Defiant, atmospheric and built on storytelling that refuses to play it safe: this week’s hip-hop bops move from protest anthems to mythology quests to late-night R&B confessions, all of it made entirely on independent terms.
Deptford Sound Collective – Miss U #Tupac
Deptford Sound Collective’s “Miss U #Tupac” is a brilliant tribute anthem: proof that a revolutionary can be silenced but the revolution cannot.
“Miss U #Tupac” is the official soundtrack to the forthcoming biopic Tupac Shakur: Life & Murder of a Revolutionary & Music Legend. It’s an exciting moment for the track, not least because it really works, blending bags of raw emotion with epic and anthemic energy. It’s got the vibe of an expansive hip hop banger, but it’s the message which is most important; that the conversations he started still matter, the hope he carried still ignites. I’ve had this one all day, and you should definitely check it out today.
We’ve kept an eye on Deptford Sound Collective for a few singles now, and they continue to impress. As a group or musicians, artists and community activists from Deptford in South East London, their work is rooted in the protest song tradition of the 1960s updated for the present moment. Built on global solidarity and a clear-eyed response to threats against civil liberties, “Miss U #Tupac” is their boldest and most ambitious statement yet, and we really love it. An essential single this week.
William McLaughlin – Summer Vibes
William McLaughlin’s “Summer Vibes” is a superb genre-blending hip-hop single: Latin, West Coast rap and jazz rolled into one track by a Soho chef who has been putting twelve years into this exact moment.
“Summer Vibes” brings together Kidd Bask, a Chilean hip-hop artist, and Feez, an American rapper, alongside McLaughlin’s own multi-genre instincts, channelling the feeling of North and South America colliding on a London summer night. The track is built for the specific sensation of a party that nobody wants to end: cold drinks, warm air, good conversation and the particular weight of a moment you want to replay immediately. The album art uses “Vox” rather than “Vibes” to signal the track’s deeper intention, which is to bring people together through music rather than simply soundtrack their existing experience. Released today, 16 June 2026.
McLaughlin, who records as Billy G. Mac, is originally from Devon and now based in central London where he works as a chef in Soho. Music has been the consistent thread across twelve years of his life, and “Summer Vibes” is the track he has been building toward: eclectic, specific, and built from a listening diet that runs from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Led Zeppelin through Ella Fitzgerald, Kendrick Lamar, Cypress Hill and Django Reinhardt. That breadth is the point: every song should sound different from the last, drawing from wherever the music needs to go.
Lil’ Mike – Shuryo
Lil’ Mike’s “Shuryo” is an excellent piece of French trap: meticulous production from Ingué’s studio, a slowed-down closing beat from Mova, and a track that takes a clear moral position and holds it without flinching.
“Shuryo” is the lead single from Lil’ Mike’s HotDamn EP, recorded at Ingué’s studio with production assistance from Mova on the challenging slowed-down beat that closes the track. The song takes direct aim at those in positions of power who exploit and control young people, whether in the music industry or broader society, and the accompanying music video, inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen, reinforces the theme visually. The sonic detail across the production is meticulous: the slowed closing section in particular gives the track an unusual structural quality, building the sense of weight and inevitability that the subject demands. Released 15 April 2026.
Lil’ Mike is a rapper and dancer based in France whose HotDamn EP centres on fighting for rights, goals and freedom. His music is built on clear moral convictions and delivered with the precision of an artist who takes the craft of both writing and sonic construction seriously. “Shuryo” is his current single and the clearest statement of what the project stands for.