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Young Londoners ™/ Text / Bianca Clarke & Akwasi Tawai Poku / Photography / The Cut Photography Team 13th August 2008 As young people we have many dreams and ambitions that we may not achieve, but at The Cut we want to reinforce ‘faith’ ‘anything is possible. We selected a few up and coming artists; fashion designers, MCs, rappers, actors, musicians and DJ’s who started at the bottom and are working their way up to the top. Is it harder then it seems? NYAH ‘It is as hard, as you make it!’ So Nyah tell us about b-girls? Billionaire Girls Club is for any age-group. There’s a health page on there directed to the young teens especially, because when you’re young you find it hard to talk to friends about problems you might encounter. Who knows you might find someone in the forum that’s going through the same things as you! MC HAICH Have you ever been next to a ‘G’ like HaicH? Get it? Next to a ‘G’ like ‘H’? The puns, metaphors and similes just seem to flow naturally to this MC from Ladbroke Grove. Who said when you’re an artist you don’t need Math’s or English? According to Haich ‘You need to know the tricks and trades to make music magical’. Your tips for aspiring MCs? The three D’s: Determination, Dedication and Discipline. That’s all you need. LIONESS Greenwich, South East London. This little madam has everyone fooled by the pretty face but she is one of the most recognised female MC in the UK, featuring on tracks with Doctor, and Hazardous. She has also been showcased on DJ Logan Sama’s and DJ Westwood’s radio shows. So is it hard getting into the game when you’re a female? Quite the contrary. As a female what do you bring to the ‘Grime’ Scene? Equality. A lot of people believe that the grime scene is a ‘mans place’ and over the years, I’ve shown that it is not. I can do exactly what they can and to be perfectly honest, I’m better than 75% of the males in the scene. I want to show the rest of the females that anyone is capable of doing it. I went from hearing “Lioness you’re good for girl” to “Lioness, you’re not a good female mc to you’re a good MC full stop” You see what I’m saying? So equality is definitely something that I bring. JONATHAN HAMILTON At just 18 Jonathan Hamilton is drumming down our major attractions. Mr. Hamilton has performed at Earl’s Court, Hackney Empire, on the Paul’ O Grady Show, National Lottery Live, The Green Room and Loose Women. What made you want to be a drummer? I don’t actually remember I’ve been playing that long! I remember in church being on my mums lap and watching the drummer. She was a great drummer. I remember wanting to play just like her. You play for Kelly Rowland when she performs in London. How did it feel to have this opportunity and how did you land it? It feels great to finally live out the dream I’ve been dreaming all my life! I feel like all the days I spent practicing are finally paying off. I got a call from one of the band members saying that my mentor had put my name forward to play for her and next thing I know I’m on TV. What advise would you give to anyone who wants to start playing the drums? ‘Practice, practice practice!! Work at your craft’. Don’t be afraid to be hungry and go out and get what you want. Also learn how to read music, that’s one of my downfalls that I’m working on now. MERVIELLE LUKEBA Mervielle Lukeba is definitely ‘playing his way’ to the top. Having debuted in ITV’s ancient police programme The Bill, every one has high expectations for Mr. Lukeba. He promises us that for 2009 he is going to blow! What acting are you doing at the moment? I’m currently performing in the West End at the Young Vic theatre in ‘The Good Soul Of Szechuan’. That’s going really well, it’s incredible the rush you feel when you’re on stage and hundreds of people are watching you. It’s indescribable, almost electric. Coming from an area of London, which is associated with violence, how did you keep focused and not get caught up in this culture? I think the most important things when you come from an area like mine is that you not only make sure you have the right kind of people around you, but also you remain occupied. Violence often stems from people having too much free time on their hands. Obviously gangs and area rivalries also play a huge part, don’t get me wrong, but I honestly believe if the people involved in these crimes had other more important things to do then they wouldn’t have the time to do these things. DJ FOCUS DJ’s are a hidden talent in the U.K, not many ‘established’ DJ’s get recognised and credited for their ability- but without them the clubs would be ‘dead’! Who inspires them to DJ in this completive and hard industry? DJ focus,20 from North West London speaks out. How long did it take you to learn how to mix, and how did you go about learning? It took me about 2 weeks to learn. I saved up my money, to buy myself a pair of decks. In terms of learning how to mix recorded myself to see if and when I had made mistakes, so I could correct myself. The next step was to go to youth clubs to see what people thought about me, I also did some stage shows -Without the feedback from people you won’t know f you are any good, and what you need to practise on. What advise would you give to young people wanting to get into Djing? Just keep trying your best to make yourself different form other DJ’s, and don’t listen to any one who is trying to knock you down. Also you need experience, in different places, such as at home, on sets, radio and stage shows. Any tips for aspiring DJ’s? I would say ‘Focus because they’re watching’ REAL LIFE Fresh, Original! Creative REALIFE are a new wave of businessmen and UK Hip-Hop musicians. Mr. Bleu & Just Thoughts are the founders of REAL MUSIC UK (Ltd). How did you first become an emcee? I spent a lot of time free styling and observing music from a young age, listening to a whole different variety of music it was always inside it was just something you yourself got to get out. It’s just having the belief and the confidence to speak your mind. So you could say it was something you had to work for lyrically? Yes, you do have to work for it you got to get to a stage where you’re happy with how you sound. Anyone can have a whole book full of rhymes and can’t rap, you just have to recite them until you can. The only way that book can come to any use is through your own style and frame of mind that can bring it to life. If you cant there just words on paper. For more: www.myspace.com/realmusicukltd www.myspace.com/MerveilleLukeba www.myspace.com/bgirlsclub www.myspace.com/xxlionessxx		Issue Two Aug 2008 Reggie Yates Interview Road To 2012 : Olympics Special Road To Carnival Fashion Freedom At A Price Red Hot Interview Nash Money Sneakers Micachu Interview Natty Interview Life In The Marine Corps Parents Meet The Teenagers Young Londoners Meet The Cast Of Adulthood Cyko Logic Interview Fred Butler : Prop Stylist Interview Immortal Technique Review Made In Queens Victor Timofeev : Artist Interview Ricky Powell Interview Twizzle Interview Flywear Feature Top Girl Film Feature Queen Of Nations Not Without My Sister Sky's The Limit Career's Advice Issue One March 2008 Bashy Interview The Cool Kids Lady Lykes Grimes New School Rowdy Superstar Interview The Sound Of Reason Slash Interview Hoxton Vs Hampstead Fashion Young Designers Lucinda Chua Interview Will Kay Interview The Brothers Size Chris Lambert Duane Henry Drug Trafficking Feature Does My Bum Look Big in This Life After Prison Whats Upsetting Our Children MP Julia Goldsworthy Autechre Live In London Hardcore Is More Than Music Media Box Paddington Development Trust The Cut On Myspace