Mike D review – ex-Beastie Boy’s first UK gig in two decades, in a Tyneside bingo hall, is uproarious fun

Teeing up a forthcoming solo album, the rapper doesn’t reheat his old Beastie Boys sound, instead throwing down everything from ballads to Kraftwerk references

Lil’ Kim review – formidable rap legend delivers mostly vibes, but the crowd is here for it

Fifteen years since her last Australian show, the seminal hip hop artist was met by a mood of giddy nostalgia that forgave her short set of truncated hits

‘I’ve rebranded as a stoic. It’s my ting now!’ The crime and punishment of Pozer, UK rap’s fastest, fiercest talent

In a chaotic London childhood, Isaiah Sampson got drawn into drug dealing and worse before hauling himself into the charts. He opens up about his psychological scars and trust issues

Flying Lotus: ‘People kept saying, “You can’t make hip-hop with a laptop.” Those comments were my fuel’

In the lead-up to his Australian tour, the producer and DJ reveals his obsession with Chucky, his favourite time signature and which Kanye West record is the ‘most overrated album of all time’

Genesis Owusu: Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge review – political fury and propulsive fun

Seething with righteous anger and moshpit-ready tracks, the Australian artist’s genre-hopping but cohesive LP makes a case for the durability of the form

Kanye West loses lawsuit over uncleared sample played at stadium fan event

Rapper known as Ye must pay six-figure sum to four plaintiffs who successfully argued he infringed on their copyright

Drake lost the beef and embraced the manosphere. Is it too late for him to win back his audience?

After his Kendrick Lamar feud, Drake alienated female fans. With new album Iceman, he’s aiming for the top of the charts again

Flutes, freestyles and infectious fun: Lizzo’s greatest songs – ranked!

Ahead of her new album Bitch, we rate the best of a singer who expertly suffuses self-empowerment anthems with humour and party-starting energy

Rapper Kid Cudi fires MIA from tour after ‘offensive’ Republican rant

The British artist was booed after identifying as a Republican voter while on stage in Dallas

DJ Shadow: ‘Kraftwerk are a touchstone for every phase of my career’

The hip-hop producer, remixer and crate-digger on staying fresh creatively, the influence of David Lynch and giving away his most valuable record

A single Epstein email shines a light on myths about American justice – and art

In prison, I witnessed the gap in accountability between the poor and the elite. A banker’s message to Epstein is racist and reductive

Kanye West postpones Marseille concert as France considers blocking him from performing

Interior minister is ‘highly determined’ to block US rapper from performing in the southern city in June due to his past antisemitic remarks, sources say

Afrika Bambaataa obituary

Influential DJ, rapper and producer who moved hip-hop towards a more futuristic techno-pop sound

Afrika Bambaataa, hip-hop pioneer, dies aged 68

The Bronx born rapper and DJ helped introduce hip-hop to the mainstream and was also accused of child sexual abuse

Rapper Offset hospitalised after being shot outside Florida casino

The former member of Migos is in a stable condition after being shot on Monday, with police detaining two people