Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Interview with Hip Hop Collective Word of Mouth

/ By Freya Devlin
Interview with Hip Hop Collective Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is a hip hop collective from Portsmouth, EJ Salako got the chance to interview members Kizz, Blessed and Sinsink at this year's Victorious Festival. The group create hip hop, UK rap and freestyle music. Taking influences from many artists including Eminem and Mic Righteous.

They discuss their competitive side with each other and how it motivates them to keep creating better music. And their creative process of linking up in their home studios to write and produce new tracks. “We’re not trying to be like anyone else, we just trying to like ourselves” – Blessed.

EJ asked the three to share each of their favourite tracks:

Kizz’s favourite solo is a track called “Ride On My Ones”,  and his favourite group track is “Curb Stomp”.

Blessed favourite solo is "Vandross" which was featured on BBC Radio Introducing. And his favourite group track has to be an unreleased one that hasn’t got a name yet. The track samples Dmx shortly after he passed away, with a respect to him because he was a huge influence on them as rappers. It will be released on their upcoming album,

Sinsink’s favourite solo is a song called “Hey Babe” because it always gets people moving on the dance floor. His favourite group track is another unreleased one with Tommy Brown titled “Saucy”.

Closing the Interview Kizz and Blessed shared their future goals with us, “As much as I’d love to be at the top of the scene but not only that in 5 years I want to be exactly here with these exact same boys, doing exactly what we do, that is 100% it, we are a family” Kizz

Blessed continued “We’re lucky enough to be where we are already and just keep going man. We’re pushing the boundaries each time we do an event, each time we host our own event or we put a track out. It’s really about putting Portsmouth on the map and being recognised. When one of us succeeds we all succeed.”

Check out the full video Interview here: Word of Mouth Inside Story Interview at Victorious Festival

05
Jun

Why In-Person Connections Matter More Than Ever

by Kelli Richards, Jeeni MD USA People call me a ‘super-connector’; I literally make my living connecting people and opportunities to each other and I have a very broad and deep network that I’ve built over many years of establishing long-term trusted relationships. Many of these relationships were developed the old-fashioned way, by having ‘live’ conversations of substance in person or over the phone over time. That said, we live in a fragmented world where more and more we connect through devices and technology (whether via text messaging on our phones, e-mail over the Internet or via Zoom conference calls online). While these technologies are arguably convenient and time-saving, something has gotten lost in translation. Look around whenever you’re out in public, and the vast majority of people have their faces buried in their smartphones or in their laptops. This applies regardless of age, gender, or any other consideration. One of the saddest (but most prolific) examples is when a couple are out having a meal together but each has their face buried in their own device, and are in their own worlds. At a minimum, this type of behavior certainly seems to push intimacy away and can lead to undesirable outcomes because people have stopped looking at each other and engaging in active conversation. The film producer Brian Grazer has just published his new book entitled “Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection”, and of course I love it. In the book, Brian argues that one of the secrets to a better life lies in establishing personal real-time connection (like we all used to indulge in before we had access to these devices). He argues that burying ourselves in our individual devices destroys an essential facet of the human experience we can only get when we look at someone face-to-face and engage in a real conversation. When we do so, and look into each other’s eyes, we form strong connections and bonds with each other, we understand each other better, we expand our world views, and we create memorable meaningful moments that can lead to a range of possibilities. When we connect and understand each other, we become interested in what matters to one another and that leads to wanting to support and add value to each other’s lives. This is what truly matters folks. No matter how convenient our technology and devices are or become, the bottom line is that trusted relationships rule the world — and that applies both personally and professionally across the board. So, I strongly urge you to reach out and make time to connect with people face-to-face more often. Seek to understand others, pay attention and invest genuine time in getting to know what matters to them so you can figure out how you can add value to them and help them to achieve their goals. Be yourself, more uncensored — drop your masks and be authentic, the kind of person you want others to know and respect. Show up fully as yourself, vulnerable and caring, which encourages others to do the same. And as you do so, watch what happens as your relationships shift and evolve. I’m willing to bet your life will improve and create a ripple effect that impacts the lives of others around you as well. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

04
Jun

Top patent strategist for the Jeeni streaming revolution!

Dr Justin Hill Streaming music start-up Jeeni is determined to give new talent an ethical deal and hand over 100% of the profits to artists who do all the hard work. Jeeni is also determined to protect their artists from the pitfalls and rip-offs that traditionally beset the world of music. So Jeeni is fortunate to have Dr Justin Hill on their side. Justin is recognised as leader in the field of intellectual property, and is Head of Patent Prosecution at Dentons, one of the world’s top legal firms. Justin says, “Thank you for the opportunity to work with you. Last year, with your support, we were recommended in Legal 500 and as Leaders in Field by Chambers, as well as top-tier patent professionals.” He goes on to say that Dentons continue to support early stage businesses like Jeeni, “who we believe have world class technologies capable of disrupting existing sectors. Venture tech and accelerator programs keep us in touch with the next generation of technology titans.”

10
Jun

Global Music Match unites 14 Music Export Programs for a world first!

96 artists from 14 countries are taking part in what could be the largest online matchmaking of musicians ever undertaken. Created in a world first collaboration between founding partners Sounds Australia, Showcase Scotland Expo and Canada’s East Coast Music Association (ECMA), along with 11 other export organisations and showcase events from around the world, Global Music Match is a pilot initiative created to continue raising the profile of local artists in international music markets within the challenging parameters of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is a unique response to the limitations imposed on the music industry, that makes use of one of the only available platforms – social media and peer-to-peer collaboration – to increase networks and exposure for export-ready artists internationally. Breaking artists into a new territory or country is a challenging process, exacerbated by the pandemic as traditional international showcasing opportunities reduce. This programme aims to develop new audience bases for artists in a range of international locations, providing a groundwork for future international touring development. The programme will also support participating artists to upskill their social media activity, as well as encourage cross border artist collaboration by connecting musicians from around the world. Each week, one band/musician from each country will ‘introduce’ another artist from a different country, engaging with them on social media to cross promote to their audiences. This is reciprocated for everyone involved, meaning that participating artists will be presented via social networks across a range of participating international artist’s online audiences. For the pilot edition of Global Music Match, artists are steeped in the acoustic, folk, roots, traditional and world music genres. Lisa Whytock of Showcase Scotland Expo, one of the founding organisations said: “The idea came about on a zoom call between myself and Millie Millgate of Sounds Australia several months ago. We have since seen it grow to include so many export organisations and all of us have been meeting regularly to develop the initiative. It's great that we can all still connect through social media and we are really looking forward to seeing how all the artists work together. Most of them will never have met and many never have toured in the other countries, so it really is going to establish new international connections”. Search for the hashtag #globalmusicmatch to see some of the examples of the content each act shared during the pilot initiative – or head to globalmusicmatch.com to learn more and see examples. Global Music Match is supported by the following export organisations: Catalan Arts (Spain), East Coast Music Association, ECMA (Canada), English Folk Expo, FOCUS Wales, Folk Alliance International, Iceland Music, LUCfest Taiwan, Music Estonia, Music Finland, Music Norway, Puglia Sounds (Italy), Showcase Scotland Expo, Sounds Australia and Spectacle vivant Bretagne (Brittany, France). --END OF RELEASE--For more details, please contact your local export organisation listed above, or reach outto info@globalmusicmatch.com