Stormzy: Mel Made Me Do It review – boastful, whip-smart wordplay that makes it look easy
The magnetic MC’s first solo outing in three years finds him comfortable with a crown atop his head
Mura Masa: Demon Time review – brash sugar rushes with a 00s spin
The producer’s relentless garage-pop bombardment feels like standing next to a tween frantically scrolling through TikTok without earbuds
We Out Here festival review – celebratory weekend of raucous dance and cosmic jazz
Showcasing rising UK talents like Two Shell and the Comet Is Coming alongside Detroit legends Underground Resistance, Gilles Peterson’s festival is a delight
Kenny Beats: Louie review – brave, hooky, son-to-father reflections
The hip-hop producer’s debut album is affectionately infused with the spirit of his father’s mixtape introductions, along with good splash of obscure 70s soul
Aitch: Close to Home review – staking his claim to the mainstream
The sugar rushes are tempered by vulnerable, darker notes on the Manchester rapper’s hotly anticipated debut
Aitch: Close to Home review – ‘100,000% Manc album’ not just for the Lynx lads
Referencing the Stone Roses and featuring Shaun Ryder, the Manchester rapper’s debut album stops short of a second coming – but it pushes his musical boundaries and subverts traditional hip-hop narratives
Danger Mouse & Black Thought: Cheat Codes review – brimming with sheer love of the craft
Contemplating everything from hip-hop to the human condition, the ebullient and long-awaited collaboration is awash with cinematic beats and vivid rhymes
Megan Thee Stallion: Traumazine review – bruising brilliance from rap’s reigning queen
The Texan rapper comes out swinging on her latest release – slinging a seemingly limitless supply of fantastic insults at the industry and countless nameless foes
Travis Scott review – fireworks and lasers announce rapper’s post-Astroworld comeback
Nine months after the tragic Houston concert, Scott is back in front of a huge crowd – and almost overshadowed by his own pyrotechnics
Beyoncé: Renaissance review – joyous soundtrack to a hot girl summer
On her unapologetically escapist seventh album, the pop superstar unleashes everything from disco bangers to global house hedonism
Flo Milli: You Still Here, Ho? review – soundtrack for an aspirational generation
(RCA Records)The Alabama rapper’s debut album showcases her playful, boastful take on southern rap and caption-worthy one-liners
The Kid Laroi review – Australian rapper sweats out his angst
Shirtless young men go feral to these blown-out anthems, but the teenager’s showmanship still has room to improve
Wireless festival 2022: weekend one review – Playboi Carti stomps on the competition
Across three days of raging rap, it’s Little Simz, Rico Nasty and Tyler, the Creator who also stand out with their imagination and mic technique
Kendrick Lamar at Glastonbury 2022 review – faith, fury and jawdropping brilliance
Sporting a bejewelled crown of thorns and with a profound sense of theatre, Lamar proves he is one of the most gifted rappers we have
Lupe Fiasco: Drill Music in Zion review – enjoyable trip through a mazy mind
The rapper’s loose, speedily recorded eighth album is full of restless innovation – with mixed results