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issue 72

Monthly newspaper and online publication targeting 18 to 35 year olds. The ultimate guide to the hottest parties, going out and having fun. Music, fashion, film, travel, festivals, technology, comedy, and parties! London, Barcelona, Miami and Ibiza.

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8 Issue 72/ 2015 guestlist.net The legendary Boy Better Know crew helped their teammate, Frisco, launch his new event 'The Den' in emphatic style. NoNe of 'em flex like BBk Sunday 25th January saw Frisco launch his new grime night 'The Den' at The Old Blue Last, a venue that NME once named "East London's most notorious venue". The dark and intimate setting, including paint-stripped walls, established the perfect atmosphere for what was to come; a raw and energetic performance from grime's most established and legendary crew. As the artists arrived, they had to head through the crowd to climb onto the small stage - no backdoors and backstage here, no luxury, this was as raw as it gets. Frisco, the host of the event, eased the crowd in with a collaboration with an underground rapper, Smila, from his hometown. The host then proceeded to invite Shakka, the man featured on the huge Wretch 32 hit 'Blackout', to the forefront to perform their brand new tune together, 'Walking With Elephants'. The crowd quickly warmed to the collaborative track, soon belting out the "Don know, Don know" hook before the tune's hugely bassy chorus dropped, at which point everyone went wild. The floor could literally be felt shaking whilst the pair rewound the track, thriving off the energy of the crowd. The tone was set for a lively night already, just two tracks in. Following this, Frisco invited Maximum to spin some grimey beats and the rest of the Boy Better Know crew began to take it in turns to fire off some of their most well known bars, the crowd roaring in excitement as legendary lyrics from the past came thumping through the venue's impressive sound system. Soon came Skepta, one of grime's most distinguished and recognisable figures, fresh off the back of a huge 2014, which not only saw him drop two absolutely huge anthems - 'That's Not Me' and 'It Ain't Safe' - but also named as one GQ's most stylish men of the year. Dressed in his high-end tracksuit designed in conjunction with Nasir Mazhar, Skepta belted out 'It Ain't Safe' to the delight of the crowd who sang along word for word with the justifiably self-proclaimed "microphone champion". He followed this up with some equally legendary lyrics before the always-lively Jammer, Discarda, and Shortie jumped in on the act. This was grime at its finest; legendary bars improvised over old school bouncy beats, featuring a crowd going wild as each MC took over. When Skepta suddenly announced he wanted to clash, the ultimate grime showcase occurred: BBK v BBK. Shortie was Skepta's unlucky opponent, mocked for his favourite team's embarrassing defeat to Bradford the previous evening, before choking as he repeated the same lyrics over and over. Skepta and the rest of those in attendance began laughing at his unfortunately timed mental block. Jammer, always a prominent figure, stepped in to assist Shortie, firing comical shots back and forth with Skepta as the crowd went nuts. This was old school grime. I can't imagine the BBK members have clashed in front of a live audience too many times, so it's no surprise that videos of the event have been doing the rounds on social media. The clash finished on the most explosive Skepta diss of all - after being called out for always wearing black, he fired back a par about Jammer's beloved dreads, getting the biggest reaction of the night. After the crowd had regained some composure, Frisco reclaimed the mic and began spraying over beats again, closing out the night. The event itself was a masterful showcase of grime. As a 19 year old, I missed the explosive first wave of grime and its legendary raves, but I imagine the utter rawness of this event is as close to those original raves as I will get. From Frisco bringing through his hometown boy, to Boy Better Know crew members strolling through the crowd, to the onstage clash, to the venue itself, this was a night of pure unpolished brilliance from the genre's most illustrious crew. I doubt Frisco could have wished for a better opening night for his event, and it certainly set a positive tone for future events to come.

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