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 Speechless. That was my immediate reaction when I learned about the death of Cadet (real name Blaine Cameron Johnson) as a result of a car crash on his way to perform at a university. Cadet’s sudden and unexpected death was honestly the last thing I expected to read on my Twitter timeline on Sunday 10th February. With a slot booked in Wireless and having just featured on the popular 'Trendy' track, 2019 was set to be an even bigger year for one of grime’s most impressive lyrical MCs. An inexplicable death of young talent like Cadet makes you ask God: Why though? I did not know Cadet personally in any way other than through his Commitment EPs and other tracks where he featured but, as many people have pointed out, he was such an authentic rapper through his raw lyrics that you felt like you knew him on some level. Having watched the heartfelt videos of a memorial gathering in Hyde Park which I was sadly unable to attend, I decided to honour the Clapham rapper by listing my top five Cadet tracks. So, without further ado: CADET! CADET! 5. Cadet - Wanna Know Why (Album: The Commitment)The riddim on this track reminds of the old grime sound from the Channel U days. When I would listen to this during my gym workouts, the energy and pure hype had me lifting weights and making angry faces at the gym. If you want that hype Cadet track, this one definitely does it. 4. Da Beatfreakz x AJ x Deno x Swarmz x Cadet - PumpyObviously, this is not a strictly Cadet track however, of the tracks Cadet as appeared on, this one is my personal favourite. I love his flow and the playfully boastful lyrics: "She wants the ball like she's Pele" and "I got asthma let me pump that" always bring a stupid grin to my face. 3. Cadet - Don't It Take Personal (Album: The Commitment 2)In my opinion, this is the best track on The Commitment 2. Although, i'll admit, I am very biased. Ghetts is my favourite MC so seeing him featuring on a Cadet track was always going to gas me up. And the pairing did not fail to deliver. The bars are deadly from both MCs. Who says East and South can't come together and create pure fire. 2. Cadet - The Stereotype (Album: The Commitment)I think a lot of grime fans will agree that this track was the first taste of Cadet's masterful storytelling. This is such a strong track because of the vulnerability and rawness of Cadet's lyrics. Few MCs would dare be this honest. No bravado. No hype. Just a brother barring his soul for us to listen to. An amazing track and a classic. 1. Cadet - No Way ft Donae'o (Album: The Commitment)This was the first Cadet track I listened to (in a ponsy club in Shoreditch which I didn't expect) and I used my shazam app to find out who this MC was. I love Cadet's flow on this track (he was one of the few rappers who could truly rap to any tempo) and Done'o gives the track that nice touch with the addictive hook. This will always be my favourite Cadet track. What are you favourite Cadet tracks? Feel free to leave a comment below listing your top five tracks.
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 When I first listened to Liam Neeson’s recent interview to promote his latest film in which he, very shockingly and bizarrely, admitted he walked around London “with a cosh (a thick heavy stick) hoping to get into an altercation with a black person to kill them," I was taken aback and immediately angry. To provide some context (not that any context justifies Liam Neeson’s mindset 40-years ago), Mr. Neeson’s late friend was raped by a black male. Enraged, Liam Neeson took it upon himself to seek revenge on any unassuming black man who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. It was appalling to know that an actor I much admired and whose films, such as Taken, I greatly enjoyed, could be capable of such terrible thoughts. However, after my initial anger had cooled and my emotions had cleared, I looked at Liam Neeson’s confession as objectively and rationally as I could. After some thought, I realised that I respected Liam Neeson for his honesty. I checked my social media feed to find out what other people felt, and I grew frustrated by some of the reactions. To admit personal failure is a sign of strength One of the main reasons I came to respect Liam Neeson after his awful admission was that I realised he was very candid about a personal failure of his. In the interview, he clearly states that after a week of roaming around London with a weapon like his character from the Taken movies, he realised his thirst for vengeance was shameful and stemmed from his experiences growing in the Troubles in Northern Island, where revenge between the Protestants and the Catholics was rife. Now, of course, I am not condoning or excusing Liam Neeson’s actions. Thinking about what he wanted to do to an innocent black man is quite horrifying. It's also immensely brave that Liam Neeson is so self-aware that he can admit his failings. No one can deny that the Hollywood actor did not show genuine remorse. Many if not all of us can do terrible things in the right circumstances. Nobody is above moments of madness, and we should learn to forgive, especially people like Liam Neeson who can express genuine remorse. The left-leaning mainstream media only focuses on black people when we're victims A big part of me believes that the mainstream media, especially the liberally-inclined sections of the press, love it when a black person is victimised. It doesn't matter about the context of any situation so long as black people can be the victims, allowing left-leaning liberals to feel good about themselves for supporting black people. The fact is if you take into consideration the entire context of Liam Neeson's interview and examine what he has said objectively, then this was an unplanned revelation from the actor in a moment of vulnerability. Personally, I believe this should be commended. Instead, the left-leaning media and other liberals have weaponised the situation to drive home once again the narrative that black people are will always be victims. All black people are expected to be outraged Prominent black figures such as John Barnes, Whoopi Goldberg and Terry Crews have congratulated Liam Neeson for his outright honesty. However, many people, both black and white, have condemned these stars for supporting Liam Neeson. There seems to be this idea, among left-leaning liberals and among black people with massive chips on their shoulders, that black people in western society should always be outraged about perceived slights against our demographic. This belief harkens back to my earlier point about a percentage of black people still needing to feel victimised and the left-leaning liberals encouraging this thought. I am not outraged, and I won't be told by anyone how I am supposed to react as a black person. I am not just the color of my skin - I am an individual. Like Liam Neeson, I have my dark days as well. Growth comes when we recognise our destructive behaviours and rise above them. Liam Neeson has done that, and we should all learn from that. |
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