So in 15 hours or so from the time of writing, it will be a new decade here in the UK. I for one welcome it with open arms and happily say "Good Riddance!" to the Noughties. Click the "Read More" link to find out why:

The Noughties sucked as a decade. I mean, really. Think about it. Of the years 2000-2009, 8 of those years had George W Bush controlling the worlds most powerful country. I mean, who let this guy in? OK fair enough, you guys made a mistake voting him in the first time. But you realized and then…..the bastard cheated his way back in. Obama’s first year in office hasn’t been anywhere near enough time to counter the damage done by the Bush Administration, but I am certain that over time, Obama will be able to lead the country and the world in a better direction.

What about music? Well, the record business died over the last decade and it seemed like cultural movements did too. Where’s the movements like there were in every decade prior? Grunge and the rise of commercial hip-hop and alternative rock in the 90′s, electro, new wave and post punk in the 80′s, metal, punk and funk in the 70′s, rock and roll in the 60′s……well what the hell does the Noughties have to show for itself musically? Nada.

2009 felt like it had to just outdo the suckiness of the whole rest of the decade on it’s own. Economic recession. The death of the king of pop. In my case, more heartbreak and personal issues than I care to even waste another second getting upset about. In short, a terrible, terrible year. I’m confident that the Tens is going to be a GREAT decade though. I can’t explain why right now, since we’re not even in it yet. But I CAN feel it. There’s something stirring, an energy that some forward thinking people will harness. The Noughties has left us all downtrodden, resentful and angry. This anger is our gift and the force that will guide us to a better tomorrow.

I plan to start off the Tens with a bang. The release of my long awaited, years in the making solo album (I PROMISE it’s nearly done!!!)….the new Swami album that is our most ambitious project to date and will hopefully elevate us to previously unseen heights……THIS IS THE NEW BEGINNING.

But don’t just take my word for it. Drop me a line and let me know why you feel the Tens is going to be awesome. I can’t be alone in feeling like the draught of the Noughties will lead to a new renaissance of the Tens. I mean, once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up, right? Happy new decade to all of you.

Peace love and be wild.

Casey "S-Endz" Rain.

P.S – Big shout out to Bobby Friction and all the listeners of the FRICTION show on the BBC Asian Network who placed ‘Sugarless’ as the #2 song of 2009 in the Top 50 songs countdown show. Hey, I guess 2009 wasn’t all bad

Aside from the fact that I feel the man is a very inspiring politician with stances I agree on and an honesty rarely found in politics, there’s another reason I respect Barack Obama so highly  – for getting so far in this world, not as a Black man, but as a Mixed Race man.

Upon winning the presidential election, the topic came up of what kind of dog he would be getting for his daughters, whereupon he made the comment "I think we’ll have to get a mutt…….like me".

I remember making a similar comment less than a year ago. I forget the conversation details, but I remember at one stage referring to myself as "a mutt", and getting some looks from the people around me, and comments like "You shouldn’t refer to yourself like that".

Of course, my intention was not to be derogatory about myself, it was just a tongue-in-cheek remark. For my entire life, I have been the minority of minorities. It was increasingly difficult to find people that could relate to not just one of my ethnic backgrounds (including that side of my families morals, values and beliefs), but the other one too.

Just like every other mixed race person on the planet, it wasn’t so easy to find my own identity with so few role models. I found myself being able to relate to black artists like Tupac as well as white artists like Kurt Cobain, finally finding an artist that not only balanced the two visually, but musically as well when I discovered Prince with his sexually-charged mix of raw black funk with the tearing guitars of rock n’ roll that has somehow become the domain of the white man (but that’s another topic).

And then came 2008, the year that changed everything. Not only does Barack Obama become the most powerful man in the world, but Lewis Hamilton (also mixed) becomes the youngest Formula 1 champion of all time. Suddenly, those all-too-recent days where people still felt it was acceptable to use terms like "half-caste" have been whisked out of my mind and the future has never felt brighter for my people.

Of course, the prevalent racism of the world will always mean that we mixed-race people with one white parent will identify more with our ethnic side rather than our Caucasian side. Just look at the African-Americans acceptance of Obama as one of them compared to all the White folks who won’t even realize he has a White mother. To them, if your skin isn’t pearly white, you aren’t one of them, and unfortunately that’s an issue that we all have to face.

But, I’ll be damned if that stops me from expressing who I am, whenever I feel like it. If that means my Asian and Black friends are going to look at me weird when I let down my hair, throw up the heavy metal salute and head to a concert full of mostly White folks and headbang for two hours, and if that means my White friends are going to look at me weird when my hair is in braids, I’m rocking the latest Sean John or Ecko gear with my bandana facing the side, then that’s fine with me. Identity crisis? Nah dogg, I’m a mutt. And I’m fucking proud of it. Peace.

It’s official folks. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States! Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that.

I hope you all caught his inspiring acceptance speech. I personally was awake at 4am here in the UK watching what was going down. I admit to shedding a tear thinking about the struggles that people like Martin Luther King and Afeni Shakur went through so that something like this would be possible. And this is why I love America. Not just because I enjoy playing shows there or visiting my immediate family. But because, in America, anything is possible.

Go Barack! I, and millions of others support you in a way many of us have never felt about a politician. I knew that from the beginning, and it was reinforced when JFK’s sister said she hadn’t seen a politician have this much support from the public since her brother was alive.

We all saw those idiots on TV over the last few months spreading falsities about Obama for no reason other than racism. For too long, these people were the ones holding America down like a ball and chain. I am proud that the USA has been able to overcome that. A change was needed and a change is finally here. We embrace you with open arms. Make us proud, President Obama! We all have faith.

I am so happy right now. The American dream is in full effect. Don’t let anyone hold you down, and as I’ve told you before…. ‘DON’T HOLD BACK!".