Interscope US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Ghanaian singer-songwriter Amaarae presents a unique style with her second album Fountain Baby - mixing up R&B, Jersey bounce, amapiano, dancehall and more for a bedevilled, high-pitched modern weirdo opus. All tempered by its angelic pop production, which bolsters its stark vocal aura, Amaarae is rightfully deserving of the praise for this experiment. Its staunch queer identity goes hand-in-hand with its sonic playfulness, a synergy which we also hear in the lyrics throughout, be that via its girlbossy shattering of binaries ('Princess Going Digital'), or the obliteration of hegemony in basic party spaces ('Sociopathic Dance Queen').

Review: The fourth studio album by American rapper Bas (Abbas Hamad) is a solid collaborative onslaught, pitting together fiery all-rounder hip-hop with an utterly sidereal cast of massive celestial rap bodies, Adekunle Gold, AJ Tracey, ASAP Ferg, J. Cole, Boi-1da, CuBeats and even Galimatias to name but a small few of this one's production crew. The most recent protege of J. Cole's Dreamville Records, We Only Talk About Real Shit maintains a consistently sharp quality throughout, never letting up on its full-bodied OG soul sample palette, but nevertheless keeping things light-footed and wry on the flows, lyrics and deliveries ends of things. Highlights include '179 Deli' and 'Passport Bros', which evince Bas' ability to flit quickly between Jersey bounce, cloud rap and dancehall in quick succession.

Review: This album wonderfully celebrates Flatland Cavalry's ten-year journey while setting the stage for their future. It is an essential listen with more than 15 reimagined fan-favourites from their acclaimed releases including 'Come May', 'Humble Folks', 'Homeland Insecurity', 'Welcome to Countryland', 'Songs to Keep You Warm', and 'Wandering Star' alongside four brand-new tracks that showcase the band's signature style. Along the way, these tunes span everything from heartfelt ballads and energetic jams to timeless songwriting and always with masterful musicianship on show. Its mix of nostalgia and fresh energy means Flatland Forever captures the essence of the band's journey so far.

Review: Juice WRLD's posthumous album is a powerful continuation of the late rapper's unique style in that it mixes up introspective lyrics with emotive melodies and raw tap beats. The Party Never Ends delivers a mix of emo rap and melodic hooks that are all aden with the American star's signature vulnerability. Tracks like 'Misfit' and 'Party By Myself' dive into themes of love, loss and mental health, all of which resonate deeply with fans. The production is atmospheric and immersive with smooth transitions between songs and though the album captures Juice's raw energy and emotional depth, it also serves as a poignant reminder of the talent lost too soon.

Review: Mid 2010s hip-hop heads will be pleased to know that Kendrick Lamar's history-making third LP To Pimp A Butterfly, pet named "TPAB" by fans, is now being given a thorough reissue campaign via Interscope. Riddled with literary and contemporary influences relevant to racism, identity, hood politics and capitalist consumerism - all of which lie curdled but still active in the American psyche - To Pimp A Butterfly took its namesake from Harper Lee's literary staple of similar name, semantically substituting active murder of innocents (killing mockingbirds) for systemic manipulation of fundamentally free and beautiful people (pimping butterflies). The imago that emerges by the end of the record, especially on the penultimate, Isley Brothers-sampling psych-funk hit 'I', attests a resolutely healthy narcissism; a defiant riposte to centuries-long, systemic strangulation of Black selfhood.