East London-born rapper and poet Kojey Radical, whose real name is Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah, has released his sophomore album ‘Don’t Look Down’. The Independent describe it as an “all-encompassing creative approach makes for one outstanding album”.

The release comes three years after his critically acclaimed debut ‘Reason to Smile’, which earned him a Mercury Prize nomination. That record blended funk and soul while exploring themes of Blackness, women, sex, fatherhood, family and faith. The project established him as one of the UK’s most inventive voices, praised for bringing a painterly sense of detail to rap while keeping his roots in spoken word and performance art.

The 32 year-old artist has become known for mixing a wide range of genres into something uniquely his own. ‘Don’t Look Down’ continues in this style, weaving R&B, funk, soul, and even unexpected flourishes such as a mariachi-inspired trumpet section. Originally intended to be called ‘Life of the Party’, the new record reflects on the highs of success, the pressure of fame, the search for meaning and connection and what it means to stay true to yourself.

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The album opens with a spoken word introduction in which Radical reflects: “You’re supposed to be the life of the party. How many homies didn’t make it? How many times did I count the empty seats, instead of the ones that showed their faces?” This vulnerability sets the tone for the rest of the project, which circles themes of loneliness and the struggle to remain grounded while in the spotlight.

Born in Hoxton to Ghanaian parents, Radical first trained as a visual artist. He studied Fashion Illustration at the London College of Fashion, graduating with First Class Honours. His early music was directly inspired by his coursework illustrations, which explored faith, love and social media.

Leading into the album, Kojey Radical linked with Montreal trio Planet Giza (Tony Stone, Rami B and DoomX) on the sleek single ‘Expensive’. Produced by Swindle, the track leans on warm keys and a floor-ready pulse, with Tony Stone’s falsetto lifting the hook before Radical tightens the focus on verse two. The single appears on ‘Don’t Look Down’ and arrived with an official visualiser, underscoring the record’s cross-Atlantic blend of hip-hop, soul and club textures.

Collaboration has always been central to his work. ‘Don’t Look Down’ features contributions from Ghetts, Bawo, MNEK, Dende, James Vickery, Benjamin A.D, Col3trane, SOLOMON and Victor Ray. He is also joined by Moses Boyd and Femi Koleoso of Ezra Collective, whose frenetic jazz-driven energy gives life to several tracks.

Alongside the album, Radical has created a short film that ties together several songs and videos. Building on his Mercury Prize recognition and FIFA soundtrack success, the East London artist will bring ‘Don’t Look Down’ to life on stage next year, with his UK tour finishing at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2026.

The artist credited the charity in his music video, to which Maggie’s expressed their gratitude, stating, “We are incredibly grateful to AJ for thinking of us and including us at the end of his music video for his new single ‘3rd Time Lucky’.”

‘3rd Time Lucky’ features on Tracey’s new album ‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’, set to release on 13 June. Tracey has shared four other songs from the upcoming album, ‘Crush’, ‘Paid In Full’ ‘Joga Bonito’ and ‘Friday Prayer’. The record includes exciting collaborations with names such as Jorja Smith, Aitch, and Headie One. 

‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’ has an exciting sonic range with Headie One and Aitch giving UK drill with soulful backing vocals in ‘Friday Prayer’, and later in the record, a 90s inspired R&B sound with ‘Crush’ which features Jorja Smith’s sensitive pop vocals and Tracey’s iconic playful rap style. The song is a fan favourite from the upcoming album with the two performing the track in the Radio 1 Live Lounge. 

Tracey shared what this song meant to him and how he used writing for emotional processing in a TikTok announcement prior to the release of ‘3rd Time Lucky’. He says, “‘3rd Time Lucky’ is about going through tough times with your loved ones, but coming through stronger at the end of it. I wanted to be honest but also hopeful, to help give strength to all those who need it. In order to process something of this difficulty, I had to name it and tackle it head on. I hope this song gives strength and hope to all those who need it.”

 ‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’ will be Tracey’s fourth studio album following the success of his last release ‘Flu Game’ which spent 19 weeks at Number 2 on the UK Official Albums Chart. 

Tracey spoke with Dork Magazine about his thoughts towards creating. He says, “I don’t believe in microwave dinners when it comes to music – it’s got to be good, and that can take some time”. This stands true as his upcoming release comes four years after ‘Flu Game’. Though, his return is welcomed by fans as the artist gives his followers the opportunity to vote on the venues of upcoming intimate tours. 

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To mark the release of ‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’, Tracey will be performing at Pryzm, Kingston on 13 June. He shares this is the “Last time to see me headline for now”. Find tickets for the exciting live celebration here as well as how to contribute to supporting Maggie’s. 

Described as a “romantic stoner comedy”, the rapper is joined by Alhan Gencay and Talliah Storm. Not only does Nines take the starring role, but he also wrote and directed the 45 minute film which premiered at the Odeon Tottenham Court Road last week.

Check out Nines’ new short film Crop Circle 3 on YouTube below:

It isn’t the first time the rapper has released a movie at the same time as his music releases. Nines previously released his fourth studio album Crop Circle 2 this year as well as an accompanying short film. In 2018, he also directed Crop Circle which is the prequel to his new release. However, he dropped a 27-minute short film Crabs In A Bucket in 2020 followed by the release of an album with the same.

Crop Circle 3 consists of fifteen songs and includes features from multiple artists including Skrapz, Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Tiggs Da Author, Tunde, Mugzz, Big Narstie, Miraa May, and many more.

Listen to Nines’ album Crop Circle 3 on Spotify below:

Before the drop of his album, he released “Daily Duppy” on the GRM YouTube channel which is the fifth song in the album. On September 15, Nines announced the release date for Crop Circle 3 with many fans expressing their shock for the rapper releasing another album so soon after the previous one.

See the announcement for Crop Circle 3 on Nines’ Instagram page below:

Listen to “Daily Duppy” on YouTube below:

Courtney Freckleton, most famously known as Nines, is a British rapper hailing from Harlesden, London. Nines gained popularity online through music videos for “Money on My Mind” and “Can’t Blame Me” as well as releasing mixtapes. He eventually rose to fame after signing with XL Recordings with the release of his debut studio album One Foot Out in 2017. The lead single for the album “High Roller” features fellow UK rapper J Hus. One Foot Out charted at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart.

In the last three years, the 33-year-old has featured in a few singles including KSI’s “Not Over Yet” remix. However, Crop Circle 2 and Crop Circle 3 is his first solo release since dropping Crabs In A Bucket in 2020.

His album is available to stream on all platforms and the short film Crop Circle 3 is available to watch on YouTube.

The ninth part of the Fast and Furious franchise is set to be released in the UK on June 24^th – a date sooner than expected since it was moved from the original July 8^th date. The soundtrack for the new Fast and Furious film, directed by Justine Lin, includes artists such as British hip hop and grime artist Skepta.

Skepta is not the only artist involved in the mix of musical talent supporting the film with the single ‘Lane Switcha’. The single also involves names such as A$AP Rocky, Juicy J and Project Pat. Other than the single, the entire soundtrack to the new and upcoming film boasts artist such as Offset, Trippie Redd, Ty Dolla $ig , Lil Durk, The Prodigy and RZA. Safe to say the least, the soundtrack has made the film highly anticipated.

Not only will the soundtrack draw in a wide-ranging audience from individuals who are interested in artists such as Skepta. The single also represents yet another collaboration of Skepta with world renowned artists such as Rocky and Pop Smoke. Skepta previously paired with Rocky for ‘Praise the lord (Da Shine)’ and with Pop Smoke for ‘Show Out’. The Fast and Furious single ‘Lane Switcha’ is also the latest out of other posthumous releases from Pop Smoke, who sadly died back in 2020.

The single ‘Lane Switcha‘ for Fast and Furious 9 have reminded fans of the previous reign of artists such as Skepta. Back in 2020 the rappers studio album ‘Insomnia‘ reached critical acclaim. In a review from The Guardian it was stated that ‘Insomnia‘ – “feels calibrated for the current, strange cultural moment: it’s immediately available, rides low at a tempo that’s perfect for listening to while on lockdown in your house or car, and, with the title Insomnia, tackles paranoid themes with the light relief of dark humour“. It will be interesting to see what 2021 brings for artists such as Skepta and A$AP Rocky.

You can listen to the track ‘Lane Switcha’ here.