UK
Aitch Announces Debut Album ‘Close To Home’, Drops New Single “1989”
Manchester’s Aitch can’t stop winning. Following the release of the Ashanti-sampled summer smash “Baby” – and then a much-welcomed link-up with UK rap OG Giggs for “Just Coz” – the 0161 native keeps proving why he’s one of the country’s leading rhymers, despite his age. Now Aitch is back with a new single, this time sampling the timeless hook from The Stone Roses record “Fools Gold” for “1989.” Making the release strictly a Manchester affair, the merging of eras from the rainy city has been bridged through Aitch’s cut-throat rapping ability, full of references to his extravagant lifestyle and his newfound responsibility for repping Manchester to the fullest. Keeping the Kelvin Jones-directed visuals close to home, we see Aitch (and friends) causing mischief on the local estate wi...
M Huncho Is Ready for the World to Listen
M Huncho is in a positive place right now. The North-West Londoner is speaking to HYPEBEAST from a villa in Barcelona as he gears up for his festival, Hunchoz Wrld; a strictly-UK affair that showcases the best talent across everything UK rap and drill. But sitting comfortably in the sun, Huncho reminisces on his five-year career that sprung to life when he was 22. “I only started making music when I was around 22 or 23, I’m now 28 years old. Now, life has changed as I’ve gotten older, I have had so many more priorities that I’ve needed to write about,” he tells HYPEBEAST. For those that may have not heard of M Huncho, the artist made his first stamp on UK music following the 2018-released 48 Hours EP: a smooth, melodic trap-rap effort that, you guessed it, took 48 ...
Charlie Sloth’s Fire in the Booth Wants Global Domination
Sirens, shattering glass, and fire extinguishers are the paradigm of Charlie Sloth’s freestyle rap platform Fire in the Booth. While it remains a way to expose up-and-coming artists to mainstream media, FITB is now more of a competitive, no-nonsense, lyrical boot camp that stretches the talents of Britain’s finest wordsmiths, and everyone worth their weight in words wants a go at it. With the world’s biggest hypeman at its helm, gassing up acts as they approach the mic, FITB has become an institution on the airwaves. The likes of Drake, Ghetts, Wretch 32 and Avelino, Kano, Dave, Bugzy Malone and Stormzy have flexed their unscripted lyrical prowess on the show. Yet despite it paving the way for many artists and their subsequent stardom, it all came to an end in 2019, one year after Ch...
The Kids are Alright: How Arsenal Are Building for the Future
Arsenal’s 2021/22 season has been a story of highs and lows. On one hand, the team has picked up impressive results – back to back wins against Chelsea and Manchester United in April were a highlight – and is guaranteed to improve on the previous season’s 8th place finish. In the other column, however, are some less successful results, and the possibility of missing out on Champions League football. One consistent positive of the season has been the development of a core of young and exciting players. The squad’s star players this season include 20 year olds Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and 21 year old Emile Smith Rowe, while the club’s goalkeeper and vice captain – Aaron Ramsdale and Kieran Tierney – are both only 24. “This is what you want as a young player,” explains Smith Rowe, s...
North London’s Jordy Is Gearing Up for His Next EP With New Single “PEAK!”
UK rapper Jordy has had a busy 12 months since his debut EP, SMH, came out last year. If you didn’t catch his slick rhymes there, you may have seen him rapping for Vibbar (the rap group he’s in), or through his opinions on football on the popular podcast Filthy Fellas. Jordy is now gearing up for his next project, KMT (due May 25) with his final pre-release “PEAK!,” off the back of the straight-talking “Medellin” and the Latin-influenced “Enemies.” This third instalment from the upcoming EP takes on a more melodic and Auto-Tuned approach, giving the North Londoner the foundations to (modestly) let the haters know what material he’s got in store and to ultimately announce he’s going to the top, whether they like it or not. But aside from sliding from genre to genre upon each release, J...
Jamal Edwards Will Be the First Posthumous Winner of the Music Industry Trusts Award
Jamal Edwards, the founder of the iconic and multifaceted UK music platform SBTV, will be awarded the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) this year. The 31-year-old author, broadcaster and DJ, who died unexpectedly in February, helped launch the careers of Stormzy, Skepta, Dave and Ed Sheeran, while many other young creatives around the UK have shared stories about Edwards’ help in allowing them to succeed in their respective fields. MITS will be presenting the award on November 7 at The Great Room, Grosvenor House Hotel, where Edwards’ family will be accepting it on behalf of him. The award will also be accepted in aid of the BRIT Trust, music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins and the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust, the charity that was set up by Edwards’ family to honour his memory. “It is...
North London’s Avelino Gives the Visual Treatment for New Double-Drop “Mercedes Coupe” and “Magick”
Hot on the heels of his Four Seasons EP, as well as his collaborative effort with Graham Lake on “Run em Down,” North London artist Avelino is back with two new singles, “Mercedes Coupe” and “Magick.” With the two new tracks embracing the darker approach to music A.V. has had in recent times, “Mercedes Coupe” underpins a slow-rolling production from R Lo and Bambz, making room for Avelino to deliver his fast-paced punchlines that touch on his music success and the past stories of being followed by the police. The accompanying single “Magick” uses 169’s bass-heavy instrumental to show a more reflective side to the artist, preaching the appreciation for second chances in life. “‘Mercedes Coupe’ and ‘Magick’ are about the finer things in life,” Avelino told HYPEBEAST. “I’m still fascinated by...
Goldman Sachs and Barclays invest in UK crypto trading platform Elwood
Banking giants Goldman Sachs and the United Kingdom’s Barclays have joined a $70 million Series A funding round for the institutional crypto trading platform Elwood Technologies, founded by billionaire British hedge fund manager Alan Howard. Joining the round was crypto-friendly German bank Commerzbank, crypto investment manager Galaxy Digital and Dawn Capital, as reported by the Financial Times on Sunday. The fundraising round valued the company at around $500 million, according to the report. Despite the recent fall in crypto markets, Elwood said it’s betting that traditional financial institutions such as hedge funds and banks will still be interested in investing in cryptocurrencies. Elwood’s funding round was already agreed to and in motion before the latest drop in prices, which has ...
UK Court recognizes NFTs as ‘private property’ — What now?
At the beginning of May, the British Web3 community celebrated an important legal precedent — the High Court of Justice in London, the closest analog to the United States Supreme Court, has ruled that nonfungible tokens (NFT) represent “private property.” There is a caveat, though: In the court’s ruling, this private property status does not extend to the actual underlying content that NFT represents. Cointelegraph reached out to legal experts to understand what this decision could possibly change in the British legal landscape. The theft of Boss Beauties In February 2022, Lavinia D. Osbourne, founder of Women in Blockchain Talks, wrote on Twitter that two digital works had been stolen from the Boss Beauties — a 10,000-NFT collection of empowered women that was created by “Gen Z chan...
Drake Performs at Dave’s Toronto Show, Announces OVO Fest Return
Streatham-born rapper Dave just brought Drake out on stage as a special guest during the Toronto leg of his cross-Atlantic tour. During Drizzy’s appearance at REBEL, Drake gave high praise to the UK rapper, before announcing the return of OVO Fest in 2022. Speaking on stage, Drake said: “Toronto, please, like I said, this guy right here is one generational talent. Whether he is rapping, pouring out his heart, whether he’s turning all the way up, whether he’s playing the piano, whether he’s acting in our show, Top Boy, I promise you this guy right here is one of one – make some noise for Dave.” He continued to say, “I love you with all my heart. They let the city back open so I will see you at OVO Fest soon.” Drake and Dave’s relationship goes back to 2016 when Drake featured on the re...
Just Banco Stands up for the City in Latest Single “Return of the Manc”
Fresh off the back of his 2022-released underground hit “Monica”, Manchester artist Just Banco has come with his latest ‘Trapanese’ instalment, “Return of the Manc”. Produced by Reuel Stop Playing, Banco rides the 808-laden instrumental with ease, giving his swag-infused energies the limelight while still proving that Auto-Tune can be used to create something left field from the other sounds under the same umbrella. While the 0161 rapper keeps his distinct style throughout the track, he introduces a newly-welcomed, choppy flow that gives the go-ahead to be bumped at all of the summer parties coming up this year. The accompanying visuals, directed by Archie Erskine, see Banco (and friends) hanging around the local area, before we’re taken to the apartment for some fun and games with dr...
East London Artist Hak Baker Calls for Unity on Latest Single “Bricks in the Wall”
East London artist Hak Baker is a musician that comes under an umbrella of genres that stretch from folk, to rap, while even trying his hand at spoken word. Baker’s latest single, “Bricks in the Wall,” shows where the former grime MC is at with his unapologetic and straight-talking attitude. While on the surface, this latest single sounds like an up-tempo, summer-ready anthem, Hak Baker proves that he’s not afraid to dig deep into his psyche through telling his vivid tales of empirical boredom and the pains that one goes through when in the cycle of working-class struggles. In the Crash House-directed visuals, the clean edit matches the theme of an endless cycle, calling for undefined unity between all of those who may face the same issues day-to-day. Talking about his latest release, Bake...
