Jul 19

Nas & Damian Marley @ The 02 Academy, Birmingham, UK – 19th July 2010

Nas & Damian Marley The front of the o2 Academy has a different feeling outside it than usual, 3 metal detectors, snarling steroid injected dogs being held back by fat coppers, 4 x more security than normal and an extremely chilled mixed crowed queuing to get in to see Nas & Damien Marley. This is the first time since the smoking ban has been put into place, that I have walked into a venue to see a slight fog. The opening song "As We Enter" has Nas spitting "I got the guns" Mr Marley... "and I got the ganja”... which it then appeared, so did half the audience, as the weed was burning well tonight.


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Jun 09

Jay-Z + Drake + Mr Hudson @ The LG Arena, Birmingham, UK – 9th June 2010

JAY-Z Is Jay-Z the best rapper ever? This was the topic of conversation between my friends and I on the way to the LG Arena Wednesday night. You see people always mention names like Eminem, Tupac and Biggie but people seem to sleep on the man born Shawn Corey Carter. Jay-Z is critically acclaimed within the whole of the rap industry, with 10 Grammy awards (and many more nominations) to his name whilst selling around 40 million albums worldwide. His latest album and 11th studio release “Blueprint 3” went straight to number one on the Billboard 200 last year (like each album before it), which was a record for a solo act in the history of the album charts, surpassing the late, great Elvis Presley who had 10. With the album sales, awards and even historical records piling up, surely Jay deserves to be mentioned as one of the greatest solo artists of our generation, never mind just the rap game?


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Mar 26

Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip + B. Dolan + Sound of Rum @ The O2 Academy 2, Birmingham, UK – 26 March 2010

Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip You say ‘rap’ to a lot of people and they still think of some blinged up moron banging on about how much pussy he’s had for breakfast, and I ain’t talking about no Whiskas munching ball of fur here neither. Either that or they’ll single out wannabe gangsters threatening to pop a cap in the ass of anyone who disses ‘em...other rappers, cops, their grandmother etc. Yawn. Happily of course there’s an equally rich seam of artists out there who use the genre in far more positive and creative ways and tonight was jam packed with them.


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Nov 27

The Heavy + At The Zoo + Smiley Mic @ The Rainbow, Birmingham, UK – 27 November 2009

The Heavy After fighting off a dubious complaint about noise and fitting a new super roof that’s capable of muffling the sound of a nuclear explosion (probably) The Rainbow, arguably Digbeth’s jewel in the crown, continues to put on some darn fine gigs.


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Aug 23

V Festival @ Weston Park Stafford UK – Sunday 23 August 2009

V Festival 09 Leaning on the barrier at the front row of a Mcfly concert is not somewhere I ever pictured I would be, but there I was and as the trio ventured out to the tones of YMCA it was clear that I was going to enjoy it. For me Mcfly epitomise everything great about festivals. They are there to enjoy it and more to the point you’re gonna enjoy it. “Who got laid last night?” asked their bass player…


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Aug 22

V Festival @ Weston Park Stafford UK – Saturday 22 August 2009

V Festival For me festivals fit into a number of brackets. You’ve got the raucous end of the spectrum with T in the Park – full of inebriated Scots having a ball and puking everywhere, through to the mystical Glastonbury – Hippies, circus acts and all that jazz. Weston Park's V, sits somewhere in the middle. If you had to pick one word to describe V it would be ‘nice’. The situ is great – smack bang in the middle of country, there’s a balanced mix of ‘beered-up’ revellers and families which makes for a great vibe and if the weathers good – as it was this weekend, and there’s a decent line-up (hey – it’s organised by Mr Branson – it’s gonna be a good line up!!) then you really are geared up for a ‘bostin’ weekend.


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