Kebidoo (pronounced “kee-bee-doo”) is a South African artist whose music blends various international influences.

Her musical style combines iconic South African hip-hop and kwaito with international genres and music cultures such as UK underground grime, K-pop, and electro-pop. Kebidoo represents a new generation of South African artists incorporating global influences into their music.

Born in Mahikeng, in the North West province of South Africa, Kebidoo’s upbringing was uniquely shaped by her father’s career in the South African Airforce, which led to extensive international travel. These experiences exposed her to diverse cultures, inspiring her to blend genres in her music. Her professional moniker came as a phonetic spoof of the Setswana word for the colour red, “khibidu”, paying homage to her Tswana heritage.

Following her stint at a US-based artist development programme, Kebidoo released her first mixtape under independent music imprint Highlight Music Label, made an experimental hip-hop song with local Afro-Rock legend Tshepang Ramoba, and most recently she has attracted attention from South African record label Ossia Records. Some of her singles include “Agoiweng (Let’s Go)”, “Ke Nna Nna”, and more recently, “Do The Work.”

We spoke to Kebidoo where she opened up about her background, artistry, previous career in advertising, and the cultural nuances that influence her craft.

Your Instagram feed gives off the vibe of you being a girl next door, with an edgy personality. It sets you apart. Is image important to you in your world? 
Image isn’t everything to me personally, but it does seem to be pretty important these days. As an artist, or anyone trying to promote their work, I think it’s necessary to have an “image” of sorts. But you don’t have to be this meticulously well-thought-out thing from the beginning. There’s a lot of pressure to be a version of someone else or to fall neatly into a certain aesthetic. Just be your authentic self and the parts of you that catch the eye or pique people’s interest will naturally form an “image” for you. 

Collaborations seem to be a key part of your journey as an independent artist thus far. Your YouTube Vlog series, The Journey, shares behind-the-scenes footage of these collaborations and how they’ve affected your craft. Can you tell us more about how you approach collaborations and why they’re important? 
Collaboration is a tricky space because it’s trial and error. What works for me might not work for you. So it’s about being clear on what value your work creates and brings to the table so other people may see where they fit in. It’s also important not to be selfish in collaborations. Plans, people and conditions are constantly changing and you have to give room for growing pains. I have been lucky to work with people who see a place for themselves in a far bigger picture, and we collaborate as a means for all of us to realise our own goals simultaneously. I hope to take the lessons that I’ve learned from these projects thus far and apply them to my career path as I diversify and grow moving forward. 

Your voice has been used in television adverts across Southern Africa for brand commercials, and through sync representations, you’re starting to stretch into placing your music on television shows and movies. If you were to choose a series to place one of your songs, which one could it be? 
Locally, I’ve always wanted to get on those Blood & Water episodes. They’re known for very “meme-able” moments so it’ll be cool to see where my songs would fit in the storyline. That show’s soundtrack is really loved and supported by the viewers too so it would be an honour to be on such a platform. Internationally, it has to be Selling Sunset. Mainly because I binge-watch it every season, but also because my music is very bold and confident with lyrics about being ambitious and motivated like a lot of the women on the show navigating their careers in luxury retail. I can imagine my songs playing right after they get into a fight in a multi-million-dollar mansion or something like that. 

COVID-19 was a challenging time for many artists, but you saw it as a catalyst to make a bold commitment to being an artist. Can you share more about this decision and how it has shaped your journey? 
Before 2020, I was working in marketing and advertising, mainly as a researcher and strategist for small companies. The effect of the pandemic on local businesses in South Africa was really harsh, so a lot of people like myself lost work or clients. At first, it was scary, but I realised that there was no better time to hit the reset button on life. With the world changing around me, I felt like if I didn’t try then, I would never get the chance to try again. It has shaped my journey because I’ve had to prove that I am very sure of this decision to pursue a long-term career in music under unfavourable conditions. In terms of decision-making, I move in a way that allows my professional experiences to come into play. I think it’s been helpful in helping me understand the music industry on a global scale and navigating through it as an independent artist in Africa. Also, Rule Number 1 in strategy is “Do Not Rush.” So I think I’m more patient and I don’t put unnecessary pressure on myself because I understand that building takes time. 

Coming from the North West Province in South Africa, known for its strong traditional values, do you feel a tension between embracing your pop star identity, staying true to your roots and navigating this balance? 
It’s not really that hard. I know that Tswana culture loves pageantry. It was very important for the government of Bophutatswana (during Apartheid) to invest in art education because it was valued by the Tswana people across generations. To this day, when you go to any Tswana family function, there are traditional praise singers, marching bands, choirs, spiritual leaders, poets and dancers. We respect the art of performance and we really try to back our artists here (in Bokone Bophirima). My love for performance is only magnified by my Tswana heritage. Tswana women are bold, confident, strong and will tell you everything they need to. As long as I stay true to that essence of gratitude and see my talent through a lens of lineage rather than capitalism, I think I’ll always stay true to my roots even as my visual concepts evolve and change. 

Your live performances are known for their energy and passion. How do you channel your background in digital media to create engaging performances for your audience? 
My main goal in music is to be a powerhouse performer that can fill stadiums around the world. In my head, it’s not just me getting on stage, it’s me what makes up a solid performance. So the wardrobe, sound, graphics, props, fan departments, etc. all need to come together. I think that has made me a “less selfish” performer, in that I understand that everyone needs to feel like they get something out of each performance. I’m still finding my perfect structure and ideal team to really show my full potential. So far it’s been fun experimenting and finding what works for the crowd. I hope that soon I’ll be able to put on my own solo concert or perform full sets at music festivals, so I can do bigger things on stage. 

Social media has played a significant role in your career. How do you use digital platforms to connect with your fans and showcase your music? 
Social media is an easy and convenient way for listeners or consumers to find you and connect with your vibe. Working in digital media, I spent a lot of time on these apps, but I didn’t always put myself out there. So when I started to make music I had to learn to get comfortable sharing more of myself. My producers have hounded me a few times to post more consistently. So I had to change my mentality back to when I was just posting for fun as a kid. Stop looking at the analytics and think about the people who may discover me in the future. I want them to see my authentic life, so I don’t have to keep up any lies or posturing when I get more famous.

You have previously gushed about your love for K-Pop, has it influenced your approach to music? 
I admire how that ecosystem has taken the world by storm while remaining very authentically Korean. I started researching K-pop when it was still a “micro-trend” nearly a decade ago, so I’ve been able to track and witness its expansion as a fan and as an industry professional. What I’ve learned by watching their trajectory is how important structural support is in the global music and media game. You don’t have to bend to the whims of other foreign markets if you make sure that the domestic economy retains involvement and keeps benefitting the local system first. I think K-pop inspires my approach to craft and navigating the industry rather than my music. In South Africa, we don’t have an entertainment company with private facilities or global networks like those in South Korea. In fact, the industry is largely unregulated and the government department which runs it is always in the middle of corruption scandals. So I started to subconsciously look to other markets for inspiration.  I look up to entrepreneurs like JYP (of JYP Entertainment) and Teddy Park (of The Black Label) as inspiration; they both built businesses with so many investors, sales and fans by having their own signature sound that infused global influences with indigenous themes. That’s what I try to bring to my career and music. 

As you continue to evolve as an artist, what are some of the themes you hope to explore in your music? 
I hope to make music for all moments of life. I don’t want to put a limit to what I am or am not willing to express. But I want to my music to be something that always fits on your playlist. Need a song to listen to on your way to a big pitch meeting with a client? I’m there. Need a song as you head out on your way to yet another Bumble date? I got you. Need some lyrics to scream into your pillow on one of those hard days? That too. I hope to work with more producers who are open to experimenting and are interested in creating an eclectic soundscape that really comes alive on stage.

Kebidoo’s music is accessible via Spotify and YouTube.

Nicole Logan is the Executive Producer of Spotify Original vodcast Nailing It …

Brought to you by award-winning podcast production company Reduced Listening, Nailing It sees comedic trio Adesayo ‘Sayo’ Talabi (simplysayo), Priscilla Anyabu (Love Island) and Wunmi Bello (The Wunmi Bello Show) offering a refreshing take on being a woman in modern day society.

Spearheading the show, Nicole has worked with some of the UK’s leading arts institutions including ATG, BBC 1, ITV, BBC 1Xtra, BBC Sounds, Spotify and Roundhouse London. Breaking down cultural and institutional barriers has always been a part of Nicole’s professional journey and she is currently serving on the boards of diversity and inclusion media charity Multitrack and Bloomsbury Arts Festival. Nicole is utilising her experience as Head of Development at Reduced Listening and founder of Dutchie Club.

We caught up with Nicole to talk about all things podcast and how she coined herself the Shonda Rhimes of the podcasting world …

Please tell us who you are and what you do, and where you’re from [heritage / area] …

Hey I’m Nicole Logan, but my loved ones call me Niccy, I’m a self confessed audio entertainment nerd & a podcast producer/showrunner, I’m Jamaican and a West Indian aunty in training. I’m London born and based but Birmingham raised so will rep 0208 and 0121 forever!

Describe your life right now in a word or one sentence …

Hectic, creative & humorous.

Tell us about your current job and latest project …

I’m currently Head of Development at award winning production company Reduced Listening, as well as the creator and Executive Producer of the brand new Spotify original Nailing It, hosted by the hilarious Adesayo Talabi, glamorous Priscilla Anyabu and the ever witty Wunmi Bello. It’s a show all about the ups and downs of life in your twenties, whether that be work, romance or family.

What’s your role in it?

I’m the creator and Executive Producer but I often describe myself as a showrunner because it best encapsulates the wide variety of my job which is basically creating, casting, crewing and running a podcast production. It is more similar to TV than linear radio and most people understand what someone like Shonda Rhimes or Issa Rae does, so it is a helpful comparison.

How did Nailing It come about?

I developed this show in lockdown, super inspired by all the black women creating brilliant content during a really rubbish time. I also really missed going to the nail salon, it is after all the glamorous babes beauty temple, and I wanted to capture that.

Highs, lows, solutions …

Highs – Launching the show was amazing, Priscilla rented a party bus to do a tour of the billboards across London. All the core production team went and it was such a lovely afternoon.

Lows – The sirens on the road of the salon are always a low light. They are so loud!

Solutions – Various very geeking microphone solutions to kill the ambient noise. Some stunning plugins and an adaptive workflow… Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

What’s your current plan B? (if it all goes wrong what’s the plan?)

What do you mean by Plan B? I don’t know her… (Swishes in Mariah)

What’s made you Sad, Mad, Glad this week …

Sad – Being on what feels like our 50th prime minister this month.
Mad – The rising cost of living in the UK and how black women will often bear the brunt of it.
Glad – My family listened to Nailing It for the first time and may understand what I do for a living … yay!

What are you watching right now?

A League Of Their Own on Amazon Prime – it’s about a women’s baseball team in 1940s America, based on the film – which I love. It stars one of my favourite actresses, Chanté Adams. Such a fun and uplifting series which showcases women chasing their dreams.

What are you reading right now?

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart. It’s a fantasy novel set in an island very much inspired by Jamaica! Two rival witch queens fight for power and cross loyalty lines. The perfect book.

What are you listening to right now?

Podcasts – Nailing It – Obviously! I made this show because I wanted to listen to a show like this, so it’s a massive perk of the job to get to make something you think is great!

Archetypes, the new podcast series from Megan, Duchess of Sussex, is great as well. The episode with Issa Rae & Ziwe is a particular highlight!

Music wise – All Eyes On U – the mixtape from vocalist Jaz Karis is wonderful. I saw her recently at the Laylow and that was such a lovely evening!

The last thing you saw on stage?

The Dylema Collective @ Somerset House, it was part theatre, part art installation, part jazz gig. Really immersive and an uplifting experience from one of my favourite poet and performer’s Dylema.

What’s on your bucket list?

To write a children’s book series, there is honestly nothing I would like to do more! And to visit every Island in the Caribbean, I have spent a lot of time in Jamaica, Cuba & Barbados with my family but would love to explore more.

Celebrate someone else (who do you rate right now?)

Leanne Alie, the podcasting queen herself and the Exec/Presenter of Coiled Podcast – which if you haven’t listened to yet you should. It’s a brilliant multi-award winning documentary on black hair. It’s so entertaining and informative, while revisiting a well trodden subject matter but from an original & entirely British perspective.

She also spearheaded the BBC Audio Lab programme which enabled several emerging audio makers to get their first commissioned podcast series from the BBC, so she manages to uplift others while making fantastic content herself. She is just great!

Celebrate yourself … (make us proud of you)

I am really proud of what I have achieved with this show, this is one of the first brand new /original formats that Spotify UK have commissioned in recent times, and to anchor the show with 3 black women of African heritage I think is a real milestone. It is definitely historic, and we have black women both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, in all editorial and gatekeeping roles from our series producer to the owner of the salon. Black women are at the very heart of this show, it’s made for them, they are our priority and I am so proud that I was able to spearhead it.

I am also incredibly proud of myself for being Head of Development and an Executive Producer in my early thirties. Creative careers are so hard to gain headway in, especially as a black woman. I feel very lucky to be at a production company like Reduced Listening, that is so supportive of creativity and shining a light on overlooked subjects. I feel incredibly privileged and so it’s not something I take for granted

Where can we find listen to Nailing It?

Nailing It is out now on Spotify! You can watch and listen to the podcast for free on your Spotify app.

You can follow us at Nailing it podcast on IG and TikTok. The company is @Reducedlistening – we have other great shows coming over the next couple months and I am on @Niccyniss.

BBC Radio 4 launches Descendants a new seven-part series about how far the legacy of slavery reaches into modern Britain.

Narrated by poet and writer Yrsa Daley-Ward, and made with the support of University College London’s Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery, Descendants asks how far back in our own histories we need to go to find a connection to Britain’s slave-trading past.

Starting today, 28th May, each episode introduces listeners to people who are connected – often in very surprising ways – both to one another and to slavery. Moving backwards and forwards through time, the series explores the stories of public and private figures from around the world from Detroit to Bristol, Barbados to London. Starting with the personal history of Jen Reid, the Bristol woman whose statue replaced the toppled Edward Colston’s last summer the programme covers the personal histories of fourteen other people. These include Gayle Heron, the sister of poet and musician Gil Scott Heron, Conservative MP James Cleverley and Mark Cropper, a descendant of the prominent abolitionist James Cropper.

Descendants reveals how connections to slavery can be found somewhere in the personal histories of so many of us, whether we are connected to the oppressed, the oppressors – or to both.

Yrsa says: “As someone whose parents hail from Jamaica and Nigeria, the deep horror of enslavement was likely part of my family history. So much of the history of a people was lost and subsequently, so much of the truth doctored. I was drawn to this project because as an author and performer I have come to understand the great resonance and deep importance of our stories, of finding a future in history, of tracing bloodlines, ancestry and the paths of those who came before us. Although I recognise how connected we are, the very extent to which these stories interlink and touch each other still caught me by surprise. The series is informative and hopeful, and I’m so happy to be a part of that, bringing these stories of everyday people together and to life.”

Richard Knight, commissioning editor for factual at Radio 4, says: “By scrolling backwards and forwards through personal histories, the producers of Descendants have created an astonishing snapshot of the degree to which the legacy of slavery touches, and connects, so many British people today.”

Yrsa Daley-Ward is a writer, poet and actress of mixed West Indian and West African heritage. Born to a Jamaican mother and a Nigerian father, Yrsa was raised in Chorley in the north of England. Her debut book Bone was released in 2014 and her memoir The Terrible was published in 2018. She was also one of the writers on Beyoncé’s film and visual album Black Is King. Her new book, The How, will be released on 2 November.

The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership was established at UCL in 2009 to trace the impact of slave-ownership on the formation of modern Britain.

Descendants on BBC Radio 4, Fridays from 28 May – 9 July, 11-11.30am. A boxset will be available from 28 May on BBC Sounds. Listen here.

Black in Power is a podcast series that aims to demystify the roots to leadership, with a specific focus on arts and culture.

Spoken-word artist, theatre-maker, and producer Koko Brown has released a podcast like no other, the 10 episode sees Koko talk to Artistic Directors, Executive Producers, Founders, and Leaders about their journey, what they wish they had known, and what being a ‘leader’ means to them. The podcast aims to help young creative make a space for themselves in an oversaturated but underrepresented arts industry.

Black In Power is Produced by the Lost Kids Collective with support from Arts Council England.

Black In Power is available now on all streaming platforms

Read our TBB Talks with Koko Brown here.

“Not another routine check, we didn’t take this route to be checked, it sounds like you routinely check, Black youths in hoodies and creps”

The Mitchell Brothers, 2004 and 2021.

To be criminalised before ever committing an act of criminality is an experience Black men have been subjected to throughout history. The relationship between Black people and law enforcement in our societies is one entrenched in the roots of distrust, pain, and abuse of power. When we turn on the news or step outside of our homes, even the most optimistic among us are forced to question ‘has anything really changed?’

In 2004, the grime duo The Mitchell Brothers released the single ‘Routine Check’ featuring Kano and The Streets. The song was a witty, yet defiant push back against a system that gave youths a voice. Like anthems of years gone by, it allowed them to challenge the police in a way that they hadn’t been able to before and gave them a voice. Last year the tragic murder of George Floyd at the police brutality in America sparked outrage across the world and also the idea to re-release the song (produced by ILL BLU).

The documentary of the same name is a collection of testimonies from prominent Black men from all walks of life; all giving their account of the significant impact that random stop and searches have had on them. Its long list of contributors features the likes of rapper Sneakbo, community leader Sayce Holmes-Lewis, and British Champion boxer Denzel Bentley among others. Their statements are punctuated with clips of harrowing statistics, each showing a disproportionate number of stop and searches that Black people have had to undergo.

In an ideal world, it would not be necessary to include these figures and all of the various statements would be taken at face value, but the decision to do so is even more revealing. The figures not only represent the shocking disparity in the approach to policing Black communities but also sadly highlight the lengths that our people must go to in order to legitimise our experiences with racial profiling.

Routine Check is a unique portrait of Black masculinity. The men in the documentary speak of their perseverance to survive within and ultimately change the system, but it also explores their vulnerability. Many of them speak of instances in their teenage years where overly-aggressive policing resulted in trauma that they still haven’t recovered from. On more than one occasion in the documentary, there are accounts of the police stopping vehicles and people on foot with no probable cause and claiming that they met the profile of ‘drug dealers’ and ‘criminals’ in the area. In the most extreme cases, these random checks led to the men being slammed against walls, stripped down to their underwear, and held at gunpoint by the police.

During his portion of the documentary, Sayce Holmes-Lewis poignantly explained the extent of the problem, stating: “We’ve had nearly 2,000 custody deaths since 1990 and only one conviction. That’s not justice.”

Admittedly, it doesn’t take long for the documentary to become repetitive, but that only serves to strengthen its argument. Every testimony hammers home the point that these routine checks are far more frequent and calculated than reported. Whilst Routine Check features an entirely Black cast, Black people are not its only intended audience. The hopes are for the opposing side in this conflict to see the pain caused by the stop and search policy and make genuine steps towards repairing the damage.

A sentiment summed up perfectly in the documentary by Sneakbo, who said: “Hopefully an officer can look at this and understand where the youths are coming from.”

Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s Rise Up EP is an invigorating journey that fearlessly takes us from the roots of pain to highs of prosperity.

Witter-Johnson is the definition of eclectic soul – a singer, songwriter, cellist, composer, producer, and arranger with phenomenal musical prowess, mesmerising vocals, uncompromising lyrics, and mastery of the cello. The Rise Up EP is another epic addition to her ever-growing discography. The 3-track project features rapper and activist Akala and the supremely talented Cleveland Watkiss. Released Friday 8th January, it is one of Witter-Johnson’s shortest but most impactful bodies of work.

In the midst of a global health pandemic that has highlighted the extent of racial inequality and economic disparity in our society, the much-anticipated return of Ayanna Witter-Johnson could not have been more welcomed or perfectly timed.

“Turn up the volume let’s hear the sound/I am the speaker let’s gather round” are the opening words of an EP that puts Witter-Johnson firmly at the centre of a conversation with our ancestral consciousness. There is no mincing of words here. In the song Rise Up, she paints a vivid picture of life during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, detailing the mental and physical manipulation deployed to destroy countless African civilisations – “striving to keep you under the thumb/blind you with tricks so that you succumb.”. These same lyrics could be applicable to the Jim Crow Era, the Civil Rights era, and as recently as today with the Black Lives Matter movement. As evidenced by the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of American law enforcement and the criminal justice system’s refusal to take immediate action.

However, the sentiment expressed on the EP is more intertwined with the latter part of the chorus than it is with the first verse – “leave the chains on the ground/time to turn this thing around”; it is a beacon of hope piercing through the darkness.

More than capable of relaying this message on her own, Witter-Johnson’s musical sensibilities towards collaboration see her Mon the opening song. He doesn’t disappoint. True to form, Akala uses his verse to speak to the potential of the oppressed when we become aware of our self-worth and we possess with strength in numbers.

Witter-Johnson’s critically acclaimed debut album Road Runner was far broader in its scope, fearlessly grappling with themes like romance, family and attachment. In stark contrast, Rise Up is succinct and laser-focused in its messaging. A musician in the purest sense of the word the art she manifests into the world has always been formless (RnB, Jazz, Classical, etc.). Drawing inspiration from her classical training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance she marries it beautifully with the soulfulness of her Jamaican heritage. On her previous project, Witter-Johnson aimed for the stars with an ambitious cover of Sting’s Roxanne, but this time around everything seems more grounded and spiritual.

The second song on the EP is a modern-day take on the classic 1976 anthem Declaration of Rights by the Reggae Roots group The Abyssinians. It features the unmistakable tones and beatboxing of the legendary Cleveland Watkiss, beautifully complementing the rich essence of Witter-Johnson’s voice. Whilst it doesn’t explicitly reference him, it is clear that this EP was birthed from the seeds of Bob Marley. Rise Up echoes the messages of Marley’s timeless records Get Up, Stand Up and Exodus among others.

In an appearance on the BBC Sounds’ show This Classical Life, she spoke to the host (Jess Gilham) about being inspired by Marley’s music, saying “It tells history in an uplifting way and shows the people how they can think for themselves. Think the best of yourselves and stand up for your rights”.

The EP cover itself acts as an extended metaphor. It shows Witter-Johnson in a fierce warrior stance, armed with nothing but a bow in her right hand and the neck of her cello in her left. She is ready to go to war with her most powerful weapon against injustice, her music.

Despite the presence of collaborators and an emphasis on lyricism, there is no shortage of work for her cello (who she affectionately refers to as “Reuben”). Throughout the EP, her mastery of the cello forms the backdrop from which she and the other artists on the project can express themselves, and on the final song, we hear her in her element. Rise Up Riddim is an absorbing display of technical brilliance, every vibration, every frequency, every string, all in harmonious alignment.

In three songs Witter-Johnson succeeds in capturing the duality of the Black experience; it is to feel trauma, but it is also to know that our very existence is a testament to the resilience of those who came before us. One can only hope that the day will come where an EP of this nature will no longer be required, but the world we live in has offered no such promise of an immediate change. Rise Up is a timely, necessary, and infinitely uplifting body of work from one of our generation’s finest talents.

“Rise Up, no one can hold you down.”

Rise Up EP was released 8^th Jan and can be streamed on all music streaming platforms.

Keep up to date with Ayanna Witter-Johnson on all her social media handles – Instagram | Twitter  | Facebook | YouTube

UK actors, directors and producers Jovian Wade, Percelle Ascott and Tafari Makopa talk to Akua Gyamfi from The British Blacklist about their forthcoming projects following the success of Shiro’s Story.

Listen here.

Speaking on the BBC News podcast The Next Episode…

… a number of high profile black influencers have said they are often paid less than their white counterparts or not at all when working on campaigns.

Fashion and beauty influencer Breeny Lee said: “I have seen influencers that have more (followers) than a white influencer but the white influencers get the brand trips and big brand deals. So I definitely don’t think it’s a matter of numbers, I definitely think that it’s a race thing.”  When working on Instagram takeover content for a brand during a Fashion Week, style blogger Stephanie Yeboah was informed that she and some of the other black influencers were given the “minimal amount, in the early, couple of hundred pounds” whilst the white influencers involved were being paid “in the 2000-3000 pounds range.”
 
These influencers believe that there is a long-standing perception in the industry that black influencers are not of the same quality as their white counterparts. With fashion brand ASOS criticised only last week for a photo of a press trip including 13 white influencers, how can brands work harder to ensure they are reaching diverse audiences through their work with the influencer community? ASOS gave the following response: “We’re not going to go into detail on our influencer activity, but we work with a wide range of talent. This is in line with our approach to ensuring that the content on our site and across our marketing channels is diverse, inclusive and representative of our global customer base.”

On being asked to create content for free or for gifts whilst white counterparts with a similar following are offered payment:
Eulanda Osagiede (Hey! Dip Your Toes In) said a brand approached her with an opportunity but said there was no payment so she checked with other influencers: “I approached a friends who I believed had worked with them before, these creators all happened to be white, and they all said ‘oh no, we got paid’. And our platforms are all very similar at that particular time period. I came back to the brand and I said ‘we have to have budget’, and they said ‘well, sorry maybe in the future- if anything changes we’ll let you know’. The brand continued to reach out to us, and each time they never had budget. And each time I checked with someone, they always did have budget for someone else. Unfortunately, they just didn’t have budget for maybe, people who looked like us.”
 
On solving the racial pay gap in the influencer community:
Breeny Lee (280k YouTube followers, 128k on Instagram) said: “What’s really going to work for us is if we (black influencers) actually unite and come together and realise that we are making a difference and that we do have a big audience and we are profitable. We can make the brand money – I think that is the biggest issue is that we are making the brand so much money but they’re not respecting us back.”
 
On black women’s loyalty to beauty and fashion brands:
Stephanie Yeboah (Nerd About Town, 38k Instagram followers) said: “Black women in the UK and the US, we spend the most on hair and beauty products and that’s a fact. There are so many statistics to back that up – we are the most loyal, but we’re the most underused. The reason that a lot of the time we’re loyal is, brands don’t make make-up for us a lot of the time, so when we do find make-up, a skin product or a hair product for our skin we will stick with that brand until the end of time.”
 
On being the only black influencer at press events:
Scola Dondo (240k YouTube followers) said: “At first tokenism did make me feel really uncomfortable, but I think before it becomes a natural-like ‘oh let’s just make it diverse’, it has to be that thing that is forced at first I think.”

Listen to The Next Episode now on BBC Sounds

Beyoncé released her groundbreaking performance at the 2018 Coachella festival via Netflix April 17th

TBB came together with our friends at Everyday Fro Day and actor friend Leemore Marrett Jr. to discuss what we liked and didn’t like about Homecoming … needless to say, the discussion got a little … heated!!

The music documentary available now on Netflix included the concert and behind the scenes footage. Detailing what went into pulling off the performance which celebrated Historically Black College & University (HBCU)culture with a college style band, and dance moves which included traditional stepping moves.

Created by legendary director John Singleton, Snowfall has skyrocketed Damson Idris’ star power in the US!

Snowfall is a drama series set in Los Angeles, during the 80s against the backdrop of the birth of crack and the impact it subsequently has.  Following main characters Franklin Saint, a young street entrepreneur on a quest for power; Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata, a Mexican wrestler caught up in a power struggle within a crime family; Teddy McDonald, a CIA operative running from a dark past who begins an off-book operation to fund the Nicaraguan Contras; and Lucia Villanueva, the self-possessed daughter of a Mexican crime lord. Their stories drive Snowfall’s narrative of money, power, and influence.

Nigerian, British, Peckham born Damson Idris, plays one of Snowfall’s leads, Franklin Saint and has owned the character, playing him with a quiet humility underpinned with strong determination and resilience. Snowfall’s first season which aired July last year in America and in the autumn on BBC 2 here, was quickly renewed for a second season, which kicked off July 19th this year.

Following in the footsteps of his peers, John Boyega, Malachi Kirby, Daniel Kaluuya and such Damson has charmed American audiences and has already secured his first lead in a feature film in fellow British Nigerian actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s debut feature, Farming.

We caught up with Damson to talk about Franklin’s journey in season 2, the World Cup, and how he’s spending his summer break…

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