Rap

Grammys 2023: If someone had to pip Beyoncé, you could do worse than Harry Styles

The queen of pop broke records – though not for the big gongs, again. But if the Recording Academy has a history of unexpected choices, this year’s wins for Styles, Bonnie Raitt and Lizzo had substance behind them

Alexis Petridis

06, Feb, 2023 @2:20 PM

Drill lyrics alone won’t send a man to prison | Letter

Letter: Thankfully, UK courts demand much more evidence in criminal trials than the contents of a rap song, says criminal barrister Sam Trefgarne

05, Feb, 2023 @5:28 PM

Cub Sport, Mo’Ju and Huntly: Australia’s best new music for February

Each month our critics pick 20 new songs for our Spotify playlist. Read about 10 of our favourites here – and subscribe on Spotify, which updates with the full list at the start of each month

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Andrew Stafford, Shaad D'Souza, Michael Sun and Isabella Trimboli

02, Feb, 2023 @12:50 AM

Young, gifted and Black – and unfairly jailed over song lyrics | Brief letters

Brief letters: Unjustified attacks | Daniel Morgan’s murder | Journalism lingo | Betting on Zahawi | Hot baths

01, Feb, 2023 @6:36 PM

‘A reflection of the people’: looking back on 50 years of hip-hop

An exhibition in New York takes stock of the genre and its instrumental figures with over 200 illuminating photographs

Veronica Esposito

01, Feb, 2023 @2:47 PM

Grammy awards 2023: who will win – and who should?

Will Adele’s Grammy dominion continue and Harry Styles steal more limelight? Or could Kendrick Lamar or Beyoncé finally take one of the headline prizes?

Shaad D'Souza and Laura Snapes

31, Jan, 2023 @2:00 PM

What kind of society sends young men to jail and ruins lives because of the lyrics in a song? | Ciaran Thapar

As an expert witness, I have seen case after case in which rap music words become key to a conviction – and it’s wrong, says writer and youth worker Ciaran Thapar

Ciaran Thapar

31, Jan, 2023 @7:00 AM

Young Fathers: ‘We’re not weird – this is the pop music we want to listen to’

The Edinburgh trio are too rock for some radio stations and too hip-hop for others. But maybe it’s because their infectious, empathic sound shouldn’t really work that it definitely does

Stevie Chick

30, Jan, 2023 @11:00 AM

Yung Gravy sued by Rick Astley for ‘theft of voice’

Rapper Yung Gravy’s hit Betty (Get Money) made authorised use of Never Gonna Give You Up’s melody, but lawsuit argues vocal ‘imitation’ was unacceptable

Shaad D'Souza

27, Jan, 2023 @4:52 PM

Ziggy Ramo: Sugar Coated Lies review – bold, uncompromising hip-hop that takes a new path

Released independently on 26 January, the artist’s second album has more mainstream appeal than his first – but is as unapologetically political as ever

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen

27, Jan, 2023 @2:00 PM

Mexico’s Indigenous rappers find rare spotlight – on Wakanda soundtrack

A new generation of Mexico’s Indigenous musicians like Pat Boy are using rap to combat prejudice, revive ancient languages and reignite pride

Oscar Lopez in Mexico City

27, Jan, 2023 @10:10 AM

Post your questions for De La Soul

Maybe you’d like to know the story behind their names, or who have they most enjoyed collaborating with? Now’s your chance to ask the iconic hip-hop trio