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Image description: A white cassette tape on its side. Hip hop is the genre of the downtrodden, disadvantaged and voiceless. It also isn’t one to shy away from social issues: since the days of N.W.A and Public Enemy, rappers and MCs have been speaking out against police brutality and the American criminal justice system’s dire need […]
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Image description: Stormzy at Glastonbury festival 2019, wearing a stab-proof vest designed by Banksy While re-watching the momentous Brit awards performance by South London Grime artist Stormzy, I was asked by a friend “I get what he’s saying, but why does he have to sound so angry?” Because he is, and because he has every […]
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‘Wu-Tang is for the children’. This is what Wu-Tang’s Clan’s Russell Jones, better known by his stage name ‘Ol’ Dirty Bastard’, proclaimed at the 1998 Grammys. Now, over twenty years later, on May 4th 2019, Wu-Tang Clan have had their very own district named after them, in their hometown of Staten Island, New York. Recognising […]
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James Blake’s mainstream popularity has always seemed odd. His naturally melancholic vocals, bleak and abstract lyrics, grating synths, jerky beats and overwhelming bass lines intertwine to create somber soundscapes that are often difficult to listen to. Assume Form doesn’t deviate too much from this surprisingly successful – if well-worn – rubric. But what is noticeably […]
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Massive Attack have had a rough journey from the hey-days of mid-90s trip-hop. It’s been a story of breakups and scandal. Yet ‘Ritual Spirit’, their first release since the commercial acclaim of Heliograd in 2010, feels evocative of much of their earlier music. Perhaps the return of long-time collaborator Tricky adds to the pre-Mezzannine feel […]
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A reflection on what a great year 2015 was for Nicki Minaj As the only female artist on Forbes’ list of The World’s Highest Paid Hip-Hop Acts 2015, and the most charted female rapper in the history of the Billboard 100, it cannot be denied that Nicki Minaj is a fighter. This time last year […]
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On the night of the 7th August,1968, James Brown would go into the studio and record “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud”. A song arguably designed to silence the voices that had been decrying the Godfather of Soul as an Uncle Tom, cosying up to the white establishment. On February the 9th, 2015, […]
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Just from the title you can tell that Nicki Minaj’s third album is going to be important. Referencing Jay-Z’s landmark record The Blueprint, The Pinkprint marks a shift from the pop-rap that propelled her to superstardom with ‘Super Bass’ and ‘Starships’ to the stalwart of the hip-hop scene seen in her infamous Monster verse, in which she upstaged not […]
Continue ReadingThis year Nas’s Illmatic was re-released for its 20th year anniversary. On October 2nd, the documentary, Nas: Time is Illmatic, had a special one-night screening in theaters all across America. This is the first rap album in history to be so wholeheartedly embraced by mainstream Western popular culture. I am happy to see Nas carry […]
Continue ReadingIn today’s climate, when the words “female rapper” are mentioned, the prima ballerina of the rap world, Nicki Minaj, comes to mind. Of late, the prominence of female rappers has been a great new chapter in a world considered by most to be dominated by hard-knuckled men and their “hoes”. One glance at Iggy Azalea, […]
Continue ReadingI’m waiting to interview Harleighblu when I get a text saying we will have to postpone – her car has broken down just outside of Oxford. A couple of hours later, and she’s made it to The Cellar, looking comfortable in a checked jumpsuit and trainers. Despite her eventful journey, she’s ready to perform. Having […]
Continue ReadingAshley Cooke finds Purity Ring’s debut album to be highly promising…
Continue ReadingAshley Cooke finds Frank Ocean’s debut to be quite inconsistent…
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