Skepta

Ghetts: Conflict of Interest review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

Big-label backing and unusual, beautiful arrangements should finally propel Ghetts, long a critic’s favourite, into the big time

Alexis Petridis

11, Feb, 2021 @1:32 PM

Skepta, JME, Julie ... are the Adenugas Britain's most creative family?

They boast two MCs, a broadcaster and a graphic designer – and now their mum Ify’s memoir explains their secret

Aniefiok Ekpoudom

16, Oct, 2020 @5:00 AM

Raye's lockdown listening: 'Nina Simone tears your skin and burns your eardrums'

The British dance-pop star considers Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come amid the Black Lives Matter protests, and picks out tracks by Otis Redding, Miraa May and more

Interview by Ben Beaumont-Thomas

12, Jun, 2020 @9:30 AM

The best albums of 2020 so far

There’s shaken-up pop from Rina Sawayama, searching rap by J Hus and Jay Electronica, and invention everywhere from KeiyaA’s soul to Beatrice Dillon’s electronics

Ben Beaumont-Thomas

11, May, 2020 @5:00 AM

'He dominated me!' The livestreaming beat battles shutting down lockdown

From grime star Skepta to US hip-hop titan Timbaland, self-isolating rap producers are battling each other online to conquer coronavirus boredom

David Renshaw

06, Apr, 2020 @11:11 AM

Skepta, Chip and Young Adz: Insomnia review – dark, funny and perfectly timed

Two grime veterans and the drawling D-Block Europe member team up to create a slow-paced record that feels calibrated for the cultural moment

Aimee Cliff

27, Mar, 2020 @10:30 AM

The Brit awards have become a platform for black politics – and brilliance

Whether it’s Dave and Stormzy castigating the government or Kanye surrounding himself with young Londoners, black artists have expertly capitalised on the visibility of the Brits stage

Chanté Joseph

20, Feb, 2020 @3:24 PM

Are immersive shows the future of live music?

Presented with ever-higher ticket prices, fans have become more demanding, hence a rise in Secret Cinema-style gigs

Danny Wright

24, Jan, 2020 @1:00 PM

Grime4Corbyn artists step back from new campaign for Labour

Several of genre’s big names feel ‘youthquake’ unleashed in 2017 has petered out

Lanre Bakare

10, Nov, 2019 @4:20 PM

Headie One: Music X Road review – UK drill kingpin gets introspective

A document of growth, tangled with claustrophobia and regret, shows the prolific MC moving forward creatively

Al Horner

23, Aug, 2019 @8:30 AM

Skepta: Dystopia987 review – flat energy in nightclub of the future

Craft beer replaces ecstasy at this meeting of immersive theatre and rave, which lacks the abandon of a regular gig by the MC

Daniel Dylan Wray

19, Jul, 2019 @6:00 PM

Wireless festival review – British rap stars show Americans how it's done

In his first major set since leaving prison, J Hus made a joyful homecoming and outshone much of the A-list American talent – the irrepressible Cardi B aside