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By Royal appointmentBy Royal appointmentBy Royal appointmentBy Royal appointmentBy Royal appointmentGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The PoetGeorge The Poet

24 � THE VOICE JANUARY 10 - 16, 2013

SET FOR SUCCESS!

7

WHEN THE CEO of the UK’s largestindependent online fashion retailerwas looking for new music for theASOS website, he chose the soundsof Kevin Ossie Akushie.

The 24-year-old CambridgeUniversity student’s unique blend ofintelligent lyrics and infectiousrhythms can now be heard accom-panying catwalk clips seen by mil-lions of shoppers all over the world.

Ossie – or Zeeko Inc, as he is knownon stage – has been writing and pro-ducing music since the age of 14. He

says his music is inspired by his par-ents “who met in a gospel group andalways made sure there was aninstrument around the house”

He produces and works with web-sites such as Grime Daily – an onlineurban network for new artists – andstill finds time to study for hisEconomics degree and engage inuniversity life.

Ossie has also managed to secure aSales and Trading summer internshipwith investment bank UBS.

Kevin Ossie Akushie

KendrickLamarwas dis-coveredby hip-hop vet-eran DrDre so he’salready in the besthands for a long and illustriouscareer

B r i t i s hcomedianS h a b b ahas beenm a k i n gg r e a twaves onthe under-ground for the past year. Hiswinning mix of stand up andcelebrity impressions are sureto see his stock rise this year

The Def Jam Americansinger was formerly signed toT.U.G and EpicRecords,but left tocontinuehereduca-tion. Herdebutalbum is setfor release later this year

T h eChicago-born rap-per wassigned toRick Ross’M a y b a c hMusic Group alongside starssuch as Omarion and MeekMill last year. He has beennamed one of the “25 hottestartists under 25” byMetromix.com

Laura is a British singer fromBirmingham who is signed toSony subsidiary RCA. InDecember, it was announcedthat she hadbeenshort-listedfor the2013Critics’ChoiceBRIT Awards

9 10

17

11 1312 14 15

The 19-year-old Britishheptathlete competed inthe 2012 LondonOlympics. In September,Johnson-Thompson wasnominated for theEuropeanAthleticsRising Staraward.

The 23-year-old actress is thelead charac-ter in thenew BBCT h r e ec o m e d yS o m eGirls. In2013 she willappear in British film Gone TooFar

16

The Jamaican-born footballer,who plays for Liverpool and theEnglish national team, signedto the Premier League team foran initial fee of £600,000 in2010. He was rewarded for hisexcellent per-formancesby beinggiven anew con-tract inDecember

3 4Having gained considerablecriticalacclaimwithinthe UKscene,K Kokehassigned withJay-Z’s Roc Nation label, aplace where singers Rihannaand Rita Ora call home

6 8

Lashana made her silver screendebut in Brit flick Fast Girls lastyear. She isalso a tal-e n t e dwriter ands i n g e r ,who we’resure we’ll beseeing a lotmore of in the coming months

WILIFRED ZAHA:

KENDRICK LAMAR:2The US rapper has

released four criticallyacclaimed mix tapes. Lastmonth it was announced thatshe had been nominated forthe Sound of 2013 poll, anannual list made up by musiccritics andindustry fig-ures tofind them o s tpromisingnew musictalent

1All Gold Everything signalledthe arrival of American (by wayof Trinidad) rapper TrinidadJames. He has signed a majorrecord deal with Def JamRecordings andis the CEOof hisownrecordlabelGoldGangRecords

TRINIDAD JAMES: K KOKE: 5

PARKER IGHILE: JHENÉ AIKO:SHABBA THECOMEDIAN:

London-based singer ParkerIghile is rapper Nicki Minaj’sfirst signing. Parker is one halfof British produc-tion duoParkerandJameswhohaveworkedwith UKsingers Jessie Jand Angel

RAHEEM STERLING:LASHANA LYNCH:NATALIE DUNCAN:

ROCKIE FRESH: LAURA MVULA:

UK rapper Mic Righteous, whowe featuredon thecover ofYV lastw e e k ,is justb e g i n -ning tofind main-stream applause. He will bereleasing his debut LP OpenMic later this year

ANGEL HAZE:

The soul singer fromNottingham released thedebut album Devil In Me lastyear to critical acclaim. Sheappeared on Later… WithJools Hollandand sup-portedBritishbandMuse ontheirEuropean tour

MIC RIGHTEOUS:

CrystalPalacestriker,WilfredZahamade hisdebut forthe Englandnational team last year. He isset for a big move to a PremierLeague club imminently.

ADELAYO ADEDAYO:KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSON:

LEWIS APPIAGYEI:

We predict even bigger thingsfor this nine-year-old motor rac-ing star, who was named JuniorRookie Cadetof 2012.Lewis isconfidentthat he,too, canemulate thefeats of hisFormula One hero LewisHamilton

With every year, a new star is born. We list a selection.

Dear Kat,

There is a girl who is cyber-bullying me and the weird part is Idon’t even know why. She is in my class at school and got angrywhen we both auditioned for a part in our end of year play and I gotit.

It’s easy to say ignore her because she is jealous and I’vestopped checking her Twitter because looking at her irritates me.

Although she has not said anything to me directly, she keepshinting that the part belongs to her or is she plotting to take it fromme?

Yaya, 15

Hi Yaya

Jealousy is an ugly trait and yes, although it’s ‘easy’ for me totell you to ignore it, that’s exactly what you have to do. The unfor-tunate thing about someone else’s jealously is that you can’t doanything to stop them feeling that way, without sacrificing the per-son you are. That is not an option!

You got the part fair and square. It may take her a while to getused to the idea, but she will eventually have to make peace withthis reality.

I know it’s painful for you right now, but please keep your headheld high and stay as happy as you can, despite the situation.Draw closer to the positive people in your life and let their energyfuel your day rather than allowing the negative people to fill youup with their own hurt and insecurities.

JANUARY 10 - 16, 2013 THE VOICE � 25

FOR HIS entire life,George The Poet hasstraddled twoworlds: the estateand academia.

Born on the notorious StRaphael’s Estate in north-westLondon, the 21-year-old, realname George Mpanga, has suc-cessfully battled preconceivednotions about black men birthedfrom its high concrete walls togain three A grade A-levels, asubsequent place at CambridgeUniversity and positioned himselfas one of London’s leadingyoung wordsmiths.

“It’s a bit of a myth whenyou’re told that kids from estatesaren’t interested in school,” hesays.

“What is quite interestingabout our area is that despite thelow success rate among a lot ofyoung men, we all want it. We’reall from a background thatencourages it, I was just lucky

enough for everything to workout for me.”

The poet’s Ugandan parents,who had witnessed many ofGeorge’s friends turn to a life ofa crime, focused their energy onensuring that their son wasafforded the best education theycould. He was schooled outsideof his area and admits that thiswas a learning curve in itself.

“My school ran a tight ship.You couldn’t really act upbecause it had a strong discipli-nary system and clear ideology. Irealised that the outside worldsaw little value in the estateexperience. This made me angry.That anger grew with my aware-ness of our relegation to theperipheries of society and that’swhen grime found me.”

George found solace in theBritish genre and developed aunique style in which to tell hisstory.

In probably one of his most

poignant pieces entitled Estate ofMind, he reflects: “I’m from aplace where a lot of people diefor nothing… We’re stuck in a‘hood. Do you know what a hooddoes? It absorbs the rain and itblocks out the sun, it stores thepain and it knocks out the fun.”

He says: “My poetry camefrom rap. It became poetry onlywhen I wanted to communicatebetter with the audience.”

George performed rap locallyat youth clubs and other venuesfrom the age of 15. At 18, afterenrolling in university, he beganconcentrating on the art form,building up a strong following onYouTube where postings of hisperformances have collectivelygarnered over one million hits todate. It was these performancesthat caught the eye of seniorbroadcasting executives.

Last year George was chosenas the face of BBC’s HackneyWeekend ad campaign, seen by

thousands who attended thesold out two-day festival in theeast London borough. He recitedMy City, a poem which urgesinner city youngsters to aspire toa life beyond crime and grindingpoverty.

Describing 2012 as “the defin-ing year of my life,” he says thathe realised just how far he couldgo.

“I think that was a turning pointfor me. Before, I was open to sug-gestions, I didn’t have an agenda,but now I have and I owe that to2012.”

He also built up an impressiveceleb fanbase throughout thetrailblazing 365 days, one of themost notable being hip-hop leg-end Nas, whom he supported ata recent live show.

At the mention of the US rap-per’s name, George’s tone movesfrom laid back to jubilant in a mat-ter of seconds.

“It feels amazing, man. I willnever be able to express that feel-ing in words. It’s very humblingbut, at the same time, it gives youa sense of perspective so if this iswhat can happen out of a hobby,something I did in my spare time,imagine what could happen if Itreated it as a career. Imagine allof the people I could get on side.”

Already cheering him on is UKrapper Wretch 32 and singersKyra and Jacob Banks with whomhe shares the same manage-ment.

“I’m so privileged to be workingwith these people. It’s not like I’mmaking the best out of whoever Iget, this is the crème de la crème.These people are so good, thesepeople are pioneers and it’s anhonour. Whenever I hear them orthey share new stuff with me,

that’s inspiration for me.”A culmination of the poet’s

inspirations will make up thebasis of his landmark one-manshow at London’s Royal AlbertHall on January 14, an amazingfeat for the poet, who admits it’sa career-defining event.

On preparations for the show,which will take place on his 22ndbirthday, he said: “Everything isgoing good. I’m just a bit nerv-ous. Whenever you deliver apoem, you’re presenting yourraw thoughts. You think ‘how arethe audience going to receiveit?’ I always want the best so I’mworried about anything less thanthe best.”

Adding to the pressure is thatwithin the audience, no doubtspiced with celebrity fans, will betwo of his biggest.

“My parents will be there,which makes me more nervous.One of the best things aboutperforming is that you’re talkingto people that you don’t know.

“My mum is too real [when it

comes to constructive criticism],she’ll be like, ‘don’t you thinkyou should’ve got a haircut?Don’t you think that shirt is tootight?’” Currently running poetryworkshops for underprivilegedyoung people - using the£16,000 prize money from win-ning 2012 business-pitchingcompetition, The Stake - Georgesays his goal is to “force peopleto care more”.

“I think in areas like where I’mfrom, kids just don’t haveenough. If more people outsideof the situation cared, it would doa lot for them. Young people area lot smarter than we give themcredit for. I thought one of thebiggest battles would be con-vincing them that poetry is worth-while, but from the first session,they were like, ‘Yep, I’m involved.Teach me how to do it.’”

George The Poet will perform atthe Royal Albert Hall on Jan 14.For tickets, visitwww.royalalberthall.com

Rita Ora responded angrily to claims madeby Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan that

she is having an affair with label bossand rapper Jay-Z

“Neva eva will any1 includin ared head dum z listin attention

seekin wh**e try talk s**t aboutme& my family holly wateva the f

ur name is.”

FRANK OCEAN: LA police reportedly

arrested the singer forpossession of cannabis

and speeding.

KATT WILLIAMS: The troubled comedianwas allegedly charged

with child endangermentfollowing a search of his

home.

DRAKE: It was revealed the

hip-hop star made acool £26.7million fromworld tours last year.

JLS:Having performed 34

shows across Britain in2012, the boyband has

been named thecountry's ‘Hardest

Working Band.’

Mismatched, messy,embarrassing

SAMUEL L JACKSON:

Elegant,refined, simple

KIM KARDASHIAN:

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Rita Ora

UK wordsmith George The Poet talks to YV’s Dionne Grantabout his whirlwind year, graduating from Cambridge andmaking a fan out of hip-hop legend Nas

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