‘Hard Times‘ – Ooberfuse featuring Snoop Dogg released on 1st December 2023. Listen Here.
Sleeping rough on the streets of London (or any major city for that matter) is a hazardous past-time. David Fussell, a homeless film director, had glass bottles smashed in his face seeking shelter on London’s park benches and in shop doorways. That is, until David was handed a pop-up tent by street workers concerned for David’s safety.
David, with London band Oooberfuse, have joined forces with rap royalty’s Snoop Dogg to challenge hidden prejudices around homelessness. These prejudices recently erupted in UK when former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman promised to crackdown on tents and said that rough sleeping in a tent is a ‘life-style choice’.
London rough-sleeper David says: “I lived in a tent for 4 out of the 10 years that I lived on the streets. I started using a tent after someone threw a glass bottle that smashed in my face and I was lucky only to have a small cut on my forehead. A tent will keep you out of the wind and rain/snow and greatly increases your chances of survival on winter nights.”
Hal St John of London band Ooberfuse, adds: “Suella Braverman’s recent comments highlight the disconnect between the comfortable corridors of power in Whitehall and what’s happening on our city streets. Rough sleeping in a tent is not a lifestyle choice, it’s a mirror reflecting back to us the failings of government housing provision. No one should be punished for being homeless.”
Eradicating homeless is something that is close to Snoop Dogg’s heart. “When you get it, make sure you give it back, that’s how you keep getting it!” says Snoop Dogg. He has said that he lives his life by this belief.
Cherrie Anderson of London band Ooberfuse says: “Having Snoop Dogg as a feature in this track is amazing. Technology today means that we were able to record our parts in Abbey Road whilst Snoop Dogg, our producer and musicians recorded their parts in the US! Our song Hard Times is about weathering tough times and shining a light on actual lived experiences of homelessness.”
Any proceeds will be going to relieve the urgent needs of homeless people this winter through charities who work directly with them.
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