Black Sky Thinking

Cutting the Beef: Rappers unite as 50’s marketing ploy fails

As 50 Cent vainly attempts to flog another album on his label with a tired round of beefing, Adam Narkiewicz looks at how a new generation of rappers are re-introducing a spirit of community and collaboration to the genre.

Part VI

Is The BBC The Enemy Of Hip Hop?

Last week amongst the detritus thrown at UK rapper Lethal Bizzle by the audience at Download was a banana skin. Forget about this though - a bigger problem facing UK hip hop stars, argues rapper/writer Adam Narkiewicz is the media itself

Swells in NYC

Kanye West, Sensitive Soul

Quietus Editor John Doran gets drunk, falls over, destroys phone, makes noise like "broken panther" and has Proustian recall of two run ins with the "resolutely mediocre" Kanye West

Mr Agreeable: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit He Hates

North Of Purgatory: A Coma Diary. Part V

Metallica – . . . And Reviews For All!

Black Sky Thinking: Metallica Take Internet, Give It A Big Kiss

Luke Turner wonders why mildly bonkers, vaguely hysterical and ever so slightly control freakish Q Prime are up in arms about a tiny blog site describing Metallica's new album as good. Is it because they're launching their own UK website Emission Metallica? Not so much breaking a butterfly on a wheel as dropping an SUV on a termite, perhaps?

Part IV

In Defence Of: Coldplay

Part III

The First Column: Superstar DJs

Record decks that a brain injured giraffe could use will soon be in the shops. 'Good', says John Doran because it takes him one step closer to having Tom Cruise come in his ears

Black Sky Thinkin: Tinging Outside The Box

The Quietus' titanium attack dog Swells has tiny cocked indie boys who hate 'anyone with a cunt who sings' in his sights. Is he talking about The Police?

Black Sky Thinking: The Credit Crunch Is Good For Rock n’Roll

The Tories are gloating over the Crewe by-election, the economy is sinking down Alistair Darling's plughole and we can't afford to eat. But, says Brother John Robb, this might just rescue us from insipid indie

Part II

Black Sky Thinking: Baby Got Back?

Why women love dirty boy music, by Christina McDermott

Part I

Mr Agreeable: Up yer Ronson and bombs to Leeds

Radio 4’s new direction

Black Sky Thinking: What We (Don’t) Need is an Alternative Oldster

Black Sky Thinking: All Rock & Roll Is Tory

Black Sky Thinking: Swells on Beatles Day

Black Sky Thinking: Coldplay give away new single

Mr. Agreeable: Takes your pork pie hat with chutney

Hey Big Spender: A Defence Of Jay-Z

iLiKETRAiNS – ‘We Go Hunting’, an essay and film

Black Sky Thinking: Sleep Deprivation

Black Sky Thinking: Glastonbury – Aryan folk festival

Insert The Dirt

Black Sky Thinking: Death to Corduroy

Dull American music mags are dying in droves, and Steven Wells cares not one jot. Hark as he dances around the bonfire in joy...

Black Sky Thinking: The Joy Division Industry

More offcuts from the factory, by Chris Roberts. Illustration by Stu Green