UK rap: Celebs Rumors

Dizzee Rascal has revealed that he was originally given the beat to Beyoncé‘s 2013 single ‘Partition’, but gave it up because he “couldn’t come up with” anything.The grime pioneer was the first-ever interviewee on GRM Daily‘s new YouTube series Thoughts In A Culli. While chatting with the blog’s founder Posty, Rascal reflected on the time he spent in LA in the early 2010s and how he stumbled upon the instrumental that is now synonymous with the Houston singer.“This time I was around in LA – it was 2011, 2012 or something,” he began.

NME about his new mixtape ‘Where Should I Start?’, having a song on the Top Boy soundtrack, and how his drill-inspired music is “motivational”.Tomorrow (March 29), the Hackney-born rapper will drop his long-awaited second full-length record – boasting features from Potter Payper, Alchubbino and longtime friend V9. ‘Where Should I Start?’ will serve as the follow-up to Jimmy’s 2022 debut mixtape ‘Risk It All’.Speaking to NME, the east Londoner said he had been “continuously making music” after releasing ‘Risk It All’.

Tiffany Calver has shared her advice to aspiring music industry creatives, encouraging them to “fail as much as you can.”Speaking on a panel in celebration of International Women’s Month, the UK rap trailblazer collaborated with Sondr to host a talk with fellow DJs and UK club titans Bossy LDN founder Izzy Bossy and Hannah Lynch of Girls Can’t Sync. The event was held at east London creative hotspot BeauBeaus and was part of the Telford native’s Tiffany Calver & Friends series – in which she highlights her talented peers.Calver spoke about her humble beginnings in the north of England where she “started a music blog because there weren’t really any opportunities” and thought she “could use it [as leverage].” She further revealed how she got to work for the late UK rap visionary Jamal Edwards and vlogged for his seminal music blog SBTV – which she said was her “foot into the industry.”She told the audience that the internet has made it so “there is so much at your fingertips” that can give you a fighting chance to succeed no matter where you’re from.

Potter Payper has announced that he will be releasing a new mixtape later this month called ‘Thanks For Hating’.Last week (February 7), the 26th MOBOs saw the likes of Central Cee, Dave, Asake, RAYE, Shygirl and more picking up awards. At the ceremony, Ghetts was honoured with the MOBO Pioneer Award, Soul II Soul earned the Lifetime Achievement Award and Sugababes took home the MOBO Impact Award.East Londoner Potter Payper won the Album Of The Year award for his critically lauded debut, ‘Real Back In Style’.

Skepta has teamed up with Idris Elba and Odumodublvck to create ‘Jangrova’, the first song from the Tribal Mark soundtrack. Check out the single below.Released yesterday (January 19), ‘Jangrova’ sees Skepta, Idris Elba and Odumodublvck rap in English and Nigerian Pidgin.

Sean Paul has asked Stefflon Don and Jada Kingdom to end their online feud and “live better.”Earlier this week, Kingdom and Don exchanged diss tracks after the latter allegedly indirectly called the other out in a song snippet. Don was the first to release hers with ‘Dat A Dat’ before the Jamaica-born singer replied with the disrespectful ‘London Bed’. It is believed that the conflict started over a spat concerning Don’s ex-boyfriend, afro-fusion superstar Burna Boy.Yesterday, Paul commented on the Don-Kingdom feud in an Instagram post.

Ghetts has teamed up with London rapper Skrapz on his latest single ‘Twin Sisters’ from his forthcoming LP ‘On Purpose, With Purpose‘.Produced by frequent Ghetts-collaborator TenBillion Dreams, the track opens up with a cheeky and explicit verse with the rapper saying: “One night I stayed round / Now I know my way round / Used to wonder what the pillow saw when you’re faced down / I’ve been fucking twin sisters / they don’t make the same sound”.The song also comes with a head-spinning visual by Dutch director Geerten Harmens (A$AP Rocky, Lil Wayne, Gunna). The video sees Ghetts sitting on an invisible chair in a puffer jacket in a white room.It features trippy camera movements as the rapper walks around and is surrounded by other things, such as a couple dressed in what appears to be Victorian garb, a butler holding a plate of spaghetti bolognese and more.‘Twin Sisters’ follows Ghetts’ previous release, ‘Laps’ featuring the South African singer Moonchild Sanelly, which marked his first new single in two years.

Potter Payper has announced that he will tour the UK and Europe next year in support of his debut album ‘Real Back In Style’. See full dates and tickets below.The Barking-raised star announced on his Instagram that he will be going on a 14-stop tour next year, promising fans that the shows are “going to be a crazy experience like you’ve never seen before.”It will start in Dublin on February 25 before hitting cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and his hometown of London.

Little Simz has brought out Cleo Sol as a special guest at her Ally Pally show – watch the fotoage below.The rapper has just rounded off her ‘NO THANK YOU’ tour performing the album of the same name. In our NME review, we praised the album saying: “The case for Simz to be recognised as a true modern great has only been strengthened with this release.”Finishing her tour at London’s iconic Ally Pally, Simz had a surprise in store for concertgoers.

D Double E has spoken to NME about the hardship of early grime stars, Jamaica’s influence on the scene and UK rap’s evolution as a whole.The East Londoner became synonymous with the UK grime scene as a part of the Newham Generals alongside Footsie, before having a thriving solo career and releasing grime classics such as ‘Street Fighter Riddim’ and ‘Bad 2 Tha Bone’.While many grime stars have become household names – such as his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Ghetts as well as the likes of Kano, Asher D (better known as Ashley Waters) and Skepta – the MC and producer, real name Darren Jason Dixon, hailed how the scene had “come a long way”.I love when people can and do what they want to do,” said the MOBO Award winner. “When I hear Kano’s album [2019 ‘Hoodies All Summer’] and he’s got the tunes with Popcaan [‘Can’t Hold We Down’], then I’ll hear Skepta with A$AP Rocky [ on 2017 track ‘Praise Da Lord’] or Wizkid [on 2016 ‘Ojuelegba (Remix)’] – I just love it that everyone is free and that’s what I’m trying to do for myself.”However, when it came to figures from grime becoming more well-known for their successful TV work away from the scene – such as Kano and Asher D playing Sully and Dushane in Top Boy – Dixon said: “I don’t really like that, man, but it adds a little bit more sauce to the person, I guess.

Ghetts has shared his first single in two years, ‘Laps’ – featuring South African singer Moonchild Sanelly.Earlier this month, the east Londoner announced his fourth studio album, ‘On Purpose With Purpose’, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘Conflict Of Interest’. Now, he has shared the opening track to his upcoming LP.‘Laps’ was produced by TenBillion Dreams and has the same ominous sound as much of the MOBO winner’s previous work.

Che Lingo has teamed up with anime streaming service Crunchyroll to release his new original song ‘Lifetime’, created exclusively to celebrate the 2023 anime fall season.The partnership between Crunchyroll and Che Lingo marks the first time that the anime platform has released a song to support their content.Behind-the-scenes footage, which you can watch below, shows how the South London rapper developed the song to echo themes in his favourite anime which inspired him as a child. The featurette also explores how he worked with MIKU NAKAMURA (Cö shu Nie), to create a song that will resonate with fans.Both Che and MIKU have already contributed to the world of anime with both artists being featured on the Jujutsu Kaisen Season One OST.

Ghetts has announced a 2024 UK ‘On Purpose, With Purpose‘ tour in support of his fourth album of the same name. Find ticket details below.The tour will see the grime star make his way through the UK in March next year. Kicking off on March 22 at the O2 Institute in Birmingham, Ghetts will then make his way to Manchester March 24 to play the New Century.

Ghetts has announced details of his fourth album ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’.The album serves as a follow-up to his 2021 major label debut ‘Conflict Of Interest‘, which featured Wretch 32, Skepta, Stormzy and more. His third album went on to be nominated for a Mercury Prize, an NME award for Best British Album and a BRIT award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap/Grime.Today (October 16), Ghetts teased his new album via an Instagram video, captioned: “ON PURPOSE WITH PURPOSE.

LEGACY later this year.LEGACY shall explore the untold stories of Birmingham’s grime, hip-hop and rap scene, showcasing the artists, tastemakers and entrepreneurs who are responsible for the city’s influence on Black British music; allowing many more new genres and artists to follow in their footsteps.Set to be released on November 15, the LEGACY mini-series and book will feature Brum trailblazers such as Jaykae, Lady Leshurr, MIST, Sian Anderson and many more talking about their part in the Birmingham music scene.A post shared by Jess Monroe (@jessmonroex)However, the book – co-written by Jess Monroe and Casey Bailey – will dive deeper into the history of the Birmingham Black music scene, writing about the evolution of radio, the producers who influenced the UK sound, iconic clashes (rap battles) and other cultural moments that made the city famous for its Black music.In the book, Lady Leshurr reminisces on how “it’s not as hard as it used to be” to blow up in Birmingham. “I had to leave Birmingham to make a name in London,” she explained.

J Hus and Burna Boy have been announced as the headliners for the inaugural Afro Nation Nigeria, happening later this year.Earlier this month, it was announced that Afro Nation Nigeria will take place on December 19 and 20 this year at Lagos’ Tafawa Balewa Square. This will be the second time Afro Nation has been held in Africa – last December, it was staged in Ghana.Yesterday (September 26), the festival revealed the first acts on the 2023 line-up, confirming Burna Boy and J Hus as the headliners.

Bugzy Malone has revealed that he became “quite insecure with my position as a rapper and as a person” after his quad bike crash.In 2020, the UK rapper – whose real name is Aaron Davis – was riding a quad bike in Manchester and crashed into an Audi. As a result, he subsequently suffered a brain bleed.

YouTube’s Director of Black Music & Culture and the founder of Spotify’s Rap Caviar playlist, has spoken to NME about hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, YouTube’s new FIFTY DEEP programme and why Soulja Boy deserves his props as an innovator of “youth culture.”The Congolese-American’s career has been heavily intertwined with the genre. Earlier in his life, he helped programme hip-hop music on BET – where shows like Rap City earned the network huge ratings, VJed on MTV in the early ‘00s, and even worked with rap mogul Diddy for three years at Bad Boy Records.One of his biggest feats, however, is creating the popular Rap Caviar playlist for Spotify: now the most-followed rap playlist on the streaming platform and meant to represent the creme de la creme of all things hip-hop.“I didn’t pitch it necessarily,” Basa said, explaining how Rap Caviar came about.

Burna Boy has enlisted Dave on his latest single, ‘Cheat On Me’ – taken from his upcoming seventh album ‘I Told Them’ – and announced details of an intimate London show.The ‘African Giant’ has teamed up with the Streatham rapper before on the latter’s smash hit ‘Location’ from his 2019 Mercury Prize-winning debut ‘PSYCHODRAMA’. The track currently has over 456 million plays on Spotify and is one of Dave’s most popular tracks.

Giggs has returned to Fire In The Booth to perform a new freestyle ahead of the release of his new album ‘Zero Tolerance’. Check it out below.The new freestyle marks the fifth time the London rapper has visited the booth for the Charlie Sloth Rap Show and has been a part of the Fire In The Booth segment. Giggs first stepped up to the mic in 2011.

Giggs has released his first single of the year ‘Mandem’ from his upcoming sixth album ‘Zero Tolerance’, featuring Diddy. Check out the video below.The ‘Peckham Landlord’ hasn’t put out much solo music since his 2020 second mixtape ‘Now Or Never’, which featured Meek Mill, Ray BLK and Ghetts, but last year hopped on Aitch’s ‘Just Coz’ and Tion Wayne’s ‘Suffer’.Today (August 4), Giggs dropped ‘Mandem’ and its accompanying music video.

Stormzy and RAYE teamed up for the sultry and 2000s-reminiscent collaborative single, ‘The Weekend’. Check out the track and the video below.‘The Weekend’ is the second collaboration from the two south Londoners have together – following the Norbury grime star hopping on the R&B singer’s single  ‘Ambition’ back in 2016.Yesterday (July 19), Stormzy and RAYE dropped their new London-produced single.

NME about being a part of a viral cypher with Dave and Central Cee, as well as radio and grime culture.Cyphers (also known as radio sets) are when multiple rappers come together and share a microphone, rapping over randomly selected beats. Before mainstream media aired the underground genre, pirate radio, handmade mixtapes and DIY videos were the only way fans could hear these rhymes.

J Hus has announced details of his third album ‘Beautiful And Brutal Yard’, alongside news of a UK tour.The Stratford rapper’s next record – the follow-up to 2020’s acclaimed ‘Big Conspiracy‘ – will arrive on July 14, and feature the likes of Burna Boy, Popcaan, Jorja Smith, and Naira Marley. J Hus and Burna Boy previously previewed their new track ‘Masculine’ at Burna’s history-making stadium concert in London earlier this month, while ‘Beautiful And Brutal Yard’ also features the viral Drake-assisted Afro-swing track, ‘Who Told You’.In his 2019 residency at London’s The O2, the Canadian juggernaut brought out J Hus after he had spent eight months in jail for carrying a knife.A post shared by Squif (@theuglygram) Check out the tracklisting below and pre-order the album here.The news also comes with new tour dates, at which J Hus promises special guests.

N-Dubz have announced details of free pop-up gig in London this Friday (June 30) ahead of their upcoming album.Last year, the trio reunited after an 11-year hiatus, before sharing comeback single  ‘Charmer’ and embarking on a 27-stop reunion tour which was mostly sold out.This Friday (June 30), the iconic British pop–grime band will perform a free surprise show for 2,000 fans at BOXPARK Wembley. The concert is set to start at 6pm and end at 8pm, with tickets available here.The pop-up gig, in partnership with Festival Republic, will warm the duo up for their headline show at Gunnersbury Park on August 11, with Tion Wayne and Venbee set to support. N-Dubz will finally release their fourth record ‘Timeless’ next month.

N-Dubz have announced that they will be releasing their first album in 13 years, their long-awaited fourth album ‘Timeless’.The trio returned to music last year with their single ‘Charmer’ and embarked on their reunion arena tour around the UK.Now, the UK rap trio have posted the artwork and trailer for new album ‘Timeless’, revealing that the record will be released on August 4 and is now available for pre-order. A press release describes ‘Timeless’ as “some of their best work yet” and tackles issues such as toxic relationships, mental health, and growing up in inner-city London.The band have also shared their new single ‘Habibti’, described as “a Michael Jackson-inspired sexy summertime banger about texting back-and-forth with a new beau”.A post shared by N-Dubz (@n_dubz)In the past week, the trio have been teasing the announcement by sharing candid videos from photo shoots and studio sessions.A post shared by N-Dubz (@n_dubz)A post shared by N-Dubz (@n_dubz)A post shared by N-Dubz (@n_dubz)A post shared by N-Dubz (@n_dubz) Tulisa alluded to the new album in an Instagram post in March, showing the mansion the group rented out for their recording space.N-Dubz have released two singles this year so far: with ‘Trust No One (Tour Bus Freestyle)’ arriving in February after being recorded on the bus during their sold-out 27-stop arena tour, before they dropped the electro–pop track ‘February’ and signed a new global deal with EMI Records.N-Dubz found early success with three consecutive platinum-selling albums: 2008’s ‘Uncle B’, 2009’s ‘Against All Odds’ and 2010’s ‘Love.Live.Life’.

Dave and Central Cee have broken the Spotify UK record for the most-streamed song in a single day this year with their track, ‘Sprinter’.Released on Friday (June 2), the jubilant track saw the two London rappers collaborating for the first time.This week, it was confirmed that ‘Sprinter’ became Spotify UK’s most streamed song in a single day in 2023 so far. Currently, the track has amassed more than 20 million streams in just under five days.

Central Cee and Dave have released their new collaboration ‘Sprinter’ – along with an opulent accompanying music video – check it out below.The single is the first collaborative release from the duo, however in 2016 the two were both featured on a remix of AJ Tracey‘s 2015 grime track ‘Spirit Bomb’.Now ‘Sprinter’ sees the 24-year-olds rap about their new lavish lifestyles with great bravado, proven when Central Cee delivers: “We ain’t got generational wealth / It’s only a year that I’ve had these millions.”Through his bars, the Shepherd’s Bush native also gives a shout-out to the Fast & Furious movies and Skepta‘s 2009 track ‘Too Many Men’. The track was produced by Jo Caleb and Jonny Leslie with assistance from Dave, NME 100 alum Jim Legxacy (whose vocals are sampled), TR and Kyle Evans.The single serves as Dave’s first musical release of the year, following on from last year’s ‘Starlight’ and ‘My 24th Birthday’ – the former being his first solo UK Number One and second overall after the 2018 Fredo-assisted ‘Funky Friday’.

Jords has released the heartfelt single ‘iPray’, which features grime legend Wretch 32, Mrs Chambers and MilesFromKinshasa.The single is released in celebration of the announcement of the Croydon rapper’s upcoming album, ‘Dirt In The Diamond’. Produced by UK rap heavyweight Kadiata, the single comes with an accompanying music video that sees the artists mournfully recite their verses at a funeral.The Renee Osubu-directed video serves as the second part of Jords’ film, which uses select songs from the album to narrate scenes.Speaking about the single, the 28-year-old said: “To me, ‘iPray’ is like Simba’s conversation with Mufasa.

Professor Green has released new single ‘POPSHXT’ – featuring UK rap star K Koke. Check it out below.The single is Green’s first release since last year’s ‘Dance Like A Tory’, aimed at Boris Johnson, and the titular track of Green’s next EP.Produced by Greatness Jones (Giggs, Avelino), the two London rappers riff off one another back-to-back with typical rap braggadocio.In the minute-long snippet he posted to TikTok, Green starts off the song: “This is my ignorant, nonchalant shit / Came up off that street shit, made it off that pop shit”.Talking about his EP and being in the studio, Green said: “I did what I always do and go with whatever felt right in that moment.”“[The new] music bangs, really bangs,” he explained.

Little Simz has released a new documentary, On Stage Off Stage, following the European leg of her recent tour.The documentary was filmed and directed by Abu Dumbuya and takes the viewer on tour with the Mercury-winning London artist, mixing both behind-the-scenes access with live tour footage.In On Stage Off Stage, you can see Simz learn how to play tennis, jet-set around the world, and give heartfelt speeches to fans who say she “saved their lives.”A poignant moment comes when Simz speaks directly to a young fan in Munich, saying: “Anything you want in this life, anything you want to become is possible. Just trust yourself and believe in yourself and you’ll do OK.”Back in December, Simz dropped her critically acclaimed surprise album ‘NO THANK YOU’.

NME Award-winning BERWYN has released new single ‘Bulletproof’ ahead of his nine-day European tour.The Trinidadian-born, Romford-raised musician has launched his first musical release since his 2022 comeback single ‘Path To Satisfaction’ and the double release ‘3450 / Chasing Lights (demo)’.BERWYN continues the reflective streak in his music, shifting his focus in the process after a “genuinely enlightening trip” to his home of Trinidad reigniting deep-rooted emotions.•READ MORE: BERWYN: Romford underdog’s soul-baring rap is helping those in need“‘Bulletproof’ is less about me and more about the people around me,” he said. “It’s another part of my personality: I’m willing to do anything for the people around me.”He continued: “It also highlights the dangers of my job and exposes me as an individual with troubles.

Che Lingo has released new single ‘Out The Blue’ and shared details of his sophomore album ‘Coming Up For Air’.The album follows his critically acclaimed debut ‘The Worst Generation’, and will see the AIM Award-nominated south Londoner talk about mental health and anguish to the full extent“CUFA is an intimate and personal look at myself and the people like me who find it hard to see themselves sometimes,” said Che Lingo. “The CUFA album in my own way is to let people know that they aren’t alone in these trials”.In anticipation of his follow-up record, Lingo has released ‘Out The Blue’; a sombre track to help “break out of the cycle of pressures, inherited and personal, that he and so many suffer from”.Speaking of what inspired the song, Lingo talked of “Times where I felt like I was drowning, fighting things, emotionally and mentally I couldn’t even see and repeating that cycle…This is a story about times like that and how I sung and rapped my way through it.

Krept & Konan headlined the BBC 1Xtra stage on Saturday (August 27) – paying a loving tribute to their late friends and family.This marked the group’s first live performance since their Revenge Is Sweet tour,  with Krept telling the Reading crowd that they needed to “light this place up” with their phone torches in tribute before playing the emotive ‘Broski’ from their second album, ‘Revenge Is Sweet‘.“If you’ve ever lost someone, I need you to put your lights up,” he said ahead of the track inspired by the passing of the duo’s long-time friend and business partner, Nyasha “Nash” Chagonda. Chagonda took his own life days before the opening of the three’s restaurant, Crepes and Cones.

In partnership with HennessyParked in the middle of one of the Capital’s most bustling water lanes, AJ Tracey performs live from a slick, jet-black basketball court in front of Tower Bridge. Flanked by Uber boats and tourist cruises, he’s taken to the barge-turned-court-turned-stage to kick off the opening ceremony for the unveiling of the UK’s first floating basketball court, which is travelling down the River Thames between Woolwich and The Houses of Parliament – a collaboration between Hennessy and the National Basketball Association (NBA), in a three-day celebration of the sport in London.The floating court is the latest launch in the ‘Courts Beyond Limits’ series, a global collaboration from Hennessy and the NBA that unveils first-of-their-kind basketball courts at iconic locations around the world, and has already hosted pop-ups in Sydney, Lagos, Hong Kong and Shanghai.