Still not sure if I should comment on this but here goes, MOBO was cringing for me, there were partsI could not bear to look so had to flick channels to sky ports to watch the wrestling for a while, then switch back in the hope of seeing Choong Family perform, I dont think that was live but hope it was as that will go in some way in explaining why the directing was crap and amateurish, award presenters not knowing where the big screen behind them was, producers of the show not waiting for the presenters to finish talking before the rush in the voice-overs(why is it at the Royal Albert Hall?) if the awards cant be filled, then it should be at the smaller venue, MOBO's as a concept was not meant to be mainstream, it ain´t the BRITS, so filling the venue is nigh on impossible with the current status quo.
Seating plans was comical at best hence the dull morose atmosphere, you need kids(15 year olds +) to be standing right in front of the main stage as they are the main cd buying age group and a chance to see their heroes is an exciting thing for them which generates the atmosphere a music awards night needs, not us in our 20's & 30's who will rather look cool and not nod our heads in appreciation yet alone clap or make noises.
The awards itself was a big joke, is it me but were the awards awarded mostly to folks associated with Def Jam/Universal, word on the street that Choong Family were initially among the nominees for Best Uk Newcomer:(Corrine Deserved the award) but was removed to make way for Lady Sovereign(recently signed to Def Jam), i heard this before the show so when i started watching i could actually correctly guess the winners before they were even announced, another one Best R&B: Rihanna(Def Jam), she aint even R&B, Best Song: Beyonce Ft Jay Z(one is hooked up with the boss of Def Jam, the other is the Boss of Def Jam), Best International Female: Beyonce(See Last Bracket), Best International Male: Jay Z(See second bracket before last) Best Video: Beyonce(You now see the pattern here), maybe that´s why Semtex (who should win because he is an inspiration to many didn´t because of his association with Def Jam) didn´t get an award for Best DJ.
I am miffed, absolutely miffed that Mary J Blige after 14 yrs in the business and still going strong did not win a single award, I love Beyonce but how can she be in any category yet when her album & single just came out, I thought awards were meant for achievements between the past 6-12 months? Mary's first week sales in America was over 730,000, Beyonce's which came out 2 weeks ago was around 540,000(fact) and she didn´t win best international female? Come on!!! Best thing the audience did all night was boo when Beyonce name was called out, this was not aimed at her but at the powers that be. I loved the idea of what MOBO's stood for but its now being influenced by corporations and influential record labels, MUSIC OF BLACK ORIGIN, don´t make me laugh, where is the Jazz Category? Soca? Calypso? Afro-Beat? Zouk? How will the next generation know where the music of today started and evolved from? .
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR NEXT REVIEW.

I dont do R&B only live shows, i think listening to live slushy music for 4 hrs is tedious, strictly Hip Hop for me, the only time i get to see R&B shows is if its co-headlining with a Hip Hop event, MUSIQ SOULCHILD is a dude that requires that exception, ever since i bought that NUTTY PROFFESSOR 2 soundtrack on Vinyl in 2000 and discovered his track "JUST FRIENDS" (SUNNY)" i say myself ''this dude is sick'' and decided to kep an eye on this cat, i think folks have unfairly branded him NU-SOUL, what that anyway? SOUL MUSIC IS SOUL MUSIC, just because the cat is from PHILLY, one automatically goes 'huh, he is just like BILAL'', no he aint this dude is a SOUL/R&B artist and is consistent.
Now to the show, started an hr late(what do u expect) with some local artists warming up and i have to mention thier names and show love (MR ALEXANDER, JOY SILVA & STREET JOURNALIST) Street Journalist has something to bring o the table so he will go far if he is with the right team(BIG UP HACKNEY), ALSO HAVE TO GIVE A BIG MENTION TO THE HOST FOR THE NIGHT, KAT, who as usual is still the funniest urban comedian in this country. The venue was filled to capacity(2000, i think 1800 of those females, prove that u dont have to be Justin Timberlake to pull numbers) Musiq came on and u can tell somehting big is going down tonight, i hope aspiring performers in the venue watched and learned how to control a crowd and grab thier attention, even with the songs the crowd didnt know, they were still rocking and swaying as he made them feel it, thats how u do it, coupled it crowd interaction which he did very well, even his dance moves were for the GROWN & SEXY(not what u will see Usher or Chris Brown do) very relaxed, slight hand & hip movements, a lil jump here or there when required to go with the flow of the beat(DID I MENTION IT WAS A FULL LIVE BACKING BAND AS WELL)
Just to cap get the night even crazier, MR SAMUEL L JACKSON(yup, him) showed up to pay his respects to Musiq, Musiq went on his knees as it was a suprise to him and everybody else at the venue to see him there.
Musoq is a star, 3 platinum albums confirm that, he has left Def Jam/Def Soul (they must be crazy down there) and is now signed to ATLANTIC, his fourth album will be out between October & January, I hope the new label makes him even bigger than he is as they both can take each other places. In the meantime go and get these Musiq classics:
1) AIJUSWANASEING (I just want to sing).
2) JUSLISEN.
3) SOULSTAR
.
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The release of T.I.'s fourth album, King, was designed to coincide with his big screen debut in the movie ATL - a rewarding business move indeed. The album itself is packaged with enough gems to make this one of T.I.'s most captivating albums ever.
Every king needs blaring horns and trumpets to announce his royal entry. T.I. does this keenly with the Just Blaze-produced "King Back," where he "welcomes you to get acquainted with the youngest in charge" while running through his rap catalog to enlighten those that slept. However, you can´t help observing the conceptual similarities to Jay-Z´s opening track from The Blueprint, "The Ruler's Back." Make no mistakes though, Tip´s slow-drawl, laid-back style is all his. The chart-topping single "What You Know" helps put mud-slingers in check over DJ Toomp's synth-heavy production. One can almost visualize a fan driving down the streets slowly nodding away, and mean-mugging at haters, asking: "what you know about that?"
After several years in the game, T.I. truly understands how to play the collaboration card, and King shows this strength as well. The most blissful synergy on the album is also the most unlikely one - "Good Life" featuring Common and Pharrell Williams. The Neptunes´ piano-tinged loops inspire T.I. to spit truth: "Even when my days were in the blues, never ran from adversity, just ran to it" with Common supplying equally ingenious rhymes. UGK fans are then treated to a pleasure trip on "Front Back," a revisit of Bun B and Pimp C´s classic "Front Back, Side To Side." Similarly, ATL heads would hail the Young Jeezy - T.I. connection on "I´m Straight" which also features a rejuvenated B.G. With the exception of few sonic mishaps like "Stand Up Guy" and the chaotic Swizz Beats production on "Get It," which do little to hurt the album's overrall outlook, T.I. manages to balance accessible gems with street anthems on King.
King is not only T.I.'s most captivating album so far, it's probably the best thing to come out of the "A" in recent times. And, as Pimp C explains on one of the album's many skits, a "king" is anyone that has handled his business acutely on the lyrical side of things, and many kings abound in southern rap. With such foraying display of bravado, T.I. has rightfully earned his membership to hip-hop's elite. Royal salute! .
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Shepherds Bush Empire was buzzing with long queues stretched limos and armed policemen. Big tings go-wan for real. So we made our way to the seats (Thanks Elton for sorting out tickets) and the first treat was some heavy break-dancing. Makosi and Simon from Blue were presenting. Dont know why, but the crowd seemed to boo each time Makosi changed clothes. Give the girl a break. On came SLK to do a good warm up job, The durable Godfather of British hip-hop, Black Twang definitely shook the house with his new single GCSE. LOC performed the catchy Ring ding ding tune and got nuff love, they cant really go wrong with that single but what next? Someone send that mad comedian Kodjo back to planet Laff-attack-tak. He is too funny for planet Earth. He had me crying at one stage. Medical student turned RnB singer J Sean was also on hand to wow the ladies with his smooth voice, Nathan gave him a run for his money though with a fine performance too.
Estelle was simply wicked. She performed her 1980 hit single but mixed it up with her own version of Ying yang`s the whisper song and Kanye`s Golddigger tune. Outstanding show from one of the UK`s leading female artists. The biggest cheers of the night went to man of the moment Lethal B and his supporting crew, when they dropped Pow the energy in the house hit maximum and the crowd just went crazy. The Mitchell brothers also got nuff love and do have a certain style about them. Akala (Ms Dynamite`s brother) performed well but didnt get much appreciation, maybe his intelligent and political lyrics need smoother beats or something to soften the blow. Roll deep were shaking a leg nicely. With so many of them on stage, would have been good to do another song. It was good to see Jazzy B a true pioneer representing. Mobo award winner Sway showed why he is a winner, His mini set of like 4 songs rocked. Choong family added some glamour to the night with a classic hip-hop performance and beautiful dancers. Dizzee Rascal and Kano were absent winners.
The African Caribbean Leukaemia trust, Anthony Nolan trust and supporters of DJ swing were there to give a heart moving appeal for blood donors. Please visit www.aclt.org or www.anthonynolan.org.uk to do something good. I have and it`s pretty straightforward. The night finished with a bang. We were treated to a massive collection of artists performing songs for the Mothers against guns, don`t trigger campaign CD. The tunes were heavy. There`s plenty more room for glitz, glamour and showbiz but all in all an excellent first night for the best of British awards .
TILL NEXT YEAR.

Glad to have an opportunity to finally see Mr James, for those who know, this is the much touted saviour of neo-soul on these shores, UK RnB/Soul has been much maligned of late with the apparent lack of originality and creativity which I personally find not to be the case in some cases, I think the talent is there it just needs major label confidence and backing, lets hope Nate James can help make that happen.
A couple of warm up performances by some good independent acts/bands and also a group that just auditioned on X FACTOR. He then stepped up and introduced himself before unleashing tracks from his new album: SET THE TONE, starting with the lead single of the same name, then to the current single which is clearly aimed for the mainstream charts, I was really impressed with his stage presence, also the ease in which he handled the covers he done by Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding, trust me if you know your stuff, these are hard covers to perform if you dont have it in you.
TILL NEXT YEAR.