Gift vs Passion - Paul Olasehinde (26/01/2015)

Somehow, as I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline I came across a short but interesting video of Steve Harvey, stating that in order to get the most out of your life you should focus on your gift and not your talent. 

He defined your gift as:“The thing you do best with the least amount of effort”After the first watch I thought yeah maybe he’s right, you will find more people not honing their gifts but rather perusing other avenues. Following my own pondering and conversations with other people, I thought it is possible that he 
may be wrong. We all have gifts, I’m a firm believer of that, but does that mean our gift must be what we pursue? Or that it must ultimately become our life?

Let’s say for example Melanie is a gifted singer and she could practice her gift and become an amazing singer but Melanie wants to be a business director, that’s her passion. She doesn’t have a natural affinity for business but that’s what she wants to be. Is that wrong? Even if she didn’t get to be that business director, is it wrong for her to have focused on that rather than her gift?  Should she put business in the backseat and focus on what she knows?

This video reminded me of a previous speech I watched by Jim Carey who spoke about chasing your dreams and not playing it safe through an example of his dad, who could have been a comedian like him but instead became an accountant although ultimately he was not happy. He ended the speech by saying “You can fail at what you don’t want so might as well take a chance doing what you love.”

Although it’s not directly linked to what I’m discussing, we can still take from it that it is better to do what you love, than what you don’t. So if your gift isn’t what you love, why do it? From conversations I’ve had with others, an occurring trend seems to be that paying attention to your gift or passion means you can’t make time for the other or that is what you must become e.g. Melanie being a good singer means she must be singer! This notion, in my opinion is wrong. You can be a great singer, maybe even better than the voices you hear on TV, but you may not be made for that. 

Your gift may not be used on such a grand scale but that is not to lessen its value. Personally I feel like the link in all of this is motivation. Motivation is what will drive you to do what you do. Not just in your career but anything and everything. What is your motivation? Are you trying to prove a point? Or is it a dream you 
have? You may have a gift and you may be excellent at it but if you’re not motivated to peruse that further, you wont because you don’t have the desire to. Maybe there is an aspect of it being too easy if it’s a gift and normally passions tend to be (and please note I said tend to be) things we aren’t excellent at. 

Over the years we come to realise our passions, such as a desire to help people that may want us to become a doctor or social worker for example. However, our gifts are naturally with us from birth so we may not be drawn to them as much as our passions because we have always had them.There are so many avenues to go down. We normally have more than one gift and more than one passion, what happens then? I really don’t think there is a definite answer, but I do believe in honing, and working on your gifts because there is always room for improvement. In addition to that, I believe that your gift is to be shared with others, even the world.

So although I’m on the fence about pursing your gift over your passion and vice versa, I will always say use your gift as much as you can to bless others. In the end we could always pursue 
both at the same time, (yes I’m going to double back on myself again) but maybe we’ll always lean more towards one than the other. I guess this whole process is easier if your gift and passion are in sync =].

MASTER TV - MOtiVe Interview

THE ULTIMATE FREESTYLE REVIEW - CHRISTINA ASHAWE (19/01/2015)

When I first heard this song + watched the video the first thing I thought was, ‘Who are these guys?

And why are they so fresh??’ (Fresh as in cool of course!)

The Ultimate Freestyle is a breath of fresh air when it comes to sound of UK rap. Rarely do British 

rappers throw it back to 90s hip hop and do it correctly. Instead they tend to go for the long-time 

reigning sound of Trap music from the US or the Drill sound in Chicago. There’s nothing wrong with 

being inspired by these sub-genres of Hip Hop, but it’s nice to see rappers from the UK do something 

different for a change.

Their quirky and smooth flow give the classic instrumentals a whole new vibe; I found myself 

involuntarily moving my head back and forth and laughing at some of their witty bars.

The music video continues on the good vibes from the song; a group of friends chilling and sipping 

on some Baileys and Supermalt! The simple house party-esque video compliments the song well and 

proves that not much is needed to make good quality and entertaining visuals.

I never knew who MOtiVe was until I came across this song and I’m glad I did as they have proven 

that they have something completely different to offer to the UK rap scene. I’m interested and 

excited to see what more they have to offer in 2015 and eagerly anticipate their next move!

Follow the duo on Twitter:

@YSK_MOtiVe

@Valence_Festus

Also check out their YouTube:

@MOtiVe!

Have a look at the video here
http://youtu.be/1ZfkbnAEy4E

HAPPY NEW YEAR - JADE LARA (08/01/2015)

I have a great feeling that this year will be amazing not only for me, but for everyone. It appears to me that everyone has a bright and positive take on 2015 which is good to see and believe me, you don’t see that often.  We’re already seven days in to the year and I am still struggling to believe that we’ve entered a new year already! Before you know it half the year is gone and Christmas will be round the corner again. Ha-ha.

Every New Year’s Eve, is the time we all start to think about what the past year has brought us. It’s that time of the year that we focus on the changes we’d like to make or need to make that had an impact on the previous year. We all make New Year’s resolutions and more often than not, we all break them. Reason being we often try and fulfil quite big resolutions only to fail in the end because although they may be achievable in your head, our hearts aren’t really in it and some things are easy to write down but difficult to do physically. In other words, ‘it’s easier said than done.’

I can honestly say for the past couple of years I have set my self-resolutions but failed to actually do or make any of those things happen.  It’s a normal thing, however, this year I am determined to make those things transpire. We often make resolutions to change an aspect of our lives for the better and when speaking to different people; it’s great to hear that much of their focus is on their own self development. Starting off with small changes can believe it or not make a big impact on the quality of your life. I think self-development comes first and then everything else will fall in to place gradually.

 Patience is key, you have the whole year to fulfil these resolutions so don’t try and do everything in one month just for show. This is how most of us fail to complete our resolutions because there is this idea that you have to do everything so quickly. Focus on one resolution and like I said above everything should fall in to place. Think of dominoes for example, once the first one goes down so do the rest. I believe that your resolutions should be realistic and achievable things and as you complete these things, new doors will open and you’ll find yourself fulfilling things that are not even on your list.

In addition, you’ve got to work hard to see results. You can’t possibly think that writing things down is good enough to fulfil it. If you need to attain certain grades for example, but you are not doing what you’re supposed to do, you are potentially setting yourself up for failure and you’ve only got yourself to blame.

Make sure you write your resolutions down, meditate on it, and pray on it. Try your best to make these things happen no matter how long it may take. I cannot stress this enough, place them somewhere visible, and be it on your wall or on your door ; let it be the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see before you sleep to constantly remind yourself. Don’t let it get to the middle of the year and you’ve strayed away from your resolutions or you cannot remember. This is another thing which we often all do that allows us to break our resolutions, be sure to remember what they are as it is easier for you to keep the promises you’ve made to yourself.

A new year means a fresh start; it’s an opportunity to do something different, it’s also an opportunity for experience. Treat every day as a new year, make every day different than the day before and don’t allow your downfall form last year take place in this year. Have a wonderful and blessed New Year guys and remember this year is your year, live it and make the most of it. 

TSB- THE ' REFIX SESSIONS' EP 2015 BY SHIRLEY VINDA (30/12/14)

Hi guys,

TSB, a 21 year old producer from South west London. Following his MOBO nominated single 'Work, Get It' by Scorcher, Wretch 32 and Ari-Penn Smith is releasing his first ever EP called 'REFIX sessions' early in the new year in March. 

'Work, get it' was nominated for best video at the 2014 MOBO awards, voted number 8 by BBC 1xtra for their Top 25 british songs of the year and it also has over 240k plays on YouTube. The EP release is due to be a raise the bar following his previous ground breaking contributions to the UK music scene 

TSB has released five different songs from the EP already, these are:

1. Roses

2. Addiction

3. Suit n Tie

4. American Boy 

5. Fill me in 

See the listed tracks that have generated over 28k views: https://soundcloud.com/tobishyboy/sets/tsb-refix-sessions 

'Refix Sessions' is said to be a small indication of what TSB has to offer as a musician - the aim of the EP is to open doors for more collaboration opportunities with artists that were perhaps kept in the dark about TSB's music.

A personal favourite amongst the five released tracks has to be 'Suit n Tie', being a huge fan of the original , i can see a mirror of Justin Timerlake's structural versatility in TSB's reworked version. 

Although many artists deny having a 'favourite' piece of work, TSB mentioned that he is extremely proud of his American boy Refix.While creating it, he recalled how much of a breakthrough the song had been Estelle in her career and her move to the states, which influenced his appreciation for the song itself. 

Alongside the production of the highly anticipated 'REFIX sessions , TSB has established a creative alliance with the American artist collective group  'HalfBadSociety'. TAB, a member of the collective, credits HalfBadSociety for giving his career a lift onto the platform it is on now, with much further to go, HalfBadSociety ensures that TSB music is played on their own American radio station as well as writing regular blog posts updating his latest fans on his musical progression as the magic happens. 

Visit their site here: halfbadsociety.com 

With all this being said, stay tuned into more music produced by TSB via his soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/tobishyboy

Follow @TobiShyBoy on Twitter 

also, be sure to follow @Online_MCM and myself @ShirleyIrie 

Details of the exact release date for the EP will be announced in the new year. 

Hope you all enjoyed all your festivities and I wish you all a happy new year !

By Shirley Vinda - onlyshirleyirie.blogspot.com | shirleyiriepr@outlook.com

BIG MIKE TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM(ZY) - JONES (22/12/14)

This year has been a great year for the UK music scene.. From Afrobeats to Grime, we've seen the UK's music scene progress to different heights. Krept and Konan took the UK through the roof with Collabs with artists such as Jeremiah and Rick 'Pears' Ross. Timbo and the STP squad brought something new to the table with their afro-rap fusion. Section Boyz had old friends deleting my number and TE had every guy singing the hook to Storm Trooper.. He definitely deserves a Standing ovation.

This post however is focusing on the guy they call 'The Problem'.. AKA 'Stiff Chocolate' AKA 'Put my phone of charge so I can text your girl' (haha), Stormzy if you didn't clock on.

This year definitely has been Stormy's year.. Banger after Banger Stormy taken the industry by storm(see what i done there). Won of the first ever 'Best Grime act' MOBO award, Performer on 'Later with Jools Holland', Release hid EP 'Dreamers Disease' (the launch party was dope I must say), Found his Fire In The Booth, Shut down 'The Boiler Room', Shut down 'Culture Clash', Part of BBC's #Hotfor2015, Has his own radio show on Reprezent Radio, Touring with the likes of Lethal B and Wiley.. He's been a busy lad.

With one top producers at the moment, Dj Mustard, saying 'I heard the new dude Stormzy, he's dope'. Stormzy isn't far from world domination. It's crazy too see how far Stormzy has come in such a short amount of time. Earlier on in the year, I finally got to see the man in action, at an intimate  talent showcase in South London hosted by local talents; Mikes Comedian and Tommy Xpensive, with Stormzy being the main attraction amongst the various gifted acts. There was less than 100 people there and Stormzy said that had been in his element, taking the time out to connect with the crowd making sure his sore throat didn't set him back ,fair to say the crowd reciprocated his efforts and showed him the most love. fast foward a few months , to see him dominate the stage of the prestigious MOBO Awards &  demand the applause and well wishes 7000 members of the audience upon the reception of the "Best Grime act of 2014" is a vivid reminder that anything is possible.

Im sure in 2015 Stormzy and his Dj, DJ TiiNY will continue tearing up shows. If any chance Stormzy you're reading this.. Keep making the people proud sir.. oh, and Im waiting for that Wicked Skengman 4.

Keep up to date with his latest releases & perfomances via 

Twitter: @Stormzy1

Youtube: StomrzyTV

The Angels take London - Mayward Martindale (16/12/2014)

Tuesday December 2^nd, all eyes were set on the British capital of London. The chosen angels from all over the world had gracefully descended. For the first time ever, the stage was set in London’s Earls Court for the world’s most expensive runway show on the fashion calendar (seats came with a hefty £10,000 price tag). By far the opportunity to witness some of the world’s top models of our time rightfully earning the title of a Victoria’s Secret Angel. The show consisted of the total of 47 models including ten new angels. The likes of Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima celebrating their 15^th time walking on the runway and rightfully wearing the custom designed Dream Angels fantasy bras, worth $2 million by Mouawad jewellers who used 16, 000 rubies, diamonds and sapphires strung together with 18 carat gold and taking 1,380 hours to create.

The biggest show on the fashion calendar had six themes this year; Gilded Angels, Exotic Traveller, Fairy Tale, Dream Girl, University of Pink and Angel Ball. The models graced the runway in a variety of very sexy lingerie showing of their figures from the tough exercise routines they had to undergo in order to be an angel. With performances from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Arianna Grande and Taylor Swift the start studded, and very wealthy audience defiantly  enjoyed an eyeful.

Amongst the audience were Balmains  creative director Olivier Rousteing and legendary supermodel Miss Naomi Campbell and artist turn fashion idol Rihanna to name a few of the guests. Everyone partied it up at the after party with the models giving us life from their personal Instagram pictures, as well as the official Victoria’s secret page. The world renowned show will be aired for all to see on the 9^th of December as the fashion calendar comes to a close for this year. The show was by far the best to date as reported by fashion royalty in the form of Vogue amongst others and the anticipation for what 2015 is been watched closely as the new year draws close.

Mayward Martindale

(photo credits: vogue.com)