MCs told to stop chattin shiz following Depzman’s Murder

Following the murder of Joshua Ribera, better known as Depzman from Birmingham’s number one Grime Squad ‘Invasion’, Birmingham and the UK’s inner city communities, MCs, producers and followers are asking for other MCs to stop chattin sh** and promoting fukry.

Depz was stabbed in the heart and later died in hospital while outside a memorial party exactly a year after his bredrin was stabbed to death. Depz was performing at a memorial party at TC’s nightclub in Selly Oak Birmingham which was held to raise funds for a headstone for Kyle Sheehan following his murder a year earlier. Depz had made a track in memory of Kyle (Shamz) which has had over 300,000 hits.  Depz was a up and coming grime artist from Birmingham that was destined to blow. He recently featured on Jammer’s Lord of the Mics DVD and with the release of his mixtape entitled ‘2 Real’ on iTunes (Click here to buy), Depz was at the begining of hid career – and he was already MASSIVE!

Depz tops iTunes HIP HOP Chart

As news spread about the stabbing of Depzman the whole of the UK Grime scence showed their respect . . . The whole of Invasion crew shared their loss on Twitter – all showing shock and support for Depz’s fam. Depz’s Mom was on Twitter thanking people for their support for her Son. Messages came from artists and people such as: Wretch 32, Jamal Edwards (SBTV), Jammer, Chipmunk, Frisco, DJ MistaJam plus many many others. More than 50,000 people have also joined a Facebook tribute group for Depz. Artists and supporters called for peeps to buy Depz’s new mixtape and send it to number 1 in the iTunes UK Hip Hop chart in memory of him. By Saturday Depz’s mixtape was selling more than Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Rizzle Kicks and others as he took the number One spot! (Click here to buy).

Two man hand themselves in to West Midlands Police

Following the death of Depz news spread on the internet about the person who was responsible, he was named and links poste with him in other Grime videos. Later that day a man handed himself in to the police. The following day another man handed himself in at Bloxwich Police station in Walsall and both are being held on suspicion of murder.

The Gassin has to stop

Following Depz’s murder theres berrrrrr talk dat MCs need to be more responsible and stop chattin shiz about what they are doing, who dey roll wid, what they buss, what they’ll do or what weight their movin. All the fukry is rar getting little yutes headz gassed about what they should be doin or how they should be actin. Major, a fully respected and infamous Birmingham producer (who produces alot of Invasion’s tracks) has told people they will not be allowed in the studio if they come tryin to record any bullshit lyrics.

Too many MCs across the UK have been chatting fukry lyrics for years about how they gonna “Draw for a Mac”, “Bore Man”, “Kidnap man” etc etc. MCs are all talkin bout how they ‘Gangsta’ and moving berr weight and food – Yet most of these man that are ‘talking the hardest, most realist ting’, have never even been involved any type of drama (except watching Eastenders) and the most food they are moving is when they pick up a Southern Fried Chicken & Chips! 

All this talk about violence etc has plagued the UK Grime scene for years. The lyrics man chat have got these yutes heads fully gassed thinkin they are ‘Tha real ting!’ . . . No one can talk to these yutes anymore cus they feel they gotta a rep to hold or they gon look like a buch of pu**yholes.

There is no doubt that some man ARE doing that tings they are talking about. But if I was doing anything illegal, the last place you’d hear or read about it would be YoutTube or Twitter – I’m not gonna advertise what I’m up to! The silly thing is: Police watch these videos and use people’s YouTube videos, comments, Facebook posts and Twitter rants as evidence when gathering eveidence against people . . . Do you really think Police can not hear the lyrics, translate them and use supporting eveidence to come draw down on you? Recently a man in USA was jailed for murder following his hip hop track that was used in court as it told a story of a murder he had previously commited.

Supatrax alongside MC Vader and MC Hitman do regular Youthwork engagement sessions, MC workshops, DJ sessions and video workshops with young people in youthclubs and schools across the UK highlighting this exact issue above. ‘BE REAL’ is what we explain to the yutes! Jus cus you hear people chattin shiz, it doesn’t mean you have to. If you come from a nice semi-detacthed house, with a good family, Dad drives a BMW, Mom’s got a Merc and the family don’t have to worry bout where money comes . . . Why are you trying to be ghetto and live the thug life??? Live ya life and talk about what’s real to you! Some people live their life tryin so hard to be ‘real’, that they end up forgetting that to keep it real you’d want better for ya self and yu family.

Supatrax have worked with Walsall Youth Services, Birmingham Youth Services and Organisations across London to tackle the issues above. One example of a project is the Just BE project in Birmingham, that was delivered across East Birmingham at Concord Youth Centre, Tysley youth club and Gospel Oak in Hall Green: http://justbeone.co.uk Young people were shown that you didn’t have to talk ‘gansta shiz’ to sound good on a track. Similar projects have taken place in across the West Midlands in Walsall, Northampton, Dudley and in London at Southwark Insight.

Vader is a MC who many call a vet in the Grime game. Respected all across the UK and internationally with thousands of followers and surportters of his music and style . . . And he has never had to talk shiz on the mic to sell records. Vader prides himself on keepin it real! One of his many mixtapes talks about how he nearly lost his life following a brain haemorrhage he suffered. Following Vader’s years of experience in the D&B, UKG and Grime game, working with many of the UK’s best well known artists and regularly going on radio shows including 1Xtra, BBC1 Tim Westwood show, Kiss FM and Deja Vu to name a few, he used his experience and formed Birmingham’s Grime crew ‘Invasion’. The crew BLEW up as the prime of Birmingham’s Grime artists were chosen to move Grime forward in Birmingham. Depz was part of the crew alongside Vader, Hitsman, Sox, JayKae, Tazzle, Villan (London), Frostman, D2 and Lady Leshurr who all rep Invasion.

Knife crime plauges Birmingham

Community groups are now calling for MCs, rappers and producers to come together to try help preventing these things happening again. In 2012-13 there were 1,615 knife related incidents in Birmingham, but this is down more than 60 per cent since 2006-07, and across the wider West Midlands knife crime in the last six years has fallen by 63 per cent according to West Midlands Police stats.

Over the last 12 months there have been a number of stabbing in Birmingham: The fatal incident with Depz is the latest in a long line of stabbing incidents over the past six months. Here is a timeline of the tragic incidents:

September 20 2013 – Grime artist Depzman, named locally as Josh, fatally attacked hours after memorial event in honour of stabbing victim Kyle Sheehan.
September 18 2013 – Two men, in their 20s, stabbed in separate cars in Coventry Road, Digbeth, in broad daylight.
September 16 2013 – Azim Azam knifed in Yardley Wood Road, Moseley, after alleged dispute on bus on his first day at college.
July 16 2013 – Schoolboy Hassan Mahmood, 15, killed following a fight between groups of youths on a park in South Yardley.
July 13 2013 – Man stabbed in brawl outside the Sportsman’s Rest pub in Kingstanding.
July 1 2013 – Pregnant Janika Cartwright attacked in a car outside Fitness First gym in Stirchley.
June 27 2013 – Two men stabbed, and another injured, outside the South and City College campus in Hall Green.
June 23 2013 – Three people left with stab wounds, one critical, after violence erupted outside city centre nightclub China Red in the early hours.
June 14 2013 – Four men, including a police officer, injured as knifeman enters mosque in Washwood Heath Road, Ward End.
April 29 2013 – Grandad Mohammed Saleem stabbed to death in Little Green Lane, Small Heath, on way home from evening prayers at nearby mosque.
March 7 2013 – Christina Edkins, 16, stabbed to death on a bus in Hagley Road on her way to school in Halesowen.
September 21, 2012 – Kyle Sheehan, 16, stabbed in the leg during an incident in Jiggins Lane, Bartley Green. Kyle died in hospital seven days later.

The Knives End Lives campaign

Anyone found to be carrying a knife in a public place could face a prison sentence of at least four years.

Now, under ‘joint enterprise’ rules, prosecutors also have the power to bring before the courts people who were present when a crime was committed so that all face the same serious charges.

West Midland Police have launched ‘The Knives End Lives campaign’ which aims to raise awareness of the real consequences of carrying a knife and the risk people face if caught in the company of someone who they know is armed.

DJ MistaJam from BBC Radio said: “I hope we’re going to see a real out pouring of positivity from the grime scene” Supatrax says, “Things HAVE got to change . . . but it must start with the music industry it’s self!”.

Send your opinion to info@supatrax.com