Hey peeps, 

Firstly, thumbs up to Kanye West for his performance at the O2 Arena on November 22. Despite the sad passing of his mother Dr Donda West earlier this month, the rapper delivered an impressive set that would, no doubt, have made mum proud. Unsurprisingly, he got emotional when he performed Hey Mama, admitting towards the end of the song, “I got quite far tonight.” Well done, Kanye– R.I.P Donda West.

In other news, it was a real case of  “Tell ‘em why you mad” when I recently spoke to two music stars. The usually softly spoken Jill Scott– who’ll perform at Shepherds Bush Empire on December 2,3 and 5– sounded seriously p*ssed off when she revealed some of the things that make her angry. She told me: “The United States makes me very mad. I think The States is disrespectful to other countries and they make too many assumptions about what is good and what is just.” As for George Bush, she added: “I believe the man is an elitist and he does not care about the common man.”

Clearly on a roll, Jill went on to tell me about one of her recent shows, where she was forced to deal with another one of her pat hates– rudeness: “There was this girl at one of my shows not long ago and she was drunk. She was yelling out what songs she wanted to hear and basically ruining the show for everyone because she was so loud. I asked her several times to just relax, but eventually, I said, ‘You know what? That’s enough. Shut the f*ck up or get out!’ She decided to leave.” Imagine being cussed out publicly by Jill Scott. Big shame!

Also sharing some vexation was our very own Craig David. The popular singer, who released his new album Trust Me earlier this year, told me that being spoofed as a character on the Channel 4 comedy Bo’Selecta, really didn’t amuse him. “I used to be so PC about that whole thing, but it did really annoy me,” he said, “I want people to take me seriously as an artist, so I really didn’t need some idiot running around like a prick, and painting me as some silly caricature. I had people calling my name out in the street in that stupid voice, to the point where I actually had to say to some people: ‘Do you think you’re the first person to come up to me and do that?’” Tell it like it is, Craig!

In dancehall news, I caught up with ‘gangster for life’ Mavado, ahead of his show at Stratford Rex on Nov 25. I must confess: for a long time, I didn’t even want to interview him, in protest of his wickedly violent lyrics. Don’t get me wrong; as a reggae-dancehall fan, I’m not really phased by the bad-man element of the genre. But Mavado brings gangster to a whole new level. The man can’t even make a relationship-based song without relating it to violence! All I could do was laugh and shake my head when I first heard his tune Squeeze Breast, complete with lyrics, “she want me squeeze her breast dem like di trigger of my gun.” Who said romance was dead, eh? Still, Mavado’s popularity is undeniable, so I eventually succumbed and had a chat with the Jamaican star.

He told me: “I don’t really watch the critics who wanna talk about my lyrics being violent. If my music is too violent for anyone, they don’t have to listen to it. I’m not the first person to come and sing gangster songs and I certainly don’t encourage anybody to incite violence on anybody. But what I talk about is real. Some people just want to make me out to be a bad person because they don’t like to see people from the ghetto prosper.” The jury’s still out on this one. Pick up a copy of his album, Gangsta For Life if you care enough to decide for yourself!

Good news for those of you with kids– or if you’re a big kid at heart: panto season is upon us… Oh yes it is! (Yes: I’m aware how sad that was, but I just couldn’t resist!) I caught up with Tameka Empson and Jocelyn Jee Esien of 3 Non Blondes, and the ever-bubbly Tameka told me all about her role in Hackney Empire’s Christmas panto, Dick Whittington and His Cat. “I’ve got wings in this panto– I actually fly! I play a 500-year-old Jamaican fairy. I played a baddie in Jack in the Beanstalk last year so I’m glad to be playing a goodie this time! I love panto. It’s great not only for the kids, but for adults as well. It’s real family entertainment.” The panto opens at Hackney Empire on December 1. Oh, and fans of Jocelyn Jee’s sitcom Little Miss Jocelyn will be pleased to know that a new series will be on your screens in early 2008.

I’m out– back in two weeks!