Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: Jupiter is a radiant return for Noa that signals a new quality to her artistry. Following her 2021 album, And Then Life Was Beautiful, which was shaped by personal challenges and a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Nao embraces joy and healing on this fourth outing. Tracks like 'Elevate' and 'Wildflowers' express optimism with others like 'Better Days' and 'Happy People' underscoring the theme of growth. The album blends funky guitar solos, delicious drum patterns and nostalgic sounds throughout and manages to show up great musical versatility across a rich, emotionally powerful album.

Review: After years spent working alongside a talented pool of jazz musicians as the Neue Grafik Ensemble, Fred N'Thepe has decided to go solo for the first time this decade. Dalston Tapes Vol 1 is, according to Rhythm Section International, a conscious attempt by the artists to return to his beat-making roots. It's an album, then, rooted in hip-hop mixtape culture, where vocal numbers featuring guest MCs sit side by side with rap-free "beats" - lusciously and impeccably crafted instrumentals in which warming bass guitar lines, deep electronic sub-bass, sparkling electronic motifs and choice samples cluster around loosely swung, MPC-driven beat patterns. It's a great collection all told, with nods towards club-ready broken beat and deep house sitting side by side with Dilla-esque workouts and references towards London's vibrant hip-hop and grime underground.

Review: Now available in long-awaited LP form, Kenichiro Nishihara's second LP Life is issued via Urban Discos. Aiming to capture the essence of life in 12 tracks, the record, originally released in January 2010, fuses the blissed-out, piano-drenched Tokyo hip-hop sound with an advanced jazztronica palette and deals in themes of blessings, personal philosophy and stoical musings on everyday hardship but ultimate satisfaction. The rap features from Substantial, Steph Pockets, Amanda Diva, Pismo, Nina Vidal, Kissey Asplund and Gregg Green occur alternately between solo instrumentals from Nishihara himself; all tracks in the first category almost all deal in themes of flourishing and authenticity in day-to-day life, while those in the latter box serve as felicitous personal soundtracks for those cathartic revelations that can only arise through experience and dialogue.

Review: Japanese jazzist Kenichiro Nishihara drew much acclaim for his second LP Humming Jazz in 2008, which came a full five years after his debut in 2003, and heralded a stabler career thereafter. With its harmonious, benignant piano melodies and oblique drum palette - which hears the artist secure both live bossa nova performances and original hip house beats - Nishihara knew the inherent entertainment value in tender modal jazz, and sought to enmesh sophistication with pop breeziness. 'Rain Falls' is an especially round-bodied track, with glycemic vocal flavours from Kissey Asplund and richly EQ-ed drums, setting a soulful precedent for two key hip-hop gems to come: 'From Time To Time' and 'Consider My Love', featuring rappers Gregg Green and Pismo. 'Step Out' signals the record's close with bopping triplet gaiety.

Review: Following their NYC Halloween reunion, indie rap legends Non Phixion reissued The Future Is Now for its 20th anniversary and now do so again a couple more years later. Originally released in 2003, the album's raw energy and sharp lyricism remain as impactful as ever and so is likely to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. Packed with hard-hitting tracks, the project delivers relentless beats and razor-sharp bars and a standout is 'Suicide Bomb' featuring The Beatnuts, Al Tariq, Marly Metal and Moonshin as it perfectly exemplifies the group's signature intensity and lyrical prowess.

Review: Now here's a real slice of East Coast hip-hop history, packaged for those Londonites who - even as far back as the early to mid 90s - felt the genre's magnanimous influence deeply, despite the transatlantic journey required of its promotion outside the USA. Existing only so far perhaps on bootlegged white label vinyl marked "Import" in big block lettering, this mythical live recording of The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1995 performance at the Hammersmith Palais in London (as part of Tim Westwood's 1FM Rap Show Launch Party) otherwise floats the interwebs either in casual YouTube video or cassette rip format. Clocking in at just over 50 minutes, Big Poppa's tragic ghost sounds to haunt the record, masterfully moving through his most hard-boiled, ironed songs in quick sixteen-track succession, chopping and changing between them through the adeptest of DJ scratchups; the hypiest, airhorn-blariest transitions. All Biggie's greatest hits feature (he'd released most of his chart-toppers by 1995; this recording was made two years before he died) and the heavy douse of reverb, supplied by the venue, lends an extra historic gravitas to Smalls' not-so-small voice. The acapella at the end is an especially grave, hushed moment; it's as if the lack of instrumental backing portends the many moments of silence that would follow two years later.

Review: Nourished by Time's latest work blends lo-fi r&b, freestyle, and bedroom pop with a confident ease that feels fresh and alive. The album, created in a Baltimore basement, is a snapshot of raw creativity, with a sound that's deeply personal yet accessible. Tracks like 'In the Quiet' and 'Tides' experiment with layers of rhythm and texture, pulling you into a world that feels uniquely his. It's an album that doesn't play by any rulesistriking a balance between introspection and broad appeal, while challenging what we expect from contemporary music.