Well, it's that time of year again when music journalists arm themselves to the teeth with their opinions and spend the best part of a month shouting down their colleagues and thrusting their assessments on to their readers. Naturally, we cover stuff like best tracks of the year and pick out a list of artists we think will conquer their year ahead, but we also thought it would be interesting to look back on the year in music journalism.
As all good writers should, we get our music news and info from a lot of different sources. From Mixmag and Noisey to Time Out and FACT, there's a lot of stuff out there that we might not cover ourselves—perhaps discussing topics outside of Complex's usual realm—and it's only right that we give it some props. What was our favourite review? Which artist do we think gave the most interesting and enlightening interview? And, most importantly, which writer managed to spin a solid feature out of an uncomfortable semi-confrontation with an artist who just didn't like their face?
Well, Complex UK's music staff (and friends) have answered these questions, and more, by each picking five of their favourite music features from 2016. Get stuck in below.
Well, it's that time of year again when music journalists arm themselves to the teeth with their opinions and spend the best part of a month shouting down their colleagues and thrusting their assessments on to their readers. Naturally, we cover stuff like best tracks of the year and pick out a list of artists we think will conquer their year ahead, but we also thought it would be interesting to look back on the year in music journalism.
As all good writers should, we get our music news and info from a lot of different sources. From Mixmag and Noisey to Time Out and FACT, there's a lot of stuff out there that we might not cover ourselves—perhaps discussing topics outside of Complex's usual realm—and it's only right that we give it some props. What was our favourite review? Which artist do we think gave the most interesting and enlightening interview? And, most importantly, which writer managed to spin a solid feature out of an uncomfortable semi-confrontation with an artist who just didn't like their face?
Well, Complex UK's music staff (and friends) have answered these questions, and more, by each picking five of their favourite music features from 2016. Get stuck in below.
Joseph 'JP' Patterson, Senior Editor
What Will It Take For The BRITs To Finally Recognize Grime?
by Sian Anderson, The FADER
Feb. 24, 2016
by Laura Brosnan, Complex Magazine
March 14, 2016
Skepta And Dizzee Rascal Illustrate Grime's Push And Pull
by Jon Caramanica, The New York Times
May 8, 2016
Jay Z: The War On Drugs Is An Epic Fail
by Shawn Carter, dream hampton, Molly Crabapple, The New York Times
Sept. 15, 2016
by Eric Sundermann, Noisey
Nov. 4, 2016
James Keith, Staff Writer
Everyone Is Stupid: Why Young And Old Rap Fans Need To Get Over Hip-Hop's Generation Gap
by Craig Jenkins, Noisey
March 24, 2016
by Jeff Weiss, The FADER
June 20, 2016
The Most Sampled Song Of All Time: How A Forgotten Franco-American Rap Track Made Music History
by Mr. Beatnick, FACT
Sept. 10, 2016
Marilyn: 'I Sat In A Room For 20 Years, Taking Crack And Watching The Alien Films'
by Alexis Petridis, The Guardian
Sept. 27, 2016
In Conversation With The Women Of UK Garage
by Aimee Cliff, The FADER
Nov. 4, 2016
Tobi Oke, Staff Writer
No Right Time: The Harsh Reality Of Being A Mother In The Music Industry
by Sian Anderson, Noisey
March 10, 2016
Wiley: 'You Want To Know The Truth? I'm Gonna Tell You The Truth'
by Alexi Duggins, Time Out
June 9, 2016
by Nathan Tuft, Nation Of Billions
Sept. 21, 2016
Frank Ocean Is Finally Free, Mystery Intact
by Jon Caramanica, The New York Times
Nov. 15, 2016
by Amos Barshad, The FADER
Nov. 21, 2016
Chantelle Fiddy, Contributor
How Do You Become Music's Next Big Thing? You Hope Your Label Will Spend, Spend, Spend
by Eamonn Forde, The Guardian
Jan. 19, 2016
by Chris Heath, GQ
Jan. 20, 2016
Drugs, Sleeplessness, Isolation: The Downside Of Being A Dance Musician
by Ashley Zlatopolsky, The Guardian
July 26, 2016
Key Moments From The Fabric Review So Far
by Mixmag Team, Mixmag
Sept. 6, 2016
'Operation Lenor' And The Real Reason Fabric Was Closed Down
by Alasdair Byers, The Independent
Sept. 7, 2016
Milly McMahon, Contributor
The Best Kanye Album Is Every Kanye Album
by The FADER, The FADER
Feb. 10, 2016
Tame Impala Interview: Why Everyone From Mark Ronson To Rihanna Loves The Australian Star
by Elisa Bray, The Independent
Feb. 19, 2016
Stormzy: 'My Man Jeremy Corbyn! I Dig What He Says'
by Sam Wolfson, The Guardian
May 21, 2016
Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman (Review)
by Quinn Moreland, Pitchfork
May 25, 2016
Why We Need More Black British Voices In Music Journalism
by Joseph 'JP' Patterson, Complex Magazine
Aug. 11, 2016
