3 Bar Fire - Ruffhousing: Channel R

Ruffhousing: Channel R

Written by Tom @ Ruffhousing

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Apologies for our frankly unacceptable delay in bringing you the latest instalment of Channel Ruffhousing. Since the football has started, we’ve done little else but gawp incredulously at Alan Shearer’s shirt collection on the BBC, while simultaneously wishing a plethora of tropical sexual illnesses upon ITV's resident dullard, David Pleat: a man who manages to make even the most exciting game of football seem about as interesting as a black and white photograph of Snow Patrol.

Speaking of football, unemployment has meant that we’re watching a lot of Sky Sports News - approximately 7 hours a day. All of which is pretty depressing when you realise that nothing much happens in the sporting world between the hours of 9am and 5pm and you end up watching Rochdale Town's assistant manager explaining his views on the 6 + 5 rule every 2 minutes, even though its never going to happen. It was therefore incredible when the footage below was broadcast (and Reecha witnessed it live). If you were ever in need of another reason to despise the Chels, this is it:

Watching the clip again makes us think that this poster boy for the colloquial affirmative probably wasn’t the best person to ask about football. Questions (rhetorical though they may be) such as “What are penalties?” and “Who are Man Utd?” do not fill the viewer full of confidence about his knowledge of the beautiful game. Good to know he will always love John Terry, too.

In an effort to link effortlessly (yes, we're aware of the irony) from one video to another, now seems an appropriate time to point out that John Terry is a Cockney. Cockneys hail from the East End of London and are traditionally both violent and poor*. In the clip below, pureblood Cockneys – and Grime scene laughing stocks - Nikki S and Nyke, pick up where Charles Dickens left off, presenting a telling insight into the lives of the Big Smoke's working class that feels like half Grange Hill re-run and half BNP recruitment drive. Ello Treacle.

Now, when you think of Reggaeton (if you ever think of Reggaeton), one thing comes to mind – unflinching political viewpoints. It's been widely publicised that Hilary Clinton approached Daddy Yankee towards the end of her battle for the Democratic nomination, in order to garner his backing for her campaign. Yankee is a fierce Republican and, therefore, refused. Thus, it was eventual victor, Barack Obama, who enjoyed the majority of support from the Reggaeton community, as the clip below demonstrates. Next month, we bring you the Hyphy tribute to Boris Johnson's Mayoral victory.

Staying with fiercely opinionated urban music for a second, we present to you here a classic hip hip video from self-proclaimed police murderer, Ice T:

What's striking about 'I Ain't New Ta This' (aside from Ice's sun block-rubbing technique) is how much influence its message has had on the modern rap scene. Apparently championing the 1950s mentality of 'a job for life', rappers have always been keen to make it clear that they've been rapping since birth, and they don't plan to stop any time soon. It's still the case here in 2008, as grime 'younger', Double S, proves in his Westwood-approved hit, 'From Day'.

Why they're so afraid of testing the professional water – dipping their toes in interior design, say, or credit control – I've no idea. It just seems like they're cashing their chips before they've really played a hand.

We're nearly out of space and time here, so we'll sign off with a bit of urban satire from Derrick Comedy. That's hip hop. See you next time.