Words by Lily Mercer Photo By Jessica Lehrman Last night, history happened. Not in an “Oh shit, you were there when Tupac got shot?!” kinda way, but in a “We just witnessed something that will most likely be really important one day” way. With a lineup consisting of a team of New Yorkers on a […]
Clash Magazine: King of Queens – The Hip Hop Hype of Remy Banks
CLASH MAGAZINE September 2012 Words by Lily Mercer From the hustler mentality of 50 Cent to the political leanings of Pharoahe Monch, Queens, New York has been home to some of hip-hop’s greatest MCs. Nicki Minaj seems to be the current reigning champ of the borough, but not for long. The once booming voices of […]
Soul Culture: Robb Bank$ – Get Familiar.
Soul Culture May 2012 You may have heard his name. You might even follow him on Tumblr. But it’s time to really get with Robb Bank$’ savage life. Flying under the radar of mainstream music press, Robb Bank$ may appear to be just another teenage rapper building a hype off social networks but this is […]
Clash Magazine: Ones To Watch – Piff Gang.
Words by Lily Mercer Dressed head to toe in vintage Polo and modern streetwear, Piff Gang are putting their own swag on UK hip-hop. Released last month, their third mixtape, ‘Plant Life’, saw the world through glazed, red eyes. Ten North Londoners who had a UK garage and East Coast rap soundtrack to their youth, […]
SBTV Review: Danny Brown – XXX
Popping pills, blazing blunts and seducing strangers, welcome to XXX… The album title represents Brown’s age in Roman numerals, but could very easily stand for the sexually explicit themes or even the ecstasy references, both of which regularly feature in his music. If you know Danny Brown, you’ll know what to expect from the Detroit […]
SBTV Review: Rock The Bells 2011.
SBTV’s Editor, Lily Mercer, reports from New York’s Rock The Bells festival with performances from Nas, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and many more… A year after my first trip to Rock The Bells, I embarked on a rap pilgrimage as I returned to Governor’s Island armed with a press pass and a mission to blag […]
Cartoon Rap.
In conversation on a popular social networking site, I claimed to judge rappers based on their cartoon references. It’s something I hadn’t realised before, but it’s true. Well, half true. On my Top Trump rapper cards, I’d have to also include their number of arrests and the weight of their last consignment. But ultimately, a […]
Detroit State Of Mind
Bridging the gap between hipster and hood rap without ever compromising his integrity, Danny Brown, the Hybrid of Hip Hop is on the brink of hitting the big time. His hometown, the once thriving city of Detroit and it’s current hardships are a strong influence on his lyrics. With five mixtapes and two albums under […]
Ladies First.
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe I found myself caught up in a heated debate at Rock The Bells a couple of weeks back. During Lauryn Hill’s performance, I heard three people arguing over who the best female MC is. […]
Clueless Style.
Beverly Hills High: A world in which you can talk on your phone in class, own a sports car before you can drive and ask your computer to choose your outfit. Welcome to a fantasy in which everyone is beautiful and well dressed and the sky is always cloud-free. The world of Clueless was influential; […]
Shawn Mortensen R.I.P.
One of my favourite photographers, Shawn Mortensen died in April 2009. He was only 43 years old. I’m saddened by the thought that I might never again have the privilege of seeing one of his striking photographs for the first time. Though you may not necessarily be familiar with his name, any fan of Hip […]
The September Issue.
Forget Bruno, the fashion film of 2009 is undoubtedly The September Issue, a documentary exploring life at fashion bible Vogue. This highly anticipated film is not just for fans of fashion, as it explores the making of a magazine and the tense relationships of a group of high powered fashionistas. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of […]
Icon: Lil’ Kim
In the Hip Hop industry there are a number of talented female rappers, but it hasn’t always been that way. In the past, being female often meant that you couldn’t even get your foot through the door. While it’s hardly easy now, it was definitely considered unattainable when some of the most sucessful female MCs […]
The Prison System
What is it really like to be behind bars in the UK? Current sentencing policies and rates of reoffending mean that British jails are overflowing. Prison overcrowding is damaging to the mental and physical safety of inmates. But the cause of such an increase in inmates has been overlooked. At the age of 22, Joe is […]
Ghostface Killah Performs at Supreme Opening After Party – SBTV Review.
Supreme pulled out all the stops for their London store opening, including an exclusive performance from Ghostface Killah… The Supreme clientele crowded around the entrance to Madame Jojo’s eager to catch a glimpse of the performance from Tony Starks. Those lucky enough to get inside waited patiently while the DJ played an unusual mix of […]
The N Word.
Confident that anything Wu Tang do is immediately accepted as cool, my girl Lauryn once coined the term, “That’s not Wu Tang,” to accurately describe things that she felt weren’t cool. On that note, this is most definitely not Wu Tang… In case it wasn’t already obvious to this bitch, Andy Milonakis is not a […]
Don’t Call Me Urban! – Simon Wheatley.
Grime is the most important music genre to come out of the UK in decades but as far as visuals go, there’s not much to see. Of course photographers like Tim & Barry and Jamie-James Medina have been documenting the scene for a while. But as far as lifting out of the world and grime […]
Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail.
Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail sees the notorious investigative journalist explore life in a US jail. There are so many good shots in this, especially if you enjoy seeing the contrast between a remorseless murderer and a skinny English dude. The documentary is interesting as it demonstrates how fucked up the prison system is, case […]
White Girl Rap.
I had an interesting conversation recently with someone who, considering my love of hip hop and writing, asked if I’d ever freestyled. Once I was satisfied that the question was free of mockery, I responded, “Ummmmmmmm, no. No one deserves that kind of mistreatment.” “But surely you’ve tried to.” “No, why the fuck would I […]
An Open Letter to the M.O.P DJ.
Last night I went to see M.O.P at Jazz Café, a show I’d been anticipating since missing their gig last August. I was going to write a review of the show, but sadly it was let down by the most pitiful display of sexism I’ve seen in a long time. So instead, here’s an open […]