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Beat Magazine Awards 2012: Nominations Announced!

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22 Tribute to a Legend

Features

Contents

December 2012
5 Beat Awards 2012 11 50 Cent

News

We profile the career of Kano, one of the OGs of Grime and quite possibly the UKs greatest MC.

We announce the nominations for the 2012 Beat Magazine Awards. We get the latest from the G-Unit camp on the announcement of the release date for Street King Immortal, Fiftys latest alvum.

26 Millz Done Did It Again

We talk to one of the Uks hottest MCs, Millz, on the success of his second LP.

32 Saf-One

We bring you an exclusive interview with Londons next big MC, on his come up, his influences and his opinion on the album of the year.

45 Back Of The Net

We talk to Liverpool and England starlet Raheem Sterling about hip-hop, football, gaming and who hed pick in a fight between Suarez and Chipmunk.

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14 Suit And Tie

Justin Timberlake announces the release of his album, The 20/20 Experience, and releases a single with Jay-Z.

78 Boy Better Know

JME announces the dates for the grime supergroups upcoming tour on Twitter.

4 A word from our Editor 8 Hot Or Not? 21 Fashion Corner 40 Tweets of the Month 42 Video of the Month 66 A Day In My Life
This month we follow Black Hippy rapper Ab-Soul, and witness just how much dope he really smokes!

Regulars

52 And the Wait Continues

As we now enter the fourteenth year since the release of Dr. Dres last album, 2001, we ask; when will Detox drop?

64 Backpack Back?

With the rise of the Brooklyn group Pro Era, led by Joey Bada$$. we take a look at the return of backpack raps.

72 The Block is Hot

With hip-hop music in the UK at an alltime high, how have Londons estates and blocks helped inspire the revolution?

26

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e Awards 20 12

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y Dont make anIm comparisons, em all! better than th

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96 Upcoming Performances 102 Index

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Visit beatmagazine.com for more details. Offer ends 31st January 2013. International d! delivery charges may apply. ns Announce : Nominatio

saf-one speaks
There have been a lot of good albums this year. Life Is Good by Nas was definitely a great album. I also really liked Rick Ross album [God Forgives, I Dont]. But i think Id have to say good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar. All the different flows he includes in his raps is just amazing. It really is a classic for our generation.

album of the year

Thats a very tough question. In the last 2-3 years there has been an outburst of UK talent, its very hard to pick one in particular. Ive been bumping a lot of K-Koke this year, and Id definitely put him up there. I think if I had to choose one above all the others, it would have to be Wretch 32. But shout out to Lowkey too!

best mc in britain

Pac. No question. I mean I love Biggie, and Id definitely put him in my top 5 all time, but Pac is just on another level for me. Hes definitely been an inspiration to my music for a number of years, and one of my favourites for a number of years.

tupac or biggie?
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it seemed hard really been at first, i mean id ne a part of the vgang culand i wasnt exact on cars and gi ly splashing the write track rls, so it was hard s which stay ed real but could be successf ul.

I
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saf-one
the future of hip hop
Abdi: So finally, the man of the moment, UKs Kendrick Lamar, and youre here to talk to Beat Magazine about your rise to the top. Saf-One: Its blessed man, Im doing this for my fans whove supported me from my mixtapes and cyphers. A: Thats good. So take us the beginning, you dropped your first mixtape at 17 but say youve been rapping since you were 15? S: Yea man, Ive always been a hip-hop head since I was young, all my friends knew me as that hip-hop guy. And, to be honest, it wasnt till high school that I started rapping, for fun obviously. And all my friends told me that my bars were hot, so it just escalated from there. The first studio I went to was actually on the estate right next to my school. A few guys from the year above went there regularly, and they gave me the chance to have a session one day after school, and that was when I realised this was what I wanted to do.

n the world of hip-hop, where the UK has almost always played second fiddle to the US, weve never managed to come up with a rap phenomenon of our own. Sure, weve come close with Dizzee Rascal and S.A.S, and MCs like Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk and K-Koke might be flying the flag now, but British emcees still havent managed to blow across the pond the same way as over British music exports from other genres (One Direction and Coldplay to name a few). But it seems like the chart-topping album Story of My Life, with the hit singles Street Knowledge and Ghetto University, may have established 21 year old Safwan Khamouch, more commonly known as Saf-One, as not just one of the highly regarded emcees in Britain right now, but one of the best lyricists out right now. In an exclusive interview at the set of his latest music video Recognise, I managed to talk to Saf-One about the journey he has taken to get to the point hes at right now, and what he has in store for the future.

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A: So you started spitting for fun, but what helped you make that transition to the next step? S: Well, Id gone to the studio a few times, when I got a link to a producer in Stonebridge, Carl Johnson, whod worked with a number of different artists in London. He told me hed seen some of the videos Id put up on YouTube and said he wanted to help me put out my first mixtape. A: That must have been exciting? S: It was mad man, my first mixtape! I remember spending hours on end in the studio just writing bars upon bars. And I also spent a lot of time watch Carl and a few of the others making the beats and producing the tracks, I really wanted to learn everything about the process so that I could do it myself one day. A: So you worked on the tape, and when it finally dropped it was a massive success. S: I really couldnt believe it man, [Street Economics] did much better than I thought it would, especially cause I was taking such a risk bringing out some lyrically conscious shit when the game in London was all about repping your ends or shotting. Let me tell you, I was on the bus to college one day, and 5 guys came up to my deck, all hooded up, and I swear I was so surprised when I could hear Mathematics muffling out of one of their headphones. Im glad they didnt

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recognise me though, it was tough at first handling the fame. A: Ill tell you man, when you dropped Street Econ, it was like a breath of fresh air to the game, and a lot of us here at Beat were really liking it. S: Well I appreciate it man, I mean its great when others not only enjoy the music that Im listening to, but really understand the message Im trying to give out, especially the youngers man. A: So you were setting the mixtape game on fire for a few years, when did you begin working on SOML? S: It was around the summer of 2011, I was talking to my manager about some upcoming tour dates when he said that weve got enough buzz now to start on a debut album. It was scary at first, I mean I didnt think I was ready to start selling records yet, but Tony [Vercetti, Saf-Ones manager] helped me out a lot and my team were all behind me too which was cool, shout outs to all of them! A: Thats cool. So were did you find the inspiration for what some are calling the best debut album in a decade? S: It seemed hard at first, I mean Id

never really been a part of the gang culture and I wasnt exactly splashing the cash on cars and girls, so it was hard to write tracks which stayed real but yet could be successful. But I just took inspiration from Street Econ, and also a lot of the current affairs going on around the world to help me come up with the content for my LP. I also took a lot of inspiration from some of my favourite rappers, Nas, Pac, Dre. But I also listened to a lot of the UK music that I grew up with which helped give me some inspiration to write about shit which was going on around me, you know. A: So you would consider yourself a conscious rapper? S: Oh yea, for sure. I mean, when it comes to the time when I put my mic down and end it, I want to be remembered as someone who had something important to say. And it also keeps my music relevant, as Im always on top of whats going on and whats important. A: Surely it must have been a bit scary, especially seeing as you dropped it on an indie label.

S: Well I just saw that as an opportunity to express myself properly to a mainstream stage. I wanted to make sure that my first album was a true expression of what I am as a rapper. I didnt want any label or A&R holding me back and changing my image, and I feel that I have done that in this album. A: So SOML dropped a few months ago, and charted at #1 on the iTunes list, how did you feel at first? Cause I mean, youd know become massive on an international level? S: I mean it was crazy, bruv. It was hard at first getting to grips with people from your school listening to your songs, but having that recognition around the world is crazy! I mean I saw a picture of me on a Moroccan news station the other day, I mean thats some crazy shit! But I enjoyed it, you know, I mean I was getting front row seats at all the big music awards, free clothes from my favourite labels, even tickets to go see Chelsea at the FA Cup Final! Big up Drogba! I mean, it was just fun really.

A: It sounds like you were having a good time. But a lot of reports coming out at the time suggested that you were letting it all get to your head, especially on that Radio 1Xtra interview in September, why dont you talk us through your motives? S: Well, I was just clowning around, you know. I didnt really think my comments would get taken too seriously. But there was some intent in there. I mean, Ive always been a grounded guy, but youve got to have some confidence in yourself, otherwise youll just fall off. I mean, its flattering when Im compared to some of the greats, but I got to tell them, dont make any comparisons because Im better than them all. And that isnt even me trying to be bigheaded, but Ive got to have some confidence about my abilities, otherwise who will? A: So you believe that you have managed to stay grounded throughout this? S: I would like to think so, yes. I mean I love to do what I do, and the opportunity to do it is a massive blessing, and I have to be thankful to those who supported me and rode for me throughout. A: Thats blessed to here. It has also been reported that you recently visited your old school and funding a new scheme for their music department. S: Well it was the least I could do. I know for a fact that for every rapper like me coming out in London there is about 20 others at school and on the

streets trying to make it, I just wanted to give them that platform to grow. A: Thats true. So know youve basked in your glory, when are you going to come back with them hard bars for us? S: Well Im going on tour in the New Year and Ill be putting up some more dates which are yet to be announced on my Twitter. Ive also got some more projects coming up soon which Ill have to keep classified for now. A: Whats it like touring the country, having started out doing performances at small clubs and raves? S: Its just a humbling feeling, you know. I never ever thought Id go on and make it this big! To break that glass ceiling and be able to go out and perform in the biggest arenas in the UK is mad! A: Do you have any plans to one day be able to tour abroad? S: Oh for sure, you gotta aim big. I mean it would be wonderful to tour Europe and overseas. I mean the States, Australia, Japan? That would be incredible. A: If you had one dream venue to perform at, where would it be? S: Wembley Stadium and Madison Square Gardens. I chose MSG for obvious reasons. I mean, its the greatest arena in the world. All the amazing sporting and musical moments which have occurred in that place is just magical. And I chose Wembley Stadium because its such a massive stadium, and obviously growing up a few miles from it and seeing it all the time just fuelled my dream to perform there in front of thousands of people. A: And what about your next album, when are we going to hear some of your new work? S: Ah you guys are so impatient! Nah, hopefully Ill start work on a new album sometime in the autumn of 2013, but watch out for some mixtapes and singles Ill be releasing in the meantime. A: Have you thought of a concept for this album? As we all know some of your best work has come from a concept, an idea. S: Well lets just see what happens in the next year or so, and Ill probably use some of those experiences for inspiration.

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profile
name: safwan khamouch age: 21 born: south london influences: jay-z, nas, tupac, wiley favourite rapper: tupac worst rapper: soulja boy favourite song: old school - tupac favourite album: illmatic - nas favourite group: wu tang clan 38