Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl half-time show review – game over for Drake

The Pulitzer prize-winning rapper chose artistry over more obvious showmanship in an unusual set yet still delivered the final blow to his diss track nemesis

Jpegmafia review – hip-hop gunslinger blasts away at his many targets

Dressed like an extra from Deadwood, the US rapper showcases his dizzying eclecticism in an intense performance that lacks subtlety but has room for laughs

Krept & Konan: Young Kingz II review – filthy and poignant in equal measure

The south London rappers’ frankness and sharp wordplay puts their rivals to shame on studio album No 4

Biig Piig: 11:11 review – long-awaited debut hovers on the edge of clubland

Switching between English and Spanish vocals, Irish singer-songwriter Jess Smyth’s genre-hopping set feels most at home in the quieter moments

Mike: Showbiz! review – a master rap craftsman building his own world

These fleeting fragments of the rapper-producer’s itinerant life, delivered in a lackadaisical yet focused style, prove he deserves all the acclaim he gets

Central Cee: Can’t Rush Greatness review – a tantalising debut of hits and misses

The British rapper gathers his bangers and chart-toppers together with less impactful work on this 17-track record

Central Cee: Can’t Rush Greatness review – conflict and contradiction underpin justly confident rap debut

The debut album from the British star finds him rapping rings around even high-profile guest stars as he asserts his place at hip-hop’s high table

Mobb Deep review – New York rap duo can still keep the temperature rising

Thirty years on from their album The Infamous, and seven years after the death of founder member Prodigy, Havoc teams up with Big Noyd for a breathlessly-paced set

Mac Miller: Balloonerism review – poignant second posthumous album

Made during a difficult time in the late rapper’s life, this abandoned work captures the musicianship and introspection of his fertile mid-career

Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon review – hustle, energy and smut aplenty

(Transgressive)The sex-positive South African trailblazer deserves to break into the mainstream with the fullest expression so far of her wit and sheer verve

Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon review – sex-positive South African swaggers towards stardom

Spinning the sounds of Johannesburg and Durban into distinctive, abrasive electro-pop, the blue-braided singer is filthy and sharply funny

Music: Kitty Empire’s 10 best albums of 2024

Americana’s classiest duo weather the storm, Kendrick Lamar has the last word, UK jazz soars – and Charli xcx unleashes the power of Brat

Kendrick Lamar: GNX review – amply backed-up grandstanding

Fresh from his feud with Drake, the US hip-hop star’s latest album finds him on imperious form

Nines review – British rap great bows out with glittering career highlights

This rapturously received set of greatest hits showcases the rapper’s full street-hardened and uniquely influential discography – but is it really his final gig?

Kendrick Lamar: GNX review – stunning surprise from a rapper determined to be the greatest

After his beef with Drake, Lamar expands his list of targets with enthralling rhymes and adventurous arrangements. At this point, he’s deferring only to God