journal

Didn't know if this was a joke or not when first watching it. It was funny regardless. But after watching it to the end, I nearly choked. This is hilarious. Make sure you watch it to the end and DON'T GO BAGEL KING BLUUUD!!! ROTFLMFAO!

The less said about this tune the better. In fact, I feel I may be contributing to it's success somewhat by posting this entry and you have no idea how dirty that makes me feel. However, something HAS to be said. I don't think there are enough expletives in any language to describe this one. Whether it's meant as a light hearted joke or not, the World does not need this. UK Funky does not need this even though many predicted this outcome when crap (and when I say crap I don't mean Will Smith crap, I mean Vanilla Ice crap, and even that may be an insult to the Ice man) MC's started babbling over increasingly simple beats.

Anyway, here you have 'Are You Gonna Bang Doe?' by Funky Dee. Enjoy!

No-one can begrudge Levi Roots' success with his now-famous flavouring sauce. Damn, when he appeared on Dragon's Den, I had no idea that the Reggae Reggae Sauce brand would turn out to be the monster that it is. It's very nice to see. Roots and the Dragons have since gone on to make major deals with the likes of Subway and numerous pubs and restaurants across the UK. Now they have penned a deal with Birds Eye which will see a Reggae Reggae frozen chicken chargrill (or whatever) product in a supermarket near you. Maybe their biggest deal to date, but that is no excuse for the crappy advert released for it. Stereotypical, unimaginative, unoriginal and unnecessary are some of the words that come to mind. Some may even say racist, after all, we all know what the differently shaded pieces of chicken are meant to represent. Okay, it's light-hearted, but so was Bernard Manning. Damn, even I thought that was harsh.

This the first on many posts about my travels around the world. Its purpose is to share my own experience of the places I have visited and also inspire you to pack your bags and see the world too.

Agadir is the perfect alternative from the usual choices for cheap winter sun destinations. My girlfriend and I traveled there in the month of March in search of some R & R and found Agadir to be the perfect break.

Agadir is located in southwest Morocco, near the foot of the Atlas Mountains. Its original site was destroyed by an earthquake in 1960. Locals, speak Moroccan Arabic, French and English, in that order, although, we did not find any trouble communicating in English with locals during our stay.

Although we visited in March we found the weather to be hot, with daily temperatures well into the high 70s(°F). We stayed in a boutique hotel not far from the beach, tucked away from many of the larger hotels that are situated on the beachfront. This turned out to be an advantage, our hotel was much more tranquil as it was hidden away from the busy flow of people walking along the beachfront, making it ideal for quality time alone and relaxing in the sun.

Agadir has a total of six beaches, and most of our time was spent on “Agadir beach”. A 17 km strip of glorious white sands looking out to the Atlantic Ocean, and in comparison to Hammamet beach in Tunisia. Agadir beach is in far better condition.

Agadir has a wealth of bars and restaurants. The food on offer ranged from the authentic Moroccan dishes, to the more recognisable Western ones and particular chains like Pizza Hut and McDonalds.). There are some familiar brands usually found on London’s high street that are also based in Agadir. So if shopping is more up your street, there is a branch of Zara, ALDO and other well-known brands located here to feed a shopaholic’s hunger (my girlfriend). Not forgetting the souqs, which is a marketplace selling all types of goods from livestock to clothing and jewellery.

During our time spent in Morocco, we also managed to take in an excursion to the nearby city of Taroudant, also know as the “Grandmother of Marrakech”- because of its surrounding ramparts. Our visit gave us the opportunity to experience traditional Moroccan culture. This was first witnessed on route to Taroudant, where we saw goats climbing argan trees to eat its fruit.

Argan trees are only found in the southwest region of Morocco, its nuts are used to produce “Argan oil”. While we were in Taroudant, we visited a traditional argan oil factory and saw the process of the oil extraction at first hand. I must say the process of producing argan oil is very extensive. It involves a nut being cracked by hand, then gently roasted, the nut is then grinded into a paste and the paste is squeezed by hand to extract the oil. Moroccans swear by argan oil for its healing properties and by the end of our visit I was ready to buy a few bottles of the stuff just in case (to try it out for myself).

All in all, Agadir catered for all our needs; sun, sea, sand, great food and great people. A holiday destination you must experience.

If you do decide to visit Agadir a few tips to note. Top tip #1: Like most North African countries, the locals tend to see tourists as an opportunity to try and sell you something. So should you come across the persistent local sellers pushing everything from camel rides to ray bans worn by Jimmy Hendrix, a polite but firm “no thank you” usually does the trick and moves them on. But be aware, they might come back and try and tempt you to change your mind, more often than not this rarely happens.

Top tip #2: Agadir has one of the biggest souk in Morocco (Souk Lhed). Although I never visited there. I did, however, go to another souks (Uniprix, and Souq el Had) and I would highly recommend you visit these for a thrilling shopping experience. Souqs give you the opportunity to enter into a barter discussion with the seller for the price of an item(s) and grab yourself a bargain!!

Let it be known, I am Busta Rhymes' biggest fan. Okay, maybe not his biggest, but I think he is one of the best rappers dead or alive, and I eagerly anticipate every album he releases. None more so than his latest offering, Back On My B.S. which came out in May/June after being delayed for what seemed a lifetime. I think this was mainly due to legal wranglings as Busta attempted to sever ties with Dr Dre's Aftermath imprint. I've got to say, I wasn't completely overwhelmed by Busta's last album, The Big Bang, but it had just about enough good tunes for me to keep my complaints low-key. That was back in 2006 believe it or not, and I've grown out of my courteous nature.

Since The Big Bang, those of us with an ear to the ground would have heard a few unofficial mix CD's and seen a few videos and thought, hey, his next album will be hot, got the new album and realised a lot of those songs didn't even make it to the album. Songs like 'Don't Touch Me' & the Bangladesh produced 'I Got Bass'. Triple A songs for feck's sake. Even 'We Made It' with Linkin Park ironically didn't make it. I don't care too much for the last song, but the others I mentioned are absolute heavyweights. Okay, it's been 3 long years since his last album and, if you live in the States, you would have probably had your fill of those aforementioned songs as he's released videos for all of them. For those not in the States, these songs will not be so familiar and I'm sure most of us would have appreciated their inclusion on the album. Instead, we get crap like 'Don't Believe Em' and 'Sugar'. The fashionably dancey track, 'World Go Round' which features Estelle has no place on a Busta album. It's awful. For months I even tried to like 'Arab Money' (which features Ron Brows - the only man to still sound out of tune despite using Auto Tune). But I can lie to myself no longer. There you have another shoddy tune. The Neptunes-produced 'Kill Dem' sums up the trio's (or is it a duo? Or is it just Pharrell now?) quality at the moment. Weak.

There are some good songs on the album though. 'Respect My Conglomerate' and 'Decision' are tunes that will make it into one of my 'Top Hip-Hop' playlists. The former features a catchy, minimal beat reminscent of a Scott Storch production, an English girl talking on the chorus, and good cameos from Lil' Wayne and Jadakiss. 'Decision' sounds like it could have been composed by Dr Dre himself (not too sure) and features Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, John Legend & Common. The piano-led beat is super-nice and is sure to be a single.

Speaking of J Dilla however, Busta had claimed that each of his albums have featured a track conjured by the late Detroit producer, and this album would be no different. I'm not sure if it's the copy I have, but I can't find a J Dilla beat on it for love nor money. Probably politics, but I am greatly disappointed at it's absence. If you're upset by this too, download Mick Boogie's 'Dillagence' which is a whole album with nothing but J Dilla beats and Busta Rhymes bars. It's as good as it sounds.

As well as the much-loved Estelle, this album features another up & coming talent from the UK, Dready Beats. You may remember him from his work with So Solid and a few solo joints but now he is breaking America with his production skills so good luck to him. He produces 'How You Really Want It' which is a bonus track on the iTunes version of the album only I think. Good tune though.

To be fair, Back On My B.S. is not much worse than the current crop of Hip-Hop albums on the shelves, but Hip-Hop is not in a good state at the moment and this album does nothing to rectify that. My grieveances are likely more pronounced due to the fact that I expect so much more from Busta, and after a 3 year wait, those expectations went up a notch. I admit, I can be rash when forming opinions on music. I'll give it a few more listens and if my opinions change, I'll gladly eat some of my words. For now though, Back On My B.S. is a big anti-climax.

Check out this new UK plug design from a Royal College of Arts student. A redesign of these monstrosities is well overdue and this effort seems perfectly viable on first glance. I'm no electrician though, so I wonder how much red-tape would have to be sheared before it gets to market. A lot probably. Although it won't completely clear up the forest of wires and cables most of us have beneath our desks, at least it will make our sockets look nicer. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

I was fully drunk at my workplace's summer drinks party when I heard the news. Needless to say, the revelation sobered me right up. I felt a confusing mix of sadness, anger and disbelief. What added to the sheer surrealism of it all was my surroundings and the fact that, after about 8 or 9 beers, i was really happy, yet I was amongst no-one who could share my pain. If I was spiritual and self-obsessed, I would say there was a hint of completion to it all as he was the man who started my music passion, and he died while I was dancing my socks off at a party. Being intoxicated usually has you thinking dumb shit though. I half-heartedly tried to push it to the back of my mind. No joy though, especially with Billie Jean thumping out of the speakers now as the self-appointed DJ's dug through whyTunes (ahem, iTunes) for anything Jacko. We paid our respect.

The following day, I arrive into work (at 10:30) to a barrage of sick-but-slightly-funny jokes about the passing of the King of Pop. I wasn't impressed but I remember similar jest when Princess Diana died so I guess everyone's fair game. I blocked it out, I wouldn't take part in such blasphemy. To us, and that's not just black people; every child of the 80's; every man & woman who's been touched by MJ in some way [ok, insert funny quip here], to us he was the musical God. There was no man like Him and there will never be another man like Him. I know that we often unduly inflate pop stars to an unhealthy status, but Michael was truly head & shoulders above the rest.

The man was a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma. I'm sure we all have many questions we want answered like, "why all the plastic surgery?" and "why are his kids white??" I guess he'll remain a mystery but he became a legend a long time ago and that's how I'll remember him.

Chic Musique: Hip-Hop Beauty is here. A new mix by myself which looks to kick off a series of Chic Musique mixes that I (and other DJ's hopefully) will add to in the near future.

As my love for Hip-Hop is back, I have put together some tunes, old & new, that properly represent the beauty of Hip-Hop. Please enjoy.



Download Chic Musique: Hip-Hop Beauty.

Track listing:

1. Ghetto Heaven ft Macy Gray - Common
2. Let Me Hear You Clap ft De La Soul - DJ Jazzy Jeff
3. The Hop - A Tribe Called Quest
4. Bounce - Black Milk
5. You Can't Hold The Torch ft. Q Tip & Chauncey Black - Busta Rhymes
6. Come Close (remix) ft Erykah Badu, Pharrell Williams & Q Tip - Common
7. Baby Phat ft Devin The Dude & Yummy Bingham - De La Soul
8. The Sun God ft Common & Vini - Hi Tek
9. Won't Do - J Dilla
10. All I Need - Jay Z
11. Nas Is Like - Nas
12. Shotgun Intro - Platinum Pied Pipers
13. Official - Q Tip
14. Hold Tight - Slum Village
15. Speed Bump - Strange Fruit Project
16. Find A Way - A Tribe Called Quest
17. Play The Keys - Black Milk
18. The Red - Jaylib (Madlib & J Dilla)
19. Kick, Push - Lupe Fiasco
20. Life Is Better ft Norah Jones - Q Tip
21. Get This Money - Slum Village
22. Get Live ft Erykah Badu - Strange Fruit Project
23. Blast - Talib Kweli & Hi Tek
24. Get A Hold - A Tribe Called Quest
25. Bond 4 Life ft Melanie Rutherford - Black Milk
26. People ft Ta'raach - Chris Prolific
27. The Light - Common
28. Ready Forum - Strange Fruit Project
29. Electric Relaxation - A Tribe Called Quest
30. Fall In Love - Slum Village
31. Nag Champa - Common

Hmmmm. I, for one, would welcome this with both arms stretched out wide and both legs running at a Usain Bolt-pace. Confunktion VIP was the glamorous Hip Hop, RnB & House party of the early noughties. Anyone who remembers the good old days at Lime Bar will know what I'm talking about. Queuing started at 8pm. Vibe was off the hook. A reunion would be good. Watch this space for more info (if there is any - fingers crossed).

I've been watching this one closely, let me tell you. Either way, this story is so unoriginal, uninteresting, degrading and desperate I thought I'd write some shit about it whether my opinions are valid or not. The thing is, despite what Cassie says, us men will never get tired of seeing titties and the unscrupulous, male-infested media knows it.

For those who can't remember who Cassie is, it's really not that important. Just know she had a factory-made RnB hit tune a year or 2 ago, she is signed to Diddy's Bad Boy label, and everyone else too had forgotten who she was. However, recently pictures of her baring her flat chest surfaced on the interweb. Cassie Twittered that they were stolen from her computer and released for all to see. Gotta love the internet. Okay, I suppose it's understandable seeing as she desperately needs publicity and her singing talents are more or less on par with mine. I may read these stories filled with cynicism but at least we get to see another pair of tits. I'm not buying her album though.

Rihanna, surely someone who doesn't need any more exposure to the limelight, very soon after had even more explicit pictures of her released via the web by an unknown samaritan. These were better. The most exlicit pic did not show a face so it's unconfirmed whether it is her or not. But hey, it's yet another pair of well-rounded tits, so in our minds, damn sure it's her. This is where I laugh out loud though. Not to be outdone, barely 24 hours had passed and someone's been at Cassie's laptop again. I haven't had the pleasure of perusing this latest edition but I am assured they are Hustler-explicit. They were removed swiftly as it's alleged the copyright to the images belong to her record label. One website even went so far as saying Diddy himself took them and therefore owns them. She has an album coming out soon so obviously this will not hurt her album sales, and I for one, now remember who she is. I'm still not buying her album, and if poor sales is what's needed to see these A, B or C list mammaries, I say we all start illegally downloading. Christina Milian take note. I hope this battle of the boobs continues - it's certainly more entertaining than their music.

My previously unquestioned love for music, especially Hip-Hop, was seriously waning last year. The lack of quality new releases was/is definately a factor amongst numerous other things. Even earlier, when some around me proclaimed "Hip-Hop is dead", I defended the genre by claiming "It's not dead, you just have to look harder for it". With me being a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do type of person, I didn't take my own advice and soon became disillusioned with modern Hip-Hop. My enthusiasm for music is back now, and back in a big way.

Thanks to recent shows: Q-Tip at the Roundhouse, Black Milk at Cargo & 9th Wonder at The Westbury, 2009 has been a really good year so far when it comes to my Hip-Hop sentiments. Listening to J Dilla's & Common's back-catalogue reminds me of what Hip-Hop is meant to sound like. And it doesn't sound like Flo-Rida, nor Soulja Boy, nor Bow Wow. Heck, even Common's latest album makes a mockery of the artform (and it pains me so much to say that).

You may be able to tell I like a good disgruntled rant, but my real reason for writing this entry was to bring your attention to Paul Pre. He is a German DJ who releases monthly Hip-Hop & Soul (largely instrumental) mixes available for download. He knows his stuff and on his creations you will find artists and producers such as Madlib, Sa-Ra, Dorian Concept, J*Davey, Floating Points plus many other quality acts. It's listening to this kind of stuff that's renewed my faith so thank you Paul Pre.

Check out Paul Pre's monthly mixes on his website right now.

Our boys Trinity and Martin are making huge waves in the fashion industry right now. Check out the Trinitron blog site for fashion, music and thoughts. Big shouts to big Martin who had a huge hand in the success of Smooth Connection in our early years.

When I heard the much respected Gilles Peterson arranged the absolute gift of a Q-Tip show in London, I knew I had to be there. This was back in January, and like the procrastinating fool I am, I didn't buy a ticket. Christmas had just come and gone in it's usual tsunami-like fashion, leaving behind ravaged bank accounts in it's path, and my funds were critical. I thought "It's Q-Tip, It won't sell out anytime soon". Come the tail end of February, I was still procrastinating, and sell out it did. FUCK! Now I really wanted to go. I called everyone I knew who was even remotely close to being an industry-insider to find a spare ticket. Getting dumped by your high school sweetheart after having forgiven him/her multiple times for cheating is nothing compared to the rejection I felt when no-one came through with a spare ticket. Anyway, fast-forward a few weeks and finally, finally, a long-time friend gives me the type of phone call I love. Only the call offering a spare Arsenal ticket can match the inheld euphoria. Good looking out Sikboi! This was days before the show and I had all but given up hope. So off to Q-Tip I go.

Of the supporting acts I really wanted to see Little Dragon, whose album of the same name is extremely good. Luckily, I entered the Roundhouse just in time to do that. Brilliant. A swedish acoustic band supporting a Hip-Hop act? Some wouldn't see the relevance. But whether the marriage was suitable or not, Little Dragon rocked it. And after all, Gilles Peterson is all about worldwide music and Hip-Hop, true Hip-Hop is about acceptance. Little Dragon had plenty of energy and the crowd simply couldn't deny their soulful, jazzy, bassy mix and the lead singer, the minute half Chinese, half Swedish, Yukimi Nagano, had most of the crowd mesmerised. Their tracks After The Rain and Wink, went down a storm and they came off to great applause but anticipation was in the air, bring on Q-Tip.

Having DJ Semtex (the best one-armed DJ I know, scrap that, he's one of the best Hip Hop DJ's in the country) play before the main act was definately a good move. He absolutely pounded us with Classic anthems tune after tune. It was relentless. Following Little Dragon, we needed some proper Hip Hop and Semtex certainly delivered.

As patience started to run low before the main act, as with most concerts, Gilles Peterson took the stage with a few pleasantries and introduced the man we were all waiting for. The band were already set up and rocking when Q-Tip finally made an appearance, dancing with his back to the crowd. Yeah, his moves were a bit camp, but he's a legend, he can dance how he likes. He turned, and Shaka (though don't quote me on that - my memory's not what it used to be) pumped through the Roundhouse speakers. Now we were hyped up. Not one to be upstaged on the energy-level stakes, Q-Tip was extremely animated. A Tribe Called Quest fans were pleased as he performed classics like Electric Relaxation and (my favourite) Find A Way. Even though Phife's rhymes were almost flawlessly recited by Q-Tip, it had me wishing the other third of Tribe was sharing the stage. Back to reality, and it came as a surprise when I heard... wait for it... Scenario. Yes, he did it, with a bit of help from his DJ, and it worked a treat. Vivrant Thing smashed it, Getting Up smashed it, Award Tour categorically tore the place apart, and thank God he didn't do Breathe & Stop. The show ended with an extended version of Life Is Better which I'm sure will be his next single (forgive me if this is common knowledge already). Selected fans at the front got their chance to sing along to the tune as Q-Tip randomly handed people the mic, then it was goodbye. I was stunned that Manwoomanboogie wasn't on his playlist being his last single (in the States anyway), but all in all, it was a great performance.

Q-Tip exited to rapturous applause and Benji B took over. For me, and many others, it was off to the after-party. Just a few days prior I thought I would have been at home stewing on March 14th. Thank God for friends.

When I first mentioned to anyone that I was playing in Beirut, nearly every response was, "where? THE Beirut?? Is it safe?" I was skeptical and a little worried but recently I've Dj'ing a lot in the middle east and everyone there told me the Lebanese party the hardest.

So I decided to go , why not, I'm a dj and as a dj it's my duty to supply music to the world........right?

So I looked forward to my adventurous gig, I've already played in China, Beirut is down the road compared to there, it's funny it seemed a million miles away when I got my flight details.... Middle East Airlines..., no I was nervous. I swear I have never heard of them in my life, and I've spent a lot of time in airports! Isn't it funny, you only pray when you feel your life depends?! Well bwoy, I prayed HARD

The plane ended up to be quite cool, can't remember what I watched but the flight was over and I landed in Beirut, got through customs after a long explanation of why I was carrying so many cds, and then I met my driver and got out on the road

I tried to take in my surroundings, dusty buildings war torn buildings, windows blown out, and what I guessed where bullet holes chipping into the concrete sides....but then these buildings disappeared and where replaced by cranes and brand new beautiful buildings.

One thing I admired about Beirut was that instead of going down Dubai's route of ultra-modern buildings and crazy architecture, the new buildings in Beirut had been rebuilt in the style of the old ones, so it looks new but traditional. You'd never think the country had been at war 3yrs ago if it wasn't for the military looking police and their big straps.

I got to my hotel, jumped in the shower and was picked up to go to the club, Crystal Palais. A warning for those who do go to Beirut, they drive crazy! They drive fast, push in, cut up and ignore traffic lights! Yes traffic lights seem to serve no purpose in Beirut.... more praying for my life!

Finally I arrived at the club and was greeted by 2 guys in suites and top hats who were there to open car doors and stepped out onto a red carpet and made my way into one of the most lavish clubs i've played in.

The set up was perfect and the crowd seemed cool. I met Dj Lethal Skillz, the resident dj, and for the next 2 hours entertained the people of Beirut. It was amazing, and in the middle of my set they bought out a huge canon and showered the dancefloor with silver confetti (a bling shower - which was the name of the night)

My experience of Beirut was short and sweet and I hope I get to play out there again, I finished my set, went back to the hotel, had a snack and packed my things ready to go onto Dubai..... .....Flying Emirates, yeah lol.....................

P x

As if having to work every friggin' day, with colleagues we care very little for, for pay that just about covers our monthly expenses, doing shit that barely keeps us awake isn't soul destroying enough, us Londoners (and other city folk) also have to deal with the absolute nightmare that is the rush-hour commute. It's not just the unbelievable amount of people you have to contend with when trying to get from A to B, it's also the silly things you people do during this evil hour. Here are some of the antics that piss me right off when travelling to and from work, in no particular order:

- Women who wait till they get on the bus before they search through their bottomless handbags for their Oyster cards. So fucking annoying, and yes, it does seem to be only you women who do this.

- Bus drivers who think they're fucking Lewis Hamilton. You already get paid too much for driving a bus; be aware that those standing don't appreciate being flung from pillow to post everytime you brake hard or turn sharply.

- People who sit on the aisle seat leaving the window seat empty. Move up asshole.

- People who put their bags on the empty seat next to them. Does your bag really need it's own seat? Didn't think so.

- People who walk reeeaaaallllly slooooowly down a station platform then stop dead with absolutely no regards for who might be behind them. There should be a minimum walk speed limit during rush hour.

- Fuckers who wear gigantic backpacks and refuse to take them off when on a packed train/tube. Not only does that backpack take the space of a whole human being, it's pressed up against my friggin' chest. Take it off and put it on the floor between your legs. So fucking simple.

- Prams and buggies on the tube. Fold it up for fuck sake - that child is big enough to walk. Better still, wait till 12 O'Clock to travel. Even better still, get a friggin' car.

- Tossers who use multiple cards at the cash machine (not just at rush hour, but especially at rush hour). Use one card and get to the back of the queue.

- Not many of us have to deal with those dreaded school kids after work, but every so often we may encounter some on their way back from a detention or an organised after-school mass brawl. They should be seen & not heard but when they decide to play their 'grime' music out loud from their mobiles on the bus, any potential GBH crime against them should be excused and even encouraged.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but if people paid attention to these little annoyances, the world would be a much better place.

In a time when good Hip Hop is becoming increasingly over-shadowed by throw-away, bubblegum drivel, one album unexpectedly stood out for me in 2008, Q-Tip's The Renaissance. Many artists from Q-Tip's era (probably including Q-Tip himself) have struggled to remain relevant in recent years. This has led to some of our favourite artists from yesteryear being given absolutely no exposure even though we know, lyrically, they can destroy the current crop of rappers easily (Redman, we need you!). The Renaissance doesn't advance the genre in any way, nor does it see Q-Tip desperately trying to appeal to the kids of today. (Prior to Christmas 08, I was in HMV searching for this album for a gift. After 15 minutes of perusing the Hip Hop section, a teenager picked up the CD and asked his mate, "Who's this? Busta Rhymes?". I wanted to educate the poor chap but couldn't be bothered). What it is however, is a mighty good Hip Hop album.

If you think 50 Cent's music is 'real' Hip Hop, this album may not be for you. On the other hand, if you like your rappers to have more substance than guns, drugs, money and bitches, with the ability to select silky, jazzy beats to aid their storytelling, then you can't go wrong with this album.

Fans of the late, great J Dilla may be familiar with a few songs on the album like 'Official' & 'Move' from a couple of years ago, but such is the timelessness of J Dilla's production, these songs are still more than worthy additions to this LP. The second single, 'Manwomanboogie', demonstrates the funk-infused Hip Hop us old skool heads miss so much, and just wait till you hear the Norah Jones cameo on 'Life Is Better' - she completely owns the track and will leave you thinking she should do more Hip Hop.

All in all, this album is a welcome alternative to the Young Jeezy's and T.I.'s of the world. If you haven't got it, go and get it. You won't be disappointed.

Q-Tip will be performing in London at the Roundhouse on the 14th March - his first UK show for 10 years.

If you missed our popular mix mp3 last year, here is your chance to grab it again.

Comprising a blend of nothing but the best Old Skool tunes, this mix is guaranteed to have you reminiscing of those musical halcyon days. Featured artists include the likes of Bel Biv Devoe (pictured), Ollie & Jerry, Aleem, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Seidah Garrett, Mary J Blige and many more.

The mix is split up into 3 digestable sections to make it easier to download. Click on the following links to play, or to download and save right-click on the link and select 'Save Target As...'

Classics Mix (part 1)
Classics Mix (part 2)
Classics Mix (part 3)

This mix was produced in conjunction with MarChi Promotions.

Look out for John Legend, Borat and Morgan Freeman. Hilarious.

Welcome back to SmoothConnection.co.uk. A fresh site is long overdue and it is finally in development. For now, please browse this temporary site to your heart's content but be sure to come back as there's a whole heap more content on the way. Oh, and sign up to Smooth Alerts so you can receive all the latest event information straight in your inbox.