ITS SAFE to say What’s The Play keeps evolving and with it Mr play has decided to expand his platform by taking it to Instagram live.

Every Mon-Thur, Mr Play will be speaking to different industry legends and pioneers via his Insta Live.

‘What’s the Play?’ – Live with Richard Blackwood, Shawn Barron, Joelah & more

Motown Records Vice President, Shawn Barron, stops by ‘What’s the Play?’ to talk growing up in Buffalo, a career in A&R and learning to balance work with family.

Growing up in Buffalo, Barron found him self wanting to pick up a career in the culinary arts however soon found himself in the music industry. For those who don’t know, A&R (artists and repertoire) is the sector of a record label which is responsible for scouting talent. Barron was appointed Vice President for Motown/Capitol Records after spending the last 10 years developing his artists, most notably Ty Dolla $ign and Diggy Simmons, whom he discusses.

We also discuss UK artists and why there is a struggle for their music to cross over to the States. Barron comments on factors such as cultural differences whereby America, being such a huge country, has many cultures of its own and as a result, Americans are not immersed in cultures outside of the US. In acknowledging Drakes co-signing of UK music, and having been to London himself, he recognises the talented artists in the UK and says he would love to work with some of them.

Asking how he deals with the pressures of being an A&R, where there is an expectation to help change people’s situation, Barron is humbled in being able to help others obtain wealth through music however speaks of the pressure to help everyone, especially those he may know personally. He states that he can only help those who are real and have a genuine love for their craft.

His advice to artists wanting to expand their audience and be seen is to “make people come to you”. With his experience in the industry, he emphasises on the importance of making sure that as an artist, you’re ready and that if you are ready and confident in your craft, people will flock to you.

 Watch interview here

What’s the Play? – Live with Joelah

Joelah, a presenter at Rinse FM and GRM Daily joins Mr Play in an episode of ‘What’s the Play?’ to discuss working in the industry, being a woman in the industry and UK rappers.

Being a woman in the entertainment industry, Joelah speaks on the ways it is made harder for her to manoeuvre in the world of presenting as a result of how she is seen. Men offering women opportunities in exchange for sexual favours is a narrative known all too well across all industries and Joelah is no stranger to this.

Her advice to women looking to pursue careers in entertainment is to maintain your integrity even if this means that your road to success may be prolonged. Through rejecting these offers that men may present you with, you may lose out on opportunities however Joelah believes that your integrity should come first.

As previously stated in the interview with Shawn Barron, the UK accent is bought up as a factor as to why UK rappers are yet to blow in the US. Joelah, having grown up in New York in her early years talks on how her American acquaintances have stated that they don’t understand what UK rappers speak about and are therefore less receptive to their music. The question now becomes: how do UK artists make themselves more appealing to the American ear whilst maintaining their own style if they plan to cross over?

As well as speaking on her skills that she has been developing during this period of quarantine and self-isolation, something we should all be looking in to, she gives advice to young presenters and speaks about her future endeavours. Be sure to look out for her podcast ‘Sole Intent’.

 Watch interview here

What’s the Play? – Live with DJ Superstar Jay

New York City’s very own DJ Superstar Jay gives us an insight into the world of urban disc jockeys and how he got his foot in the entertainment door. As a mixtape, radio and club DJ, he has proven himself to be more than your average DJ.

Whilst in college, his basketball injury pushed him to solidify his DJ identity within the student culture to give himself an organisation to belong to; he firmly states he did not want to join a fraternity. Through this he played on college radio and was able to network with people in the industry. He opens the conversation up by explaining to us the concept of a DJ collective. Prominent New York figure DJ Self approached DJ Superstar Jay asking him to be a part of DaUnionDJs, giving him a family of DJs to work with collectively and eventually, become the president of.

Following the big question of why UK artists struggle to make it in the US, DJ Superstar Jay provides us with a different perspective to any of the others we had previously received. He believes that uk artists have to find a way, possibly through integrating with other US artists. Essentially, coming to America, for UK artists, may mean starting over to re-establish themselves musically.

Using Kano as an example, he touches on the subject of humility. Regardless of ones high status in the UK, when coming to the US, British artists have to understand that said status may not hold the same weight. Play sums this up nicely with the quote, “people want to shine like Diddy but don’t want to grind like Puff”.

He then goes on to give advice on how to balance his work life with his personal life as well as on how to be financially literate.

 Watch interview here

What’s the Play? – Live with Richard Blackwood

English actor, presenter and comedian Richard Blackwood is next to join us in another live streaming of ‘What’s the Play?’ where we learn about his family, growing up in London and his views on the next generation.

Many may know Blackwood as Felix from Hollyoaks and Vincent from EastEnders but his contribution to black British culture goes far beyond the BBC and Channel 4 soap operas. Growing up in South London, he speaks of how impressionable young black boys can be and how it is up to older generations to guide them. As a young boy, he was pushed away by his ‘olders’ from participating in gang culture which allowed him to focus on establishing himself above the negative stereotypes placed on black men by society.

Seeing the men in his family go down the way of incarceration, Blackwood was determined to change the narrative in his family and also change the status quo for future generations. Starting his career in stand up comedy, he respectfully mentions that when he initially set out, he was the only black mainstream figure in the entertainment industry, aside from music, catering to black audiences. He indeed kept the culture alive.

With his many achievements which could have been a point of discussion, Blackwood instead focuses on the black youth of today and how those who are members of gang culture have a duty to not glamourise their lifestyles in order to deter others from following in their paths.

Contributions from Maria Odu

Watch interview here