The purpose of San Francisco Zen Center is to make accessible and embody the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha as expressed in the Soto Zen tradition established by Dogen Zenji in 13th-century Japan and conveyed to us by Suzuki Roshi and other Buddhist teachers. Our practice flows from the insight that all beings are Buddha, and that sitting in meditation is itself the realization of Buddha nature, or enlightenment.

LONDON BOY AMERICAN DREAMING ****OUT NOW***

Drawing strong influences from the likes of Tupac, Biggie, and Styles P, DVS has always been a lover of music, but never really looked at it as a career. However, over the past year and a half he has seen things in a different light - after gaining thousands of dedicated fans across the UK. This Brixton-born rapper is about to take UK rap music to the next level.

"I’m trying to do a lot of things now," says DVS. "I just love music and I just hope it continues and goes further and further. A deal would be ideal, I mean, you are in it for the money really, but right now, I don’t even care about it. I don’t even see any profit out of music; I do it because I love it."

When it comes to UK rap, people are always going to be critical about the lyrical content. Even though the scene is healthy and popular with young people, it tends to be the older generation who claim that the music glamourizes street life. But DVS wants everyone to take a closer listen, because not everything is as negative as it seems. 

"I want people to just listen to my music closely. It’s not all about killing people, robbing people and selling drugs, like a lot of people might think. I talk about reality, pain and life. It’s just like Trevor McDonald reading the news; I just read it in a different way. A way that more people can relate to and understand."

With a mixtape, album and a few commercial singles in the pipeline, DVS is ready to take on the harsh critics and prove that UK rap is a genre to be reckoned with.

Rj Pingling is following