Ep7 | Rapper to Reporter - Big Narstie makes reporting debut, goes LIVE for England v Colombia

After an epic journey, Big Narstie has finally made it and completed his transformation from Rapper to Reporter!

Check out Narstie's debut as he took to the airwaves as London-based Love Sport Radio's big match reporter on what turned out to be one of the most dramatic nights in recent World Cup history - England's monumental last 16 victory over Colombia!

Immerse yourselves in the drama of the penalty shootout win once more as Big Narstie describes the action in his own unique style - and find out why Narstie's evening ended with even more drama than the shootout itself!

It was a fitting culmination to a journey that began with Big Narstie bemoaning the current state of football punditry and resulted in 888sport challenging the rapper to Take 'Em On and become a football reporter himself.

After first getting tips from commentary legend Barry Davies, Narstie then learned Russian culture and picked up a bit of the local lingo, before stepping up his training with interview technique advice from BT Sport presenter Lynsey Hipgrave and learning to deal with pressure with a little help from Sky Sports News' Olivia Wayne.

The final prep then saw Narstie enter the lions' den to interview rival fans with the assistance of model and fan TV star Sophie Rose, as news emerged he'd been snapped up by London station Love Sport. What a debut it's been - and, as Narstie says, he well and truly smashed it!

Ep6 | Rapper to Reporter - Big Narstie meets supporters in GERMAN pub with fan TV babe Sophie Rose

Ahead of his big World Cup reporting debut, Big Narstie is taught all about the art of interviewing football supporters by Chelsea Fan TV presenter, Sophie Rose - and he's thrown in at the deep end with a visit to a German pub!

It's the latest installment in Big Narstie's dream to turn from Rapper to Reporter during the World Cup. So far Narstie has learnt commentary tjps from legend Barry Davies, Russian language and culture, interview technique from BT Sport presenter Lynsey Hipgrave and landed a passenger plane to master the art of working under pressure!

Ep5 | Rapper to Reporter - Big Narstie tries to land packed PLANE in ultimate pressure test 

There are few more pressurised jobs than being a reporter on live TV - apart from, maybe, landing a passenger plane with hundreds of people aboard!

So in the latest installment of Big Narstie's quest to turn from Rapper to Reporter, we drafted in Sky Sports News presenter Olivia Wayne to teach Narstie the art of dealing with pressure, before setting him the ultimate challenge: bringing in a Boeing 737 to land safely!

Putting Narstie in an exact replica of the jet at Flight Experience London, Olivia is in for a bumpy ride as Narstie attempts to make a smooth landing - can he get them both down in one piece?

It's the latest episode in a series which has seen Narstie learn commentary tjps from legend Barry Davies, Russian language and culture and interview technique from BT Sport presenter Lynsey Hipgrave as he attempts to land a gig as a bona fide World Cup reporter this summer.

Ep4 | Rapper to Reporter - Big Narstie interviews Beckham, Lineker, Sven, Hoddle & more

Big Narstie puts his interview skills to the test in the latest part of his training to turn from Rapper to Reporter during this summer's World Cup!

And what a cast he gets to quiz, as England managers and players from previous World Cups are subjected to Narstie's unique interview style, including Bobby Robson, Gary Lineker, Glenn Hoddle, David Beckham, Sven Goran Eriksson, Steven Gerrard and Roy Hodgson (all played impeccably by top football impersonator Mark Langley).

BT Sport's Lynsey Hipgrave is on hand to guide Narstie through the art of the interview - safe to say, it wasn't a ride without a few bumps!

This is just the latest in a series of challenges Big Narstie needs to overcome if he's to earn a gig as a reporter in Russia this summer, having already got commentary tips from Barry Davies, learned Russian culture with folk band Russian Tornado and picked up the lingo at language school. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Ep3 | Rapper to Reporter  - Big Narstie goes to Russian language school

He's learned commentary skills from a legend and rapped with a local folk band, but now Big Narstie needs to brush up on the Russian lingo as he embarks on the third step of his journey to transform from Rapper to Reporter.

Any World Cup reporter worth his salt needs to know a few key local phrases, so we sent Big Narstie to a Russian language school in central London to refine his skills. Ever wondered what Base Defence League translates to in Russian? You're about to find out!

 

Ep2 | Rapper to Reporter  - Big Narstie spits World Cup bars with Russian folk band 

Episode two of Rapper to Reporter sees Big Narstie team up with folk band ‘Russian Tornado’ to create a truly unique football World Cup rap!

 

 Ep 1 | Rapper to Reporter - Big Narstie freestyles with commentary legend Barry Davies

London, UK [7th June, 2018]: Grime icon Big Narstie is to tear the football punditry scene apart this summer as he embarks on a unique journey to transform himself from a Rapper to Reporter with the support of online bookmaker 888sport. 

Sick and tired of the army of predictable pundits clogging the airwaves, Narstie is backing himself to Take ‘Em On and do things very differently in a seven-part journey that he hopes will end with him landing a reporting gig on the world stage.

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After noticing Big Narstie tweet his distaste at current match punditry during England’s friendly against Nigeria on June 2nd, and witnessing huge fan demand, 888sport kicked things off by challenging Big Narstie to train up and take on the pros. The rising music star quickly obliged, sparking the start of what’s set to be a truly remarkable journey.

Coined #NarstieRussia by the man himself, the collaborative online video series launched today, with Big Narstie getting tips from commentating legend and international reporting veteran, Barry Davies. The duo hit it off from the very start, with Narstie walking away with a new commentary catchphrase and Davies learning rap bars as the two formed the most unexpected and loveable bromance. 

Narsties’ journey over the following six episodes will see him brush up his reporting, language skills and cultural understandings in a quest to become the nation’s ultimate alternative reporter this summer. All episodes will be distributed across June and early July. 

Speaking ahead of his adventure, Big Narstie said: “The pundits during the recent games I watched were so gas. I thought for the World Cup I’m gonna take ‘em on, roll out to Russia myself and do my own ting. 888sport got involved and it’s happening. I’m gonna show the world how to do proper football reporting, Narstie-style.

“First up I got to roll with my G Barry Davies, who’s got mad skills. This summer we gonna do things different, show these fools some proper football analysis.”

Guy Cohen, SVP & Head of B2C, 888holdings, added: “The World Cup is enormously significant for sports brands, but we were very keen to challenge the norm. We’re excited to have Big Narstie on-board for our World Cup campaign, taking him from rapper to reporter. Like us and our punters, he’s not afraid to truly Take ‘Em On by backing himself against the naysayers, following his instincts and doing things his own way.”

 

The 888sport blog, based at 888 Towers in the heart of London, employs an army of betting and tipping experts for your daily punting pleasure, as well as an irreverent, and occasionally opinionated, look at the absolute madness that is the world of sport.