It’s 2002 and British hip-hop band Force of Nature begins life with a track called Grimy City. They approach reggae artist Pato Banton, who is putting together a CD called Stop the Gunz. He tells them there is no room for them but instantly changes his mind when FoN perform the track to him live. Performances at the Stop the Gunz showcase at The Drum and The Crescent Theatre follow.
In 2003, another track (Mentor) is picked up by the Learning Skills Council and The Mentors Association, resulting in funding for a CD and invitations to play at events and functions including the National Mentor Conference in Manchester, mentor conferences at West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers football grounds, and the opening of a centre of excellence in Blackpool.
Local basketball team, the Birmingham Bullets, are also hooked – FoN’s electric live performances are seen at home games from 2002 to 2004. The rap sheet continues with gigs at the 2004 Moseley Festival, Black History Month in Coventry, Cox’s Yard in Stratford and more. The band also features on Ras Kwame's show on BBC Radio 1xtra alongside two other acts, winning the vote for the hottest track.
FoN is Redsta Bonez (Jermaine, 24) and J-Dot (James, 23), with occasional guest vocals from Cerise and Magenta. Both rap and produce with rhymes out of everyday life, bringing a uniquely approachable English style of rap that appeals to the ordinary punter listening to music at the back of the bus. Red and J rap about ‘the positive and negative aspects of our ambitious but normal lives’ and work in all genres (though hip-hop is the main focus).
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