‘Young, Black and female in Brixton is hard’: ​from football to Top Boy and wordplay, the inspiring journey of UK rapper Cristale

Crystal Palace FC or Oxbridge beckoned, but the multitalented MC kept forging her way towards music. She explains how she poured every aspect of herself into her debut mixtape

‘It seems weird for an MC – but lyrics have never been a thing for me’: De La Soul’s honest playlist

Rapper Pos of the hip hop greats favours Barry White for the bedroom and sobs to Stevie Wonder, but which cheese-rock hit does he love on the sly?

Sampa the Great: Nu Zamrock review – a full-circle moment for a world-class act

Sampa Tembo’s genre-hopping third album meets the moment with charisma and cheek

‘Ignorance towards immigration is horrible. It’s not British’: Skepta on his long-awaited return – and his anger at the racist right

Thirty-three months after it was announced, the grime legend’s new album is coming out. He explains how skinheads, fatherhood and rap history came to bear on its socially conscious contents

Add to playlist: the gloriously boisterous grime-metal of Native James and the week’s best new tracks

Filtering alt influences and eskibeats through a distinctly Black British point of view, the Ipswich rapper’s scorched-earth rage sounds like a lot of fun

‘A guy held a knife to my throat and said: play something normal!’ Richard Thompson on crazy crowds, his beloved beret and Sandy Denny’s driving skills

As he releases new album Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, the 77-year-old British folk legend answers your questions about Billy Connolly, Californian fish and chips and whether he nearly joined the Eagles

A tour around Amy Winehouse’s private junk: five free art exhibitions to see

The Back to Black singer’s books, shoes and jigsaw puzzles have gone on display. Elsewhere, a leaky Barbican and some gloriously gloopy sculptures can be viewed in London galleries this week

Finding the groove: what’s the best genre of music to dance to?

What is it about music that makes even non-professionals want to hit the dancefloor, and is it disco, funk or even classical that does it best? Four leading choreographers discuss their theories, with the science to back them up

Tinie Tempah says he will finally visit Scunthorpe after campaign by fans

Rapper to visit Lincolnshire town 16 years after saying he had never been there in his hit Pass Out

The missed opportunity of Jay-Z’s documentary series

Jay-Z in 8, the rap mogul’s HBO docuseries, covers his life and career in effort to mend his image – with no pushback. Why is he so fixated on the court of public opinion?

Add to playlist: the beautiful, breakneck chaos of Heavensouls and the week’s best new tracks

His hyperactive stylistic shifts and high-speed rhythms have a delirious, head-spinning beauty of their own

Kanye West’s sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organisers confirm

Russia’s foreign ministry had called planned shows unacceptable due to rapper’s ‘glorification’ of Adolf Hitler

Rick Ross arrested on domestic battery and strangulation charges

The rapper was arrested in Miami Beach on Thursday, days after an ex-girlfriend accused him of physical abuse

MTV VMAs 2026: full list of winners

Taylor Swift and Madonna were the big winners, with Swift now the recipient of the most MTV VMAs in history

MTV VMAs 2026: Taylor Swift and Madonna win at awards dominated by female artists

Madonna and Swift take home four of six prizes given out during ceremony telecast, alongside K-pop star Lisa and British newcomer Sienna Spiro