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We meet in a park where the sun is blessing our skin, it has that magical effect of making us all smile reflecting the good mood we are all in. As I start taking pictures people pass by peeking to take a look, there is definitely an aura about these two giants in the world of spoken word but their humbleness and good vibes enable them to move around and blend into an environment that is both natural yet peppered with CCTV cameras watching our every move.

What is the Best Kept Secret (BKS)?

Amen Noir: To be honest I think part of understanding who we are comes through understanding Anthony T Browder’s overview of how the African is still unknown, who we are, and how we are built, the whole essence of your being actually still being a secret. Through BKS we try to bring in parts of that element, I think people are now starting to realise that even though individually we may also do other things, we are collectively working to bring alive that secret. Tuggs often talks about having a secret identity like that of a super hero. When you realise the importance of bringing that secret, especially with spoken word and its links to Griots and telling that story you can appreciate how powerful it really is, it’s about awakening the secret and showing the world that power.

Tuggstar: There was a time when after uni and at work I had to have a separate identity because I was seeking to blend into a certain environment, Afterwards I always had to duck into a toilet to change back into me, it’s interesting how so many different worlds exist in this small world called London. Certain people don’t have a clue about the day to day struggles of the other people around them, Britain is not a multi-cultural society it is a multi-racial society, because the other cultures are not accepted by the majority.

Who and where is BKS today?

Amen Noir: Where we are is at the beginning and the end, I know of recent we have spoken about the potential of BKS, when we sit down and look at those we have worked and generally perform with we see BKS as a collective allowing us to do anything even outside spoken word performance. With a collective such as ours there is always more than one mind on any project, for example, say we want to set up a youth programme collectively we all have the skills to make it happen, we have so much potential to go beyond our name, that’s why in some case we are just beginning that’s why the potential is so great. Being the eldest in the collective I can see it works and it being so big, even if we decided to only go for two years we can see opportunities beyond spoken word, so I believe we are at the beginning despite some seeing us as being around ‘so long’.

Tuggstar: It’s the first time I’ve been in a collective and the wisdom that it brings is vital to the totality of the group, what everybody brings individually is essential to our survival, Amen Noir is the backbone, it wasn’t an official choice but a natural one, I believe as the artist Kalashnikov would say “were living in daggo times”, so I don’t believe any human being born in this time or age is born without a purpose to deal with it, the BKS has taken the calling to awaken ourselves and awaken others. So when asked who are we, I say we are modelled on those hero groups, a collective who have come together for a greater purpose.


The intellectual depth of Tuggstar and Amen Noir is unlike that of any of the many ‘urban’ artists we are bombarded with in the mainstream media today, they welcome reward for their work but are not focused or motivated by a desire to achieve material gain. It’s hard to express the genuine sincerity in their voices as they speak with intimate knowledge and passion about their responsibility, the pain they feel when reflecting on the issues affecting our community and their responsibility to be part of that movement making that difference. Too good to be true? I don’t think so, but I’m not here to be a BKS cheerleader, I want to find out what makes these legendary wordsmiths tick. Mischievously I throw the heady mix of fame and money into the equation. Just as we start to talk on the synergy between the music industry and the spoken word scene I try another angle.

Should BKS remain a secret?

Tuggstar: I think the whole world should know the BKS scene, but I can’t imagine the music industry being interested in us without wanting to change us, so we’re on an independent tip doing for self, I haven’t had a second thought about the music industry.

Amen Noir: I’m the opposite, I think it should remain a secret, I think the problems come when the fame hits and we haven’t built the foundations, my mum always says before you take the boat out to sea it should be seaworthy, so before we go to sail we need to build those foundations. The music industry moves when there is a buzz. Through speaking with artists like friends in the so-solid crew we can see some of the mistakes that happened when as artists they were picked off one by one despite making claims saying they were a 150 strong unit. When you stand firm in your beliefs and prepare to make sacrifices for them you can be personally be happy with what you have. The music industry is about being part of that commercial machine where you only give them what they want and I don’t want us to be about that.

Tuggstar: Gangland started of as a piece by Amen Noir, a piece to put into context the whole thing about ‘black on black’ crime and place it in its context, so it showed the context of people like Tupac, the Black Panthers and other movements that were the vanguard of taking us forward. Now that whole energy has been mis-directed and mis-guided as a result of elders not being there to show us. So what the poem does is put everything in its context. I’ve seen young people being inspired by it, so what we have done is come in as separate characters representing different voices showing the concern, anger, passion - it’s a brilliant piece and we believe its timely.

Amen Noir: If you look at what Tuggs wrote in the synopsis of what Gangland is about it shows how it effects everybody in the community, its not just about young people or those at risk or just the conscious or unconscious, it’s for everyone. What we are trying to do is give the history of it, we got the initial breakdown from Twilight Bey who was part of the gang culture in Los Angeles, so if you look at it now it should help the elder generation get a better understanding of the youth who we are quick to blame. It helps elders to understand that we have not done enough to prevent this, and also talk to the young people to make them understand the legacy they are leaving by sustaining this. Only when you come to see us will you understand that we can expand this story into more than just the usual ‘gang and the hoods’.

How can we support BKS?

Amen Noir: Sponsorship. We don’t want to work any more (laughs), we just want to do our art. A lot of people who I rate as artists have told me about those times when the first thing you want to do when you wake up is do your art, yes there are benefits of being in employment but then the ability to take time out to do our art becomes difficult. I have made so much sacrifices for this art I can say it is not just about me, we have done performances for youth groups when we know we should be charging, this is far bigger than us, its far bigger than the collective of BKS, people have told us when we go on stage we take a risk, some of our words could even lead to us being labelled terrorists, so in this time and age we understand that its far more than just being an artist.

Tuggstar: I’ve always tried to ensure people are not just supporting me because I’m here but because my work is of quality and good. If we meet that measure then support us because you support what we do. We get told what we do is always appreciated, yet while we get the back-slaps, we don’t always get the full support we need. When we support other music acts and they do their popcorn stuff when we follow through with stuff that is real and relevant we get support. I remember when Ice T was cutting edge everybody loved him, but when he started playing it safe everyone was shocked. The people should support the people if they feel they represent what they represent.

Amen Noir: ...and share the information, sometimes people buy albums but don’t tell somebody else.

You can see AmeN NoiR, Tuggs.t.a.r, OneNess and ShakaRa of Best Kept Secret performing Gangland at the Oh! Centre, Derbyshire St, Bethnal Green, London E2 6HG, on Friday 30 May and Saturday 31 May 2008 at 7PM.