Hip Hop
Analogue Appreciation: Wesley Joseph
Forever Ends Someday — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, visual and sonic shapeshifter Wesley Joseph.
Written by: Wesley Joseph
DJ AG has redefined DJing. Festivals are next.
From small streams, mighty rivers flow — The London streamer has democratised an art traditionally hidden away in clubs and basements with his easy-to-access, spontaneous, open platform street performances. With AG Fest lined up for the summer, Oliver Keens speaks to him about staying humble, the importance of community, and his dream to open a care home.
Written by: Oliver Keens
Wu-Tang Clan forever, and ever
The Final Chamber — RZA, the spiritual leader of one of the most important hip hop groups of all time explains why they won’t rest until their legacy is secured.
Written by: Yoh Phillips
I Hear Music in the Streets: How New York emerged as a global beacon of culture
From subways to the sky — Seeing the emergence of disco, hip-hop and much more, the city’s streets, rooftops and blocks were incubators of experimentation and parties in the ’70s and ’80s. A new book brings together the work of over 50 photographers who captured its grassroots, underground heyday.
Written by: Miss Rosen
“An Asian rapper? It feels like an impossible reality”: Jianbo on doing it for the family
East x South East — As the pandemic drove a wave of ESEA xenophobia, Jianbo realised that he couldn’t pretend to be anything other than himself. Zing Tsjeng sits down with the South London MC – vanguard of a burgeoning creative movement.
Written by: Zing Tsjeng
Tension and togetherness at a rare Syrian hip-hop open mic night
Latakia levels — After half a century under a bloody dictatorship, Syria has endured massacres on an unprecedented scale in recent times, fuelled by sectarian conflict. In the port city of Latakia, Haydar Daoud and his friends spend their days making rap music, an art form mostly misunderstood by Syrians, yet an essential therapy for disenchanted youth.
Written by: Aubin Eymard
Classic ’80s NYC hip-hop film Wild Style is being remastered
Bronx breaks — Created by Charlie Ahearn, the part-documentary, part-fiction movie captured the genre’s early style and music, as well as its intertwined relationship with breakdance and graffiti culture.
Written by: Isaac Muk
A new book explores Tupac’s revolutionary politics and activism
Words For My Comrades — Penned by Dean Van Nguyen, the cultural history encompasses interviews with those who knew the rapper well, while exploring his parents’ anti-capitalist influence.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’
What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.
Written by: Tony Njoku
James Massiah: “As much as the social contract is lost, there’s a freedom with that”
Bounty Law — With the release of his latest album, we sat down with the rapper-poet to chat about his new sonic Western, the boom in alternative poetry events, and whether the social contract is broken.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Ghais Guevara: “Rap is a pinnacle of our culture”
What Made Me — In our new series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that have shaped who they are. First up, Philadelphian rap experimentalist Ghais Guevara.
Written by: Ghais Guevara
Three decades behind the scenes of the music industry
Eddie Otchere’s ‘Spirit Behind the Lens’ is a story of music and culture that crosses and transcends borders.
Written by: Isaac Muk
