Hamda Issa-Salwe

Hamda Issa-Salwe is a London based brand partnerships manager who has worked on projects for Guns n Roses, Kanye West, Billie Eilish, Travis Scott and the Tupac Shakur Estate as well as brands and retailers including Trapstar, Selfridges, Stussy, ASOS, Boohoo, Missguided and Pretty Little Thing through collaborations, licencing, and music merchandise. Hamda is also a freelance music journalist who uses writing as a platform to rep talent, voice opinions and share expertise. var sc_project=10464231; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_security="559855e8"; var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://secure." : "http://www."); document.write("");

[hamdaissasalwe]

VanJess Talks Us Through Creating In Quarantine And The Making Of Their EP, "Homegrown" published by Buzzfeed

Think of iconic musical siblings, and a few acts that made music a family affair may come to mind: K-Ci & JoJo, the Jackson 5, Chloe x Halle — even Aly & AJ. Now there's Ivana and Jessica — also known as VanJess — the contemporary R&B sister duo raised between Nigeria and the States... Read more

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'How Dubai became the hottest holiday destination for UK rappers' published by The Face

During the endless hours we spent glued to our phones in lockdown, we often found ourselves being teased by UK rap stars living it up in what looked like an alternative universe. It was far removed from socially-distanced supermarket queues and government-approved daily walks in the grey British weather. We’ve watched Aitch ride through the desert on a dune buggy, Dave play with tigers and, infamously, Headie One and Tion Wayne brawl on a sparsely populated airplane... Read more

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‘Imposter syndrome in the music industry is rife, but it's not impossible to overcome’  published by Mixmag

I can’t count how many times I’ve found myself at a boardroom table feeling like I’ve somehow stumbled into the wrong meeting. I’ll be sitting there thinking, “Everyone here knows exactly what they’re talking about except me” as office jargon and ‘creative speak’ flies around the room. Sometimes I’m the youngest, sometimes I’m the only woman and sometimes I’m the only black person. Most often, I feel like the only imposter... Read more

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‘Carnaval De Bahidorá: Sustaining the Surreal Beauty of Mexico’s Best-Kept Secret’ published by edm.com 

It's no overstatement to say that Carnaval De Bahidorá is one the world’s most stunning festivals. Running for eight years in the state of Morelos, it’s a two hour drive on a good day or brace yourself for more with Mexico City’s hardcore traffic - but what you’ll find at the end of the road is well worth the gridlock... Read more

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‘Music That Gives Me Life with Mabdulle’ published by GRM Daily

Music that gives me life is a brand new feature with GRM Daily where your favourite figures in the music industry talk us through a selection of songs and musical memories that form the soundtrack to their life. We talked to Mabdulle, one of the hottest photographers in the music scene having earned his stripes with brands like Adidas and Daily Paper as well as joining Stormzy on the road as his tour photographer... Read more

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'Music That Gives Me Life with Swarmz' published by GRM Daily

Music that gives me life is a brand new feature with GRM Daily where your favourite figures in the music industry talk us through a selection of songs and musical memories that form the soundtrack to their lives. To kick things off we have South London rapper Swarmz who came to the country’s attention with the infectiously viral hit “Lyca”... Read more

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'I don’t give the hate much thought: The proud gay rapper shaking up the UK scene' published by The Face

After being snubbed by the music industry for years, Mr Strange generated over a million views with a fearless freestyle. With passion and skilful delivery, he rapped about the LGBTQ+ experience and the struggles of coming out, ending with the statement, ​“I love who I am, I’m tryna open the gates and show the world it don’t matter if you’re gay or straight ​’cos love is love and real is real.” There have been many LGBTQ+ rappers over the years, but this is the first... Read more

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‘The beauty of MOGA Festival, in pictures’ published by Skiddle

Come September and UK festival season is done and dusted. As temperatures drop we scurry back to our homes and offices to hide away until Spring. But elsewhere the sun is still shining and people continue to dance on without a mud puddle or wet hiking sock in sight. So it is that we found ourselves at MOGA festival, a fete for the luxury nomad set on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, in the ancient walled citadel of Essaouira... Read more

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'How do young Muslims feel when rappers reference Islam?' published by The Face

Hip-hop artists have celebrated the religion in their songs for decades, but recent controversies have got Muslims wondering where the line is drawn. References to Islam in hip-hop go back almost as far as the genre’s origin. In the ​’80s, the Zulu Nation movement borrowed philosophical groundings from the Nation of Islam. Later in the ​’90s, the Wu-Tang Clan’s lyrics referenced the teachings of the Five Percent Nation, and Q‑Tip of A Tribe Called Quest formed a collective with J Dilla and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad named ​“The Ummah”… Read more

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'From Yewande to Misha B, how well do you remember the iconic black women of British reality TV?' published by gal-dem

From Yewande to Misha B, how well do you remember the iconic black women of British reality TV? By Hamda Issa-Salwe CULTUREGAL-DEM 28th June 2019 Some might call it trash telly, but reality shows like Love Island are a guilty pleasure, proudly consumed by as many as 4.3 million viewers each night. Summer after summer we tune in to enjoy all the grafting, banter and plenty of snogging between hot people “doing bits” on the telly... Read more

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'Why equality isn’t just a buzzword for Strawberries & Creem Festival' published by gal-dem

With their slogan being “celebrate heritage, champion future”, Strawberries & Creem is a platform for black British music – both new and old. Taking place in Cambridge, the event last weekend drew in thousands of ravers from across the country for a day of rap, grime, garage and house... Read more

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'Come Rain Or Shine, This Years SW4 Festival Was A Highlight' published by UK Rap

Wellies and waterproofs are synonymous with most UK festivals. Just as our heatwave rolled on and was replaced by summer showers, the festival essentials I just mentioned were all the rage at last weekend’s South West Four on Clapham Common. But despite the gloomy weather, SW4’s incredibly hot bill of headliners warmed things up for everyone... Read more

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Hamda Issa-Salwe featured in ‘How I got my first job in: Music Merch and Branding’ by Dusty Baxter-Wright for Cosmopolitan

Hamda Issa-Salwe is the Sales and Marketing coordinator at Bravado, Universal Music’s merchandise and branding company, who create merch for artists like Selena Gomez, Guns N’Roses and Justin Bieber amongst other. She works on incredible projects like Kanye West’s Life of Pablo pop-up shops or most recently, The Rolling Stones takeover at Selfridges. This display features archive pieces from the band, alongside retail collaboration pieces from the likes of Commes des Garcons and Levi’s... Read more

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Hamda Issa-Salwe featured in 'The wild west of influencer-dom: Will social media stars continue to rise?' by Oliver Bennett for The Independent

There’s a lot of disdain for influencers, but it’s not all about followers and likes. With an estimated worth of $1bn, a trade body and a recognised marketing award, they have finally been tamed... Read more

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‘Beach settings combine with bass-heavy sounds for Hideout Festival 2018′ published by Crack Magazine

Hideout Festival is a week-long run of parties ’til sunrise set along Croatia’s Zrce Beach on Pag Island. Here, party-goers from as far afield as Australia and the USA have come to see Solardo, Peggy Gou, Skream and more in a stunning setting, complete with turquoise waters, palm trees and a backdrop of golden mountains... Read more

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‘8 UK rap tracks that celebrate Afrobeats’ published by Red Bull Music

Afrobeats and its influence is present everywhere right now. Wizkid just sold out the O2 Arena, Nigeria have the most wanted World Cup kit and the UK music scene is constantly delivering anthems that blend Afrobeats with hip-hop, grime, R&B and dancehall.The wave began when J Hus – an East London artist of Ghanian heritage – started to break through in 2015, and the music industry still hasn't settled on one genre name yet. But with this diasporic sound blaring out of car speakers and club soundsystems, if feels like there’s never been a better time to celebrate African heritage in the UK... Read more

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‘5th Year Strong at Strawberries & Creem Festival’ published by Nation of Billions

Picture an idyllic setting in the middle of nowhere. Imagine a few horses off in the distance and green grass stretching as far as the eye can see. Now throw in 10,000 20 something year olds, a ton of colour, life and sound – you’ve got Strawberries and Creem. Set in the outskirts of Cambridge, the festival celebrated its fifth year with headliners Not3s, T-Pain, David Rodigan and more... Read more