Artis Leon Ivey Jr., better known as Coolio, in New York in 2015. Image by Kris Connor/Getty Images   Among those paying tribute is Michelle Pfeiffer, whose 1995 film Gangsta’s Paradise contained the popular song of the same name   The Grammy-winning artist Coolio, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 59, has […]

Little Simz is a prominent lady in British rap and an MC whose wit matches that of more well-known artists. Both Stormzy and Kendrick Lamar have praised her abilities. However, on the first night of a UK and Ireland tour, she seemed to be less concerned with hefty labels and more concerned with having a […]

Surya Sen, who spearheaded uprisings against British authority in India during the 1930s, was a crucial role in the country’s independence fight. After a century, his namesake – a north London-based musician who prefers anonymity – feels like a radical presence in UK music: a British-Bengali producer/rapper whose bumping and pristinely constructed club music finds […]

The stars who have inscribed Jamire Williams in their Rolodexes are more than remarkable, including Solange Knowles, Moses Sumney, Blood Orange, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Glasper. These musicians are united by their desire to push boundaries, to tip the balance between popular and avant-garde, and they often enlist Houston-born multi-instrumentalist Williams to perform on and […]

Dennis Junior Odunwo, a.k.a. Tion Wayne, is an elusive figure. We meet at a friend’s home in Lower Edmonton, London, where Odunwo has just finished having his hair trimmed, to discuss his first album, Green With Envy, after a brief wild-goose chase from our planned meeting location. On the mike, Odunwo’s threatening demeanor contrasts with […]

This article will give some tips for enjoying rap music without becoming racist. Donald Trump has been in the news a lot recently, but no one really likes Donald Trump. The thing is, if you think about what a world Trump would like, you’ll think we’re living in a racist, homophobic dystopia. No thanks. If […]