M Magazine Black History Month Edition

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• CoverM PRS for MUSIC
• Editor's welcomeThis special edition of M Magazine is made up of features produced as part of our Black History Month curation. Guided by four wonderful Guest Editors, we have used October to honour Black songwriters, Black music and Black culture, but also as an opportunity to reflect on the lack of Black representation in both the music and journalism industries. It's been a privilege to have been able to facilitate such a rich, thought- provoking and important body of work alongside so many talented contributors. The work to amplify Black voices will continue long past these 31 days. Maya Radcliffe - Editor M Magazine Contents
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• Ones to watchBlack British artists making waves in 2020 Black British music is being embraced more than ever before, and with such an abundance of fresh talent, we've pinpointed some artists that should absolutely be on your radar.
• Ivorian DollBoldly holding her own in a male dominated space, Ivorian Doll has been the name on everybody's lips all year. After launching her solo career in 2019 with the prophetically titled single Queen of Drill, the YouTuber turned rap artist was propelled into the fore by the release of her track Rumours, capturing the industry's attention with her raw persona and barbie inspired aesthetic.
• Ones to watchShaé Universe Possessing rich and distinctive vocals, Shaé Universe is steadily forging her own path within the realms of UK R&B, oozing soul at each and every turn. Unapologetic in her expression, Shae's output to date has intentionally celebrated both her womanhood and her blackness, as demonstrated on songs like No Stallin and Black Panther.
• Bree RunwayPioneering popstar Bree Runway is a London-based singer and rapper who wears her versatility as a badge of honour. As the world grinded to a halt with the introduction of lockdown restrictions, Bree remained unphased and powered through the quarantine blues to deliver four striking singles. Dancing to the beat of her own drum, quite literally in her latest visuals, the Hackney-native's allure stems from her ability to integrate elements of various genres including R&B, hip-hop, trap and most recently rock, to create an inspired sound that is uniquely her own.
• Ms Dynamite'It's like the success created a fairytale bubble for me to live in. I wasn't carried away by things like a young teenager who's gone from nada to 'Wow, now you can do anything you want.' I just was really happy to be happy." Acclaimed British R&B artist Ms Dynamite, real name Niomi Daley, is highly decorated. With a Mercury Music Prize, two Brit Awards, three MOBO Awards and an MBE under her belt, she is widely recognised as a pioneering force in UK music. Guest Editor, Michelle Escoffery, first met Niomi when her life as Ms Dynamite was in its infancy and watched her career flourish, with a few hiatuses along the way.
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• Page 10on the way and said, "I heard you can MC I was thinking I didn't know where he's heard this from but my street confidence said, Yes, and?' and he said, 'Okay, well I've got a station and I don't have any females, and I would love you to come and have a set on there! So, I just said, 'Alright, but it was my mouth, you know, then I walked off thinking, Why did you say that? I would make rhymes because I loved poetry, and when we were having a little dance and we'd had a little drink, my friends were like, 'Go on, go on the mic. I just was really freestyling, for fun, I never ever thought about it professionally. Anyway, this man had heard that I was an MC. So, now I've talked myself into it and I've got a set this Sunday on a garage station. I didn't even listen to garage music line that at the time. I was so into my ragga. You know, it was ragga then, like dancehall, bashment. I was really set in my ways, and I had two jobs, I had college, I had so much to do, and I thought, 'And now you've got to write lyrics to music too!
• Page 11'You have so many unbelievably talented people that were not getting opportunities before, and it's not to say that everything is perfect now, but, bit by bit, things are shifting.' by bit, things are shifting. There's a space that's been opened up to handle it, but I would always be writing. I realised that it was where there were limitations before. Michelle: I hear you. So, let's talk about your success. From my observations, you were catapulted into success. Do you feel success was freeing for you or restrictive?
• PROJECTSTHAT DEFINE THE LEGACY
• Page 13Music and culture journalist Nicolas-Tyrell Scott explores underground albums that have had a lasting impact across multiple genres in Black music. Black British music often forms as a product of grassroot movements. Not having the same access to the mainstream as their white counterparts, talent on this side of the pond has routinely straddled the underground, creating momentum that can later pierce through into the wider nation's stratosphere. Even then, institutional barriers such as the Metropolitan Police's former Form 696 has threatened the ascent of genres such as grime over its near 20 year rise to glory. 'We know they're just trying to shut down grime, because if it was anything else they wouldn't have this issue, MC P Money told the BBC in 2017.
• Kojey Radical - Cashmere TearsKojey Radical has been an instrumental part of the loosely labelled alternative hip-hop sphere for close to half a decade. Taking inspiration from spoken word in his early career, Radical articulated his societal and relationship woes across both ambient, hip-hop and lo-fi infused soundscapes. A Lament To Rose for example, talks about the nuances in women and their interactions with men in metropolis societies. As he grew, so did his cadence. Nowadays, he leans into the grit in his voice, pairing this with a near-flawless use of tone. After Winter on his In God's Body EP is a potent example of this evolution as a wordsmith. However, on Cashmere Tears Kojey Radical delivers his most ambitious project to date. Not to be confused with his debut album - still to be released - this project sees the Hoxton native experiment with jazz throughout. On Where Do I Begin he unpacks his mental health traumas and flaws in his character as the saxophone helps to represent the noise in his mind. Lyrically, Radical also finds the balance between his more complex, layered verses and easy on the ear, lighter touches, creating a universe that satisfies all listeners. Overall, Cashmere Tears is one of the most ambitious UK rap projects released in the last few years and places Kojey Radical as an undisputed leader of the next generation of UK hip-hop pioneers. Ojerime - B4 I Breakdown
• Mis-Teeq-Lickin' on Both SidesWhen Alesha Dixon, Sabrina Washington and Su-Elise Nash prowled onto the scene as Mis-Teeq, they again carried with them the then dominant UK garage sound. However, their amalgamation of hip-hop and R&B melodies helped make the trio distinct and usher in a variety of listeners across the spectrum. Taking garage to the top of the charts, the groups debut album Lickin' on Both Sides debuted at number three on the UK's Official Charts, ushering the ladies into the pop- arena simultaneously.
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• Representation of Black artists in electronic musicDuring Black History Month, I tend to get nostalgic and think deeply about the future; where I have been and where I am going. This year is no different. These feelings bubble away all year round, but the heat of that microscope burns particularly brightly at this time. My parents have a lot to answer for, musically speaking. My Mum was into a diverse mix of rock and pop - the likes of Iron Maiden, Kate Bush, Sade and Jimi Hendrix playing when she was in charge of the tunes. My Dad, on the other hand, loves the storytelling of country music, with the occasional bit of dub thrown in for good measure.
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• Page 19SKIN Deborah Anne Dyer, known by most as Skin, rose to prominence as the lead singer of Skunk Anansie. The first Black British woman to headline Glastonbury, Skin is the definition of the word trailblazer and has been shattering stereotypes since the early nineties.
• Page 20person. I think about every word much more. It's more measured. There's more subtlety. There are more layers to it I feel the same about my voice. I'm much more aware of what my voice can and can't do. My songwriting is a reflection of the fact that I'm older. I've won love. I've lost love. I've won political things. I've lost political things. I think, because of all those layers that my personality now has, I write in a different way.
• Page 21I have seen the rise of right-wing politics in England when Brexit happened. The next day, those kinds of racist white people felt empowered. There was a change. But I think Black Lives Matter has pushed those people and that viewpoint out the window because I have been able to talk about being Black, and female, and gay, in a way, because of that movement, that I have not been able to talk about in my whole career. So, for me, I think it has been a positive thing. Of course, when anything gets to that point, there are tangents of it that I think could be detrimental to us.
• Page 22How Dizzee's Boy In Da Corner showed me the power of UK Music By Yemi Abiade
• Page 23By 2003, winds of musical change were blowing in London. The halcyon days of UK garage and the champagne- guzzling, Moschino-wearing, sun-kissed riddims that came with them were giving way to something darker, moodier and more fierce. A movement that would change the face of UK Black music beyond musical and cultural recognition in the years to come. For, on the streets of East London, grime was bubbling, with a new class of abrasive young upstarts, too young to attend garage raves, lighting up the underground milieu of pirate radio. Sharpening their skills and practising their best bars, this is where our legends' careers were born. From Wiley and Kano to Lethal B and D Double E, grime's DNA borrowed from the energy of the final days of garage - the likes of So Solid Crew, Heartless Crew and Pay As U Go Cartel - and regurgitated it back out for the then-modern London youth. From the hazy view of my council estate in Camberwell, South London, my younger incarnation was none the wiser of what was happening east of the River Thames. A relative beginner on my personal musical journey, American rap ala 2pac, Biggie, Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes was my vice, with the sounds of UKG humming from my big sister's room representing my first conscious venture into UK music.
• mage: Liz Rose RidleyBig Joanie ❝❝'For years, the incorrect assumption that alternative music is made for and by white people was held by many in the music industry and beyond. Ironic when you consider the origins of rock itself." "
• How Black British musicians continue to shape alternative musicBlack musicians have played an essential role in the history of alternative music yet are often overlooked in favour of their white counterparts because they don't fit the industry standard. Today, the next generation of indie and punk bands seem far more content to create music outside of what is expected. This week's Black History Month Guest Editor, Stephanie Phillips, explores how Black British artists have shaped the scene. From Poly Styrene's guttural cries against conformity to the angular, biting guitar riffs of Bloc Party's Kele Okereke, the impact Black musicians have had on alternative music over the years has been immeasurable. For years, Black musicians and fans of alternative music often had to endure being the only people of colour in punk spaces, just to see their favourite band or play shows. As a punk on the London DIY scene for over a decade, most of my early show experiences were like that. Being the lone Black punk in the crowd, as well as dealing with incorrect assumptions that Black people don't make that kind of music, has always been frustrating. In the last few years, thanks to the genre- flattening effect of streaming and social media, more Black bands and musicians are making a name for themselves in alternative music and are showing what can be created outside of what is expected from Black British musicians. 'For years, the incorrect assumption that alternative music is made for and by white people was held by many in the music industry and beyond. Ironic when you consider the origins of rock itself.
• Page 26'As Black people clamour for more diversity in their scenes and artists search for new ways to platform themselves, the music industry would be wise to keep the momentum going on this unavoidable train. become synonymous with whiteness given the catharsis found in distorted guitar music is a perfect vessel to let out the unrelenting anxiety felt living in a racist society, as Bob Vylan demonstrate.
• Page 27Nova Twins from Tina Tuner to Grace Jones and Mel B are perceived as aggressive, overtly sexual, animalistic, panthers in cages. The industry then was owned and run by middle-aged white men. If you weren't sexual they didn't know what to do with you. You made them feel uncomfortable, because you weren't playing the game The band often complained of being miscategorised as soul or R&B by industry executives, unable to understand the band's clear rock influences with their own ideas of what Black people should sound like. Today, for many Black alternative musicians very little has changed and artists still feel they are overlooked for deals and industry support because they don't fit the mould. Speaking to Pitchfork about the struggles Black indie artists face, digital coordinator at Terrorbird, Sabrina Lomax, said: 'Anybody who knows anything about the music industry knows that most music isn't profitable, but there's this sense that Black music is not valuable unless it's profitable. It speaks to real racism in the label world because, if it was always a matter of making money, no artists would get signed'
• Page 28How Jetski Wave Ushered in the Sound of the Last Decade Since the arrival of Generation Windrush and those beyond, Black culture has lent elements to mainstream UK consumption - sometimes involuntarily - through various mediums of fashion, culture and food but most obviously in music. More than just a medium of expression, music plays an integral part in the formation of both individual and social identity, binding people into communities such as diaspora.
• Page 29Looking at the trajectory of Black British mainstream, Gen-Z'ers like me will probably have foggy recollections of garage, slight semblances of early grime but more vivid memories of US hip-hop being the mainstraeam 'urban' sound during their formative years. Think 50 Cent, Rihanna, and so on. Of course, Channel U was a different story. If you were lucky enough to have Sky TV, you could see the likes of Shystie, Lady Sovereign, Chip and N-Dubz, and North London's BBK, on your screens as well as in your ends. The only channel dedicated to showcasing up-and- coming UK talent without the budget for glitzy music videos - simply pure, unadulterated talent.
• Page 30Corrine Bailey Rae
• Black British female songwriters behind your favourite tracksThe influence of Black female songwriters courses through the veins of the UK music industry, yet even in 2020, they have to fight for the recognition they're owed. Here, Annique Simpson shines a spotlight the writers behind some of your favourite songs. When it comes to making music, songwriters are often the unsung heroes. Aside from a mention in the song credits (not always a given) the authors of our favourite tunes rarely reach the limelight, whether they'd like to or not.
• Sade AduDubbed the queen of 'quiet storm'; Sade Adu is one of the finest British female vocalists of all time. Far less discussed though is her prowess as songwriter. The lead singer of the eponymously named UK soul band co-wrote most of the group's six studio albums, including their classic singles Your Love is King, Smooth Operator and By Your Side.
• KamilleMarsha Ambrosius As one half of the UK neo-soul group Floetry, Liverpudlian Marsha Ambrosius wowed fans with her smooth soulful vocals and her ability to lyrically capture the complexities of love, lust and loss. During her six years with bandmate Natalie Stewart, Ambrosius co-wrote their multi-Grammy-nominated debut album Floetic and collaborated with Michael Jackson on his last studio album Invincible, co-writing and providing backing vocals for his sensual R&B ballad Butterflies.
• Ray BLKSouth London singer-rapper Ray BLK (real name Rita Ekwere] was the critics' top pick for the 2017 BBC Sounds of list, thanks to her gritty take on inner-city life. Ray's critically-acclaimed 2016 EP Durt tackles tough social issues like teenage pregnancy (Baby Girlz), female sexual liberation (Chill Out) and the ups and downs of growing up in Catford (My Hood featuring man-of-the-moment Stormzy). Empress, Ray's most recent project, is an encouraging letter of positive affirmation for young women, urging them to never 'settle for less' in the acoustic title track, and letting them know it's okay to be fiercely independent and future-focused in the gospel- inspired Got My Own and Don't Beg.
• Jin JinErrollyn Wallen CBE While not a household name, Belize-born composer and songwriter Errollyn Wallen is a pretty big deal in the classical world.
• Page 36'We felt there was one rule for Black artists and another for (white) pop artists. If a pop artist had a hit, radio automatically supported their next release, with airplay and exposure. That didn't happen for Black artists.' Keith Harris
• Page 37Keith Harris OBE is the epitome of an unsung hero. He won't register high on Google searches, but has fingerprints on some of the most influential moments in Black music history; developing the biggest names in Motown, overcoming racism within the industry that sought to keep Black faces from positions of authority, building a framework for talented Black British artists shut out of the mainstream, creating a music degree at The University of Westminster for youngsters seeking a way into the industry, and working with PPL to make sure all artists are properly paid.
• 'I had to ask myself'Do I want to be known as 'Stevie's man', or do I want to carve a niche of my own?" him out (while being demoted back to promotions) as he's settling in?' I almost had to laugh.
• Page 39they were so important in giving people the knowledge to build a business, beyond the low-level street hustles. Mo: I Imagine that was an influence when you were asked in 1991 to write the Commercial music degree at the University of Westminster. How did that opportunity come about?
• Isatta SheriffThe story of Split Mic: A UK hip-hop classic London MC, rapper and songwriter Isatta Sheriff takes a deep dive into how one of UK hip-hop's seminal projects, Split Mic, was made.
• Page 41Anyone who appeared on this mixtape could tell their version of events, some better than others. As one of the three female rappers who appeared on the Split Mic mixtape, this is my perspective. It was a defining moment that demonstrated the obvious influence that the US mixtape scene had on Black underground music in London in the mid-2000s. We were fans of jungle, garage, eski, hip-hop and everything else that we absorbed from our local communities. There were five female artists who appeared alongside thirty- seven male acts, and it would be crowned Mixtape of the Year at the Underground Music Awards (UMAS).
• Page 42Carla Marie Williams has written hits for some of the world's biggest artists, from Kylie to Girls Aloud, The Saturdays, Alesha Dixon and even Britney Spears. The founder of Girls I Rate, a movement that pushes for change and creates opportunities for young women in creative industries, Carla Marie uses her experience and wisdom to develop and empower the next generation.
• Page 43'Always being one of the few Black women sitting at many tables, again, is that a choice, or are they only letting one or two of us at the table?' ARMY
• PRESENTENTS the girl out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl? All those things that I went through in my journey, going to my music classes and my mum not even being able to afford it, knowing I had talent, but couldn't afford it. Also didn't even advocate for it. It's just having that raw talent and just keeping going, trying to find the opportunity. I feel like if I had it all given to me, I wouldn't be who I am today. Michelle: When do you feel like you started making waves? Carla Marie: To be fair, when I joined the group, I was 16. I got my first writing break at 26. It took years, but it happened in a very big way. When I was 20, I met Brian Higgins. He ran Xenomania who did all the songs for Girls Aloud. But the way I wrote was so organic, when I went down and saw this massive house and heard the pop songs they were making, I was just like, 'No, this is not for me. So I didn't really follow that up.
• Page 45The lesson that I'm learning is to encourage other women of colour and other Black women to say, "You have got something to contribute. Your ideas are so valid. Your experience is so valid. Carla Marie: Do you find that there's collaboration between the Black community in music? With women?
• Image credit - Nicolas GeradinSPOTLIGHT BUR
• Spotlight: Burna BoyFollowing the release of his Real Life video, not to mention a killer couple of years, we're shining a spotlight on Burna Boy. By Sam Ilori
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• ShaznayAt that young age and with that much success, trying to separate and differentiate our friendship and our business relationship was just too much. Our journey has been rocky but we understand totally now that our friendship comes first. I wish that somebody had said to us back then. Shaznay Lewis is a Brit Award and Ivor Novello Award-winning singer songwriter and one of the founding members of girl group All Saints. The band had five number ones, released two studio albums and won two Brit Awards before splitting in 2001. 17 years later, the four-piece reunited and have since released what Shaznay would describe as her most creatively rich work to date.
• Page 50'Back then it was more success but, I feel, less quality in what we were doing. Whereas now, it's less successful, but I prefer the quality in what we're doing, we all do.' I went from Robert to Ron Tom to suddenly signing with ZTT. So, that was all great. I think when we did our first single Let's Get Started and then we were just about to do I Know Where It's At, and then we got dropped. That was probably really hard, as it would be at that age. Up until that point I had tunnel vision and definitely knew what I was doing. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but all I knew is that was what I was doing.
• Page 51I know that for a fact, because even when the girls and I came back and wrote our last two albums, I feel that's the best work I've ever done. Although they're not as successful because we're in a different time and a different climate, different stages in our lives. It feels more rich and it feels more of a success to me, personally, from a creative point of view. From a band perspective, the girls and I were all friends first and foremost before working. Our journey going like this was very much due to our personal relationships. At that young age and with that much success, trying to separate and differentiate our friendship and our business relationship was just too much. Our journey has been rocky but we understand totally now that our friendship comes first. I wish that somebody had said to us back then. Everybody just kind of sat back and got their tea, got their popcorn and fucking let us tear our relationship to shreds. If somebody had said to our younger selves, 'You need to split the two up, only for what's on record not for our relationship, because it's made us stronger than ever. I wish that had been different because of what's on record. It's funny because it's two different things. Back then it was more success but, I feel, less quality in what we were doing. Whereas now, it's less successful, but I prefer the quality in what we're doing, we all do It makes me feel great. I didn't go to university and I didn't do anything. Things like The Ivors, you know, that for me is my passion and it makes it all worthwhile. This is my graduation, and this is my everything in terms of learning and education. I feel so blessed to still be writing and still love what I'm doing, still working with talented people that teach me.
• Estée Blu"Soul music is something visceral that you can feel and that is ever present in all music of African descent.'
• Britain's Got Soul: Memory embedded in musicLondon singer-songwriter Estée Blu explores what soul music means to her and how collective memories of music play a crucial role in the lives of Black people living in Britain. When thinking about my own memories of music as a child of the nineties, my earliest introductions came from my Congolese-Belgian mother who was a fan of American R&B, Congolese Ndombolo and Gospel music from both the states and D.R Congo.
• Page 540 □ □ O Sweet Sensation - Sad Sweet Dreamer (1974)
• Page 55'Memory is embedded in music, and when we replay those songs, we remember that we exist, we are seen, heard, held and that we are free.' Floetry - Floetic (2002)
• Mickey DWith a career spanning three decades, Michael 'Mickey D' Davis, brought about a distinctly Black-British take on contemporary R&B and has been responsible for a multitude of chart-topping hits, from Mark Morrison, Cleopatra, Shola Ama, Eternal, MN8, Glamma Kid, D'Influence and more. Vuyokazi Mtukela: Why do you feel your name has largely gone unsung in these conversations despite being such a pivotal force behind those Black British successes we know of? Mickey D: If you're successful and Black in the music industry- most people know the artists, know the songs but they generally don't know the people behind it all. Unless you've got people in your peer group that are in the industry, you're not going to hear about people like me.
• SoulplayThe second came out at something like number twenty-eight so we thought we really have one more shot at this. I wasn't feeling the production of this third one. Mark started saying he wanted a ballad. I thought; 'You can't put a ballad out, without a hit first. We're just gonna die! I wanted us to concentrate on this other song that we really liked. So I sent the track to Cutfather and Joe and they started working around it. What came out of it was incredible. They made it into Gold, well, Platinum really all over the world. The rest was history. I gave the record to a good friend of mine, Trevor Nelson at Radio One and he was the first DJ to play it on radio and he was essentially the first to premiere the song worldwide. Vuyokazi Mtukela: Was there any resistance in seeing someone like Mark Morrison who was creating that sort of sound, in the UK?
• STRENGTHENTHE SIGNAL There's No Signal: How one radio station captured a community
• Page 59It all started with a question: "Who would beat Drake in a battle?', and the rest was history. As ever, people online clamoured to throw in their two pence amidst the emergence of the US'Versuz' Instagram clashes that had seen heavyweights such as Teddy Riley and Babyface go head-to-head, as well as Dancehall legends Beenie Man and Bounty Killer. #NS10v10 was born. Adapting the clash into a game show where contestants would pick the best ten songs from their respective artist's discography as Twitter polls decided the winner, NS10v10 became a trending topic almost every night, generating even more content and memes and providing a welcome distraction from the ongoing pandemic. Nostalgic noughties favourites such as Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes were pitted against each other, as well as East London heavyweights such as Kano and Dizzee Rascal.
• Page 60PRS for MUSIC prsformusic.com/m-magazine