Thomas Hobbs

Freelance journalist

United Kingdom

A freelance journalist, features writer and copywriter, with a decade plus of diverse experience covering topics including culture, music, film, business, technology, gaming, class, art, food, photography, drugs, sex, tv, society, people etc.

My work has appeared at titles including the Guardian, Financial Times, BBC Culture, Vice, New Statesman, Pitchfork, Billboard, Nylon, New York Times, Telegraph, Stereogum, Independent, GQ, Wallpaper, Dazed, Wired, Passionweiss, Time Out London, Okayplayer, Little White Lies, Huck, i-D, Property Week, Mixmag, Sight and Sound, Evening Standard, The Face, Audiomack, DJ Booth, Patta, Crack, Complex, MEL Magazine, Hyphen, The i, Highsnobiety, Beat, Refinery 29, Another Man, NME, Creative Review, DJ Mag, The Quietus, Men's Health, The Grocer, Marketing Week, Backstage, The Drum, Brick, Future Laboratory, BE News, Wonderland, Fresh Produce Journal, FACT, Spin, and others.

If you would like to commission me, then you can reach me on: [email protected]

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Portfolio
Stereogum
10/03/2024
We've Got A File On You: LL Cool J

"The things that stand the test of time are the songs that have a universal connection. Rappers need to talk about more than just money. Hip hop must always aim to elevate the soul."

Journo Resources
09/20/2024
Can Content Creators And Influencers Be Journalists Too?

I contributed as an expert for this feature exploring the rise of TikTok influencers and YouTube content creators getting better interview access than actual journalists, and what this trend ultimately represents.

Discogs
09/13/2024
30 years of Biggie’s ‘Ready To Die’

The debut album from The Notorious B.I.G took storytelling lyrics to new cinematic levels and arguably acted as a catalyst for contemporary emo rap. Thomas Hobbs explores the record's powers 30 years from its release.

Dazed
07/11/2024
Mach-Hommy: Rap's new renaissance man

To celebrate the release of #RICHAXXHAITIAN, Dazed's Thomas Hobbs spoke to the elusive Mach-Hommy at length, covering everything from chasing the perfect mango in Haiti, constantly beating death as a child, and turning rapping from a “shameful secret” to a noble pursuit.

Stereogum
06/18/2024
We've Got A File On You: John Cale

Whatever your favorite part across the career of art rock legend John Cale might be, it’s almost certainly something that helped shift the paradigm of popular music. Thomas Hobbs spoke to the 82-year-old about the most radical moments.

Crack Magazine
05/29/2024
Veeze: All gas, no breaks

In an already crowded field, Veeze's dark humour and effortless flow have helped establish him as one of Detroit's most original rappers. Now, as he tells Thomas Hobbs, the 29-year-old is ready to take on the world beyond Michigan.

The Dirtyverse
05/09/2024
Music Versus Lyrics

I was part of this roundtable on an age-old question.

Stereogum
03/12/2024
Westside Gunn Can’t Stop Shining

Whether boasting about walking on water way before Jesus or eating greasy scampi in a pair of Louis Vuitton gloves, the Buffalo emcee and Griselda impresario has re-designed underground rap in his own hyper-confident image.

New York Times
02/08/2024
How Usher Arrived at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

I was a guest on the New York Times popcast for this conversation about Usher's long career path through several generations of R&B, and what he might do on such a big stage.

Mixmag
02/07/2024
J Dilla's music will always sound like the future

On what would have been the late Detroit beatmaker's 50th birthday, Thomas Hobbs writes about J Dilla's unparalleled genius and how he inspired generation-after-generation of producers to move at their own pace.

Stereogum
01/26/2024
Chopping It Up With Benny The Butcher

"When you get to my age and reflect, you realize that rapping is how you survived. When my guys were out running the streets, I was in the studio spitting bars. Hip-hop really saved me."

Passion of the Weiss
12/28/2023
The POW Best Albums of 2023

For the Passionweiss' best albums of 2023 list, I wrote about absolutely killer records by Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids + Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily.

Patta Magazine
11/11/2023
Pink Siifu is rap's new spaceman

Having cemented himself as one of underground rap’s most eccentric and original stars, Pink Siifu is now contemplating his next creative moves. Thomas Hobbs caught up with the rising artist for the cover of Patta's print magazine, getting his thoughts on racist cops, AI, the afterlife, and music that breathes.

Evening Standard
10/09/2023
R&B legend Usher: 'Crying isn't an option if you're Black'

Ahead of his performance at the Super Bowl half-time show next year, the legendary R&B musician talks to Thomas Hobbs about the power of vulnerability, independence, and how America still mistreats Black people.

Okayplayer
08/23/2023
From MF DOOM to Prodigy, Healthcare Continues to Fail Rappers

​Over recent years, hip-hop legends like MF DOOM, Prodigy, and Baba Zumbi have all died in hospitals under controversial circumstances. Speaking to their loved ones as well as experts, writer Thomas Hobbs explores how a lack of training around Black illnesses may have contributed.

BE News
07/07/2023
When the cracks began to show - we look back at WeWork’s infamous 2018 ‘Summer Camp’

Last week, troubled flexible workspace group WeWork warned that “substantial doubt exists about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern”. The admission comes almost exactly five years after it held its now infamous 2018 ‘Summer Camp’ in, of all places, Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Thomas Hobbs reflects on writing about the event.

Okayplayer
08/10/2023
Behind the Beat: How Kendrick Lamar's "DUCKWORTH." Became 9th Wonder's "Magnum Opus"

​For the 19th and final ever Behind the Beat, Thomas Hobbs spoke with legendary North Carolina producer 9th Wonder about avoiding fame and how a career enjoyed from the fringes resulted in producing "DUCKWORTH.," one of Kendrick Lamar's most mind-bending stories, which is backed by three-act beat that's beautifully strange.

BEAT
05/19/2023
A cover profile of BERWYN

BERWYN is one of the UK music scene's brightest hopes. For the cover of Beat, the singer songwriter and rapper tells Thomas Hobbs why he will always associate himself with the outsiders, and what comes next.

The Face
05/15/2023
03 Greedo is ready to live

After recently being released from jail, the Californian rapper swiftly dropped a 33-track mixtape. He speaks to THE FACE about his new found happiness and the flaws of US prisons.

BBC Culture
03/03/2023
Why Tetris is the 'perfect' video game

With a new Apple TV+ film focusing on the puzzle game's 1980s origin story, Thomas Hobbs asks the experts why Tetris has retained such enormous popularity, nearly 40 years on.

Okayplayer
03/22/2023
Behind The Heatmakerz' & The Diplomats' "Dipset Anthem" Beat

With “Dipset Anthem”, the Diplomats created an immortal song, which restored pride in Harlem rap after years of setbacks. For our latest Behind the Beat, the song’s producer, Rsonist (of The Heatmakerz), tells Thomas Hobbs why we’re still listening to that “gangsta music” 20 years later.

Huck
02/06/2023
The soul singer still fighting to be heard

When the artist Norman Whiteside was handed a 31-year sentence, his music was almost forgotten - that was until the likes of Frank Ocean and Kanye West started sampling his tracks. Now that he's free, he says he's still fighting to be heard.

Passion of the Weiss
12/29/2022
The POW Best Albums of 2022

I wrote about ALPHA PLACE by Knucks for Passionweiss definitive rankings of the best records to be released in 2022.

Okayplayer
12/20/2022
Okayplayer's 22 Best Albums of 2022

I wrote about records by Ravyn Lenae and Roc Marciano / The Alchemist (pictured) for Okayplayer's Best Albums of 2022' list.

The Telegraph
11/25/2022
A review of Isomonstrosity

An experimental record that combines classical and hip hop for fascinating results.

Passion of the Weiss
12/21/2022
The POW Best Rap Songs of 2022

I wrote about 03 Greedo and BlueBucksClan's 'Pourin', which has a Mike Free beat that's addictive as hell. Free Greedo.

BBC Culture
10/19/2022
Will tattoos finally be accepted as art?

Tattoos have in recent years gone from being taboo to part of the social fabric. The next step? Their acceptance as art works that can even outlive their owners, writes Thomas Hobbs.

Okayplayer
08/17/2022
JoogSZN on Why Drakeo the Ruler is One of the LA Greats

For the 12th Behind the Beat, Thomas Hobbs spent time in LA with JoogSZN. The producer talked about his partnership with the late, great Drakeo the Ruler and crafting their iconic song “Back Flip or Sumn.”

Dazed
08/04/2022
Nothing is going to stop Flo Milli

Following the release of her new album, You Still Here, Ho?, we catch up with the Alabama rapper to talk sexism in hip hop, her friendship with Tiffany Pollard, and the importance of optimism.

Music Week
04/04/2022
The voice of reason

Kojey Radical has been one of the most progressive UK MCs for some years now, but with his long-awaited debut full-length Reason To Smile, he is poised to elevate his craft to a new level. Thomas Hobbs meets the MC, plus A-List Management and Atlantic Records to find out their plans to spread his message like never before.

Huck
02/22/2022
Chris Crack is built differently

Chicago MC Chris Crack blends pitch-black humour with a relentless work ethic, driven by a desire to find light in dark situations.

Crack Magazine
10/01/2022
Pink Siifu is one step ahead

Prolific and impossible to predict, Pink Siifu is reimagining the limits of rap. Try and keep up.

Passion of the Weiss
02/01/2022
We Know the Truth: "Let's Go"

Our Drakeo the Ruler retrospective continues with a 03 Greedo collaboration that needed its own dictionary and had a loop so hypnotizing it was impossible not to hit repeat.

GQ
12/29/2021
Harlan Coben on the art of the binge-watch

The omnipresent U.S. crime fiction writer talks about extending his global success into the television world, and why there's no shame in trying to entertain the masses.

Passion of the Weiss
12/31/2021
The POW Best Albums of 2021

I wrote about Sons of Kemet's 'Black to the Future' for this Passionweiss list of the best albums of 2021.

Little White Lies
12/21/2021
The 10 best film soundtracks of 2021

From Mica Levi's crashing, trap-infused Zola score to Emile Mosseri's delicate piano work on Minari, here are Thomas Hobbs' favourite film scores of 2021.

Passion of the Weiss
12/29/2021
The POW Best Rap Songs of 2021

I wrote about 03 Greedo's 'Calendar' for this Passionweiss list of the best rap songs of 2021.

VERO
10/28/2021
Terrors of Technology

For this Halloween long read, Thomas Hobbs selects his ten favorite techno-horrors.

leafie
06/14/2021
Dublin rapper Kojaque is smiling in the face of darkness - leafie

Learning how to relax when you live inside a tiny box room with extortionate rent (and a likely mould problem) in a sprawling urban metropolis can be difficult, but Dublin rapper Kojaque’s hazy, nocturnal confessionals succeed in helping the city’s lost feel found. Thomas Hobbs met him.

Huck
05/19/2021
Drakeo The Ruler's reign has only just begun

After being released from prison last November, the LA-based artist has been busy working on multiple projects and is now gearing up to take his pioneering brand of cryptic West Coast street rap to even bigger audiences.

Financial Times
06/21/2021
The poetic legacy of Jim Morrison, the Lizard King

The wide-ranging and often prophetic writings of The Doors' frontman are celebrated in a new anthology. Thomas Hobbs spoke to those who knew him best about why poetry was his true artistic calling.

leafie
Why you shouldn't buy 'cali weed' in the UK - leafie

More and more dealers are selling 'cali weed' in the UK, dense nugs packaged in fancy branded bags or tins and more than twice the price of normal cannabis. Is it really imported from the West Coast, or is it fake?

Huck
03/11/2021
$NOT is the defiant Florida rapper making his own rules

After releasing two albums last year, the 23-year-old artist is already a cult favourite among underground rap fans. Now, he's ready to take his genre-blurring sound and transgressive lyrics to the next level.

Passion of the Weiss
02/01/2021
Hero vs. Villain: "Gorilla Monsoon"

Our MF DOOM tribute continues as Thomas Hobbs flexes the WWF-referencing A-side of the villain's collaboration with Westside Gunn.

Dazed
12/23/2020
Jack Harlow has the world at his feet

As he releases his debut album, That's What They All Say, the artist assesses the changing dynamics of the white rapper, vulnerability in music, and identifying as an 'attention whore'.

DCS
10/30/2020
At the movies

Film and music writer Thomas Hobbs takes a look at five composers making powerful scores for TV and film.

BBC Culture
Trog: The strangest horror film of its era

Joan Crawford's final film, Trog - about a scientist who befriends a caveman - was dismissed by critics. Yet it maintains a strange charm, writes Thomas Hobbs, as it turns 50.

Little White Lies
09/20/2020
Know The Score: El-P on 2002's Solaris

In the 12th part of this series where musicians discuss their favourite film scores, Thomas Hobbs speaks to pioneering rapper, producer and Run The Jewels member El-P on how Cliff Martinez' Solaris score has changed his life.

Little White Lies
08/15/2020
Know The Score: Julia Holter on Andrei Rublev

In the 11th part of this series where musicians discuss their favourite film scores, Thomas Hobbs speaks to avant-pop musician Julia Holter on how Andrei Tarkovsky’s dark epic helped to mould her own approach to music.

Little White Lies
07/07/2020
Know The Score: Max Richter on 2001: A Space Odyssey

In the 10th part of this series where musicians discuss their favourite film scores, Thomas Hobbs speaks to British composer Max Richter about how Stanley Kubrick’s use of classical music enhances his 1968 sci-fi epic.

The Face
07/02/2020
Where's Kanye headed?

Yeezy season approaching. Expect a "rap album about God", affordable apparel with Mowalola in charge, and controversy.

The Overtake
08/20/2020
Mr Blobby is the celebrity we all need right now

"It feels like people want to see the cult of privileged, out-of-touch celebrity smashed to pieces, and for something to act as a symbol to accelerate this process. Well, who is a better symbol than Mr Blobby? The very notion that a pink and yellow-spotted leper could end up as one of the most famous British faces of the 1990s was, at its core, an anti-celebrity act."

Little White Lies
Know the Score: Bobby Krlic on Alien

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part nine is Bobby Krlic, the composer for Midsommar, discusses the atmospheric score for 1979's Alien, exploring its impact on electronic musicians.

DJBooth
05/14/2020
5 Essential Chris Crack Projects

Let's break down 5 essential projects from prolific Chicago-based rapper and street-smart surrealist Chris Crack.

Dazed
06/26/2020
The history of the West Coast Get Down, LA's jazz giants

Kamasi Washington might have made the headlines, but the jazz collective he's a part of deserves just as much of your attention. This oral history explores how the group is only really just getting started in their musical journey.

MEL Magazine
06/07/2020
Searching for Mindfulness Among Satanic Spirits

"I question my sanity a lot!" admits Eric Koetting, a Utah-based black magician. "Sometimes it's like, oh shit, I really just had a 35-minute conversation with Lucifer."

The Face
04/29/2020
Bobby Vylan’s got a potent punk-rap formula

"Bobby Vylan (yes, apparently that’s his real surname) barks like DMX on a bad day, a quintessentially British voice capable of shouting ​“shut up” with the rough edge of Phil Mitchell. Having merged together punk, rap, garage and grime, his group, Bob Vylan, are an angry Frankenstein’s monster."

Little White Lies
04/29/2020
Know The Score: Rachel Zeffira on The Godfather

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part eight is composer, musician and Cat's Eyes member Rachel Zeffira, who discusses her spiritual connection with Nino Rota and his legendary The Godfather score.

the Guardian
04/09/2020
2Pac: where to start in his back catalogue

In Listener's Digest, our writers help you explore the work of great musicians. Next up: the raw and radically revealing work of late rapper 2Pac.

Little White Lies
04/04/2020
Know The Score: Tamar-kali on The Double Life of Veronique

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part seven is composer Tamar-kali, who discusses the beautiful score of The Double Life of Veronique.

Little White Lies
03/04/2020
Know The Score - Nicholas Britell on 'Chariots of Fire'

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part six is composer Nicholas Britell, who discusses how the iconic score for Chariots of Fire has inspired his work.

Time Out London
02/18/2020
London on Screen - the bachelor's pad from Alfie

For the 35th part of my 'London on Screen' series, I looked at the bachelor's pad from Alfie (played by Michael Caine) and how Notting Hill has changed since the Swinging Sixties.

Little White Lies
01/27/2020
Know The Score: Clams Casino on how Kids changed his life

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part five is producer Clams Casino, who discusses the huge impact of being introduced to the score for 1995's Kids.

Time Out London
02/02/2020
My London Story - 'We bought the pub... for £1m'

Retired South East Londoner Geoff Cudd has been going to his local, The Ivy House, for decades. When the beloved pub was sold to developers, the 72-year-old was instrumental in the campaign to save it from being turned into housing. It’s now the city’s first community- owned boozer.

Highsnobiety
01/23/2020
10 Rappers to Watch in 2020

From the ebullient Chris Crack to the devastatingly sensual Shygirl, these 10 rappers are primed to make an explosive impact across the 2020s.

O2 Alive
01/31/2020
How 5G could change the UK

5G has well and truly arrived, but will it really change the world? Thomas Hobbs investigates its future potential.

Little White Lies
12/14/2019
Know The Score: Colin Stetson on Jóhann Jóhannsson's Prisoners

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part four is Colin Stetson, who discusses friend and late musician Jóhann Jóhannsson’s criminally underrated Prisoners' score.

Pitchfork
11/25/2019
A review of DJ Shadow's 'Our Pathetic Age'

The Bay Area turntablist and producer delivers a mammoth double album-half instrumentals, half rap collaborations-aimed at the decade's widespread feeling of creeping dread.

Time Out London
11/30/2019
Why is London's East End seen as poor?

Is the East End really the poorest part of London because of how the wind blows? Thomas Hobbs looks deeper into the city's wealth distribution.

Crack Magazine
12/17/2019
The top 100 songs of the decade

I wrote about Kanye West's Runaway, Pusha T's Numbers on the Board, and A$AP Rocky's Peso for this end of decade list.

Crack Magazine
11/26/2019
The top 100 albums of the decade

I wrote about Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap, Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker, and David Bowie's Blackstar for this end of decade list...

Time Out Worldwide
11/06/2019
The Street review

Hoxton Street provides a microcosm of modern London in this refreshingly complex new documentary that offers no easy answers.

Evening Standard
11/08/2019
Metronomy put some fun in the funk, but are short on edge

There's nothing cool about Metronomy. Even 13 years on from their debut, the five-piece band still look like psychology graduates from Oxbridge who play weddings for a bit of cash on the side, with their kitsch brand of electronic indie resonating deeply with drunk ex-boarding-school kids.

EasyJet Traveller
Capturing the great divide

With the 30th anniversary of its fall fast approaching, Thomas Hobbs speaks to three photographers about their memories of capturing The Berlin Wall, with each reflecting on what it was like being confronted with such a bleak, apocalyptic structure.

Notion
12/04/2019
A cover profile of Headie One

Rising head and shoulders above the demonisation of UK drill to shine a positive light on the scene, the controversial genre's biggest star - Tottenham rapper Headie One - is moving onto bigger things with the release of his inspiring Music x Road mixtape.

Vice
10/29/2019
Who Voiced Ghostface in 'Scream'?

Roger L Jackson is responsible for your teenage nightmares. Thomas Hobbs spoke to the voice actor with horror's creepiest phone voice.

Evening Standard
10/22/2019
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie needs to show more heart

In an era when rappers are channeling the chaos of punk and attempting to take the genre into bold, experimental directions, the melodic singsong raps of 23-year-old A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie feel a little unadventurous in comparison.

Little White Lies
10/19/2019
Know The Score: Merrill Garbus on the joys of Clue

In this new series, Thomas Hobbs speaks to different musicians about their favourite film scores. Next up for part two is tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus, who discusses John Morris’ score for board game adaptation Clue.

Evening Standard
10/08/2019
Kano review: Grime king is finally at the forefront of British culture

Kano's latest album, Hoodies All Summer, is a riveting piece of social commentary that forces the listener to empathise with London's drug gangs and consider whether a rise in knife crime might be linked to gentrification and politicians who "won't give a penny to the streets".

the Guardian
09/23/2019
How we made A Nightmare on Elm Street

"The character has never left me. If I'm stuck in traffic in LA, I'll do the Freddy voice and shout: "Get out of my way, bitch!"'

Highsnobiety
09/10/2019
A review of Brockhampton's 'GINGER'

"The idea of BROCKHAMPTON is sometimes a lot more radical than their actual music, which can feel like a lot of emotions, but not necessarily a lot of direction. To some, that rough around the edges, DIY pop rap sound is what gives the group their edge, but to others it can be jarring to listen to, and the group’s songs don’t always feel like fully formed ideas. There’s a nagging sense that after five albums, it’s about time they showed a much clearer evolution in their sound."

Creative Review
10/10/2019
The return of 'intelligent horror'

Cerebral horror movies like Us, Midsommar and The Witch have thrived both critically and commercially in recent years. Thomas Hobbs speaks to a selection of contemporary horror filmmakers to try to understand why intelligent horror, which goes well beyond terrifying psychos in ski masks, is succeeding in 2019.

DIY
08/29/2019
Eternal Flame: Whitney

Returning with new LP 'Forever Turned Around', we find the duo in a more reflective, melancholy state of mind - but still finding beauty in what might seem bleak.

Backstage
07/29/2019
The Future of Trans Actor Visibility

Progress has been made in the UK and beyond towards acceptance of trans and gender non-conforming actors in the acting industry, as evidenced by the careers of actors like Riley Carter Millington and Rebecca Root; yet challenges remain, particularly in creating roles that move beyond clichés.

NME
07/23/2019
Nas - 'The Lost Tapes II' review

The rapper turns in an undercooked collection of tracks left off previous releases. Perhaps there's a reason we hadn't heard them before.

Evening Standard
07/08/2019
Poor planning kills the vibe at this year's Lovebox festival

"As the day progressed, there was an unshakeable feeling this was another London festival happy to spend big on artists, but hesitant when it comes to getting the basics — good sound and empathetic security — right."

Evening Standard
07/08/2019
Wireless review: J Hus comes back with a bang

With original headliner A$AP Rocky still locked up in Sweden following a street fight, it was down to UK rapper J Hus to step in for the final day of Wireless. And the smiling Stratford lad, who has only been free for three months after serving out a sentence for knife possession, made the most of his return to the big stage.

Highsnobiety
06/13/2019
A review of Future's 'SAVE ME' EP

"There comes a point where the balance between quality and quantity starts to muddle, and the public tire of hearing so much from the same musician. The consistency that was once a strength becomes a weakness, and over-saturation means a lot of fans turn against the very thing they used to love. This is the battle Future faces."

NME
06/13/2019
Prince - 'Prince: Originals' review

These unearthed tracks, which Prince recorded himself and then handed over to other artists, show his ability to master practically any genre.

Highsnobiety
05/29/2019
A review of Steve Lacy's ‘Apollo XXI’

"But even if this record is a little rough around the edges, it feels like the starting point of something very special and has enough sparky originality to ring off throughout your summer."

Evening Standard
06/04/2019
FKA Twigs at Alexandra Palace, review: 'Jaw-dropping'

"Twigs’s body is completely at one with the music. Her ethereal dancing is reminiscent of Kate Bush and the way she used to hypnotise audiences with just the faintest of movements. You sense Twigs has been touched by the same kind of genius."

NME
05/23/2019
Flying Lotus - 'Flamagra' review

The uniquely talented producer takes listeners on an exhilarating journey that intelligently unites both calm and chaos.

Highsnobiety
05/27/2019
A review of Slowthai's 'Nothing Great About Britain'

"In thick bursts of energy, slowthai confronts the listener with everything positive and negative about British pop culture, and ponders whether it’s okay to still be proud of this nation even though it appears to be imploding."

Highsnobiety
05/20/2019
A review of Injury Reserve's 'Injury Reserve'

"This experimental rap group give off the impression they’re only interested in blowing up on their own terms, and should the mainstream not embrace them, well, then that’s their loss and underground rap’s gain."

Time Out Worldwide
04/23/2019
Amazing Grace

Dazzling and stirring, this close-up of the Queen of Soul will have you up on your feet.

Evening Standard
05/03/2019
Dave at Brixton Academy, review - 'Next stop: arenas'

When British rapper Dave's studio debut Psychodrama came out in March it was almost instantly crowned a classic. Its thoughtful lyrics on overcoming mental health issues and having wealth that's "Kenyan, cos' it's in it for the long run" forced listeners to push the rewind button.

Time Out London
03/05/2019
A film lover's tour of Central London

Some of the greatest movies were filmed right on our doorstep. Thomas Hobbs maps out a film lover's tour of Central London.

Highsnobiety
03/26/2019
A review of NAV's 'Bad Habits'

"When artists like Future and Travis Scott, both of whom are clearly reference points for NAV, rap about the trappings of living the good life, they do so with a playful self-awareness, with their boasts about women usually juxtaposed with inner feelings of dread. NAV, however, raps about money, drugs, and women with all the depth of a kiddie pool."

NME
03/18/2019
Scarlxrd - 'Infinity' review

When you're aware of Scarlxrd's history as a smiley YouTuber, it's hard to figure out if he's railing against genuine foes or, like, Zoella.

Highsnobiety
03/14/2019
A review of Dave's 'PSYCHODRAMA'

"Dave’s “Black,” built around inspiring lyrics such as “Black ain’t just a single fuckin’ color/ man there’s shades to it,” hammers home the idea that black people are not a monolith, and their art is not something that can easily fit inside a box."

Highsnobiety
02/28/2019
A review of Offset's 'Father of 4'

"On Father of 4, Offset has set down a marker to his fellow Migos, urging them both to grow up and show their fans they can be human beings as well as rock stars."

NME
02/26/2019
Giggs - 'Big Bad' review

He's now friends with Drake and a star on both sides of the Atlantic, but Giggs remains the London rapper we all love on his fifth album.

Highsnobiety
02/22/2019
A review of Lil Pump's 'Harverd Dropout'

"On Harverd Dropout, Lil Pump, who sounds more like a meme than an actual person, relies on the fast food approach, pumping out an addictive, simple product that goes down easily. But just like that Big Mac meal, you’re gonna get a stomach ache 10 minutes after finishing and wonder to yourself; was it really worth it?"

Time Out London
02/21/2019
The Hole in the Ground

What if your child was an imposter? That's the dread-inducing theme of this Irish horror film that explores the emotional weight of parenting. Here's Thomas Hobbs' review.

Highsnobiety
01/25/2019
A review of Yung Lean / jonatan leandoer127’s ‘Nectar’

"Released under his experimental alias jonatan leandoer127, Nectar sees Yung Lean’s monotone falsetto ride on top of acoustic tracks so basic they make Ed Sheeran sound like Pink Floyd. It sounds like the by-product of a teenager who believes writing woke poetry is a good way to pick up girls (FYI: it isn’t)."

Crack Magazine
11/01/2019
The untold story behind Tupac's haunting 'The 7 Day Theory' artwork

Under Covers is a new series tracing the stories behind classic and groundbreaking album artworks. Artist Ronald ‘Riskie’ Brent tells Thomas Hobbs how he went from airbrushing t-shirts at the Compton Swap Meet to designing the cover for Tupac’s darkest masterpiece.

Highsnobiety
12/30/2018
The 50 Best Songs of 2018

I wrote about Travis Scott's 'Sicko Mode', Kanye West's 'Ghost Town' and Cardi B's 'Get Up 10'.

Highsnobiety
12/07/2018
A review of XXXTentacion's 'SKINS'

"With SKINS, there appears to be a complete lack of awareness that presenting the late XXXTentacion as some kind of angelic mentor to young people only serves to further a damaging narrative where a man’s talent is more important than a woman’s pain."

Time Out London
12/04/2018
London on screen: the mansion block from 'Repulsion'

The 24th part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at the mansion block from Roman Polanski's feminist masterpiece Repulsion, a building that is eerily frozen in time.

Highsnobiety
11/07/2018
A review of Metro Boomin’s ‘Not All Heroes Wears Capes’

"It would be lazy, offensive even, to label Metro’s production as trap. His beats manage to feel both minimalist and maximalist at the same time, with Metro creating vast compositions out of what feels like fairly traditional rap production techniques."

Time Out London
11/12/2018
London on screen: the hotel from 'The Italian Job'

The 23rd part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at how the Royal Lancaster Hotel has changed since the swinging sixties, a time where it featured in The Italian Job as the scene of an orgy featuring fresh-out-of-jail Michael Caine.

Highsnobiety
11/02/2018
A review of Smino’s ‘NOIR’

"'Even if NOIR feels a little sporadic, it’s filled with potent music — there’s just a sense this is more a great collection of songs than a great album."

Time Out London
10/30/2018
London on screen: the tube station from 'Death Line'

The 22nd part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at how Russell Square tube station has changed since it appeared in 1972 horror Death Line, a film about cannibals who live under the station.

Highsnobiety
10/19/2018
A review of Lil Yachty's 'Nuthin' 2 Prove'

"There isn’t anything particularly bad about these songs, it’s just a shame they sound a million miles away from the goofy Lil Yachty raps some of us fell in love with. It’s as if Yachty is working overtime to erase the soft image he has cultivated."

Time Out London
10/05/2018
London on screen: the flat from 'About a Boy'

The 21st part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at Hugh Grant's flat from About A Boy, which, interestingly, had a fake front door during filming and helped give Clerkenwell a dose of cool.

Highsnobiety
10/12/2018
A review of Quavo's 'QUAVO HUNCHO'

"People joke that the Migos are the new Beatles, but QUAVO HUNCHO isn’t a classic breakaway solo effort in the vein of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band or George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass... it’s more like one of Ringo’s."

Highsnobiety
09/28/2018
A review of Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter V'

"The Carter V is a cathartic return to form for Lil Wayne. The uninspired Weezy of recent years, forcing us to sit through endless phoned-in verses about cunnilingus and rocking Trukfit, is thankfully no where to be seen here."

Time Out London
10/01/2018
London on screen: the pub from 'Help!'

The 20th part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at the Chiswick pub The Beatles escape to during their 1965 movie Help!

Time Out London
09/20/2018
London on screen: the house from 'Spaced'

The 19th part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at Marsha's house from Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, which has become a mecca among geeky twentysomethings.

Highsnobiety
09/10/2018
A review of Octavian’s ‘SPACEMAN’

"SPACEMAN sounds like driving through South-East London at night — the woozy basslines of “Scared” and “Here Is Not Safe” proudly representing the area’s electronic rave scene, while the eerie, threatening piano keys on “Sleep” hint at the violence that bubbles just under the surface."

Highsnobiety
08/03/2018
A review of Travis Scott's 'Astroworld'

"Astroworld will be remembered as the moment Travis Scott produced a piece of music worthy of the riots he is capable of inducing. It’s a wildly entertaining circus ride."

Property Week
08/31/2018
The cult of WeWork

"Watching Adam Neumann, the billionaire co-founder of WeWork, address the crowd at the co-working company’s annual three-day Summer Camp is a bizarre experience."

Time Out London
07/31/2018
London on screen: The café from 'Sherlock'

The 18th part of my 'London on Screen' series for Time Out and a look at the cafe from BBC's Sherlock. The owner of this greasy spoon even has some news on the status of Sherlock Season Five.

Time Out London
06/06/2018
London on screen: the bench from 'Bottom'

The 14th part of my 'London on Screen' series and a look at the bench from cheeky British sitcom 'Bottom' + a look at how it went onto unexpectedly define Hammersmith.

Brick
03/16/2018
Big Narstie: Funny how?

With a new album and his own Channel 4 chat show approaching, Big Narstie has the world at his feet. Thomas Hobbs caught up with the portly grime star to share weed and ribena, and to ask: what comes next?

Little White Lies
06/03/2018
All Eyez on Me review

This lamentable tribute to Tupac Shakur is an exercise in how not to make a music biopic.

Little White Lies
04/07/2018
Beats, Rhymes and Cinema: Menace II Society

The fifth and final part of my 'Beats, Rhymes and Cinema' series sees screenwriter Tyger Williams as well as rap legends DMC and Ras Kass reflect on the complex legacy of the Hughes Brothers’ controversial crime saga Menace II Society, which soon turns 25.

Time Out London
04/11/2018
London on screen: the shop from 'Paddington'

The ninth part of my 'London on Screen' series and a look at the antique shop from Paddington, which kids eagerly visit in the hope of hanging out with their favourite bear.

Little White Lies
03/28/2018
Beats, Rhymes and Cinema: CB4

The fourth part of my 'Beats, Rhymes and Cinema' series looks at how the box office success of this low-budget Chris Rock comedy exposed the absurdity of gangsta rap.

Little White Lies
03/14/2018
Beats, Rhymes and Cinema: New Jack City

The second part of my 'Beats, Rhymes and Cinema' series looks at how the box office success of 1991 drama New Jack City forced America to view the crack epidemic from a new angle.

Vice
03/02/2018
Harvester Is My Happy Place

To visit a Harvester is to enter a portal back to a time when a free salad bar was a major restaurant selling point.

The Overtake
03/09/2018
How discovering a mixtape from my dead father changed my life

"My dad loved Ray Manzarek’s distorted organ solo on Hello I Love You just as much I do — The Doors are my favourite band. He also had a penchant for feel-good ’70s bangers such as Show Me The Way by Peter Frampton and Love Hangover by Diana Ross. Imagining him smiling with his oversized headphones on, listening to these jams, gave me a mental image clearer than any photograph."

Little White Lies
03/06/2018
Beats, Rhymes and Cinema: The King of New York

The first part of my five-part 'Beats, Rhymes and Cinema' series for Little White Lies. It's an essay looking at how Abel Ferrara’s brutal 1990 gangster flick captured the imagination of the hip hop community.

Time Out London
02/27/2018
London on screen: Bridget Jones's flat

The seventh part of my 'London on Screen' series and a look at how the value of Bridget Jones's flat in Borough has shot up over the years.

Brick
02/14/2018
Why Ras Kass' Soul on Ice resonates in Trump's America

In September ’96, a teenager from Carson, California, put out one of rap’s most prescient albums. Thomas Hobbs speaks to Ras Kass to discuss his magnum opus Soul on Ice and why it fts perfectly in a modern day America that still sits in a state of political unrest and racial tension.

AnotherMan
12/05/2017
Photographing the Biggest Legends in Rock

From Mick Jagger to Paul McCartney, Gered Mankowitz has shot them all - here, the photographer reflects on his career and tells the stories behind some of his most iconic images.

Time Out London
06/02/2017
A guide to Camberwell Church Street

"Some historians believe the name Camberwell means ‘Cripple Well’, and that this south London suburb was originally established as a settlement for poor folk expelled from other parts of London in the eleventh century for having diseases such as leprosy."

Time Out London
09/28/2017
London on screen: the church from 'The Omen'

I created my own film series for Time Out London called 'London on Screen' for both print and online. Each week I will focus on a different iconic London film location. Here's the first on the church from The Omen and the tourists it inspires.

The Quietus
06/07/2017
Interview: Run The Jewels

Following a triumphant headline set at Field Day, we catch up with El-P and Killer Mike of Run The Jewels to discuss being rap's most political modern group, why Mike might one day run for office and their plans to emulate Led Zeppelin.

Wonderland Magazine
04/29/2017
An interview with Sturla Atlas

"With its Christmas card landscape, penchant for renewable energy and tiny Nordic population, Iceland isn’t an obvious candidate for a blossoming hip hop scene. Not that emerging rap collective Sturla Atlas give a shit."

The Quietus
03/22/2017
Stone Rolling: Raphael Saadiq Interviewed

Despite a masterful solo career and being the producer behind some of the best D'Angelo and Solange Knowles songs, many still don't know who Raphael Saadiq is, says Thomas Hobbs, who interviewed him recently.

Vice
05/10/2016
Diving deep into the NSFW side of Linkedin

"Megalomania, emotional blackmail, prostitution, drug dealing, and creepy men named Bob. Depending on your perspective, these are either the ingredients for the first two seasons of Twin Peaks, or a few basic features of your typical LinkedIn feed."

Vice
04/12/2015
The women pushing gender out of gaming

Gaming isn't the most women-friendly industry, but a new generation of female developers and gamers are trying to change things—or take gender out of the equation altogether. Thomas Hobbs spoke to some of them.

Wonderland Magazine
01/12/2015
Introducing: Honor

Getting to grips with emerging pop star Honor, a self-effacing bedroom songstress.

The Guardian
14/08/2014
Whatever happened to the British food revival?

A few years ago, modern British food was on the up. Now we're eating American and south Asian, and the high street is still full of Italian, Japanese and Mexican chains. What went wrong, asks Thomas Hobbs.

The Guardian
09/16/2014
What next for the burger?

Thomas Hobbs: High-end fast food is still massively popular, but the figures suggest we may have reached peak burger. Are we ready to switch beef patties for game, ostrich or lamb in the name of variety? And is pulled pork beginning to pall?

Marketing Week
10/12/2015
Sega Europe's marketing director on the transition from Sonic to smartphones

With unique characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog at its disposal, Sega remains a brand that resonates warmly with Brits. But as video games evolve to more story-based narratives and smartphone casual gaming takes off, Sega Europe's marketing director Jon Rooke admits the Japanese developer is altering its approach.

The Grocer
05/06/2014
Sir Philip Green is heading your way

As Sir Philip Green makes bold changes to BHS, I exclusively interviewed him about its future and whether he's looking for a buyer.

Good Things Magazine
04/04/2014
Is a woman's place really in the kitchen?

With women still struggling to get the top culinary jobs, Margot Henderson, Anna Hansen and Angela Hartnett talk to me about battling against sexism within the food industry.