Backstage With… Big Narstie on new TV show Jungle where ‘drill music is presented to you as art’
With traditional channels and streaming services all constantly creating new content in a bid to win viewers, it’s not often that something genuinely unique hits our screens.
But new series Jungle is doing something different – it’s a musical which uses drill and rap – think Tinie Tempah rather than Julie Andrews, and as well as sounding great, it has a highly stylised look, set in a near futuristic neon London.
The cast is made up of musicians, many of them already well known, like Big Narstie, who told Sky News’ Backstage Podcast that the show is giving rappers a platform that they’ve not had before.
“It’ll be the first time you’ve seen drill music presented to you as art,” he said.
“Remember, most of the drill artists are just raw talent compared to other genres where they have specialists behind who can turn their raw talent into art, into an actual piece of material.”
Referencing his own behind-the-scenes team who have helped Narstie on his path to success, he says he’s aware that he’s one of the lucky ones.
“A lot of drill artists, they haven’t had half the chance to have any of [these] type of structural things,” he said.
“These are young deprived kids who just spoke their emotion and people listened.”
Pic: Amazon Studios
Pic: Amazon Studios
With Jungle available to watch on streaming service Prime Video, it’s bound to see drill reaching a new audience as it’ll be available to viewers whether they are fans of the genre or not.
Narstie says he’s proud to be involved with the series, telling Sky News: “I’m just humbled to be a part of the legacy tree.
“Legacy is important to understand, where it comes from… and to be a part of the process on the way up when this music is starting to actually make its roots [to] get into the soil of life – I’m down for that.”
The show follows two young men who want to change their lives, but are forced to confront the consequences of their actions.
Big Narstie says his part in it, as a gang member, is only small, but that he loved filming it.
Slim played by RA and Gogo played by Ezra Elliott. Pic: Amazon Studios
“We only had a short period of time to get it done, but I couldn’t stop laughing, I just couldn’t stop laughing,” he said.
“So the producers was getting the right hump, but I couldn’t stop laughing because of what the characters of the police officers had to say.
“So as much as I was irritating everyone because I couldn’t stop laughing, you got to big up the scriptwriter man, because it was bloody funny.”
It’s not the rapper’s first acting role – he’s previously appeared in Anuvahood and the last movie in the Foot Soldier franchise.
Describing himself as a “fat Wesley Snipes” the musician admits he’s keen to do more, but joked: “I need to do a real powerful romcom where I can scream through a letterbox.”
Jungle is out on Prime Video now – hear our review on the latest episode of Backstage – the film and TV podcast from Sky News.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
Bruce Springsteen is to release seven albums of mostly unheard material this summer.
The US singer said the songs, written and re-recorded between 1983 and 2018, were being made public after he began completing “everything I had in my vault” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a short video posted on Instagram, Springsteen said the albums were “records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released”.
The 83-song collection is being released in a box set called Tracks II: The Lost Albums and goes on sale on 27 June.
Some 74 of the tracks have never been heard before.
Springsteen first teased the release on Wednesday morning with a short social media video accompanied by text which said: “What was lost has been found”.
Tracks II is the follow-up to the star’s first Tracks volume, a four-CD collection of 66 unreleased songs, released in 1998.
Bruce Springsteen at New York’s Carnegie Hall at a tribute to Patti Smith last month. Pic: PA
The New Jersey-born rocker, nicknamed The Boss, last released a studio album in 2022.
Only the Strong Survive was a collection of covers, including songs by Motown and soul artists, such as the Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Frankie Wilson and Jimmy Ruffin.
The late soul legend Sam Moore, who died in January and was a frequent Springsteen collaborator, sang on two of the tracks.
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Springsteen is coming to the UK in May to launch a two-month tour of Europe with his E Street Band.
The shows will include performances at the Co-op Live in Manchester and Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.
The singer-songwriter has sold more than 140 million records since his debut on the music scene in 1973, according to his website.
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