Mike Skinner & co bring us the first album from The Streets in 10 long years. Originally intending to make a TONGA album themed around his balloon-filled club nights, NOUAGOOTLA is essentially the bi-product that came together whilst Skinner worked on a film accompanied by another album. Given these circumstances, and the dizzying array of…
Thundercat’s fourth studio album, the follow-up to 2017’s ‘Drunk‘, is, in his own words: “about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that. “It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek,” he continues, “but at different points in life you come across places that you don’t necessarily understand… some things just aren’t meant to be…
Headie One changes tack on new album ‘GANG’, teaming up with Fred Again to create an altogether different sound. Almost all gone are the bars about Drill staples like selling drugs and inner-city violence, replaced by genuine introspection and the exploration of some of the Tottenham rapper’s darkest and most personal thoughts. Features are sparse,…
Only announced only less than a week ago, BBK head honcho Skepta, Cash Motto [jheez, remember them?] founder Chip and D-Block Europe front-runner Young Adz release ‘Insomnia.’ The collaborative album is a real mixed bag, shuffling around a variety of UK Rap sounds. There’s a whole lot of autotune, and in the main it feels…
Childish Gambino’s new album ‘3.15.20’ was released with very little fanfare; just a blank website, a blank cover, and timestamps for most of the track titles. In many ways it’s comparable to Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 release ‘untitled unmastered.’ in that it’s an incredibly worthwhile album in and of itself, even if it’s packaging appears intentionally…
Stormzy’s sophomore album comes in the form of ‘Heavy Is the Head,’ a 16 track collection featuring singles ‘Vossi Bop,’ ‘Wiley Flow,’ ‘Crown‘ and ‘Own It.’ The album’s title and central theme explores the weight of expectation on Big Mike following his recent successes. It’s a kind of humble brag that allows Stormzy to make…
Having announced it mere days before it’s release, Kaytranada releases new album ‘BUBBA.’ It’s the first to come from Canadian beatsmith since 2016’s ‘99.9%’, and his second album to date. This time around, we see features from the likes of Iman Omari, SiR, Mick Jenkins, Masego, Kali Uchis, Pharrell Williams and longtime collaborator Goldlink. Stream…
North London’s Lazy H releases new EP ‘Where’s Bill?’ via technicolour beats imprint Stereoptico. The seven track project traverses genre with ease. Dexterously flitting between Future Bass, glitchy instrumental Hip Hop and experimental Electronica, it feels as though it settles into a rhythm somewhere around track five. But no – the frenetic ‘You Don’t Want…
A year after his last album, ‘Some Rap Songs‘, Earl Sweatshirt drops a new seven track project in the form of ‘Feet of Clay.’ Largely self-produced, the album features Haiti’s Mach-Hommy, emerging phenom Mavi, and comes with additional production from Alchemist and Ovrkast. Feet of Clay arrives just one year after the release of Earl’s…
The legendary Gang Starr released a historic new album this year. ‘One Of The Best Yet’ is their first in 16 years, and their 7th studio album. Comprised of brand new DJ Premier beats and previously unreleased, posthumous vocals from Guru. OOTBY features guests appearances from J. Cole, Royce da 5’9″, Talib Kweli, M.O.P., and…
