his debut album, which we can all hear in 2011. Kof is also supporting Professor Green on tour. “It’s all good”, says the MC, “I definitely got fire entering the music scene.” (EA)

SINGLES

Is Tropical

Rihanna

Kitsune

Def Jam Only Girl is the first single from Rihanna’s highlyanticipated fifth album Loud. The R&B star teams up with the production and songwriting team Stargate – responsible for hit single Don’t Stop The Music and No. 1 dancehall smash Rude Boy. With a heavy hypnotic dance beat, and her readymade fan base this is a surefire hit. (EH)

South Pacific

Only Girl

An excellent use of sounds with an 80’s pop influence, this single is a breath of fresh air. The sound is very Joy Division, so should really brighten up your day. It’s an easy listen without being too relaxed, and not too happy. For those from the ‘80s, this will be a nice knock back for you. Production quality on the track is amazing, and couldn’t be better! (KB)

The Count & Sinden feat Bashy Addicted To You

Domino Ashley Thomas aka Bashy is back with a surprisingly different mix of music. He’s guesting on this track by successful club DJs Count and Sinden, who had a hit with After Dark, featuring The Mystery Jets. The addictive mix of club, funky, grime and garage will be on airwaves everywhere. (MI)

The Drums

Me And The Moon

Island/MoshMoshi Mixing the surf pop of The Beach Boys with the eerie romance of The Cure, Brooklyn’s The Drums are back with another indie-pop smash. Largely inspired by the doleful post-punk music of the 1980s, the monotone vocal of their charismatic front man Jonathan Pierce, works in perfect harmony with staccato guitar riffs to deliver an authentic indie sensation. (EH)

After independently releasing her first EP, In My Element, in March 2010, northern singer Janiece Myers signed to Wiley’s new A List label, “I’m so passionate about music and just want to get my material out there”. Now part of one the UK’s hottest collectives, working with big names like Wiley, J2K, Shola Ama, Baby Blue and Mz Bratt, this little lady is setting herself up for the big time. First single Underground Love is a mixture of R&B and dubstep that compliments her coy and soulful vocals and Wiley’s gritty, melodic rhymes. “The song has a great vibe to it – I’m excited”. With the likes of MistaJam, Westwood, and Ras Kwame championing her work, this underground love is sure to take the UK music scene by storm. Watch this space! (TW)

Twenty-five year-old Hackney resident Anita Blay is a singer of bright, breezy and ultra colourful pop songs. To make sure her new album Adulthood had a unique sound, she didn’t listen to any current music for two whole years! But who is she listening to now? “I’ve been listening to lots of Nicki Minaj and Sparkadia.” Cocknbullkid has always wanted a career in music; aged 10 she started to write songs in her bedroom. Later, she joined east London project Tribal Tree, the organisation that kick-started Plan B’s career. Right now, she’s touring and writing more music. But she’s staying different: “Most artists get more pop orientated the more albums they make. My next album won’t be this poppy.” (RM)

Design Kezia Boafo 18

Words Tujuana Hewitt 16

Words Chenai Takundwa 16

Words Naomi Mbelu 17

Words Marisa Inacio 16

Words Emil Ahmed 17

Words Jason Richards 17

Words Kerrie Braithwaite 19

Words Bella Aghedo 15

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PROFILES Words Emma Hitchens 16

REVIEWS

FULLY BOOKED

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Rhyme fiction

Despite his publishers wanting stories of arranged marriages, Nikesh Shukla’s first novel is an “Inbetweeners meets Fresh Prince” coming-of-age story. The BBC Asian Network’s resident poet explains why he prefers writing novels and reveals his battles with “colour-casting” You’ve written poems and now a novel. Which do you prefer? Books. Poetry requires a lot more discipline. With novels you can take your reader on a journey.

Elliot Allagash Simon Rich Serpent’s Tail

The book follows Seymour, a shy, unpopular guy who doesn’t fit in with anyone at his New York school. That is, until Elliot Allagash comes into his life. Elliot is arrogant and extremely wealthy and he decides to make Seymour his project, transforming him into the most popular student in the school. The plot might sound silly, but the book is full of humour, insight and surprises – definitely not your typical high-school novel. With many unforeseen twists, it keeps you hooked until the final page. I couldn’t put it down. (AP)

What made you write debut novel, Coconut Unlimited? If you’re an Asian author publishers expected me to write about mangos or repressive marriages or struggles of identity. I just wanted to write something like Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity or Bridget Jones’s Diary. So I wrote a book about teenagers trying to find themselves.

Boys Don’t Cry Malorie Blackman Doubleday Children’s Books Dante is waiting for his A level results when his ex-girlfriend turns up at the doorstep with their baby. Never before have I read a book that has brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh out loud within the space of a sentence. Malorie Blackman has, once again, managed to use words in a way that have an impact on people’s lives. Highly recommended. Find out what happens. (MB)

What do you want people to gain from reading your book? Are there any moral messages? I wanted to get across to teenagers. To get a life-changing experience it doesn’t need to be dramatic, like dead people in BiggaBloco_Advert_210x134.5mm.pdPage 1

Entangled Cat Clarke Quercus

Teenager Grace meets the mysterious Ethan the night she’s planning to kill herself. The next morning she wakes up in an unfamiliar all-white room. There is nothing to do but write, so Grace writes all the things that she so badly wanted to forget. As Grace’s memories come flooding back, they lead her to a dark place where friendship, heartbreak and betrayal tangle together. Entangled is a fantastic read, wittily written, mysterious and it kept me glued to the page and guessing until the very end. (SM)

The Search for Wondla Tony Diterlizzi Simon & Schuster

The imaginative storyline made the book a great read. The story is about a girl called Eva Nine who lives in an underground sanctuary and has never been in the real world until her home is attacked – and that’s where the adventure starts! The end of every chapter left me in suspense as Eva’s exploration of the world continued and I was able to visualise her adventures. I hope there’s a sequel, especially with the cliff-hanger at the end. I would definitely recommend this to other readers! (KC)

Jilted Generation: How Britain Has Bankrupted Its Youth Ed Howker & Shiv Malik Icon Books ‘Jilted Generation’ discusses the problems of jobs, housing, and politics, that are affecting people born after September 1979. The writers’ research suggests that it is not by coincidence that these days it is so hard to get a job or to find an afforable place to live: life in general has become expensive and hard. It does not matter if, like me, you’re not much of a bookworm, Jilted Generation is straight to the point, intriguing and a great read about young people today. (IA)

Design Andre Anderson 18

Words Ibrahim Kamara 20

Words Marwa Bouziane 15

Words Ife Akinroyeje 15

Words Keam Clarke 12

Words Simona Morina 17

Words Abi Polding 17

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21/10/10

a quarry. I’ve always wanted to talk about how there’s a lot of colour-casting going on, so the black male or female fits the black role. Except [TV detective series] Luther, which is a massive, step forward. The Asian male or female on TV, we just fill the Asian role; any other role is not for us. I wanted to tell the story from my perspective so that everyone can relate to it. There’s still eccentric Asian stuff so people reading the book wouldn’t get it. How did the idea start? It started with the sentence: ‘One summer when I was nine and Neil was 11 he had a tape; it was called Rap Tracks.’ The story was underway and went on from there. (IK) Read more at nikeshshukla.wordpress. com

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Current Releases

LiVE Classic!

Let Me In

Director: Nigel Cole

The latest feel-good film delivered by an all-star Brit cast, follows the true story of the women’s 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, which led to equal pay for women becoming law. The film has comedic, romantic and dramatic moments, with empowering messages throughout. You leave the cinema feeling like anything you want to achieve is possible. (RM)

Takers

Director: John LuessEnhop

Director: Matt Reeves

Based on a book by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let Me In sees a young boy, bullied at school, find comfort in his next door neighbour’s daughter. She’s happens to be a vampire. This is less Twilight romance, more horror and gore. Not for the fainthearted! (BA)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Director: David Yates

Will the seventh book by novelist sensation J. K. Rowling produce an equally gripping film? As the Dark Lord gathers more power Harry, Hermione and Ron are on a quest to destroy the keys to Voldemort’s immortality. How will our young hero get out of this one? (MB)

Chris Brown, TI and Idris Elba, make this a star-studded feature. The film follows a notorious group of criminals who pull off perfectly executed bank robberies without being caught. However, when the stakes are raised, they find their plans interrupted by detective on a mission (Matt Dillon), who is hot on their heels. (BA)

must see

DVDs

Shawshank Redemption

Director: Frank Darabont

There are very few films that can capture the hearts of people of all ages, colours and creeds, but where so many fail, Shawshank succeeds. The film features two imprisoned men who bond over a number of years, finding comfort, and eventually redemption through acts of common decency. The film, set in a prison, follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) an innocent banker sent to prison for murder, and long-servin, respected inmate Ellis ‘Red’ Redding (Morgan Freeman). Andy tells Red of his dream to live in Zihuatanejo, a Mexican-Pacific coastal town. He instructs Red, should he ever be freed, to visit a specific location to find something he’s hidden there. One day Andy’s cell is found empty… based on a gripping Stephen King novella, this is definitely one to watch! (MO)

Street Dance 3D

Directors: Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini Think street dance and ballet won’t mix to make something good? Think again, Street Dance 3D has just proved you wrong. With performances from BGT’s Diversity and George Sampson, Street Dance 3D is a film to watch and fall in love with. The soundtrack is also worth a listen, featuring N-Dubz, Giggs and Tinie Tempah. Why not pop out and buy the DVD? (AS)

For those following youth culture and campaigns, a second series of Battlefront is being filmed. Battlefront is an online production about twelve, 14 to 21-year-olds who campaign for what they believe in, ultimately to make the world a better place. The last show, on C4, followed campaigns such as lowering the voting age and changes in pay for 16 and 17-year-olds. We can forgive the occasional cheesiness, as this show is one for all to watch! (NH) www.battlefront.co.uk/

Don’t forget that the BFI is London’s top spot for film! Check out their website bfi.org

Design Hannah Leon 20

Words Nojan Hassanzadeh 15

Words Michael Ogoke 19

Words Ana Soares 15

Words Mo Barrie 17

Words Busola Adeaga 15

Words Ruby Moore 15

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JUST WATCH IT!! GOOD STUFF WORTH A VIEWING I’ll PASS MEH...

November Releases

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Battlefront

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YESTERDAY’S BAD TASTE

POETRY

aking up to my alarm felt even worse this particular morning. I could barely open my swollen red eyes and it felt like a thousand small people were playing drum’n’bass inside my head. I wanted my ever so comfortable bed to swallow me alive but instead I had to face the consequences of last night’s actions.

Love triangles tend to have acute angles. Jeez, it’s an awfully tight squeeze, for me. Love triangles are often equilaterals, you can’t break surely because you’re so compatible, understatement. Love triangles; with three separate sides. To get to where you want, you’ve got to vectorise, factorize, and travel through the other side. Love triangles have an A, B and a C, but they’re never apart. A must go through B, for C to see to B, see me? Hopefully. To travel past another, is pain like no other, to cut the cord from a mother, blubber. Blubbered like a baby when A didn’t come to save me, now I must watch AC, and deal with life as a lonely B. Arron Mattu, 16

A to W Let me get A head start I’m higher then class B Never been ranked C Could never get a D Grade. I’ve, always been high but never taken E, just had energy So try F with a G, gamer I’ll win without triple H, saber Light, not from the dark side but dark skinned and I have the force like Vader So how’s J gonna saviour… Oh K I’m too cool, double L M. N. O. Money No Object Yeah that’s true but she’s taking the P Q Queen know what I mean I’ll leave it there, this is not a rated R scene You’ll never hear the S word that ends in T From me, that’s the promise I’ll make to U So even if I make it, on TV I’ll always be the same W… Wacky. WackyRymel, 17

Leaving Goodbye bedroom with the sticker dove Windows with the view of the park Leave behind what you once deemed familiar Because I can walk and leap and run and jump But in many ways...This. Is. My. First. Step. Goodbye mother’s gourmet cooking Father asleep, drooling on the couch New dreams, new smiles, new ties Like a kangaroo out of its mother’s pouch, Yet I grieve for all the things I leave behind Goodbye Sunday Roast with the family No ‘Hi Robbie’ from my little bro No access to my sister’s wardrobe Missing the little sis I watched grow A piece of my heart left on the stair These are the things one leaves behind. Hello new freedom, new friends, new fun And when I return I shall laugh and realise That no matter how far or fast I run Home it still is and it will never leave me Roberta Akpan, 19

I was even more furious when I heard the peaceful snoring of the devil himself lying comfortably on my bed. The same bed I used to scatter Pascal’s clothes on and get high whenever he was away. I can’t believe I’m letting Pascal’s divine aroma get poisoned. There’s no way to wake up the big bad wolf once he is asleep so I was not even going to try.

My soft bed changed to hard cement as I tried to rise. I had to give it my all to escape. It wasn’t until I was halfway up that I realised there was an unknown body lying next to me. The presence of this unidentified creature made every single hair on my body stand up.

I picked up my phone. My thumb reluctantly scrolled through the letters and stopped at P. I had a big rock in my throat as the tone blistered through my ear and then…

I could not see who it was because this creature had pulled the covers all the way up over their head. That’s why I was freezing in my drunken sleep! Little bits of flashback appeared in my head as I was reaching for the covers. Could it be Jason? Please don’t let it be Jason.

Hello? Hi Pascal Hey babe, I miss you. I miss you too… we need to talk.

Jason is an ex of mine that always pushes my buttons even though there’s a sign on me saying ‘DO NOT TOUCH!’ My attitude towards him was love hate. It’s because of him that I’ve made it so hard for Pascal to really know me. But I finally broke down my brick wall so he could see me; I let the door open so he could come in and now, after all this struggle, I’ve slammed the door in his face. Thinking of this made me sick to my bones, I needed to wash away this filth but before that I have to know, is it Jason? It was. My chin fell to the ground and I lost the grip of the cover as I felt my tears pushing behind my eyes.The tears felt like acid running down my cheeks, being the result of my guilt, of my shame. I was walking on quicksand as I made my way to the bathroom. I needed to clean this body of mine. I closed my eyes when I opened my bathroom door because I knew I was going to be greeted by my dreadful reflection. Feeling the cold bath linger under my feet felt soothing and relaxing. I did not deserve this feeling of positivity.

REGULARS Illustration Pedro Costa 22

Chenai Takundwa, 17

The life of a failed mathematician

Design Hannah Leon 20

Still waters run deep Deep sleep filled with waves of dreams Dreams of featureless faces Of nameless places Places of steel and diamond Of knights and stallions Still pages motionless in the wind Wind cold as the eye of the wolf The wolf whose good name was stolen Whose pride is fallen Fallen trees of the mighty forest Of the Great Eagle’s nest Phoenix spread your fire Unicorn ride the skies My reality Is the same as your lies

Words Isabelloa Eoka 18

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Blog, View, Comment, Debate, Share, Tweet, Attend, Act, Create.

Kyla Frye ACTRESS/MODEL

Kyla, 23, was nominated for Best Actress at the Black Film Makers Awards 2009, appeared in Donaeo’s Party Hard video, modelled for Sleek Cosmetics and has just starred in The Naked Poet. What are you working on at the moment? I’m due to start filming Romeo is Dying. It’s only a small scene but I treat every role as a starring role. At University, you studied Criminology, Drama, Theatre and Performance are you planning to link them? Yeah I want to have a drama school for ex-offenders so the degree means I have the foundation there already.

Marcus Boyea Actor/cOLLEGE STUDENT

East Londoner Marcus juggles college with a blossoming acting career. He starred in Big Tingz and is in Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Matt Damon from The Bourne Identity. You starred in Big Tingz? How’d it feel? It feels good. I didn’t think I’d be in such a successful short film. So it’s quite shocking! Have people started acting differently? At the film screening a woman asked “where should I put my coat?” and I said “I don’t know”. When the film finished she came up to me and apologised.

You must have been the star in your class when you were in Noel Clarke’s BBC 3 series West 10 LDN? Yeah it was bizarre because everyone was like “you’re an actress!” The Naked Poet is described as a thought-provoking depiction of middleclass urban life. How was it for you? This isn’t your everyday black British film. It’s not your ‘hood’ thing because although that does happen, we need to show another side, something different. www.myspace.com/redz1987

Inky Smudge Hand Printed Clothing

Bob and Carl are the guys behind the Inky Smudge, the only ink you won’t want to wash away. They talk t-shirts, trademarks and their plans for the future. So what made you start Inky Smudge? We’ve been interested in clothing since we were 13, but most brands lack originality. We decided to make what we want. How much did you invest initially? Screens, ink, stock, tags, registering our company and paying for trademarks... it cost a lot, around £12,000. What makes Inky Smudge different? Everything here is handmade in a small garage. All our Tees are limited edition.

When did you decide you wanted to be an actor? I was about 14. It’s my mum’s fault, she put me down for acting but I didn’t want to do it, well, not at the start.

So what’s the dream? We want to start an independent store with a print screen so people can come in and create their own t shirts. Eventually we want to have polo t-shirts, hoodies, raincoats and even trainers.

If you could be in a film with anybody, who would it be? Denzel Washington. I’m nowhere near his level, but people have compared our styles, he’s subtle but still manages to get emotions across.That’s the best thing.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to start a T-shirt business? Don’t be afraid of taking risks. Failures are just ways of knowing the best methods to adopt.

Who are you inspirations? Big Tingz director, Mustapha Kseibati. He’s from Hounslow, quite a deprived area, realised what he wanted to do and he’s done it.

Words Kiran Kaur 18

Design Tom Salter 21

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