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Rap

How a dying musician created a visionary hip hop masterpiece

Donuts Dissected — J Dilla super-aficionado and head of music at Boiler Room, Raj Chaudhuri reveals the inspiring tale of a dying musician’s inextinguishable spirit and his magnum opus, Donuts.

  • Music
  • Gabriela Helfet

Kenyan rapper Octopizzo found his voice when he chose to lift up his community

Calling bullshit on foreign aid and broken promises — Look at Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, through Octopizzo’s eyes and you’ll see talent everywhere. The Kenyan rapper brings colour and true upliftment by giving back to his own roots.

  • Activism
  • Alex King

How Dan Bull became one of the biggest MCs in the UK with no radio play

Good rhymes are good rhymes — Meet Dan Bull, the DIY rapper who topped the charts with perseverance alone.

  • Music
  • Rob Boffard

Busdriver on self-deprecation and the uplifting power of rap

Poetry, protest and Perfect Hair — LA rapper Busdriver is doing hip hop his own way: self-managing a slow-burning but immensely credible career.

  • Music
  • Cormac O'Brien

Raury on the art of audacious street hustling

Self-promotion, social media and steez — Stealing fans is not underhand if you do it with a smile, explains 18-year-old Atlanta rapper Raury.

  • Music
  • Osia Katsidou

The untold story of the forgotten grandfather of rap

Documentary shines light on Hustler's Convention — Jalal Mansur Nuriddin aka Lightnin' Rod's pivotal album Hustler's Convention set the template for hip hop to come - but it disappeared underground and his contribution was never acknowledged. Now filmmaker Mike Todd is helping put the record straight.

  • Hip Hop
  • Alex Robert Ross

Are France’s suburbs a breeding ground for extremism?

Uncovering creative cultures from the troubled banlieues — Marginalised French youth respond to exclusion and negative stereotyping with art, creativity and activism.

  • Activism
  • Alex King

Woman of the moment: How Little Simz is ready to change the game

Breaking the mainstream — Twenty years on from hip hop’s heyday, London’s Simbi Ajikawo has built a towering presence through the time-tested practice of slinging killer mixtapes. Now all eyes are on her debut LP.

  • Music
  • Osia Katsidou

Brighton rapper Ocean Wisdom has the world at his feet

Walkin' to the top — Roll over YouTubers and make way for Wisdom – an overnight success story that took a decade of hard graft.

  • Music
  • Jack Kenyon

Homeboy Sandman

Honesty, Truth and Journey — Homeboy Sandman is walking the principled path, helping to take hip hop where he feels it needs to go.

  • Why I do what I do
  • Alex King

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