Music, hip-hop, Nicola Meighan

Tinchy Stryder to take over the HMV Picture House

The East London grime boy done good, and Third Strike is on its way

If Tinchy Stryder’s second long-player, Catch 22, saw him vault the grime underground and snare the pop mainstream (number one hits, collaborations with N-Dubz and a Sugababe, the best-selling UK solo artist of 2009), you wonder what level of stardom…

Stanley Odd - Reject

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…

Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man

(Colombia) Newsflash: dubstep is still hot right now. Hence, we presume, this album from Magnetic Man – aka Benga, Skream and Artwork – a dubstep supergroup, if you will. Evidently aimed at the upper echelons of the hit parade (why else would…

Professor Green

Hackney rapper loves a Nando's

Professor Green knows how to party. When his debut album, Alive Till I’m Dead, charted at number two last month, the East-London rapper let it rip: ‘I was so over the moon that I celebrated with a full chicken platter, two large sides and a refillable…

Unicorn Kid and Young Fathers

The man with the horn

He may wear a lion hat and be named after a fantasy creature, but with the Pet Shop Boys, Calvin Harris and a belting set at T on his side, Unicorn Kid is set to make myth a reality. The Lion and the Unicorn have long been heralded as hostile beasts.