Bob Marley Honoured

Late Legendary Bob Marley, a Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist  and one of the pioneers of reggae is being honoured by unveiling a green plaque at Battersea Park, London by Wandsworth Council on Saturday 25th October. Robert Nesta Bob Marley, a Rastafarian icon, who infused his music with a sense of spirituality and increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, used to play football at Battersea Park while recording Exodus with the Wailers. Marley who was born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, began his career in ’63, after forming the group Teenagers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, which eventually became the Wailers and … Continue reading Bob Marley Honoured

SattarBuksh wins trademark case against Starbucks

Sattar Buksh, a Karachi-based café owner famous for his humorous menu items like the “Besharam Burger”, LOC Pizza, got into trademark branding dispute with Starbucks. The multinational claimed that the resemblance in logo and name could confuse customers, dilute its brand and potentially infringe on trademark laws. When you think Starbucks, the multinational, you picture the iconic green siren. In Karachi two Pakistani entrepreneurs Rizwan Ahmad and Adnan Yousuf, opened a café called Sattarbuksh,  (buksh, meaning servant). They think it is parody not piracy. Although at first glance their logo resembled like a cheeky twin of Starbucks, except instead of mermaid, … Continue reading SattarBuksh wins trademark case against Starbucks

Imagine when John met Yoko

One to One John and Yoko – in cinemas now! Directed by Kevin Macdonald.  With Executive producer Brad Pitt. A Plan B film. Not only famous for being in The Beatles and being a groundbreaking performer, composer and songwriter, John Lennon met Yoko Ono in London at her art show and swept her off her feet. The Beatles broke up and John and Yoko took a two room apartment in Greenwich Village New York in the USA for 18 months  and enjoyed their romance and new life though continually campaigning at the same time against the American  Right Wing in particular the issue … Continue reading Imagine when John met Yoko

“Britain’s passion for esoteric Black music”

After the world war, the UK and America were the dominant forces responsible for emergence and evolution of nightclubs and electronic dance music from the 1950s onwards. Transatlantic Drift traces the rhythmic journey of dance music, following the pulse as it bounced between Europe, North America and Caribbean. Music, dance styles and nightclub spaces are not created in isolation; they are shaped by collective influences and shared experiences. Two British academics, Milestone, a sociologist, and Morrison, music journalism lecturer, reveals the interconnected story of dance music, taking in hotspots such as New York, Detroit, London, Manchester, Chicago, Düsseldorf and Ibiza. Britain’s love … Continue reading “Britain’s passion for esoteric Black music”

Spotify sold itself to major record labels as musicians earnings fell

Music critic and journalist, Liz Pelly, weaves an unsparing investigation into Spotify’s origins and influence on music, with incisive cultural criticism, illuminating how streaming is reshaping music for listeners and artists alike. If you stream a song on Spotify, how money does the artist make? Spotify has been profoundly damaging for all but the most commercially successful musicians and even shaped the kind of music that they make. Like several digital start-ups, Spotify, founded in Sweden in 2006 by tech entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, purported to be revolutionsing an industry when really it was just reinforcing the status … Continue reading Spotify sold itself to major record labels as musicians earnings fell

“Tabla King in whose hands, rhythm became magic,” dies aged 73

Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s greatest tabala players has died aged 73, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco. Hussain, the Indian classical music icon, was a four-time Grammy award winner  ( seven Grammy nominations, and has received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award. Using the table – a pair of drums used in Indian classical music an accompaniment to the main performance, he transformed the tabla into a globally loved solo instrument. Tributes have began pouring in, as the news of Hussain’s death broke. Nayan Gosh, a sitar and table player said. … Continue reading “Tabla King in whose hands, rhythm became magic,” dies aged 73

Rags to Riches

Rags to riches story of twice homeless man becoming multimillionaire entrepreneur, Dean Forbes has topped a list celebrating influential black Britons. Forbes has now been named number one on the Powerlist 2025, after being number two last year. Forbes overtak3s the place of British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful at the head of the list. Dean Forbes,  who grew up in a single-parent family on a housing estate in Lewisham living with his disabled mum, after failing to make it as a professional footballer, began his career in a call centre, but his entrepreneurial skills made him the boss of several software … Continue reading Rags to Riches

One Direction star Liam Payne died after falling from balcony

One Direction star 31-year-old, Liam Payne’s death outside the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, after falling from the third floor of the hotel balcony. Payne’s family have said they are “heartbroken”, adding “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind funny and brave soul”. A statement signed by Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan said: “we’re completely devastated by the new of Liam’s passing.  In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to … Continue reading One Direction star Liam Payne died after falling from balcony

Kakao founder Brian Kim arrest warrant

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday that it asked a judge to issue a warrant for Brian Kim (Kim Beom-su), the founder of internet giant Kakao. Financial regulators have accused Kakao executives of buying 240bn ( $178mn) of SM Entertainment shares to undermine a tender offer from rival bidder and K-pop agency Hybe. Kakao’s chief investment officer Bae Jae-hyun was arrested in October last year, bae has denied any wrongdoing. The decision to arrest Kim comes after South Korea  vowed to crack down on insider trading and share price manipulation to clean up the stock market and boost … Continue reading Kakao founder Brian Kim arrest warrant

Rich family’s trauma after kidnapping

In 1980, a wealthy successful businessman, a factory owner, Carl Fletcher, living with his wife Ruth and their two sons, Nathan and Bernard, on their big estate on Long Island, is kidnapped from his driveway in the nicest part of the nicest part of Long Island. He is brutalise, held for ransom and then returned to his family. Miraculously, carl, his wife and his three kids are left to move on with their lives and resume their prized places in the ongoing saga of the American dream. But nearly forty years later, when Carl’s mother dies, the trauma that has … Continue reading Rich family’s trauma after kidnapping