J*9 interviews Diss Miss of Dutty Girls

J*9:Tell me, why did you call yourselves ‘Dutty Girl’?
Diss Miss: ‘Dutty Girl’ wasn’t a crew name, but it was a club night that I’d launched 6 years ago. I liked the name because it just seemed to sum up what I was trying to do with the night. Of course not everybody will take it in the same way as I meant it, it just seems to resonate with people, and that’s what a name ideally needs to do! I was doing bar work in a Jamaican pub in Bristol, The Star and Garter. The landlord there is nicknamed ‘Dutty Ken’ my friend who also worked there wrote ‘dutty girl’ really small on the corner of her T-shirt. I’d noticed it, and I said: ‘Please, please, I have to have that name for my night!!’ I really liked it and it’s all a bit of fun really! The name is similar to how Missy Elliott took the name ‘bitch’ and used it to talk about her, switched it and made it positive. Calling ourselves ‘Dutty’ was a risk of course; some people don’t get it at all!! It’s about owning your own sexuality as a woman (yawn, yawn I know!), but we really are truly ourselves, just normal girls!! We don’t believe you have to act like either sluts or tomboys to be accepted in hip-hop or bass driven music. Hopefully we are just the happy medium!



J*9:What has the reception been like to Dutty Girl?
Diss Miss: Really, really good! We have been lucky to do a lot so far and have had some great experiences supporting other acts and doing a bit of traveling. We also had a lot of success with our regular club night. We had some great acts come down over the five years like; No.Lay, Tor, C.Mone, Tali, DJ Sarah Love, Graziella and more. We’ve scaled down to do a small monthly crew night now because it was all just so much work, and we had to prioritise. We have more time to get on with our studio stuff, which needed to take precedence for now. We’ve done a few festivals and carnivals so far, and this year we’re getting ready to hit Bloc Weekender in March with all our own material, we can’t wait to blow up the spot! It’s one of our first chances to bring our finished tracks to a big audience, up until now we were more of a DJ/MC thing, now it’s more of a finished act.

J*9:How do you all collaborate with each other?
Diss Miss: DJ Dazee and I work together on the production, using Logic mainly to make the backing tracks for the MCs and Singers. They have a lot of lyrics and songs that are ready for beats so we’re just keeping the instrumentals coming to keep up with them at the moment! Sometimes they tell us what kind of track they want, or they give us the lyrics so we can make a track to go with it, and sometimes we just make a track and give it to them to do something with. We all work together in different ways though, whether it’s DJing together, making mix tapes, coming up with song ideas, we’re just all good friends really, so all the ideas come from just hanging out together and acting really stupid (which probably gets really annoying for other people!

J*9:You are perhaps one of the few female hip-hop collectives comprising of the 4 elements, what was your aim with this?
Diss Miss: To be honest that was always my aim, but it hasn’t quite worked out like that. We have DJs, Producers and MCs but are still yet to bring in Graf writers and Girls. Over the years I’ve met some girls that either graf or break-dance but we’ve never really gelled in to a crew yet. I think that the girls that are in the crew mainly came together because of the music, it’s our first true love and the relationships just happened. If we were to meet B-girl or graf girls that were into the same music and had a similar attitude to life then I think it would definitely work. But the possibility is always there, we could easily bring together a lot of girls from all elements to represent the Dutty Girl ethos and do a J*9: A as a crew and individually you have supported some big names like Estelle ?uest love, Dj Jazzy Jeff, how did that happen?
Diss Miss: Yes, it’s been fantastic! I supported Est’elle myself, as a DJ that was great fun! It was few years ago now, before she went so big! But I had a good chance to meet her and even interviewed her, she was a really, really nice person! I’m so glad to see a UK female mc/singer make it so big! I think it must all be down to her great attitude on life! I supported ?uestlove last year too, he is a real hero of mine so that was something else, he was so lovely, I could hardly speak to him much though as I was so nervous of playing just before him! Generally, I guess we’ve been lucky and we’ve built up our act and our reputation well, so a lot of people in Bristol and beyond are hearing about what we do and booking us.

J*9:What is your favorite genre of music?
Diss Miss: If you had asked me that question five years ago I would have said ‘Hip Hop’ at the drop of a hat! I’m still tempted to, but now I’m so much more versatile in what I like. I think good music is good music, and obviously we each have our own perception of what that is, but luckily some of us do agree on it! I’m definitely big on baselines, I love Reggae, and I guess a lot of what I like is some kind a derivation. So if my life depended on it and I could only listen to one genre ever again, it would probably be that!

J*9:What was the first record you bought?
Prince – Purple rain!

J*9:How did you first get into hip-hop?
Diss Miss: My most prominent memory of it is when I was about 13, my best friend’s brother was driving us home from school and was playing a ‘2 Live Crew’ album in his car. I was hooked from there on! I was just amazed with what they were saying and knew I had to find out more! I’d already heard some popular hip-hop of course but that was my first taste of some real underground stuff. I guess the obsession started from then on.

J*9:How did you first start DJing?
Diss Miss:I first started DJing in the late 90s, I was getting into hip-hop more and more and just started to amass a collection of records. Any serious record collector knows that real compulsive need to just HAVE certain records and the NEED to just keep on collecting! So I ended up with a massive collection over time. I also had some good friends that DJ and I used to go to their nights and parties all the time, and although I loved what they played I’d noticed that quite often they would lose the crowd as there would often be a dip in the vibe when they weren’t really playing the right tunes to keep us dancing. It frustrated me and I realised I would be much happier behind the decks than I was on the dance floor. That way I would be able to keep the tunes coming and keep on dancing too!



J*9:What is more important, beats or lyrics?
Diss Miss: Totally equal, a good balance of the two would be perfect! But, if I’m hearing something new I look for innovation in a track

J*9:What are the key ingredients of getting the crowd going?
LDiss Miss:t’s all about reading the crowd, it seems obvious to say but some people still don’t get it I guess! You have to be true to yourself and play what you think is truly good of course, but you really do have to play for others. I’ve played all sorts of crowds and I think it’s at least 50% about being prepared for anything, making sure you have back-ups in your bag! I think I’m a versatile DJ I may go to a gig expecting to play loads of new dubstep you’ll get there and realise it’s not going to go down well, so I’ll end up playing dancehall or something. But at least the people are happy and they’ve danced. I can’t stand when DJs are so bloody minded they want to play all the fresh dub plates they have and don’t care if people are getting into it.

J*9: You also run female hip-hop nights are it important that they’re specific events just for women?
Diss Miss: The nights we used to run did involve mainly female acts, but there would generally always be some male input on the night, whether it was for the open mic or whether they were actually on the poster itself. But it was always important to do it mainly as a female thing as it was about showcasing female talents and giving the girls their own platform for that. The crowd liked it because of the lack of ego; machismo and boisterousness that you might expect at a lot of male led hip-hop nights. Some girls find it very hard to come up against the guys and that is not because they aren’t as good, but it’s just that females are often less aggressive in their approach and much more humble generally, so they find it hard to fight for the spotlight sometimes.



I used to think it was very important to have it all separated like that, and I guess it was, just to give the girls the opportunity, but I’m a little bit less bothered now to be honest, I think we’ve done it for long enough now! I used to be on this whole-hearted mission to get women more noticed in hip-hop! And to some extent I guess we did, but now it’s time for us to put our own music first and stand up in the music scene regardless of our genre. The mission is the same though. I just realised after a while that we could put on night after night in Bristol and not make much of a difference to the big picture, where as we can release our own tunes and start a revolution! Ha ha!

J*9:Do you feel compromised to play other female hip-hop stuff?
Diss Miss:To be honest, I would never play anything because I felt I should. I’ve built up a great collection of female hip-hop, because I was interested in knowing what had come before, but I don’t play much of it out. My mantra as a DJ is to play good music that people want to dance to. I’m not a radio DJ or a chill out DJ. I play so that people can dance! I would be more likely to play some ‘Salt and Pepa, Missy Elliott or JJ Fad’ in my set than some Jean Grae, although I probably have more real respect for her as an artist than the others, if that makes sense! I’ll listen to Jean Grae at home, and when I’m out I play what works on the dance floor. There’s always room for innovation or a wildcard in my sets but a lot of female hip-hop is not dance floor worthy sadly. That’s why with Dutty Girl we do make music for dance floors; we’re not moaning on about our hormones and trying to be quirky all the time.


J*9:As women in hip-hop is it our responsibility to support each other to build a community?
Diss Miss: Absolutely! It’s everybody’s responsibility to build healthy relationships in life anyway and it’s always important to support people and build regardless. Where women in hip hop are concerned it becomes just as - if not more important, like any minority group we need to have networks and support for each other. I find it really sad when some women don’t see it the same way. I guess we have that thing of being so few and far between that some believe there isn’t going to be enough slices of pie to go round, so they get nervous and on the offence all the time. It’s just not productive though is it?



J*9:You have your own shop, how did that kick off?
Diss Miss: I started the Dutty Girl shop not long after I had started the club night; it was something I just fell into really. I’d been ill and had had to take time out of work, so as I was getting back on my feet I was wondering what to do, I knew that hip hop was what I needed to do with my life (as it were!!), but I had to find something that would keep me busy and make me money day to day. One day when I was down at the record shop in the market, the guy there, who I knew quite well, suggested that I rent a shop, as the unit next to his was coming up for lease. It just felt right, so without much thought I did it! I started selling vintage clothing, some customised clothing I made myself and I got some Dutty Girl merchandise made up – hoodies, t-shirts etc. It worked for me because it felt like it was all still incorporated into the music still. We’ve moved now to a bigger shop and I have a business partner, so it’s great having someone to share it all with and it’s a much bigger space. I love having a window to display stuff too! We launched our website recently and the online shop is coming very soon!

J*9:Do you have any up coming projects?
Diss Miss: We are working on putting out an EP and we’ve just started working with a manager so things are looking good. We’re putting together a line-up for next month’s Weapon of Choice night here in Bristol, which is kind of like Bristol’s ‘Secret wars’. It’s an all-female line up again so that should be really fun, and there are a couple of really good female writers doing the boards, so that’s really exciting. Other than that we’re just hoping for lots of festival action this year and we’re getting on with studio stuff. I think 2010 could be really good for us! Starting with Bloc Weekend!

Images
Group picture: DJ SafeSoul, MC Sarah B, Singer Klair, DJ Izzy, DJ Diss Miss, DJ Dazee

Check out the Dutty Girls on:
http://www.myspace.com/duttygirlmusic
http://twitter.com/DuttyGirl
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dutty-Girl/21513380633?ref=ts

j*9 interviews D-Sew

It is cold, its January and I am running five minutes late to meet D-Sew a female rapper from East London. It was a huge pleasure to meet her and have chat about her music, influences and plans for the future. Our conversation started out on a positive note - as we were both wearing matching checkered shirts. Check the interview below.

J*9: How were you exposed to music?
D-Sew: My first tape was Michael Jackson ‘Bad’; I have been influenced by the Bollywood scene, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran. Also my Sister in the late 80’s early 90’s was into Bobby Brown, Prince & Cookie Crew so I became exposed to the soulful side of music. When I was young I was in a group with my cousin and we used to do showcases for our family. She used to do the dancing and I took more control in the singing

J*9: How did you first start writing?
D-Sew: I was 11 and my first song was a love song. I was just writing about my feelings at the time. I liked this guy and he just overlooked me, it really hurt my feelings and so I thought I need to write this down.

J*9: When did you start spitting?
D-Sew: When I was like 16or 17 and I used to write poetry. During this time I started listening to Rinse and Kool fm when drum & bass was at its peak in the mid 90’s with DJs like Micky Finn, IC3. I started to construct my words in more of a rhyme and I used to pretend that I was actually emeceeing on the radio.

J*9: When was your first performance?
D-Sew: It was at school assembly and I did an acapella of Mariah Carey ‘Hero’ with two other girls from my music class. I felt like that I had a voice from that age. My first ‘proper’ performance was at the HQ in Brixton. I hadn’t performed in years and I felt like I blossomed and people around me were encouraging to do my thing.

J*9: How you talk and emcee you sound like two different people.
D-Sew: When you listen to Grime and Drum and Bass you are hearing these fast spitters and I grew up on that. I grew up listening to Wiley, Dirty Goods and Neeko they are not soft rappers they are in your face and that is how I evolved with my style.

J*9: How did you get involved with the People’s Army?
D-Sew: It was the launch of the very first People’s Army event in January 2008. I loved their revolutionary ideas, the beliefs and causes, standing up for justice. It was through word of mouth and got to meet Logic and Lowkey [Members of People’s Army]. I was really feeling the movement and thought I will back it.

J*9: Are you affiliated with any other collectives?
D-Sew: Black Piranhas are a collective of very diverse musicians of producers, rappers, singers. It’s just us coming to together making tracks. I like them for different reasons it is more musical love.

J*9: How do you get our name out there?
D-Sew: I am trying to kick down doors; the [music] label industry is closed. We are not being heard enough and you have to do it yourself nowadays; creating your own empire and put your music out there. So I do my podcast and invite everyone in and play everyone else’s music. I also network a lot by going to events and building up contacts.


J*9: Hip-hop that people are listening, buying and seeing is really materialistic and shallow, as a conscious rapper how do you feel?
D-Sew: What like 50 Cent?

J*9: Yea, for example.
D-Sew: Putting the materialistic video’s, the bling and all the rest aside when it comes to 50 cent, I think he is still an iconic role model to a lot of people in the sense that he has a business head on him & a great focus. He came through & up going through extreme experiences in life and where he is now well I commend him for it in that perspective.

J*9: My problem is that he doesn’t live that lifestyle anymore so why are you still talking about it?
D-Sew: I think 50 cent still raps about his past experiences merged into his current lifestyle because may be he just can’t let go of his past. Why he gets so much attention is because he knows how to make money. He uses that as his focus and talks about the rougher side of life. He’s always been about the money and that comes across in his music relating to his current lifestyle and how he was hustling back in the day. I think that is the key relation in his music and why he often brings up his past.

J*9: What rappers do you listen too?
D-Sew: Mos Def, he breaks it down. I love him because I feel he is true to hip-hop. J Dilla I love his productions and that is how I got into making beats.

J*9: How do you know when you got a good beat?
D-Sew: It’s a buzz that I get in the belly, you can play a synth and if you tweak it up slightly and put some base into it goes from this sounds alright to yeah I am feeling it. I usually stick to playing the melody first, then layering various instruments around it & then finally adding drums. To get that yeahhhhh affect & buzz I would then tweak everything up using tools in the mixing process.


J*9: I heard you met DJ Kool Herc?
D-Sew: Yea I did when I went out to America in August [2009] in the Streets of the Bronx. DJ Ready Cee arranged the hook up on that one. What a moment that was!

J*9: Wow. You met a hip-hop pioneer.
D-Sew: [She laughs] I managed to get him on camera. Words cannot describe that experience. For him to shout me out was amazing. He felt a vibe in me which was special. He lives up to his name definitely.

J*9: What projects are you working on?
D-Sew: I feel like I have so much of myself to show, I am working on individual solo project that will be out in 2010 and it will show my skills and my passion for music. It is something that been working on my own and it will represent me. I want it to be organic and pure and pretty much original.

Check D-Sew on:
The D-Sew Show - www.dsewmusic.podomatic.com
Youtube - www.youtube.com/dsewtv
Twitter - www.twitter.com/dsew
Gmail - dsew.music@gmail.com

j*9 interviews Choxanne from all female graffiti crew 'Girls on Top'

Choxannne is graffiti artist and has been doing so for the past twelve years, she is part of the respected all femle graffiti crew Girls on Top. She was also involved in the UK’s first and only all female graffiti exhibition in 2008 and is a part of Paint My Panda customisation street art crew.

j*9:What got you involving in writing?
Choxanne: I used to see loads of really good graffiti on my way to a youth club when I was about 14 or 15 but never did it myself. I was more trying to be a skateboarder; I just liked what I saw around me really and got more and more interested until I started doing it myself. I had always liked painting and drawing as a hobby so it was definitely something I should be doing.

j*9:How long have u been writing?
Choxanne: I have been writing graffiti for 12 years

j*9:What did your first bomb feel like?
Choxanne: I was nervous about getting caught but did more!

j*9:Have you ever been caught doing illegal’s?
Choxanne: No comment!

j*9:How would you describe your style?
Choxanne: Funky fresh

j*9:Who have you collaborated with?
Choxanne: Kelzo Akel, Skyhigh and Luna more than most

j*9:What it like taking part in Girls on Top, the UK first female graffiti exhibition?
Choxanne: Well the crew had only just expanded so it was early days, it was good for us because we got quite a bit of attention from it but a lot of the crew weren’t really ready for the show and I think that showed in the work, so while it was fun and a new project to do it wasn’t a tight enough show for any longevity


j*9:Was it through this exhibition the Girls on Top Crew formed?
Choxanne: No it formed years ago but got revived when I started painting with Mira, I then held a girl jam in 2007 and invited a load of different girls to paint for fun and from then I expanded the crew and we got offered the show from that I think.

j*9:What do you females stand for?
Choxanne: Free thinking & fressssssssssh attitudes.


j*9:What do you think of the UK graff scene?
Choxanne: I think there’s a lot of talent around and very skilled artists but there is also a lot of negativity around and people dragging each other down. There is also not enough scope for a lot of writer’s talents we need bigger legal walls and shop shutters and buildings to be painted ideally but the councils actively discourage this, there is a lot of narrow mindedness towards the art form but then the UK is a bit backwards at times so I’m not really surprised! People still think you are mad for doing it as it’s hard to make money at the moment. But I am still here!

j*9:What place do you think women have in the UK Graff Scene?
Choxanne: A very small one! There really aren’t many girls pushing it here that i know of i could count them on one hand! There are a lot of talented artistic girls don't get me wrong there are more street artists but not many graffiti writers :(

j*9:Do you have any favourite artists on the scene at the moment?
Choxanne: mickey & phemme9 are my favourite female graffiti writers; they have great funky styles not just technical ability

j*9:Are women starting to get some recognition?
Choxanne: Only the ones who work really hard or have been writing for ages, you can’t fake it
j*9:Tell me about any upcoming projects you may have?
Choxanne: I am part of a company called paint my panda which specialises in hand painted denim jackets (inspired by the old New York painted jackets) and other fashion items like caps, bags and shoes, along with private commissions, live painting at events and youth projects, so far it has been received pretty well, and I have a couple of big murals to paint next year, I am glad to still be painting :)

Check Choxanne at:
www.paintmypanda.com
www.myspace.com/girlsontopgraff
www.flickr.com/thcuk
www.flickr.com/paintmypanda

Hip-hop Feminism Literature

Earlier this year, I purchased a few books on hip-hop feminism to help me along my way of creating BITCHES. In fact I can say, all of these books had a huge influence in my understanding of ‘black feminism’ and how it differs from ‘feminism’ which to be fair is based upon the experience of white middle class women. More importantly, how women are used as a currency of exploitation by mainstream hip-hop. (I say mainstream because conscious stuff, as it name sake is not interested in that rap). All of these women refer to themselves as ‘hip-hop feminist’ they grew up in the culture, appreciate it but yet see so many flaws in terms of the construction of masculinity and femininity. It also rooted my knowledge of all these females who were as the pioneers of hip-hop but for some reason they are never mentioned or given a shout out. So if you have the time please do check out these books.

j*9 interviews DJ Ychuck

J*9: You have an unsual DJ name, how did Where did you get your name from?
DJ Ychuck: My last name is Onyschuk. It’s kind of a difficult last name to pronounce (its Ukrainian) and people are constantly saying it wrong! They have called me 'O-chuck', 'oni-chuck','ychuck.’’ When I said ‘ychuck’, my friends were like 'that's a wicked name...that's your DJ name!' It's a funny name and it's stuck with me through time. Some of my best friends call me Chuckie!

J*9: How did you get into hip-hop?
DJ Ychuck: I started getting into hip-hop when I was at high school. I think I first heard real underground hip-hop on a ninja tune compilation that a nice person who worked at a record store gave to me. I also listened to a lot of college radio, and fell in love with late night underground hip-hop sets. I bought all the Tribe Called Quest records, and kept progressing from there.

J*9: What was the first record you bought?
DJ Ychuck: The first full length 12" I bought was Pussy Galore! On Pussy Foot Records. It’s a great compilation! http://www.discogs.com/Various-Pussy-Galore/release/205196

J*9: How did you first start DJing?
DJ Ychuck: I started DJing when I was seventeen. I actually grew up in the height of North American rave culture, and got into drum and bass before I got into hip-hop. I always used to hang out beside the DJ booth, and I remember being mesmerized by what the DJ was doing with all the knobs and faders. My dad bought me my first DJ mixer as a graduation present, and I set up a bunch of old turntables (they didn't even have pitch control on them!) and tried to start mixing records. Later on I saved up to get some real DJ gear, I spun records with a lot of buddies, played in a lot of people's basements, and made a lot of 'train wreck' mixes along the way while I learned how to make mixtapes!


J*9: Have you played in other parts of the world?
DJ Ychuck: So far, I've been lucky enough to play in the US, and in Europe. In the US, I played in San Francisco. I was actually invited by QBert to appear on his 'Turntable TV' DVD series, and while I was filming down there I played at a club with DJ 8-Ball (DMC West Coast Champion)and Rafik (DMC World Champion) Last year, I was gigging in Germany for six months. The highlight of the trip was playing at the We B Girlz Hip-hop Festival, where I opened up for Bahamadia and Roxanne Shante.

J*9: You are also turntablist DJ, how did u start that?
DJ Ychuck: I was actually really lucky that I discovered turntablism! When I was younger, I used to hang out at a graffiti store. In addition to djing, my little sister was into painting graffiti (she's a dope visual artist, I used to mostly bomb) and we used to go pick up paint and markers and I'd shop for records. I used to buy drum and bass records, while my sister would check out the paint. We met a nice guy who worked at the store, and he knew that I really dug my turntables. He recommended that I check out some ITF videos. I bought an ITF video, and that night my sister and popped the VHS tape in the player and were totally stunned after we watched the first DJ's battle routine. I think it was the first time that we ever saw a DJ scratch and juggle! We must have watched the tape about four times that night. Around this time, (2000-2001) there were still a lot of raves going on in Toronto (my hometown) and I was able to see amazing turntablists at raves in big venues. I was going to raves every weekend to see DJs like Roc Raida, Swamp, Klever, A-Trak and the Funky Teknicianz. It was an incredible time.

After a few months of carefully observing real DJs, I was totally motivated to learn the art of turntablism. I was lucky enough to find a mentor, DJ Labo, who taught me to properly scratch and juggle. This was around 2000-2001, which is now considered to be one of the 'golden eras' of turntablism. He also introduced me to the Toronto battle scene, and to a whole lot of really good DJs (Toronto produces some of the sickest turntablists on the planet!!!) I couldn't get enough of the turntables...I actually dropped out of college (I was studying jazz guitar at the time) so I could have more time to practice scratching!

J*9: What is more important, beats or lyrics?
DJ Ychuck: I used to think it was the beats, because I'm really into listening to productions, and I really enjoy the soundscapes that producers create. However, these days, I'm really feeling lyrics too, although sometimes I listen to the flow of the lyrics more than the words. But I think it's really important to have a strong message you want to communicate as well. I know that lyrics can sometimes 'speak' to people in a way that they can easily understand, and make a song truly memorable. In a well written song, both elements are equally important.

J*9: What are the key ingredients of getting the crowd going?
DJ Ychuck: Playing the right records at the right time and of course making sure that you have some bangers in your crate too. I think that a good DJ really takes his or her time to build up a set, and focuses on taking their audience on a real journey.

J*9: Is it easier for girls being DJs?
DJ Ychuck: I think that it's a challenging for anyone to be a good DJ!

J*9: Does your gender affect the type of music you play?
DJ Ychuck: Absolutely not. I play what I feel is right for the moment. I think that the message that I want to communicate to my audience determines the type of music that I play.

J*9: Do you feel compromised to play other female hip-hop stuff?
DJ Ychuck: No. I really like a lot of female artists (like Missy, M.I.A. Beyonce and Mary J. Blige to name a few), but I play their tracks because they make dope records, not because they're females. I play music if it's good...I'm not concerned with the gender of the person who made it. I do think that women have certain strength to them though, and I like it when female artists channel their funky, soulful vibes into the music they create.

J*9: As women in hip-hop is it our responsibility to support each other to build a community?
DJ Ychuck: I think that people should support each other. Men should support women and vice versa. The only way that the earth will ever really be able to progress is if everyone begins to work and build together.

J*9: What is the future of hip-hop?
DJ Ychuck: I think hip-hop is going to be further influenced by electronica and dubstep. I've been hearing lots of really cool, wonky electronic hip-hop coming out of cities like LA. There are some really good artists out there right now like Nosaj Thing, and Flying Lotus who are pushing the music in a new direction. Today I just heard of this producer called Shlohmo who's really original and makes really spacious, futuristic beats. I also make produce some new school hip-hop beats under the name Sara Simms so you'll want to check out some of my productions in 2010.

Photography, creative direction and makeup and styling by: Melle Oh
Additional styling by: Shehan McLelland
Jewellery by Crushed

Check out DJ Ychuck on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUk3WILeMAY&fmt=22
http://www.djychuck.com
http://www.facebook.com/djychuck
http://www.myspace.com/djychuck

My New Fashion Icon

I have decided that after 10 years of watching the ‘Fresh Prince of Bell-Air’ that the character Hilary had an amazing wardrobe. So to pay homage to this forget style icon, I will try my upmost best to relive her fashion-forward outfits. I squeal in excitement as I write this, I can’t believe her savviness only came to my attention now.

She encapsulated the nineties body-con style that was at a fever pitch from fashion designers like Alaia Azzedine down to every single rap artists music videos. The bold-block-colours, Chanel 2.55 handbags and round-toe-mid-heels all screams 1992.

So, it shall by new look of 2010.

Some Old Skool Fun

Here is some old skool hip-hop tunes I found in my mum's shed. I believe that shed of her's is a Narnia to music of the past. Enjoy.