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THE last few weeks couldn’t have been better or busier. First, there was the huge Jay-Z show at north London’s Alexandra Palace. I haven’t been there for a while but nothing much has changed; it’s still a nightmare to get to and find parking there. Luckily for me, Jigga’s team had sorted me a car park pass to park right outside the door, so I was able to wear my vertiginous heels and skip right in.

Beyonce was side of stage watching her man do his thing, as was B’s mate Gwyneth Paltrow. They both played it very understated as king Hovi Hovito performed to his kingdom of adorers. However, whilst Jay’s live shows are always slick and professional – and the sound was second to none with the bass literally ripping through our ribcages – it wasn’t the same as the Jay-Z shows of yesteryear.

Jigga’s old school sets were amazing because they were full of hip-hop heads and fans that would flow with him word for word. But at this show, it was mostly corporate bigwigs who looked at me and my crew like “shut up,” as we rhymed with Jay word for word on his tracks. They obviously weren’t old skool Jay fans.

Maybe those shows of yesteryear felt more exciting because hip-hop was still a baby, struggling to be heard by the mainstream. Or maybe we loved it more back then because it was our underground, raw secret. Now, it’s what we always wished it would be – equal to the rest of the music genres. But something’s missing: the rawness. The real fans. The people that put him there.

I know Jay has never liked being labelled or put into an urban niche bracket, but alas, musical segregation has been around a lot longer than he has. Jay’s manager always scolds me when I refer to “Jay Z, the rapper.” He’s not a rapper according to his camp. He’s an icon on a level with Bono and the rest. I like that, but I wish the hoods still had access to him and didn’t have to compete with the wealthy to get a £100 ticket for the show.

Still, you can’t knock the hustle; Jay has made us all proud and he and his wife represent us beautifully with their ambitious, classy sophistication.

Earlier in the week, I was lucky enough to be invited by Leona Lewis’s team (shout out Nicola Carson) to see her perform her first ever live show. Can you believe that? Three years after her X Factor win, she has been so busy traveling the world, that this was the first full-length show she has done. She was wonderful.

And it was great that she chose to perform in her hometown at Hackney Empire. Her brother Bradley and her mum and dad were in the house watching proudly. Gorgeous Bradley used to be my editor at MTV so it was even more surreal! Leona’s mum looked very sophisticated and her dad looked great for his age.

Leona wasn’t the only one making it a family affair, as ex Sugababe (and as we all know – the main deal) Keisha Buchanan was sitting with her parents in a private box. It was lovely catching up with her. We talked about the Sugababe saga and I for one cannot wait for her to have her day in the press to tell the real story. She is going to come back strong and I know we are all going to be behind her.

The audience was full of Leona fans and competition winners that had been flown in from all over the globe and the excitement and anticipation for her entrance was high but warm.

Wearing two different outfits throughout the show, the first was a lilac dress pulled in tight at the waist with black sheer stockings. The second outfit was a lilac top, once again tightly belted at the waist with black fitted trousers. Her hair looked blonder than before, her skin sun-kissed bronze from her time in Los Angeles, and her body looked lean.

Most importantly, her vocals were breath taking. Deep, rich, high and melodic – she sounds live exactly like she does on track. No lip-syncing nonsense. At first, her body movements looked a little awkward but in the end, I was actually quite transfixed by her unique way of moving. Kudos to the choreographer coz Leona’s got some slow jams and her hips were seriously working as she moved!

Her voice was really strong and as she performed her single Happy,’ I hoped that she truly was. She spoke to the audience and was really so sweet in her manner that you couldn’t help but adore her.

At the after party, Leona mingled like a professional networker. Her boyfriend Lou looked proud of his lady as they held court with label bigwigs and juggled photos and meet and greets. My mate and I sat on the love swing, scoffing lots of delicious vegetarian nibbles and champagne.

It really was a great night that saw Leona do her thing on UK turf before heading out to Berlin to show that she could hold her own onstage at the MTV Awards too. Big up girl –you’ve done us Brits proud!

Jasmine Dotiwala is a TV producer, director and broadcast journalist. Email her at jasmine@hiphop.com

Published: 16 November 2009
Issue: 1398

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