UK
Watch the Gameplay Trailer for ‘Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition’
Ahead of the official release of Need for Speed Unbound, Electronic Arts and Criterion Games have tapped Palace Skateboards for “Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition.” The deluxe offering sees the uniquely British imprint put together a series of exclusives for the latest installment in the storied racing video game franchise. Leading the exclusives found in Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition are cars pulled from Palace’s own collaborative campaigns. The custom cars include the Palace livery marked Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series 2020, Mercedes-AMG G 63 2017, Volkswagen Golf GTI 1976, and BMW M3 Evolution II E30 1988. The stylish street racing experience is furthered by Palace Driving Effects, Decals, “Palifornia” License Plate Tri-Ferg Character Pose, and Banner Artwork. Palace has also ...
Lancey Foux’s New Album ‘Life in Hell’ Is a Trippy Escape
Lancey Foux has just dropped his sixth studio album, LIFE IN HELL, and it’s his most introspective project to date. The London-based musician — real Lance Omal — started his music journey rapping over YouTube beats in his bedroom as a young teen, before a close friend took him to the studio for his first session. Since then, life has been crazy, with runway appearances, Skepta co-signs and performances at some of the biggest music festivals in the world. With this in mind, his new project comes hot on the heels of this last single release “All Night Long” which is a trippy, trap-leaning effort with Auto-Tuned melodies throughout. And while the whole album is a lot more of the same, LIFE IN HELL shines upon Foux’s progression — not just as a musician, but as a person, too. Album highlights ...
Emerging U.K. Artist BERWYN Is on a “Path to Satisfaction” for His Latest Rap-Soul Record
Trinidad-born and Romford-raised rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, BERWYN, has had a busy couple of years. Since his 2020-released project DEMOTAPE/VEGA, the musician has gone on to grab a top-three spot in the BBC’s Sound Of poll, while also grabbing a Mercury Prize shortlist and an NME Award. And while the artist is constantly seeking musical inspiration from his relationship with Trinidad — listen to records such as “Money Comes and Money Goes” for proof of that — and his struggles with visa issues that have shadowed him since the age of nine, BERWYN has now gone back home for his introspective new single, “Path to Satisfaction.” Performing over a lightly-gliding guitar chord instrumental, BERWYN reminisces on traditional smoked herring, the sound of Trinidad’s lo...
Jamie xx Takes Us on Tour for His New “KILL DEM” Visuals
Jamie xx is keeping busy. Last month, the electronic DJ released his latest single, “KILL DEM” — an uptempo record that captures the energy of sound system culture, merged with gated vocal samples, heavy 808s, and a bouncy tempo that allows listeners to cast their minds back to summer raves and parties alike — and now the xx band member has released some accompanying visuals to go with the record. The video follows Jamie xx on his summer world tour where he landed in the U.S. to play at venues such as New York’s Forest Hills Stadium and Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. And while the video is a documentation of life on tour so far, Jamie xx still has more shows planned. Speaking about the new single and video, xx said: “This video cuts the dance performances from my live shows across the summ...
Loyle Carner Is Standing Up for the Things That Matter
Loyle Carner is all grown up. Speaking to Hypebeast from a U.K. music studio, the South London rapper finds a moment of solitude while waiting for his crew members to turn up for a session. Surrounded by amplifiers and microphones and talking into a Zoom screen, Carner opens up on the most intimate, soulful and altogether human album he’s ever made. Carner, real name Ben Coyle-Larner, reminisces on his almost decade-long music career, which originally sprung to life when he was 19. “There have been times when I have been high on confidence, then low on confidence. Times of being super happy and super sad. At the start of the album process, I was in a bad place, I was low,” he tells Hypebeast. In 2014, Loyle Carner released A Little Late, an E.P. packed with smooth jazz samples and an hones...
Sainté Takes Listeners on a ‘Vacation’ With his Latest E.P.
Almost 12 months on from his last project, Leicester-born rapper Sainté is now back with new music. Back in 2021, the U.K. rhymer dropped his 7-track-long E.P. Out the Blue and it tapped into a jumpy vibe full of lots of bass, melody, and contrast between fast flows and laid-back beats. After OTB, Sainté took a trip across the pond and connected with Maryland rapper Joony for “East” which came with production help from Parker Jazz and Brad Baker. Now, Sainté has just presented his latest project Vacation and it features a selection of lo-fi production, hard-hitting bass, and the occasional double-time flow. Unveiling the new project at a listening party in collaboration with Hypebeast U.K. last night, stand-out records come in the form of the E.P.-opening...
Little Simz Wins 2022 Mercury Prize With ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’
Little Simz took home the 2022 Mercury Music Prize with her latest full-length release, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. The 28-year-old artist bested releases from Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Harry Styles, Jessie Buckley with Bernard Butler, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical, Nova Twins, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Wet Leg and Yard Act for the revered music prize, winning £25,000 GBP as well. Little Simz is only one of five artists to win the prize after being nominated a second time, joining the likes of Dave, alt-J, James Blake, The xx and Suede; she was previously nominated in 2019 for Grey Area, when the award was given to Dave’s Pyschodrama. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert was released in September 2021 with guest features from Obongjayar and Cleo Sol, and debuted at No. 4 on the UK Albums chart. ...
World’s First F1® Arcade Opens In London Next Month
Formula 1 has partnered with Kindred Concepts to launch the very first F1 arcade, an immersive state-of-the-art racing simulation venue featuring 60 motion F1 simulators accompanied by “best-in-class” food and beverage offerings. Spearheading the project is Kindred Concepts founder Adam Breeden, whose other innovative venues include Flight Club darts bar, bowling venue All Star Lanes, and multi-sensory bingo experience Hijingo. The racing simulators are uniquely designed in conjunction with Formula 1, featuring immersive motion and audiovisual effects, meanwhile, the gameplay experience arrives courtesy of Motorsport Games via its RFactor2 simulation platform, allowing guests to choose from a variety of racing modes including individual, team-based group, and all-venue formats. The level o...
British Rapper AJ Tracey Introduces Action Plan to Support Black Students at Oxford University
British rapper AJ Tracey is launching a multi-faceted initiative to aid upcoming Oxford University students through their academic journey. In 2018, fellow musician Stormzy launched a scholarship fund to be attributed to a pairing of Black students searching for a spot at Cambridge University. Four years later, London-based Tracey introduces his own action plan supporting Black students in the country’s top establishment. The rapper will target “historic underrepresentation” at the school, working alongside St Peter’s College to deliver financial assistance and guided mentorship sessions. AJ Tracey will front £40,000 GBP a year to act as monetary aid for ethnic minority students, which will service a successful journey through Oxford University, from the application process to admissions a...
Stone Island’s C2C Festival Explored the Diverse Sounds of London
Last week, Stone Island‘s C2C Festival continued its world tour by heading to London, taking over the legendary Camden institution — The Roundhouse. Known as a space for gigs, concerts, comedy, and even fashion shows during London Fashion Week SS23, The Roundhouse now adds Stone Island’s cultural night to its billing, with the event welcoming the likes of 700 Bliss, Kode9, Rachika Nayar, Sangre Nueva (DJ Python, Kelman Duran and DJ Florentino), Skee Mask, and Space Afrika. Building on events around the world — including Berlin back in May — the C2C Festival brings together the cultural gamut that Stone Island lives for. From ’80s football fans to today’s leading cultural figures in the world of art and music, and everything in between, C2C is about more than just getting the badge in. Inst...
Central Cee Drops New E.P. ‘No More Leaks,’ Releases New Video for “One Up”
Life for Central Cee is pretty crazy right now. This year alone, the West London rapper started 2022 with his 23 mixtape — which quickly shot to number one — before flying out to the U.S. to record his now-viral freestyle for L.A. Leakers. But aside from that, Cench took over social media with his hit record “Doja,” which came with a music video directed by Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett. Now, Central Cee is keeping his fans entertained with some new music before the end of the year with a new E.P. entitled No More Leaks, and it’s also come with a new music video for one of the featured tracks, aptly dubbed “One Up.” The new four-track E.P. dropped last night and Cench took to Instagram to explain that he has only dropped the four records...
Stormzy Announces First Album in Three Years, ‘This Is What I Mean’
Stormzy is officially making his return to music with the announcement of his upcoming album, This Is What I Mean. Set to release on November 25 via 0207 Def Jam/Interscope Records, the project will mark his third full-length studio effort and will include a total of 12 tracks. This Is What I Mean is Stormzy’s first studio album in three years following 2019’s Heavy Is the Head, and is billed as “an intimate love letter to music,” as the 29-year-old rapper shares his “vulnerabilities, regret, frailties, healing, joy and triumph in a manner and to an extent that reframes the notion of what rap artists traditionally might do and be.” Stormzy revealed in a press release that a bulk of the album’s creative energy was born from his music camp in the remote Osea Island, where he was surrounded b...
