London artist Natasha Frater discusses stardom in the Big Apple
Review: More Life 2018
On Saturday 5 May, the world's first trending reggae/dancehall event made a dazzling return to London’s centre stage - More Life 2018. The popular music festival was headlined by reggae crooner Tarrus Riley, alongside Cham, Jahmiel, David Rodigan, Bass Odyssey and Nikki Z, on hosting duties. Each act was on top form, much to the delight of ...
Lee Jasper calls for UK PM Theresa May’s resignation following Windrush scandal
Following the Windrush scandal, community activist Lee Jasper called for UK Prime Minister Theresa May's resignation in an exclusive interview with me at the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) this afternoon. He described ongoing events as "legal kidnap, sanctioned by the state" and said: "I don't think there's anything more that we can ask for than the resignation ...
About Last Night: The Hugh Cudlipp Journalism Prize Lecture (2018)
Although I've been getting my work published for 8 years now (since the age of around 18) , I always embrace the learning experience and welcome opportunities to grow journalistically. Some of you may know that I've been studying towards an NCTJ diploma in Multimedia Journalism at News Associates - the UK's best NCTJ school. This year, ...
Luciano reacts to the Ninja Man guilty verdict
"It's sad. I know Ninja Man was trying to change his life in the later days, but apparently it was too late. I know he must be regretting now, the life he has lived over the years." Reggae icon Luciano spoke to me about his views on Dancehall artist Ninja Man's guilty verdict for The Voice ...
‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ hero was meant to be black
ROALD DAHL wanted the hero of his classic children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) to be black, his widow and biographer revealed on BBC Radio 4's today programme (13 September). The famous author decided against this decision, due to racial segregation at the time. The programme's interview with Dahl's biographer, Donald Sturrock, took place ...
Patsy Cummings Wins Croydon By-Election
FOLLOWING A landslide victory in the South Norwood by-election last night (8 September), Patsy Cummings has been announced as Croydon’s new councillor. According to the council’s website, the Labour leader gained some 1671 votes - 1196 more than Rebecca Natrajan from the Conservative Party, who came second with 475 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Claire Elizabeth Bonham came ...
Interview: Toots Hibbert of ‘Toots & The Maytals’
THE ESTEEMED Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert helped to define a genre with his band Toots & The Maytals. Their 2004 album, True Love, won a Grammy in 2005. There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about the Clarendon-born singer. For instance, he was born in 1945 not 1942 and is in fact, the youngest of 14 brothers ...
Interview: Leading Nigerian writer Ben Okri on the power of fake news
06/06/17 The British-Nigerian literary giant talks to Nadine White about the snap election, writers’ responsibility in times of conflict and showcasing his scriptwriting skills in a dazzling film debut WRITERS DO not merely reflect and interpret life, they also inform and shape mass perspective. A number of life-changing events have recently taken place in Britain: the Brexit vote, ...
Interview: Talking Music With BBC 1Xtra’s DJ Ace
DJ ACE was positively glowing, as we sat down to lunch in central London. Why wouldn’t he be? The south Londoner, real name Ashley, recently celebrated a major career move; being promoted to the coveted, week-day 10-1pm slot on BBC 1Xtra, home to the station’s ‘Live Lounge’. Ace took over the reins from the legendary ...
Follow me