Written By Saskia Kabongo   By Dennis Morris Camden is loud.  It’s music from passing cars. It’s sirens at night. It’s aunties calling from windows. It’s children knocking on doors asking, “Can they come out?” Its estate parks are full in the summer and empty when the police drive past. It’s vibrant, it's culture. It’s pride. But it’s also poverty. It’s growing up fast. It’s learning rules that aren’t written down. It’s schools that sometimes feel more like survival than supp

I got off the 75 and headed into a night that was full of surprises. When walking into this venue in Lewisham. That as a Lewisham native I had never been to, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew most of the acts performing like N4T and Ceebo. But what I didn’t know was these acts were no longer small budding artists within the scene that no-one really knew about. So much had changed. I took a seat near the back and began observing what was happening. People interacting ,

Written by Elisha Kiala “The belief that, ‘Women submitting is just a humble repayment for good dead’s instead of a gendered expectation” - Tee Noir Shot by Dennis Morris Within the Pentacostal church there is a hyperfocus on black girls, in the way they use their bodies, and express beauty. This enviroment demonstrates the parallels between sexuality and purity. Growing up in this environment made me think about how when your sexuality is suppressed,  it can affect the way y

Still from Boyz In The Hood (1991) dir. John Singleton When I entered my first year of university I was oblivious to the fact that I lacked taste. But what did this mean exactly? For all my life up until this point I was up to date on all the drill mixtapes, black cinema releases and all the things that made up youth culture for me. I grew up watching cult classics like Love and Basketball (2000)   , Coach Carter  (2005) and best of all  Boyz In the Hood (1991). To me these w

Photo from Notting Hill Carnival Ishmael Reed and Boots Riley on the Document journal discuss ‘the art of cultural agitation’. In this interview, in regards to Hip Hop turning 50 Boots Riley suggests that this campaign was marketing and not culture. Popular media has a way of propelling blackness as something anyone can participate and buy into. Hip Hop turning 50 is an example of this. It made it look as though it meant something to everyone. However, this historical event i

Written by Elisha Kiala Why does the night have to be so beautiful? As I walk through the night, I remember what Mitsutsuka said to me....

Written by Elisha Kiala (Image from Latoya Fraziers ‘Notion of Family' To age or not to age? A choice we don't choose to make, though I...