Hip-Hop, Rap

In Brazil a new generation of artists are fusing rhythms and shaking up established musical codes. 

A selection of the latest rap, trap, drill, grime, and garage coming from the UK, October 2021 to April 2022.

From the working-class neighborhoods inhabited by Latin American migrants, to the trendy discos frequented by Spain’s elite youth, reggaeton has become a unifying force that transcends issues of race, gender, or social class.

Charting the formation and history of UK Street Soul during the Acid House period. Including some of the key tracks from the time as well as some more modern examples. 

DMX’s music and legacy as the ultimate transmitter of energy and pain

Built on the heritage of Japanese music’s Golden Age (the 60's to the late 80's), the current Tokyo music scene is vast, hosting many genres, subcultures and niches, and making the city one of the most exciting local music scenes in the world.

It’s where reggaeton meets sensual pop, MC’s scathing flows describe blatant social inequalities and soaring electronica tries to soothe a violent populous. Welcome to the new sounds from Medellín.

A Japanese icon, one of the principal pioneers of lo-fi hip hop whose legacy is still influencing hip hop today.

The rappers who produce their own tracks (or vice versa) often have the greatest creative strength. Here’s a first edition of those rare polymaths of the 2000s.

60 years of Elza Soares' career as the voice of the millennium.

Rich in European, Latin American and Caribbean influences, Buenos Aires is an open-air musical laboratory where one can hear the most danceable cumbia-reggaeton to the most ethereal synth-pop.

The stress of the compulsory Christmas parties, childhood dreams turned to dust, the anxiety of one’s family, the lack of interest in a holiday devoid of values...For some, Christmas is like a nightmare that comes back to haunt them every year. They shouldn’t feel alone, as there’s plenty of music that would also like to throw Santa’s presents back in his face. A guaranteed Mariah Carey-free zone.

The story of how a piece of software intended to correct voices was transformed into an essential part of a record producer’s toolkit and a playful way to add effects.

Take a trip back to a long hot summer afternoon in early 90s New York, and immerse yourself in the sounds of a typical block party.

Take a look behind the smoke, mirrors, and magic of Atlanta’s new generation of hip-hop torchbearers. 

An overview of the new generation of artists who are following in the footsteps of the East Coast matriarchs, treading their own paths and flirting with Trap.

An overview of American rappers who have taken the diminutive Lil’ as their stage name, despite their number of hits, their fame, and even their size being anything other than Lil'.

Cumbia 420 is the musical phenomenon de jour in Argentina. With its skilful blend of cumbia villera and reggaeton, this hybrid sound has millions of young people dancing (under the influence) from the heights of Buenos Aires to the depths of the Pampas.

Developed in the US during the 2010s, this subgenre of rap uses lo-fi electro production to create hazy atmospheres of slow rhythms, and mostly sombre lyrics.

 Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Kendrick Lamar. Dive into the sounds of those who shaped the rapper from Compton.

Spotlight on London-based producer Juls, creator of modern Afrobeats, whose unique sound bridges the gap between 20th century highlife, and the digital Afropop that has clubs all over the continent dancing today.

In terms of music, he is Our Father. No need for a calling card, his immense works, even more than that of Mozart, speaks to everyone. Whether you want to meditate or dance amongst the stars, Bach is there, the master of rhythm and enchantment. The proof comes in the number of musical genres that continue to pay tribute to him.

In addition to the beginnings of rap with the Last Poets and gangsta rap with Hustler's Convention, to some of the great classics of what is called Jazz, we also owe Alan Douglas for having allowed several generations of music lovers born after 1970 to listen to Jimi Hendrix without moderation.

The birth of a new sub-genre of Latin urban music, from its humble beginnings to its conquest of the international charts.

In just 10 years High Focus Records has become a cult label in the UK both as guardians of boom bap and as trailblazers for new sounds.

Gregory Edward Jacobs, known as Shock G, the frontman for Digital Underground, was found dead on Thursday 22th april in Tampa. He will always be remembered as one of most unique talents in hip-hop history. The world of beats & rhymes owes him a funkin’ lot: reviving P-Funk spirit in the 90s, introducing his friend 2Pac to da world, elevating sampling to an art form. 

A fragment of the American hip-hop scene is populated by trailblazers willing to dive deeper than ever into discussions of human suffering, violence, drugs, isolation and racism.

Are you ready for this selection that makes sex even better?

Thanks to a flow that’s as fast and elusive as the wind, Myka 9 has rubbed shoulders with and inspired everyone from Busta Rhymes to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. 
 

A living legend on the US rap scene, Tech N9ne has built up an independent empire thanks to his originality and an eclectic taste that stretches from gangsta rap to metal. 
 

After twenty years under the sign of the hybrid groove, the London label has found its second wind. It never forgot where it came from and continues to shine a light on the best developments in the alternative music scene.
 

It started with turntables and steadily grew to include a huge range of production methods. The first two decades of Ninja Tune were spent ahead of the curve, laying the groundwork for the future of music.

A vast metropolis at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East, Cairo is once again home to a music scene whose stylistic diversity bears witness to its creativity. It’s a panorama that ranges from club hits to post-punk bangers.

The eargasm: a feeling of euphoria brought about by listening to sensual music...
 

Ever since the cultural revival brought about by the Jasmine Revolution, the electro and rap scenes in Tunis have been blooming.

March, the month of flowers budding, of returning light. For the Romans it was the month of war, and of a mysterious world little known to us humans.
 

In the shadow of the big cities of New York and Chicago, the Motor City has spawned generations of musicians fuelled in creating Great Black Music.

In record time, the Spanish singer has become one of the most fascinating and elusive artists on the pop scene, brilliantly blending her flamenco roots with hip-hop, R&B and electronic music.

30 songs to get a killer party your guests will never forget… While respecting prevention measures… Winter edition. Happy New Year 2021!

Morrocco’s rap scene is setting itself free, establishing itself as a source of inspiration, and developing its own rich soundscape. This is the Winter 2020/21 edition of our New Sounds from Morocco playlist.

Far from its iconic harbour and sun-soaked beaches, Sydney's outer suburbs are home to the beating heart of Australia's burgeoning rap and hip-hop scene.

Coming from California in the 90s, here’s some cool gangsta-rap with George Clinton style funk instrumentation.

The rappers who, for their whole career, remain involved in every step of the creation of a record from writing to mastering are not that common. This playlist is dedicated to the rapper-producers of the 2010s.

The London producer has transformed himself into a first-rate artist through a grateful synthesis of dubstep, piano, soul, and R&B.

The voice of the queen of neo-soul reflected in the singers of Generation Y.

How a kid from Atlanta’s Zone 3 became the world’s ultimate rap mogul.

Whilst neoperreo, a digital DIY subgenre of reggaeton, might be a child of the internet worldwide, its flame burns brightest in Santiago.

How a dozen or so rapper-skater-antichrists pulled off the most beautiful takeover bid of the 2010s mainstream. Odd Future is dead. Long live Odd Future.

From Nujabes’ melodic boom to Kohh’s seductive trap, come and dive into the world of Japanese rap.

Heritage, influence, and the ongoing dialectic of Nigerian Pop. 

Take a look behind the smoke, mirrors, and magic of Atlanta’s new generation of hip-hop torchbearers.

The continuously crashing crest of modern pop’s wave, found in the up and comers of Atlanta hip-hop.

Here are 30 songs you need to listen before going out to party… While respecting prevention measures… This is our very latest summer edition.

Music’s yesteryear is R&B’s tomorrow.  

"The lusophone sound is coming" – Dino d’Santiago

The music that shaped Autechre.

Kendrick Lamar, Louis Cole, Khadja Bonet, Flying Lotus, Anderson .Paak, Jonwayne and Tyler, The Creator all come from the same place? It seems neither vain nor overrated to remember that everything happens in Los Angeles.

Chicago has all the musical richness of Great Black Music with a remarkable rise in rap and jazz over recent years.

How modern R&B artists manage to touch every corner of today’s musical world.

Enter the Infamous Brick Squad.

How the group who knew best how to harness the energy of rock became one of the most important names in the history of rap.

The legendary producer has creatively guided the likes of Johnny Cash, the Beastie Boys, Adele, and Kanye West over the last three decades.

The story of the unlikely actors who, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, reinvented American music and ushered in the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

Taken from us far too young, J Dilla remains one of hip hop’s most influential producers ever.