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TOP MC: Dizzee Rascal with Jasmine

It's 2008 and to add to making me feel that another year has come upon us so soon, it's also my birthday this week.

I'll still be trying to hold down my age as 25 for the next few years!

New Year brings fresh hope and scope for change. A lot of my new interns and staff have come via this column and you Voice readers. And whilst some of you write shabby letters and expect to come into MTV towers and meet your future husbands etc, most of you are damn professional and a pleasure to bring in. Keep aspiring folks; you're all too talented not to shine.

People who aspired and began making their mark a little stronger in 2007 were Estelle, Bashy, T2, artist T Magic, stylist Richard Shoyemi, clothes designer Kesh, designers The Ugly Kids Club, comedian Kojo, actor Aml Ameen and presenter DJ Sarah Love - will they keep their drive and focus in order to climb up higher in 2008? I hope so. Often, my experience with many UK artists is plain old shabbyness. Not turning for interviews, or being awkward with staff when they arrive, insisting on things like their name was P Diddy, and causing folks to roll their eyes and ask: "are they trippin'?"

Questions I found myself asking over the holiday season were: With June Sarpong leaving T4 will she find success in the USA? With Jay Z always returning from retirement, will we ever trust his word again? With Beyoncé having a quiet 2007, isn't she just ready to explode again in 2008 - and will that be musically or with Jiggas baby?

comebacks

Will Dizzee Rascal continue his global domination with his quick fire spit? Will Craig David rise again with his comeback? And will Mariah Carey fulfill all our expectations with her much anticipated new album, which is about to drop any week now? (I'm sure it will - I've heard it. This girl just goes from strength to strength.) With so much press, hard work and activity under John Legend's watchful eye in 2007, will the UK fans show they stand strong by UK talent by actually buying Estelle's album? Will Kelly Rowland's music career roll up or out without her DC girls in tow?

Life is full of questions but the answer is always the same: Love. If you love what you do and put a lot of love into it, you will fly.

Another thing I was thinking: I know there's a huge UK grime scene that doesn't get shown as much love as it could, but I think you need to change the players in the suites as well as the streets to get your game in play. If your fans are grime lovers, your peers live and breath UK grime and the people you want to sell to understand that world, then why on earth would you have pop and indie A&R people in record labels trying to groom, market, understand and sell your music for you? And then wonder what happened when they fail?

The solution? Put yourselves in the record labels and media, and then you can sell your product back to your scene. For reference, look up No Limit Records, Roc-A-Fella and Bad Boy. I rest my case. I expect to see bigger things for Tinchy Stryder, Bashy, Big Narstie, Shystie, Wiley, Kano, Durrty Goodz, Roll Deep, Skepta and many more this year. It's time to get paid!

I will hit you with all my Mariah Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's week adventures next week. Yes, it was crazy! Also, series two of MTV BASE'S DJ TAKEOVER begins today and the line up for the next six weeks will include, Phoebe One, Chris Goldfinger, Rickie and Melvin and many more. Due to public demand, each show is now on for a whole hour, so enjoy. Happy New Year, readers!

Published: 06 January 2008
Issue: 1302

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