This year is no different from the last, seeing a star-studded selection of rappers from both sides of the Atlantic. Phase one of Wireless’ line up was announced today via the festival’s official Instagram. 2024’s event poster gives considerable weight to female rappers, both new and old. After exploding in popularity in 2022 after her single ‘Munch’, Bronx rapper, Ice Spice will be playing on the festival’s opening night alongside Trinidadian mega-star Nicki Minaj.

Known for her risqué lyrics, Up-and-coming Missourian rapper Sexyy Red will also be performing at Wireless. Finding her audience after Cardi B’s and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP created an industry niche for tongue-in-cheek, sexually charged, female-led, rap music, Sexxy Red capitalised on this sub-genre, finding success with her 2023 single ‘Pound Town’.

Saturday the 14th of July will see LA rapper and singer Doja Cat headline the night. After her breakout YouTube single ‘Mooo!’, which currently has 129m views, Doja Cat has continued to make a name for herself through a steady stream of popular releases and her outlandish costume designs. Off the back of her fourth studio album, Scarlet, released in November of last year, Doja Cat has secured herself a top spot at London’s biggest music festival.

Wireless’ Saturday will be host to British-born Atlanta rapper 21 Savage. 21 Savage became widely known after his 2016 feature on XXL Magazine’s freshman cypher alongside, then upcoming rappers, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black, and Denzel Curry. Since his 2016 breakout, 21 Savage has gone on to release three studio albums, as well as three collaborative albums with Offset, Metro Boomin, and Drake. Fellow Atlanta rapper, Future will also be performing on the event’s Friday show. Known for his pioneering contributions to the American trap scene, Future remains one of the biggest names in the genre.

Although the setlist features only a couple of UK artists so far, with Digga D and J Hus joining the line up, Festival Republic is yet to announce the full line up, the second phase of which will be released next week. Early bird tickets for the festival will go live on January 31st at 10am. For those with either a Three Mobile or Barclay Card rewards scheme, a special pre-sale is currently available until an hour before the general ticket sale date.

Since then, Fred has shared new music featuring Swedish House Mafia and Future ‘Turn Out the Lights Again..’ and ‘I. Jordan (‘Admit It (U Don’t Want 2)’. His Boiler Room set in July 2022 received critical acclaim and fans have been long awaiting his follow-up. “I really truly really really wanna say thank you so so much for all of the love on this @boilerroomtv” he wrote on Instagram reflecting on the performance, “I can’t tell you how much it means.”

Before the release of the new album, he shared clips on his Instagram of him sharing songs from Actual Life 3 with fans at his shows and to strangers on trains via AirDrop and filming their reactions. “Okayyyy SO I am so so really very VERY happy to say that Actual Life 3 will be out on October 28th!!!!! You can pre-order it today and the first song is out nowwwww!!” he said on Instagram. The post also revealed he will be playing shows across Europe alongside a hometown gig at his “favourite venue ever”, Brixton Academy. Tickets go on sale on Friday 23rd September but fans can get early access to tickets if they pre-order the album from the official store before 2 pm on Wednesday 20th September. “I really really can’t wait”, he said.

Despite his debut album being released in 2021, Fred had received notable acclaim working as a producer for some of the biggest recording artists today. He worked with Ed Sheeran on his fourth studio album, No.6 Collaborations Project, and is credited with writing and/or producing 12 of 15 of the tracks. His credited songs collectively held 14 weeks at Number 1 in the charts. Prior to this, he co-wrote ‘Shotgun’ with George Ezra which also reached number one, and worked with Demi Lovato, Clean Bandit and Rita Ora. He went on to win Producer of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards and he still continues to write and produce songs for artists including Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and AJ Tracey.

Fred Again.. UK tour dates:

08/12/22 – O2 Academy Brixton – London

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Edna out now it’s a movie link in my bio

A post shared by One (@headieone) on Oct 8, 2020 at 4:39pm PDT

Containing a total of 20 songs, the album is a huge achievement for the Drill artist as he shares collaborative tracks with Stormzy, AJ Tracey, Young T, Bugsey, Future, Skepta, Aitch, Mahalia, and even Drake, along with more outstanding creators. His lead single ‘Only You Freestyle’ was released in July and features Drake in a song with a commercial beat and light-hearted lyrics as the artists fuse their individual styles.

The freestyle track was followed by AJ Tracey and Stormzy collaboration ‘Ain’t It Different’, with a heavy beat and a catchy hook sampled from M Dubs’ ‘Bump ‘n’ Grind’ featuring Lady Shaw. Earlier this week came ‘Breathing’, one of the more serious compositions which discusses racial injustice and loneliness experienced by Black people.

Yesterday, just hours before ‘Edna’ was released, Headie One shared his final single ‘Princess Cuts’ on Annie Mac’s Future Sounds radio show, as the Hottest Record In The World. After hearing the R&B-influenced song, the pair were able to chat about the album. He explained that “it felt like a long time coming but I also had to be patient, cause I know that time flies.”

Some amazing visuals have been created to accompany the music; just today, the music video for ‘Parlez-Vous Anglais’ featuring Aitch was released. Already it has reached 19,000 views for its lavish shots of the duo in a mansion.

‘Edna’ is out now, and the full track-list is below.

1. Teach Me
2. Psalm35
3. Bumpy Ride (Ft. M Huncho)
4. Triple Science
5. The Light
6. Ain’t It Different (Ft. AJ Tracey & Stormzy)
7. Mainstream
8. Princess Cuts (Ft. Young T & Bugsey)
9. 21 Gun Salute (Ft. Young Adz)
10. Five Figures
11. Hear No Evil (Ft. Future)
12. Breathing
13. Only You Freestyle by Headie One & Drake
14. Try Me (Ft. Skepta)
15. F U Pay Me (Ft. Ivorian Doll)
16. Parlez-Vous Anglais (Ft. Aitch)
17. Everyting Nice (Ft. Haile)
18. You / Me (Ft. Mahalia)
19. Therapy
20. Cold (Ft. Kaash Paige)

The tracks are named ‘Chapter 1‘ and ‘Rari‘. The first is a slow skit, which lasts just over a minute. The beat flutters around Octavian’s slow, tuned, vocals before breaking into a passionate array of drums for the final sequence. ‘Chapter 1‘ builds like an album introduction, fading out as it reaches crescendo.

‘Rari‘ features superstar Future. It crackles with energy, as Octavian’s characteristic hook flexes around Future’s verse.  Future’s flow  skips effortlessly over the high-tempo instrumental. The two songs, when played back to back, mix into one and other. This indicates that the album may play like an old-school mix-tape, in which the tracks blend together to create a singular body of work.

Excitement ahead of Octavian’s album release is palpable. However, the artist is yet to confirm the release date, or the name of the project. It is due to be Octavian’s first studio album, having released the E.P’s ‘Spaceman‘ (2018) and ‘Endorphins‘ (2019) to critical acclaim. It is also produced by British icon Skepta, whom Octavian collaborated with for the singles Bet (2019) and Papi Chulo (2020). The album is set to play through three distinct ‘chapters’, which explains the new track’s title.

Octavian also released a visual, which packages the two tracks together. The clip’s imagery seeps in artistic metaphor. It depicts heartbreak, fame and death through clashing scenes of gore and affluence. It is the work of an artist that is always looking to break boundaries.

‘Chapter 1‘ and ‘Rari’ give fans an electric sample as to what they can expect ahead of Octavian’s debut album. They clash stylistically but cohere as a sample to a larger body of work. The tracks serve as a teaser, which remind fans of Octavian’s toe-tapping talents, whilst ultimately leaving a desire to hear the rest of the album as soon as possible.

“The Future Bites” will be the sixth studio album of the beloved, musician and record producer, also known as lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of Porcupine Tree.

The new album will comprise nine new songs, as seen on Wilson’s Instagram profile.

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A post shared by Steven Wilson (@stevenwilsonhq) on Mar 10, 2020 at 11:35am PDT

It will be available for pre-order purchase on CD in the official “The Future Bites” website and it could also include a Blu-Ray copy and a T-shirt.

The Future Bites Tour is starting on September 17, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, England. The last concert of the tour will be on September 30, Arena Cos Torwar, Warshaw, Poland. Tickets are available on the official website of the artist. Other cities included in the tour are Paris, Milan, Oberhausen, Hamburg and Amsterdam.

The trailer for the tour can be seen on Steven Wilson’s official YouTube page.

The single to the album, “Personal Shopper” was released on March 12. Shortly after released, “Personal Shopper” got included in the “All New Rock” playlist on Spotify.

The song creates the expectations of a very different production approach, in comparison to the previous works of the artist. While the electronic elements were something Willson was just flirting with in the past, this new release is dominated by electronic sounds, creating a resemblance to the electronic disco genre. 

The new single became the second most-streamed song by Steven Wilson on Spotify, relatively shortly after it was released, which suggests, that the album is about to attain commercial recognition in future. More information and the latest news can be found on www.stevenwilsonhq.com.

Rap Queen Nicki Minaj announces 2019 European tour that promises fans a “fully immersive ‘Queen’ experience”. 

After releasing her fourth album ‘Queen’ in 2018, with features from Lil Wayne, Ariana Grande, The Weekend, Future, and the legendary Eminem, a European tour, with 4 dates sets for the UK, looks set to be hugely popular.

The Nicki WRLD Tour starts in February in Germany, and will finish in Switzerland on March the 28th.

Minaj will play in London at the O2 on March 11th, the Birmingham Arena on the 14th, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on the 17th, finishing her UK stretch at the Manchester Arena on Monday the 18th.

In a recent statement, Minaj said: “ I’m so excited to bring the full Nicki Minaj experience to my fans in Europe”, she guaranteed a “new creative that will give her fans a fully immersive Queen experience”. She stated; “I have been carefully crafting the most exhilarating, unique, memorable piece of art to share with my incredible fans”.

Juice Wrld, AKA American rapper, singer and songwriter Jarad Higgins has been announced to replace Future on the European stretch of the Nicki WRLD Tour. Higgins debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance was released in May 2018, and has since gone platinum. His single Lucid Dreams, narrowly missed out on Billboard 100s top spot, peaking at No. 2.

 Future fans may be disappointed that Nicki switched artists, after having to cancel and postpone her North American tour, citing production problems. Future was sadly not able to commit to the tour dates, because of clashes in his schedule. Nicki’s team announced “Following her unforgettable VMA performance, Nicki Minaj has decided to reevaluate elements of her production on the NickiHndrxx Tour… (and) to contribute more time to rehearsal ahead of the tour’s launch to make certain her fans get the absolute best quality show that they deserve”.

The North American trek now has a rescheduled date of May 2019. Minaj gushed about Juice WRLD stating; “I’m in love with Juice Wrld’s music and feel so stoked to have him join me. This will be one for the books”.

The Anaconda singer will continue promoting her new album Queen, which recently went platinum

You can see the full tour dates below

February 

21 – Munich, Germany, Olympiahalle

22 – Bratislava, Slovakia, Ondrej Nepela Arena

24 – Lodz, Poland, Atlas Arena

25 – Budapest, Hungary, Budapest Sportarena

March

1 – Copenhagen, Denmark, Royal Arena

3 – Oslo, Norway, Spektrum

4 – Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson Globe

6 – Brussels, Belgium, Palais 12

7 – Paris, France, AccorHotels Arena

9 – Bordeaux, France, Metropole Arena

11 – London, UK, The 02

14 – Birmingham, UK, Birmingham Arena

15 – Dublin, Ireland, 3Arena

17 – Glasgow, UK, SSE Hydro

18 – Manchester, UK, Manchester Arena

20 – Esch – sur -Alzette, Luxembourg, Rockhal

22- Frankfurt, Germany, Festhalle

23 – Cologne, Germany, Laxness Arena

25 – Amsterdam, Holland, Ziggo Dome

27 – Zurich, Switzerland, Hallenstadion

28 – Geneva, Switzerland, Arena Geneva

To purchase tickets please click here 

The first series of acts have been announced with ASAP Rocky and Chance the Rapper leading the line-up announcement. Among the other acts to be announced are Future, Brockhampton, Rae Sremmurd, Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, Versatile, Aminé, and Denzel Curry. Other artists included in the announcement are $uicideboy$, Lil Baby, Sheck Wes, Clairo, Slowthai, and Flohio.

Luckily enough tickets for the festival will go on sale before the 2019 VAT increase is put in place, as tickets will go on sale this Friday (7 December) at 10 am, allowing fans to enjoy the 2018 prices. There is said to be a limited amount of weekend tickets priced at €189.50. Tickets will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster.

★★ #LONGITUDE2019 :: 2 / 4 ★★

Due to the VAT increase that comes into effect at the beginning of 2019, tickets will go on sale this Friday so fans will have the opportunity to purchase tickets at 2018 prices.

▶︎▶︎ On sale this Friday 10:00am pic.twitter.com/QBXkaSQwn3

— Longitude Festival (@longitudefest) December 5, 2018

If you are Three Mobile Network customer, you have the privilege of pre-sale tickets, which go up on sale December 6th at 10 am, 24 hours before general release. These tickets can be found on Three’s website.

Excitement levels remain high as tensions rise regarding the performances. Fans are looking forward to see what Future and Juice WRLD have to offer after releasing a joint album mid-October, titled ‘World On Drugs’. Flohio is a female which we should keep a lookout for, despite being at the beginning of her career, she is making bigger moves than the majority of the artists that are out right now.

Longitude is well-known for its immaculate hip-hop lineups each year. The 2018 line up included the likes of Migos, Travis Scott, Solange, and J-Cole. The year before Dublin welcomed Skepta and Mac Miller to their stage. Whether or not this year’s line up will be as strong is yet to be revealed, however, as it stands right now the 2019 line up is a strong contender.

The full line-up alongside the day tickets will become available at the start of the new year.

Like its predecessor, 2015 mixtape Beastmode, the new release has 9 tracks and is low on features, with just one appearance from rapper Young Scooter on the track ‘Doh Doh’. The tape was confirmed by Zaytoven in an interview with SSENSE in May. Speaking about working with Future, the producer said ‘It’s almost like a work of art. You listen to something like Beast Mode, and it’s almost like looking at a pretty painting.’

‘Beastmode 2′ – out now on Epic Records

Beastmode 2 marks yet another release for the famously prolific artist, who last year made two full-length studio albums, Future and HNDRXX, as well as a collaborative mixtape with Young Thug, Super Slimey, which debuted at number two and garnered a positive response from critics. The new mixtape is Future’s first solo release of 2018. The rapper was kept busy this year with executive producing the soundtrack to Superfly and collaborations with DJ Esco on his KOLORBLIND mixtape, which came out back in May. Future hinted on his Twitter yesterday that an album is coming, too:

Should I give my fans a mixtape until my album complete?

— FUTURE/FREEBANDZ (@1future) July 5, 2018

Future is also headed out on the road with Nicki Minaj on their ‘NickiHNDRXX‘ tour this Autumn, starting in North America from September and landing in Europe in February 2019. The duo will perform across the UK in London, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow and Manchester.

Check out the UK itinerary here:

11/03/2019 – The O2 – London
14/03/2019 – Arena Birmingham – Birmingham
17/03/2019 – SSE Hydro – Glasgow
18/03/2019 – Manchester Arena – Manchester

Stream the album on Spotify and Apple Music.

‘NickiHNDRXX’ Tour hits the UK in March next year

Earlier in the year, Harris had tweeted that he had “worked with the greatest artists of our generation !!!” on the LP, and today the full, extensive list of artists has been revealed.

I worked with the greatest artists of our generation !!! I'm in the mixing stage now. I listen back and can't believe what we created !!!!!

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) February 15, 2017

Music fans will have been unable to escape the album’s first track ‘Slide’, featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, as well as ‘Heatstroke’ With Young Thug, Pharrell, and Ariana Grande. Now, a new single has been teased along with the album’s announcement, which appears to feature Future and Khalid.

How I made Slide pic.twitter.com/dwu1NgVwFL

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) March 19, 2017

The rest of the album’s features include Travis Scott, Kehlani Katy Perry, Big Sean, John Legend, Schoolboy Q, D.R.A.M., Nicki Minaj, Lil Yachty, Jessie Reyez, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Snoop Dogg, in what is quite possibly the most guest-laden album of recent years.

ALBUM COMING JUNE 30 pic.twitter.com/zHJpBRdpqq

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) May 9, 2017

There has been no confirmation as of yet as to whether there will be a Funk Wav Bounces Vol.2, or indeed if there is a Funk Wav Bounce anthology in the works, but the hype is already building, as Calvin Harris continues his one man mission to dominate the airwaves for the summer.

The thirteen-track mixtape is executive produced by long-term collaborator DJ Esco and Atlanta-based rising star Metro Boomin. Additional production credits include the likes of Southside, Moon and Zayveton.

Purple Reign is Future’s first release of 2016, dropping out of seemingly nowhere – a testament to how busy the rapper was last year, managing to fit the recording of this album in after releasing four projects last year. Last January saw Beast Mode, March saw the Esco collab 56 Nights, while July saw the sequel to Dirty Sprite, DS2 and September saw another surprise release of Drake collab What A Time To Be Alive. You can stream Future’s latest mixtape, Purple Reign, here.

Of course Future’s relentless output of mixtape after album after mixtape follows his split from his fiancée, R&B singer Ciara. Since then his music has taken on even darker and nihilistic tones, and with the new mixtape continuing this trend it doesn’t seem likely to end soon.