From Compton to San Juan, Halftime Shows have become significant cultural events. An interesting trend has emerged: they serve as a high-stakes platform for political protest. But how far can these protests go when they operate within an ideological state apparatus?

Who gets to inherit Black British music and when will we finally embrace the queer roots of our culture? We dive into Black freedom, queer constraint and the history of grime's garage-bound beginnings.

The soundtrack of summer 2026 has a distinctly Francophone pulse. Reflecting on Yardland Festival in Paris, we explore one of Europe's most exciting cultural movements.

V&A East's exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story shares a rich exploration of music, fashion, art and Black history. We reflect on the showcase and how our own generation will be remembered.

Bouyon wields a floor-filling power. We trace the history, politics and spirit of this Dominican-born music genre in conversation with bouyon hit-maker Shelly.

Coco Jones' candid questions about her artistic identity have sparked a wider conversation about what it takes to succeed in the music industry today.

Caught in a record-label tailspin, Motor City hip-hop trio Slum Village's original 1997 debut album circulated through leaks and word of mouth, becoming a cult classic long before its official release. Here's a look back at Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1—the gem that almost never was.

We're tracing the rich story and seismic impact of record label BBE Music, and shining a light on the new generation that flourishes in its wake.

Fuelled by every facet of Black enjoyment, Recessland shows what's possible when community, culture and sound converge. Here, we dive into Recessland's cultural significance and what it reveals about the state of Black Britain today.

Heartbreak narratives continue to dominate our cultural imagination. Do destructive R&B love stories, embraced by the likes of Mariah The Scientist, hold us back or set us free?

Joining the wave of run clubs along the tour, the US singer-songwriter closes his UK run in London with 'too much motion'.

Meet Rod Temperton: the mastermind behind numerous iconic hits of the disco era, yet a name remains largely unknown to the general public…

Brooklynite SALIMATA's breakout 2025 album is a fearless celebration of Black femininity in rap form. Let's dive in.

A thorough exploration of Kano's fifth album—a powerful return shaped by the intensity of the 2010s grime revival—ten years later.

Exploring grime's softer side…

Three decades on, Tupac's fourth album remains a bona fide double-disc classic. Its influence on hip-hop is undeniable, but so are the arguments about the album's misogynistic content and the industry politics behind it all…

Hip-hop falls down when it allows white voices to drown out its Black roots. The viral frenzy surrounding rapper Sunshine Benzi is just another example of White-washed Minaj-esque hip-hop mimicry—but she's just one of many.

Emerging from Bristol's fractured soundsystem scene, Tricky defiantly reshaped British electronic music. Let's revisit his debut album that brought downtempo experimentation into the mainstream.

With the noise around the UK underground scene and artists like EsDeeKid, Jim Legxacy and Proph, now's the time to ensure UK rap gets the structured support it needs to sustain.

Investigating how AI and unconsenting scraps of material are reshaping the afterlife of creative endeavours.