E.P Reviews - Sasha Keable and Rhodes

                    Sasha Keable 

Is it me or does the title remind you of one of those fancy teas that you might get in Shoreditch, lol maybe it’s just me. If you haven’t given this EP a listen I highly recommend that you stop what you’re doing and devote 15 minutes and 55 seconds to 4 tracks of soulful pop/R&B.

The best way to describe this EP would be 80's infused. It was  actually a joy to listen to, with it having a very chilled out and soulful vibe. Which served as  a perfect backdrop for this summer weather, well when it wasn’t pouring down with rain.

The follow up to her 2013 debut EP, ‘Black Book’, this  eclectic mix features classics  such  as ‘Memories’ and ‘6”4’; as well as one my favourites,‘Sweetest Talk. 

Sasha Keable is a South London native, which is also where I grew up, just thought I’d  chuck that in there. She keeps it very real in this EP, which is evident on the  tracks like ‘Living Without You’. She muses about ‘selfishly’ dumping an ex, poor guy.  We all know break up can be hard.

 She manages to do all this whilst balancing an irresistible slice of modern mid-tempo R&B, with  '80s/early '90s R&B. This really showcases Sasha's diversity and her love for denim jeans, hoop earrings and Timberland boots.

The future looks bright for Miss Keable as the soulful songstress has signed to a label Disturbing London, which is home to names like Tinie Tempah, Jessie J and G Frsh.

                        Rhodes 

24-year-old singer, Rhodes, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire. I go to Hertfordshire University so I like him already. The four song EP was produced by Ian Grimble, who has worked with the likes of Tim Bran and Roy Kerr which highlight and showcase the raw talent of Rhodes.

My first thought upon listening to his EP entitled ‘Morning’ was  wow is he moody? Rhodes' music is no laughing matter. Really, it isn't. It's very serious and solemn, with lots of echo and whatever else studio types use to give a sense of space and drama.

The lead track off the EP and the debut single ‘Your Soul’ showcases Rhodes’ impressive sound of gentle percussion over an electric guitar with heartfelt vocals –wipes eyes-  projecting a yearning  that his lyrics suggest ‘I am holding on and on and on and on…’; sounds like he needs a hug doesn’t he. The title track, ‘Morning’ is a stand out track, the raw simplicity in sound and soulful vocals are qualities that really stood out for me as a listener and really show his quality as an artist. 

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All things considered, 'Morning' is a sterling collection of songs that it'd be well worth your time to check out. If you're unfamiliar with Rhodes, I'd suggest checking out his first EP 'Raise your Love' before fully engaging with this one.

Last minute.com : Christmas In July

 *rant mode* 

Guys you know when you’re enjoying that beautiful sleep, dreaming about your favourite celebrity – mine is Beyoncé- and someone comes along and ruins it. Well that’s exactly what happened to me this morning. 

There was an Christmas in July press event that took place earlier on today in Shoreditch, but guess when I was informed that this event was going down ….today. I had to rush out of bed, jump in the shower, eat my coco pops and find some white socks- by now you should know how I feel about my white socks – within the hour. Oh and it gets better, it was boiling hot and clever me had decided to wear all black, just great ; Bisoye, I blame you !!

Needless to say I still I had a great experience looking at all the collections, from the jewellery to the clothes; there was even some fancy luggage on show.  I have added some pictures of the different collections I saw.

Amy karine

Charli Cohen

Pearly 

Just next time all I ask is for a little heads up, so my Beyoncé dreams don’t get interrupted, is that too much to ask? I think not.

Felicities PR "Christmas in July" Press Day

Christmas has come early people. I know a lot of you are thinking what on earth are you on about Victor?

Well I am going to tell you, don’t you worry. Felicities Issue hosted a press day in their Shoreditch showroom today and we at BloTV were invited along to go and check it out, and boy I’m I happy we did.

Normally my knowledge on fashion stretches from about Topman and ends at Zara, but today I feel almost like a new man, I got a chance to get a closer look at some designers which I had never heard of before. I was almost  like a kid in a candy store going from one amazing  collection to the next. The exhibition featured talented designers such as Shilpa with her statement headpieces to Early Morning Rebel, a music group based in LA who have created a  casual, ready to wear range which features their signature with each item, I thought it was pretty cool. 

                                                                     Amy Karine

One of my personal favourites was by David Longshaw. The simplicity of his designs, along with his use of basic colours, quirky images and choice of texture were all factors that garnered my interest;  it was evident that a lot of thought had gone into  making each piece. What made his collection so memorable to me was that he named them after different animals – you read me  right, he actually does that – this seasons was no different with Beryl the badger taking centre stage . The designer  does not just stop with the name but  creates a whole character for these animals, which he made into a book. I for one am definitely getting my copy tonight .

Then there are those of you who love the gym- of which I am certainly not, but just cannot figure out how to make your gym attire look cool, well never fear for Victor is here, with the perfect solution; and her name is Charli Cohen. 

Her collection is tailored around luxury performance and by the looks of it a lot of orange. Her designs are not only comfortable but also stylish in the same breat , therefore  you no longer have  to worry about  bumping into your friends on your way back from the gym because Charli is  going to have you looking fly as a kite.

Was that a Thank You Victor I just heard you say to yourself; well your welcome.

Battle Rap: Victors Choice Of The Week: T Top

Alright guys, let get straight down to it.

For those who saw my post on the Joe Budden Vs Hollow Da Don; this week I am going to be giving you something different. 

What is it you ask? Well it was I like to call my rappers choice of the week- sounds a bit like a menu haha. Anyway every week I will profile a new battle rapper; discussing why I like his/her particular style, what I believe their strengths are  and pretty much why they I think they are cool.

This week we have * drum rolls for about five seconds * T Top. 

First of all on behalf of T Top I just want to apologise for such a poor choice, for a name, but you know what they say; everyone makes mistakes. 

Battle rap is very confrontational by nature, T Top embodies this through his aggressive demeanour and undeniable stage presence, giving you no option but to take notice. His combination of punchlines and aggression, just make you want to break a Kit Kat bar for no reason –at least that’s how he makes me feel anyway. 

                                                                       T Top Vs City Towers

One of his breakout battles was against rapper Jon Jon da Don. In this battle  T Top was ‘wiggin’, that’s a term the battlers always use. He was confident and in control, he showed the crowd he could hang in there with one of battle raps elite. From start to finish he did not let up, consistently hitting Jon Jon with hard hitting rhymes back to back, which left the crowd in awe and me needing some water from all the screaming . 

And that ladies and gentlemen is why T Top is my choice for this week, feel free to watch a few of his battles and thank me later . 

New Kid On The (Blo)ck : The BloTern Project

Yo Billy's and Susan's, don't worry I’ll explain later. My name is Victor Osagu.

Who are you? I sense you asking. Well I am an intern at BloTV. Why should I care you say? Well primarily because I am cool. But also because I am responsible for recounting the events and artists that BloTV is assigned to, I will take you on a journey of what it is to be an intern for BloTV.  As well as this I will be simultaneously giving you an insight into me as an individual, pretty much just showing you guys how cool I am – well sometimes lol.

So be prepared to read about my obsession with white socks, yes I said white socks to my passion for battle rap, Ooo I do love me some battle rap.

Get ready for this journey we are about to embark on, should be fun and a lot of laughs ....I hope* bites nails*.

Recap: Battle Rap: Hollow Da Don Vs Joe Budden

People, people, people – yes you – stop whatever you are doing now, because the biggest battle of all time just took place this past weekend between Hollow da Don and Joe Budden. 

A lot of you may not know this but battle rap is one of my greatest passions, well minus food anyway, so I could hardly believe it when it was first announced that this encounter was going to take place. To actually see it come to fruition was nothing short of monumental. 

If you haven’t got a chance to watch it yet, you need to. Well after you read my post of course. I constantly had to pause the battle at certain segments, so I could scream, jump and azonto in special cases - don’t judge me – as a result of the high level of performance that both artists displayed. Joe Budden gave a good account of himself, delivering the odd haymaker, which had me nodding my head in approval on numerous occasions. Although his decision to sport a velour tracksuit, made him look like he wanted to go to bed rather than a battle – but that’s none of my business. But Hollow, oh Hollow, Hollow, Hollow; had me doing all sorts of flips around the room with his material; he was flawless in my opinion.

If that was exciting enough, a fight almost took place between the two. After Hollow accused Joe of hitting his former partner Tahiry, for a second it actually felt like someone was about to throw a punch, that is how tense it got between the two.

Ultimately Hollow ended the night victorious and deservedly so in my opinion, and now Joe can go back to bed, Goodnight.