Plus: Burna Boy's new album I Told Them
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Picks of the week
Rap luminaries on the defining moments from 50 years of hip-hop
‘It was freaking bananas!’  
Rap luminaries on the defining moments from 50 years of hip-hop
From Brooklyn block parties to globe-trotting glory, some of the biggest names in hip-hop share their personal highlights from five decades of rap, rebellion and raising the roof
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy  
I can’t regret working with R Kelly – it made me better able to judge my behaviour and that of others
From sorting fan mail to seeing Abbey Road being made  
My life as a teenage Beatles employee
Oliver Anthony’s divisive song claiming solidarity with workers only benefits the rich who exploit them
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Burna Boy: I Told Them – Afrobeats superstar punches closer to the mainstream
Burna Boy: I Told Them – Afrobeats superstar punches closer to the mainstream
Be Your Own Pet  
Mommy – teen punks’ return is inventive and itchy with anger
Contemporary album of the month  
Alabaster DePlume: Come With Fierce Grace – sublime, minimalist improvisation
Spotlight
Punk legend Wreckless Eric on storming Spotify despite sounding like Mickey Mouse
‘I was an absolute maniac’  
Punk legend Wreckless Eric on storming Spotify despite sounding like Mickey Mouse
The cult singer is still living off Whole Wide World, his very first song – and it wasn’t even a hit. As the riotous raconteur releases a new album, he talks bloody marys, brake failures and near death by Covid
Classical
‘The rockets didn’t stop us’  
Odesa violinist gears up for symbolic concert
Odesa violinist gears up for symbolic concert
Proms 2023  
John Eliot Gardiner pulls out after punching bass soloist
John Eliot Gardiner pulls out after punching bass soloist
Bruckner  
Nine Symphonies – Concertgebouw’s early gift is a conducting masterclass
Nine Symphonies – Concertgebouw’s early gift is a conducting masterclass
Prom 60  
Samson – humour, chewy harmonies and Handel at his best
Samson – humour, chewy harmonies and Handel at his best
Add to playlist
Horror metal, J Hus and new Dolly  
All of autumn 2023’s best music
All of autumn 2023’s best music
You may have missed
London drill star Blanco on prison, moral panic and his Angolan roots
‘Grief changes people in different ways’  
London drill star Blanco on prison, moral panic and his Angolan roots
A founder of the influential Harlem Spartans, Blanco was a massive subcultural star before time inside and the loss of his father prompted a search for new musical inspiration
Jon Batiste on his awards glory  
Overnight a lot of stuff changed
The former bandleader for Stephen Colbert has picked up a Grammy and an Oscar on his way to making a new album featuring Lana Del Rey and Lil Wayne
‘Trust me, I have not been out-girlbossed’  
Pop star Reneé Rapp on Mean Girls, mean girls and mental health
She quit the Broadway musical of the Lindsay Lohan classic to preserve her mental health and has just released her debut album. It’s a time of high anxiety, the brutally candid songwriter admits
La deutsche vita  
Why is Germany so obsessed with 1980s Italo-pop?
The country’s romance with Italian music goes back centuries, but a new generation has fallen for its 80s hits, covers of which are now the last word in Berlin hip
Live music this week
Boygenius  
Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus meet hysteria with humour
Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus meet hysteria with humour
Asake  
Afropop beacon mistimes underwhelming London return after Brixton tragedy
Green Man festival  
Self Esteem crowns success, Julie Byrne triumphs and Devo rock the muck
Lankum  
Eerie, overwhelming radical Irish folk already feels centuries old
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