UK

North London-born rapper Scorcher is back with new music. Following the release of his latest album The Drama at the start of this year, the grime veteran has just dropped off some new visuals from the project for stand-out record “Ops,” featuring Tion Wayne. Jumping onto Joey Stickz’s hard-hitting drill production, both Scorcher and Tion Wayne come with punchy and straight-talking lyricism that explains that the duo only associate themselves with those who have their backs. While the production keeps up with the new-sounding Scorcher of recent times, both Scorcher and Wayne are given the space to breathe through the lightly-sprinkled 808s and synths, adding plenty of much-deserved replay value. The accompanying visuals, directed by Jay Money ta...

Following the release of her last full-length LP CAPRISONGS, Cheltenham-born singer FKA Twigs has just unveiled a release date and cover art for her next single entitled “Killer.” Due to release on June 16, Twigs took to social media to tease the new track last night, describing the new release as one for “the baddies with a tear in their eye.” Along with the single artwork, FKA Twigs has also leaked a short clip of her performing the new song on stage on her respective TikTok and YouTube platforms. [embedded content]   FKA Twigs’ last mixtape CAPRISONGS dropped back in January and it kept things very UK-focused, despite her success across the pond. The 17-tracker featured the likes of UK drill star Unknown T, Coventry-born Pa Salieu, Jorja Smith and Shygirl. Keep an eye out for ...

The UK has been birthing top-quality rap talent for some time now. While the UK first welcomed British rap to its shores from the London Posse in the ’80s, it wasn’t until London’s pirate radio stations and tower blocks curated grime music, rap crews, jungle and garage raves, dancehall, and the sound system traditions of DJ and MC. But since grime music’s resurgence in 2016, there’s a whole other collection of underground musicians carving their own lane to become the new hot-on-the-block sub-genre in UK rap culture. Little Simz, Knucks and Dave have proven that there’s a space for conscious and complex rap on the same level as its other drill, grime, and road rap counterparts. Stories on love, Black excellence, and personal tales about family can be articulated in a way that is now deserv...

Following the release of his mixtape Legacy that dropped last week, Luton rapper Nafe Smallz is continuing the single roll-outs with “Dimensions of Waterfalls.” Underpinning Lucid’s slow-rolling trap production, Nafe’s smooth, Auto-Tuned melodies rhyme about his experiences with love and how life has changed since he switched to a career of legitimacy in the music game. “Dimensions of Waterfalls” shows the growth of Smallz, with a new-found theme of reflection being the focal point of his new material. Along with “Dimensions of Waterfalls,” Nafe Smallz’s Legacy mixtape features a collection of U.K. and U.S. collaborations, with the likes of Young T & Bugsey, Unknown T, D Block Europe and Lil Tjay making the cut. You can see the “Dimensions of Waterfalls” visuals above, and be sure...

Aside from his recent link-up with UK rap veteran Joe Grind on “That’s How You Feel,” it’s been roughly a year since Novelist supplied fans with new music. Following a busy EP-filled 2020 that saw mini projects hit the streets in abundance, you only need to look at the likes of Inferno, Rain Fire and, Heat to see N.O.V. explore grime, rap, drill, drum & bass and even reggae. Now today, the Lewisham-born rapper is celebrating his latest project entitled 4 Tha Homiez. In many ways, the 10-tracker is an inheritor to the energy and swagger heard on previous drops, although there’s a focus on West Coast rap this time around. Thanks to production from Novelist himself, and close collaborators Prem and SusTrapperazzi, the trio has compiled a selection of ‘G Funk’ records with the through...

The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has unveiled a plan that allows fans to invest in several struggling music venues in the UK, giving these places the opportunity to stay afloat. According to reports, the Music Venue Properties scheme’s first order of business is a goal to raise £3.5 million GBP in order to purchase a total of nine venues this 2022, namely The Ferret in Preston, The Snug in Atherton, Le Public Space in Newport, The Glad Cafe in Glasgow, The Hairy Dog in Derby, Sunbird Records in Darwen, The Polar Bear in Hull, The Palladium in Bideford and The Bunkhouse in Swansea. Mark Dayvd, CEO of MVT, called the plan the “most ambitious initiative” the charity has ever tackled, and that it will provide the venues a form protection with “ethical investors and music fans.” He fu...

According to a study from the BBC, only 13% of UK festival headliners in 2022 are female. In 2017, two major projects were launched by ReBalance and KeyChange with hopes to find more gender-inclusive festival line-ups in the future. However, five years on, 80% of this year’s festival headline slots are all-male. Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, and Billie Eilish are headlining Glastonbury this year, while the Reading and Leeds headliners are Dave, Arctic Monkeys, and Rage Against the Machine. If you head to Latitude festival, you’ll see Lewis Capaldi, Foals, and Snow Patrol heading the bill. With the vast majority of major UK festivals being headlined by men this year, some progress has been made with SZA, Cardi B, and Nicki Minaj being the Wireless festiv...

Leicester-born R&B star Mahalia has just blessed us with new music. At the back end of last year, the songstress supplied us with one of the UK’s hits of the year with her breakup anthem with West London rap star, AJ Tracey for “Roadside.” Since then, the last few months has brought us new singles such as “In The Club,” “Whatever Simon Says,” and “Letter To Your Ex.” However, amongst the new material from this year, the 24-year-old has just thrown in two more gems to compile a five-track EP to keep us going until the sophomore album. Labelling the EP Letter To Ur Ex, the two new records included in the project (“Forever” and “Letter To Ur N(ex)t”) touch on her love for infatuation and and the struggles that come with heartbreak. But while Mahalia digs deep into her own personal tr...