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183 articles
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A$AP Rocky - O2 Academy, Glasgow, Sun 26 May 2013
18 Jun 2013
A powerful, swaggering show from the Harlem rapper
With a slew of recent hip hop hits played over its PA system serving as the only warm-up, the anticipation for A$AP Rocky’s impending arrival is palpable in a packed, hot but not quite full Academy. Owing his moniker to membership of the Harlem-based…
Danny Brown – The Arches, Glasgow, Sat 15 Jun 2013
18 Jun 2013
Energetic show from bizarre Detroit rapper fails to keep crowd’s attention
By no means the sole hot ticket of Glasgow’s gig scene this evening (The Stone Roses are performing just along the road), an appearance from Detroit rapper Danny Brown at the Arches nevertheless generates a certain level of excitement among the…
Jurassic 5 - O2 Academy, Glasgow, Mon 10 Jun 2013
12 Jun 2013
The intelligent hip hop posse show synergy and solidarity following their recent reunion
With J5's original line-up reuniting for this year’s recent Coachella festival, as is par for the course for a number of artists annually, their performance was a reminder as to how important their music has been as an evolutionary footprint in the…
T in the Park 2013: A guide to the best hip hop
5 Jun 2013
A preview of what to expect in the Hip-Hop genre at T in the Park 2013
Ever since Noel Gallagher got his arse handed to him by Jay-Z, following the rapper’s triumphant headline set at Glastonbury in 2008 -- a booking the unreconstructed Oasis rocker had labelled as ‘wrong’ -- hip-hop’s centrality to…
Young Fathers - Tape Two
15 May 2013
Textured and intriguing album from Edinburgh hip hop group who have come of age at last
(Anticon) As if their breakthrough release of Tape One earlier this year on groundbreaking Los Angeles intelligent hip hop label Anticon wasn’t vindication enough of the promise that Edinburgh trio Young Fathers have been putting in the bank for…
A$AP Rocky presents debut album to the UK
15 May 2013
Controversial Harlem hip hop star gets seductive
The good thing about being a rapper is that when you do something idiotic, one of your peers will be along shortly with a different cock-up to steal the limelight. Take A$AP Rocky, the languid and beguiling New York MC and the recent furore over his…
Extreme hip hop/noise posse Death Grips coming to UK
16 Apr 2013
MC Ride, Zach Hill and Andy Morin set to play London, Glasgow and Brighton
After their recent South by Southwest showcase set, Death Grips’ live show was memorably described by SPIN magazine as a journey into ‘chaotically thrilling what-the-fuckness’. All 33 minutes of it are available to watch below, featuring fearsome…
The Weeknd - O2 ABC, Glasgow, Thu 21 Mar 2013
16 Apr 2013
Abel Tesfaye's performance features flawless delivery tempered by a vulnerable stage presence
As a mysterious and media-shy artist (he's never given a full interview), The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) faced mixed anticipations at his debut Scottish appearance. Purposely performing a varied mix of songs from his dark and explicit compilation album…
New announcements for RockNess 2013 include Lianne la Havas, Rolando and Kerri Chandler
28 Mar 2013
Reverend & The Makers, Dog is Dead, Henrik Schwarz and more join the line up
The latest additions to 2013’s RockNess festival include soul singer Lianne la Havas; upbeat indie poppers Dog is Dead; Sheffield’s Reverend & The Makers fronted by the outspoken Jon McClure; Detroit techno master Rolando (Underground Resistance/Soma…
Rita Ora and Frank Ocean join T in the Park 2013 line-up
22 Mar 2013
Additions include Frank Ocean, Rita Ora, Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt
Rita Ora and Odd Future rappers Frank Ocean, Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt are among the latest acts announced to perform at T in the Park. Bringing a decidedly hip hop flavour to this year’s festival at Balado, Kinross over the weekend of…
The Weeknd set for UK tour
15 Mar 2013
Soulfully-voiced Toronto Canadian eschews rap's chiches
All the familiar tropes of hip-hop’s seedy side – narcotics, booze, girls very much in the plural – lurk in the shadows of The Weeknd’s spacey, chilly synthscapes, as nights typically become day and then night again. But if there’s a marked contrast…
Eminem to perform in Glasgow in summer 2013
28 Jan 2013
The American rapper will be appearing as part of the new Glasgow Summer Sessions concerts
American rapper Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known as Eminem, has been announced as the first headliner of DF Concerts & Events Glasgow Summer Sessions series of concerts. Eminem will be performing on Tuesday the 20th of August at Bellahouston…
Kendrick Lamar - ABC, Glasgow, Wed 16 Jan
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24 Jan 2013
An energetic, confident show from the fast-rising Compton hip hop artist
‘My name is Kendrick Lamar,’ our host informs us. ‘I come from a place called Compton California. You know? West Coast, Tupac...’ That’s all he needed to say to remind us of the lineage he’s already managed to hustle and work his way into, after his…
Young Fathers - Tape One
19 Dec 2012
A head-turning mini-album of dancefloor-ready hip hop tracks from the new Anticon signees
Edinburgh rap trio Young Fathers have been the pick of the new music litter for countless critics over the past three years. Mixing dancefloor-ready hip hop and pop sensibilities with an old school party spirit, their live shows have been consistently…
Wu Block - Wu Block
19 Dec 2012
Soulful but inessential hip hop collaboration between members of Wu Tang Clan and D-Block
With countless ‘affiliated’ Wu Tang releases on the go, from themed collaborations, bit-part reunions, half-cocked mix-tapes and Wu-inspired compilations inbetween regular solo runs and the rare full-clan outing, it’s difficult to keep up, let alone cut…
Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar to play debut Scottish show in Jan 2013
18 Dec 2012
The hip hop star has been praised by Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and The Game
When Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and The Game crown you as the ‘new King of the West Coast’, you’ve got a lot to live up to. Luckily, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar is doing just that. The California-native, who goes by the full name of Kendrick Lamar…
Big Sean - The Arches, Glasgow, Thu 29 Nov 2012
18 Dec 2012
The Kanye protege succeeds at getting the party started, but lacks the star power of his best tracks
If the scene in the ladies is anything to go by, you'd think you were backstage before a disco-dance competition. Fake-tanned skin contradicts the freezing night, with Big Sean even tweeting about the cold before his debut Scottish appearance. The…
The DOT - Electric Circus, Edinburgh, 19 Oct
23 Nov 2012
Intimate indietronica show from Mike Skinner (The Streets) and Robert Harvey (The Music)
Where do you go after shifting tons of albums, topping the charts then folding your much loved project? For Mike Skinner it seems that life after The Streets has led to a far more personal project. Once again teaming up with Robert Harvey, of defunct…
Open Art Surgery: Experiments in Hip Hop
16 Nov 2012
Breakin’ Convention hip hop theatre event featuring Bigg Taj, Jackin’ the Box and Ready Ready Sauce
A big round of applause and a few cheers says it all when you’ve enjoyed a performance. But what if it wasn’t quite what it could have been? If you’ve ever felt like giving feedback after a dance show, now’s your chance. Hosted by Breakin’ Convention’s…
The Weeknd - Trilogy
15 Nov 2012
A collection of three outstanding mixtapes from the thoughtful hip hop/R&B artist
Major-label signings are usually hyped to bits purely on potential. Soulfully-voiced Toronto singer/producer Abel Tesfaye emerges from the underground, brandishing substantial proof of his idiosyncratic, convention-defying talent. Trilogy collects…
Why? - Mumps, etc.
24 Oct 2012
Yoni Wolf’s hipster-friendly fourth album is inventive but lacks heart
Yoni Wolf – part-founder of indie label Anticon and band leader of alt hip hop ensemble Why? – is the very definition of a musical hipster. He sports thick-rimmed glasses and a moustache; he crams high and low-brow references cheek by jowl into his…
Stanley Odd - Reject
8 Oct 2012
Cerebral, socio-political hip hop from the six-strong Scottish ensemble
Edinburgh six-strong hip hop ensemble Stanley Odd are the first to acknowledge that their debut album, Oddio (2010), was not hugely forward-looking in its sound, and it’s this sonic volte-face, teamed with MC Dave ‘Solareye’ Hook’s electrifying…
You Are God
1 Oct 2012
Bleak Polish drama about hip hop group Paktofonika
You Are God follows the career trajectory of Magik, Fokus and Rahim, aka Polish hip hop group Paktofonika. Trudging through their various dead-end existences in the bleak region of Silesia, the trio banded together to create something representative of…
Azealia Banks – O2 ABC, Glasgow, Sat 29 Sep 2012
1 Oct 2012
High energy performance from the Harlem hip hop artist
Before Yung Rapunxel takes to the stage tonight, the crowd are put through a thorough preparation session. The gimp-mask-and-leather-shirted support act Zebra Katz lets everyone know this is not a family show, and Banks’ own DJ Cosmo performs a half…
Exposure: Azealia Banks
17 Sep 2012
The Harlem hip-hop artist with a filthy mouth and great hair hits Glasgow this month
Well done to Harlem’s Azealia Banks, who’s managed to build the foundations of an entire career with three and a half minutes of non-stop, glorious filth. We never knew swearing could get quite so eloquent until we heard last year’s ‘212’, the…
