Music - Talkingthailand

Guju Slang Kid – AFTER PARTY

This post is dedicated to Guju Slang Kid – a talented and creative artist who happens to be my friend.

He has recently released his first single – After Party – a feel good tune with uplifting beats which will have you moving to the music before you know it!

Guju Slang Kid - After Party — Guju Slang Kid – After Party

Guju Slang Kid brings his mother tongue Gujarati to the rap scene by combining it with a house/club beat which creates a blend of modern elements whilst rapping in his first language.

I caught up with Guju Slang Kid to ask him a few questions about his music journey.

Where are you originally from?

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and I moved to Northampton at the age of 11. In terms of origin, my family is from Gujurat in India

What got you into rapping?

From an early age, I have had a passion for music and for writing my own lyrics and songs in various languages. My friends and I used to beat box and rap together at the basketball court and we hung around in the area where we lived. Rapping is a reminder of those great times and simple pleasures that makes us smile

What music did you grow up listening to?

I used to listen to mixtapes of UK and US artists such as Kano, Stormzy, So Solid Crew, Dizzy Rascal, and Skepta, Tupac, Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop Dog and so many more, but I also listened to Northampton artists who I went to school with

What inspired you most to release your first single?

I have been writing lyrics since a young age, and I wanted to put them into motion and make them a reality. My goal is to bring good vibes and inspire more people to make music. I find immense joy in knowing that my music can uplift and bring a smile to people’s faces

Do you think you can be any better as a musician and how would you like to achieve it?

Everybody can grow with experience and by having a can do attitude and learning from others, I believe that anybody can be a better musician

How do you feel now your 1st single has been released?

I feel happy that people can finally listen to my track. It feels like all the hard work has paid off

What is the song about?

The song celebrates great humour between friends and family along with coming together, dancing, letting loose and enjoying yourself

Why have you chosen to create this tune in a different language?

Growing up in Kenya whilst having an Indian origin allowed me to learn different languages. My grandmother’s influence helped me become fluent in Gujarati and I learned Hindi by watching Bollywood soaps and films. Also, listening to a diverse range of music has inspired me to integrate rapping in various languages with modern style beats in the hope of bringing a wide range of audiences to my music

What are your plans to make a difference?

By raising more awareness in the hope that more people can relate to what the words mean and bring that extra bit of joy into their life

Where do you see your career going?

I don’t see this as a career, I see this as a hobby and a passion for music and a way to get my vibes heard

I enjoyed finding out a bit more about Guju Slang Kid and his debut single. He says he is ‘determined to bring authentic and relatable music to the industry.’ I say we should celebrate anyone who is creative and is brave enough to put themselves out there – it’s an inspiration to all!

I, for one, will look forward to seeing his new journey unfold.

To get ‘After Party’ go to Guju Slang Kid’s website, but for those that can’t wait, listen below! Enjoy!

9 ways to Have Fun without Spending Money

Let’s face it, there are plenty of things you can do to have fun. You can go to a concert, go on holiday, go shopping or arrange a party for friends, but everything is so expensive these days. The cost shouldn’t stop you in your quest to have fun, but if most of your salary is spent on bills what can you do? It’s important to have fun though. Having fun makes your life that much happier and more memorable, so don’t worry about a thing, here are 9 ways to have fun without spending money.

Draw a picture

There are endless subject materials in the world around us, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home in order to draw. Grab a pencil and paper, look around for something interesting and create your own drawing. It doesn’t matter if your artistry skills aren’t up to scratch, the fun is in creating your own masterpiece.

Fun things to do without spending money — My Art

Write

Ever wanted to put pen to paper and write something? Do it! Write about what you’ve done that day, write about a favourite book or movie or simply write down your thoughts. Start a blog and really get those creative juices flowing. You never know, it might be something that you continue with and make it part of your life.

Go for a walk in the park

Leave the car at home and take a walk around your local park. Not only is it good exercise, but the sheer joy of walking, surrounded by trees and ponds, as you listen to the chirping birds and watch the squirrels scampering around is one of the simplest pleasures in life. And it’s completely free. Being outside in the fresh air makes you feel better too.

Bird watching

This might not be an obvious choice, but bird-watching is another way to make the most of the great outdoors and have fun at the same time. You don’t have to go far, birds are everywhere! Remember to take your camera because half the fun is taking a photograph, but the other half is finding your subjects!

Photography challenge

Get out and about with your camera. You don’t have to have the latest model, you’re phone will do. Set yourself a challenge for the day and go out and see what you can find. Look for the small details, choose a colour or photograph one subject in different places, like doors or windows. It’s amazing what your eyes can see when you really open them and take in your surroundings.

Listen to music

Listen to your favourite music and play tunes that you haven’t heard before – the shuffle option on your playlist is good for that. Music has a way of lifting our spirits, so kick off your shoes and dance around your living room like no one is watching. As the song goes – the best things in life are free!

Learn something new

Ever wanted to learn something new? A language? History? Philosophy? Learning doesn’t cost a penny, not if you take advantage of the wealth of information on the internet. It’s all right there at your fingertips and it’s free, so choose a subject and educate yourself. Not only will you develop your own knowledge, but you’ll be exercising your brain too!

Go on a walking tour of your hometown

There’s no better way to learn about your hometown than to walk around it. When you go abroad, you’re a tourist and you spend time learning about your destination and taking lots of photographs, so why not do this in your own back yard and discover something you didn’t know.

Do some exercise

Exercise makes us feel good, but all that sweating and hard work might seem far from fun. To combat this, try hula-hoop dancing, belly-dancing or some other exercise that is upbeat and makes you smile. It feels a lot less like exercise, but it’s still great for your body and mind.

Have fun without spending money! 🙂

My Two Perfect Days

I’ve been thinking about what my perfect day would look like and I actually have two kinds; one where I stay home and one where I go out and about.

The One Where I Stay at Home

My perfect day starts early in the morning, usually on my day off, once I’ve dragged myself out of bed. I love to exercise and whether that’s a session in the gym, which is what I did this morning, swimming a few lengths of the pool, or running round the park or reservoir, I feel energised, most of the time 😉 and ready to indulge in my day.

Things to Do in Bangkok — Running at Nong Bon Reservoir, Bangkok

The next part of my perfect day is to have breakfast of cereal and coffee, while I catch up on emails and blogs that I follow and once that’s done, I sit down to write. Whether that’s for this blog or working on my book or writing up a course for work, I write, something. I love writing, and if I don’t do it, I feel kind of guilty, especially on my day off.

Things to Do in Freetime in Bangkok — Writing and Writing (not always with wine!)

When I’ve finished writing, I’ll potter around my apartment, making lunch, or deciding what to do next and I’ll listen to music. I try to listen to music every day and since I have iTunes on shuffle I am getting to hear songs by different artists, some of which I love but have forgotten about, like Pink Floyd, Simple Minds, and Prince. It’s a great pick-me-up and sometimes I’ll sing and dance along. I am a terrible singer, but it makes me happy. 😉 This is one tune I loved in the past, but had totally forgotten about it until recently..

I usually have more than one book on the go at any one time and there’s nothing I love more than to kick-back and read. I spend just an hour or two relaxing on the sofa reading my favourite books. At the moment, I’m reading River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh. He’s a really fabulous writer and I have a few of his books in my collection. I’m also dipping in and out of a few travel books, and Jaya, a retelling of Indian’s greatest epic; The Mahabharata.

My perfect day ends with an evening out with a friend for dinner or drinks. I usually go to my friend’s house, here in Bangkok, for cocktails, or we’ll venture out to any of our favourite places to hang out. We always have loads of fun together and it’s great to spend time with my little partner in crime! There are a few more people back home that would fit this bill, and whenever I go home for holidays, I get to have perfect evenings with them too.

The One Where I Go Out and About

My perfect day out and about happened just last week. I started the day much the same, exercise, breakfast and catching up with emails and blogs, but then I left to go to an art exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, a huge building full of art exhibits and one I go to regularly. The exhibition was called ” Opera Omnia” and it displayed 40 masterpieces by Caravaggio, only they were HD reproductions of the incredibly detailed originals, which are currently housed in museums across the globe. Having just been to Italy, I wasn’t going to miss out on this. It’s a fabulous place to wander around and it’s one of my favourite places to spend time.

Art fix satisfied, my perfect day continued with a spot of lunch at a restaurant I was introduced to a few weeks ago by a friend. I had two favourite lunch places, both of which have since been closed to make way for new hotels and condos. I prefer going out during the day and I was struggling to find a place that opened all day, and one that had a 6-hour happy hour! Most places don’t open til 5 pm and they’re a little expensive to go to all the time, so I was thrilled when I found Monsoon. I’ve only been a couple of times so far, but it’s my new place to go for my perfect days out.

After lunch, I headed to Emquartier, one of Bangkok’s glitzy malls. As a rule, I hate these places, too many people and overpriced shops that you find anywhere in the world, but I by-passed all that and browsed around Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore that I like to go to for travel books. I love browsing around bookstores and, usually, I go to a much smaller one that has 4 floors with shelves and shelves full of second-hand books, but I wanted to buy The Rough Guide to Spain and I like those all shiny, new and up to date. I found what I was looking for, plus I made two extra purchases, a beginners guide to Spanish and a book about the history of art. Perfect!

I arrived home and spent the rest of my day, watching TV, with a glass of red, or two, and chilled out before work the following day. A perfect end to a perfect day!

What’s your idea of a perfect day? 🙂