Expect some heavy U.K. vibes in this week’s installment of OVO Sound Radio.
For the second episode of season two, host Oliver El-Khatib will be joined by special guests New Gen—a London-based collective of rising hip-hop stars, including names like Renz, Bonkaz, AJ Tracey, Nines, and Ray BLK.
Caroline Simionescu-Marin, the A&R at XL Recordings, launched new Gen in 2015 as a way to showcase the U.K. underground grime and rap scenes. The collective first landed on our pages in early 2017, shortly after the release of its self-titled compilation album that featured work by poets, spoken word performers, producers, and more.
“This was supposed to be historical, the same way people would talk about [grime compilation series] ‘Run The Road,’” Simionescu-Marin told NME in 2017. “There hadn’t been something original like that in a while—it was our responsibility to do it.”
The collective is also expected to drop a second compilation later this year. New Gen recently shared a new single called “Favourite Girl” by D-Block featuring Young Adz & Dirtbike LB. Check it out below.
You can stream OVO Sound Radio episode 59 on Apple Music's Beats 1.