Stories about London, Culture & Creativity

Back again… and this week I had Mysdiggi and as some of you know him by Mystro, UK Hip Hop legend, he’s been in the game for years and surpassed the 10’000 hour rule years ago.. he’s a pro and I’ve been a fan
but never had the chance to really chat to Mys before. We’ve crossed paths, seen each other about and when I saw him at Teach’s show in December I hollered straight away and we worked it out. We have a bit of a different chat this week, for the hour or so there is a lot about current affairs, thoughts on issues, flat earth and community. Mys tells us his experience with Iowaska and we compare with therapy which I love and eventually we get his story and hid first interactions within the UK music scene, near death experiences, MCing to Jungle and Hip Hop, making music, touring the world and his time with Lowlife. We also chat about his music in length, the words he speaks and the messages he pushes through on his different releases and genres.

A real dope honest open chat, a lot of on the spot thinking and exploring.

Go check him at @mysdiggi on instagram whilst you listen..
This is F24..

This week, I can say I have one of my closet friends at the Studio. To me and many, he’s an inspiration, a cultural icon, a style king and also a great dad. It’s been a minute since we had our last weekly coffee on upper St. in Angel and actually our last one was in Kentish Town on the strip and it was times like those that really built our relationship it took our conversation to another level and we bonded with our similarities, estate life, young dads and the finding of culture and it’s growth into a creative life.

As the years have passed and life cracks on and asks more of your day we don’t grab as many coffees as we used too but we’ve always been in contact in some way even though he doesn’t have a phone!

This is one half of the legendary TaskForce, the Highbury Estate veteran and to me an oracle of life in the North East of our city, Farma G!.

He has experienced loads, put himself through a bag load of actions and activities and this was all before he finished school. It was so dope having him round, we chat about loads of things whilst we catch the story of his come up, from copping 7inch records in the local newsagent, to his various hustles on Upper St and also him and his peers concerted effort to get on a mic by any means necessary and let heads know.. We go from life in the manor, his interest in music and introduction to graffiti, to meeting Intense in his first year at secondary and setting up The Bury Crew. We chat about the meeting of Mark B and Taskforces first EP and then the Lowlife years all the way through to his new projects with a load of his thoughts and processes in-between.

Another dope point to make about this interview there was another legend from the city and a friend of mine in the studio, TEACH DDS happened to be visiting, stayed for the chat and added a couple of amazing points and reminders for Farma which added to the convo, big up King Teach.

Farma is a brother from another manor, a guide from the other side and a friend to very end.. we have an amazing conversation, two friends talking, and we go deep, Big up Farms… PS the dog you hear barking isn’t Brie, it’s a spaniel down the hall, he was fine.. Enjoy..

This week we’ve got the culture fuelled, creatively striving, spiritual hunting, hustler minded, dope lyricist label owner, Fliptrix. Watching this guy. He used to come down to the shop in Brighton and cop some records and paint every now and then, I also snapped him on polaroid for my collection of friends and visitors to the shop. What he’s done since then, loving and respecting a culture, working hard at his game, taking advice and great advice at that from Kings in the UK Hip Hop world like Jehst and proving he can hold his own on stage, corner and meeting rooms. Along the way he may take a psychedelic to keep him clear on his spiritual path and his ferocious nature of putting out albums will have you chilling, amped, questioning and jumping on each go round. His new albums just dropped yesterday the 23rd Aug, go get it it’s called Inexhale all digital outlets and tangible pieces from high-focus.com.

If you ain’t heard him before, you’ll be intrigued by this interview and go check him after. In the meantime, enjoy and maybe check him and his squad out at @mrfliptrix and @highfocusrecords on Instagram.

Enjoy!

This week we have Josh Cole a photographer and director living in London.

This is a jam packed story, Josh has had quiet a mad and hard working journey. I met him when I did Faking It on channel 4. I was the teacher and Josh was one of the judges at the end of the program who had to guess If the guy was a real graffiti artist or not. Josh was the only one to pick him out. We’ve known each other ever since. But as in all cases, I wanted to know the story, this is Josh’s and its inspiring. We get through loads in this conversation and Josh tells us about life in Lewes and reasons for leaving, taking up photography, getting involved with the UK Hip Hop scene, drugs, travelling and politics.