REVIEW WRITTEN BY: MICHAEL GRANT-HARVEY, UK AMBASSADOR FOR WU-WORLDWIDE DJ COALITION and RePPiN4U FOUNDER
THANK YOU J DILLA
The question you are thinking right now: What does J Dilla have to do with this? Well I will tell you. Allow me to explain.
James Dewitt Yancey passed away February 10, 2006 from complications of Lupus. He has become one of the most prolific and respected producers in the history of Hip Hop. Every February since then, J Dilla has been celebrated around the world by Hip Hop heads and as Skyzoo says, he got em eating donuts every February 10. We’re All About That…
One particular place in London celebrated what they thought would be the final J Dilla Saved My Life show… until the Holy Grail herself Maureen Yancey said otherwise. Next year marks Dilla’s 50th Birthday. But it was at this event, that Grant Body-P! connected with his London comrades, and in the process, met an elegant lady in the name of Charlene Desiree.
A few photos, an Instagram network connection, some research and a few months later, Grant gets an unexpected Instagram message from the Creative Operations Specialist from Atlanta/Montreal from Marseille, inviting him and his co-host Onni D to be at this event where musicians, painters, fashion designers, businesses and chefs come together in Canary Wharf. Oh well boys and girls, looks like Street Fighter 6 will have to wait! I don’t care how great the game is… this is more important!
Hosted by Tony Supreme and a foreword by Charley herself, they were amazed at the turnout and were aware that black people turned up with their hungry belly. Many thanks to the bar staff who provided the champagne, cocktails and mocktails and complimented Grant about his dress sense and compared him to Blade… which was what he wanted, with the DJ blasting those sweet J Dilla sounds to warm up the night, Grant was in his element and so was Onni D once she sampled the cocktail selection on hand.
“ARE Y’ALL READY FI NYAM FOOD?” (BUSTA RHYMES, 2020)
On that note, Tony & Charley wasted no time and implored their guests to indulge in Caribbean Cuisine with a Mauritius twist. Compliments to the Chef – Ash, who remained modest about how the food was prepared. If what he told me in the interview was true, it is a scary testament to his true potential. Also extra compliments to him as he could have turned down Charlene’s services and took his talent to wherever it was Wu-Tang’s Chef Raekwon got married on the same night! Yes people…he’s THAT GOOD. The capacity crowd at The Qube were looking for seconds… £22.44 well spent. If there was one criticism, Charlene’s budget was not big enough to invite the Flipmode general who recently won the lifetime achievement award at the BET Awards to describe the food on offer on the night.
“MY CHEF DIFFERENT FROM YOUR CHEF…!” (BUSTA RHYMES, 2021)
The entertainment menu had something for everyone. Businesses selling vegan based soaps and oils, artistic paintings, and a lingerie display which drew Onni D in like an electro-magnet as she struck gold networking with the designer, possibly future collaborations between the two as The Secret Box continues to flourish then you had the musical performances which was a blend of acoustic soul/rnb sounds and Hip Hop.
Juelma Isabel kicked off the trilogy of performances bringing the capacity crowd to a new zone with what could be arguably described as acoustic soul/afrobeats and visual poetry. Malick Lives brought his Gambian Hip Hop which quickly attracted Grant’s ears and blessed the crowd with future music coming our way, he’s in 2024 already. We need to catch up! But it may have been Natalie May who stole the show. Neo-Soul never fails. She performed a plethora of 90s and 2000s cover classics which got the crowd rocking but a personal highlight might just be her original track – ‘Sunday Afternoon’ as Natalie describes how she likes her Sundays relaxed and simplistic, which is becoming less and less prominent as society evolves. Remember back in the days when you used to walk through your town on a Sunday and everywhere was closed? Yes people, I’m THAT OLD.
Look out for all three performers to appear on RePPiN4U further down the road.
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, KEEP YOUR BEST FRIENDS CLOSER…
If Charlene told you that this is her first event (which she told me) after witnessing this you would think that she was lying. This show was very well done and stands as the blueprint of what future events showcasing diamonds in the ruff, and it is only going to get better from here, especially if a possible collaboration with RePPiN4U is concerned. The venue was perfectly chosen, attracted the right clientele, the vibe was electric, the food was magically delicious and Grant & Onni will be back (special shout out to Tamika Martin & her husband for also checking in with a keen eye for talent.) If I could nit-pick, it might be the DJ selection in between sets… don’t get me wrong, I loved the music played, it was right up my alley, but it was almost as if 1Xtra was taken over by daytime commercial radio hosts who were told to play the same 10 Hip Hop/RnB songs every hour…
Take a bow Charlene!
RePPiN 4U 