Rich Mix Youth Takeover

Link-Up TV presents: Talent takeover

If you are down with the UK urban music scene, you will no doubt have heard of Link Up TV – an entertainment platform that showcases the hottest underground and upcoming urban artists. Link Up Tv, as part of the Youth Takeover month at the Rich Mix space, organised a jam packed day full of panels, workshops and live performances –  a day I knew couldn’t be missed!

The event was hosted by the bubbly Remel London, and split up into three different sections, focusing on the most popular parts of the industry; presenting & djing, music and video production, as well as a special industry Q&A session.

Presenting & Djing:

Panel: Joey Clipstar, A-Squeezy, Remel London, and Kenny Allstar

This panel was 100% the funniest of the four. A-squeezy’s anecdotes about his journey in the industry had the crowd in hysterics (as usual!) and the panel guests’ refreshing honesty about their pitfalls and rise to success was inspiring. Joey Clipstar talked about creating his own opportunities (Hardest Bars) through vlogging which reviewed newly released beats/songs and emphasised being imaginative in your delivery as a presenter – try and think outside of the box with your questions.

Key message: Originality is key!

Video Production:

Panel: Kevin Hudson, Ade OG, Toxic TV, Chad Appeti

I would say that this was probably the most popular panel as there were definitely a lot of budding young videographers in the crowd. The panel session kicked off with mini introductions alongside a short video of the videographers’ most successful music video featuring some of the biggest names in the game. A particular focus on what Chad Appeti conveyed in the talk was to try and be as creative as possible with your video style regardless of the financial budget as creativity is the most important aspect and should never be compromised.

Key message: Stay humble, the music industry is a small world – if you upset one artist, it can tarnish your reputation!

Music Production:

Panel: Big 6ix & Rashid Kasirye

Unfortunately, Rich Kid was unable to make the panel discussion, so it was left to Big 6ix to answer the majority of the questions – but he didn’t disappoint! Big 6ix discussed his path into becoming both an artist and a music producer, and his need to wait for the perfect time to release his music so he could fully perfect his craft. He stressed being open minded, finding inspiration in everything and anything, and believing in yourself because self-doubt is what holds you back the most.

Key message: There is no set route to the top – trust in your music, let it speak for itself, and people will eventually start noticing you.

After the three key panel discussions, the day was concluded with an interesting discussion on the future of music with three special guest speakers (Jacqueline Eyewe, Leila Singh and Siavash ‘Vash’ Khatiri) as well as an evening of live performances with the likes of Ms Banks and Fredo, to name a few.

Concluding thoughts: Big up Link Up TV for organizing the event – I left feeling so motivated! I felt that there was something for everyone and even if the panel discussion was on a field you weren’t planning to pursue, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. Remel London kept everyone’s spirits high and the guest panel speakers were passionate, open and in inspiring – I really hope there are more events like this in the future.

 

Soraya Stanley

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