Young T & Bugsey - Plead the 5th

The Guardian 60

(Black Butter Records)
The Nottingham duo’s first full-length album is crowdpleasing collection of unrestrained pop-facing hip-hop

London may no longer be the centre of UK hip-hop, but many regional rap scenes are only just minting their first mainstream stars. Thanks to two Top 20 singles and ongoing radio play, Ra’chard Tucker and Doyin Julius – AKA Young T & Bugsey – can claim to be Nottingham’s first proper success story. Yet, as the US constitution-referencing title of their first full-length release suggests, you’d struggle to find much that roots their music in the Midlands.

Related: 'A funny accent draws bare attention': how regional rappers stormed the charts