Knocked a big one off my bucket list earlier this year. For Complex, I spoke to a hip-hop great.
@icecube was in London for the Championship game of @thebig3 , his 3-on-3 basketball league. Besides the league’s creation and his plans for its future, we also talked about a few moments from his storied history, his countless contributions to hip-hop, and how time has humbled him.
Also managed to get my copy of Straight Outta Compton signed and even got the obligatory “competition winner meets a celeb” photo.
🔗 in bio!
This one’s been a very, very long time coming.
Way back in February 2021, just as the world was opening back up, one of the first post-lockdown trips I got was a quick flight up to Ballantine’s Speyside distillery in Aberdeenshire, which just so happened to be down the road from Keith (the place, allegedly my ancestral home), to meet a personal hero of mine: RZA.
Listening to Wu-Tang’s albums for the first time felt like listening to a film. Not just because RZA was sampling from a lot of old martial arts films, but because of the world-building.
When we sat down together we talked about storytelling, making sure history is recorded accurately, some key moments from Wu-Tang’s history, and his partnership with Ballantine’s Whisky. We covered a lot of ground in the brief time we had together. Hopefully, it makes for a good read.
*I also got the honour of being soundly and quickly destroyed on the chessboard, which I sadly do not have any photographic evidence of.
**He also bought me a kilt in my family’s tartan which is frankly a bit mad.
Swipe through to see a very white competition winner meeting a legend of rap >>>
🔗 IN BIO etc
🍊 Ay, ay, ay… 🍊
For @complex_uk , I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with @larryjunetfm when he touched down in London for his show with the @alanthechemist recently.
We spoke about his come-up, the idiosyncrasies of San Francisco and the Bay Area, how his hometown’s hustler mentality fuelled his rise, the city’s stock of innovators like Mac Dre, Too $hort and Keak Da Sneak, and how that history filters into what he does today.
Honestly, we covered a lot of ground and I think I managed to cram just about all of it into the word count. Regardless, this one’s got to be one of my favourite interviews.
Link in bio!
#JAPAN PT 3: Osaka
Completely forgot I never posted anything from the final leg of our honeymoon, so here it is. To be honest, it was probably partly a way of not putting the final full stop at the end of the most perfect three weeks imaginable.
Anyway, enjoy this selection of city shots, out of context screen grabs and touristy Godzilla stuff. Also had a big breakthrough in my “can’t wear hats” struggle. Turns out some hats actually fit me without looking completely terrible. So that’s exciting too.
Round 2 because they’re too good not to 🇫🇷
Eventually, one day, I will get round to posting photos from our honeymoon which was already over a month ago 👍
Finally, some good news!
Kicked off this month by getting married to the love of my life and I still can’t believe it!
Don’t be put out that you weren’t invited. This was a family only affair, BUT we are planning a UK party for friends and business acquaintances.
See you all this summer ❤️
My 2024: 31 flights, 14 cities, 10 countries.
Some highs, a couple of sad trombone moments, and a lot change. This year, I became an uncle (twice), planned a wedding, and wore some pretty snappy outfits if I do say so myself. Roll on 2025!
First time in Oslo and it was pretty spectacular. Made some new friends, nearly disgraced myself and had my eardrums blown to pieces by Arca. Lovely stuff ❤️
