Thomas Hobbs

"His already released EPs – ‘Some Place Else’ and 2018’s ‘Heaven’s Only Wishful’ – are filled with invention, basically sounding like a ‘House of Balloons’-era The Weeknd, had his drug of choice been mushrooms instead of cocaine."

"As the day progressed, there was an unshakeable feeling this was another London festival happy to spend big on artists, but hesitant when it comes to getting the basics — good sound and empathetic security — right."

Whether it’s Tupac performing duets with artists he never met or utterly bizarre remixes of Johnny Cash’s most famous work, there’s no shortage of posthumous albums that should have stayed locked away; these are ten of the worst.

"Wireless has a lot of work to do if it’s to turn into a must-see experience, and it would be wise to add more stages and breakout areas so people don’t feel squashed like sardines. Booking a few more female rappers wouldn't hurt either: the energy here still feels far too male-centric."

"Wearing dresses on album covers, fusing trap with country way before Old Town Road existed, and delivering nutty puns in a half-rapped, half-sung flow, Atlanta’s Young Thug has taught a new generation of rappers how to blow up without sacrificing their individuality. But his set at the Brixton Academy last night felt rushed."

For the 30th part of my 'London on Screen' series, I looked at how Danny Boyle was able to make Westminster Bridge look so eerily empty for his zombie classic 28 Days Later.

"If Daniel Caesar starts to offer more by album number three, he could yet consolidate his obvious talent into something enduring, but if it’s another record created just for the sake of it, then many of the people who once believed in him might feel like it’s time to move on."

The gangster rapper and legendary hip hop producer sit down to discuss their unmissable new album Bandana with music writer Thomas Hobbs...

"The chemistry between Madlib and Gibbs is perfect and there’s a timelessness to these songs that will make you think of raw black cinematic worlds such as Super Fly or Truck Turner. Gibbs is Isaac Hayes if he could spit a hot 16, his union with Madlib proof opposites really do attract."

How exactly did London get its name? Famed historian Thomas Hobbs explores...

Live review: "She can be unapologetically cheesy — she sang her Robbie Williams duet Kids while punching the air — but this is what makes her so endearing. In an era of singles that are more concerned with being woke than making you spin around, Kylie Minogue felt like a welcome tonic."

"British rap had never heard anything quite like Klashenkoff, who was the perfect mix of rawness and technical lyricism. He was the kind of poet capable of profound social commentary, but also stabbing you in the eye with his pen. For many, he sounded like the closest thing Britain had to a Nas."

"Nguyen deserves credit for creating an intelligent original story about the murky world of finance that will force many to look at Wall Street trading from a fresh angle, but this could have been great had Nguyen dialled up the deceptive themes of modern capitalism rather than straining to find heart in an industry that doesn’t have one."

"There comes a point where the balance between quality and quantity starts to muddle, and the public tire of hearing so much from the same musician. The consistency that was once a strength becomes a weakness, and over-saturation means a lot of fans turn against the very thing they used to love. This is the battle Future faces."

"The phallic symbolism of ‘Sex Shooter’, which contains the playful lyrics “I need you to pull my trigger babe / I can’t do it alone”, is one hell of a ride, while the absolutely bonkers ‘Holly Rock’ sees Prince talking slick over a beat that sounds like it was crafted from a psychedelic pinball machine. Honestly, it’s a shame Prince ever gave these tracks away to other artists."