Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
LONDON, UK - 21 Savage has returned to his birthplace of London after more than two decades, and he’s pulled out all the stops including calling on Central Cee, J Hus and more for a special homecoming show.
On Thursday night (November 30), the Slaughter Gang rapper sold out the O2 Arena for his first-ever headlining performance in London after securing permanent citizenship in the United States earlier this year, allowing him to travel freely outside the country again.
It marked a big win for the Atlanta rap star considering his long-running legal battle with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in which he was accused of overstaying his welcome after arriving in the country with his mother at the age of seven.
In addition to running through his own catalog of hits including “Runnin,'” “Glock In My Lap” and “Bank Account,” as well as collaborations with Drake, Travis Scott and Future, 21 Savage brought out London’s own J Hus, who performed “Man Don’t Dance,” and Central Cee for “Doja Cat.”
Jamaica was in the building too as dancehall star Popcaan also hit the stage as a special guest.
“I can’t believe I just sold out the o21 !!!!!!” 21 wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the concert. “London I owe yall for eternity !!!!l cench popcaan j hus yall helped me make this night special !!!!”
Check out highlights from the show below.
It’s been a busy week across the pond for 21 Savage, who was also spotted filming a new music video in South London on Tuesday (November 28). It’s unclear what song Savage was shooting the visual for, but he had a biker gang riding around Brixton with him.
The rapper also got into the soccer spirit by attending Arsenal’s Champions League game against French team Lens the following night, which ended in a 6-0 win to the Gunners.
21 was presented with his own custom jersey before kick-off, while his “Circo Loco” track — which contains the lyric, “Still gotta see the Gunners win Premier League” — was played inside the stadium after the match.
What’s more, 21 even hung out with Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe after the game.
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Bowling For Soup and Frank Turner say they are certain they will eventually record music together.
The pop punk favourites and the singer songwriter will be touring together across Australia and the UK throughout May, June and July for a series of co headlining shows. They also came close to recording a track together for Bowling For Soup’s upcoming twelfth studio album.
Lead singer Jaret Reddick told ContactMusic.com: "We had actually talked about doing a track together for the new [BFS] album.
"I was working on songs during a really hectic period for Frank. We had planned this perfect day where he would stop by the studio. He did show up, but we ended up just spending time together and catching up instead, with no expectations.
"I feel like if we had tried to finish something just to release it before the tours, it probably would not have come out the way we wanted.
"I do believe that at some point down the line we are both sure we will create something together."
Frank and Jaret have already worked side by side in the studio before on the track Drunk As It Takes, which appeared on the BFS frontman’s country album.
Frank reflected: "There is something special about country songwriting that I think we both really admire.
"There is a real honesty and straightforwardness to it that I think both of us naturally bring into our own music, no matter what style we are working in."
Even though Frank is not featured on the new record, Jaret did share some insight into Bowling For Soup’s forthcoming album, which gained momentum after they recorded Holding Onto That Hate last summer while testing equipment for audio company SSL.
He explained: "They were looking for a band to come in and record a track to test out some new studio equipment. It ended up being our first recording as a three piece.
"I remember telling the guys, 'I think I am feeling inspired again. Let’s just go for it.'
"We set a target date, which ended up being February this year, and we followed through. A lot of the songwriting happened toward the end of last year and continued into January."
Jaret mentioned that he considers the 2009 album Sorry For Partying to be "the last truly great Bowling For Soup record," but he is very optimistic about what is coming next.
He said: "Some fans would probably argue and say, 'Actually, Lunch. Drunk. Love. is great as well'.
"But when I think about the last couple of albums, I sometimes feel like there were a few tracks I maybe should have left off.
"With this new record, there honestly is not a single weak track. All three of us feel like this could end up being the best Bowling For Soup album we have ever made, which feels wild to even say."
At first, the group considered putting the album out quickly, but they later decided to take more time with it.
He added: "To be honest, that idea does not really make sense since we will be touring with Frank and also heading out with Simple Plan.
"We are now thinking about releasing it in the fall or possibly even early next year. It is going to be worth the wait."
Full schedule for Bowling For Soup x Frank Turner Bowl My Bones UK Tour 2026:
June 25 Margate Dreamland
June 26 Southampton TK Maxx Presents Southampton Summer Sessions
June 27 Lincoln TK Maxx Presents Live at Lincoln Castle
June 29 Glasgow O2 Academy Glasgow
June 30 Halifax TK Maxx Presents Live at The Piece Hall
July 2 Scarborough TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre
July 3 Llangollen TK Maxx Presents Live at Llangollen Pavillion
July 4 Cardiff TK Maxx Presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle
July 5 St Austell Eden Sessions
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