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Video of the Moment #2756: Skepta

North London rap artist and 2016 Mercury Prize award winner Skepta has dropped a new video for ‘Ghost Ride’, the latest track from his Halloween-released EP titled ‘Vicious’. ‘Ghost Ride’ features contributions from fellow A$AP Mob hip-hop collective members A$AP Rocky and A$AP Nast.

The video treatment below alternates between sharp street imagery and kaleidoscopic visual overlays, in a throwback sort of concept directed by AWGE. Have a listen to ‘Ghost Ride’ below, but do take note of the promo video’s initial disclaimer: “This program contains explicit and coarse language”. Meaning you should probably wait until the small children are asleep or after work hours to view or listen to this, at least without headphones. TGTF’s prior coverage of Skepta is back through here.

Video of the Moment #2419: Skepta

Skepta has a new music video out for a track that debuted at Primavera Sound back in May. This visual of ‘Hypocrisy’ was codirected by the Mercury Prize-winning artist himself. The song and its video is proving quite polarising on YouTube. Have a listen yourself to the song and a watch of the promo from the London MC below. Will there be another album to follow the award-winning ‘Konnichiwa’ soon? We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for you. For more on Skepta here, on TGTF, use this link.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF3y-HUxZTI[/youtube]

Video of the Moment #2309: Skepta

Skepta may not have come up with a gong at the BRITs last week, but he can be proud of the burgeoning London grime scene from where he came from. Need evidence? Check out last week’s installment of the TGTF Guide to SXSW 2017 featuring London MCs and r&b artists through here. And don’t forget his fourth album ‘Konnichiwa’ won the 2016 Mercury Prize, snatching it out of the dearly departed David Bowie’s hands. In the music video for his single ‘No Security’, he moves and grooves in front of different backgrounds and in different situations, singing, “I keep the voodoo in me, I suggest you do the same”. Hmm. I’m no grime enthusiast so I don’t know if this is a euphemism for something or what, but there’s no denying this is a seriously catchy tune. Watch the music video for ‘No Security’ below.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6suaDGWmOo[/youtube]

Bowie vs. Grime: The 2016 Mercury Prize Story

People. I think we need to have a serious conversation about the Mercury Prize. Last year, our Steven wrote this thought piece about how he felt tastemakers weren’t doing the general public any favours by choosing underdogs and acts we’d never heard of instead of popular favourites. Where was the public’s say in all of this? Well, for 2016, it definitely sounded they’d taken what Steven had said to heart. In an unprecedented move in its silver anniversary year, 11 of the 12 nominated artists this year were either household names and major label signings, or at least a major festival draw in the case of Savages, who are signed to Beggar imprint Matador.

2016 has not been kind to us. In addition to losing Prince in April, we also lost David Bowie, the most beloved weirdo alien in Ziggy Stardust. One needs only to look at how Bowie decided to hide his cancer from the world, only his closest family and himself holding on to that kernel of knowledge until the very end. He must have done this on purpose, so the anticipation towards ‘?’ would not be unfairly tainted by any questions on what influence his impending death might have had on the final product.

When the shortlist of 12 nominated albums was unveiled last month, I was honestly initially struck with surprise that ‘?’ had been nominated. Or maybe I shouldn’t have been? Maybe I should have assumed that Bowie, having such a far-reaching impact from his many decades and albums of influence over countless fans and musicians, would automatically be nominated? What I found even weirder were the countless Tweets and messages I saw following the nominations announcement saying Bowie deserved to win.

Um, sorry, David. I was more interested in the acts still alive that I might be able to see perform one day. However, Michael Kiwanuka, Laura Mvula and Radiohead seemed way too safe bets. Not just one but two grime acts, Kano and Skepta, were recognised for their contribution to a genre that had begun in East London a decade ago. Add in the astonishing inclusion of the 1975, the Manchester band much derided for their foaming at the mouth fans and suddenly, taken together, this all suggested to me that this was going to be one interesting match.

After all that was said and done, it was Skepta and his fourth album ‘Konnichiwa’ who proved victorious. Indeed, judging from the post-ceremony reactions last night, it was quite an arresting ‘hello!’ from the Tottenham artist to those unfamiliar with not just him but with the entire genre. As I predicted, there were many public calls that Bowie had somehow been robbed of what had been rightfully his, and by some guy they’d never heard of, of a genre that they’d heard of either and therefore meant nothing. However, there is no escaping the argument that had ‘?’ indeed been chosen as the winner of the 2016 Mercury Prize, there would have been enough detractors accusing the tastemaker panel of the sympathy vote. Frankly, it would have been lazy on the panel’s part, had they given the Mercury to Bowie. Full stop.

Skepta could have very easily gone the route of Young Fathers 2 years ago, choosing to say very little, such that there would be so little room for him to be criticised. However, despite being in shock upon the announcement he’d won, he took to the microphone with relative aplomb. He used the opportunity of all eyes of the music world on him to say “Thank you to everybody who was there for me when I was going through depressed times. I don’t know man, I’m so thankful…” And in a moment of poetic beauty, he concluded his acceptance speech by honouring both Bowie and the late Amy Winehouse.

In a conversation with NME after winning the award, Skepta was very clear that his award after coming from such humble beginnings should be a call to action for young people: “I want them to be themselves…When old people are telling them to be quiet, and old people are telling them they’re not right, and people who just don’t understand kids are just saying stuff to them [to suit] their own boxed-in lives, I want the kids to be like, ‘No. Do you know what, Skepta showed me that I just need to do and say how I feel. Because you only get one chance to say how you feel, you know.” Now, who do we know (or rather, who have we followed) that might have said something like that?

I refuse to repeat some of the worst comments I’ve seen in reply to the BBC video Tweet of the moment when Cocker announced the winner. You can read them here if you’re truly interested. We know from hearing it from the words coming out of Jarvis Cocker’s mouth that he and the rest of the tastemaker panel were aware of the potential public backlash of their selection and felt they had to be prepared to defend their choice. This decision can be interpreted in many ways. But one most obvious interpretation to me, in these times we live in where divides by class, race and even just plain experience are proving so prominent, feels particularly awful and terrible. In case you missed it, Bowie’s own Facebook page have provided a transcript of Cocker’s words:

“OK, I have the result here. But, I’ve got to tell you a little bit of a story before I let you know whose name is inside here. OK? Now, myself and my fellow jurors, about 4 months ago we started off with 223 albums. We had to listen to those and that was whittled down to the twelve that you’ve seen performances from tonight. But in the end, the winner came down to a contest between two black stars.

“And we as a jury decided, that if David Bowie was looking down on the Hammersmith Apollo tonight…and let’s face it maybe he is, we’ve seen traces of his influence in many of the bands you’ve seen perform here tonight…if he was looking down at the Hammersmith Apollo tonight, he would want the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize to go to…Skepta.”

At the end of the day, the Mercury Prize is a piece of metal on a shelf, another subjective award given to a musical act. For those who really wanted – and expected – Bowie to win this year, I have to ask, what exactly did you hope would be achieved from ‘?’ winning the gong? By awarding it to someone else, someone like Skepta who can and will undoubtedly inspire future generations to be inventive, to be outspoken leaders, to be trailblazers, to be someone who will make a difference to others? That, my friends, is the real prize.

Preview: Canadian Music Week 2016

What event starts up in earnest next week and has been kicking around longer than SXSW, and yet you may never have heard of its name? Canadian Music Week, 34 years young in 2016, kicks things off this coming Monday, the 2nd of May, through to the wee hours of Saturday, the 8th of May. And possibly longer, depending on how long the revelers last, eh? (Sorry, I had to get a good-hearted Canadian joke in there somewhere.) Naturally, it takes place in Canada’s most populous city, the crown jewel of the province of Ontario, and arguably its multicultural and cosmopolitan heart, Toronto. It’s a city I can’t wait to explore and come see for myself.

Like SXSW, Canadian Music Week 2016 will boast plenty of evening music showcases featuring homegrown Canadian talent alongside international acts equally eager to make their mark on the Great White North and the world. Also like its Texan younger brother, it also has a conference portion that will appeal to film, digital media and music fanatics and professionals in those businesses alike. Unlike SXSW, Canadian Music Week also runs in tandem with Canadian Comedy Fest, so I’m expecting to run into some funny folks while doing normal Canadian errands, like getting takeaway poutine. (In case you are not familiar with the Quebecois food phenomenon that has become the national dish of Canada, read more about its history here.)

There are plenty of amazing acts scheduled to perform in Toronto next week for music fans to sink their teeth into. Of the Canadian talent on show, sister pop act Tegan and Sara, Saskatoon rockers The Sheepdogs, pop star Lights and alt-country stars the Strumbellas are sure to show who’s boss in their home country. Alongside the Canadians near the top of the bill are Americans Eagles of Death Metal, X Ambassadors, Wild Nothing and ‘90s alt-rock heroes Collective Soul. The British are well represented too, with festival favourites Fat White Family, electro r&b artist NAO, rapper and grime artist Skepta and electronic producer Mura Masa. I would be humanly impossible to list all the artists playing at CMW 2016, so I invite to check out the artist list here.

Base-level wristbands for the evening music showcases are available at the price of CAD 75.00. These wristbands will give the purchaser access to all music showcases for the 7-day event, subject to venue capacity. Note: Most showcases and the venues participating are 19+ unless specifically marked as all ages. For CAD 150.00, you can upgrade to a VIP wristband, allowing the purchaser to choose guaranteed access to three shows of their choosing. Wristbands for Canadian Music Week can be purchased here. Tickets can also be purchased singly for the specific show / artist you want to see, if you’re less OCD than we are about music festivals (you know, hitting as many bands and acts we can before falling over into our dinner, exhausted). To purchase single event tickets, go here.

You can keep up with TGTF’s continuing coverage of Canadian Music Week 2016 through this link. See you in Toronto!

This Week’s Gonzo – the Vaccines and Ellie Goulding have a visit with Alexa

So what’s on MTV Gonzo tonight? The Vaccines, the band you either like or cannot escape from, will be stopping by for a chat with Alexa. Also on the show will be Ellie Goulding, who will not only be talking with Alexa but will also perform a cover of Rihanna’s ‘Only Girl in the World’ (I didn’t see that one coming). American rapper Lupe Fiasco will no doubt be talking about his new Modest Mouse-sampling tune ‘The Show Goes On’ and will be fielding questions from the Gonzola.

Through the wonders of technology, Midwest alt-rock band Cage the Elephant will be filling us in what they’ve been up to since the release of their second album, ‘Thank You, Happy Birthday’, in January. In the weekly Director’s Cut feature, North London rapper Skepta walks us through his video for ‘Amnesia’. I guess it should go without saying that rappers tend to name-drop. Well, at least Skepta isn’t shy to do so, revealing, “Diddy invited me back to party at a pool with loads of girls and champagne!” If we were so lucky. New videos from the Strokes and Dr. Dre featuring Eminem round out the programme. It’s a good night to stay in.

MTV Gonzo airs tonight (Friday) at 7 PM on MTV Music, with a repeat at 8 PM on MTV Rocks.