It's that time of year when music journos 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 songs of the year and pick out a list of acts 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 journalists should, we get our music news and info from many different sources. From TRENCH and gal-dem to i-D and Rolling Stone, there's a lot of stuff out there that we may not get to 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 act who just didn't like their face? Well, Complex UK's music staff (and extended family) have answered these questions and more, by each picking five of their favourite music features from 2017. Get stuck in below.
It's that time of year when music journos 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 songs of the year and pick out a list of acts 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 journalists should, we get our music news and info from many different sources. From TRENCH and gal-dem to i-D and Rolling Stone, there's a lot of stuff out there that we may not get to 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 act who just didn't like their face? Well, Complex UK's music staff (and extended family) have answered these questions and more, by each picking five of their favourite music features from 2017. Get stuck in below.
Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson, Senior Editor
Drake Gives London The Love It Deserves
by Bridget Minamore, Buzzfeed UK
March 23, 2017
The MTV News Experiment
by Jordan Seargent, SPIN
June 29, 2017
Tinchy Stryder, Grime's First Prince, Is Going Back To Work
by Laura Brosnan, Complex Magazine
July 24, 2017
Vogue Meets The Brit-Hop Generation
by Julia Hobbs, British Vogue
Oct. 22, 2017
Why Rap Nerds Like Me Live For Alternative British Rap
by Yemi Abiade, TRENCH
Oct. 26, 2017
James Keith, Staff Writer
R&G: A Brief History Of Grime's Softer Side
by Joseph 'JP' Patterson, Pitchfork
Jan. 18, 2017
J Hus Is The Sound Of Diaspora's Boomerang
by Jace Clayton, The FADER
April 25, 2017
The Secret History Of Jazzy Jeff's 'The Magnificient'
by OkayPlayer
Aug. 13, 2017
The Story Of Music's Most Revolutionary Collective, BBK
by Tomas Fraser, Another Man
Oct. 6, 2017
by Beatrice Hazlehurst, PAPER Magazine
Nov. 11, 2017
Tobi Oke, Staff Writer
by Ayoade Bamgboye, NATIVE Magazine
July 30, 2017
Skepta's Search For Inner Piece
by Skepta, Another Man
Sept. 27, 2017
by Lakin Starling, The FADER
Oct. 3, 2017
The Unlikely Resurgence Of Rap Rock
by Jayson Greene, Pitchfork
Nov. 13, 2017
The Last Of A Dying Breed: London's Youth Clubs
by James Keith, TRENCH
Nov. 22, 2017
Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan, Contributor
'Gang Signs & Prayer' Is The Soundtrack To My Walk With God
by Joseph 'JP' Patterson, Complex Magazine
Feb. 27, 2017
0121: The Rise Of Birmingham MCs
by Sunjay Kohli, Nation Of Billions
July 28, 2017
It's Time For Ghetts To Be Heralded As One Of The Greats
by Aniefiok Ekpoudom, Noisey
Aug. 9, 2017
Homophobia, Gentrification & Jesus: In Conversation With Jay Boogie
by Ifama, gal-dem
Oct. 10, 2017
Stormzy & The Complexity Of Apologies
by Danielle Dash's Blog
Nov. 22, 2017
Chantelle Fiddy, Contributor
Yussef Kamaal: Jazz With A Grime Attitude
by The Move Mag
Jan. 23, 2017
Paris Jackson: Life After Neverland
by Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone
Jan. 24, 2017
by Hattie Collins & Matthew Whitehouse, i-D
May 27, 2017
A Simon Cowell Charity Single Is Not What The Victims Of Grenfall Tower Needs
by Rozan Ahmed, i-D
June 23, 2017
Breaking It Down: From Despair To Here
by And So The Adventure Begins
Oct. 17, 2017
Aniefiok Ekpoudom, Contributor
Wiley: The Enigmatic Godfather Of Grime
by Dan Hancox, The Guardian
Jan. 24, 2017
What Stormzy And His Depression Mean For Black Masculinity
by Jesse Bernard, Shortlist
March 2017
From Chicago To Brixton: The Surprising Rise Of UK Drill
by Ciaran Thapar, FACT Magazine
April 27, 2017
Richard Russell's XL Recordings Empire
by Matthew Trammell, The New Yorker
May 15, 2017
Earth To Andre 3000: The OutKast Icon Talks Life After "Hey Ya!"
by Will Welch, GQ Style
Oct. 30, 2017