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 rapper from Harlesden, North West London who recently released a number 1 album, has spoken on his plans to retire after his next project. The rappers sat down with DJ and podcaster Chuckie on JDs in the Duffle bag podcast where he announced “I’m out … dropping my last album next year”. The rapper announced he had other plans and the first signing to his label shows exactly what the plans are.

Zino records first signing Lylo gold is an RnB singer from East London, her debut project ‘Heartache and Wray’ was released in 2018 and has helped her garner just over half a million streams on Spotify. 

 The 28-year-old RnB singers love-filled lyrics and soft voice make her an exciting artist out of the UK’s still underappreciated RnB scene. In the post announcing her signing Nines labelled her “the future of R&B”.

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A post shared by @csbnines

In an interview with Music Week, Gold said “I’m really excited to be joining the Zino records family – it’s going to be a really incredible experience and I can’t wait to put out brand new music with the team!”

Nines is a staple of the UK rap scene having released seven albums since his first project ‘From Church rd. to Hollywood’ which he released in 2012. The artist charted at number one with his most recent project ‘Crabs in a Bucket’  making him one of the most popular artists in the UK rap scene and is why the announcement of his retirement was so shocking. 

The rappers plan to move away from making music is clear, with the first signing to his label Zino records. The signing of Lylo Gold looks to be the start of Nines move away from rapping and leaves fans excited to see what will come next from Zino records and Lylo Gold.

In an interview with Chuckie Online, as part of JD’s In The Duffle Bag series, the UK rapper discussed his music journey, creative processes, ambition and manifestation. Nines told Chuckie Online, “I’m lucky enough to be successful in this game. I’m out. I’m out of this shit – dropping my last album next year to be fair.” Announcing that he has other plans, he said: “Come on man, man can’t be out here rapping.” The rapper reveals he has plans to do some work in his ‘ends,’ he has hopes of starting up workshops and aims to get a proper football pitch installed on his block. 

Promoting the podcast’s release on Instagram, Chuckie Online Wrote: “Not everyone can come!!! I broke some ice with @csbnines • JD In The Duffle Bag Podcast • available whenever you get your podcasts or @jdofficial YouTube. “

Nines touches on how he said he would have probably quit music this year, but had a setback in 2019. He said, “I always had it in my head that I’m dropping nine projects and I’m out. I’ve got two left in me. Not on some whole ‘my name’s Nines’ and that, it was just a point where I was like yeah, I got nine to do. When I got to about six I was like ‘I’m doing nine.”

The 51-minute interview offers a candid insight into the London rap artist; speaking on his success and the journey he took to the top, he said: “I was mad ambitious init, very ambitious…..I defo thought I’d be a millionaire, but defo not from rap… I was ****** at that age like I was out of school just trappin’, but like that’s my career it’s not like this is a little stepping stone, this is my career, but at the time I’m like advanced for my age, so even though I’m 14, man’s driving cars.” Nines goes on to reminisce of being 16-years-old, with a burning ambition for financial freedom. 

In a statement accompanying the video’s release on YouTube, JD wrote: “Nines rarely makes himself available for podcast appearances, so this one had to be special! Sitting down with Chuckie Online, the North West London mogul talks about how he’s approaching rap music this year, hitting number one in the album charts, his career before rap and more…”

JD’s In The Duffle Bag series first started in 2019 and has seen numerous big names across the entertainment industry. From sport’s Eddie Hearne to MTV presenter Maya Jama and has hosted a variety of UK rap stars, including Aitch, Krept & Konan and Chip. 

The series mission statement is: “the most influential names in youth culture come through the JD studio to talk about the topics that matter with Chuckie Online and Elz The Witch.”

You can watch the interview now on YouTube and is available as a podcast on Apple Podcast, Acast, and Spotify.

A Massive congratulations to all of our 2020 #MOBOAwards winners!

— MOBO (@MOBOAwards) December 9, 2020

Headie One scooped the award for Best Male Act, seeing off competition from nominees including Stormzy, J Hus and AJ Tracey. The  Tottenham trap star also picked up a second award for his collaboration with Young T & Bugsey on Don’t Rush, which secured the coveted Song of the Year title based on a public vote.

A night of MOBOs glory capped off an exceptional year for Headie One (real name Irving Adjei) whose debut album Edna soared to number one in the UK Albums Charts in October. In their review of the record, NME described the LP, which was named after Adeji’s late mother, as “a clear and persuasive bid for transatlantic stardom“; labelling the artist the “global King of drill.”

Leicestershire songstress Mahalia also enjoyed a memorable evening. The British-Jamaican singer, who made her second successive appearance in the US Adult R&B Top 20 this year with single BRB, was named Best Female Act on the night. The East Midlander also came up trumps in the Best R&B/Soul Act category, fending off WSTRN, Tiana Major9, Lianne La Havas and Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka. Mahalia told the RTÉ network that it was “an honour” to feature in an awards show close to her heart, saying “I remember seeing my first Mobos…As a young black female artist, it really is special to be here and to be recognised in this way.”

There were further gongs for North London rapper Nines – aka Courtney Leon Freckleton – who won the Album of the Year award for his third studio LP Crabs In A Bucket, which topped the UK Albums Chart at the end of the summer. Nines also pipped J Hus, Ms Banks, D-Block Europe, Krept & Konan and Potter Payper to the Best Hip Hop Act prize.

Elsewhere there was success for Hackney-born Jme in the Best Grime category; while Samuel Nwachukwu – known by his stage name of  Calledout Music – was named Best Gospel Act. The Nigerian-born, UK-raised singer is a rising star of Christian music globally, and has been touted as a prospective collaborator with Stormzy and Wretch 32 in the past. In a special feature on gospel music last year, The Big Issue described him as “a much needed breath of fresh air” on the scene, with an “infectious sound.”

Other award winners on the night included Lancashire rapper Aitch – who secured a top ten hit in the UK Albums Chart this year with his EP Polaris – in the Best Newcomer category; and Ella Mai, whose eponymous 2018 debut album was recognised as the best LP released over the two years that passed without a MOBO Awards ceremony. There was also a win for East London rap collective NSG in the Video of the Year category; while South Londoner Ego Ella May got the nod for Best Jazz Act. Stratford-based Jae-5 picked up the Best Producer award, telling Audio Media International: “It’s beautiful to be acknowledged and to win an award that promotes what I am.”

Meanwhile non-UK winners on the night included Nigerian Afrobeats merchant Burna Boy (Best International Act) and compatriot Wizkid (Best African Act). Jamaican dancehall veteran Buju Banton also bagged the Best Reggae Act award. The full list of musical winners at the MOBO Awards were:

Best Female Act – Mahalia
Best Male Act – Headie One
Album of the Year – Crabs in a Bucket (Nines)
Song of the Year – Dont Rush (Young T & Bugsey feat. Headie One)
Best Newcomer  – Aitch
Video of the Year – Lupita, NSG
Best R&B/Soul Act – Mahalia
Best Hip Hop Act – Nines
Best Grime Act – Jme
Best International Act – Burna Boy
Best Album (2017 – 2019) - Ella Mai (Ella Mai)
Best African Act – Wizkid
Best Reggae Act – Buju Banton
Best Gospel Act – Calledout Music
Best Jazz Act – Ego Ella May
Best Producer – Jae 5
Best Performance in a TV Show/Film - Micheal Ward (as Marco in Blue Story)
Best Media Personality - Chunkz
Inspiration Award - Steve McQueen

The continued absence of a category to recognise rock music was highlighted ahead of the awards ceremony by Londoners Nova Twins. The self-described ‘urban punk’ duo rightly pointed to the key role pioneers like Sister Rosetta Sharp, Chuck Berry and Little Richard played in the development of guitar music and rock ‘n’ roll as an overarching genre. The MOBOs judging panel responded directly on Twitter by saying they would “…continue to review potential category expansions for future Award ceremonies.”

The announcement comes at a busy time for Nines, who last week landed his first number one album, ‘Crabs in a Bucket’, beating music heavyweights Metallica, Disclosure and Katy Perry for the top spot on official UK charts. The London rapper’s third studio album was the most streamed and most downloaded album of last week, narrowly finishing ahead of Metallica’s latest release, ‘S&M2’, by just short of 2,000 chart sales.

Talking to ‘Official Charts’, Nines said: “Thanks to everyone that put me in this position, I still can’t believe I’m Number 1 – Finally won a golden boot!”

Nines also took to Twitter to thank his fans for their support and list some of his inspirations behind his success, as well as pose with his Official Chart award outside of his local estate in north-west London.

Church road got more trophies than white hart lane #IceCityGonePlatinumBaby pic.twitter.com/eDdpObpnBG

— Nines (@nines1ace) September 4, 2020

‘Crabs in a Bucket’ is Nines’ third studio album but his first recorded with a major label. It charts his journey from childhood to his current rap career and gives a confessional glimpse into the conflicts he faced along the way and continues to face.

He also released a 35-minute film, ‘Crop Circle 2, to YouTube back in April this year in promotion of his latest album. It features cameos of other British rappers including Kojey Radical, Ghetts and Delilah Rose.

Nines’ 2021 UK tour dates:
02/05/2021 – Great Hall – Cardiff
03/05/2021 – O2 Academy – Leeds
04/05/2021 – SWG3 – Glasgow
05/05/2021 – Rock City – Nottingham
06/05/2021 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
07/05/2021 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
09/05/2021 – O2 Brixton Academy – London

Nines tweeted that he will release the album on the 28th of August. He attached a photo of the album artwork to the tweet, which depicted the rapper sitting on the cusp of a large wooden bucket as people clawed at him from below. The artwork suggests a nostalgic project, as the artist looks to move on from the factors that have held him back in the past.

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- My 7th project Crabs In A Bucket is coming on the 28th of August

A post shared by @ csbnines on Aug 7, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

He also revealed the album’s track-list. The project will be 17 tracks long, and feature artists such as NSG, Headie One and Nafe Smallz. The range of artists included eludes to a diverse project, which incorporates different musical styles.

‘Crabs In A Bucket’ is the latest instalment in a busy 2020 for Nines. He released the second instalment from a series of short-films named ‘Crop Circles‘. ‘Crabs In A Bucket‘ is his third studio album, however it is his first signed to the Warner record label.

‘Crabs In A Bucket‘ promises to be special. Nines’ creativity and word play is unrivalled within the British rap scene. Furthermore, the host of features and the highbrow production of his new record label will only augment his heavy, Hip-Hop, sound.

Get warmed up by watching the second instalment of ‘Crop Circle‘ below: