I’ve been trying to think of something profound to say about 2020 as an introduction to this post, a wrap up of the rest of my month-by-month album reviews of the year, something I started during the first lockdown, and in synergy to how this pandemic has gone; those posts started with much fluster, meandered,... Continue Reading →
Album Reviews: My Top 5 Albums Released in May
By the time May came around, each month had started to blur into one, and a feeling of doom and gloom lay rife in the air, as everything that we had looked forward to slowly withered away and was being cancelled, or rescheduled for what would be either the first or second time of many... Continue Reading →
Origins of European Hip-Hop: Deutscher Hip-Hop
Next up in my series 'Origins of European Hip-Hop', I'll take a look at a fragmented and divided hip-hop scene in Germany. Whilst in both France and Italy artists had ideological differences, and both scenes had significant political impacts, no scene in Europe had the kind of political backdrop and contrast of musicians than that... Continue Reading →
Origins of European Hip-Hop: Rap Italiano
As I continue to take a look back at the dissertation I wrote a few years ago on the developement and impact of hip-hop in Europe, I now move onto my second country, Italy. In the last post I looked into Francophone Rap, a budding hip-hop scene in France, which produced artists such as MC... Continue Reading →
Feature: 5 Recent NPR Tiny Desk Concerts to Check Out
Since 2008, National Public Radio have hosted an online live music series called 'Tiny Desk Concerts'. Featuring artists from all genres, the show has starred musicians such as Chance The Rapper, Sampha and Cigarettes After Sex, to name a few. The format continues to routinely deliver, allowing artists to perform a few of their favourite... Continue Reading →
Album Reviews: June 8th, featuring Kanye West & Kid Cudi, Jorja Smith, and Lykke Li
Kanye West & Kid Cudi - Kids See Ghosts Whatever your opinion of Kanye West is, you can't deny that he has made some great music. The enigmatic figure, love him or hate him, loathe his manipulation of the media and outspoken personality, his relationship with Kim Kardashian, he's an artist who has consistently released... Continue Reading →
Live Review: Hacktivist & The One Hundred @ Joiners, Southampton – 7.12.14
Shows like these are notorious for their crowd interaction, the mosh pits, the lead singer jumping into the crowd, the sweaty fat guy with his top off swinging it above his head, it can be these antics that makes these type of gigs so enjoyable to attend. However, it’s a shame when sometimes a minority... Continue Reading →
Album Review: J. Cole – Born Sinner
Cole returns with his second studio album entitled ‘Born Sinner’ bringing his usual classical hip-hop style and smooth flow. The album was released on June 18th, which just so happened to be the release date for Kanye Wests album ‘Yeezus’, and also Mac Millers new album ‘Watching Movies With The Sound Off.’ Having already reviewed... Continue Reading →