Black History Month, October 2022, saw the unveiling of the Nubian Jak, Blue Plaque, on the former residence of Chris Blackwell's Island Records, in St. Peter's Square, in west London. This was a "must attend" event for me, as a former signee on the Label, in the guise of a ragga/rap group that we had formed, initially called LFPD, but then rebranded as GateCrash Ragga Terror.I.S.T.S back in 1989.

With myself, good friend Sheldon, and Gilly, who were political MC activists at the core, GateCrash was instrumental in the formation of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R Movement (Black Rhyme Organisation To Help Equal Rights) and if memory serves me correctly, I actually came up with that name. We released a record on a subject that was probably political suicide called: Beyond the 16th Parallel, which highlighted the racist injustices in the then Aparthied South Africa, featuring a whole roster of British rap groups.

Island Records were brave enough to see the project through, and as a charity record, all proceeds were donated to Sickle Cell anemia, and to the ANC, who were then classed as a terrorist group in South Africa. The record reached number five in the British rap charts, and the audio managed to find a featured spot, in the background on an episode of East Enders.

Timestamps
0:00 Three little Birds
1:42 Sonny Roberts Planitone Studio
3:25 The Simmerans
4:36 High Tension
5:36 The Mayor
6:00 The Architect Residents
6:53 Local Councillor
7:30 Former Managing Director
11:10 Former signees, High Tension
15:43 Statement by Chris Blackwell
16:30 Jak Beaulah plaque unveilling
17:31 Blue Plaque montage
22:31 Tribute to BROTHER MOVEMENT
23:03 Kwaku BBMC closing comments

свернуть