UNILAD • 20th July 2018

Bruce Lee Voted Greatest Martial Artist In History

Always ‘be prepared’, that’s what NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told me when we spoke about his time learning under the martial arts icon that is Bruce Lee, back in 2015. As well as being one of his students, the 7 foot 2 inch Los Angeles Lakers centre made a cameo ‘for the ages’ in Bruce’s last film, Game of Death. Martial Arts has been around for centuries, but without Bruce Lee there wouldn’t be the same impact on mainstream media and pop culture.

UNILAD • 15th July 2018

This Has Been The Most Exciting World Cup For A Generation

So here we are, after an entire glorious month of international football it all comes to an end this evening in the final clash between France and Croatia. This has been a World Cup which has delivered many firsts. The introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), challenges to our perceptions of the host country built up through prior mainstream news coverage and an England team the nation could FINALLY get behind.

UNILAD • 26th June 2018

The Chinese Government Must Stop Pet Dogs Being Stolen For Meat

The great American author Mark Twain once referred to dogs as ‘gentlemen’ whose heaven he’d rather go to than Man’s. He may have been on to something there. Often referred to as man’s best friend, we laud dogs for their loyalty and ability (when trained well by an owner or a handler) to follow instructions. But how is our relationship with man’s best friend? Is it a two-way street? Do we treat dogs as our equals rather than our subordinates?

UNILAD • 24th June 2018

Two Big Things Played A Part In Chris Benoit’s Death And We Need To Talk About It

Prior to June 2007, Chris Benoit would have been remembered as one of the best wrestlers the business has ever seen and a dead cert in WWE’s illustrious (and dubious – some would argue) Hall of Fame. But his horrific actions over a three-day period in June 24-27 2007, means it will never happen. Furthermore, it wiped out his vital contribution to professional wrestling, becoming a persona non grata in the process. And with good reason, as the orchestrator in the double-murder of his wife Nancy

UNILAD • 2nd June 2018

Muhammad Ali Was The Greatest Athlete The World Will Ever See

When Muhammad Ali passed away on June 3, 2016, the world not only lost a superb, iconic athlete, we also mourned the passing of one of the most unique human beings to set foot on Earth. To condense Ali’s career and impact on society beyond the boxing ring to just a mere-thousand plus words can’t truly do it justice. There are people throughout history who have an aura about them: Che Guevera, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Corazon Aquino, Angela Davis… Ali is part of this esteemed list.

UNILAD • 30th May 2018

Pusha T And Drake Beef Is Nothing Compared To What Eminem Did To Ja Rule

Accused of being fake and questioning his use of ghostwriters (among other things) by the former Clipse member, Drake fired back with the brilliant Duppy Freestyle. At that moment I, along with other lovers of petty rap beef, thought ‘game over’. Surely there was no way Terrance could come back from such a lyrical beatdown. WRONG! If 28-plus-years of listening to hip-hop has taught me anything its a) always expect the unexpected and b) never ever count out the underdog. Pusha T’s response to Du

UNILAD • 30th May 2018

Pusha T And Drake Beef Is Nothing Compared To What Eminem Did To Ja Rule

Before his tragic and untimely death, The Notorious B.I.G. famously asked ‘What’s beef?‘ In the late hours of Wednesday morning I woke to an alert on my phone, Twitter was going nuts at a diss track rapper Pusha T debuted on Hot 97, the number one radio station for hip-hop in New York. The scathing track was aimed at Drake, who had issues with Pusha T’s shots at him on Infrared from his newest album DAYTONA (a modern day classic which you should definitely listen to).

UNILAD • 21st May 2018

The Notorious B.I.G. Is Still The Greatest Rapper Ever

Today, March 21, 2018, would’ve been the 46th birthday of one Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G. Despite only dropping two full feature length LPs in his lifetime, Ready To Die and Life After Death, both have gone down in the annals of music history as pure classics. ‘Classic’. That word gets thrown around a lot these days but during the much lauded golden age of hip-hop (aka the 1990s) both albums were received with critical and commercial acclaim, and just like fine

UNILAD • 21st April 2018

Medicinal Cannabis Will Never Be Legalised In The UK

In the summer of 2016, while everyone was out and about enjoying the sun I was sitting in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV receiving chemotherapy. While feeling a natural sense of self-loathing and boredom, the only other thing running in mind was ‘Dammit I could really do with a joint right now’. It’s easy to view marijuana as a recreational substance, and while there is a valid debate as to whether it should be legalised and decriminalised for said purpose, there’s a legitimate counter-arg

UNILAD • 13th February 2018

Black Panther Is The MCU's Most Socially-Aware Film To-Date

Before even going into production there was a lot riding on the highly anticipated release of Black Panther. Introduced in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War it was clear from the jump that Chadwick Boseman was the right fit to wear the crown as King T’Challa, ruler of Wakanda, and the cowl of the Black Panther. This solo movie not only reinforces that statement but is also up there with the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to date in terms of content and quality.

UNILAD • 21st January 2018

Transracial Could Be The Next Big Thing In 2018

As someone who’s a person of colour, I feel it’s important I know about my heritage and the homeland where my mother and father came from. I may be a British citizen but I’m under no illusion how inside me, runs the blood of my ancestors – my DNA and genetic makeup (as far as I know), can be traced all the way back to my motherland, the Philippines. It would be disingenuous and insulting to claim otherwise.

UNILAD • 26th November 2017

It's Time We All Forgave Jar Jar Binks

With a little-known film known as Star Wars: The Last Jedi out this month I decided to take a look at the franchise’s most unpopular character and ask the question: ‘Was he really that bad?’ When New York-born actor Ahmed Best was offered a role for the beginning of a new Star Wars project it must have been a dream come true, I mean surely it’s every actor’s dream to be part of one of the greatest franchises in the world. Little did he know he’d be synonymous with everything wrong with 1999’s

UNILAD • 22nd November 2017

What is Net Neutrality And How Could It Affect You?

Recently a debate in America has been sparked over the rules and principles of net neutrality. The law which has been in place since 2015 was put into effect by the Obama Administration when the Democrats controlled the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Rules of net neutrality classify high speed internet as a public utility, its main purpose is to ensure everyone who uses the internet, regardless of their internet service provider (ISP), have the same accessibility to all online conten

UNILAD • 19th November 2017

15 Years Since Its Release 8 Mile Remains The Most Important Film In Hip-Hop

Since its release in November 2002, 8 Mile has remained one of the quintessential movies for any self-respecting hip-hop fan – no wait, scratch that… any self-respecting film or music fan. Now before you starting shooting off comments on Facebook – or quickly type up something like ‘Booooy WTF do you know about hip-hop?’ congratulations, in the words of DJ Khaled: ‘You played yourself’.

UNILAD • 19th November 2017

Testicular Cancer: Survivor Stories

98% of men diagnosed with testicular cancer survive for at least five years, but if it isn't caught early it could be fatal.

UNILAD • 17th November 2017

Loot Boxes In Star Wars Could Be Banned Across Europe

Belgium’s Gaming Commission have officially confirmed loot box features, as seen in games like Star Wars Battlefront II , have been deemed akin to gambling and should be banned across Europe. Last week they launched an investigation into the loot crate system, to find out whether they constitute as a form of gambling, today VTM News report, they came back with a resounding yes.

UNILAD • 10th November 2017

World's First Trans-Species Cyborg Fights For Right To Be Recognised

It’s a bit of trope-cum-cliche to harp on about how technology is ever changing, it’s painstakingly obvious, particularly in this day and age. But at this moment in time science fiction is turning into reality. Artist and activist Neil Harbisson is a living testament to that fact. His story is one based on circumstance and identity. In the same way the transgender community has fought to be recognised and treated equally, Harbisson is fighting to legitimise his identity as a cyborg.

UNILAD • 27th October 2017

GTA Vice City Is The Most Complete Video Game Of 21st Century

Today marks the 15th Anniversary of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, steeped in pop culture and 80’s Americana it is literally one of – if not THE – best game of the 21st century. When I think of my dusty old PlayStation 2 console, which is still tucked away somewhere underneath a labyrinth of rotting books and CDs (remember those?), a teary glint forms in the corner of my eye because I associate it with one game, GTA Vice City. Just like those books and CDs, which I’m sentimentally attached to, m

UNILAD • 26th October 2017

30 Years On Street Fighter Is Still The Best Fighting Game

From the moment my cousin set up his SNES and stuck the cartridge in the console, I was instantly entranced by the universe of ‘The World Warrior’ tournament. For 30 years Street Fighter, a game where you travel the world to beat the brakes off your digital opponent, regardless of gender or species, has kept million’s of gamers such as myself enamoured. Street Fighter’s beauty lies in its simplicity, there’s nothing convoluted about it’s approach to gameplay and its mechanics are responsible f

UNILAD • 22nd October 2017

Left-Handed People Are More Talented Than Right-Handed People

What do Barack Obama, Steve McQueen and Joan of Arc all have in common… they are (or in some cases, were) left-handed. If Springfield was a real state in America, some of the most iconic figures would be shopping at Ned Flanders’ Leftorium. As someone who’s been left-handed since birth, it warms my heart how I’m in great company among the likes of; Marie Curie, Bill Gates, Matt Groening and Oprah Winfrey – even Winston Churchill, a staunch symbol in the archaic idea of British patriotism, was