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
The Chronicles of Doom review – unmasking hip-hop’s peerless prankster
SH Fernando Jr’s exhaustive biography of MF Doom takes us on the underground rapper’s strange musical journey from New York suburb to Yorkshire social club
Kendrick Lamar drops surprise album, GNX
Rapper caps off 2024 with release of 12-track album featuring guest spots from SZA and Kamasi Washington
Bad girls do it well: MIA’s 20 best songs – ranked!
Mathangi Arulpragasam has been mixing it up for more than 20 years, blending Bollywood and Suicide samples with funk, electro and hip-hop. We select her standout cuts
BBC Sound of 2025 longlist tips established artists including Chappell Roan and Confidence Man
Following a change in eligibility criteria, nominees for the broadcaster’s annual award also include Kneecap, Barry Can’t Swim and Mercury prize winners English Teacher and Ezra Collective
‘I was really not OK’: Bladee on PTSD, Charli xcx and being struck by lightning
The Drain Gang rapper’s party lifestyle almost ended in disaster. Now, alongside a guest spot on Brat, Sweden’s dark icon is back with a furious and euphoric new sound
Ghostface Killah review – Wu-Tang vet coasts as fans take up the slack
This lopsided night lacks atmosphere, but the enduring magnetism and mythos of Wu-Tang Clan lifts it a little
‘Leave your ego at the door’: from Thriller to Sinatra, Quincy Jones collaborators tell the stories behind his songs
Whether hashing out Beat It over the phone or jamming with Snoop Dogg, artists who worked alongside Jones recall his skill, kindness and lust for life
Kneecap leads nominations for British independent film awards
Belfast-set rap comedy leads the charge with 14 nominations, with Love Lies Bleeding and The Outrun close behind
IDK: Bravado + Intimo review – bright beats, retrograde rhymes
The US rapper and Harvard mentor’s inventive, trap- and jazz-influenced tunes are let down by unreconstructed lyrics
Tyler, the Creator: Chromakopia review – candour meets artfulness
The Grammy-winning US rapper pits soul-searching against some killer tunes, many featuring his mother, Bonita Smith
Ice Spice review – rapid-fire hits from rap’s new princess
There’s high octane energy from artist and audience alike as the New Yorker rattles through 21 tracks in 45 minutes, showing off broad artistry in between bouts of twerking
50 Cent claims he turned down $3m to appear at Trump’s New York rally
Rapper says asked to join ex-president’s controversial Madison Square Garden event but is ‘afraid about politics’
TV tonight: inside Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s very public beef
Public Enemies looks into the rappers’ spat that nearly broke the internet. Plus: the bereaved people using AI to interact with lost loved ones. Here’s what to watch this evening
Tyler, the Creator: Chromakopia review – early midlife crisis triggers a freaked-out psychodrama
Full of switchback turns, the rapper’s unsettled and unsettling seventh album zaps from Beach Boys harmonies to G-funk synths – and from boasts to self-loathing