Gems - Road To Damascus

Gems is an music artists from South East London who released his debut album 'Road To Damascus’ last year, which has accumulated immense support on and off line. Overall, he uses his craft to illustrate his life and the things he’s been through, which initially started as a hobby when he was in prison in 1999.

Outside of music Gems works as an outreach & development worker for the Princes Trust, where he works with 16-25 year old helping them into employment and education. He has worked with young people for 6 years were he has acted as a holistic mentor, facilitating music workshops and life skills sessions.

I thought I’d catch up with him to find out more about his audience, sacrifices, collaborations and more.

What do you do and where did it start?

That’s a great question. To be honest it is really hard to pinpoint and single out one specific thing but if we are talking in regards to what I do musically, I would say I am a rapper and a song writer. I initially started rapping or free-styling in 1999 as a hobby and just to pass time whilst incarcerated in prison.

Who are your audience and how do you appeal to them?

I have never been one to pigeon hole myself so I would say my music has and does currently appeal to individuals that possess a diverse musical taste.   In addition to that the audiences that I have performed to and that have given me feedback have all hailed from different walks of life and different countries with rap not necessarily being there first love. But ultimately one thing that they do all have in common is that they share a genuine appreciation for music that is honest, transparent and depicts real life.

How has the scene changed and what impact has this had on you as artists?

The scene has changed immensely from when I first started out in a number of ways.  Not to sound too much like an old man (laughs) back then when I started rapping there was no Youtube, Twitter, Facebook or any of the other social networking tools to help you promote your gifting’s. So the power of the internet has given the music industry a massive facelift.  At present from one click of a button the whole world can be exposed to your music in the matter of seconds as before it was a much more hands on practical approach which involved more leg work.

Back then you also relied more on the radio stations, DJs and video channels to help promote you – though those components of the game have not lost their value they are no longer the only ways to market yourself as the mediums and outlets for music have grown.  Also there were only a handful of artists doing rap music in comparison to now were we have seen a massive influx and rise in the UK with so many up and coming artists’ grafting on the underground as well as the mainstream  ones taking the charts by storm.

In summary I would say the artistry levels have progressed and evolved as well as the public’s appreciation and acceptance for the art form expanding immensely.

When did you make the transition from music as career in comparison to it being a hobby and what does it mean to you?

It’s crazy because I work full time, been married for nearly 6 years as well as do music – so it’s a massive balancing act. I would say though I started taking music seriously in 2004. After taking some time out in 2005 my seriousness kicked back in around 2007. To me music is a way to express thoughts, feelings and capture emotions and convey them in your own creative style. I now realise the importance much more as what you say can have a massive effect on your listeners whether it be good or bad. For me I see music as a way to promote Jesus and highlight how great he is.

Have you made any sacrifices to pursue your career, if so what where they and has it been worth it, any regrets?

Many sacrifices have to be made in life especially if you have a goal or dream that you would like to see transition into a reality. I have had to make quite a few on my musical journey with two coming to mind. First sacrifice as mentioned above was when I took some out from music mid 2005 which in hindsight proved to be a defining moment for me as I was going through loads of internal changes which then began to have a massive positive impact on my outlook on life.  At the time I was so focused on music that if I had not nipped it in the bud it could have become a huge hindrance in my change process, as music took up a lot of my time and required extreme focus and attention.

I became a Christian in late 2005 and realised that God was more concerned with my soul and character than my musical gifting’s.  So in taking time out I learned that you should ‘’never let your gift take you where your character can’t keep you’’.  To some it may seem like I took a step back when in fact at times I did think that as well but now when I look at it I have seen the great impact that it has had on me as a person and writer to this present day.  But it was actually a sacrifice that has helped my music career.

Also when it comes to money (laughs) I have gone without buying certain things that I may need/want to be able to invest into my career.

Regrets – can’t say I have any – everything has been one massive class room experience as I have learned some priceless truths on my travels and picked up some valuable nuggets.

Where is the best place music has taken you?

Music has allowed me to perform in a vast amount of diverse arenas in and out of the country. Some of these places include -universities, schools, night clubs, churches and Notting hill & Manchester carnivals.  I have been overly fortunate to perform in Germany at a massive youth conference which was an experience of a lifetime as well as gig in Wales. The most diverse setting I have performed in would be when I performed at a massive conference in Bournemouth which was full of politicians, judges, dignitaries and professional practitioners from all over the country.

Who have you collaborated with and who do you plan to work with in the future?

I have collaborated with Mobo award winner Jahaziel, Dwayne Tryumf and Linslee Campbell who is a great musician that has worked with likes of the Light House Family. I have also worked with a few British underground gospel artists as well as working with a rapper from Michigan (USA) by the name of Colt Sack and not to mention SLR (Street Light Rimes) and songstress Shivon Bailey.

Who do I plan to work with in the future? (Laughs) loose lips sink ships we’ll see what the future has in store.

What can we expect from you in 2012?

I am still promoting my mix tape - Road 2 Damascus- which came out in 2011. This is still available for download at www.gems-music.com. You can also be kept up to date with all my latest songs and videos via my site as well. I will be releasing a compilation CD which will be a collaborative effort from myself and my partner in rhyme SLR which is titled ‘’The Great Invitation’’. You can also expect more videos & features as well as a few exclusive treats.

For more of Gems, log on to his Official Site.

Kozy - Ali Kosé

After covering tracks from the likes of Lil Wayne, Maroon 5, Jessie J, John Legend and more he’s managed to accumulate more than 50,000 YouTube views. Not only is this South London male a songwriter, but a producer, singer and composer that uses his craft to work with disaffected young people in his local community, where they've worked together to set up an independent radio station.

Kozy formally known as Ali is a musician who started MC'ing at the age of 16, where he made the commitment to write songs to reflect the social times in which he lived.

Since then he has grown from strength the strength expanding his craft. I thought I’d catch up with him to find out more.

‘I sing, song write, play multiple instruments, produce and compose music from different genres. Says Kozy, he continues, ‘when I was 12 I started playing guitar’ from there on he began to develop his love for music. He continues, ‘when I was around 21 years old, I started singing and i found my passion for music grew stronger and before I knew it was taking vocal lessons to develop my unique voice.

For Kozy, Music is ‘self-fulfilment and spiritual healing’; he explains ‘when I sing I feel happy, I feel complete and pure in my soul.

‘My audience are people who enjoy genuine vocal gymnastics and the appreciation of a well-trained voice. Usually, people who feel music from the heart and soul can relate to my raw approach.’

‘My natural focus, versatile vocal range as well as my ability to sing in a pop genre, sweeps across the board and finds its charm into fusing with any given genre of music. I think appeal to people through adapting my lyrics to all age groups and writing songs everyone can relate to.‘

‘I am inspired by Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Motown, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Queen, Frank Sinatra, Baby Face, Boys 2 Men, Fugees, Wyclef, Dru Hill, Musiq Soul Child, Glen Lewis, Pharell Williams, Ginuwine,  Donell Jones, Jon B, 2 Pac, Bob Marley, Damien Marley, Joe, Miguel, Sade, Dr Dre, Dark Child, Destinys Child, Turkish artists, Latin music, film music.’

‘Pretty much anything I can enjoy listening to and take an influence from to help my creativity. The reason why I love music in general is because of Michael Jackson.'

'His tape was bought for me when I was 5 years old in the 80's and from there I fell in love. I’m passionate about all genres of music but, I especially appreciate production from the likes of Quincy Jones for his versatility across the board, especially in film and music production.’

He would say that 3 crucial qualities of a musician are ‘feeling, uniqueness and ability to convey a message’. He explains, ‘A musician should be almost like an actor who can make you feel the theme of the story he or she is narrating through the flow of a unique expression and role play.'

When asked what we can expect from him in the future he says. ‘I’m at the stage of recording my professional original material. So you can expect to hear some unique sounds that I’ve composed wrote & produced myself, with some spectacular music video concepts to go with that. Once that’s done I’ll be touring all around the world making my merchandise available.'

For more of Kozy you can log on to his Official Site as well as follow him via Twitter and Youtube.

L Momrelle - The Easy EP & Blue Bars series

Although he’s a full time student he dabbles in music part-time which has allowed him to work with over 25 up and coming artist from South London, namely MC Tigz and Bartoven. He says “as soon as I finish my degree this year music is going to be a lifestyle.”

L Momrelle is a musician from South London who plans to take his music career to the next plateau after his studies. I caught up with him to find out where it all started, who he’s collaborated with and his plans for the future.

'I'm a music producer from Lewisham; I've worked with loads of musicians from Lewisham and worked in 5 studios as a recording and mixing engineer.

'I mainly produce, but I dabble in everything music wise other than singing and dancing.'


'It all started Primary school; everyone would mess around rapping and beat boxing in the playground and rap to monophonic ringtones. Then in secondary school it just continued and over time progressed.

'I found that I was much better at anything creative like art, music and media than subjects like history, geography and science. So after my GCSEs I studied music technology at college and loved it which is where it all really started for me.'

‘When I make music, my focus varies, it depends on the situation.  Sometimes I'll have something in mind that I want to make so I'll focus on capturing a feeling, or sometimes I want to make something better than my last beat, so I try to outdo myself.'

'With the 2 projects I'm working on “The Easy EP” series and “Blue Bars series” I'm focusing on making good music with people from the borough - Blue Bars - and focusing on making the deepest music based on sampling - Easy EP.’

‘At the moment there isn't really a set audience, it’s just people that like my music so it ranges from young aspiring teens to adults. Ideally I'd like to appeal to everyone and anyone but more importantly I have to make what I enjoy making, so anyone that hears my stuff and likes it is my target audience.'

Some of his inspirations include Ryan Leslie, 40, Terrah Danjah and Davinche. He explains ‘Ryan Leslie and 40 - Drakes main producer - are big inspirations because in my opinion they’re the best, but I have respect for producers like Terrah Danjah and Davinche because they've done a lot for the scene I basically grew up in.'

He decided to take his music more professional during his ‘final year of university.’

He explains, ‘I felt I've secured "the normal" lifestyle, meaning I could have a stable job with my degree, but instead I want that to be something to fall back on. What I really want is to take my producing skills as far as possible and just do my best.'

When asked what 3 important qualities of a musician and why, he replies are ‘their personality, being genuine and being good at their craft,’ he elaborates, ‘it’s important to show personality because then people like the artist and not just the music.'

'Being appeal to appeal to a wider audience is important but, it’s just annoying when the person’s not genuine, like they're just trying to do music because its kool but they have nothing to say.

'If you’re trying to be a lyrical artist and your contents not good then it’s just not good! But if you’re trying to be a wavey mc and your contents wack but your mad wavey then you’re good. If an artist does all the above then they're good.'

When asked what we can expect from him in the future he says ‘Loads of collaborations, the “Easy EP” and "Blue Bars" series.

'A lot of work with MC Tigz and Bartoven - I'm feeling them at the moment - Grime, Rap and possibly some Bashment. Just expect the unexpected really...'

For more of L Momrelle log on to his Official Site, listen to his music via Soudcloud and Youtube and follow him via Twitter and Facebook .