I always get asked to review new music or artists. So when at Laughing Boy I was introduced to this guy with big geeky glasses and facial hair that looked like it hasn't seen a razor blade in a while, I instantly thought 'OK great, what now?'. I asked them to send me an email of their work and I will see what I think of it.
When it comes to music, many artists tend to aim for a genre that would bring in the fame and status rather than doing a genre that they feel and love.
Joel Culpepper is taking his music to levels UK music hasn't touched in a very long time. From being a nursery worker to a musician that portrays emotions through beats and lyrics. Culpepper will undoubtedly make a mark in this industry. Inspired by the late J Dilla, Culpepper is determined to bring something new and heartfelt.
Listening to 'Happy Birthday' and 'I Fell' (which already is a favourite of mine), Culpepper has the sweet vocals of Omar and the lyrical flow of Andre 3000.
Whether you are a fan of this genre or not, you can not deny that Joel Culpepper has passion behind his voice. There is a following out there waiting for some one like him to soak them up. I will be looking very much forward to any gigs or new music he has coming up.
Listen and watch the official 'Happy Birthday' video at the bottom.
I am loving 'I Fell'. It reminds me of something Maxwell would do but even then I am not so sure if Maxwell can do it as good as Joel Culpepper. Take a listen to 'I Fell' and watch the video. Let me know what you guys think.
If you think thats great, his version to Cassie and Diddy's 'Must Be Love' is just amazing. Take a listen to what his called it 'Brain Damage'.
I love fresh talent and new music, so when I heard the name Vida circulating in the music industry, I was very intrigued to find out who they were.
AJ, Cat, Tanisha and Cheekz collectively make Vida. As we know, it is hard to break into the music industry as a solo female artist never mind as a girl group. What do these 4 girls have that we actually haven't seen or heard of yet?
Listening to some of their covers and snippets of tracks they have posted up, they have brought nothing new or original to the table. I am by far confused as to what or who they are in terms of music and people. They say their genre is pop but from what I'm hearing from them, there's also rapping/MC'ing and now I know that is not pop.
Vocally they are pointless. It sounds like a bunch of girls that were bored and just one day decided to come together and 'sing' with no training whatsoever. Even if they could sing, why have they opted for material that does not show case their ability? Have they taken the route of the commercial road and thought it would be easier to breakthrough that way? Or are they seriously happy and confident that their music will set dents in the charts?
Maybe their delusional minds was set up by their manager who just so happens to be JLS member, Oritse. If that is the case, then why has he set up the girls to fail in a major way? Simple, Oritse is dating one of the members, AJ. Supposedly they have been together for a while now. Which makes sense. Its always said that its easier to make it to the top if you sleep with the boss. Not saying that is what their relationship is based on.
Image is very important when your a band. Vida's image is as confused as the look Zoe Slater gave us when she found out Kat was her mother in Eastenders. There is too much going on. So much so that it can give you an epileptic fit. To find that thin line between being different and just 'URGH' isn't that hard. In fact that line isn't thin at all.
I went to show support to my friend Bluey Robinson, who was headlining at Musicalize on Thursday 14th July at Cargo. I had no idea that it was my lucky evening and I was finally going to see the ladies perform live. Perfect time for them to prove me wrong but I kind of got this feeling that AJ and Cat had no idea who I was or what I do now outside my previous work, baring in mind, I've known these girls for a while during the dance scene. Before their performance, I was ear wigging on their interview where they were asked 'What makes you different from Girls Aloud?' to which they answered 'we are much prettier'. Really? Any ways, I was so excited to see them perform, I kept drinking so much water which made me go toilet quite a few times which made me nearly miss the girls performance. Vida were finally on stage and doing their thing. Their thing was just shock horror. I am a very hard critic so I waited to see the whole of their set before I made my final judgement but the crowd around me were making remarks as soon as Vida started their first track which was a cover of Dev's 'Bass Down Low'. 'WOW, what the hell is going on?' and 'I cant listen to this' was just some of the comments being murmured in the audience. Lip syncing isn't a good thing especially if you claim to be good singers.
As two of the members are from a dance background, I expected their stage presence to at least be of perfection. At one point I saw Tanisha and AJ do a routine while Cat and Cheekz just stood there during their single 'Boy In The Corner'. The term 'Hot Mess' really did come to mind at that time.
Without the celebrity manager, would Vida have a chance in this game? Can Vida honestly expect to be in the charts with a single? Will Vida last in this challenging pursuit to stardom? I don't knock any one's hustle, but if I were a Vida girl, I'd put my 'V's' down.
Here's a cover of Chris Browns 'Look At Me Now' that Vida sang on Choice Fm.
David Haye, once was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. 'Once' being the operative word.
Comedian/actor Jamie Howard, met up with Haye to show us the intense training he goes through, mentally and physically to prepare for a fight.
Poor little ol' Jamie looked like he was in so much pain when he received the punches in his stomach from Haye. Like a soldier (and out of breathe), Howard does the training and gets on with the interview.
Watch the Gonzo Fit interview between Jamie Howard and David Haye.
Pink first came on our screens with 'There You Go' from her debut R&B album entitled 'Cant Take Me Home'.
I don't think there is any one that did not fall for this girls vocals, style and beauty. Pink has the whole package and she charted to the top with endless hits such as 'Most Girls' and 'You Make Me Sick'.
So for my first 'THROWBACK THURSDAY', I couldn't of picked anyone better than this female artist.
Here is Pink with her debut single 'There You Go'.
'All the boys love, yeah they wanna f#&$ me.' The opening line to their new video, girl group Duchess really seem like they just might of ruined their chances in this game.
'All The Boyz' hasn't been getting many great reviews as it is. Although people do know that the girls can sing, this song just hasn't show cased that strong ability of theirs. With a very auto tuned song, did Duchess really believe this would be the right song to get them noticed?
They say all publicity is good publicity, and from the YouTube comments their debut video has been receiving, I beg to differ. In this case, many listeners and fans are not happy with it. To be honest, I'm very much not happy with it.
It actually upsets me that they have allowed this video to go ahead. Choreography (or whats lack of it), style (or whats lack of it) and confidence/attitude (again, or whats lack of it) is just not there. Shanie seems like the only one that is having fun and is doing what a girl in a girl group should be doing, which is performing with an attitude. The other 3 just seem very oh so not confident and dull.
Whats worried me the most is that I never thought I would listen to Scorcher on a song and he would actually be dope. Which means that 'All The Boyz' has to be the first single to ever make a crap MC sound very good. Sorry Duchess, you are really going to have to sing now and show people that you have vocals.
Finally, the most anticipated music video has arrived. Cher Lloyd is here with her debut video for 'Swagger Jagger'.
It is an absolute shock to see what she has just proven to the people that have doubted her from the beginning. Not only is the song very catchy, but the video is actually very nice.
Cher Lloyd looks stunning in every single shot. From the opening to the end. I personally am not a major fan of the young artist but I love that she brings excitement and controversy to the music scene. This is the one singer I would personally love to interview. So if your reading this Cher and her people's, then make sure you contact me ASAP.
After refusing to Q up to get into Scala to see Alexis Jordan supported by Loick Essien and Bluey Robinson, after me and a friend were on the guest list, we decided to head to the Sanderson Hotel to see ex DJ Yasmin do her acoustic set.
Now I know I weren't drunk because I had a glass of apple juice so unless I was spiked then what I was hearing was just comedic.
Looking very pretty, Yasmin took to the stage and performed various tracks which she has released such as her latest production by Labrinth 'Finish Line' and her version to Devlin's 'Runaway'. Although her guitarist was amazing, sadly that was the only good thing that was good to my ears. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, her music sounds slightly better acoustic than anything else.
Sanderson Hotel is not iLuvLive, so the crowd are not as excitable either. During 'Finish Line', she did try to get the crowd involved, but the crowd was, as my friend would say 'DEAD'.
Although she did perform a track I have never heard called '5 Minutes' which was actually very cool. The end of the set, she decided to perform a cover of TLC's 'No Scrubs'. The fact that she said she was going to perform 'an ol skool R&B...' was slightly worrying and to end up being a song like that was just horrible. The combination of Yasmin's vocals and a cheesy song was like a cats claws to a chalk board. Too much screeching is not advisable for the ear drums.
Maybe Yasmin should stick to DJ'ing as she looks absolutely stunning behind a set of decks. Plus I've seen her DJ and she is actually good at it.
Joel Culpepper is taking his music to levels UK music hasn't touched in a very long time. From being a nursery worker to a musician that portrays emotions through beats and lyrics. Culpepper will undoubtedly make a mark in this industry. Inspired by the late J Dilla, Culpepper is determined to bring something new and heartfelt. 
