JUMP OFF

by Heba Keshk 09/02/08


The room is getting fuller by the minute; a mixture of people all ready and in position to witness what is to be considered Europe’s biggest monthly urban showcase as yet.
The stage is in the centre of the room, the DJ could be seen in the right hand corner getting the crowd moving and warmed up for five hours of an unforgettable experience.
Suddenly the music fades and “Rap 6”, the host for the night, takes the stage and officially gets the crowds energy flowing….



What is the Jump Off?

Taken place in Astoria 2, Charing Cross Road, the Jump off is one of London’s Urban landmarks, a monthly event that has been running since 2003. It stages many forms of art (such as Urban Fashion, Street Dancing, Music and Freestyle rapping), this event combines different aspects of the Urban scene into one main event, all under one roof. Creating the definitive entertainment manifestation, the Jump Off also gives young accomplished artists a chance to express themselves, gain publicity and network with their peers and people in the industry.

The Jump Off began five years ago, when two brothers brainstormed ideas together and founded this event. University graduates and Directors of the Jump Off,, Harold, 34 and Ara 32, began this Urban Showcase for young adults to show off their talents and battle it out under one venue. The Jump Off brings together students and young adults who either want to take part in a challenge (to compete head to head at a chance to make extra cash) or simply want to have a memorable night out with their mates…


Like most young enterprises, the Jump Off was set up and funded by the typical use of loans and credit cards, the two siblings set out to start something that was yet to be made in the UK. Through much exposure the event is now supported by some of the Urban scenes biggest names such as MTV Base, KISS, Ecko and The Hook Up, which has resulted in greater publicity and further international support.

In 2005, the Art Council agreed to help fund the Jump Off due to its positive motive of helping young adults share their talents and aim higher, this is a breath of fresh air in contrast to all the on going street crime in this age group. “We awarded Jump Off a Lottery grant totalling £36,400 last year, towards the cost of organising 16 London music and dance events, and to help a number of UK artists travel to the USA to participate in the finals of key international rap, dance and freestyle competitions”. When I approached the Arts Council to question why they have chosen to invest in an up and coming event like the jump off their response was 'Jump Off TV is one of the UK's most proactive outlets for urban arts…We felt this was a unique opportunity to support London's emerging talent on the world stage, and for Jump Off to further develop their reputation as a platform for young people to enter into the music industry.'

Due to student’s “web wisdom” and the fast evolving new age technology Ara and Harold decided to take advantage of the cyber world as it has now become the most favoured channel of communication and entertainment by creating their own website, Jumpoff.tv, solely dedicated to keep their committed audience up to date with future events and to maintain the Jump Off experience by posting the best video clips of the previous shows. "Street Dancing is huge in the UK, but there aren't enough opportunities for dance crews to gain experience and exposure… we aim to leverage the broadcast capabilities of the Internet to bring the genre to a wider audience." says Ara, Director of Jump Off TV.


With all the success that has developed, Ara was placed in the Media Guardian ‘Ethnic Minority Powerlist’ and ranked at position 23 in April 2007.

Ugly Kids Club:
Mark (22) is better known under the alias of Mister Batlow (founder of Ugly Kids Club) and is currently studying Surface Design at the London College of Communications. He is well recognised for his overwhelming street art design. He even designed THAT wallpaper in the LCC Student Union Bar toilets.

He began as a regular at the Jump Off, as he loved what the Jump Off had to offer and its atmosphere. “I used to go to the Jump Off from back in the day it was a weekly event”. Ara, the founder of the Urban Showcase, Jump Off, has helped and guided Batlow from the start in the business aspect of it all.
“When I used to customise denim at Levis, I was 'headhunted' and approached by one of the Jumpoff.tv team who wanted me to take part in the event. Since then the founder of the Ugly Kids Club has worked alongside the Jump Off “I started designing tee-shirts for the Jump Off, which then escalated to me customising their Jumpsuits.” At The Urban Music Festival, Batlow got to design the Brake-dancing mat and their alternative logo for the Jump Off, which they are still currently using.

In January 2008 the Ugly Kids Club appeared at the Jump off with a new line of clothing, which attracted much attention, and since, hold a stool in the venue where they sell their pieces of clothing to the public as well as celebrities. “Having Mariah Carey come back for more hoodies was nice, winning a UK Urban Fashion award was great… these are one of my biggest achievements to date.”

Facts and Figures:

70% of the Jump Off fan base and crowd are students at college and universities worldwide.

Over 60% of Dancers and fashion designers who have appeared on the Jump off have been current students at various Universities across England.

Jumpoff.tv website has a top 30,000 Alexa ranking and is getting 180,000+ unique monthly visitors (60/40% male/female) with 600,000+ video clip views per month.

The Jump Off attracts 350,000-plus viral views a month of their video clips via MySpace, YouTube, Google Video, Live Digital, and Daily Motion. And it has 22,000-plus Jumpoff.tv email subscribers in addition to 6,500-plus mobile subscribers.

There has been over £20,000 in cash prize won in the UK and $50,000 worldwide since 2003.


What to Expect?

The Jump Off is a unique event as it is a cross between a night out and an Urban talent show, With a combination of Hip Hop and comical dialogue, the night is hosted by “Rap 6” along side Kiss FM DJ, Manny Norte playing the crowd some of the hottest Hip Hop beats


The event is packed with various segments and within each part there are new and raw talent, the age range is erratic, the crowd are very unpredictable, as they tell it how it is. If the crowd feel you lack in talent they will openly heckle you, so much confidence is needed, however once the heckling is over, people still admire and applaud you for having the courage to display your knack as the derision is merely humour.


So now that you know what atmosphere to expect, here are the segments to look forward to:
Dance Off: The competitors ranged from both genders from as young as 3 to 30 from all over Europe and parts of the world. The dance moves are not your average, they will certainly leave you breathless and the music shakes it up even more to perfectly sets the scene.
MC Battle: If you have ever seen the film 8mile you defiantly feel the same vibe as these fresh MCs battle it out to the finals to win an all paid trip to New York to compete there for big money using their raw material. However none to be taken serious as its nothing but good vibes throughout the segments, even when they are giving it their best at ‘’Yo Mama” jokes.
Fashion Show: Do you think you are the next best thing when it comes to fashion? And want to get your name out there? Then read one…this is not only aimed at professional designers but also aimed at up and coming artist such as LCC student, Mark Bajade aka Batlow whose started up his own line called The Ugly Kids Club and other designers such as “Stush”. The two easily contrast each other, which alone shows a variety.
Pillow Fight: This is part of the show where the ladies alone get a chance to pocket £50 for the last “woman” standing! Literally the last person standing without loosing balance/falling off a low levelled platform gets to go home that much richer, and considering the majority of the competitors are students, I can see why some will settle for £50!!
Eating Competitions: from delicious Krispy Creams to finger licking chicken eating battles… So if you raring for some competition and have room in your belly then this one is for you.
Photo shoot: An opportunity for all competitors and Celebes to take specialist snapshots.
This is also intended at the crowd, as they are encouraged to take the stage alone or with friends to take pictures as mementos.



Professor Green:
Professor Green, a successful British Hip Hop artist, won his status through the Jump Off, winning over 100 battles and reaching second place in the World Wide battle, Power Summit, which took place in the Bahamas with the prize being £500,000.
He started out as a recognised member of the audience due to his vibrant personality and his constant appearance since then he ha won over £5000 in MC Battles and is now signed to The Streets, along side Plan B and Mitchell Brothers.

With much pride in his success Professor Green openly talks about his achievement in the Jump Off; “I'm the only MC to ever win at Jump Off 7 weeks in a row and I did it twice.”